Fantasy related but good info....
Tim Duncan Down & Out
Monday's games offered plenty of food for thought as Tim Duncan went down, Keith Smart channeled his inner Nellie, Avery Johnson taunted Jordan Farmar's owners with Sundiata Gaines, while Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and Rajon Rondo decided to play basketball. And Tuesday morning brought very bad news for Rudy Gay, courtesy of Dr. James Andrews.
Duncan Down & Out
Tim Duncan left Monday's game with a severely sprained ankle that could keep him out for the rest of the regular season. He's expected to miss two weeks, which means he might be droppable in most leagues. And in weekly leagues, the timing couldn't have been worse. DeJuan Blair now looks like a must-own player, but Gregg Popovich held him out last night because of a sore wrist. It sounds like it was a precautionary move, and while Pop and Blair have let us down time and time again, it's hard to imagine Blair not playing like a stud the rest of the way. He's expected back on Wednesday. Tiago Splitter, who recorded his first double-double last night, is also going to see a major boost in minutes and it's entirely possible that Splitter will start at center and Blair starts at power forward. We'll see, but both of them are worth grabbing if you need a big man.
Not A Gay Old Time
Rudy Gay will miss the rest of the season after learning he needs shoulder surgery from Dr. James Andrews. This isn't too surprising and I just hope you dropped him a couple weeks ago when he went down. Tony Allen will continue to be worth owning in many fantasy leagues, while Sam Young, Shane Battier and O.J. Mayo are worth keeping an eye on. Hopefully Gay will be good to go for the start of next season, but we don't know much about a timetable just yet.
Love Hurts
Beat writer Jerry Zgoda is speculating that Kevin Love will be shut down for the remainder of the season with his groin injury. That makes perfect sense to me, as the Wolves have nothing to play for and Love's been playing on one leg anyway. It's time for a rest and you can expect Anthony Randolph to suddenly become relevant again. Pick him up if you have someone to cut, including Love and Duncan.
Tyreke Targeting Friday, But Will Be Limited
Tyreke Evans is expected back on Friday, but he's going to play very limited minutes and I really doubt he's going to be all that useful down the stretch for fantasy owners. Think Brandon Roy. However, if Evans does make it back to full strength and reclaim his starting job, Marcus Thornton or Beno Udrih is going to take the hit. But at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if both guys average more minutes than Tyreke down the stretch.
Quiet In Washington
The Wizards didn't practice on Monday so we still know nothing about the status of Andray Blatche (shoulder), Nick Young and Josh Howard (knees). However, we should have an update later today so stay tuned.
Injury/Lineup News & Notes
Marcus Camby is iffy for tonight with his sprained ankle, but my guess is he sits this one out. Look for Wesley Matthews to bounce back after going scoreless on Sunday.
Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand both sound good to go on Wednesday for the Sixers. Iguodala's knee has gotten some rest over the last five days, while Brand, who has missed just one game this season, is dealing with a sore hand or two.
Stephen Jackson sat out Monday's practice with his hamstring injury and is nowhere near 100 percent. He's also going to be very iffy for Wednesday, but really wants to play. Even if he goes he's not going to be moving very well, as I suspect his slump will continue.
Kirk Hinrich will start again on Tuesday for the Hawks, along with Marvin Williams, who has been coming off the bench, meaning the Jeff Teague experiment is over. I thought Larry Drew was hell bent on keeping Teague with the first unit, but the dream is over.
Courtney Lee will start for Chase Budinger, whose ankle injury isn't as bad as initial reports indicated. Lee is a must-play until Budinger is back, which could be this weekend.
Keep reading for Monday's game news.
