Management has me on some other projects, so this Dose is going to be a quick-hitting review of Tuesday’s news.
Follow me on Twitter here.
INJURY NEWS
Manu Ginobili started doing “basketball work” and is about a week away from performing in one-on-one drills. This isn’t a hamstring tear or muscle ailment that is subject to aggravation, but rather a broken bone that has a definitive timeline more or less. Ginobili’s return will be guided by the doctor’s recommendation on what timeline is needed for the bones to properly set, and from there it will be an issue of pain management and slowly building up the small muscles around the hand so the hand itself is stable. All of this is more or less a cookie-cutter transaction from a doctor’s perspective, so if Ginobili is sitting around in your daily league go ahead and pick him up.
Brook Lopez (foot) ran for the first time on Monday, and while I have him coming back a few weeks after Manu I’d also be willing to take a chance on him with what we know. Just look at your schedule and figure out if you can swing things with Lopez rotting on your bench. So far, it sounds like his rehab is going well, and he could be a force for your squad down the stretch.
Richard Hamilton (groin) could be out “a while” after he got up for Sunday's big game against the Heat and Tom Thibodeau didn’t stop him. This means that Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer deserve a close look, because no matter what Hamilton or Luol Deng (wrist) say, they could be missing some time.
Rajon Rondo (wrist) did not play on Tuesday and one way or another somebody is lying about his return date. Doc Rivers said he is probably targeting Friday for his return.
MarShon Brooks (Achilles) is out indefinitely, and I feel a little lame for not raising the red flag a little higher. I did initially, but was convinced by team reports that he was healthy when my gut said otherwise.
George Hill will not travel with the Pacers for their next two games after suffering a chip fracture in his ankle, and it sounds like he could be out a week or more. This takes some pressure off of Darren Collison and owners in deep leagues should watch Lance Stephenson.
Steve Nash (thigh) is a game-time decision for Wednesday’s game, but if he can’t go Ronnie Price isn’t playing well enough to be used unless you’re semi-desperate. Sebastian Telfair actually played better than Price on Monday and could also get the start.
The Blazers website tweeted news that Nicolas Batum had a bone contusion on his left knee, which in other words is a bone bruise. The tweet did not say that there was ligament damage, but we can’t rule that out as a large percentage of bone bruises come with torn ligaments. Bone bruises also can come with torn cartilage and restrict the growth of cartilage, so this isn’t a small thigh contusion or anything. The fact that he is being evaluated in a week should let owners know that this is a week-to-week injury and not day-to-day, as the Blazers website would like you to believe. Jamal Crawford, Wesley Matthews, and Raymond Felton all deserve to be owned outside of terribly shallow formats that don’t reward 3-point shooting.
Raja Bell (adductor) will not play on Wednesday, and this could be the opening Ty Corbin needs to move him out of the starting lineup. Bell has struggled with this injury in the past and owners may want to consider it a multi-game injury. Al Jefferson (foot) is annoying his owners with constant minor injuries, but with solid performance all year long the instant reaction is not to overact. The other reaction is to figure out if this is his body breaking down or if he is just a guy that attracts minor injuries.
I thought Spencer Hawes (Achilles) might have been held out on Monday so he didn’t have to deal with Dwight Howard, but if he misses Wednesday that theory turns to mud. He is playing 2-on-2 and 3-on-3, but has been day-to-day forever and his injury history says that’s not good. Nikola Vucevic might have also been held out on Monday for the same reasons, and both players should be watched to see who can step up.
Management has me on some other projects, so this Dose is going to be a quick-hitting review of Tuesday’s news.
Follow me on Twitter here.
INJURY NEWS
Manu Ginobili started doing “basketball work” and is about a week away from performing in one-on-one drills. This isn’t a hamstring tear or muscle ailment that is subject to aggravation, but rather a broken bone that has a definitive timeline more or less. Ginobili’s return will be guided by the doctor’s recommendation on what timeline is needed for the bones to properly set, and from there it will be an issue of pain management and slowly building up the small muscles around the hand so the hand itself is stable. All of this is more or less a cookie-cutter transaction from a doctor’s perspective, so if Ginobili is sitting around in your daily league go ahead and pick him up.
Brook Lopez (foot) ran for the first time on Monday, and while I have him coming back a few weeks after Manu I’d also be willing to take a chance on him with what we know. Just look at your schedule and figure out if you can swing things with Lopez rotting on your bench. So far, it sounds like his rehab is going well, and he could be a force for your squad down the stretch.
