Fantasy related but good info...
Down Goes Andrew Bynum
Well here it is. The final day of the season. The last Daily Dose of the year. And another fantasy NBA season in the books. As usual, it was a blast bringing the coverage to you and I hope we helped you win a league or two.
Before we get to the cancellation of the Vegas Summer League and Andrew Bynum's knee of spaghetti, I'll be back this weekend with a look at the upcoming NBA draft and a fantasy playoff league preview, followed by complete NBA Playoffs coverage, including some columns and a boatload of news blurbs. We'll have the NBA Draft covered, and then all the lockout news there is to report. Hopefully the league has learned something from the baseball strike that it took me about 10 years to get over. We'll see. In any case, enjoy the last day of the regular season, the playoffs and good luck in your baseball leagues!
Fantasy Playoffs
One of the fantasy playoff leagues I'm in will feature eight members off the Rotoworld staff, as well as rock stars Stephen Malkmus and Brian Rosenworcel. I am hoping to have a fantasy playoff column up this weekend, along with a mock NBA draft, so be on the look for that. Our draft is set for Monday night, and if you're looking for a site to host your fantasy playoff drafts, check out FantasyPostseason.com!
No Vegas, Baby
The NBA has reportedly canceled the Vegas Summer League as they prepare for a lock out. I'm just hoping a deal is reached and we'll have a full season of hoops next year, but right now the outlook is bleak.
Tuesday Night's News
Lakers Lose Bynum, Handle Spurs
The Lakers won a game! But the news is not good in L.A. as Andrew Bynum went down with a hyperextended right knee and he'll have an MRI today. His left leg didn't really look all that great when he went down either, and while the Lakers are talking about him only missing a couple playoff games, Bynum says he'll be ready for the start of the playoffs. We won't know for sure until his MRI results come back, but the reality is that he could miss a huge chunk of the playoffs, if not the whole shebang. And if you've got an NBA playoff fantasy draft coming up, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom's stock just went way up.
As for the game, the Lakers struggled, but still beat the Spurs' JV team, getting 27 from Kobe Bryant, 23 from Odom and 17 & 17 from Gasol. Bynum is out tonight, as the Lakers will play at Sacramento. This is going to be a heck of a way to wrap up the regular season. It's the last game on the schedule tonight, this could be the last game the Kings ever play in Sacramento, and the Lakers are treating it as a must-win game to lock up the No. 2 seed, where they currently sit in a tie with Dallas. Kobe picked up another technical foul, putting him at 15, and also was caught on camera screaming a homophobic slur at an official. He might get a fine for it, but I doubt seriously he'd be suspended for tonight's game. And if he picks up a tech tonight, he'd be suspended for the first game of next season, and not a playoff game.
As expected, the Spurs benched their stars, oblivious to a chance to win homecourt throughout the playoffs, as Gregg Popovich decided that resting his old guys is more important. Richard Jefferson started, but the rest were reserves – as in George Hill, Gary Neal, DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter. Blair had a double-double, but no one else really did too much. The stars are expected to be back in the starting lineup tonight, but after seeing Bynum go down last night, my guess is Pop doesn't give them a ton of minutes against the Suns.
Bulls Beat Knicks
Derrick Rose had another sweet performance last night as he locked up the MVP Award, Carlos Boozer had 22 rebounds, and Luol Deng double-doubled as the Bulls beat the Knicks. However, Joakim Noah left with a sprained ankle and is questionable for tonight. His ankle has been a problem for some time and it seems like he's having trouble getting it back to 100 percent. If any of you own Stephen Curry, you know the feeling. The Bulls and Spurs now have identical records as they aim for homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. And if they both win, they will also have identical records in all the tie breaker scenarios, so the homecourt winner will be decided by a random draw.
The Knicks were without Amare Stoudemire but the rest of the starters played, led by Carmelo Anthony's 21 points. Bill Walker had 18 off the bench and is a guy that looks like a nice play tonight, as the Knicks are not expected to use their regulars against the Celtics tonight, and vice versa.
Zach Randolph Sits As Blazers Beat Grizzlies
Zach Randolph and Tony Allen were surprise DNPs for last night's loss, and Randolph will sit out again tonight when Memphis wraps up the regular season against the Clippers. They're currently slated to play Spurs as the No. 8 seed, and before Bynum went down, probably preferred that. But either way, they're going to get San Antonio or the Lakers as the No. 7 or 8 seed (tied with Hornets currently), so it may not matter. Randolph is out again tonight as he'll rest his elbow (think Rodney Dangerfield in Caddy Shack – "My arm! It's broken!"), and it sounds like there's a chance Allen, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley could also sit out tonight. .
O.J. Mayo and Darrell Arthur started last night, with Mayo scoring 13 points and hitting two threes. He looks like a decent start tonight, and while Arthur wasn't great last night, he's probably still worth a roll of the dice with no Z-Bo. Hamed Haddadi nearly double-doubled with nine points and 10 boards, making him an interesting pick-and-play possibility tonight, along with Mayo, Arthur, Sam Young, Shane Battier, and maybe Greivis Vasquez.
