Small ForwardsTayshaun Prince PistonsPrince scored 30 points last night and has been the most reliable Piston over the past few weeks, not that that's saying much. He hit 11-of-15 shots for 30 points, three rebounds, five dimes and two 3-pointers on Friday, has scored 30-plus in two of his last four and has hit double digits in all but three games this season. He could fall victim to a John Kuester rotation change at any time, but so far he's been a pleasant player to own this season.
Shane Battier RocketsI've long been intrigued by Battier and he usually ends up on a couple of my teams every season, and this year is no different. He's streaky and hit-or-miss, but when things are going well, he's pretty fun. In his last five games he's had three great fantasy lines and two absolute duds (2 & 3 points). But in the good ones, he does everything, including blocking shots, steals and 3-pointers. In December he's averaging 14.5 points, 3.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks, 3.0 3-pointers while shooting 60 percent. Yes, it's only a three-game sample, but those are some pretty sick numbers.
Marvin Williams HawksMarvin had 22 points on Friday night and looks like the big winner for Atlanta in the loss of
Joe Johnson, who will miss at least a month after elbow surgery.
Maurice Evans is starting but hasn't done much in his two opportunities, while Marvin has scored between 13 and 22 points in his last four games. He's also crashing the boards and stealing the ball, so give him a look if he's available.
Carlos Delfino BucksThis is a tough one, as I'm not sure Delfino should be ignored right now, but he's also still not close to playing.
Andrew Bogut said recently his teammate was still a couple weeks away and it remains to be seen what his role will be when he's finally back in action from a concussion. If you're in a deep league he's probably worth stashing, but in 10-12 team leagues, I'd probably let him float on waivers for another week or so.
Shawne Williams KnicksWilliams came out of nowhere for the Knicks on Friday and had three 3-pointers, four rebounds and 13 points in 21 minutes. I have no idea why or how, but he could be on the verge of becoming a part of the rotation in New York. And of course, I went to pick him up in my 30-team league and Ryan Knaus, who is blurbing news for Rotoworld today, had already scooped him up. And obviously, until we see how this plays out, Williams is only worth a look in very deep leagues right now. And Ryan and I worked out a trade, as I sent him
Louis Amundson for Williams – blockbuster!
Power ForwardsChanning Frye SunsFrye blew up for a season-high 29 points last night to go along with five rebounds, two steals, three blocks and five 3-pointers. Whoa. I picked him up in a points league as soon as
Robin Lopez went down and he's been great. He scored 5.8 fantasy points last night, while
Danny Granger had just 1.0. Frye should now be owned in every single league, as the Lopez knee injury happened to be just what Frye needed to get going. And when Lopez comes back, it would be shocking to see Frye move back to the bench. They can't find a starting power forward they like in Phoenix so it should be Frye who ends up taking that job when Lopez returns at center. Don't look at the numbers and don't think too much about it. If Frye's available in your league, make it happen.
Jason Thompson KingsThompson was awful in his first start for the Kings on Wednesday, but bounced back on Friday night with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Who knows how long he'll last as Paul Westphal's starting PF, but for now it's his job as
Carl Landry languishes on the bench. The Kings have dropped six straight games and look like a complete mess, and you can bet more changes are coming to the lineup and rotation. It's best to stay away altogether but if big men are hard to come by in your league, Thompson might offer a short-term solution. And if the stars align, it could even be a long-term one.
Amir Johnson RaptorsJohnson is the new starting PF for the Raptors and has struggled plenty this season. But he hit all five of his shots for 14 points, nine rebounds, a steal and a block on Friday, looks like a guy you want to own. I've pretty much been saying that all year, but he's hit double digits in scoring in three of his last six games and should only get better from here on out. He's not a must-start player if you own him, but could be within a couple weeks.
Troy Murphy NetsMurphy played 22 minutes and had eight rebounds on Friday, along with just one point. But the minutes are creeping up and it's probably time to jump on him if he's available in your league. He comes with no guarantees while playing for
Avery Johnson, but is simply too good to be sitting on the Nets bench. Right?
Greg Monroe PistonsMonroe saw solid minutes on Friday and played with some teammates he's never been on the court with in a game before. In other words, John Kuester is trying to find ways to get him on the floor and involved. He only had six points and four boards in 27 minutes last night, but has a real chance to start producing soon. Just give him a look.
