The Daily Dose: Dose: Milwaukee’s Best
Thursday, November 20, 2014
If Tuesday was sort of boring then Wednesday was anything but that, with somebody in Secaucus sitting on the #LeaguePassAlert button last night. 8-of-11 games went down to the wire and the Bucks and Nets went to triple-overtime in the Jason Kidd grudge match, including one of the most exciting missed layups in recent memory as Brandon Knight blew a wide open one that would’ve won the game. He atoned by hitting a big three in the final frame for the win, and the Bucks are all of a sudden a defensive squad at 7-5 in the East.
Just like everybody predicted.
For real-time NBA updates and fantasy information, you can click here to follow me on Twitter.
Editor’s Note: Rotoworld’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $100,000 Fantasy Basketball league for Thursday’s NBA games. It’s $25 to join and first prize is $10,000. Starts at 8pm ET on Thursday. Here’s the FanDuel link.
THE BIG NUMBERS
| NAME | PTS | 3PTS | REBS | ASTS | STLS | BLKS | TO | FG% | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mo Williams | 14 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 55.6% | Looked like the outright Rubio beneficiary. |
| Deron Williams | 18 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 50.0% | Continues to lightly salt the doubters. |
| Kyle Lowry | 18 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 43.8% | Assists and turnovers both down. |
| Kevin Martin | 37 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 70.0% | Hitting 95.2% FTs on 5.3 FGA/gm. Top-25 fire. |
| James Harden | 24 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 63.6% | 4.2 TOs/gm throwing some salt in his 9-cat game. |
| Jamal Crawford | 22 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 66.7% | Feels like this line happens every night. |
| Monta Ellis | 34 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 47.6% | His boring consistency is totally boring. |
| Marcus Thornton | 13 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 55.6% | What you talkin about Willis? |
| Corey Brewer | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 62.5% | He must really want to get to CLE quick. |
| Tobias Harris | 25 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 57.1% | B150 readers meet in the quad for Tequila shots. |
| Carmelo Anthony | 20 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 70.0% | Slowly making the climb back up to the top. |
| Matt Barnes | 13 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% | Wouldn’t be the first to struggle through divorce |
| LeBron James | 15 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 35.3% | Skip Bayless may need a doctor after four hours. |
| Brook Lopez | 26 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 57.9% | Playing at a top-50 level the past two weeks. |
| Boris Diaw | 19 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 57.1% | We ain’t drinkin Franzia tonight! |
| Timofey Mozgov | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 85.7% | Tinafey gaining distance in position battles. |
| Al Jefferson | 28 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 54.5% | Top-80 value and Bobcats losing. |
| Gorgui Dieng | 8 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 57.1% | Dieng didn’t even play that well. Hot damn. |
| Spencer Hawes | 10 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 50.0% | Hawes to get Hades hot at least once this year. |
| Tyson Chandler | 5 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 50.0% | Top 20-30 value and happy as a clam in Dallas. |
BUSTED
| NAME | PTS | 3PTS | REBS | ASTS | STLS | BLKS | TO | FG% | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goran Dragic | 12 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 54.5% | Overdrafters hurting here. |
| Zach LaVine | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.0% | Williams looks solid, if healthy LaVine a drop. |
| Jeremy Lin | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 20.0% | The Patrick Beverley treatment. |
| Isaiah Thomas | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11.1% | In a funk ever since grandfather’s passing. |
| Iman Shumpert | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9.1% | THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME FOR THE RW COVER? |
| Victor Oladipo | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 23.1% | Got the Chris Paul treatment. |
| JJ Redick | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16.7% | Like the Clips, he hasn’t looked good at all. |
| Avery Bradley | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27.3% | Worth holding onto for now. |
| JR Smith | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33.3% | Don’t think he’s one of the learners. |
| Arron Afflalo | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40.0% | Back to mediocre after a hot stretch. |
| Jeremy Lamb | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 40.0% | Roberson’s return could knock him from standards. |
| Andrew Wiggins | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 30.8% | Again, not a must-own player. |
| Solomon Hill | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 37.5% | Nice game-winner, kid. But this may be the end. |
| Josh Smith | 5 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 40.0% | Playing bad enough Sac might want to rehab him. |
| Chris Copeland | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33.3% | Probably time to move on. |
| Andre Drummond | 4 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20.0% | Support groups popping up around the nation. |
| Larry Sanders | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33.3% | Late injury update hopefully kept him on benches. |
| Kelly Olynyk | 9 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 44.4% | Hopefully you sold high a week ago. |
| Nene Hilario | 9 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 33.3% | Not productive enough to survive these. |
INJURIES
Dwight Howard was a late-scratch due to what the team reported as a knee injury. Of course, there is the child abuse story and the Kobe Bryant story lingering, and Howard reportedly stayed in the locker room during the game. I’m not even going to speculate here and owners should just treat him as day-to-day and hope for the best on all fronts.
