LaMarcus Aldridge Out at Least a Week

LaMarcus Aldridge will miss at least a week with Plantar Fasciitis.  This means you need to pick up Travis Outlaw, IF he's actually still available!  Travis is averaging 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.3 blocks with 49% shooting in 29 minutes off the bench during the month of December.  What's more impressive is that he's coming off the bench, but finishing games!  He's not only on the court at the end, but he's making game winning shots and getting final shot plays called for him!  Nate McMillan really trusts this guy and he's going to continue to get minutes and build on these numbers in Dec.  

I'm not sure if he'll start with LaMarcus out (although I suspect he will), but he will get more minutes and more scoring opportunities.  The Trailblazers thought Travis had the potential to be a special player when they drafted him out of high school, we could be seeing that potential coming out.  Go get him!!

 

Somethin's A Brewin'

Corey Brewer had a breakout game tonight with this line:

6 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 1 block

The bad side… he shot 3 of 15.

What a great night for the rook! The funny thing is, it was the most akward defensive performance I think I’ve ever seen. He was actually quite clumsy when he had the ball in his hands. It looked like his mind was moving faster than his body, so his body was constantly trying to keep up! That’s the only way I can explain it. Yet, he had 4 steals and 5 assists! Amazing really.

The obvious question is… do you pick him up? I say not yet, unless you are in a very deep league. This was against the Hawks, who play small, up-tempo and miss a lot of shots; a good formula for defensive rebounding. Plus, he’s a rookie and not in the class of Durant or Al Horford, therefore he will have some major ups and downs. His shot is not where it needs to be, as he is very streaking, so you can expect a lot of single digit scoring nights.

That being said, he is the starting small forward for the wolves now, as they care more about developing their young talent than winning ball games at this stage of the franchise. Corey is also a very active player. He runs up and down the court with a lot of energy. You should have seen how winded he was at the end of the game! He is very long and quite athletic, which helps greatly in the defensive categories. Therefore, if you are a fan and believe he could do something this year, go ahead and pick him up. Just expect a lot of inconsistency.

Duncan Down, Parker Up.

Duncan went down with a knee and ankle injury today. They don’t know how serious it is yet, as he will have an MRI tomorrow. That means Tony Parker is about to start balling. Wait, he already has been! Let’s discuss what he has done.

Please understand how hard it is for me to admit that Parker is playing well. I am a huge San Antonio Spurs, specifically Tony Parker, hater. Why? Because I have two guys in my office who are the biggest Spurs fans I have ever met and I believe the world needs balance; therefore, they love…. I hate. That being said, I cannot deny what Parker is doing anymore. I don’t feel like he deserved his previous allstar bids (Deron Williams got screwed last year), but if he keeps this up (with Duncan down he certainly will) then he will most definitely earn his third consecutive appearance.

First, let’s discuss Tony’s weaknesses, as I have to get these out in the universe before I share the love. He is arguably the quickest man in the league with the ball, but his lack of an outside shot has really hurt him. Also, for a point guard who spends his life driving to the basket and dishing to Duncan or outside shooters, you think he would average more than 5.5 assists per game. His assist to turn over ratio is a pathetic 2 to 1. For a two-time allstar, he has never averaged over 18.6 points or 6.1 assists or 3.7 boards per game (those were not even in the same year), which is very sad for an “allstar point guard.” All right, I’ll stop here, because this article is about what a great season he is having so far. Here are his averages for this year:

20.3 ppg, 3.7 rb, 7 ast. 0.8 stl, 2.2 t/o with 52% shooting

Those are very nice stats, but they get even better when you look at what he has done over the last 8 games:

23.9 ppg, 4.4 rb, 8.5 ast, 0.4 stl, 2.1 t/o with 56% shooting

Impressive! His points are up, rebounds up, assists WAY UP, shooting percentage up and turnovers down! That is one very nice 8-game stretch. The question is, can he keep it up all year? He has the talent, always has, so is it out of the question to say it just took him 6 years in the League to figure it out completely? I mean, he’s still only 25, so there’s plenty of room to grow, right? In fact, it appears that during the short off-season and marrying Eva Longoria, he had time to work on is shooting, as he is getting a midrange game. It’s not where it needs to be yet, but getting better.

Maybe, just maybe, after 6 years and 3 championships, Popovich finally trusts Parker completely to run the offense? That’s just speculation, but it’s one of the few reasons I can come up with to explain why Tony’s assists are up so much. Although, you have the fact that Duncan is getting older and they are leaning on Parker to be more of the playmaker for the team.

I guess, whatever the reasons are, if you are a Spurs fan or have Tony Parker on your fantasy team, you are loving him right now. If Duncan is out for an extended period of time, you will be loving him even more, because those stats I listed above should increase if the Spurs expect to win games without Duncan.

On a side note about Duncan’s injury… Do you think the Spurs could use Luis Scola right about now?? Thanks for the gift. NOW WILL ADELMAN PLEASE PLAY HIM!!! Go Rockets!

Changing of the Guards

There are two NBA teams that have backup point guards who are better than the starters. Those are the Toronto Raptors and Houston Rockets. I’m calling out Rick Adelman and Sam Mitchell and telling them to start Jose Calderon and Steve Francis for the remainder of the year. I’ll explain why:

First, let’s look at the Raptors, as this is the more clear cut obvious case. TJ Ford is a wonderfully talented player, and it’s apparent that he’s worked hard on his shot to increase his field goal percentage to 46.5% (career high). TJ is also one of the quickest players in the league with the ball, which is why he is so effective at getting into the lane. Those are the reasons why the Raptors traded for him. His weaknesses are that he shoots too much, especially in key situations. He is a horrible three-point shooter (25%), and although he is great at dribble penetration and dishing out to the open man, he is not great at running this offense. That’s where Jose Calderon comes in.

Jose is also very quick with the ball, albeit not as fast as TJ. He has a great shooting stroke with 49% from the field and 36% from three. He is also much better and more experienced in running an up-tempo style of play with him playing for his national team, Spain. Jose is an extremely smart basketball player and much more unselfish. Yet, he is more effective when his scoring is needed, as you can see from his percentages. This unselfishness is key, because they are not utilizing their best player, Chris Bosh, to the fullest when TJ is on the court.

Chris is a multi-dimensional extremely talented player who started the season in a slump. Some say it is because of his lingering injuries, which may be true; however, it is more than that. Sam Mitchell is not allowing Chris to run this team from start to finish. He is giving that opportunity to TJ Ford and Andrea Bargnani (to some degree), which is a big mistake. Chris can do everything on the court and Mitchell must use those skills to run this team more efficiently. The point guard that enables Chris to do this… Calderon.

Look at the last 6 games, where Jose has started and played the majority of the game because of TJ’s injury. They are 4-2 (they were 5-6 before this stretch of games). Bosh came out of his slump completely and was having some very nice games, while they were winning. Calderon is averaging 11 assists per game and the offense is running much smoother. In fact, let’s look at what TJ is averaging as a starter as compared to Jose as a starter:

            PPG  RB   AST   STL   TO   FG%   3P%  Min
TJ:      13.9   2.2   7.7     1.2     2.25  .47     .25      27
Jose:   11.8   3.3   11      0.7     1.5    .45     .58      37

With starters minutes (37 per game) Jose is averaging 11 assists, granted it’s a small sample of 6 games, but the Raptors have looked better and more complete as a team, and they are winning!

