Big Wednesday had a tough act to follow after Tuesday’s jam-packed slate of good games, but it held its own thanks to Monta Ellis’ heroics and two overtime affairs.  For fantasy owners there were a ton of statement performances, including names such as Andre Drummond, Lance Stephenson, Bradley Beal, Danny Green, Mirza Teletovic, Brandon Knight, Kelly Olynyk, Mario Chalmers and K.J. McDaniels. 

All in all there are clear angles for owners to pursue and a lot of player value movement for a relatively light hump day. 

For real-time NBA news and fantasy information, you can click here to follow me on Twitter.

Editor’s Note: Rotoworld’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $150,000 Fantasy Basketball league for Thursday’s NBA games. It’s $25 to join and first prize is $20,000. Starts at 8pm ET on Thursday. Here’s the FanDuel link.

COMPELLING AND RICH

 

The Bulls are like old Eastern Conference teams that we like to put on pedestals for defense and grit, but they also bring the firepower on the offensive end and that makes them big favorites right now to come out of the East.  But what makes them most interesting is the ongoing interplay between the warrior mentality and being the walking wounded. 

Joakim Noah took center stage on that front, rolling his ankle badly only to stay in the game and deliver a big ol’ 14 points, 10 boards, seven assists and one steal in 32 minutes in a win over Charlotte.  With a knee that doesn’t look right he’s just one of the Bulls that are seemingly on the brink of falling apart, headlined by Derrick Rose’s on-again, off-again status. 

The good news there is that Rose played in the SEGABABA after a draining double-overtime game on Tuesday and returned quietly strong numbers with 15 points, five assists and two threes in 28 minutes.  He has yet to impact Jimmy Butler, who slowed down last night with ‘just’ 15 points, five assists, two steals and a three.  Hopefully voters don’t make him stop at Most Improved Player before sticking him on a 1st or 2nd team of some type. 

Pau Gasol’s minutes have absolutely no limit as he logged another 36 of them after playing 50 minutes on Tuesday.  He finished with 19 and 15 but no steals or blocks and one has to wonder when those defensive numbers will take a hit due to his age and workload.  Nikola Mirotic continues to enjoy life without Taj Gibson (ankle, day-to-day), as he put up 11 points to go with 12 boards, one block and two threes in 28 minutes. 

This team is scary deep and all they need to do is not overdo it, but that’s not in their DNA and that’s what makes them a compelling watch.

 

CIRCLE THE WAGONS

 

The Hornets had a circle the wagons moment prior to last night’s loss to the Bulls, as they proclaimed before the game that they’d be going heavy with their big three guns in Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker and newly acquired Lance Stephenson.  Aside from the fact that they have to do that anyway due to various injuries, I thought it was a smart move by Steve Clifford to keep Stephenson engaged while facing intense criticism for his abrasive play. 

So he let his guys go and Stephenson saw 40 minutes en route to a 20-point, eight-rebound, four-assist night.  Kemba Walker was sprung for 23 points on 7-of-18 shooting (1-of-3 3PTs, 8-of-9 FTs) with a full stat line, and Al Jefferson was the only one not truly along for the ride at 13 and seven for the night with no steals or blocks.  I know it’s still very early but whenever folks want to stop referring to him as an elite center in fantasy while he’s returning a dismal top 65-85 value wouldn’t be a moment too soon. 

The Cody Zeller situation would be much more interesting if the aforementioned trio wasn’t all-but certain to wreck his value.  He had a huge dunk over Pau Gasol and finished with 12 and eight in his start over Marvin Williams.  Zeller gives Clifford a healthy body to bank on that also happens to be a high lottery pick with some upside to sniff out, but Williams stretches the floor on a team that desperately needs that sort of thing.  In many ways it makes sense to pair Marvin with Big Al but if he’s constantly in and out of the lineup that could screw with continuity.  Zeller’s stat set isn’t anything to write home about either, but I’ve held on for two weeks in a deeper 12-team league to see if he can gain any separation and make hay with the popcorn stats. 

 

WHISTLE STOP TOUR

 

The Lakers took their train wreck appeal to the nation’s capitol and Kobe Bryant went to work with 29 points on 8-of-22 shooting (2-of-6 3PTs, 11-of-14 FTs) with four rebounds, three assists and one steal in the loss.  Opposing coaches are fine with the Kobe System because it’s more than likely going to choke the rest of his team out, even if there is obviously an argument for Kobe taking the bulk of the team’s shots.  It’s really a lose-lose situation because it’s asking for a ton to have Kobe weave these players together into a dynamic offensive unit, and they’re not going to win unless he does exactly that – and he’s not doing that anytime soon. 

