NBA News/Injuries/etc. (4/5/11)

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Elton Brand - F/C - 76ers

Elton Brand has been playing through a minor fracture in his hand since March 9th.
Doug Collins described the injury as Brand getting "karate-chopped" across the back of his hand, but the veteran hasn't missed a single game. Perhaps this explains why he's only averaging 13.7 points 8.1 rebounds over his last ten games, both slightly down from his season numbers of 14.9 ppg and 8.4 rebounds. Apr. 5 - 4:16 p.m. ET
Source: Eye on Basketball on Twitter

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Arron Afflalo - G - Nuggets

Arron Afflalo (hamstring) will be out for at least the next two games, including the Nuggets' Tuesday night contest against Oklahoma City.
Afflalo will also sit out Wednesday's tilt against Dallas. Owners that were hoping for his return can go ahead and cut bait as the earliest that he will return is Friday. J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler will continue to see a boost in minutes as long as he remains sidelined. Apr. 5 - 3:13 p.m. ET
Source: Denver Post

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Andrew Bynum - C - Lakers

Andrew Bynum (knee) will play against the Jazz on Tuesday night.
This shouldn't be a surprise for his owners after he practiced yesterday, but it's good to have confirmation from the team that he's just fine. Look for him to dominate the Utah front line tonight and post monster numbers. Apr. 5 - 3:02 p.m. ET
Source: Mike Bresnahan on Twitter

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Pau Gasol - F/C - Lakers

Pau Gasol (knee) will play in Tuesday night's game against the Jazz.
This is clearly great news for his owners as it looks like the injury wasn't a big deal. His minutes will probably be monitored more closely than they are normally, and if the game turns into a blowout then Gasol certainly won't log heavy minutes. Regardless, he remains an absolute must-start with the news that he's good to go. Apr. 5 - 2:59 p.m. ET
Source: Mike Bresnahan on Twitter

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Devin Harris - G - Jazz

Devin Harris (hamstring) is not expected to play in Tuesday's game against the Lakers.
Just as we suspected, the Jazz won't push the fragile Harris in a meaningless game. He is fighting to get back before the end of the season, but we'd make him get on the court before considering an add. Earl Watson will start tonight as a serviceable fill in for owners in need of assists and treys. Apr. 5 - 1:56 p.m. ET
Source: Brian Smith on Twitter

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Jason Kidd - G - Mavericks

Coach Rick Carlisle confirmed that Jason Kidd will rest at some point during the next five games.
The Mavs are currently 2 1/2 games clear of the Thunder for the No. 3 seed and 2 1/2 games behind the Lakers for the No. 2 seed. Once they get locked in later this week, Kidd will take a game or two off for maintenance purposes. When that happens, Roddy Beaubois and J.J. Barea will become high-end spot starts. Apr. 5 - 1:53 p.m. ET
Source: Earl K. Sneed on Twitter