Larry Sanders BucksSanders went ballistic for the injured Bucks on Wednesday with 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocks. Keep in mind that
Andrew Bogut and
Carlos Delfino were out, while
Drew Gooden was limited to just 10 minutes. Sanders has gotten 30 minutes in two recent games and has produced in each of them. And if the minutes are there, he will keep producing. But Bogut will be back on Saturday and Delfino will be eventually. I think Larry's a nice deep-league grab-and-stash, but I also think it's unrealistic to think he will keep producing like this once the Bucks are healthy. But it really all depends on the minutes. Hey now!
CentersIf
Andrew Bynum is available in your league, pick him up, as he's nearing a return. I guess the same applies to
Yao Ming, but you know you're playing with fire with these guys. Speaking of which, the New York media is calling for some
Eddy Curry off the Knicks bench and I bet Mike D'Antoni caves eventually. But even if Curry plays decent minutes, he's simply not going to be a productive fantasy player. Once you start hearing his name, just ignore him.
Brook Lopez put on one of the most pathetic performances I've ever seen from a big man last night, waiting until overtime to grab his second (and final) rebound of the game despite playing nearly 40 minutes. He was outrebounded by 14 other players on the court during the game, including
Jordan Farmar,
D.J. Augustin and teammate
Damion James, who played just 15 minutes but had seven boards.
Avery Johnson ripped him after the game, saying he can't be out there "holding his hand" and that he needs to rebound, but my guess is that Avery being in his head is half the problem. On to the pickups.
Serge Ibaka ThunderOl' Serge is here every week and looks like that player that's going to bounce from team to team in many leagues this season. He got another boost this week by a knee injury to
Kevin Durant that put Ibaka back into the starting lineup. But when the Thunder have been fully healthy, Ibaka's minutes off the bench have been inconsistent, making it tough for him to be the rebounding and shot-blocking stud we all know he can be.
Josh McRoberts and Solomon Jones PacersMcBob got hot on Friday and had 16 points, nine rebounds, four 3-pointers, a block and eight turnovers for the Pacers. He was a hot pickup early, then cooled off, but appears to be back. He's averaging 12 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 block and 3.0 3-pointers per game in his two December games. Again, a small sample size, but tough to argue with.
As for Solo, just keep an eye on him if you're in a deep league. He had five points, six boards and two blocks on Friday and has done a decent job of rebounding in three of his last seven games. He's also blocking shots, with seven in his last four, and is getting run as a back up center for the Pacers. Obviously, it would have to be a pretty deep league for you to consider him.
Mehmet Okur JazzI'm not high on Okur, who is coming off a ruptured achilles, but he's nearing a return and is going to get minutes for the Jazz. But he'll have a role off the bench and be stuck behind studs like
Al Jefferson,
Paul Millsap and
Andrei Kirilenko. I see him as more of a 3-point specialist this season, as boards will be tough to come by. I'm not rushing out to pick him up, but if you have interest in him, now's the time to make the move.
Brad Miller RocketsMiller has been as inconsistent as anyone lately but caught fire on Friday night, hitting 7-of-7 shots, 3-of-3 3-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws on his way to 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists. He's that guy who has stunk it up in your starting lineup this year, and the gone off for your bench. That trend may continue, but he's probably at least worth holding in many leagues as evidenced by Friday night. Keep in mind that
Yao Ming will be back sooner than later, which is going to hurt Miller a little. And when he decides to have a bad game, it's usually very bad.
Joel Przybilla BlazersPrzybilla returned to action on Friday night and had four points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes. Boards and blocks will be his specialty and he's capable of grabbing 20 rebounds in a game this season. He's not a must-own player but if you're crippled at center, you could probably do worse.
Nazr Mohammed BobcatsNazr dominated
Brook Lopez on Friday night and posted 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in his second double-double of the season. His first was a 22-point, 20-rebound masterpiece, but he hasn't been too impressive for the most part this season. He has the occasional nice game and a couple bad ones, and should only be considered in very deep leagues.
Welcome back to another edition of Waiver Wired as you get ready for Week 7 in the NBA. Want to be the first to know about breaking injury news and lineup changes?
