Fanasy related but good info....
The NBA's Silly Season
It's the NBA's silly season and the shutdown-fest is in full effect. I'm going to go team-by-team and try to give a brief overview of expectations over the next two evenings, when the season will mercifully come to an end around 1 a.m. on Thursday morning. Six teams play Tuesday night, and all 30 go on Wednesday.
22 Teams Played Monday Night
Orlando Beats Philly
Magic - Starters all played at least 30 minutes and it sounds like Stan Van Gundy should use a similar plan for the season finale vs. the Pacers. Ryan Anderson was surprisingly good off the bench last night. Magic will face Hawks in Round 1.
Sixers - Starters all played heavy minutes, except for Andre Iguodala, who rested with a sore knee. I doubt Iguodala is will play on Wednesday vs. Pistons, either. And whether his replacement in that one is Evan Turner (again) or Andres Nocioni (who started the second half last night), you can probably find a better option. The Sixers are locked into a first-round meeting with the Heat, but my guess is Doug Collins will still play his starters in the finale.
Charlotte Beats New Jersey
Bobcats - Starters all played very heavy minutes with Dante Cunningham leading the way with 21 points. All five starters were in double figures, D.J. Augustin hit the game-winner and all five look like relatively safe starts Wednesday vs. the Hawks.
Nets - The starters all played heavy minutes in the loss, but only Sasha Vujacic, Jordan Farmar and Brook Lopez should be trusted on Wednesday, when the Nets wrap up the year at Chicago.
Wizards Beat Celtics' JV Team
Wizards - Starters played heavy minutes, especially Jordan Crawford and John Wall, and pulled off an overtime win against the "Celtics." JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche would have played more minutes, but both fouled out in this one. The Wiz have a chance for yet another road win on Wednesday, and should go for it at Cleveland.
Celtics - Doc Rivers benched all his stars, rolled out the B-team, and used the Wizards to make Jermaine O'Neal look relevant again. New starters O'Neal (if he can still walk this morning), Glen Davis, Jeff Green and Von Wafer all deserve a look tomorrow against the Knicks. Those two teams will meet in the playoffs, and neither team is expected to use the starters much, if at all, on Wednesday. Delonte West also started last night, but left with an ugly leg injury after McGee fell on him. He could be out awhile.
Heat Down Hawks
Heat - Here's where things get tricky. LeBron James absolutely went off, Dwyane Wade was his normal self and Chris Bosh had a solid game, as usual. And now that we know the Heat will face the Sixers after clinching the No. 2 seed in the East, we really don't know if Erik Spoelstra is going to give the Super Friends a day off. I really don't have a feel for this one, so keep an eye on Rotoworld.com Player News until we start getting some hints out of Miami. And even if the Heat rest the Big 3, I doubt the options for you to pick up will be all that great on Wednesday vs. Raptors. And believe it or not, the Heat might not even need the Super Friends to beat the Raps right now.
Hawks - For the Hawks, who have been locked into a first-round meeting with the Magic for some time now, Josh Smith returned from a sore knee and played well, but the starters all got 26 minutes or less. In fact, 10 players played at least 20 minutes, so you can expect more of the same on Wednesday vs. the Bobcats. And that means using any Hawk is going to be a bit risky. And Smith doesn't sound like a lock for this one, so watch for more news on him.
Cavs Beat Pistons
Cavs - Starters played pretty nice minutes, although Baron Davis' back was bothering him (as usual) and Semih Erden was in foul trouble (as usual). Baron might take Wednesday off, making Ramon Sessions a solid option (as usual). Sessions had 17 points and nine assists last night, Daniel Gibson was solid, Alonzo Gee scored 16 and J.J. Hickson had another big line. The bench all played well and my guess is you'll see most of the Cavs who are in uniform play decent minutes vs. the Wizards. The good news is both of these teams still want to win, which should not be overlooked.
Pistons - Eight players saw at least 20 minutes last night and that should be the case again on Wednesday vs. the Sixers. I'm sure you heard about Charlie Villanueva freaking out on Ryan Hollins, and he's nearly guaranteed to be suspended for that one, and possibly for a couple games to start next season. Rodney Stuckey is/was the only point guard available and played 45 minutes last night, posting a huge line. The next highest minute-count was 33 for Jason Maxiell. With only eight players likely available, expect a similar box score on Wednesday.
Bucks Beat Raptors
Bucks - Brandon Jennings, John Salmons and Drew Gooden all played heavy minutes as starters, and all played very well in the win. No one else on the team scored more than six points, yet the Bucks still won, which tells us how bad the Raptors really are right now. Start these three again on Wednesday at Oklahoma City, but who else will step up for Milwaukee is a great mystery.
Raptors - The no-namers all had big fantasy lines. Joey Dorsey was a last-minute start for Reggie Evans (finger) and went off for 10 points and 20 rebounds, a steal and a block in the most shocking line of the night. Jerryd Bayless, Ed Davis and James Johnson also started and played fairly well, and I expect more of the same on Wednesday against the Heat. The big question is whether Evans plays or not, while guys like Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon have probably seen their season come to an end.
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Jazz Beat Hornets
Jazz - The Jazz played the starters heavy minutes, which even included Devin Harris. I am not sure why, but if they did it last night (and won), they'll probably do it again tomorrow against the Nuggets and go out on a high note.
