[valentine]

With a few solid weeks of NBA action in the books, we now have a bit better gauge of who is for real, and who is playing really poorly…

Stock Up:
Darko Milicic – Minnesota Timberwolves:  So you heard a Timberwolves big man posted a monster stat line on Friday night – to the tune of 23 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 blocks, and 2 steals.  And you thought to yourself, “Wow, Kevin Love had another ridiculous night…”  But when we heard it wasn’t Love (who was actually held scoreless courtesy of Ron Artest), but rather Darko Milicic, shock and surprise was the universal response.  However, let’s not be too quick to dismiss this as nothing more than a one-time statistical aberration.  Over the Wolves last three contests, Darko is playing nearly 37 minutes a night and averaging 15.7 points per game, 10.3 boards, 4.3 blocks, and 4.3 assists.  Can he keep it up?  If he does, that downside will mean we can’t make fun of David Khan quite as much.  The upside would be Darko making a great waiver-wire addition you may still be able to scoop up right now…

Jose Calderon – Toronto Raptors:  Its official – The Toronto Raptors announced Saturday they have acquired guard Jerryd Bayless, forward Peja Stojakovic and cash considerations from the New Orleans Hornets for centre David Andersen and guards Marcus Banks and Jarrett Jack.  The upshot here is that Calderon will regain the reigns in Toronto as the lead PG.  After splitting the point guard duties in a time share with Jack the last season-plus, Jose finally will be given the opportunity to captain the ship once again.  In his last full season as full-time starter, Calderon averaged 11.2 PPG, 8.3 assists, and 1.1 steals – while shooting 52% from the floor and 91% from the stripe.  I’ve always been a fan of his game, and I think we can expect big things from Jose over the rest of this season. 

Wesley Matthews – Portland Trailblazers: With Brandon Roy sidelined by a left knee issue, Matthews has been inserted into the starting lineup and has certainly made the most of his opportunity.  In the three games as a starter at two-guard, Wes is playing 38.7 minutes a night and averaging 22 PPG, 5 boards, 2.7 three’s, and 1.7 steals.  Assuming Roy remains on the shelf (or a shell of his former self) Matthews has significant upside.  He should be owned in all leagues.  There is a reason the Blazers gave this kid a $34 million contract this summer – they believe in him.     

MORE BY TOMMY BEER

Award Watch: 2010-2011 NBA MVP: HOOPSWORLD continues its early season Award Watch series with sneak-peak…
NBA Chat With Tommy Beer: Join Senior NBA Writer and Fantasy Hoops Editor Tommy Beer every Wednesday …
Six Pack: How D’Antoni Measures Defense: Mike D’Antoni explains which metric he will use as a barometer to measure…
View Tommy Beer Archive 
Michael Beasley – Minnesota Timberwolves:  While fellow Minnesotan Milicic has had a few hot games, Miami HEAT castoff Michael Beasley has been putting up huge numbers since the Opening Night.  Beasley, the former #2 overall pick in the draft, has always had the talent to be an elite offensive force, and he seems to finally be putting it together this season as the Wolves primary option.  Over the last six games, Beasley has been a beast – averaging 31.3 points (shooting over 53% from the floor), 6.8 rebounds, and 1.7 threes; to go along with 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks.  Beasley is for real, no reason to assume a significant drop-off. 
 

Stock Down:
Brandon Roy – Portland Trailblazers:  Unfortunately, we all know the story here.  The prospects for Roy’s future, both short- and long-term, are agonizingly tenuous due to a creaky left knee where bone-on-bone friction has been debilitating.  There are no plans for surgery yet, as Portland doctors are hoping that rest and limited minutes will provide adequate relief.  Nonetheless, the writing is on the wall.  Expecting the ‘old’ Brandon Roy to resurface would be unrealistic.  If you drafted him, I’d suggest trading him ASAP, even if you have to accept 30 cents on the dollar.  The idea is to hopefully recoup some value.  As noted above, Wes Mathews is the main beneficiary in Portland.      