I will give Sam Mitchell credit. Ford has been back for 2 games now, and Calderon is still starting and getting big minutes. I’m hoping it’s because Mitchell has realized his team is much better with Jose running the point, but I fear it’s because TJ is still coming back from the injury and he’s being worked in slowly. I’m not saying relegate TJ to the bench and only play him 10 minutes a night, but please keep Jose as the starter and give him 30 minutes per game! You’ll thank me for it later, Sam.


Now onto my home team, The Rockets! I picked the Rockets to be the best team in the West this year and I did it because they got a new coach, and improved in their two biggest weaknesses; point guard and power forward. Well, we are 18 games into the season and the Rockets are a .500 team. Yes, they played the toughest schedule in the league up to this point, playing San Antonio, Dallas and Phoenix twice each, and they dealt with T-Mac already missing time due to an injury. Even with those caveats, I do not believe the Rockets will win the West, if Aldelman continues to start Rafer Alston and Chuck Hayes! They improved so greatly, why do I still see the same team I watched last year? I will likely discuss Luis Scola at a later date, but today we will talk about Rafer.

First you need to understand that few people were happier to see Steve Francis get traded than me. He was a ball pounder (he took too damn long to get the offense running and make decisions), he couldn’t make an entry pass to save his life and had a TON of turnovers. That was 4 years ago. Now Steve is older, wiser and less selfish. He still has his issues, but he is an upgrade over Rafer Alston!

This is Rafer’s third year with the team, and we are still pulling our hair out! He is a horrible shooter. He lacks the basketball IQ of most starting PG in the League. He is not athletic enough to make up for his lack of shooting ability and his court vision is average at best. The only thing that Rafer excels at is his ball handling ability.

While Steve has a lot of the same flaws (poor shooter from long range and lack of basketball IQ, when compared to above average point guards), he makes up for it in his athleticism and playmaking abilities. Steve is still able to make that “special play” in the course of a game. He can take more a scoring role when T-Mac or Yao are not playing their best, or at the very least be that consistent third scorer this team is in desperate need of. He brings experience and maturity (believe it or not) that Rafer lacks. Most of you who are up on the situation are probably saying, “Maturity? He came into camp out of shape and overweight! He was the likely starter until he did that. How does that show maturity!?” And you would be correct. I didn’t say he was the constant professional like Shane Battier. I merely compared his maturity to Rafer’s. How was Alston’s offseason???? Exactly. Plus, the Steve Francis of old would have caused a scene or too over not starting or even playing for that matter. The new Steve… Nothing but support and understanding. It’s starting to pay off, as he is getting minutes, and he should continue to get more. Hopefully, take over the starting role soon.

I wish I could give you some statistical analysis to backup my opinion, but Steve has only played in 5 games, and in a limited role at that. However, he has looked good in that limited role. He is passing the ball very well and making quick decisions. He is still able to get into the key, even after his surgeries. He simply brings the intangibles that Rafer has never and will never possess. Also, there’s the fact that I just watched the Rockets lose to the Kings, who suck. Rafer was pathetic, making no impact. In fact, the whole team was pathetic, making no impact, except for T-Mac and Yao. Just like last year. Steve was out with a sore back. Which again, is why he hasn’t gotten much burn this year. I just hope he gets in shape quickly and Adelman puts him in there! We are in desperate need of his talents!

LeBron is King!

While I am on my Dwight Howard for MVP kick, I can’t deny the fact that LeBron James is doing something that hasn’t been done since the 1988-89 season; average at least 30, 8 & 8, when Michael Jordan averaged 32.5 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. LeBron is averaging:

31.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 8 assists with 1.92 steals and 1.62 blocks while shooting 49%



Those are absolutely astonishing stats! He has a VERY long way to go to keep these averages up, but he has had a triple double in his last two games and looks simply unstoppable right now.

I mentioned in my Cavaliers Preview that LeBron worked on his shot mechanics during the summer and the hard work has really paid off! He is leading the league in scoring (as I predicted he would all season), his percentages are up as well; from 47.6% to 49.2% field goal and the biggest jump has been his three point percentage from 31.9% last year to 36.8% this year. The only reason the Cavs are respectable this year, is because of LeBron’s improved play. In fact, if Danny Ferry wasn’t so inept in building a team around LeBron, they would likely be the favorite to win the East again. Unfortunately the Cavs got worse this summer, while so many other eastern conference teams greatly improved.

Last year LeBron took it easy during the regular season, so he would have enough in his tank for the playoffs. Why has he turned it on so much this year? Maybe it’s because he realized how important home court advantage is (if they would have won 8 more games they would have had home court against the Spurs in the finals). It could be because he feels like he has something to prove after getting swept by the Spurs in his first finals appearance. The likely answer is that he knows he must play his best in order for his team to be competitive. It is a shame that the Cavs cannot put acceptable role players around the best, most unselfish superstar in the League. Imagine if LeBron had Jason Kapono to pass out too, or Jose Calderon manning the point? (I used two Toronto Raptors players because Bryan Colangelo has done a phenomenal job building a team around Chris Bosh) Nothing against Drew Gooden or Ilgauskas; I like both of them, but every other player on that team, aside from LeBron, should be coming off the bench in limited roles.

If LeBron can get this team in the top four of the Eastern Conference again, then he should and will get his first MVP! We’ll just have to watch and see if he can keep up this pace for 68 more games!

All that being said, I’m still pulling for Dwight! D12 for MVP!

Dwight Howard for MVP

I’m officially starting my Dwight Howard for MVP campaign! Yes, I know it’s only 14 games into an 82 game schedule, so any MVP talk is premature, but I don’t care. Dwight has been incredible and deserves all the credit and MVP talk he can get.



A number of people picked Dwight to be the most improved player this year, and I thought that was an interesting pick. I mean, how much more does a player need to improve to the point that he wins that award when he averaged 17.6 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks last year? The answer….24.5 points, 14.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks! WOW! Those numbers are ridiculous! Now, I don’t think he is the MVP because of those numbers alone. His team is 11-3 with wins over Toronto, Cleveland, New Jersey, New Orleans and Boston (the only team to beat them so far). The Magic are winning because they are running the offense through Dwight! For example, tonight the Magic played the Bobcats. Dwight matched up against fellow draft buddy, Emeka Okafor and he abused him! Howard had 34 points, 17 rebounds (6 offensive), 2 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks!! Hmmmm, you think those people who had him ranked as a 3rd or 4th round pick in fantasy drafts regret that prediction?? Who gives a damn that he only made 12 or his 21 free throws attempted, when he's putting up numbers like this! In fact, I took him in the 4th round in one of my leagues, because they were using yahoo's ranking system and he was ranked as the 44th player on that list, so I knew I could sit on him, and that pick may save my season; since I took Gilbert Arenas in the first round!

