Airing of Grievances

We're into Week 7 of the NBA campaign, and if you're like me, you may find yourself attempting to jettison frustrating players such as Baron Davis from your roster on a daily (if not hourly) basis.

My warning on this front: Much like operating a snow plow on Robitussin, trading while frustrated (TWF) is not generally wise. We all have maddening players on our rosters, but in many cases their value will not stay as low as it seems to be at the peak of your annoyance. So take a step back, forget they're on your roster for a few days (or as long as necessary), then deal them away when they eventually do something useful.

Trendspotting

Three on the Rise:

Josh McRoberts: No point in ignoring it any longer – over his last eight games, the Pacers' starting PF has averaged 9.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.9 apg, 0.9 spg, 2.1 bpg and 1.3 threes. I'm not fully convinced that McRib* keeps it up all season, but those all-around numbers are spicy enough to make him worth an add in most formats right now.

(*Because I'm already sick of saying "McBob")

Jodie Meeks: Meeks has now played 25-plus minutes on 10 occasions in his brief career, and in those games, he has averaged 16.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.5 spg and 3.4 threes entering Thursday's game against a rather surly Celtics D. Having watched Meeks play, I can tell you that he's a jump-shooter with a quick release who seems plenty capable of hitting contested shots. And though he'll do very little else outside of points and threes, the numbers mentioned a moment ago are enough to make Philly's starting SG very relevant as long as he's getting consistent run.

George Hill: Over his past seven games, the Spurs combo guard has averaged 16.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.6 spg and 1.1 threes on 50.0 percent from the field and 87.5 from the line. The rebounds and assists aren't particularly exciting, but the points, threes, steals and percentages are all useful, and Hill has upside to do much more if Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili gets hurt. He's already long gone in deeper formats, but if Hill is available in a shallow league, there are far worse options to have on your roster.

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Three on the Plummet:

J.J. Hickson: Demoted to the bench on Wednesday night, Hickson has averaged a ghastly 7.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.4 spg and 0.3 bpg in his last 10 games. He has yet to record more than one block or steal in a game this season and has had more than six rebounds just five times in 20 games. Quite simply, mediocre is a polite word for his production, and even if he does regain his starting job from Antawn Jamison, he won't be a good enough rebounder or shot-blocker to make anyone regret dropping him.

Hedo Turkoglu: Yes, he did break out one of his better lines of the season on Wednesday (15 points, seven rebounds, a steal, two blocks and three treys in 23 minutes), but I'm not remotely convinced anything has changed. Hedon't had averaged just 7.0 ppg in his previous four games, and told the Arizona Republic before Wednesday's game that "[Alvin Gentry] wants me to spread the floor and be a spot-up guy. Sometime, when they take that away, I'm not involved in anything and I can't be aggressive." Translation: I'm a pouty whiner and refuse to contribute max effort if the offense isn't running through me.

Travis Outlaw: We haven't needed to dig very deep for players on the plummet this week, as Hickson, Turkoglu and Outlaw – recently demoted to the bench just 22 games into a $35 million contract – have all done plenty to draw fantasy owners' irritation all season. I'm sure Outlaw will try to trick us into adding him with some productive games off the bench here and there, but I, for one, shall not be fooled (at least I hope).

Meanwhile, I have indeed added Terrence Williams in the hopes that he seizes a consistent 25-30 minutes, but I'm legitimately concerned that he, too, will disappoint. The problem: Outlaw is still going to have to get some minutes, and with Damion James now starting, you suddenly have a small forward position which, much like a Yugo sedan filled with eight of your closest friends, is very crowded.

Three Random but Hopefully Useful Observations

1. What shall we make of the Baron Davis situation? Yes, I'm completely aware that the preceding sentence was not an observation as advertised, but let's get away from semantics and discuss the situation at hand. Baron gave us some cause for hope by averaging 8.3 ppg, 8.0 apg and 1.5 spg in his first four games back, but hurt his hamstring before posting just three points, three assists, two steals and a three in 14 minutes Wednesday night.

If you're like me, you have long ago become wildly impatient with Le Baron's maddening fragility, but the best advice I can give to you (and myself) is to stay patient (see the opening paragraphs at the beginning of the column for reference). You're not likely to get anything of consequence in a trade at this moment, and once he strings together a few games of relatively solid health you'll be able to shop him for considerably more.

We're into Week 7 of the NBA campaign, and if you're like me, you may find yourself attempting to jettison frustrating players such as Baron Davis from your roster on a daily (if not hourly) basis.

My warning on this front: Much like operating a snow plow on Robitussin, trading while frustrated (TWF) is not generally wise. We all have maddening players on our rosters, but in many cases their value will not stay as low as it seems to be at the peak of your annoyance. So take a step back, forget they're on your roster for a few days (or as long as necessary), then deal them away when they eventually do something useful.

Trendspotting

Three on the Rise:

Josh McRoberts: No point in ignoring it any longer – over his last eight games, the Pacers' starting PF has averaged 9.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.9 apg, 0.9 spg, 2.1 bpg and 1.3 threes. I'm not fully convinced that McRib* keeps it up all season, but those all-around numbers are spicy enough to make him worth an add in most formats right now.

(*Because I'm already sick of saying "McBob")

Jodie Meeks: Meeks has now played 25-plus minutes on 10 occasions in his brief career, and in those games, he has averaged 16.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.7 apg, 0.5 spg and 3.4 threes entering Thursday's game against a rather surly Celtics D. Having watched Meeks play, I can tell you that he's a jump-shooter with a quick release who seems plenty capable of hitting contested shots. And though he'll do very little else outside of points and threes, the numbers mentioned a moment ago are enough to make Philly's starting SG very relevant as long as he's getting consistent run.

