Last night was no more or less messy than your usual penultimate night before the All Star break.  I’m going to get into the heavy stuff in the Breakdown later today but in the meantime here are the highlights. 

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THE BIG NUMBERS

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BUSTED

INJURIES

Anthony Davis (shoulder) will miss the All Star game and while owners are probably happy to hear that he’ll be taking the rest, it does indicate that his injury is more serious than less serious.  Davis is setting up to be one of the most intriguing fantasy plays in every season for the rest of his career, with insane upside matched with plenty of injury risk. 

I might write more on the Kevin Durant foot issue in the Breakdown later, but for this article we’ll tow the company line and say it’s not serious because Scott Brooks has deemed it so.  He’ll probably play in the All Star game and hopefully the week off returns him to 100 percent.  If it doesn’t, it raises at least one eyebrow. 

Kevin Love suffered a right corneal abrasion and he’s traveling with the team to Chicago for tonight’s game.  He is questionable to play and that bodes well for the chances this isn’t serious. Jimmy Butler (shoulder) is questionable and owners may want to root for a game off.  If the injury is at all serious he would be wise to pad his week off with an extra night. 

Bradley Beal has another stress reaction in his lower right fibula and I can’t help but think back to when the injury occurred and recall how he stubbornly played through the pain.  This is where coaches, agents and organizations have to protect players from themselves.  Let’s see what news comes over the break before jumping on guys like Rasual Butler or Otto Porter in most standards. 

Nick Young suffered a left peroneal tendon strain and did not return to last night’s game, and apparently what we called a “tweak” is more serious than his right ankle sprain from a week or so ago.  Young said that he’ll make it back after the break, so the timing is good here, but if you needed an excuse to drop him this is it.  He could very well go off after the All Star break, but the evidence has shown nothing but struggles for him and his teammates under Byron Scott. 

Dwyane Wade said he will return to action against the Knicks on February 20.  His hamstring injury is just one of many things that make him a prime shutdown candidate. 

We’re going to do the rest of the injuries quick hitter style here because of All Star break:

Serge Ibaka (nose): Nose laceration won’t cost him any time.

Avery Bradley (ankle): Not serious enough to cost him time after the break.

Paul Millsap: Suffered a minor right hand injury and played through it.

Dion Waiters (ankle): Walked off under his own power. Has no fantasy value in standards.

Jerryd Bayless (hip): Has had mid-body issues so this one might carry over past the break.

Terrence Jones (leg, illness): Did not play last night, if this continues next week we’ll talk.

Rodney Stuckey (back, leg): If he misses time it could spring C.J. Miles and C.J. Watson loose a bit.

Channing Frye: Suffered a dislocated left (non-shooting) finger, doesn’t sound too bad.

Kris Humphries (back): If it continues after the break we’ll adjust some projections.

Carmelo Anthony (knee): If you’ve been living under a rock he’s a massive shutdown candidate.

Darren Collison (hip): The Kings would probably maim to have him on the floor against Boston.

Tobias Harris (knee): Took another night off last night, no reports out of Orlando per usual.

For more injury news check out our injury page.

WELCOME BACK

Draymond Green didn’t need to miss any games after an ankle sprain on Monday, playing 36 minutes on Wednesday for three points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block.  He’ll get time to rest during the break and this is about as good as it gets in terms of injury consequences for owners. 

PICKUPS

Josh Smith needed to be owned well before tonight, but if he isn’t stop what you’re doing and grab him.  He scored 21 points with 13 rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks, looking great in the Rockets’ new lineup. 

Rudy Gobert also should never have been dropped, but apparently there are some 40 percent of leagues out there in which he isn’t owned.  Enes Kanter went ham with trade demands after the game, and Gobert has first round upside so don’t mess around here. 

Don’t go crazy here, but Ed Davis has risen to the top of the Lakers’ scrap heap.  He scored eight points with 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal and three blocks in 24 minutes.  He needs Byron Scott to change his ways in order to be reliable, which is hard to project, but it’s also a logical basketball decision and owners have enough to hold onto here to take a chance.  Wayne Ellington joins him at the top right now and he put up 16 and eight with two treys and a steal in 34 minutes.  He’s a borderline value in 12-team leagues, but he’s looking like one of Byron’s guys and that could keep him relevant.