Carmelo Anthony started against the Wolves and there wasn’t much, if any talk about his knee. He scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting with four treys, four boards, one assist and one steal, which will go a long way toward assuaging owners’ fears.
Dirk Nowitzki sprained his left ankle last night but returned to the game to finish with 13 points, four rebounds and three treys in 28 minutes. A night off wouldn’t be shocking so keep your eyes peeled.
Larry Sanders (thigh) started last night, though the Bucks and their media didn’t announce anything until it was way too late for owners to consider starting him. That was a good thing since he logged just 14 minutes in a triple-overtime game.
Courtney Lee, Tony Allen, Beno Udrih, Kosta Koufos and Jon Leuer all missed last night’s game with the flu. James Johnson (ankle) did not play last night and he seems more like week-to-week than day-to-day. Nicolas Batum (knee) went through practice on Wednesday and so far he has put himself in a position to return on Friday. DeMarre Carroll (groin) said he will play on Friday night so the Thabo Sefolosha Experience will come to an end in deep leagues.
Josh McRoberts (toe) practiced in full on Wednesday and I’m not overly worried about how a blister would impact him, even if it’s possible the blister report is a smokescreen. When he returns he has to answer questions about his overall health and his ability to take advantage of the situation in Miami. If he can play within the range of last year’s numbers, he has a mid-round upside and late-round floor. Yes, there are questions, but I can’t see letting that sit on the wire.
Kyle O’Quinn (ankle) looked good during shootaround but was eventually ruled out for last night’s game against the Clippers. Believe it or not I’ve been able to hold on to him, partially because of the lack of injury reporting in Orlando, but I’m glad I’ll get to see my big preseason bet through. Evan Fournier did not play because of a sore heel and I’d imagine he’s not getting Pipped if he can get back relatively soon.
Dwyane Wade (hamstring) and Luol Deng (wrist) are both doubtful to play tonight and that means Mario Chalmers is a must-start guy and both Norris Cole and Shabazz Napier have some spot appeal. James Ennis might hit the highlight reel with all the available minutes, but Shawne Williams is your best bet among everybody not named Chalmers or Bosh.
Nikola Pekovic hit the injury report with personal, wrist and ankle issues and in particular, his long-term ankle injury has been hurting him since November 12. Gorgui Dieng has been a must-own player in all standard formats this year, and he showed why by putting up eight points, seven boards, four assists, five steals and a block over 32 minutes in what looked like a relatively bad night for him.
Pau Gasol said he was going to be patient with his calf strain, and I don’t think you’ll hear anybody crying about it other than fantasy owners and Bulls fans. Tom Thibodeau has run him heavy to start the year, despite the presence of Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic, and for their sake hopefully he has a good pulse on Gasol’s health. Derrick Rose (hamstring) participated in practice but it’s unclear how that went. Even if he’s probable for tonight’s game against the Kings he’s a game-time decision based on recent history.
Rudy Gay (Achilles) is questionable and DeMarcus Cousins (hip) is probable for tonight’s Sacramento Super Bowl in the TNT game against Chicago. The team would probably offer Ryan Hollins as a human sacrifice if it meant winning on national TV against the Bulls, so if I’m a betting man (and I am) they both play.
For more injury news check out our injury page.
WELCOME BACK
Bradley Beal (wrist) came off the bench in his season debut last night, wasting no time with 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting, three treys, three boards, three assists and a steal in 26 minutes. Sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder, so I guess I’ll take this time to remind folks of his late-mid round ceiling due to various fantasy deficiencies. Still, this is the best return game owners could have hoped for.
Rodney Stuckey (foot) returned to action and actually logged 26 minutes, posting a low end line with 11 points and not much else. If he can stay healthy whatever deep-league window that existed with Solomon Hill and Chris Copeland shut last night.