Last year, many people questioned whether you could run an offense strictly though him because of his tendency to turn the ball over, and I blamed their coach, Brian Hill! The offense was horrible. They would give the ball to Howard down low, then everyone would just stand there are watch him! No movement to create passing lanes. No cutting to the basket when your man double teamed Dwight! It was absolutely amazing and pathetic that Brian Hill was an NBA coach! This year Stan Van Gundy is in charge and they look like a completely different team. Yes, they have Rashard Lewis, and Dwight and Jameer are older and wiser, but the drastic improvements those two players have made should be largely credited to Stan and his coaching staff! Their offensive sets are seamless and fluid. Jameer and Dwight’s turnovers are down while their scoring and other production (Jameer’s assists) are way up! Hell, even Hedo Turkoglu is having a career year! The best thing Stan Van Gundy has done is realizing that you can and should run everything through his big man! Dwight is rewarding his coach for his confidence in him.

The crazy thing to think about is that Dwight could and SHOULD build on those numbers as the season goes on, because his confidence in his midrange game and new post moves are starting to grow! Can you imagine? Howard is only 21 years old, and will only get better!! He’s one of the most dedicated and hard working players in the league and is just now getting an offensive repertoire. During the game against Boston, Dwight took an 18-foot baseline jump shot, and MADE IT! It was so beautiful and surprising that I screamed with excitement and scared my 1-month-old daughter! He just caught the ball, turned and shot it without even thinking. He will be absolutely unstoppable once he has a 15’ to 18’ consistent jumper! He actually has good shot mechanics; he just needs to work on his confidence. Stan Van Gundy and Patrick Ewing are doing a great job working with him on that.

Now the reality check. I understand it will be extremely difficult for Dwight to average over 14 rebounds per game for a whole season…. But he should do it! That’s the only reality check I have. His scoring numbers are legit and could increase. His field goal percentage will increase as his confidence does as well. His free throw shooting is getting better, and he should increase his blocks to 2.5 to 3 per game.

Dwight Howard for MVP.

Gilbert's Out for 3 Months

I'm saddened by this news, because he's on one of my teams. I hope he takes the time to get healthy. By now most of you have picked up Antonio Daniels, as I have, to make up for the lost. Daniels should have a good season. He will be very good for you in the assists column and will score enough points.

Andray Blatche is an interesting player. Most people are recommending you pick him up because of his last two games, and on a pure talent standpoint, I agree. However, Brendan Haywood is expected to be back next game, which should send Andray back to the bench. Although, with Gilbert out, the Wizards will need help in scoring and Andray can definitely do that. Also, if the Wizards continue to lose, they may decide to just start planning for the future and give Blatche more playing time so he can develop, if that happens Nick Young might also get a boost in his minutes and could be effective. Keep an eye on how this plays out.

Stock Watch - Andrew Bynum

Andrew Bynum has had a pretty good season so far, averaging 10.4 points and 9.4 rebounds in 24 minutes of play. Well, the injury to Kwame Brown should only help Bynum's fantasy value. In fact, he started tonight against the Pacers, here's his line:

17 pts, 10 rb, 1 stl, 4 blk, 100% FG Shooting 5 of 6 from the line in 29 mins

Granted, he played against a horrible defensive team in the Pacers with the likes of Troy Murphy and a hobbled Jermaine O'Neal guarding him, but he still impressed me. What I like the most is how BIG Bynum is playing. Yes, he's 7' and 275 lbs, but for the first time in his young career he is utilizing that size. If Andrew is within 5 feet of the basket, he's dunking it. He simply reaches over his defender or extends around him and throws it down. He also has a very soft touch around the rim and a nice midrange jumper to compliment it. He has the ability to be a force on the defensive end with his super long arms, but still has a lot of work to do there; the 4 blocks tonight are a sign of that promise. That was the reason Kwame was starting; he's the best lowpost defender the Lakers have.



We are starting to see his potential and why The Lakers have refused to trade him. I would expect Andrew to average 12 points and 10 rebounds with 1.5 blocks and good percentages with the increased role. I know that's not too far off what he's currently averaging, but I simply don't expect him to take that leap yet because he is so young and still has a lot to learn. That being said, he's improving and could be setup for a big second half, especially if Kobe gets traded.

Waiver Wire Pickup - Jeff Green

Jeff Green got the starting nod tonight against the Grizzlies, and it was just a matter of time. I mean, Seattle was going to make this move, once they realized how uncompetitive they really are this year. I figure they just didn't think it would be this early. What did Jeff do in his starting role?]

11 points, 14 rebounds (8 offensive), 1 assist, 1 steal on 4-12 shooting

Those are not great numbers, except for the rebounding, so why I am recommending you pick him up? Because he's a very talented rookie who is going to get 30 minutes per night. Set you expectations accordingly, though. He will be up and down most of the year, just like Sean Williams. They will have good to great games followed by lousy ones. It's just the way most rookies go. Even Kevin Durant is up and down; look at his stats for tonight.



That being said, I am a big fan of young guys with potential, especially if you are in a keeper league. You never know who will blow up, and this early on.... why not take the risk. Last time there was a super talented draft (2003) we saw players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all have good to great rookie years. I'm not saying 2007 is as good as that draft, not yet at least, but why can't we have some special rookie performances from any other guys not named Kevin Durant? Look at how many rookies are already starting for their teams:

Kevin Durant
Al Horford
Jeff Green
Yi Jianlian
Acie Law
Sean Williams

That's a pretty high number of rookie starters. Most of whom are probably already owned in your league, so I am just adding one more to the list; Jeff Green. Green is a great hustle guy who is willing to get his hands dirty and do what his team needs of him, without the glory. On a personal note, The Supersonics are my favorite team, so I hope he goes on to have a great rookie year, and I can enjoy watching him and KD develop!

Waiver Wire Pickup - Sean Williams

I discussed the potential of Sean Williams yesterday, and it didn't take long for him to get the opportunity I was looking for. Here's his stats from last night:

22 pts - 8 rb (3 off) - 2 stl - 2 blk - 64% FG Shooting, 8 of 10 from the line with 36 min

That is why The Nets drafted him. Reality is that Sean has the talent to have gone in the top 5 of last years ultra-talented draft, but he smoked weed and was suspended from his college team. I don't advocate smoking pot, but there are far more serious crimes that one could commit. Besides, he's in The League now, and his talent will dictate his future, not what happened in College. His talent is what should keep him in the starting lineup.

Coach Lawrence Frank has removed Nenad Krstic from the starting lineup, in an effort to shake things up for the struggling 4-6 Nets. Personally, I do think Nenad should be and will be starting soon; however, he is not without his weaknesses. Namely, his inability to hit the boards. His career high for avg rebounds per game in a season is 6.8! That is horrible for a starting forward/center who's getting at least 30 minutes per game! Maybe this is the leason Coach Frank is trying to send him? I'm not quite sure, but the combo of Nenad and Sean Williams is perfect for this team. Krstic can space the floor and give Kidd another shooter to play with, while Sean can be the beast on the boards while manning the paint on the defensive end. Plus, Sean has a nice offensive repertoire as well! I've been saying it since they signed him, and I'll say it some more, Jamaal Magloire is not a fit for this team! He's one of the slowest players in the NBA. He gets the ball on the low block and sits there for a minimum of 5 seconds, while deciding what move he wants to make, allowing the defense to adjust. That is not what a fast paced, quick reaction team like the Nets want. But who am I? What do I know?