Besides, it’s the Lakers’ defense that makes them a patsy more than anything else. 

Nick Young finally paid me off with a solid week shooting from beyond the arc.  He tallied up another five threes last night to finish with 21 points, moving him into a late-round value in his nine games on the court this year.  I like him to even out at a late-round value this year, but he has a hint of upside if Kobe gets hurt and/or disinterested late in the year.  I’m more apt to grab Swagatha 3-P than another lower-upside, late-round player. 

Jeremy Lin went 0-for-10 from the field and that sort of thing can happen to an average player on a really bad team, but he’s still set to plod his way into a mid-round finish if he can stay healthy.

 

WELCOME BACK BRAD

 

John Wall and his owners were licking their chops at the Jeremy Lin/Lakers matchup, and he did not disappoint with 17 points, four rebounds, 15 assists, one block and one three in the Wizards’ win.  Marcin Gortat has also been enjoying life without Nene (plantar fasciitis) around, and he hammered out another line with 21 points, 11 boards and one steal. 

Kris Humphries finally got on board in relief duty with 20 rebounds, two steals and a block, but with Nene targeting a return Friday it is too little, too late.  Paul Pierce left last night’s game with a toe injury and it sounds like he could miss a game or two, but owners are left choosing between the all-or-nothing Rasual Butler (14 points, two threes, four rebounds) and Otto Porter (four points, 12 minutes).  Porter has been a borderline value in 14-team leagues this year but has been quiet lately, and this short-term situation is best avoided by owners. 

Bradley Beal finally busted out with 27 points, seven assists and three treys to go with a steal, and those are the types of numbers he’ll need to overcome his low defensive stats and efficiency issues. 

 

BANGIN THE DRUMMOND

 

How the Pistons stayed in last night’s game against the Celtics is anybody’s guess when Brandon Jennings and D.J. Augustin combined to miss all 17 of their field goal attempts.  Jennings’ thumb may have been reinjured and he hung in to finish with one point, four boards and 12 assists, but Josh Smith (12 points, 11 boards, three assists, one steal, one block) looked like he didn’t want to play last night and he fouled out with over six minutes to go. 

Detroit managed to force overtime after a late three-point bucket from Caron ‘Prune Juice’ Butler (eight points, 29 minutes), but this team has lost 10 straight and won just three games on the year.  Stan Van Gundy hasn’t exactly pushed all the right buttons but in fairness he’s still dealing with a flawed roster and it’s early, but this team is going to be volatile until they can do something about their duplicative power forward parts. 

The good news for the Pistons is that Andre Drummond is starting to settle back in and he went nuts for 27 and 14 with four steals and five blocks.  He hit 12-of-18 shots (3-of-8 FTs) and made a few big plays late, but most importantly he has shown owners that there isn’t an overwhelming change in his game.  SVG threw a lot at him early and with pieces that often conflict, it was a recipe for a slow start.  His steals are still way down compared to last year but besides that his only real trouble area is getting his 46.3 percent field goal percentage to move back toward last year’s 62.3 percent mark. 

Somebody looking solely at his season-long top-100 rank is still ripe for a buy-low offer, and I’ll be using a baseline of top 40-50 value in trade evaluations.  A small bonus – his free throw shooting is up from 41.8 percent last year to 45.5 percent so far this season. 

Greg Monroe made noise with 29 points, seven boards and a block but he’s a mess playing next to Smith and he’s probably best to think of him as a stash with the hopes something changes in Detroit. 

 

BOSTON THREE PARTY

 

The Celtics are flying underneath the radar as they meet low expectations and each of their main players appears to be progressing at least a little bit.  The only real curve ball being thrown to owners here is the one involving Kelly Olynyk (20 points, seven boards, two steals, three blocks, two threes, 27 minutes), who has ceded the starting center job to Tyler Zeller (eight points, 10 boards, one block). 

But this has been the book on Brad Stevens since arriving in the NBA – that he rotates his bigs and goes with the hot hand – and Olynyk is rendering all of the usual concerns useless with his top-75 value.  Aside from some field goal and 3-point shooting that may be a tad high, his numbers are not overinflated and he’s simply getting enough minutes (25.5 mpg) to do damage. 

