The Daily Dose: Dose: Mo Minutes, Mo Problems

It was a bad day for injuries to some high-minute players. Jimmy Butler (knee) is going to miss the next 3-4 weeks due to a knee strain, and Marc Gasol (foot) is likely out for the season with a mid-foot fracture. Obviously both teams are in a pickle. Let’s look at the Grizzlies first.

No center played more minutes per game than Gasol and he also is tops for centers in assists per game. That means the Grizzlies will be looking a heck of a lot different. He also owns a 23.9 usage rate in all that playing time, so the shots will also be available with the minutes and play-making.

So what happens now? A lot. Simply put, it’s going to be a team effort. The Grizzlies are playing Zach Randolph at the five a lot, which is definitely going to continue. Via NBA Wowy, here are the lineup combos this season with Z-Bo and Mike Conley on the court and Gasol off (min of five minutes):

That’s a good amount of small ball. Basically, we’ll be seeing a lot of Jeff Green at the four. That also opens up some wing minutes for Matt Barnes, Courtney Lee and Tony Allen. If you’re in a shallow league, that’s the order I’d look to make an add (Green, Barnes, Lee and Allen).

Besides that, this should help Mike Conley’s output overall as he runs the offense. The other big takeaway is that Brandan Wright (knee) could be effective once he’s healthy. If you have an IR spot, he is worth a grab while we don’t get any games over the break. Maybe be comes back this month because he is doing some pre-game work.

As for the Grizzlies as a franchise, they might be in a tight spot and the Grit-N-Grind era could be over. If you have Gasol, you can probably cut him in most leagues.

The Jimmy Butler news also could make the Bulls sellers at the deadline. The Bulls are only 1.5 games up on the No. 9 seeded Charlotte Hornets and their schedule is not great while Butler will be out.

Like Marc Gasol, it’ll be a team effort to replace Butler’s output. Butler leads the NBA in minutes per game and he emerged as the focal point of the offense. Derrick Rose (soreness) did not play on Monday, but he put up a 34.9 usage rate on Saturday. Rose is going to be very busy and it might actually force him to miss games because of the high usage and involvement in the offense. Pau Gasol will also be active in the low post and should see more chances to run halfcourt sets.

After those two, E’Twaun Moore figures to be the next man up. He’s played well in his last four games and should get minutes around 30. Mike Dunleavy will likely be the second-best pickup in fantasy after him. Dunleavy will have a minutes cap for another week or so, but he does have a nice upside. Doug McDermott should play more, but his upside is way too low to grab in fantasy.

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Jazz (We Got): Jazz 121 at Mavs 119

What a game in Dallas. The Jazz did not allow 100 points in any of the previous seven games since Derrick Favors returned, but their D wasn’t up to their high standards. Luckily for them, they have Rodney Hood. The second-year stud dropped 29 points with five rebounds, five assists, two 3-pointers and no turnovers. He’s going to be really good and he should flirt with top-50 value going forward. He also hit this with one second left to get the game to OT:

Not to be outdone, Gordon Hayward ended his 20-point scoring game in style to get the win at the buzzer in OT:

The Jazz went without a point guard for a whopping 26 minutes, which is a testament to how good Hood and Hayward are. Raul Neto was in foul trouble with just eight points, two assists, one steal and six fouls — he just can’t put up numbers. Derrick Favors (16 points, eight rebounds, six assists and one steal) and Rudy Gobert (14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks) were also very good. The Jazz are on a seven-game winning streak and at this rate it would be a surprise to see them not get a top-five seed in the Western Conference.

The Mavs first half of the season is officially over and don’t play again until Feb. 19. That’s a big reason why Dirk Nowitzki played a whopping 40 minutes on Tuesday, scoring 17 points with nine rebounds, one steal and one 3-pointer. He’ll be getting some rest days going forward.

Chandler Parsons was also busy and did play down the stretch. Coach Rick Carlisle hasn’t played Parsons down the stretch all the time, but Parsons was great and had a huge block in OT. He finished with 24 points, one rebound, one steal, one block and three 3-pointers. Wes Matthews also showed some signs of life with 16 points, two rebounds, three assists and two 3-pointers. He’s been really bad, but the break should help him load up some arrows. Deron Williams also closed out his first half with 23 points, two rebounds, five assists, one steal and two 3-pointers. He has been dinged up a lot, so the break should help him, too.

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