PICKUPS
Timofey Mozgov got 36 minutes last night and scored a season-high 17 points with seven rebounds and three blocks. His game translates decently to fantasy and a 25 mpg average would probably keep him on rosters, so needless to say if he’s going to get this much time he’ll be a mid-round guy. I don’t think we’re anywhere close to carving that into stone, but he should be owned in all standard formats. Add Wilson Chandler (21 points, three treys, nine boards) to the pickup list as he pulls away from struggling Danilo Gallinari.
Nick Young has everybody in L.A. walking a lot taller and there’s something to be said for charisma, but there is more to be said about how desperately the Lakers need his offense. He had 16 points with four rebounds, two steals and two 3-pointers in 28 minutes, Kobe looks genuinely happy to see him, and once again I think he should be owned in the vast majority of standard formats.
Mo Williams finally looked like previous versions as he carved up the Knicks for 14 points, three rebounds, 13 assists and two treys in 31 minutes as the starting point guard. Zach LaVine has flashed some potential but been mostly overmatched at the controls, so the only real question for owners is whether or not Williams can stay healthy. He has a huge window to make an impact in fantasy leagues and he has been on an awful lot of wires. Pick him up.
THE MIDDLE
Kostas Papanikolaou scored 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting with four treys, six boards, two assists and a steal in 34 minutes off the bench. Terrence Jones is out for a while and Dwight Howard was out and unless something pops up in Howard’s off-the-court situation, he seems likely to be back sooner than later and Papaniko’s playing time will be at risk. He’s hitting just 33.8 percent of his shots this season but averages nearly three combined steals, blocks and treys per game in just 24.2 mpg. Unless you’re in a deep league, this is just food for thought in the event there is a long-term path to minutes.
Matt Barnes started and scored 13 points with five rebounds, two steals, one block and three treys last night. He wouldn’t be the first guy to struggle through a divorce and that gives him a bit of added attention here. One more good game and he’s on the board as a potential speculative add.
Josh Smith hit just 2-of-5 shots and 1-of-3 freebies for five points, four boards, three assists and zero defensive stats in a 23-minute outing. He also had words with Stan Van Gundy, which weren’t too animated, but I have no problem with an owner cutting him loose for a guy with a coin flip shot at mid-round upside. I just don’t know if Smith can get over his shooting issues to be worth the trouble if he can get the other parts of his game moving in the right direction, let alone to levels that some thought he would be at. He gets a revenge game on Friday in Atlanta that may ultimately be his day of reckoning with owners.
Iman Shumpert (1-of-11 FGs) got the cover yesterday and proceeded to blow chunks all over the box score last night. He’s still the cream of the crop and coming off some huge games, so cut him some slack and laugh at me for the timing.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a real nice night in the Bucks’ triple-overtime win, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting with 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals in 48 minutes. He even rolled an ankle and brushed it off like it was nothing. He still didn’t hit a three or block a shot and those are the trouble areas for his value in the near-term and also for his season-long assessment. But if he can unlock those issues by stepping into a more prominent role, gaining a bunch of confidence and perhaps some additional freedom from Jason Kidd – who knows – maybe he can skirt the (lack of) upside problem I’ve been harping on. I need to see consistent improvement to hop on the must-own/must-stash bandwagon.
DROPS
Anthony Morrow burned a few of us after his big night and follow-up clunkers. It’s damn near standard operating protocol for a shooter to re-ignite the charred remains with a big night once he has been dropped, but that’s the correct play here if you’re looking at a steady late-round value on the wire. Jeremy Lamb (eight points, two rebounds, two assists, two threes, 21 minutes) and Morrow will both struggle with Andre Roberson back and more reinforcements on the way.
Zach LaVine (two points, one board, two assists, 17 minutes) was facing a tall task being thrown into the fire with his lack of experience, and Flip Saunders pulled the plug on the experiment once Mo Williams (14 points, 13 assists) proved he was healthy and effective, which to date had been in doubt. I wouldn’t be surprised if Williams gets hurt again and the Wolves tilt the minutes back into LaVine’s favor at some point, and we’ll have to see how he does in a re-do at that point. There’s just not enough to hang onto in 12-14 team leagues after the night Williams had.