Jeff Green got loose for 32 points on 8-of-22 shooting with a whopping 6-of-10 makes from 3-point territory, 10-of-10 makes from the foul line, five boards and a block in last night’s overtime win.  Whereas last year’s version of Green was inefficient and lacking versatility, this year’s version has made incremental improvements just about everywhere and I know I won’t be evaluating him like a guy with last year’s late-round return on a nightly basis.  He’s a top 40-50 value right now and splitting the difference sounds like a good idea for his rest-of-the-year projection. 

Big Wednesday had a tough act to follow after Tuesday’s jam-packed slate of good games, but it held its own thanks to Monta Ellis’ heroics and two overtime affairs.  For fantasy owners there were a ton of statement performances, including names such as Andre Drummond, Lance Stephenson, Bradley Beal, Danny Green, Mirza Teletovic, Brandon Knight, Kelly Olynyk, Mario Chalmers and K.J. McDaniels. 

All in all there are clear angles for owners to pursue and a lot of player value movement for a relatively light hump day. 

For real-time NBA news and fantasy information, you can click here to follow me on Twitter.

Editor’s Note: Rotoworld’s partner FanDuel is hosting a one-day $150,000 Fantasy Basketball league for Thursday’s NBA games. It’s $25 to join and first prize is $20,000. Starts at 8pm ET on Thursday. Here’s the FanDuel link.

COMPELLING AND RICH

 

The Bulls are like old Eastern Conference teams that we like to put on pedestals for defense and grit, but they also bring the firepower on the offensive end and that makes them big favorites right now to come out of the East.  But what makes them most interesting is the ongoing interplay between the warrior mentality and being the walking wounded. 

Joakim Noah took center stage on that front, rolling his ankle badly only to stay in the game and deliver a big ol’ 14 points, 10 boards, seven assists and one steal in 32 minutes in a win over Charlotte.  With a knee that doesn’t look right he’s just one of the Bulls that are seemingly on the brink of falling apart, headlined by Derrick Rose’s on-again, off-again status. 

The good news there is that Rose played in the SEGABABA after a draining double-overtime game on Tuesday and returned quietly strong numbers with 15 points, five assists and two threes in 28 minutes.  He has yet to impact Jimmy Butler, who slowed down last night with ‘just’ 15 points, five assists, two steals and a three.  Hopefully voters don’t make him stop at Most Improved Player before sticking him on a 1st or 2nd team of some type. 

Pau Gasol’s minutes have absolutely no limit as he logged another 36 of them after playing 50 minutes on Tuesday.  He finished with 19 and 15 but no steals or blocks and one has to wonder when those defensive numbers will take a hit due to his age and workload.  Nikola Mirotic continues to enjoy life without Taj Gibson (ankle, day-to-day), as he put up 11 points to go with 12 boards, one block and two threes in 28 minutes. 

This team is scary deep and all they need to do is not overdo it, but that’s not in their DNA and that’s what makes them a compelling watch.

 

CIRCLE THE WAGONS

 

The Hornets had a circle the wagons moment prior to last night’s loss to the Bulls, as they proclaimed before the game that they’d be going heavy with their big three guns in Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker and newly acquired Lance Stephenson.  Aside from the fact that they have to do that anyway due to various injuries, I thought it was a smart move by Steve Clifford to keep Stephenson engaged while facing intense criticism for his abrasive play. 

So he let his guys go and Stephenson saw 40 minutes en route to a 20-point, eight-rebound, four-assist night.  Kemba Walker was sprung for 23 points on 7-of-18 shooting (1-of-3 3PTs, 8-of-9 FTs) with a full stat line, and Al Jefferson was the only one not truly along for the ride at 13 and seven for the night with no steals or blocks.  I know it’s still very early but whenever folks want to stop referring to him as an elite center in fantasy while he’s returning a dismal top 65-85 value wouldn’t be a moment too soon. 

The Cody Zeller situation would be much more interesting if the aforementioned trio wasn’t all-but certain to wreck his value.  He had a huge dunk over Pau Gasol and finished with 12 and eight in his start over Marvin Williams.  Zeller gives Clifford a healthy body to bank on that also happens to be a high lottery pick with some upside to sniff out, but Williams stretches the floor on a team that desperately needs that sort of thing.  In many ways it makes sense to pair Marvin with Big Al but if he’s constantly in and out of the lineup that could screw with continuity.  Zeller’s stat set isn’t anything to write home about either, but I’ve held on for two weeks in a deeper 12-team league to see if he can gain any separation and make hay with the popcorn stats. 