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Tyson Chandler - C - Mavericks </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Tyson Chandler (back) practiced on Tuesday and hopes to play in Wednesday's game against the Nuggets.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Chandler's injury is not serious, but back woes can often be aggravated easily. We can only consider him questionable, with Brendan Haywood waiting in the wings.
Apr. 5 - 1:51 p.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Earl K. Sneed on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Vince Carter - G/F - Suns </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Vince Carter (knee) will play against the Bulls Tuesday.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Carter's knee tweak was just a little scare and he's fine. Still, fantasy owners shouldn't be using Carter now that he's coming off the bench. He'll play anywhere from 15-24 minutes, depending on game flow.
Apr. 5 - 12:40 p.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Paul Coro on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Steve Nash - G - Suns </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Steve Nash will play against the Bulls Tuesday despite feeling lingering effects from his flu bug.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Nash went through shootaround and said he's feeling much better. The former MVP admitted he's unsure how his strength will be after missing two straight games, but we'd get him in all fantasy lineups -- Nash's game isn't based on speed or power. With the Suns out of the playoffs, we'd expect something around 28-31 minutes tonight for Nash.
Apr. 5 - 12:37 p.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Paul Coro on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Carlos Boozer - F - Bulls </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Carlos Boozer (illness) and Joakim Noah (ankle) both are expected to play in Tuesday's game against the Suns.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Both big men went through shootaround with no problems. They'll likely play a full complement of minutes tonight as the Bulls try to lock down the No. 1 seed in the East and stay ahead of the Lakers for potential home-court advantage in the NBA Finals. Boozer and Noah should be in all fantasy lineups, while Kurt Thomas heads back to the real bench.
Apr. 5 - 12:28 p.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: K.C. Johnson on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Anthony Morrow - G/F - Nets </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Anthony Morrow (knee) is a game-time decision for Tuesday's game against the Wolves.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Considering Morrow couldn't finish Sunday's game and missed Monday's practice, we are skeptical. We should have official word on the sharpshooter around 6:30 p.m. ET.
Apr. 5 - 11:54 a.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Nets on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Deron Williams - G - Nets </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Deron Williams (wrist) will play in Tuesday's game against the Wolves.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Williams feels an obligation to suit up for the crippled Nets, so he's going to gut it out. Since returning to action three games ago, Deron is averaging 14.6 points, 9.0 assists and 5.3 boards a night. He's a shell of himself, but is still worth using in all formats until he shuts it down.
Apr. 5 - 11:50 a.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Nets on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Dwyane Wade - G - Heat </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Dwyane Wade (thigh) missed Tuesday's practice, as expected.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>As noted in our previous post on Wade, he says the pain in his thigh is at a 9.7 out of 10. He'll be a game-time call for Wednesday's game against the Bucks, but we are skeptical about his availability.
Apr. 5 - 11:45 a.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Ethan Skolnick on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Josh Smith - F - Hawks </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Updating a previous item, Josh Smith (right knee sprain) says he's a game-time decision for Saturday's game against the Spurs.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>This confirms that Smith's sprain is not serious, but we still don't expect him to play. The Hawks have very little to play for and after tonight don't play until Friday. Look for official word on Smoove to come down around 6:30 p.m. ET tonight.
Apr. 5 - 11:38 a.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Michael Cunningham on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Leandro Barbosa - G - Raptors </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Leandro Barbosa (finger) is listed as a game-time decision for Tuesday's game against the Knicks.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>This is not related to Barbosa's ongoing ankle issues. He has actually been hot of late, averaging 16.6 points on 52.3 percent shooting over the last five games. Barbosa's official status won't be known until just before tip tonight.
Apr. 5 - 11:33 a.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Eric Smith on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Andrea Bargnani - F/C - Raptors </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Andrea Bargnani (ankle) is a game-time decision for Tuesday's game against the Knicks.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Bargnani has missed three of the last four games. He doesn't have a normal ankle sprain -- it's bone spurs that are slowing him down. The former No. 1 overall pick will likely test it out in warmups before making a decision. Ed Davis will start if Bargnani can't.
Apr. 5 - 11:31 a.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Eric Smith on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Jose Calderon - G - Raptors </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Jose Calderon (hamstring) and Andrea Bargnani (ankle) are both listed as game-time decisions for Tuesday's game against the Knicks.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Jerryd Bayless led the Raptors to an upset of the Magic on Sunday and the Raptors are on the record saying they want to get a long look at him. So even if Calderon is able to play, which is very tentative, the veteran's role is unclear. We'd be comfortable using Bayless in fantasy regardless, while Calderon is a risk likely not worth taking.
Apr. 5 - 11:24 a.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Eric Smith on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Josh Howard - G/F - Wizards </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Coach Flip Saunders conceded that Josh Howard (knee) is likely done for the season.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Howard found out just how hard it is for older players to come back from ACL tears. He never felt right and lacked explosiveness while managing to play in just 18 games. Howard's sheer talent will land him more chances in the NBA, but his days of being a borderline All-Star are long gone.
Apr. 5 - 10:45 a.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Wizards on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Nick Young - G/F - Wizards </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Wizards coach Flip Saunders conceded Tuesday that Nick Young (knee) is likely out for the season.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Young had a breakout season in his fourth year by averaging 17.4 points per game, but constant pain in his left knee capped his upside. As an impending restricted free agent, his future is uncertain. Regardless of where he lands, Young will always be a low-level fantasy player due to a lack of defensive stats, rebounds or assists. Jordan Crawford and Maurice Evans are the Wizards' starters for the final six games of the season.
Apr. 5 - 10:37 a.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Wizards on Twitter</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

HacheMan · Apr 5, 2011

Chris Kaman - C - Clippers </TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=bodyCopy>Chris Kaman (flu) is available for Tuesday's game against the Grizzlies.</TD></TR><TR><TD>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Kaman will end missing just two games with his virus, but he may have lost the starting gig in the process. DeAndre Jordan double-doubled in his last game and helped the Clips upset the Thunder. Look for some kind of even timeshare tonight, making both centers risky plays.
Apr. 5 - 10:33 a.m. ET</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=vaLink>Source: Los Angeles Times</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>