If Tuesday was sort of boring then Wednesday was anything but that, with somebody in Secaucus sitting on the #LeaguePassAlert button last night. 8-of-11 games went down to the wire and the Bucks and Nets went to triple-overtime in the Jason Kidd grudge match, including one of the most exciting missed layups in recent memory as Brandon Knight blew a wide open one that would’ve won the game. He atoned by hitting a big three in the final frame for the win, and the Bucks are all of a sudden a defensive squad at 7-5 in the East.
Just like everybody predicted.
For real-time NBA updates and fantasy information, you can click here to follow me on Twitter.
Editor’s Note: Rotoworld’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $100,000 Fantasy Basketball league for Thursday’s NBA games. It’s $25 to join and first prize is $10,000. Starts at 8pm ET on Thursday. Here’s the FanDuel link.
THE BIG NUMBERS
| NAME | PTS | 3PTS | REBS | ASTS | STLS | BLKS | TO | FG% | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mo Williams | 14 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 55.6% | Looked like the outright Rubio beneficiary. |
| Deron Williams | 18 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 50.0% | Continues to lightly salt the doubters. |
| Kyle Lowry | 18 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 43.8% | Assists and turnovers both down. |
| Kevin Martin | 37 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 70.0% | Hitting 95.2% FTs on 5.3 FGA/gm. Top-25 fire. |
| James Harden | 24 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 63.6% | 4.2 TOs/gm throwing some salt in his 9-cat game. |
| Jamal Crawford | 22 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 66.7% | Feels like this line happens every night. |
| Monta Ellis | 34 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 47.6% | His boring consistency is totally boring. |
| Marcus Thornton | 13 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 55.6% | What you talkin about Willis? |
| Corey Brewer | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 62.5% | He must really want to get to CLE quick. |
| Tobias Harris | 25 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 57.1% | B150 readers meet in the quad for Tequila shots. |
| Carmelo Anthony | 20 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 70.0% | Slowly making the climb back up to the top. |
| Matt Barnes | 13 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 50.0% | Wouldn’t be the first to struggle through divorce |
| LeBron James | 15 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 35.3% | Skip Bayless may need a doctor after four hours. |
| Brook Lopez | 26 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 57.9% | Playing at a top-50 level the past two weeks. |
| Boris Diaw | 19 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 57.1% | We ain’t drinkin Franzia tonight! |
| Timofey Mozgov | 17 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 85.7% | Tinafey gaining distance in position battles. |
| Al Jefferson | 28 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 54.5% | Top-80 value and Bobcats losing. |
| Gorgui Dieng | 8 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 57.1% | Dieng didn’t even play that well. Hot damn. |
| Spencer Hawes | 10 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 50.0% | Hawes to get Hades hot at least once this year. |
| Tyson Chandler | 5 | 0 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 50.0% | Top 20-30 value and happy as a clam in Dallas. |
BUSTED
| NAME | PTS | 3PTS | REBS | ASTS | STLS | BLKS | TO | FG% | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goran Dragic | 12 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 54.5% | Overdrafters hurting here. |
| Zach LaVine | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20.0% | Williams looks solid, if healthy LaVine a drop. |
| Jeremy Lin | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 20.0% | The Patrick Beverley treatment. |
| Isaiah Thomas | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 11.1% | In a funk ever since grandfather’s passing. |
| Iman Shumpert | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9.1% | THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME FOR THE RW COVER? |
| Victor Oladipo | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 23.1% | Got the Chris Paul treatment. |
| JJ Redick | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16.7% | Like the Clips, he hasn’t looked good at all. |
| Avery Bradley | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27.3% | Worth holding onto for now. |
| JR Smith | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33.3% | Don’t think he’s one of the learners. |
| Arron Afflalo | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40.0% | Back to mediocre after a hot stretch. |
| Jeremy Lamb | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 40.0% | Roberson’s return could knock him from standards. |
| Andrew Wiggins | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 30.8% | Again, not a must-own player. |
| Solomon Hill | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 37.5% | Nice game-winner, kid. But this may be the end. |
| Josh Smith | 5 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 40.0% | Playing bad enough Sac might want to rehab him. |
| Chris Copeland | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33.3% | Probably time to move on. |
| Andre Drummond | 4 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 20.0% | Support groups popping up around the nation. |
| Larry Sanders | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 33.3% | Late injury update hopefully kept him on benches. |
| Kelly Olynyk | 9 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 44.4% | Hopefully you sold high a week ago. |
| Nene Hilario | 9 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 33.3% | Not productive enough to survive these. |
INJURIES
Dwight Howard was a late-scratch due to what the team reported as a knee injury. Of course, there is the child abuse story and the Kobe Bryant story lingering, and Howard reportedly stayed in the locker room during the game. I’m not even going to speculate here and owners should just treat him as day-to-day and hope for the best on all fronts.