 

WHISTLE STOP TOUR

 

The Lakers took their train wreck appeal to the nation’s capitol and Kobe Bryant went to work with 29 points on 8-of-22 shooting (2-of-6 3PTs, 11-of-14 FTs) with four rebounds, three assists and one steal in the loss.  Opposing coaches are fine with the Kobe System because it’s more than likely going to choke the rest of his team out, even if there is obviously an argument for Kobe taking the bulk of the team’s shots.  It’s really a lose-lose situation because it’s asking for a ton to have Kobe weave these players together into a dynamic offensive unit, and they’re not going to win unless he does exactly that – and he’s not doing that anytime soon. 

Besides, it’s the Lakers’ defense that makes them a patsy more than anything else. 

Nick Young finally paid me off with a solid week shooting from beyond the arc.  He tallied up another five threes last night to finish with 21 points, moving him into a late-round value in his nine games on the court this year.  I like him to even out at a late-round value this year, but he has a hint of upside if Kobe gets hurt and/or disinterested late in the year.  I’m more apt to grab Swagatha 3-P than another lower-upside, late-round player. 

Jeremy Lin went 0-for-10 from the field and that sort of thing can happen to an average player on a really bad team, but he’s still set to plod his way into a mid-round finish if he can stay healthy.

 

WELCOME BACK BRAD

 

John Wall and his owners were licking their chops at the Jeremy Lin/Lakers matchup, and he did not disappoint with 17 points, four rebounds, 15 assists, one block and one three in the Wizards’ win.  Marcin Gortat has also been enjoying life without Nene (plantar fasciitis) around, and he hammered out another line with 21 points, 11 boards and one steal. 

Kris Humphries finally got on board in relief duty with 20 rebounds, two steals and a block, but with Nene targeting a return Friday it is too little, too late.  Paul Pierce left last night’s game with a toe injury and it sounds like he could miss a game or two, but owners are left choosing between the all-or-nothing Rasual Butler (14 points, two threes, four rebounds) and Otto Porter (four points, 12 minutes).  Porter has been a borderline value in 14-team leagues this year but has been quiet lately, and this short-term situation is best avoided by owners. 

Bradley Beal finally busted out with 27 points, seven assists and three treys to go with a steal, and those are the types of numbers he’ll need to overcome his low defensive stats and efficiency issues. 

 

BANGIN THE DRUMMOND

 

How the Pistons stayed in last night’s game against the Celtics is anybody’s guess when Brandon Jennings and D.J. Augustin combined to miss all 17 of their field goal attempts.  Jennings’ thumb may have been reinjured and he hung in to finish with one point, four boards and 12 assists, but Josh Smith (12 points, 11 boards, three assists, one steal, one block) looked like he didn’t want to play last night and he fouled out with over six minutes to go. 

Detroit managed to force overtime after a late three-point bucket from Caron ‘Prune Juice’ Butler (eight points, 29 minutes), but this team has lost 10 straight and won just three games on the year.  Stan Van Gundy hasn’t exactly pushed all the right buttons but in fairness he’s still dealing with a flawed roster and it’s early, but this team is going to be volatile until they can do something about their duplicative power forward parts. 

The good news for the Pistons is that Andre Drummond is starting to settle back in and he went nuts for 27 and 14 with four steals and five blocks.  He hit 12-of-18 shots (3-of-8 FTs) and made a few big plays late, but most importantly he has shown owners that there isn’t an overwhelming change in his game.  SVG threw a lot at him early and with pieces that often conflict, it was a recipe for a slow start.  His steals are still way down compared to last year but besides that his only real trouble area is getting his 46.3 percent field goal percentage to move back toward last year’s 62.3 percent mark. 

Somebody looking solely at his season-long top-100 rank is still ripe for a buy-low offer, and I’ll be using a baseline of top 40-50 value in trade evaluations.  A small bonus – his free throw shooting is up from 41.8 percent last year to 45.5 percent so far this season. 

Greg Monroe made noise with 29 points, seven boards and a block but he’s a mess playing next to Smith and he’s probably best to think of him as a stash with the hopes something changes in Detroit. 

 

BOSTON THREE PARTY

 

The Celtics are flying underneath the radar as they meet low expectations and each of their main players appears to be progressing at least a little bit.  The only real curve ball being thrown to owners here is the one involving Kelly Olynyk (20 points, seven boards, two steals, three blocks, two threes, 27 minutes), who has ceded the starting center job to Tyler Zeller (eight points, 10 boards, one block). 

But this has been the book on Brad Stevens since arriving in the NBA – that he rotates his bigs and goes with the hot hand – and Olynyk is rendering all of the usual concerns useless with his top-75 value.  Aside from some field goal and 3-point shooting that may be a tad high, his numbers are not overinflated and he’s simply getting enough minutes (25.5 mpg) to do damage. 