Truthfully, Lawrence Frank is the only one who knows what he has planned for this team. I'm just providing you with my thoughts on the situation. I truly hope and expect Sean to continue to start and get big minutes, but we'll just have to wait and see.

Friday Night Basketball

Tonight I want to look at some players who had stellar games and lead their team to a win. I also want to talk about a few players who have been playing well all season, but may still be under the radar a bit. Lastly, we will discuss some very young guys with HUGE upside and how they performed once given a chance to shine.

First the Stellar Performers:

Chris Paul
28 pts – 2 rb – 13 ast – 5 stl – 48% shooting

Tyson Chandler
12 pts – 17 rb (6 offensive) – 5 ast – 4 blocks – 71% shooting

David West
40 pts – 6 rb – 1 st – 1 blk – 59% shooting

Paul, West and Chandler all led the Hornets to an overtime victory over Memphis tonight. Look at those stats! WOW, they each had phenomenal games, which is obviously why they won. Chris Paul continues to show the world that Deron Williams may be getting the love because of his playoff run last year, but that was last year. This year, Chris has arguably been the best PG in the league. In fact, I’m going to say he HAS been the best in this young season. I’ll show you. Let’s compare CP3 to the best of the best, Steve Nash, this year.

Steve Nash
19.4 pts – 3.8 rb – 9.9 ast – 0.89 stl – 0 blk – 55% FG & 100% FT

Chris Paul
18.6 pts – 4.7 rb – 10.6 ast – 3 stl – 0 blk – 51% FG & 89% FT

You see what I mean? Paul has Nash beat in rebounds, assists and steals. He’s close to him the other categories, but let’s not just talk about the stats. Look at the accomplishments of the teams they lead. The Hornets are 8 – 2 with wins over the Nuggets, Lakers and Nets. They lost to the Spurs and Portland. The Suns are 7-2 and have quality wins over Cleveland, and Orlando, while getting beat by the Lakers and Hawks. The expectations for the Hornets were FAR below the Sun’s expectations, so I will say the Hornets have been more impressive and I naturally give the large part of the credit for their early season success to Paul. Chris Paul has really picked up the play of his teammates. Just look above at what Chandler and West did tonight! Obviously, it’s not all CP3, but he is the motor that keeps this engine running. Plus, Peja is actually a respectable NBA player again.

I’m not saying Chris Paul will surpass Steve Nash this year. I am merely stating that through 9 or 10 games, CP3 has been the best point guard. No Doubt.

Since we are on the topic of great point guards, did you see Jason Kidd posting a triple double tonight! It was in a losing effort to the Magic, but you have to take notice every time Kidd posts a triple. His line was 11 pts, 19 rb, 10 ast and 2 steals! There are a ton of forwards and centers in this league that have not grabbed 19 rebounds in one game, and Jason Kidd did it from the PG position! He’s just getting better with age.

We will stay with the PG theme and look at:

Baron Davis
21 pts – 4 rb – 12 ast – 3 stl – 5 blk (baron always has poor shooting percentages)

Andris Biedrins
23 pts – 18 rb – 1 ast – 1 stl – 2 blk – 75% FG – 83% FT

The Warriors came in to play the Clippers as a winless team, and came out a one-win team! It was a much much needed win, at that. It’s a special night when you get 5 blocks from your point guard and Andris shoots 83% from the line, he might have the ugliest free throw shot in the league. Congrats to the Warriors!

Kevin Martin
43 pts – 10 rb – 2 ast – 52% FG and 16 – 19 from the line

Kevin is a budding star in The League. He showed tonight that his combination of skill and speed makes him a very tough match-up for anyone.

Now let’s talk about the guys who have had solid seasons, but are going under the radar still:

Damien Wilkens
41 pts – 9 rb – 2 ast – 2 stl – 75% FG Shooting

Kevin Durant may get the publicity on Sports Center for his game winning three, but it was Damien that led them to a double overtime victory over the Hawks. Damien has been averaging 14.2 – 5.1 – 2.6. He’s a great energy guy and will continue to get plenty of opportunities to shine on this young Seattle team.

Marvin Williams
18 pts – 7 rb – 4 ast – 4 stl – 2 blk – 46% FG Shooting

I have already discussed Marvin on this blog, so I wont go into details. I just want to mention that he’s continuing to tap into that enormous talent that he has.

Finally, we’ll look at three young players that have tremendous upside, if given the opportunity. We’ll start with a Rookie who’s making the most of his opportunity.

Al Horford
7 pts – 14 rb – 2 ast – 1 stl – 5 blks

Horford is averaging 9.1 points and 10.4 rebounds to start his rookie year. That’s pretty nice! He was touted as the most NBA ready person in the draft and he’s proving that to be the case. I expect his scoring to increase as he becomes more familiar with the NBA game.

Sean Williams
9 pts – 3 rb – 3 blks in 18 mins

The last three games he has averaged 9.7 points, 6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in 22 minutes per game. I know, those aren’t great numbers, BUT the Nets are desperate for the energy and defense that Sean can give them. Watch him closely, because if he continues to get more minutes, you could cash in on his potential before you think.

Amir Johnson
1 pt – 7 rb – 2 ast – 1 stl – 4 blk in 18 mins

There has been much talk in Detroit about Amir after he blew up in the D-League and even had some very nice games in the NBA the last few weeks of the season last year, and he showed us some of his potential tonight. He is super athletic and has a great motor. I would love it if the Pistons would give Maxiell and Amir more minutes, but as long as their winning with their veteran guys, they will only give them a few minutes when available. Amir will be Damn Good, but not for a while still.

Dwight's Dominance and Hidden Gems of the Night

Today most fantasy basketball sites will be discussing LeBron James, Joe Johnson or Dwight Howard. All three of them are compelling topics, especially LeBron and Dwight, since they faced off against each other in an overtime game that came down to those two superstars making plays at the end of the game for their teams. LeBron had a truly sick triple double with 39 pts, 13 boards, 14 assists and 2 blocks, but Dwight was clutch down the stretch and lead his team to victory. In fact, I wasn’t going to do this yet, but since Dwight is my favorite player in the NBA and has been since his sophomore season (I’ve owned him in my keeper league since then), I’ll finally take the time to breakdown his game and fantasy impact.


(You got robbed, Dwight. Simply robbed.)

At the inception of this blog, I discussed how many fantasy experts rank Dwight Howard much lower than his actual worth because he has always had a horrible free throw percentage. I said it was a bunch of crap! Dwight was a budding superstar who only needed to work on his offensive footwork and shooting ability. Every offseason he worked on his offensive game and got better. He went from 12 ppg his rookie year to 15.8 the next and 17.6 last season. Following that pattern, you can assume that Dwight would improve at the ripe old age of 21, and he would average 20 ppg. Plus he is in the hunt for League’s leading rebounder every year and he’s starting to understand how dominant he can be on the defensive end too!!! Well, here’s what he’s averaging so far this season:

20.3 pts, 14.4 rb (3.3 offensive), 1.8 ast, 2.4 blk while shooting 52% from the field and 63% from the line.