Hornets - The starters played normal minutes for the Hornets and Chris Paul bounced back from a scoreless night with a decent line. They've lost two straight, are still jockeying for position, and could play some sort of spoiler role against the Mavs on Wednesday. The regulars should be safe plays.
Dallas Takes Out Rockets
Dallas - We saw the regular minutes and rotation last night for the Mavs, although Corey Brewer went from a starter in his previous game to nine minutes last night. Dallas moved a ½ game in front of the Lakers for the No. 2 seed, and will probably be tied again after the Lakers play the Spurs tonight. My guess is your Mavs are safe for Wednesday night vs. New Orleans.
Rockets - The Rockets played just seven guys and they all played heavy minutes. Point guard Goran Dragic was a great pickup if you went for it (Kyle Lowry is done), and all seven players are worth a serious look again on Wednesday against the Timberwolves. Luis Scola's season sounds like it's over, making Chuck Hayes, Brad Miller and Patrick Patterson relevant.
Denver Smacks Warriors
Nuggets - Nene and Arron Afflalo left with injuries and are not likely to play on Wednesday, while Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler were already out. Ty Lawson, Raymond Felton, Gary Forbes, Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith, Chris Andersen and even Kosta Koufos all played well for Denver, and – outside of Koufos - look like nice options again Wednesday against the Jazz. The Nuggets are close to being locked into a first-round matchup with the Thunder, but it's still not official.
Warriors - Stephen Curry, Reggie Williams and Dorell Wright all had nice lines with Monta Ellis out, but the Warriors couldn't hang with the Nuggets. The starters all played pretty normal minutes and I expect Keith Smart to do it again on Wednesday against the Blazers.
Thunder Stop Kings
Thunder - Things still aren't decided in the West, although it looks like the Thunder will play Denver in Round 1. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka were all money again last night, and should be started again on Wednesday vs. the Bucks.
Kings - The Kings did everything they could to try to win at home, despite Tyreke Evans being a late scratch with a sprained ankle. They'll finish up the season at home against the Lakers, and if you don't think the Kings are going to give an insane effort in that one, you're crazy. This could be the last game in Sacramento and Evans is expected to return for that one. Evans, Marcus Thornton, DeMarcus Cousins (career-high 30 last night), Beno Udrih, Samuel Dalembert and Jason Thompson should all be decent options for what is sure to be an emotional night.
Suns Stop Wolves in OT
Suns - The Suns admirably gave it their all in a tough overtime win against the Wolves. Neither team had anything to play for, but Steve Nash had 16 assists, Jared Dudley had five 3-pointers and five steals, as well as a fat stat line, while Channing Frye caught fire, hitting a career high of nine 3-pointers, as well as scoring a career-high 33 points in the win. Marcin Gortat and Grant Hill were also very solid and it feels like they'll try to do it again at home against the Spurs tomorrow.
Wolves - The Wolves had four players score at least 20 points for the first time this season (Luke Ridnour, Michael Beasley, Anthony Tolliver and Anthony Randolph). All four of those players played very well, as Ridnour just missed a triple-double, and I fully expect them to do it again on Wednesday against the Rockets, despite not having anything to play for. And in case you missed it, Darko Milicic is done for the year, and Kevin Love is not expected to play in the finale at this point.
Six Teams In Action Tuesday Night
Bulls @ Knicks - They'll play the Amare-less Knicks and despite a bad cold, Derrick Rose is ready to go in this one. My only concern is Joakim Noah, who hasn't looked great lately. He'll still probably play, and despite being locked in as the No. 1 seed in the East, the Bulls are going all-out tonight. And if they win and San Antonio loses, they'll enter Wednesday's finale with home court for the Finals on the line.
Amare has been ruled out, but it sounds like the rest of the regulars should see solid run for New York tonight. However, expect a full shutdown against the Celtics on Wednesday, meaning guys like Shawne Williams, Toney Douglas, Ronny Turiaf and Bill Walker could become very relevant in fantasy.
Grizzlies @ Portland - Memphis will play the Blazers tonight while still jockeying for some playoff position, and I expect a normal effort from both teams.
Spurs @ Lakers - The Spurs have still not clinched homecourt through the Finals, but could come a step closer with a win tonight. However, don't be surprised to see the big names see limited minutes in this one as the Spurs may care more about getting rest than securing homecourt a month and a half from now. The Lakers will tie the Mavs for the No. 2 seed in the West with a win and Phil Jackson said he isn't going to rest his starters. The Lakers have lost five straight games and a win is probably more important for their mindset than anything else. In short, I think the Laker regulars are safe, and while I'd like to think the same for the Spurs, Gregg Popovich could go out and try to win this game, or bench all his starters. And we probably won't know which road he's taking until just before game time, although there are early rumors that Tim Duncan is not likely to play tonight.
Two Teams, 1 Game
The Pacers and Clippers play just one time this week, finishing the season on Wednesday, when every team in the league plays.
The Pacers will host the Magic and probably try to win the game, while the Clippers host the Grizzlies. Chris Kaman is likely being shut down, but my guess is the regulars from both teams are fine to start tomorrow night.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas - C - Heat </TD></TR><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>The Heat are expected to start Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mike Bibby along with their Big Three in the playoffs.</TD></TR><TR><TD>