Jeff Green got loose for 32 points on 8-of-22 shooting with a whopping 6-of-10 makes from 3-point territory, 10-of-10 makes from the foul line, five boards and a block in last night’s overtime win.  Whereas last year’s version of Green was inefficient and lacking versatility, this year’s version has made incremental improvements just about everywhere and I know I won’t be evaluating him like a guy with last year’s late-round return on a nightly basis.  He’s a top 40-50 value right now and splitting the difference sounds like a good idea for his rest-of-the-year projection. 

WINGIN IT

 

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Gregg Popovich as chapped as he was when Danny Green (20 points, 10 boards, two steals, three blocks, six treys) committed a silly foul in the waning moments of last night’s loss to the Nets, just seconds before he sent the game to overtime with a huge three on a massive night. 

It sort of epitomized Green’s season, as Pop is still riding him as hard as ever for his defensive lapses and other various blemishes, but he has earned an added degree of trust that has manifested itself in an extra five mpg this season.

He’s thrashing his ADP with top 15-35 value (9/8 cat) behind 11.2 points, 2.4 treys, 4.2 boards, a combined 2.7 steals and blocks, and he has yet to miss a free throw this season.  The scary part is that none of his numbers are ridiculously out of place and this is just Green taking advantage of the added minutes.  Yes, the injuries to Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills have helped matters, but assuming he continues to play this much he only has a round or two of downside off his current pace. 

His much more celebrated wingman, Kawhi Leonard, hit just 4-of-16 shots last night but still managed to go for 12 and 13 with a steal and three.  He has climbed up to a second-to-third round value on a per-game basis and it still doesn’t look like we’ve scratched the surface. 

 

MIRZA HAS IT MADE

 

Though it has been a case of famous last words with Mason Plumlee, both he and Mirza Teletovic entered the season well-positioned behind injury risks in Kevin Garnett and Brook Lopez.  Plumlee has been discarded by Lionel Hollins, but Teletovic has produced at a typically inconsistent late-round value and last night he got a start with KG out. 

With all the power forward minutes to himself he did not disappoint on a career-night with 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting, five threes, 15 rebounds and no steals or blocks.  His low defensive output kept him at the bottom of my B150 rankings, but he’s done a good job to exceed expectations in both rebounding and field goal percentage in 25 mpg this year.  He has always been a must-own guy, as his top 110 value could peak in the middle rounds if big men start dropping like flies in Brooklyn. 

 

EYES OF THE HAWKS

 

The Hawks enjoyed extraordinary guard play last night as they took down the Heat in Miami, behind Jeff Teague’s 27 points on 8-of-11 shooting with five rebounds, six assists, three steals, three treys and 8-of-8 freebies.  He’s rolling around in top 15-30 value and playing at least a round or two over his head with career-best marks of 48.6/41.5/88.5%. 

Kyle Korver is playing even better with marks of 53.3/56.7/95.0 and he knocked down another three triples for 18 points, six boards and two steals.  Owners will want to value the current top 12-24 play (9/8 cat) more like a top 30-45 guy because there’s no way he can keep that pace. 

Al Horford is slumping a bit this past week with averages of just 10.8 points, 5.5 boards, 2.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks.  It’s just something to keep an eye on because he was rolling pretty solidly and his injury history speaks for itself.  Chances are it’s probably a conditioning issue after so much time off. 

DeMarre Carroll had a second straight stinker and saw his minutes clipped with Dennis Schroder (16 points) playing well against the Heat’s small lineup.  Carroll hit just 2-of-9 shots for six points, five boards and not much else, but he’s still a solid late-round value on the year and should be owned in most standard formats.  But if a mid-level free agent rolls along it’s fair to part with the low upside player.  

 

CHALMERS CHUGGING ALONG

 

I know that Norris Cole’s defense has been good at times and that the Heat would love to see Shabazz Napier (32 minutes, seven points, one assist) pan out – but the strict deployment of Mario Chalmers (19 points, five boards, 11 assists, one steal, one block) in a shooting guard role is an idea that has hopefully run its course.  Chalmers started at point guard with Cole out due to illness, and given his strong numbers lately it wouldn’t be surprising if he keeps the job going forward.  He should be owned regardless of how Erik Spoelstra plays it. 

Dwyane Wade went big with 28 and seven to go with three boards, two steals and one block.  Sell him if you can but you probably can’t.  Chris Bosh continues to put distance between himself and a small cold stretch, scoring 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting with 11 rebounds, three treys and a block.  The only number that’s truly out of place for the top-20 value is his 40.3 percent shooting from deep.  Though it’s unlikely he keeps that up, he does have an outside shot at making a Spencer Hawes-like jump. 