Follow me on Twitter.Point GuardsBaron Davis ClippersI'm not a big Baron fan and he played just 20 minutes in his second game back on Friday, but he looks pretty good. He's eventually going to get his starting job back (or at least he should) and will be worth owning and starting once he's healthy and playing at full speed again. Don't be surprised if he causes you more headaches than he's worth, but don't be surprised to see him play a meaningful role with the quietly talented Clippers, either. But he'll have to stay healthy and out of
Vinny Del Negro's doghouse to make it happen.
Beno Udrih KingsThe Kings stink. I'm not sure Paul Westphal has any idea what he is doing and his starting lineup could be ready for another overhaul. Given the fact
Luther Head, who shouldn't have been starting to begin with, played just 15 scoreless minutes Friday, it looks like Beno could be heading back into the starting mix. He puts up solid numbers as a starting point guard and the Kings are a better team with him at the position. If he was dumped in your league, it's time to grab him. He had just four points on Friday, but played 30 minutes off the bench after scoring 24 points on Tuesday.
Donte Greene could also be on his way out of the starting five, with
Francisco Garcia possibly next in line for a shot at the small forward job.
Jonny Flynn TimberwolvesFlynn played in the D-League on Friday and posted a solid line. He should be back for the Wolves within a week and will likely challenge
Luke Ridnour for the starting job right away. The problem is the two will split minutes, while
Sebastian Telfair is also going to get some run at the position, creating a three-headed monster. I still think Flynn's the best of the three, but am not rushing out to pick him up unless I'm in a 14-team league, or desperate for assists.
Leandro Barbosa RaptorsBarbosa has quietly been playing very well for the Raptors and had a season-high 22 points along with two steals in Friday's win. Barbosa has scored in double digits in five of his last six games and now looks better than
Linas Kleiza, and could start cutting into the production of
Sonny Weems and
DeMar DeRozan.
Peja Stojakovic has missed three games with a knee injury and could hurt Barbosa when he returns, but at least for now, Barbosa is hot. The Raptors, as I've said a hundred times, have too many wings for their own good, so screwing with any of them can be tricky.
Jordan Farmar NetsI'm about a day late and a dollar short on Farmar, who has gone ballistic in the last two games with
Devin Harris out with a knee injury. Harris is probably going to play on Sunday, ruining the hopes and dreams of Farmar's owners. But it was a fun two-game run if you had Farmar in your lineup, and he could hold some value even when Harris is back and healthy. And given the fact that healthy & Harris don't mix, Farmar might be worth keeping around either way.
Shooting GuardsJ.R. Smith NuggetsSmith is hot again, going for between 20 and 25 points in his last three games while earning the praises of George Karl. Smith will surely stumble again at some point and end up back on the dark side, but for now he's getting minutes, filling it up and should be owned in all leagues. We go through this every year and the key to owning Smith is picking your spots. And when things turn south he can be dropped again. But he should be an excellent source of points and threes for now, and will also do some rebounding.
Brandon Rush PacersRush started again for the Pacers on Friday and while Jim O'Brien is reluctant to admit it, he sure looks like the full-time starting SG for Indy now. That pushes
Mike Dunleavy to the bench and makes Rush a solid guy to pick up right now. He's hit double figures in seven of his last nine games and has hit seven 3-pointers in his last three. I picked him up where I could a few days ago, and you should too.
Landry Fields KnicksFields quietly continues to get it done for the Knicks as their starting shooting guard and was even named the November Rookie of the Month in the East. He should get you about 10 points, seven rebounds, nearly a steal and a 3-pointer per game, and logs around 30 minutes a night. It's hard to believe a second-round pick has this big a role so soon, but it happened.
George Hill SpursHill is suddenly hot for the Spurs, hitting double figures in seven straight games, including a 20-point game on Friday. He struggled after suffering a neck injury but is now healthy again and rolling. Guys coming off the bench are always a little dicey but Hill is getting 30 minutes a night as the team's sixth man and should be a safe pick up right now.
Jodie Meeks SixersThis is a deep-league special as Meeks started at shooting guard for the Sixers on Friday night. He had just nine points in 19 minutes, but also hit two threes. Meeks has scored 17 and 21 points in two games this year and could be ready to start producing on a regular basis if he can stay in Doug Collins' lineup (over
Evan Turner and
Andres Nocioni). In his 21-point game he hit a flurry of 3-pointers in a very short time frame and if you're in a deep league and need threes, he could be the man.
