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The Waiver Wire
Lost Bosh? No Problem... here comes Earl Barron
By Charlie Zegers • April 7, 2010 • 4:26 PM
The last week of the season is the only time that headline would make the least bit of sense.
Welcome to the last week of the regular season - just about the only time that swapping Chris Bosh for Earl Barron might actually make sense. Bosh's status for the remainder of the season - and the playoffs - is very much in doubt, courtesy of an inadvertent Antawn Jamison elbow. Bosh took a shot to the face just two minutes into Toronto's game with Cleveland on Tuesday night, suffering "maxilla and nasal fractures." His status is unclear for the remainder of the season and playoffs - but I certainly don't expect to see him before the first round of the postseason (assuming the Raptors hold off Chicago for the eight seed in the East). A couple hundred miles to the East, Earl Barron was putting on a show at Madison Square Garden in his first start for the Knicks. Pushed into the starting lineup because Al Harrington and Tracy McGrady were unavailable, Barron made the most of his opportunity, putting up 17 points, 18 boards, an assist and a steal in 44 minutes of action. His presence also allowed David Lee to shift to his more natural power forward position, where Mr. Double-Double generated 13 points, 11 boards, six assists, three steals and actually looked pretty good on defense as New York rolled to a 104-101 win over the Celtics. McGrady and Harrington should be back soon - McGrady is reportedly targeting Friday's game against the Magic - but there's no reason Barron shouldn't get an extended look. He's exactly the sort of low-cost player Donnie Walsh will need to fill next year's roster. Unsurprisingly - given that yesterday's game was just his second of the year - Barron is available nearly universally (0.2% owned). Other potential replacements: Amir Johnson (0.3% owned), who posted a double-double off the bench after Bosh was hurt last night, and Kurt Thomas (0.2%), who will get lots of run in place of Andrew Bogut. The Most Added:
The Most Dropped:
Picks for the Week All "percent owned" stats are taken from ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball - your mileage may vary. Standard Leagues Mareese Speights (8.3% owned) - Speights played 32 minutes on Tuesday, while Elton Brand and Sam Dalembert played 13 each. It seems the Sixers have finally decided to give the young guy with potential some run. Al Thornton (33.5% owned) - Expected to return Wednesday after missing seven games with a hip injury. Deep Leagues Jason Kapono (1.0%) and Willie Green (0.4% owned) - Both Thaddeus Young and Rodney Carney are fighting injury - Young is officially done for the year and Carney might be officially shut down soon. That should mean additional playing time for Kapono, Green, and possibly Jodie Meeks during the final week of the season. Jeff Teague (0.8%) and Maurice Evans (0.5% owned) - Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson are recovering from injuries, which means more playing time for rookie Teague - who started in Bibby's place on Tuesday - and Evans. Evans was particularly good playing in Johnson's spot on Tuesday, racking up 20 points, 12 boards and three dimes in a loss to the Bobcats. Shaun Livingston (1.1% owned) - Livingston has scored 16 or more points in three of the Wizards' last four games, and hit the eight assist mark three times as well. He's also averaging over four rebounds per game in that stretch.
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Mr. Right Now
By Charlie Zegers • March 31, 2010 • 11:39 PM
With two weeks – and less than ten games per team – remaining, don’t approach the waiver wire looking for guys who are playing well.
At this point, "playing" is the primary concern. In one of my leagues, the difference between second place and fifth is so slight, I've actually resorted to making roster moves based on which teams are playing on a given night. The Thursday schedule this week is typically thin - the only teams going are Orlando and Dallas and Portland and Denver. Unfortunately, my team is short on Magics and Mavs and Blazers and Nuggets - but less so now that I've placed a waiver claim on Roddy Beaubois. I had to drop a better player to do it. But I'd rather have a chance of getting production than to simply sit out the evening. If you plan on using a similar strategy, take note… next Thursday, April 8, the only teams playing will be Cleveland, Chicago, the Clippers, the Kings, the Lakers and the Nuggets. So grabbing the best available Nugget this week actually gets you a player you can plug in next week as well. Chris Andersen (11.5% owned) and Ty Lawson (9.2%) might be worth a look. The Most Added
The Most Dropped
Picks for the Week All "percent owned" stats are taken from ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball - your mileage may vary. Standard Leagues Anthony Tolliver (20.3% owned) and Reggie Williams (16.1%) - On most teams, a late-season D-League callup becomes a depth player. On the Warriors, though, these journeymen seem to emerge as legit fantasy options more often than not. I don't know if that says more about Golden State's D-League scouts… or about the talent level of their roster. Either way, Tolliver and Williams are worth a look in any fantasy format. Taj Gibson (13.3% owned) - Three straight double-doubles would seem to indicate his plantar fasciitis is healing up nicely. Deep Leagues J.J. Redick (2.9% owned) - His shooting ability is unquestioned - as long as Vince Carter and/or Mickael Pietrus are nursing injuries, Redick is worth playing. DeAndre Jordan (0.4% owned) - The Clips will take a look at Jordan in the starting power forward spot, where he'll replace Drew Gooden (despite the fact that Gooden has been a double-double machine of late.)
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Blatche Blows It
By Charlie Zegers • March 24, 2010 • 3:41 PM
A great waiver-wire pickup becomes a waiver candidate.
