The Daily Dose: Dose: Cody Zeller busting out
It wasn’t just another Monday in the NBA, as Chris Paul returned, the Spurs blew out the Sixers despite sitting out studs, Ghostface Ilya double-doubled, Kobe Bryant finally made some shots, and Danny Green’s big opportunity turned out just like the rest of his games this season. Which, as his owners know, is not good news. Follow me on Twitter by clicking here.
Spurs 119, Sixers 68 – Tim Duncan got the night off for rest and Kawhi Leonard was out with an illness, while Danny Green did very Danny Green-like things again on Monday. LaMarcus Aldridge took advantage of Duncan’s absence with his best game of the season and a bunch of guys you’ve never heard of played well off the Spurs’ bench. The only thing to talk about here is Green, and the answer is ‘yes.’ While I don’t feel good about it, and certainly don’t want to say it’s a must-play, if you’re ready to cut him loose and this feels like the last straw, it’s time to act on your instinct. Yes, it could come back to burn you and he could get hot tomorrow. But the fact is we’re ¼ through the season and Green has barely shown any signs of life, let alone fantasy value. We were wrong. I was wrong. Everyone was wrong. I haven’t had time to drop him yet, and I’ll probably still wait until the end of the week, but if you’ve had it up to here, feel free to cut the cord. If nothing else, you’ll probably sleep better at night. Oh, and despite no Kawhi or Duncan, the Spurs destroyed the Sixers, so nice call, Pop!
Jahlil Okafor returned from his two-game suspension and came off the bench for 10 points and four boards, hitting just 3-of-14 shots in 29 minutes. Yuck. The Sixers were an absolute mess last night, as starting guards T.J. McConnell and Isaiah Canaan combined to miss 11-of-12 shots for two points, Jerami Grant disappeared, Robert Covington and Nerlens Noel disappointed and Tony Wroten was awful again (0-for-5 in 14 minutes off bench). I guess the highlight was Nik Stauskas and his 25 minutes, 13 points, one 3-pointer and 5-of-10 shooting, but that’s still far from something to write home about. I guess from a fantasy standpoint going forward I’d rank the Sixers as follows: Covington, Okafor, Grant, Noel, Canaan, McConnell, Stauskas, Thompson, Wroten, at this point.
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Hornets 104, Pistons 84 – Don’t look now, but the Hornets are good. They’re 12-8 and 9-3 in the house that Michael Jordan built. Cody Zeller, who you may have read about in Waiver Wired Sunday, went off for the second straight game to lead Charlotte with 20 points, six boards and two blocks on 5-of-9 shooting, and a 10-of-13 night at the line. Two straight big games are enough for me to think that he’s the big man you want to grab from Charlotte, and not Spencer Hawes or Frank Kaminsky. But if you are looking at two of them, Kaminsky is the other guy you want, as he played 31 minutes last night to Hawes’ 16. Marvin Williams dub-dubbed, Kemba Walker nearly double-doubled while playing through an illness and Nicolas Batum stayed red-hot in the vicinity of a triple-double, despite hitting just 4-of-15 shots. Jeremy Lamb hit just 3-of-11 shots, breaking a streak of seven games in double digits scoring, but it is worth noting that he’s trending down a bit. He’s seen just 21 or 22 minutes in each of his last three games, so if you’re thinking about dumping him for a hot free agent, the numbers may back up your thought process. He averaged more than 25 ticks a game in November, and eclipsed 30 three times, so it’s something to keep an eye on.
The Pistons saw off nights from Marcus Morris (11 points, 4-of-11), Andre Drummond (9 & 9 in foul trouble) and Reggie Jackson (2-of-9, 4 points), which explains the scoreboard. RJax was the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, so that was just a fluke. Ersan Ilyasova, the Ghostface Ilya, hit just 4-of-14 shots, but still managed 15 points, 13 boards, a steal, a block and three 3-pointers. Hopefully you didn’t drop him after his seven points and one rebound on Sunday.
Wizards 114, Heat 103 – The Heat were coming off wins over the Cavs and Thunder, and couldn’t hang with John Wall (26 & 7) and Bradley Beal (21), while Gary Neal hit 9-of-12 shots for 21 points, four assists and three 3-pointers off the bench in 36 minutes. Neal’s had some nice games, but is too risky to trust on a nightly basis. Otto Porter came through again with 13 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and a block, but hit just 5-of-15 shots. Marcin Gortat was out again for personal reasons but no big men showed up, including Kris Humphries, and Ramon Sessions got loose for 12 points in just 14 minutes. Jared Dudley is playing heavy minutes, but still not getting it done. Unless you call 12 points, four boards and two 3-pointers in 35 minutes ‘getting it done.’ As for Porter, if he was dropped in your league, he’s a hot grab, ballin’ out over his last three games.
The Heat got nice lines out of Chris Bosh, Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic (slump is over – season-high 20, averaging 17 & 8 over last three) and Dwyane Wade, but there wasn’t anything else to see here. Gerald Green had nine points on 4-of-8 shooting and not much else in 36 minutes and another start. But despite leading his team in minutes, his clock is ticking with Luol Deng nearing a return.
Mavericks 104, Knicks 97 – Starters Dirk Nowitzki, Raymond Felton, Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews all put up numbers (no double-doubles, and Zaza Pachulia added eight points and eight boards. Chandler Parsons returned from a rest and came off the bench for nine points, two 3-pointers and two blocks in 25 minutes, and will likely replace Felton in the starting lineup soon. Felton is worth a look as Williams’ backup, while J.J. Barea sat this one out with an ankle injury, and Devin Harris was out with a rib injury.
The Knicks got 28 points, two boards, a steal, two blocks and two 3-pointers from Kristaps Porzingis, who hit 13-of-18 shots in 35 minutes. Beast. Carmelo Anthony played through his sore knee and hit 6-of-18 shots for 17 points, six boards and eight assists, but with five turnovers and the poor shooting, his name is still bigger than his fantasy game these days. Jose Calderon played very well and is relevant again, Arron Afflalo was quiet, and Lance Thomas had 11 and two 3-pointers off the bench. Thomas is worth a look in many leagues, averaging 12.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 3-pointers on 50 percent shooting over his last five games. I actually started him in my 30-team league, but it would be nice if he would do something besides score and hit 3-pointers.
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