Keep reading for Small Forwards, Power Forward and Centers.
Small ForwardsTayshaun Prince PistonsPrince scored 30 points last night and has been the most reliable Piston over the past few weeks, not that that's saying much. He hit 11-of-15 shots for 30 points, three rebounds, five dimes and two 3-pointers on Friday, has scored 30-plus in two of his last four and has hit double digits in all but three games this season. He could fall victim to a John Kuester rotation change at any time, but so far he's been a pleasant player to own this season.
Shane Battier RocketsI've long been intrigued by Battier and he usually ends up on a couple of my teams every season, and this year is no different. He's streaky and hit-or-miss, but when things are going well, he's pretty fun. In his last five games he's had three great fantasy lines and two absolute duds (2 & 3 points). But in the good ones, he does everything, including blocking shots, steals and 3-pointers. In December he's averaging 14.5 points, 3.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.5 blocks, 3.0 3-pointers while shooting 60 percent. Yes, it's only a three-game sample, but those are some pretty sick numbers.
Marvin Williams HawksMarvin had 22 points on Friday night and looks like the big winner for Atlanta in the loss of
Joe Johnson, who will miss at least a month after elbow surgery.
Maurice Evans is starting but hasn't done much in his two opportunities, while Marvin has scored between 13 and 22 points in his last four games. He's also crashing the boards and stealing the ball, so give him a look if he's available.
Carlos Delfino BucksThis is a tough one, as I'm not sure Delfino should be ignored right now, but he's also still not close to playing.
Andrew Bogut said recently his teammate was still a couple weeks away and it remains to be seen what his role will be when he's finally back in action from a concussion. If you're in a deep league he's probably worth stashing, but in 10-12 team leagues, I'd probably let him float on waivers for another week or so.
Shawne Williams KnicksWilliams came out of nowhere for the Knicks on Friday and had three 3-pointers, four rebounds and 13 points in 21 minutes. I have no idea why or how, but he could be on the verge of becoming a part of the rotation in New York. And of course, I went to pick him up in my 30-team league and Ryan Knaus, who is blurbing news for Rotoworld today, had already scooped him up. And obviously, until we see how this plays out, Williams is only worth a look in very deep leagues right now. And Ryan and I worked out a trade, as I sent him
Louis Amundson for Williams – blockbuster!
Power ForwardsChanning Frye SunsFrye blew up for a season-high 29 points last night to go along with five rebounds, two steals, three blocks and five 3-pointers. Whoa. I picked him up in a points league as soon as
Robin Lopez went down and he's been great. He scored 5.8 fantasy points last night, while
Danny Granger had just 1.0. Frye should now be owned in every single league, as the Lopez knee injury happened to be just what Frye needed to get going. And when Lopez comes back, it would be shocking to see Frye move back to the bench. They can't find a starting power forward they like in Phoenix so it should be Frye who ends up taking that job when Lopez returns at center. Don't look at the numbers and don't think too much about it. If Frye's available in your league, make it happen.
Jason Thompson KingsThompson was awful in his first start for the Kings on Wednesday, but bounced back on Friday night with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Who knows how long he'll last as Paul Westphal's starting PF, but for now it's his job as
Carl Landry languishes on the bench. The Kings have dropped six straight games and look like a complete mess, and you can bet more changes are coming to the lineup and rotation. It's best to stay away altogether but if big men are hard to come by in your league, Thompson might offer a short-term solution. And if the stars align, it could even be a long-term one.
Amir Johnson RaptorsJohnson is the new starting PF for the Raptors and has struggled plenty this season. But he hit all five of his shots for 14 points, nine rebounds, a steal and a block on Friday, looks like a guy you want to own. I've pretty much been saying that all year, but he's hit double digits in scoring in three of his last six games and should only get better from here on out. He's not a must-start player if you own him, but could be within a couple weeks.
Troy Murphy NetsMurphy played 22 minutes and had eight rebounds on Friday, along with just one point. But the minutes are creeping up and it's probably time to jump on him if he's available in your league. He comes with no guarantees while playing for
Avery Johnson, but is simply too good to be sitting on the Nets bench. Right?