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Nuggets Crush Raptors
Ty Lawson had 23 points, eight assists and two 3-pointers on 7-of-10 shooting with Raymond Felton sidelined. Felton could be back on Wednesday, but Lawson is still worth starting in most leagues. Danilo Gallinari was back in the starting five last night, along with Wilson Chandler, although neither was all that great (12 and 9 points, respectively), while Al Harrington actually showed a pulse with 15 points in garbage time. He'd been out with an achilles injury, but I wouldn't give him a second look as the Nuggets absolutely destroyed the Raptors. Chandler started for Arron Afflalo, who might have permanently lost his starting job with his latest hamstring injury, while J.R. Smith had just 13 points off the bench. As I've been saying since the trade, Gallo and Chandler are the guys you want to go with here. Afflalo is expected to be out the rest of the week.
The Raptors were awful last night and Amir Johnson went down with yet another ankle sprain. That will help Ed Davis and Reggie Evans in the long run, but they didn't do much last night. Johnson's ankles are a mess and I'd recommend dropping him at this point. Leandro Barbosa finally calmed down last night, hitting just 2-of-11 shots for five points, but should bounce back in the next one.
Knicks Meltdown In Home Loss To Celtics
The Knicks had another melt down in the fourth quarter last night, getting outscored 33-17 over the last 12 minutes to take a 10-point loss at home. Carmelo Anthony scored 22 and needed five stitches in the loss, while his media boycott and the Knicks sub-par play are raising eyebrows in the Big Apple. The offense isn't clicking with Melo in the middle of it all, while the team's defense is pretty poor as well.
Landry Fields' slump continued with four points on 1-of-6 shooting while Shawne Williams, who is dealing with a finger injury on his shooting hand, was held without a point, and Toney Douglas hit just 2-of-7 shots for five points. These three have all come up big for fantasy owners throughout the season and I'm hoping they bounce back in the next one. But anytime you're starting one of these guys right now, you're playing with fire. Douglas had been unstoppable for 10 days but has now struggled in two straight, which owners have to hope isn't a sign that a new slump has started. But he's a streaky shooter who will go through hot and cold periods.
Ronny Turiaf was back in the starting five last night and had 11 points and four blocks, but his next injury, or stint off the bench, is probably just around the corner. And speaking of injuries, Kelenna Azubuike needs another knee surgery, as a source told the New York Post that "they put his knee back together wrong" during the first surgery. That's a shame.
Rajon Rondo (sprained, not broken pinkie) finally broke out of his funk with 13 points, 12 assists and two steals, while Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce also played well. Ray Allen needed seven stitches for a cut on his head but was able to finish the game and had 15 points.
Spurs Beat GSW
Tony Parker tied a career high with 15 assists for the Spurs, while Steve Novak backed up his 19-point line from Saturday with 13 points and three 3-pointers on 5-of-6 shooting last night. We've see him do this before with the Clippers a couple years ago, but I'm afraid he's going to be more damaging to guys like Gary Neal and George Hill than he valuable to fantasy owners.
For the Warriors, Stephen Curry was benched for Acie Law (14 points, three assists, two steals) on Monday, finishing with just eight points and two assists in 20 minutes. The fact that Curry has been able to maintain such solid fantasy value this long is pretty impressive, considering the way Smart has been jerking him around for much of the season. I never thought that Nellie's replacement could be as frustrating as he was, but Smart is trying my patience with Curry. I have no idea what the immediate future holds, but my guess is Curry will continue to start and produce, while Smart will be looking for a job this summer. And if you're thinking about picking Law up, feel free to do so. I'm just not recommending it.
Meanwhile, Monta Ellis hit just 4-of-13 shots for 10 points last night and could be wearing down. Yes, Ellis has been struggling a bit, but I think he's got a few 30-point games left in him, so you have to keep rolling him out there for now. Ekpe Udoh finally answered the call with 15 points, seven boards and two blocks in 38 minutes. We've had our eye on him for weeks, and now it's time to move on him if you need a center. Andris Biedrins is not expected to play again this season.
Bulls Throttle Kings
Carlos Boozer returned from his sprained ankle and had 16 points and five boards in 26 minutes. It looks like he's back and ready to go, so get him back in your lineup if he's not there already. Kyle Korver got hot and hit four 3-pointers on his way to 18 points and two steals in just 19 minutes. I'd like him a lot more if he was getting 25 minutes per game, but it's not happening.