Andray Blatche was been one of the best waiver-wire pickups of the season… but please note my tense. Blatche's talent is immense, but so is his penchant for knucklehead behavior, and the latter is going to have a significant impact on his fantasy value going forward. Blatche was pulled from last night's game for failing to get back on defense. But rather than accept responsibility for his blown assignment, he pouted - telling coaches he didn't want to go back into the game. Head coach Flip Saunders was furious. During the post-game press conference, he fumed: "Coaches aren't wrong, no matter what. When a coach wants to teach you something, and you think you're above that because you've played, what, 16 games?" Saunders called it the low point of the season - and considering the year the Wizards have had, that's saying something. If Blatche is benched or suspended, JaVale McGee (3.4% owned) and Al Thornton (36%) would be the likeliest beneficiaries, with James Singleton (0.4%) and Fabricio Oberto (0.1%) also in line for increased minutes. The Most Added
The Most Dropped
Picks for the Week All "percent owned" stats are taken from ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball - your mileage may vary. Standard Leagues George Hill (28.8% owned) - All the owners dropping Hill this week (see the most-dropped list, above) are kicking themselves after his 27-point outing on Tuesday. Jrue Holiday (25.7% owned) - Sixer rookie came into the league with reputation as an excellent defender; he's living up to the hype with excellent steal totals. Deep Leagues C.J. Miles (1.9% owned) - Putting up very good numbers since he was moved into Kirilenko's starting spot. Shannon Brown (1.8% owned) - The start of a trend? Brown has played 20-plus minutes in the Lakers' last two games, and scored in double-figures both times. Leon Powe (0.1% owned) - Powe may be playing his way into a regular role - he's averaged 7.5 boards and 11.5 points in the Cavs' last two games.
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Garbage Time
By Charlie Zegers • March 17, 2010 • 9:01 PM
The Knicks and Wizards are turning over their teams to kids and reclamation projects... are any of the new starters worth a look?
Garbage time. That magical point when games are out of reach, and coaches empty the bench, giving those poor guys whose only mention in the average box score is the dreaded DNP-CD the opportunity to snap off the warm-ups and break a sweat. Take the Knicks, for example. New York has been deep up in garbage time since November. Of 2007. But they've only really embraced the idea recently. Tracy McGrady's minutes are being scaled back, and Eddie House and Wilson Chandler could be shut down for the year as they recover from injuries. In their place, we'll be seeing heavy minutes for Toney Douglas, Bill Walker, Sergio Rodriguez and possibly even J.R. Giddens. Douglas and Walker have already established themselves as worthy of roster spots in most fantasy formats. Meanwhile, in Washington Shaun Livingston has already been elevated from 10-day contract status to starting point guard, as the Wizards get an extended look at a player who - before destroying his knee - was considered one of the best young points in the league. Look for other teams to make similar moves as they play out the string. The Most Added
The Most Dropped
Picks for the Week: All "percent owned" stats are taken from ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball - your mileage may vary. Standard Leagues George Hill (34.4% owned) - Tony Parker's fill-in continues to produce, though Manu Ginobili has picked up most of Parker's scoring. Larry Hughes (11.6% owned) - Could be cleared to play this week - and with the Bobcats paper-thin at the two and three spots, he could become a valuable sub. Deep Leagues Dahntay Jones (9.6% owned) - Back in the starting lineup in place of Danny Granger. Jones put up surprisingly good numbers playing in Granger's place earlier this season. Maurice Evans (0.5% owned) - Short-term starter while Joe Johnson (Achilles' tendon) is out. Johnson is expected to miss at least two games, possibly more. Keyon Dooling (0.3% owned) - Will get a few starts while Devin Harris is sidelined by an upper respiratory infection. Charlie Bell (0.3% owned) - Another injury fill-in, Bell will get a few starts in place of Carlos Delfino (ankle).
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Shut it Down?
By Charlie Zegers • March 10, 2010 • 3:28 PM
Most teams have about 15 games remaining -- and very little to play for.
There are 30 teams in the NBA… and maybe ten with anything to play for at this point.
The rest of the league is either trying to get key players some rest, or taking an extended look at guys who wouldn't get much run under other circumstances. So don't be surprised if a few of the league's elite teams are hit with "injuries" like LeBron's bum ankle. Meanwhile the league's bottom dwellers may start summer vacation early for injured players while suddenly finding minutes for non-entities. (Speaking of which, Eddy Curry is making his return to the Knick rotation tonight.) To Drop or Not to Drop? Any injury expected to linger for more than a few days should be considered potentially season-ending at this point. Proceed accordingly. The Most Added
The Most Dropped
Picks for the Week: The first set of picks is for players in standard leagues - guys who will typically be available in your average 10 team/15 player roster league. The second group is for owners in very deep leagues, and will be based more on speculation than actual numbers. All "percent owned" stats are taken from ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball - your mileage may vary. Standard Leagues George Hill (21.7% owned) - Speaking of Tony Parker… Hill will slide into the now-vacant starting job in San Antonio. Jarrett Jack (26.4% owned) - Even sharing the point guard spot with Jose Calderon, Jack has become a valuable scoring threat for the Raptors while Chris Bosh was sidelined - and that has continued since Bosh has returned (19 ppg average in two games). Courtney Lee (18.4% owned) - Lee has been on a tear for the last week, and is averaging 26 points in the Nets' last four games. Deep Leagues Quentin Richardson (4.0% owned) - The much-travelled swingman has become an important part of the Heat rotation of late, playing 30-plus minutes in four straight games and scoring 15 or more in three of the four-- the lone exception being a seven-point outing against Charlotte's tough defense. Jrue Holiday (2.2% owned) - With Allen Iverson officially out of the picture, Holiday has been installed as the point guard of the present and future in Philly. The rook scored has averaged 21 points, 5 dimes, 4.5 boards and a steal in the Sixers' last two games.
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