Fantasy related but good info....
McGee's Wild Triple-Double
Wild Life
JaVale McGee came into Tuesday night on a nice three-game run, averaging 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks over that stretch, but took things to a new level against the centerless Bulls. McGee racked up the rare triple-double with blocks, finishing with 11 points, 12 boards and 12 swats in the loss. It was a wild performance that could have been much better, but McGee was marching to his own drummer and throwing up ridiculous shots late, hoping to throw something in for his 10th point. He was ripped by Flip Saunders recently for playing out of control and then allowed to do just that. He capped the evening off with a technical for hanging on the rim and celebrating his feat, which is drawing some ire from folks. But from a fantasy perspective? You go, JaVale! The Wiz lost this game by halftime and the Bulls were missing their bigs, so this felt more like a playground triple-double than an NBA version. I own McGee, Samuel Dalembert and Roy Hibbert in a league where we can start just one center, and I rolled the dice on Hibbert this week. He was great against the Knicks last night, but there's no denying how difficult it was watching Sammy and McGee put up the lines of their lives on my bench.
John Wall played through a foot injury last night and given the fact he went off for 17 points, 11 boards, seven assists, four steals, a block and seven TOs in 46 minutes, I still think his foot injury needs to be watched closely by owners. There's very little info coming out of Washington right now, but it does sound like Wall nearly missed last night's game. Just keep an eye on this situation. Jordan Crawford played all 48 minutes and finished with 27 points and three 3-poiners on 10-of-21 shooting, and with the injuries detailed in the next paragraph, deserves to be owned in most leagues going forward.
Andray Blatche (shoulder), Josh Howard (knee), Nick Young (knee) and Rashard Lewis (knee) were all out last night. My guess is we may have seen the last of Lewis and Howard this season, while Young is clearly a shutdown candidate as well. If you own any of those three, I'd recommend cutting bait and picking up Crawford if you can.
As for Blatche, we reported yesterday that he said on Twitter that his shoulder was "killin" him, but after further review, it's possible that simply missing the game was what was "killin" him. Either way, he's now missed three straight and most of a fourth after an MRI revealed no structural damage in his shoulder. I'm getting a lot of "should I drop him" emails, and at this point, if we don't have any new information by the end of the weekend, it is something to look at. Every league and situation is different and Blatche might be droppable in yours, but if you can, let's see what the next report has to say.
Yi Jianlian started last night and had 14 points, six boards and two steals, and could suddenly be relevant given all the injuries in Washington. Trevor Booker struggled after double-doubling in his last one, but still figures to be a decent play going forward.
Kurt Thomas had eight points, 15 boards and two blocks for the Bulls, and Taj Gibson added nine points, 13 boards and no blocks in a start for Joakim Noah. Noah shouldn't be out long after missing last night with an illness, while Carlos Boozer also hopes to return on Thursday. Derrick Rose didn't shoot it well, but still had a nice game, while Luol Deng chipped in with 20 points. Perhaps the most surprising thing that happened for the Bulls was the fact Keith Bogans blew up for 17 points and five 3-pointers. Regardless of how good he looked last night, ignore him because it was a fluke.
Roy Watch
The Blazers beat the Mavericks as Gerald Wallace made his first start for the Blazers, sending Marcus Camby to the bench. Both players struggled, but at least Camby had four blocks. Brandon Roy is turning heads again after scoring 21 points last night in 28 minutes. He didn't do much else, but has scored 37 in his last two. I still think the risk outweighs the reward but if you have some dead weight on your team and want to take a flier on him, go for it. Nicolas Batum struggled through an ankle injury, while Wesley Matthews scored 18 with four 3-pointers. He's scored between 18 & 20 points in his last three, despite Roy's hot streak. LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and eight boards for his first 30-point game in March.
Roddy Beaubois finally had a decent game as the Mavs' starting shooting guard, scoring 16 points and hitting four threes on the night, but I need to see him do it again before buying into what he's selling. Shawn Marion hit 9-of-15 shots for 18 points, five boards and four dimes. He's definitely worth owning in all leagues with Peja Stojakovic hurt again, and has been playing very well for about a month.
Perhaps the biggest news out of Dallas last night was Dirk Nowitzki's left shoulder injury. He had a similar line to Marion's, but left late after tweaking the shoulder twice. The second one didn't look great, and there is concern, at least from us, that he could miss tonight's game at Golden State. My guess is he'll be listed as a game-time decision, so watch for an update this afternoon.
Jason Kidd missed his only shot, but at least had 14 assists, and continues to be a hit-or-miss fantasy player. But you have to start him if you own him. Brendan Haywood was out with a back injury.
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Joe Cool
Joe Johnson got hot early last night and never really cooled off, finishing with 36 points on 13-of-19 shooting. He set a Hawks record with 28 before the break and hit six straight threes at one point. It's too bad he sat out the fourth quarter, or this could have been an epic fantasy line. He's starting at small forward now, and it appears to suit him.
Josh Smith came through with 17 points, 14 rebounds, a steal and four blocks on 8-of-12 shooting. Hopefully, if you own him, he's ready to have a monster week, but he won't get to play the Bucks every night. Al Horford returned from an ankle injury and had 15 points, five boards and a block. Not a monster line, but at least he played. Marvin Williams scored 16 points off the bench, but I'd ignore him unless he starts doing this on a regular basis. The blowout helped his minutes.