For the Kings, DeMarcus Cousins played after avoiding a suspension for brushing a ref on Sunday and put up 11 points and eight rebounds in the blowout loss. He also committed eight turnovers, but is still a must-start player. Marcus Thornton stayed hot with 25 points, three steals and two threes on 9-of-14 shooting, and it sure would have been nice if he started out the season playing for the Kings in stead of the Hornets, where Monty Williams ruined him.
Magic Roll Over Cavs
J.J. Hickson had 18 points, six boards and three blocks, as his season of inconsistency continues, but when he's on, he's a blast to own. Ramon Sessions is playing with a hernia right now but still had nine points, six boards and six dimes in the absence of Baron Davis. Keep rolling Sessions out there until he breaks, but keep in mind that Baron is thinking about playing on Wednesday and could even start over Sessions. Daniel Gibson scored 16 points and has now hit double digits in five of his last six games, making him worth a look in most leagues. Just be aware that by the time you pick him up and get him into your lineup he could very well be hurt again. Gibson and Christian Eyenga could be heading back into the starting five for the Cavs, which would put Anthony Parker and Alonzo Gee on the bench, so keep an eye on them.
Dwight Howard, who I seriously believe should be getting just as much MVP love as Derrick Rose is, hit 9-of-11 shots and a remarkable 10-of-12 free throws for 28 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, four steals and four blocks in the easy win. Brandon Bass also feasted on the Cavs last night, going off for 22 points, six boards and a block on 9-of-10 shooting. Unfortunately, he doesn't get to play the Cavs every day, nor will he hit 9-of-10 shots very often. He's still in a timeshare with Ryan Anderson (12 points, two 3-pointers), so I'm still not taking the bait on Bass. And if anyone can tell me why a stat line like Dwight's doesn't even raise an eyebrow anymore, or get his name thrown in the MVP hat, I'm all ears. Gilbert Arenas quietly returned from his calf injury, but it was more of the same, meaning he still belongs on waivers.
Pacers Handle Nets
Jordan Farmar's owners are a little ticked off at Avery Johnson this morning for giving Sundiata Gaines so much run last night. However, Farmar played 32 minutes, so it's not worth panicking over. Gaines made the most of his 24 minutes with 18 points, six boards, three assists and three steals. Had he not been feeling it, Farmar's minutes would have been higher. Anthony Morrow played through his sprained finger but hit just 5-of-15 shots for 12 points, six boards and a three last night. The finger could bother him the rest of the season, but it looks like he's going to play through it. Kris Humphries finally had his double-double string snapped after rocking 10 straight, while Brook Lopez hauled in an amazing four rebounds last night.
For the Pacers, Danny Granger scored 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting, while Roy Hibbert, who disappeared on Saturday after picking up five fouls in 11 minutes, hit 10-of-14 shots for 24 points, five boards and three blocks. Thanks, Roy. Doing that Sunday night would have meant I'd still be playing for something this week. Darren Collison is back, going for 15 points and 12 assists last night. He was terrible a couple weeks ago, but is finally rolling for the Pacers. Tyler Hansbrough cooled off last night with seven points and nine boards, but I'm not worried.
Grizzlies Spank Jazz
Devin Harris left last night's game with a hamstring injury and is hoping to practice on Friday, meaning he's likely out on Wednesday and Thursday. Earl Watson is going to get plenty of run in his absence, but I'd ignore him if you can. He just hasn't done much with any of his opportunities this season. Derrick Favors also left this game with a sprained ankle and didn't return, but wasn't worth using with Paul Millsap back. Favors is hoping to play Wednesday, not that it matters. Andrei Kirilenko also played limited minutes for the second straight game. No one is saying his back is holding him back, but he continues to be one of the most frustrating guys to own this season. Stay away next year and weigh your options carefully with him the rest of the way. Damion James was out with a foot injury so Stephen Graham started and didn't score.
For the Grizzlies, Darrell Arthur played through his sprained ankle and had 14 points and two rebounds, making him still worth a look in deeper leagues.