Those are monster numbers in points, rebounds and blocks, plus his shooting is improving. Good shooting is about confidence, especially from the free throw line. He worked hard over the summer to improve, and his confidence in his newfound shot is growing every game. Look at his shooting mechanics. They are good. It’s all mental for him and it’s coming together nicely.

What’s scary for the rest of the league is that his season averages do not show his real potential. His game tonight, show’s Dwight’s potential:

35 pts, 16 rb (6 offensive), 2 ast, 4 blk, shooting 11 of 17 from the field AND 13 of 16 from the line!!

13 of 16 from the line! The best part about his performance from the charity stripe… he hit 2 free throws to win the game with 5 seconds left in overtime! Yes, he missed one in regulation that would have put them up by 4 with five seconds left, but he came back and made up for it here in OT. Stan Van Gundy had enough confidence in his young big man with 6 seconds left in OT and down by one, to run a play for Dwight off the inbounds, which forced a foul and sent him to the line. Has that ever happened to Shaq??? HELL NO! That demonstrates that Van Gundy knows Dwight is gaining confidence in his shot and is ready to put this team on his back to get them some victories! Well, Stan was right! Dwight sank both free throws and they won! LeBron posted a sick triple double, along with very good games from Drew Gooden and Ilgauskas, but they still won! To celebrate Dwight’s HUGE game, here’s a picture of Gemma Atkinson:



Personally, I love the fact that people in the world of fantasy discount Dwight so much (the real world of NBA basketball understands how truly great he is and will be), because I drafted him in the 4th round in a yahoo head to head league! 4th ROUND!! Now if Gilbert will just continue to get healthy, I’ll be sitting pretty.

All right, enough about Dwight. I actually wanted to discuss the players that most people will not be talking about. The hidden gems, if you will, from last night. Let’s get started:

Josh Smith – I know he’s not a hidden gem, but I wanted to mention him because he was on his way to another GREAT all-around game when he strained his quad and was forced to leave early in the third quarter. In 18 minutes of play he scored 15 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal and 5 blocks. 5 BLOCKS in 18 minutes!! Word is the stain was minor. I watched him walk off without even a limp, so let’s hope that’s true and he’s back in the lineup next game.

Andrei Kirilenko – Yes, he’s not a hidden gem either, but he’s the last player of this calibur that I'll discuss here. I have to talk about AK47 because I have been hating on him for a long while now, so I made a point to watch a lot of the Jazz vs Raptors game to see how he does against a decent team. He really impressed me. My biggest question about him was his ability to be a defensive and offensive force without getting many opportunities within the offense (since that was what he was bitching about all summer), but he proved me wrong tonight. He was 1 of 6 from the field, so Andrei said forget about shooting, I’ll just do everything else! He had 8 points, 9 rebounds, 11 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks! Simply incredible. He also put the lock down on Chris Bosh and kept him to 14 points with only 7 boards. Jerry Sloan must be doing a great job keeping his confidence high. I still have my doubts about him, but he’s winning me over with every game like this. If he can play with this type of redkless abandon and not care about his scoring, then Utah will be scary good and I will be the most wrong about a player that I have ever been.

Delonte West – I told you to pick up Delonte earlier today and I stand by that statement. He came off the bench tonight against the Heat, who they beat to get their first win!! Welcome back Dwayne Wade… your team sucks! Anyways, he played 29 minutes and had 16 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Nice line. Why did Earl Watson start??

Darko Milicic – I have liked Darko for a long time, and this year he's showing everyone why. Tonight he posted 10 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, and 4 bocks. This is the second consecutive good game from Darko! He went for 20, 6 and 2 blocks the night before. We have a prediction board in my office, where you make a prediction and The Panel (a group of 2 or 3 coworkers) decide how much money you will owe or receive from the company pot, if you are right or wrong. I said Darko would average 12 points, 8 boards and 2.5 blocks per game. His average after 7 games:

12 points, 7.8 boards and 1.6 blocks

Damn, it’s too bad I got pissed off after the Grizzlies played the Rockets in the preseason, where Darko didn’t even start and he played like crap. I thought if he couldn't secure a starting gig over Stromile Swift, then he really does suck! I went to the office the next day and paid the $12 I would have owed, if I was wrong! Damn, I can’t get my money back, but if Darko keeps up this performance and increases his blocks (as he is with each game), then at least I’ll have the moral victory of being right. That means more to me than $12 anyways! Long Live Darko!!

Jason Maxiell – McDyess was hurt for their game against Golden State tonight, so Maxiell got the start and he made the most of it. He had 14 points, 14 rebounds (4 offensive), 5 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks! That is an incredible line! Why is this guy not starting? Maybe because Flip Saunders is a horrible coach? That’s my vote, if Max isn’t starting or getting at least 33 minutes per game from here on out!

Alright, it’s 1:30 am and my baby girl needs to eat, so I’ll stop writing. San Antonio vs Dallas tomorrow night. I hate the Spurs, but they get the win.

Gilbert Thanks You for Your Prayers

Last Friday I made a plea for Gilbert. I asked everyone to say a prayer for him and his knee, and said that I believed things would start looking up in a week, if we did that. Well, God does hear and answer our prayers! The Wizards played the Pacers and won, thanks in large part to Gilbert! Here’s his stat line for the game:

30 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 50% shooting and 9 of 11 from the line in 36 minutes

THAT’S THE GILBERT I DRAFTED IN THE FIRST ROUND!!!! I’m sure there will be a let down in his next game, as he is obviously still getting healthy, but it’s just great to see him do it for a game!



Gilbert we will continue to pray for you and simply ask that you give us more nights like this!!!

Waiver Wire Pickup - Delonte West

Luke Ridnour strained his left quadricep last night against the Magic. Word is that he could be out for an extended period of time. The man to step up... Delonte West. I've actually been waiting all year for him to take the starting job away from the other two, Watson and Ridnour. I just didn't think it would take an injury.

Delonte is deceptively good. He has a knack for doing something in most categories. Last year with a young Boston team he averaged 12.2 points, 3.1 boards, 4.4 assists, and 1 steal a game. I would expect about the same, maybe a little more from Delonte, if he gets the full-time gig in Seattle and plays at least 32 minutes. In fact, last night he played 32 minutes and he had 6 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. The scoring was down because he had a horrible night shooting, just 2 of 11.

If he's out there, go get him.

Where Oh Where Did Mehmo Go?

Where oh where has my little Mehmo gone?

Where oh where could he be?

With his 3 points shot

And wannabe phohawk.

Where oh where could he be?