Carmelo Anthony started against the Wolves and there wasn’t much, if any talk about his knee. He scored 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting with four treys, four boards, one assist and one steal, which will go a long way toward assuaging owners’ fears.
Dirk Nowitzki sprained his left ankle last night but returned to the game to finish with 13 points, four rebounds and three treys in 28 minutes. A night off wouldn’t be shocking so keep your eyes peeled.
Larry Sanders (thigh) started last night, though the Bucks and their media didn’t announce anything until it was way too late for owners to consider starting him. That was a good thing since he logged just 14 minutes in a triple-overtime game.
Courtney Lee, Tony Allen, Beno Udrih, Kosta Koufos and Jon Leuer all missed last night’s game with the flu. James Johnson (ankle) did not play last night and he seems more like week-to-week than day-to-day. Nicolas Batum (knee) went through practice on Wednesday and so far he has put himself in a position to return on Friday. DeMarre Carroll (groin) said he will play on Friday night so the Thabo Sefolosha Experience will come to an end in deep leagues.
Josh McRoberts (toe) practiced in full on Wednesday and I’m not overly worried about how a blister would impact him, even if it’s possible the blister report is a smokescreen. When he returns he has to answer questions about his overall health and his ability to take advantage of the situation in Miami. If he can play within the range of last year’s numbers, he has a mid-round upside and late-round floor. Yes, there are questions, but I can’t see letting that sit on the wire.
Kyle O’Quinn (ankle) looked good during shootaround but was eventually ruled out for last night’s game against the Clippers. Believe it or not I’ve been able to hold on to him, partially because of the lack of injury reporting in Orlando, but I’m glad I’ll get to see my big preseason bet through. Evan Fournier did not play because of a sore heel and I’d imagine he’s not getting Pipped if he can get back relatively soon.
Dwyane Wade (hamstring) and Luol Deng (wrist) are both doubtful to play tonight and that means Mario Chalmers is a must-start guy and both Norris Cole and Shabazz Napier have some spot appeal. James Ennis might hit the highlight reel with all the available minutes, but Shawne Williams is your best bet among everybody not named Chalmers or Bosh.
Nikola Pekovic hit the injury report with personal, wrist and ankle issues and in particular, his long-term ankle injury has been hurting him since November 12. Gorgui Dieng has been a must-own player in all standard formats this year, and he showed why by putting up eight points, seven boards, four assists, five steals and a block over 32 minutes in what looked like a relatively bad night for him.
Pau Gasol said he was going to be patient with his calf strain, and I don’t think you’ll hear anybody crying about it other than fantasy owners and Bulls fans. Tom Thibodeau has run him heavy to start the year, despite the presence of Taj Gibson and Nikola Mirotic, and for their sake hopefully he has a good pulse on Gasol’s health. Derrick Rose (hamstring) participated in practice but it’s unclear how that went. Even if he’s probable for tonight’s game against the Kings he’s a game-time decision based on recent history.
Rudy Gay (Achilles) is questionable and DeMarcus Cousins (hip) is probable for tonight’s Sacramento Super Bowl in the TNT game against Chicago. The team would probably offer Ryan Hollins as a human sacrifice if it meant winning on national TV against the Bulls, so if I’m a betting man (and I am) they both play.
For more injury news check out our injury page.
WELCOME BACK
Bradley Beal (wrist) came off the bench in his season debut last night, wasting no time with 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting, three treys, three boards, three assists and a steal in 26 minutes. Sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder, so I guess I’ll take this time to remind folks of his late-mid round ceiling due to various fantasy deficiencies. Still, this is the best return game owners could have hoped for.
Rodney Stuckey (foot) returned to action and actually logged 26 minutes, posting a low end line with 11 points and not much else. If he can stay healthy whatever deep-league window that existed with Solomon Hill and Chris Copeland shut last night.