Jeff Teague did nothing in the first half, but came back after the break for six points, five rebounds and six assists on 2-of-9 shooting, with most of it coming in garbage time. If you rolled the dice on him this week, at least he put up some numbers. The Hawks finish the week with Denver, Miami and Detroit, which are all decent matchups for the young point guard. The good news for Teague is that the Hawks have won two straight since he moved into the starting five. Kirk Hinrich's struggles continued, and while he'll probably start playing well eventually, he can be dropped if necessary.
For the Bucks, Andrew Bogut had a nice double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds. While he remains a shutdown candidate, he's going to keep playing as long as the Bucks can smell the playoffs. Brandon Jennings stopped Teague, but had just four points and two assists on 1-of-8 shooting. Yuck. The Bucks were pretty awful last night and it's still tough to tell from night to night who is going to get hot. Bogut was the only one who showed up against the Hawks.
Finally, Pacers
The Pacers beat the Knicks for the second straight time and finally put up a box score like we thought the Pacers would all season. Danny Granger returned from strep throat, put up a solid line and hit the game-winner, Darren Collison finally had a big line with 24 points and nine dimes on 9-of-13 shooting, Roy Hibbert added 15 points, 12 boards, five assists and five blocks, while Tyler Hansbrough poured in a career-high 30, but had just three boards. They went to Hibbert late and he came through, as did most of his teammates, so we just have to hope that they keep the same philosophy going forward. All four players are nearly must-starts in fantasy, even though most of them have struggled to play nearly this well all season.
The Knicks started Shawne Williams over Jared Jeffries and he had 10 points, six boards, a steal and two threes. We don't yet know if this move will stick, but it could, making Williams worth a close eye. Jeffries had six boards, two steals and two blocks, but should be ignored except in the deepest of leagues. Landry Fields added 17 points, two steals and three 3-pointers, while Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups all played reasonably well. Owners who rolled the dice on Toney Douglas were rewarded with 17 points and four threes, and he's worth a look even with Billups back as the first guard off the bench. Stoudemire somehow avoided a technical foul, but easily could have picked one or two up after barking at the refs. He's one away from a suspension.
Tuesday's Non-Game News
Eric Gordon is not expected to play tonight and while his wrist is supposedly feeling better, he's still day-to-day. Hopefully we get another update today, but bench him for now.
Andre Iguodala's sore right knee will leave him as a game-time decision tonight against the Clippers. My guess is he's going to keep playing through it, but it's obviously a concern.
Paul Millsap wasn't able to practice on Tuesday and is a game-time decision tonight against the Wolves due to his sore knee. He was expected to practice, but wasn't able to, making me think we may not see him again tonight. Devin Harris (hamstring), Gordon Hayward (foot), Ronnie Price (toe), Francisco Elson (ankle) and Raja Bell (toe) are all game-time decisions for the Jazz tonight, so stay tuned for updates - especially if you own Harris. C.J. Miles will start over Bell at shooting guard for the time being and could stick there the rest of the season, making him worth a serious look. Al Jefferson has celebrated the departure of Deron Williams by averaging nearly 27 points, 12 boards and 2.5 blocks in March.
Tyreke Evans' trip to the doctor supposedly went well on Tuesday and there's still a chance he could start practicing soon and play at some point on their upcoming five-game road trip that starts on Sunday. I'm expecting a fresh update on him on Wednesday.
Rudy Gay's shoulder is still not well and he's had trouble lifting his left arm. He's expected to rest for another week or two, so I don't expect to see him in uniform anytime soon.
Luis Scola missed another practice on Tuesday, making him doubtful for tonight against the Bobcats. My guess is he won't go, but we should know for sure this afternoon.
Rajon Rondo was just 1-of-10 on Monday and tweaked an ankle, but it sounds like he's going to play tonight. Watch for updates if you own him.
Darko Milicic sat out most of Tuesday's practice with an illness, leaving him iffy for tonight. He's been a mess, in and out of the lineup all season.
Amir Johnson sprained his right ankle in practice yesterday and is out again tonight, missing his last few games with a left ankle sprain. This means more good news for Ed Davis and Reggie Evans.
Signs are pointing to Ricky Rubio staying in Spain and ignoring the Wolves again next season, although David Kahn plans on doing another full-blown recruiting trip. I don't think Kahn can be hit with a stalking charge, but Rubio is giving him no signs he's interested.
Luke Ridnour is expected to return tonight after taking a couple days off for family reasons.
Channing Frye was shooting jumpers on Monday and could be ahead of schedule to return from his shoulder injury. I'm getting a lot of questions about picking him up, but he's still not expected to play until next week (maybe Tuesday). Steve Nash is expected to return tonight, but don't be surprised if he's limited by his "pelvic instability."
Arron Afflalo is iffy for tonight with his hamstring injury, while Danilo Gallinari is targeting a Friday return from his broken toe. Until they're back, J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler have must-start status.
Wednesday Night
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will square off with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on national television in the game of the night.
Toronto takes on the unpredictable Pistons and the Cavs visit the Kings, which is whatever you would call the opposite of 'the games of the night.'
The Pacers will look for their third straight win against the struggling Celtics, Orlando should roll the Bucks, and the Wolves will look for their sixth road win against the beat up Jazz, as Kevin Love looks to start a new double-double streak.
There are 11 games in all and owners in playoff battles are going to have a good feel for how they stand when they wake up in the morning. Good luck!
Channing Frye - F/C - Suns </TD></TR><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Channing Frye (shoulder) has an outside chance to play in Friday's game against the Warriors.</TD></TR><TR><TD>