I spent all of last season and this one telling the world that Andrei Kirilenko is not a fit for the Utah Jazz with Mehmet Okur and Boozer on the team; offensively that is. I was more than right last year, but things have changed now. What happened to Mehmo???? Him and Andrei have changed places. Last season Andrei was averaging less than 30 minutes, while Mehmet was at 34 minutes per game. Things have flipped, which means their stats have too. Andrei is averaging 35 minutes per game; leaving Mehmo on the bench, only getting 29 min.

Mehmet is averaging 12.5 points and 6 rebounds per game so far. His lowest output since he was in Detroit, coming off the bench in 2003. Meanwhile, Andrei is having a nice bounce back year with 10.9 ponts, 7 boards, 6.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.3 blocks. Why the change and has it actually made the Jazz better?

Let me be clear, Andrei is a great talent. Few people can fill up the stat sheet in every category like he can. He is most effective when playing the power forward position, because that puts him closer to the basket and he's a tough matchup for other power forwards. That's exactly what the Jazz are doing early on. Although AK47 starts at the three, he spends a lot of time at the four with Boozer manning the five. Giving Mehmo a decreased role. The question is, does this make the Jazz better?

The Jazz are a much different team this year. Yes, they have the same guys, but their young guys like Millsap and Brewer have really come on strong, which changes things. That is one reason that I am so surprised by the decrease in Mehmet's minutes. Brewer is your starting shooting guard, and although he's a wonderful young player, his biggest weakness is his outside shot, or lack there of. You would think Utah would need Mehmet to space the floor a little, but that has not been the case so far. I guess the real question is... What do they need more? Okur's shooting or Andrei's defense and hustle? I think they need both, which is why Sloan is catering to Kirilenko here in the beginning. I'll explain.

Sloan is a hall of fame coach and he knows Andrei wants more of an offensive role on the team, as we all due due to his excessive crying and bitching during the offseason. Andrei is an emotional player who needs a pat on the back to know he's doing well. Whereas Mehmet will just go out and do what he's told and help the team the best he knows how. Jerry is capitalizing on the easiness of their early schedule to give Andrei the confidence he requires. Look at who the Jazz have played. Only 2 of the first 6 teams they have played have a winning record, and they lost both of those games (Houston and LA Lakers). The other four teams have a combined 4 wins (Cleveland - 3 wins and Memphis - 1 win). That means they have played two teams with NO WINS (Seattle and Golden State - who they have played twice). Which by the way, they only beat Cleveland and Seattle by 2 points each. All of the other wins have been blowouts, which allows Sloan to play Kirilenko heavy minutes and let him do his thing. Andrei has been sub-par in their two losses against actual good teams. Averaging 9.5 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, 0.5 steals and 1 block in those two games. One can argue that the Jazz need Andrei to play well in order to win, and I would agree, but they don't need him to be a focal part of their offense. That's just it, by the way. AK47 can post these numbers without being a focal part of the offense, but that's not good enough for him. He needs to feel like he is getting plays called for him or that he has an active role in the offense to be the defensive force that we all know he can be. Sloan is just giving him his pat on the back here early and I fully expect him to tighten the reins a bit as they get into the season and give Mehmo more minutes.

So yes, I am STILL NOT A KIRILENKO BELIEVER! Not yet anyways. He has played extremely well against very bad teams. Plus, Matt Harpring is coming back from injury and playing very limited minutes, if at all some games. I'll give Andrei some credit, since he needs it to feel good about himself, and say that he has had some incredible games, almost getting a few triple doubles. I'll also tell all of his owners out there in fantasy land, that you should trade him, if you can get something good. He won't continue to have these incredible games on a regular basis once the Jazz start playing tougher competition. Again, don't misunderstand me. He will be better than last year, but he won't be the Mr. Almost Triple Double that we have seen so far. Call me a hater, or whatever you want, but I only call it as I see it. He'll need to sustain this level of play for a least a few more weeks, before I start to believe.

Big Day for Rebounder!!

Friday was the day of rebounding. We had 26 players who grabbed at least 10 rebounds. 7 of them pulled down at least 15 rebounds, while 3 of those were absolute animals on the glass and nabbed 20 or more!!! Those Monsters of the Glass were:

Dwight Howard - 22 points and 20 boards
Emeka Okafor - 25 points and 23 boards
Shawn Marion - 17 points and 24 boards

The runner-up to this group is Kevin Garnett, who missed the 20 rebound club by one board, but did so much more in the other categories:

Kevin Garnett - 27 points, 19 boards with 6 assists one steal and 3 blocks

That is why KG is The Man of Fantasy!

However, with all of these great performances the person I want to discuss today is LaMarcus Aldridge. He is my pick for Most Improved Player and he showed everyone why on Friday. He posted 30 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks while shooting 60% from the field. He did this while leading his young team to a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, who are much improved this year.

LaMarcus has been somewhat inconsistent in the first few games, but games like this show that he can begin to fulfill his potential this year. The thing that concerns me the most with Aldridge is his rebounding. He has a beautiful midrange shot with a very high release point, which makes it difficult to block, but he's relying too much on that shot, which has brought some of the inconsitency so far. He simply is not spending enough time on the block and crashing the boards. He did say prior to being drafted that he is more comfortable facing the basket, but that doesn't mean he needs to spend most of his time 15 feet away from the rim. Maybe he's still young and doesn't have the strength required to "bang" down low in The Association; I'll give him that, but I would still like to see him giving it more of an effort. He only has one game this year where he grabbed at least 10 rebounds, and it was this last game that we are discussing.

Alright, enough on his weaknesses. I'm just being critical because I see big things for him this year! He is a very talented shot blocker and we have already discussed his shooting ability. He's the primary scorer on the Blazers this year, so he will get every opportunity to shine. In fact, watching LaMarcus play gives credence to the Greg Oden pick. Greg can man the low post and Aldridge can rome and hit midrange shots. Plus Oden won't demand a lot of shots, which will gives Brandon Roy and LaMarcus the opportunities they need to help the team be successful. That being said, they still should have taken Kevin Durant! I won't go into details on that other than have you seen him play this year??? He's by far the best prospect to come into the league since LeBron James. Period.

On anthoer note, I'm watching the Magic vs Suns right now. It's half time and the Suns are up 59 - 43, but Dwight Howard is a BEAST!! He has 21 & 11 at the half with 6 offensive rebounds. Now, part of that is by design because Pheonix isn't double teaming him, much the same way they did to Duncan in the playoffs. They are letting him get his, as long as the rest of the team doesn't do much, and that's just what's happening. Dwight is shooting 56% while the rest of the Magic are shooting a pathetic 34%. COME ON RASHARD, HEDO AND JAMEER!! MAKE A DAMN SHOT!!!

Well, even if the rest of the Magic fail to show up tonight and they lose to the Suns, at least we are looking at another possible 20 plus point 20 rebound effort by D12. Hey, we might get a 30 plus point 20 rebound effort, if the Suns continue to let Dwight get his!

Also, I don't care what people say, Dwight is better than Amare! He bigger, stronger, more athletic, has a bigger heart, and a much better attitude! The only area in which Amare excels past Howard is his shooting ability. I'll take everything Dwight gives you plus his shot blocking and defense over Amare ANY DAY!! OH, plus Dwight hasn't missed a game in his entire career! Nuff Said.