Luol Deng is looking at an extended absence according to his postgame remarks and a report from beat writer Ira Winderman, and that means we’re probably looking at extended minutes for James Ennis — and consistent minutes for both Shawne Williams and Josh McRoberts.  If anything happens to Wade, all three guys will be playing a full load, too.  Ennis is a wild card that I covered in the Dose, and he’s a fun short-term add if you don’t have high expectations.  Williams probably fits the same bill and I like McRoberts as a must-own guy in 12-team leagues but I’m higher than most. 

 

MARC GASOL KNEE WATCH

 

The Grizzlies had everything working in their favor against the depleted Rockets last night, but even 15-2 teams have off-nights as they got pummeled on the road for their third loss.  The big news was Marc Gasol’s bruised right knee, which didn’t seem overly serious after the game but it’s definitely something to watch for as both he and the Grizzlies were non-committal about it.  There is no real beneficiary for owners to hang their hats on if the injury were to be serious, as both Kosta Koufos and Jon Leuer were inconsistent last season in that position. 

The only player to truly survive last night’s blowout was Mike Conley, who put up 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting with six assists, three steals and a trey in 27 minutes.  Conley is returning top-50 value on the season and playing a bit below normal levels everywhere but at the foul line, where he is offsetting much of those losses with a higher volume 85 percent mark.  Unless he can get his current 1.2 steals per game up closer to the 2.2 per game he averaged two years in a row from 2011-2013 — he won’t be the top-25 guy he has been in the past.

Courtney Lee has been slowly fading for the past week or so and last night he started a whole new round of drop questions with a four-point, one-block effort in 24 minutes.  That’s preposterous considering he’s a top 50-60 value in standard leagues this season, but he should certainly be treated as a late-round asset because he is still way over his head shooting the ball at 53.1/51.0/87.1%. 

 

UNDER THE RADAR

 

The Rockets aren’t getting the credit that the Grizzlies are right now but they’ve parlayed their weaker schedule into a 14-4 start while tending to a ton of injuries along the way.  Check my Daily Dose for a breakdown on Donatas Motiejunas (15 points, seven boards, one block, one three) and Kostas Papanikolaou (12 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal), as the story here remains the injuries to Terrence Jones and Dwight Howard. 

I mentioned in the Dose that I’ll be waiting until Howard and Beverley return, probably next week at the soonest, before making a drop decision on Jones.  His injury status has gone way under the radar but it is also decidedly bleak with beat writers passing along nothing but bad news for weeks now.  If those guys return and the writers and team still aren’t digging into a timetable for Jones, it means his injury is truly terrible and owners will have to weigh their format and how much it costs to hold onto the mid-round producer. 

Jason Terry has provided an extremely interesting punch as the pseudo point guard next to James Harden (21 points, four rebounds, four assists, three steals, one block, two threes, 7-of-8 FTs).  Not afraid to pull the trigger on kick-outs and curl plays, Terry had another gem last night with 16 points, three treys, three boards, five assists and four steals.  He’s not going to take Beverley out of a big minute starting job, because there’s no comparing their defense, but I can see a deep league special brewing with Terry. 

 

MONTAZUMA’S REVENGE

 

I agree the term ‘Monta have it all’ has run its course on the Internet but hot damn does it fit the situation right now.  He made an improbable Dirkish fling with O.J. Mayo draped all over him to win last night’s game against the Bucks at the buzzer.  That comes after he hit the game-winning three in a double-overtime win against the Badass Bulls the night before.

It’s not like he’s skimping on the numbers, either.  After 38 points on Tuesday he put up 23 and seven with three steals and one block last night, as he cruises steadily into top-50ish value with no signs of letting up. 

Dirk Nowitzki (back) did not play last night and there were a few more touches to go around, but not enough to discount the improved productivity out of Chandler Parsons.  He scored 14 points with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, but hitting just 6-of-17 shots he’s still just a top-100 value and the buy low window is very open.  The uber-consistent shooter is nearly a lock to improve his 40.9 percent field goal shooting by five percent by the end of the year and that’s going to be one helluva hot streak. 