Richard Hamilton (groin) could be out “a while” after he got up for Sunday's big game against the Heat and Tom Thibodeau didn’t stop him. This means that Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer deserve a close look, because no matter what Hamilton or Luol Deng (wrist) say, they could be missing some time.
Rajon Rondo (wrist) did not play on Tuesday and one way or another somebody is lying about his return date. Doc Rivers said he is probably targeting Friday for his return.
MarShon Brooks (Achilles) is out indefinitely, and I feel a little lame for not raising the red flag a little higher. I did initially, but was convinced by team reports that he was healthy when my gut said otherwise.
George Hill will not travel with the Pacers for their next two games after suffering a chip fracture in his ankle, and it sounds like he could be out a week or more. This takes some pressure off of Darren Collison and owners in deep leagues should watch Lance Stephenson.
Steve Nash (thigh) is a game-time decision for Wednesday’s game, but if he can’t go Ronnie Price isn’t playing well enough to be used unless you’re semi-desperate. Sebastian Telfair actually played better than Price on Monday and could also get the start.
The Blazers website tweeted news that Nicolas Batum had a bone contusion on his left knee, which in other words is a bone bruise. The tweet did not say that there was ligament damage, but we can’t rule that out as a large percentage of bone bruises come with torn ligaments. Bone bruises also can come with torn cartilage and restrict the growth of cartilage, so this isn’t a small thigh contusion or anything. The fact that he is being evaluated in a week should let owners know that this is a week-to-week injury and not day-to-day, as the Blazers website would like you to believe. Jamal Crawford, Wesley Matthews, and Raymond Felton all deserve to be owned outside of terribly shallow formats that don’t reward 3-point shooting.
Raja Bell (adductor) will not play on Wednesday, and this could be the opening Ty Corbin needs to move him out of the starting lineup. Bell has struggled with this injury in the past and owners may want to consider it a multi-game injury. Al Jefferson (foot) is annoying his owners with constant minor injuries, but with solid performance all year long the instant reaction is not to overact. The other reaction is to figure out if this is his body breaking down or if he is just a guy that attracts minor injuries.
I thought Spencer Hawes (Achilles) might have been held out on Monday so he didn’t have to deal with Dwight Howard, but if he misses Wednesday that theory turns to mud. He is playing 2-on-2 and 3-on-3, but has been day-to-day forever and his injury history says that’s not good. Nikola Vucevic might have also been held out on Monday for the same reasons, and both players should be watched to see who can step up.
LAST NIGHT’S ACTION
Jerryd Bayless started at shooting guard and was pulled from the starting lineup at halftime once Dwane Casey realized Joe Johnson was having a field day on the shorter Bayless. This, of course, will happen anytime the Raptors play a larger shooting guard and Casey will either have to adjust nightly or go away from Bayless in the starting lineup. Either way, I like Bayless enough to have him stashed in two 12-team leagues prior to this development, and I’ve added him in two other 12-team leagues. Whether it’s at shooting guard or at point guard, Bayless will be a factor in fantasy leagues this season. Trade rumors surrounding Jose Calderon don’t hurt, either.
Leandro Barbosa (ankle) returned to action and played just 17 minutes, scoring four points on 2-of-8 shooting. He’ll probably return to his scoring ways with Andrea Bargnani (calf) out, but might get jumbled around a bit while the Raptors settle on a lineup. Linas Kleiza was also disappointing with seven points on 2-of-9 shooting (including a three) in 21 minutes. I’ve had questions about his ability to produce given the log-jam at the wings in Toronto.
Anderson Varejao scored a season-high 20 points with a career-high 20 rebounds last night, and while one may want to say it’s because there is nobody else there to contend with him – they’re not watching the games. Varejao is noticeably slimmer this season and he’s much more aggressive with the ball around the hoop. He’s actually an offensive contributor and that’s why he’s having a career season – not because Semih Erden and Tristan Thompson haven’t been ready to contribute.
Paul George had a nice night with a career-high 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting (including four treys), and I have no clue why he would be dropped – but if he was make sure he’s owned now.