Great Night of Basketball

What an entertaining night in the Association! Atlanta beat the Phoenix Suns. They’ve beaten the Mavs and Suns and barely lost to the Nets and Pistons in their first four games. It’s early, but they are looking really good. Plus, they are starting and playing two rookies 25 minutes per game! The reason they are winning? Pure hustle! Look at last night’s game.

They outrebounded the Suns by 16 (7 more offensive boards), they had 6 more steals and actually beat them in assists as well. They had 4 players with double doubles (Marvin, Josh Smith, Josh Childress, and Joe Johnson with 10 assists). The Hawks are young, hungry and talented.

Horford looks like a beast on the boards and a legit NBA allstar in the making, grabbing 15 boards last night. He’s averaging 10.8 rebounds through his FIRST four games. That’s incredible. Zaza is expected to come back Friday, but I hope they keep Horford in the starting lineup and give him his minutes, he’s earned it. Acie still has some work to do, but I do like his confidence.

Marvin is having a nice start going under most people’s radar. He had 20, 12 and 3 assists last night. The question is can he bring that effort every night? Childress also had a very nice night, posting 19, 10, 2 assists and 2 steals.

Joe is Joe. He is really demonstrating his leadership early on by allowing the young guys in Marvin and Josh Smith shine.

All this is nice, but the guy i really want to discuss is JOSH FREAKING SMITH!!!! Here’s his line from last night:

22 points, 10 boards (4 offensive), 4 assists, 4 steals, 5 blocks with 47% shooting

AMAZING! He’s currently averaging 3.5 steals and 4 blocks per game! He was guarding Steve Nash down the stretch and stole the ball from in twice in the final minutes of the game! Yes, 6’9” Josh Smith straight up ripped the ball from 6’3” Steve “2-time MVP” Nash. It was sweet, unless you’re a Suns fan. Now yes, it’s only 4 games and we shouldn’t get too excited, BUT he has always started slow and still ended up as a top 25 fantasy player (higher depending on your league), so imagine where he will end up this year with a start like this!

To celebrate his most spectacular night, I’ll post the following picture of Lucy Pinder!



Other notable performances from last night:

Chris Kaman continues to dominate on the glass by pulling down 22 rebounds against the Pacers. He chipped in 15 points with 3 assits, one steal and 2 blocks.

Hedio Turkoglu grabbed 15 boards with 6 assits, 24 points a steal and block while shooting 50% from three! He’s been on fire! Don’t expect these totals, but he should be nice play all year in Orlando’s new system.

Chris Bosh finally showed up last night posting 26 & 10. Nice to see. We’ll get more and more of these. I would like his assists to rise more, though. He’s an excellent passer. I wish Sam Mitchell would utilize that more.

You love having KG, Pierce or Ray Allen on you team, but you also hate it, because if this trend keeps up, they’ll only average 30 – 35 minutes per game becaue they are killing everyone they see! KG would have had a triple double if he played the 38-40 minutes, no doubt. Still, he’s the best in the land.

Two of my favorite young players balled last night.... Rudy Gay and Darko Milicic (yes, I’m back onthe Milicic bandwagon. I rode it for 4 years and jumped off for two weeks, so I think he’ll allow me to drag my sorry ass back on to enjoy the ride). Gay had 25 points, 10 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks! He has all the talent in the world and was born to play the Game. I’m betting on him having a very nice breakout year! Darko had 15 points, 10 boards (4 offensive) with an assist, steal and 2 blocks. The most impressive stat is only 2 turnovers, as he has been a TO machine in his career. Keep it up Darko!

We’ll end with the Cavs vs Jazz game last night! What a game!!! LeBron had a triple double in the third quarter and ended up with 32, 15, 13, 3 steals and 2 blocks! He’s averaged 2 blocks per game so far, incredible! Yet, his heroic three point shot with seconds left in the game was not enough to win, as Utah quickly inbounded the ball without calling a timeout (more teams need to do this) and Deron raced down the court and hit the game winning layup! Yes, he went baseline to baseline and hit a layup with 6 seconds left on the clock when the game was tied! STOP CELEBRATING CLEVELAND AND PLAY SOME FREAKING DEFENSE!!!!!!!!

Paul Millsap had another very good game with 24 points (7-8 shooting) 5 boards and 5 steals. I love me some Millsap! He’s a beast! All he needs is close to 30 minutes a night and he is this year’s version of David Lee.

AK47 put up 8 points, 3 boards, 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. This is the performance you should expect out of Andrei on a night in night out basis. Don’t get caught up in the AK47 is back hype! Nice stat line, but nothing like the Kirilenko of old.

Boozer and Deron will give you double doubles all year. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

Tonight we have Mavs vs Warriors, which should be entertaining. I expect the Mavs to get some pretty good revenge since the Warriors are without Jason Richardson and Stephen Jackson.

Washington vs New Jersey. Is Gilbert healthy???? Damn, I hope so. He’s killing one of my teams right now!

Detroit vs Chicago. Chicago is 0-4 and I think they’ll get their first win tonight.

Enjoy the games.

First Week Review

I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a few days, but with a 3-week old beautiful baby girl and my 2 year old son…. Spare time is hard to come by. That being said, my daughter is finally sleeping at night between feedings, so I am ready to go again!!! Let’s get started.

We’ve had a full week of NBA basketball pass us by and as expected, there are players who have exceeded, disappointed and fulfilled expectations. Before we dissect the players at the top of my list, let me put insert the customary disclaimer… IT’S ONLY BEEN A WEEK!!!! Things will likely even out and go back to normal, but every year there are players that fall into one of the categories above and stay there. The trick is finding out which is true.

Exceeding Expectations

Chris Paul
4 games: 18.8 ppg – 5.5 rb– 12.5 aast– 3 stl– 0 blk– 48% shooting

I know we all expected big things from CP3 so putting him on this list is somewhat questionable, but DAMN he came out firing. 12.5 assists through 4 games!! You think he was pissed about all the attention Deron Williams got last year? I don’t expect him to continue to average over 12 assists, but I honestly don’t think it’s unrealistic for him to average 9.5 – 10 assists per this year. He’s that good, and his team needs him to facilitate everything for them. The steals are also nice and he should continue to dominate in that category with 2 per game.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas
4 games: 17.3 ppg – 14 rb – 0.5 ast – 0.50 stl – 1 blk – 50% shooting

After averaging a dismal 11 points and 7 boards last year, Big Z is back! He looks like he’s in better shape (maybe it’s just because he’s clean shaven, though) and moving extremely well. The Cavs need him and Drew Gooden, who is also starting out nicely, so I expect him to continue to post good numbers. The great thing about Big Z is that he may have been on the waiver wire when the season started, if you are the lucky guy that got him, you should enjoy his production all year. Obviously don’t expect 14 boards per, but 17 points with 9 rebounds is something to hope for.