Tyson Chandler went for 18 and 20 and he’s a sell-high candidate, but I think owners have to scuttle preseason expectations and give credit to the functional surroundings in Dallas.  He’s returning top 20-30 value (9/8 cat) so far this year and if you assume he can’t peak across all categories for a 3-4 year span, he’s going to lose a round or two of value on a nightly basis when he settles in.  From there owners are talking purely about injury risk, and he had three reasonable attendance records before last year’s ‘get me out of New York’ season.  I don’t go below a projected top-50 value in any sell-high deal. 

ALL KIDD’S REINDEER PULLING ON THE REINS

 

Every now and again Jason Kidd pulls the reins back on youngsters Jabari Parker (22 minutes) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (18 minutes) and it’s a part of a somewhat publicized plan to limit their minutes early in the year.  What hasn’t been publicized is any attempt to nickname these guys after Santa’s reindeer, which is cheesy as all hell but Comet and Blitzen is just dumb enough that it might work.  Now is when I hold my breath waiting for a 10 percent cut to arrive in the mail from Milwaukee.   

Their fantasy situation hasn’t changed much and in Parker’s case it has improved into an easy must-own call after a strong week, while Giannis is probably a must-own player if anything because a lot of people still believe and therefore he has trade value. 

The only sure thing in Milwaukee is Brandon Knight and he moved past a small slump with relative ease, posting his second straight solid line with 25 points, six boards, five assists, four steals, two threes and seven perfect freebies.  The top 15-30 play has slight durability issues and he’s playing slightly over his head in about half his categories, but he has a very good shot at staying in the top 40-60 on the season. 

Khris Middleton was a sneaky play for deeper leagues in a four-game week and he got loose for 21 points, eight rebounds, three steals, one block and a three while hitting 8-of-13 shots in 30 minutes.  Middleton’s role is at odds with the plethora of rangy wings the Bucks have, but with Ersan Ilyasova out at least a week with a face/concussion issue he could be poised for a small serviceable streak. 

 

THE SAM HINKIE FOUNDATION FOR A BETTER DRAFT PICK

 

We were set to run a fake spot on my podcast about the Sam Hinkie Foundation for a Better Draft Pick and it was totally ruined by the Sixers’ first win of the year. We’ll have to wait until the next 17-game losing streak, which is coming at some point, unless the Sixers can get regular contributions from K.J. McDaniels (12 points, nine boards, four blocks, two threes, one steal) and Robert Covington (17 points, four boards, three treys, one steal). 

Brett Brown knew his best chance to get a win was against a beat up Wolves team so he went to what I believe is his ‘winning’ lineup, with McDaniels getting 36 minutes and Covington getting 31 minutes off the bench in huge nights for both. 

That’s not to say he’s actively tanking or anything like that, but he’s certainly coaching to develop these guys the right way and when they’ve made young mistakes early in the year he has had no problem benching them.  Covington, for one, has been practically non-existent as he bounced on and then off two of my big money rosters.  McDaniels has been an easy hold all year long and he’s a must-add player if he was somehow dropped.  I added the little-known Covington because he garnered a three-year contract, which isn’t the biggest deal, but mostly because he flashed a versatile stat set in the D-League.  Drop that quarter into the Sixers’ pinball machine and you’re onto something. 

Look for both players to have bumpy rides and with Covington there’s not enough pedigree even as the No. 1 pick in the D-League draft to guarantee he can earn big minutes over time.  But both of them have a mid-round upside, with Covington being the extremely volatile play and McDaniels being a lock if he simply keeps his nose clean. 

 

SLUMPBUSTIN

 

The Wolves appeared to be sacrificial lambs as everybody thought it was a good place for them to be slumpbusters and that’s exactly what happened in their loss to the Sixers.  There were silver linings in big nights for Gorgui Dieng (15 points, 16 boards, two steals) and Mo Williams (14 points, six boards, seven assists, two threes, one steal), and Thaddeus Young is creeping back to normal levels of production after a 16-point, six-rebound night with a steal and block. 

Corey Brewer has been asked to handle the ball a lot and so far it hasn’t worked out well.  He posted seven points on 3-of-11 shooting with four rebounds, four assists and two steals as his efficiency has taken a dive and he has failed to return late-round value this past week.  I think he’s going to struggle to lift his field goal percentage with the added responsibilities, but good things can happen with the number of touches he’s getting and I’d treat him as a late-round value for at least another game or three.  He’s locked in his current role for quite a while. 

Zach LaVine is the only other somewhat intriguing fantasy piece to evaluate these days (sorry Andrew Wiggins), and he nailed the coffin shut for some time after his six-point night against such a bad squad. 