Anthony Morrow scored a season-high 28 points with four rebounds and five treys, and with MarShon Brooks out indefinitely hopefully owners were already all over it. If not, stop what you’re doing and pick up Morrow in any 8- and 9-cat leagues. His ankle injury could be an issue going forward, but not enough of one to deter owners at all. Shawne Williams hit just 3-of-10 shots last night, and will be the next guy you want to look at if you missed out on Morrow. We’re not expecting a bunch, but Williams could be a nice add for those needing 3-pointers over the next few weeks.
Joe Johnson scored a season-high 30 points (13-of-18 FGs, three treys) and enjoyed the height advantage.
Amir Johnson played just 14 minutes with two points and one board, while Ed Davis double-doubled with 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Aaron Gray replaced Johnson with the starters in the second half. None of them are particularly good options right now, and Johnson can be benched or even dropped if you see a stronger free agent. Stash Ed Davis if you would like, but he needs to show me more before I go adding him aggressively.
Rudy Gay bounced back from the worst outing I’ve seen out of him in ages on Monday (one point), scoring 20 points with a season-high 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals, two blocks, and two 3-pointers in the Grizzlies’ overtime win against the Nuggets. Gay had a chase-down block that essentially saved the game, and any concerns that Rudy was capable of unraveling were dismissed last night. O.J. Mayo played after some concern about his ankle, scoring 18 points with three treys, and Marc Gasol was his normal capable self with 20 points, 13 boards, two steals, and three blocks.
Tyreke Evans hit 9-of-22 shots (including a three) against the hapless Warriors, scoring 22 points with 10 rebounds, nine assists, three steals, and a block. Evans has really turned it on lately, making highlight variety plays that wouldn’t have happened in last year’s injury-riddled campaign. The shot selection issues are still there, but I’m backing off some of my criticism after a week of mostly effective basketball out of him. The Kings still need to take the ball out of his hands more, though. Jason Thompson had 13 points and 11 boards, and prior to Chuck Hayes’ shoulder aggravation the Kings organization was pretty clear about returning Hayes to the starting lineup. Now, I’m not so sure. We’re probably looking at a timeshare, but with Thompson playing pretty well he gets a fighting chance to hold his value – but he probably won’t.
Carmelo Anthony (ankle) returned to action, scoring 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting with six assists. I have yet to watch the tape but I will be looking for signs of ball movement to see if the other Knickerbockers have a chance at normalcy this season. Amare Stoudemire tweaked his ankle warming up for the second half, but didn't show any signs of it being serious and we’ll be all over the updates. Iman Shumpert got the start at PG after some flip-flopping by Mike D’Antoni, and scored six points with four rebounds, six assists, and two steals in 35 minutes. I didn’t drop him in any 12-team leagues as he turned into ‘Slumpert’ and now I’m happy I held. Landry Fields scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting with four treys, five boards, three assists, five steals, and a block. He fits within the Knicks’ current scheme and should be locked and loaded into all lineups.
Ty Lawson (ankle) returned to action (12 points, three boards, four assists, five turnovers, 36 minutes), but was outplayed by Andre Miller who had 20 points and a fat stat line. We’ll cut Lawson some slack but clearly Miller isn’t done producing and is thriving in George Karl’s system. Arron Afflalo isn’t producing this season, and it’s safe to say now that Andre Miller is cutting into his workload. Afflalo scored just eight points with three assists and no 3-pointers in 36 minutes, and with plenty of time to get into shape and the like it’s pretty clear what’s going on here.
I’m not worried about Brandon Knight’s slump, as the Pistons would be fairly crazy if they took him off the floor barring a massive face-plant. I don’t think we’re there yet. Bench him but don’t drop him. I’m not buying the Austin Daye hype until Ben Gordon’s shoulder injury takes a stronger turn for the worse. I know the upside is there but the minutes won’t be if the Pistons have a full house.
MISCELLANEOUS
Stephen Jackson in Milwaukee was a joke move by the Bucks brass in my opinion, so his current woes are not surprising. He fell to me in the ninth or tenth round in an 8-cat league and I even started him this week, but he’ll be benched (not dropped) until he gets back on the same page with Scott Skiles. If he lands with the Nets, he could step into a primary scoring role and be a nice asset.
Alvin Gentry is reportedly trying to stick by Channing Frye, probably because he has to. Markieff Morris has proven better in spurts and Hakim Warrick is a mess. I’ve found it easier to look at Frye as a weird roster stash for the chance he stops sucking. If he ever gets it going he’ll be a nice value.