It was business as usual for the Blazers, as the starters all played normal minutes, while Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez were solid off the bench. The problem is they clinched the No. 6 seed, meaning that the starters could all get some serious rest tonight against the Warriors. Start them at your own risk and stay tuned to Rotoworld player news for the latest info.
Keep reading for the rest of the News & Notes.
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News & Notes
Luis Scola isn't expected to play tonight for the Rockets, making Patrick Patterson, Chase Budinger and Brad Miller worth a look.
The Knicks should rest several starters tonight, so don't expect to see Amare Stoudemire, while Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups don't sound all that likely to play either. Like I said above, Bill Walker, Toney Douglas, Shelden Williams, Landry Fields and Shawne Williams should all get nice run.
Josh Smith is iffy tonight with a sore knee and the Hawks could rest several players. Jeff Teague might be a sneaky play, but the rest of the Hawks are a crapshoot. Zaza Pachulia could also get some run.
Stephen Curry is a game-time decision with another sprained ankle tonight, while Monta Ellis is out. Dorell Wright and Reggie Williams should both be in lineups against the Blazers.
Kosta Koufos will start for Denver tonight and scored 18 on Monday, making him a decent option, while Kenyon Martin, Nene, Arron Afflalo and Raymond Felton are all expected to sit tonight. Ty Lawson, Al Harrington, Wilson Chandler and Chris Andersen all look like solid options. Danilo Gallinari is a game-time decision with sprained ankle, but even if he plays, his minutes could be limited.
The Heat are expected to rest all their starters, making guys like James Jones, Mike Miller (who will try to play on a bum ankle and a very sore left thumb), Eddie House and even Dexter Pittman worth a look. Then again, a late report on Tuesday quoted Chris Bosh as saying the big names would play tonight. If they do, I doubt they play heavy minutes against the Raptors.
Along with Andrew Bynum, Steve Blake (chicken pox) is out for the Lakers, while it sounds like Matt Barnes could sit with a sore knee. I lost a fantasy league back in the day when the Suns' Kevin Johnson came down with the chicken pox at the end of the season. He was already gimpy, so I called the Phoenix newspaper (pre-internet) to verify that KJ would be playing. I was told he was good to go, but he then came down with the pox the following day, was locked into my lineup and ruined my run at a championship. As I stated earlier, the Lakers want to win this game so expect the regulars to get their minutes.
For the Raptors, Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon, Reggie Evans, Amir Johnson and Leandro Barbosa are all out. Joey Dorsey had 20 boards on Monday, while Jerryd Bayless, Ed Davis, DeMar DeRozan and James Johnson all look like nice fantasy options. Sonny Weems is iffy with a sore knee.
Chris Kaman had an MRI on his sore right knee Tuesday, leaving him very iffy tonight. That makes DeAndre Jordan a nice play tonight, while it's unclear what Vinny Del Negro will do with the rest of the starters. My guess is they'll play.
C.J. Miles is not likely for the Jazz tonight, making Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors looking like sneaky plays tonight.
The Pacers are expected to play their starters tonight, but we expect them to see limited minutes.
Kevin Love and Darko Milicic aren't expected to play tonight, making Anthony Randolph and Anthony Tolliver looking like solid fantasy starts. Luke Ridnour and Michael Beasley could also finish up strong for the Wolves.
Andre Iguodala is a game-time decision for tonight and I wouldn't be surprised to see him rest. Andres Nocioni and Evan Turner would fill in for him, while Thaddeus Young could also have a nice game.
Stephen Jackson and Tyrus Thomas aren't expected for the Bobcats tonight, meaning Gerald Henderson, D.J. Augustin, Boris Diaw, Dante Cunningham and Kwame Brown are the guys who should be in fantasy lineups.
Dwight Howard is expected to play for the Magic, but how long Stan Van Gundy goes with his starters is up for debate. If you own Howard, you almost have to start him. Gilbert Arenas is out with his sore knee.
We're still waiting for a Charlie Villanueva suspension after Monday's meltdown, but it hasn't happened yet. Look for Rodney Stuckey to have a big line tonight, but don't look for Charlie V. to be in uniform.
If a team you're interested in wasn't listed here, search for the player in Rotoworld News Blurbs, as well as check out Tuesday's Dose, which covered all 30 teams. I'll be here tonight blurbing all 15 games and I don't recall every team being in action on one night in the past. Going out with a bang.
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Joakim Noah - F/C - Bulls </TD></TR><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Joakim Noah said he's "fine" despite turning an ankle in Tuesday's win over the Knicks.</TD></TR><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>The fact that the Bulls tried to get Noah back in the game after the tweak tells us this isn't a big deal. "I'm OK," Noah said. "I'm good. I'm fine. I just fell on my ankle a little funny, but I'm fine." Still, the Bulls may choose to rest Noah or at least limit his minutes tonight. He'll be a risky play even if he suits up.
Apr. 13 - 9:30 a.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source:
ESPN Chicago</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Andrew Bogut - C - Bucks </TD></TR><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Andrew Bogut had arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to remove loose particles and scar tissue from his right elbow.</TD></TR><TR><TD>