 

LONGVIEW

 

The Raptors played poorly and escaped with a win in Sacramento on Tuesday, but came out firing against the Jazz last night and coasted to a 19-point win.  Kyle Lowry is an All Star unless he gets hurt or a bunch of folks blow it, and last night he turned in a career-high 39 points with a fully stocked line.  Greivis Vasquez was a must-add player when DeMar DeRozan (groin) got the multi-week prognosis, and he kept his foot on the gas with 17 points, four rebounds, five assists, a steal and three treys. 

Where things have got sort-of-hazy but not really has been with Lou Williams (17 points, five boards, two steals, one three, 6-of-6 FTs) and James Johnson (two points, three boards, two assists, two blocks, 19 minutes), while Terrence Ross (11 points, four boards, one three, one steal) has had a lot of wow factor lately.  All three of them have standalone value in most standard formats before the DeRozan injury, and owners would be wise to take the longview on all of them by assuming they’ll improve with more touches and minutes to go around. 

In fact, add Patrick Patterson (13 points, three rebounds, three treys) to that list and I’ve seen him on way too many wires.  He has the same value proposition going on as the aforementioned trio and plays behind an always ailing Amir Johnson (13 points, five boards, two steals). 

 

ADDITION BY SUBTRACTION

 

Aside from figuring out when Quin Synder will pair Rudy Gobert next to Derrick Favors, the Jazz are a fairly predictable fantasy squad and when Alec Burks (shoulder) steps out of the lineup all the usual suspects share in the bump.  While Gordon Hayward had a fairly normal night with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, two threes and a steal, Favors enjoyed a nice return from an illness to put up 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting with six rebounds, five assists and one steal in 32 minutes.  Enes Kanter was free to play 34 minutes on his way to 19 and nine with a rare steal and block, and Trey Burke was able to get off 15 shots with six makes for 15 and eight with three triples and a steal. 

The only questions here are whether or not to waste time with any Kanter hot streak and more importantly what to do with Gobert, who had a typical low-minute special with six points, seven boards and three blocks in just 13 minutes.  As usual I’m riding the Gobert bandwagon and after a week or so of ambivalence, I’m back to calling him a must-own player in 12-team formats.  He’s back up into the top-175 in 8-cat leagues and in 9-cat leagues he has standalone value above the cut-line all in just 16 mpg on the year.  The math doesn’t get much better than that.

If you need a low-end big man, then Kanter gives you a puncher’s chance at surviving a given week. 

 

CLIPPED AND KO’D

 

The Magic bit me twice last night, with the first time coming as I drifted off before the FanDuel deadline and didn’t get Nikola Vucevic (back) out of my lineup, and the second coming when Kyle O’Quinn (six points, one steal, seven minutes) got a somewhat questionable Flagrant-2 called on him.  It wasn’t hard to see the letdown coming for the Magic, who had an emotionally and physically draining loss to the Warriors the night before, and back-to-backs at LAC are hard enough anyway. 

Victor Oladipo got the Chris Paul treatment with 11 points on 2-of-8 shooting, one rebound and zero assists, but saved his night a little bit with two steals, one block and one three.  Evan Fournier (nine points, two assists, one three) has lost all of his momentum and that is probably his new reality if Elfrid Payton (eight points, six assists, 30 minutes) can simply not be a liability.  With Payton and Oladipo around, Fournier is going to have a hard time getting the touches he needs to avoid lulls like the one he is in.  Channing Frye (six points, three boards, two threes, one steal) is ice-cold but he’d need to get demoted to lose late-round value.  As long as he’s north of 24 mpg, he’s in good shape. 

 

NOVEMBER IS THE NEW OCTOBER

 

I’ve wondered aloud lately if Blake Griffin was hurt or playing his way into shape for the first month of the year, and it seems like he’s well on his way to normal levels of explosion.  Of course, his game is already shifting away from the hoop and he’ll exchange some hops for a more-rounded game, but owners can probably rule out the scenario where nagging injuries hit him from all angles in fantasy leagues.  He scored 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting with eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block last night in the Clippers’ blowout win over the Magic.

What may also shift back toward previous form is the way teams are handling DeAndre Jordan (eight points, 16 rebounds, one steal, three blocks).  He finally got the hack-a-Jordan treatment and went 2-of-6 from the line.  I’m not even going to attempt to figure out why teams haven’t been doing it, but say instead that he’s pretty fortunate from a fantasy perspective to have avoided that.  He’s running at a top 20-30 level with just 2.0 free throw attempts per game, which is down from 4.6 attempts last year.  When you’re canning just north of 40 percent of your freebies, it’s a sizable anchor to his value that has been avoided thus far.