George Hill: Over his past seven games, the Spurs combo guard has averaged 16.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.6 spg and 1.1 threes on 50.0 percent from the field and 87.5 from the line. The rebounds and assists aren't particularly exciting, but the points, threes, steals and percentages are all useful, and Hill has upside to do much more if Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili gets hurt. He's already long gone in deeper formats, but if Hill is available in a shallow league, there are far worse options to have on your roster.

Follow me on Twitter right here.

Three on the Plummet:

J.J. Hickson: Demoted to the bench on Wednesday night, Hickson has averaged a ghastly 7.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.4 spg and 0.3 bpg in his last 10 games. He has yet to record more than one block or steal in a game this season and has had more than six rebounds just five times in 20 games. Quite simply, mediocre is a polite word for his production, and even if he does regain his starting job from Antawn Jamison, he won't be a good enough rebounder or shot-blocker to make anyone regret dropping him.

Hedo Turkoglu: Yes, he did break out one of his better lines of the season on Wednesday (15 points, seven rebounds, a steal, two blocks and three treys in 23 minutes), but I'm not remotely convinced anything has changed. Hedon't had averaged just 7.0 ppg in his previous four games, and told the Arizona Republic before Wednesday's game that "[Alvin Gentry] wants me to spread the floor and be a spot-up guy. Sometime, when they take that away, I'm not involved in anything and I can't be aggressive." Translation: I'm a pouty whiner and refuse to contribute max effort if the offense isn't running through me.

Travis Outlaw: We haven't needed to dig very deep for players on the plummet this week, as Hickson, Turkoglu and Outlaw – recently demoted to the bench just 22 games into a $35 million contract – have all done plenty to draw fantasy owners' irritation all season. I'm sure Outlaw will try to trick us into adding him with some productive games off the bench here and there, but I, for one, shall not be fooled (at least I hope).

Meanwhile, I have indeed added Terrence Williams in the hopes that he seizes a consistent 25-30 minutes, but I'm legitimately concerned that he, too, will disappoint. The problem: Outlaw is still going to have to get some minutes, and with Damion James now starting, you suddenly have a small forward position which, much like a Yugo sedan filled with eight of your closest friends, is very crowded.

Three Random but Hopefully Useful Observations

1. What shall we make of the Baron Davis situation? Yes, I'm completely aware that the preceding sentence was not an observation as advertised, but let's get away from semantics and discuss the situation at hand. Baron gave us some cause for hope by averaging 8.3 ppg, 8.0 apg and 1.5 spg in his first four games back, but hurt his hamstring before posting just three points, three assists, two steals and a three in 14 minutes Wednesday night.

If you're like me, you have long ago become wildly impatient with Le Baron's maddening fragility, but the best advice I can give to you (and myself) is to stay patient (see the opening paragraphs at the beginning of the column for reference). You're not likely to get anything of consequence in a trade at this moment, and once he strings together a few games of relatively solid health you'll be able to shop him for considerably more.



Random but Hopefully Useful Observations (cont'd)

2. It seems there's a decent amount of frustration out there with John Salmons. But is it really all that warranted? In his last six games, Salmons has averaged 13.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.3 spg and 0.8 threes. Granted, he shot just 33.3 percent (28-for-84) during those games, but he's playing a lofty 34 minutes per game on the season and should eventually get his shooting sorted out.

3. Amir rhymes with "disappear." After posting 17.0 ppg, 11.3 rpg and 1.0 bpg in his previous three games, a foul-prone Amir Johnson was almost invisible during Wednesday night's game against the Knicks (which I watched in person). He's still worth owning in most leagues, but some foul-plagued nights have to be expected going forward.

10 Quick-Hitting Statements of Fact and/or Opinion

1) Not surprisingly, Al Horford (19.4 ppg in his last five games), Josh Smith (17.2 ppg) and Jamal Crawford (16.8 ppg) are all enjoying statistical life without Joe Johnson.

2) After averaging 2.2 spg in his first 11 games, Tony Parker has dropped to a far more realistic 1.0 spg in his last 10.

3) In five games this month, Greg Monroe has averaged 7.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.4 spg and 0.8 bpg in – most importantly – 26 minutes per game. He's far from a must-add right now, but it's easy to see him emerging with notable value as the season goes on.

4) Speaking of rookies worth watching, Wesley Johnson is averaging just 8.5 ppg in his last four games, but has logged 35 minutes per game during that stretch (and 29 per game on the season). Martell Webster's impending return won't help, but if Kurt Rambis stays patient with Johnson, he should eventually break out.

5) I haven't been able to find room on any of my rosters, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't noticed that Spencer Hawes has posted 8.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.0 apg and 1.3 bpg in his first three December games heading into a brutal matchup with the Celtics frontcourt Thursday night.

6) I am very much a believer in Eric Gordon's 24.3 ppg. And his 1.3 threes per game (on 27.2 percent shooting) are only going to rise. Impressive/slightly scary to think that he's still a couple weeks away from his 22nd birthday.

7) Jason Kidd has shot just 30.1 percent (16-for-53) on threes in his last 11 games entering Thursday night. That trend should eventually head in a more positive direction, at which point having Kidd on a fantasy squad will be notably more enjoyable.

8) Though he's a mostly useful fantasy point guard, D.J. Augustin's lack of steals (zero in his last seven games and 0.6 per game on the season) is a flat-out liability.

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9) Deeper league memo: Thabo Sefolosha has averaged 8.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.1 spg and 0.5 threes in his last 11 games.

10) Yes, I've noticed that Pooh Jeter has averaged 12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.5 apg and 2.0 spg in his last two games, but you will not currently find me adding him anywhere outside of a cavernously deep league.