PICKUPS
Timofey Mozgov got 36 minutes last night and scored a season-high 17 points with seven rebounds and three blocks. His game translates decently to fantasy and a 25 mpg average would probably keep him on rosters, so needless to say if he’s going to get this much time he’ll be a mid-round guy. I don’t think we’re anywhere close to carving that into stone, but he should be owned in all standard formats. Add Wilson Chandler (21 points, three treys, nine boards) to the pickup list as he pulls away from struggling Danilo Gallinari.
Nick Young has everybody in L.A. walking a lot taller and there’s something to be said for charisma, but there is more to be said about how desperately the Lakers need his offense. He had 16 points with four rebounds, two steals and two 3-pointers in 28 minutes, Kobe looks genuinely happy to see him, and once again I think he should be owned in the vast majority of standard formats.
Mo Williams finally looked like previous versions as he carved up the Knicks for 14 points, three rebounds, 13 assists and two treys in 31 minutes as the starting point guard. Zach LaVine has flashed some potential but been mostly overmatched at the controls, so the only real question for owners is whether or not Williams can stay healthy. He has a huge window to make an impact in fantasy leagues and he has been on an awful lot of wires. Pick him up.
THE MIDDLE
Kostas Papanikolaou scored 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting with four treys, six boards, two assists and a steal in 34 minutes off the bench. Terrence Jones is out for a while and Dwight Howard was out and unless something pops up in Howard’s off-the-court situation, he seems likely to be back sooner than later and Papaniko’s playing time will be at risk. He’s hitting just 33.8 percent of his shots this season but averages nearly three combined steals, blocks and treys per game in just 24.2 mpg. Unless you’re in a deep league, this is just food for thought in the event there is a long-term path to minutes.
Matt Barnes started and scored 13 points with five rebounds, two steals, one block and three treys last night. He wouldn’t be the first guy to struggle through a divorce and that gives him a bit of added attention here. One more good game and he’s on the board as a potential speculative add.
Josh Smith hit just 2-of-5 shots and 1-of-3 freebies for five points, four boards, three assists and zero defensive stats in a 23-minute outing. He also had words with Stan Van Gundy, which weren’t too animated, but I have no problem with an owner cutting him loose for a guy with a coin flip shot at mid-round upside. I just don’t know if Smith can get over his shooting issues to be worth the trouble if he can get the other parts of his game moving in the right direction, let alone to levels that some thought he would be at. He gets a revenge game on Friday in Atlanta that may ultimately be his day of reckoning with owners.
Iman Shumpert (1-of-11 FGs) got the cover yesterday and proceeded to blow chunks all over the box score last night. He’s still the cream of the crop and coming off some huge games, so cut him some slack and laugh at me for the timing.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had a real nice night in the Bucks’ triple-overtime win, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting with 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals in 48 minutes. He even rolled an ankle and brushed it off like it was nothing. He still didn’t hit a three or block a shot and those are the trouble areas for his value in the near-term and also for his season-long assessment. But if he can unlock those issues by stepping into a more prominent role, gaining a bunch of confidence and perhaps some additional freedom from Jason Kidd – who knows – maybe he can skirt the (lack of) upside problem I’ve been harping on. I need to see consistent improvement to hop on the must-own/must-stash bandwagon.
DROPS
Anthony Morrow burned a few of us after his big night and follow-up clunkers. It’s damn near standard operating protocol for a shooter to re-ignite the charred remains with a big night once he has been dropped, but that’s the correct play here if you’re looking at a steady late-round value on the wire. Jeremy Lamb (eight points, two rebounds, two assists, two threes, 21 minutes) and Morrow will both struggle with Andre Roberson back and more reinforcements on the way.
Zach LaVine (two points, one board, two assists, 17 minutes) was facing a tall task being thrown into the fire with his lack of experience, and Flip Saunders pulled the plug on the experiment once Mo Williams (14 points, 13 assists) proved he was healthy and effective, which to date had been in doubt. I wouldn’t be surprised if Williams gets hurt again and the Wolves tilt the minutes back into LaVine’s favor at some point, and we’ll have to see how he does in a re-do at that point. There’s just not enough to hang onto in 12-14 team leagues after the night Williams had.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