Chris Kaman
3 games: 17.3 ppg – 14.7 rb – 1.3 ast – 0.67 stl – 2 blk – 55% shooting

Everyone knew the two players that would benefit the most from Elton Brand’s injury was Corey Maggette and Chris Kaman, but BOY OH BOY has Dom Woganowski steeped up (if you don’t know the Woganowski reference – see There’s Something About Mary).



He came out the gate with 26 points and 18 boards in the first game! He’ll be a great play at center as long as Brand is out and I hope he keeps up the progress even when he comes back. The clips really need him.

Brendan Haywood
3 games: 10 ppg – 13.7 rb - .067 stl – 3 bls – 52% shooting

Staying with the Center theme, we move to Haywood. Haywood has always been a guy with talent, but he’s never put it together for a full season. This is a great start, but I’m not buying. I just don’t think he has the heart and motivation to keep it up all year. However, it’s a great start, so IF you’re a believer, go get him.

Andrei Kirilenko
4 games: 10.8 ppg – 6.8 rb – 5 ast – 0.50 stl – 2.5 blk – 44% shooting

Those who have read this blog know that I am NOT a fan of AK47, at least not on the Jazz. His stats look like he’s primed for a bounce back year, UNTIL you look break down his game by game performance. He posted a combined 17 boards, 14 assists and 8 blocks in his two games against the Golden State Warriors, who by the way he also dominated in the playoffs last year. In the other two games against Houston and the Lakers he posted 10 boards, 6 assists and 2 blocks. The fact is; he’ll do well against the warriors because of their style of play and size. Plus, the Jazz own them, so they don’t mind giving Andrei more opportunites to shine because they usually have the game in hand from the get go. Don’t buy into this hype. He’ll be better than last year, but only marginally.

Mike Dunleavy
3 games: 22.3 ppg – 9 rb – 3.7 ast – 0.67 stl – 0.33 – 49% shooting

WOW, what a start for Dunleavy! Granted, JO was out the first game and Troy Murphy is still out, so I expect his numbers to decrease quite a bit, but 17 ppg, 6 boards and 3 assists is what I see him doing this year. That being said, he is a perfect fit for O’Brien’s up-tempo 3-point happy system, so he might surprise me. A friend of mine who’s in love with him says I’m dead wrong.

Fulfilling Expectations

Kevin Garnett
2 games: 22.5 ppg – 16.5 rb – 5.5 ast – 3 stl – 1.5 blk – 51% shooting

KG is hands down the best fantasy player and in this blogger’s humble opinion, the best player in the entire LEAGUE. For those who doubted his fantasy dominance after the trade to Boston… SHAME ON YOU! I know it’s only been two games, but I will not put a cap on what KG will achieve this year. He’s incredible.

Josh Smith
3 games: 16.3 ppg – 9.3 rb – 4 ast – 3.33 stl – 3.67 blk – 32% shooting

J-Smooth started out very slow the last two years…. NOT THIS YEAR! He is doing EVERYTHING through 3 games. Yes, his scoring is down a bit from expectations and his shooting average is abysmal at 32%, but both of those will increase as the season goes on. He should average 20 ppg with 45% shooting (he’s a career 44% shooter) and his steals will likely be around 2 per, but I believe he will lead the league in blocks, so that should stay above 3 per game. Love the assists!!! KEEP IT UP JOSH!!! I actually bought an Atlanta Hawks sweatshirt this week because of you! In fact, I’m wearing it now, as I’m writing this.

Deron Williams
4 games: 24.5 ppg – 3 rb – 9.3 ast – 1.25 stl – 0.25 blk – 55% shooting

Deron is cashing in on the expectations everyone put on him after his playoff run last season. However, I think he’s shooting too much for Sloan’s taste, so I can see his scoring decrease to around 20 per and his assists to get closer to, if not slightly over 10 per game, in an effort to get everyone involved. He is a great talent, and one of the top 4 points guards in the league! He’ll be an allstar this year!

Zach Randolph
3 games: 19.3 ppg – 13.7 rb – 1 ast – 0.67 stl – 0.33 blk – 45% shooting

You were looking for points and rebounds when you drafted him, and that’s just what you got. Nothing else, but that doesn’t matter because he has never done anything more. He’ll be 19 & 10 when the season is done.

Disappointing Expectations

Gilbert Arenas
3 games: 21.7 ppg – 5.3 rb – 4 ast – 1.67 stl – 0 blks – 33% shooting

He is also shooting 6% from the 3-point line!!! OUCH! He’s already had his knee drained this week! I hope he’s fine and he comes out of this, because I drafted him in my office league (I MUST win that league because of this damn blog). I have nothing more to say other than….. PLEASE GOD, HEAL GILBERT’S KNEE AND ALLOW HIM TO BE THE GILBERT WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE!!!!

Vince Carter
4 games: 15.3 ppg – 6 rb – 4.8 ast – 1 stl – 0.5 blk – 33% shooting

Here’s another superstar who’s shooting a wonderful percentage from three – 20%. I’m not sure what to make of VC’s horrible start other than the health of Richard Jefferson. I already stated that I expected Vince’s averages to take a hit this year with RJ and Nenad back, but I didn’t see this, so I would think he’ll be just fine. He will likely average 20 ppg with 5 boards and 5 assists. His percentages have to go up.

Chris Bosh
4 games – 12.8 ppg – 5.3 rb – 1.5 ast – 0.75 stl – 2.25 blk – 40% shooting

One more elite player with an awful start! I’m not buying this one either. He has started slow, but his numbers are skewed a bit because they got killed by the Bucks last night, and Mitchell played all of his starters less than 20 minutes. Bosh will be fine. Don’t worry about him. He’ll be 20-10 by the end of the year.

Luol Deng
4 games: 15.5 ppg – 7.3 rb – 1.5 ast – 2.25 stl – 1 blk – 46%

His stats are not horrible, but the expectations surrounding him are ENORMOUS! I mean, Chicago refuses to trade for Kobe without Deng in the package and Kobe refuses to go to Chicago unless he remains a Bull. I would guess that Chicago’s 0-4 start has a lot to do with Luol’s slow start, as well as everyone else on that team! In fact, add Kirk Hinrich and Ben Wallace to this list too!! I think Luol and the Bulls will be fine. The Kobe trade rumors must have been a lot for this young team to handle.

David Lee
3 games: 10 ppg – 7.3 rb – 1 ast – 0.33 stl – 0.67 blk – 58% shooting

It’s a big mistake for Isiah to be playing Lee less than 30 minutes a night (he’s getting 25 right now), but as long as the Knicks keep winning, I doubt it will change. There’s your hope, Lee owners! The Knicks will start losing and Isiah will be forced to play him more, or trade him.

Mo Williams
3 games: 12 ppg – 2.7 rb – 3 ast – 1 stl – 0 blk – 43% shooting

Last year was a contract year for him, and they had quite a few injuries, so is this what we should expect from Mo from here on out??? I hope not, I also own him in one of my leagues! This better not be the classic, “player plays well in contract year and sucks once he gets paid.” I say he’ll go back to last year’s form, but that might only be because I own him.

There you go. I hope this makes up for a week of absence. I’ll be back again tomorrow to give you more of my unsolicited thoughts. Enjoy the games tonight.