Trey Burke isn’t going to bowl you over, but he has been bad enough during the last week or so that he might appear on wires in 12-team formats.  He should be a modest late-round value as things stand right now, and if the Jazz trade Enes Kanter without taking much in return he could gain a little value too.  He scored 16 points with six boards, four assists, one steal and four treys to get back on track last night.

I haven’t given up on Mario Chalmers this year even if my confidence has been at rock-bottom levels, and he has been a bit better the last week or so.  He scored 18 points with two rebounds, three assists, two steals and two threes in 38 minutes.  Dwyane Wade returns after the break so things could get pretty bleak, and Chalmers has been a mess with or without Wade in the lineup, but he did just enough this week for folks to strongly consider a stash.  I don’t see Miami fighting for a playoff spot and Chalmers should get plenty of touches for the last third of the year. 

Jason Smith (25 points, seven boards, one three, 36 minutes) gets a nod in the Pickups section here – not for being some great add – but because you can’t really afford to wait on an injury risk like Smith.  He has had plenty of productive spurts in his career and he’ll have the break to recharge his engines, but if you’re going to make a move on Smith you may as well just do it now and get it over with.  Get as many games as you can and hope that Derek Fisher doesn’t use the break to build a game plan around his younger guys. 

THE MIDDLE

Spencer Hawes is about as popular with fantasy owners as he is in Sacramento, which means you’re booing the mere fact I brought his name up, and he had another stinker with 12 points and three rebounds in just 19 minutes.  On one hand tonight’s opponent (HOU) plays small and that might have been the reason for his last stinker against the Tyson Chandler-less Mavs – but a lot of teams play small and this might be an indication he’s not going to be a heavy-minute guy.  Hawes has shown value in the past in lower minute roles, and owners probably want to see how this looks after the break before cutting him. 

J.J. Barea scored 22 points with four rebounds, three assists and four treys with Rajon Rondo (face) out.  It feels like Rondo would have already had surgery if he needed it, and that lends itself to a shorter timeline, making Barea a guy owners can dump in a pinch.  That was probably true before Rondo did some light shooting today and took down Rick Carlisle in Connect Four. 

O.J. Mayo scored 21 points with two threes, three rebounds, four assists and a steal last night against the Kings, which means the line should be minimized at least a little bit.  He has been shooting over his heat lately but Jerryd Bayless went out with a hip injury, and that has been a trouble area for Bayless over his career.  Absent the Bayless injury I’d be tempted to fade Mayo, but this might conversely be a solid time to add him with the hopes Bayless’ injury is serious.  Just don’t give Mayo anything higher than a late-round grade even if Bayless is out. 

Enes Kanter’s trade demand is messy and certainly has the potential to spin him sideways in both reality and fantasy.  But it wouldn’t be surprising if the Jazz gave him heavy run in advance of the deadline to bump up his trade value.  Owners may want to hold on and see how this plays out.

James Johnson was added in a bunch of leagues after his 20-point outing the last time out, but last night he had just six points, three rebounds, two assists and one block in 19 minutes.  This isn’t a great time to make a judgment on him, and he has just a bit more upside than your average player, so consider seeing another game.  Just remember that minutes stand out as a very real impediment to his value right now.

DROPS

I dropped the hammer on Jeremy Lin yesterday and he must have been reading because he went for two and two in 21 minutes.  That or he and Byron Scott aren’t that great together. Or Lin is terrible.  Take your pick, what a mess.  Carlos Boozer hit just 1-of-11 shots for two points and five boards in 21 minutes.  His low upside demands you don’t put up with nights like these. 

Shabazz Muhammad backed up his big Monday game with just six points and four rebounds in 14 minutes last night.  With fantasy deficiencies in standard formats, there’s just not enough upside right now to hang on.  Once the veterans start falling by the wayside, however, be ready to move in.