Greg Monroe PistonsMonroe saw solid minutes on Friday and played with some teammates he's never been on the court with in a game before. In other words, John Kuester is trying to find ways to get him on the floor and involved. He only had six points and four boards in 27 minutes last night, but has a real chance to start producing soon. Just give him a look.
Larry Sanders BucksSanders went ballistic for the injured Bucks on Wednesday with 14 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocks. Keep in mind that
Andrew Bogut and
Carlos Delfino were out, while
Drew Gooden was limited to just 10 minutes. Sanders has gotten 30 minutes in two recent games and has produced in each of them. And if the minutes are there, he will keep producing. But Bogut will be back on Saturday and Delfino will be eventually. I think Larry's a nice deep-league grab-and-stash, but I also think it's unrealistic to think he will keep producing like this once the Bucks are healthy. But it really all depends on the minutes. Hey now!
CentersIf
Andrew Bynum is available in your league, pick him up, as he's nearing a return. I guess the same applies to
Yao Ming, but you know you're playing with fire with these guys. Speaking of which, the New York media is calling for some
Eddy Curry off the Knicks bench and I bet Mike D'Antoni caves eventually. But even if Curry plays decent minutes, he's simply not going to be a productive fantasy player. Once you start hearing his name, just ignore him.
Brook Lopez put on one of the most pathetic performances I've ever seen from a big man last night, waiting until overtime to grab his second (and final) rebound of the game despite playing nearly 40 minutes. He was outrebounded by 14 other players on the court during the game, including
Jordan Farmar,
D.J. Augustin and teammate
Damion James, who played just 15 minutes but had seven boards.
Avery Johnson ripped him after the game, saying he can't be out there "holding his hand" and that he needs to rebound, but my guess is that Avery being in his head is half the problem. On to the pickups.
Serge Ibaka ThunderOl' Serge is here every week and looks like that player that's going to bounce from team to team in many leagues this season. He got another boost this week by a knee injury to
Kevin Durant that put Ibaka back into the starting lineup. But when the Thunder have been fully healthy, Ibaka's minutes off the bench have been inconsistent, making it tough for him to be the rebounding and shot-blocking stud we all know he can be.
Josh McRoberts and Solomon Jones PacersMcBob got hot on Friday and had 16 points, nine rebounds, four 3-pointers, a block and eight turnovers for the Pacers. He was a hot pickup early, then cooled off, but appears to be back. He's averaging 12 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 block and 3.0 3-pointers per game in his two December games. Again, a small sample size, but tough to argue with.
As for Solo, just keep an eye on him if you're in a deep league. He had five points, six boards and two blocks on Friday and has done a decent job of rebounding in three of his last seven games. He's also blocking shots, with seven in his last four, and is getting run as a back up center for the Pacers. Obviously, it would have to be a pretty deep league for you to consider him.
Mehmet Okur JazzI'm not high on Okur, who is coming off a ruptured achilles, but he's nearing a return and is going to get minutes for the Jazz. But he'll have a role off the bench and be stuck behind studs like
Al Jefferson,
Paul Millsap and
Andrei Kirilenko. I see him as more of a 3-point specialist this season, as boards will be tough to come by. I'm not rushing out to pick him up, but if you have interest in him, now's the time to make the move.
Brad Miller RocketsMiller has been as inconsistent as anyone lately but caught fire on Friday night, hitting 7-of-7 shots, 3-of-3 3-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws on his way to 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists. He's that guy who has stunk it up in your starting lineup this year, and the gone off for your bench. That trend may continue, but he's probably at least worth holding in many leagues as evidenced by Friday night. Keep in mind that
Yao Ming will be back sooner than later, which is going to hurt Miller a little. And when he decides to have a bad game, it's usually very bad.
Joel Przybilla BlazersPrzybilla returned to action on Friday night and had four points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes. Boards and blocks will be his specialty and he's capable of grabbing 20 rebounds in a game this season. He's not a must-own player but if you're crippled at center, you could probably do worse.
Nazr Mohammed BobcatsNazr dominated
Brook Lopez on Friday night and posted 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks in his second double-double of the season. His first was a 22-point, 20-rebound masterpiece, but he hasn't been too impressive for the most part this season. He has the occasional nice game and a couple bad ones, and should only be considered in very deep leagues.