Jarrett Jack – New Orleans Hornets: From a starter in Toronto, to a backup behind the games best PG on planet earth.  A great move for the Hornets, but a total fantasy buzz kill for those GM’s that owned Jack in deep leagues.  Feel free to cut him loose. 

Troy Murphy – New Jersey Nets: It was supposed to be a happy homecoming for Murphy in Jersey.  He was coming back to his hometown, and to a Nets team that needed a starting-caliber PF with offensive punch.  The outlook was rosy.  However, a back injury in the preseason put him on the shelf to start the season.  Yet even after he returned to apparent good health, he still hasn’t been able to crack Avery Johnson’s rotation as a mere backup.  Kris Humphries has been starting, and rookie Derrick Favors has been used as the primary reserve.  Saturday night marked the fourth consecutive DNP for Murph.  Things have gone from bad to worse in Jersey.   

Anthony Randolph – New York Knicks: Like Murphy, Randolph is another forward who we had high hopes for back in October, but who has fallen flat in November.  Randolph’s inconsistency and low basketball IQ have resulted in his banishment from Coach Mike D’Antoni’s rotation.  Ant Rand has been a DNP-CD for three straight contests, and the Knicks have won all three games – so don’t expect D’Antoni to put Randolph back in the lineup any time soon.  I’d have no problem recommending dropping him for a decent waiver-wire pickup…   

Chauncey Billups – Denver Nuggets:  The only thing plummeting faster than Billups’ shooting percentage (currently sitting at 34%) is Billups’ fantasy value.  It appears the crafty vet may have finally hit the wall, in this is age-34 season.  His awful shooting slump has lasted three weeks, and now he is dealing with a broken nose and a sprained right (shooting) wrist that has him listed as day-to-day.  Stay patient with Billups if possible (his stock can’t drop much futher), but don’t turn down a decent offer if it comes your way.  And adding Ty Lawson as backup insurance makes some sense as well. 

[I May Be WrongParticipant]

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l95/Kaijed/Fail.gif

 

 

[I May Be WrongParticipant]

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l95/Kaijed/Fail.gif

 

 

[I May Be WrongParticipant]

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l95/Kaijed/Fail.gif

 

 

[Raef LaFrentzParticipant]

Nice.

But they messed up when they said Love was held to zero points courtesy of Ron Artest

Odom was the guy who shut him down. He must have picked up on Love’s techniques this summer when they spent time on Team USA together. Lol.

[Raef LaFrentzParticipant]

Nice.

But they messed up when they said Love was held to zero points courtesy of Ron Artest

Odom was the guy who shut him down. He must have picked up on Love’s techniques this summer when they spent time on Team USA together. Lol.

[Raef LaFrentzParticipant]

Nice.

But they messed up when they said Love was held to zero points courtesy of Ron Artest

Odom was the guy who shut him down. He must have picked up on Love’s techniques this summer when they spent time on Team USA together. Lol.

[iguapops420Participant]

 ^^^ Odom may have been the 4, but go back and watch, artest everytime a shot goes up and Love is around. Ron put an ass on Love and just let his teammates go after the boards. His goal was denying Love the ball. But i agree Odom was the man who could get the credit due to the #’s. Give artest his due credit tho.

[iguapops420Participant]

 ^^^ Odom may have been the 4, but go back and watch, artest everytime a shot goes up and Love is around. Ron put an ass on Love and just let his teammates go after the boards. His goal was denying Love the ball. But i agree Odom was the man who could get the credit due to the #’s. Give artest his due credit tho.

[iguapops420Participant]

 ^^^ Odom may have been the 4, but go back and watch, artest everytime a shot goes up and Love is around. Ron put an ass on Love and just let his teammates go after the boards. His goal was denying Love the ball. But i agree Odom was the man who could get the credit due to the #’s. Give artest his due credit tho.

[Author]

Posts