After months of waiting and preparing for fantasy drafts, we finally got a taste of real basketball on Tuesday night – and the three games on tap did their part to make it a great night. The Cavs’ explosive backcourt proved their worth, Anderson Varejao put his name next to Wilt Chamberlain with a monster effort, the Heat and Celtics battled in an uptempo grudge match, and the sky is falling in Los Angeles after the Princeton offense was offensive in its first go-round.
Rather than getting into it without actually getting into it, let’s jump right in and kick this season off right.
To get the scoop as the action happens, click here to follow me on Twitter.
Anderson Chamberlain
Anderson Varejao became the first player with at least nine points, 23 rebounds, and 9 assists in a season opener since Wilt Chamberlain did it in 1967 (he also had two blocks). Doctor A was the first to say the words ‘sell high,’ and it’s the correct play but I’m not backing off my somewhat bullish stance on Varejao to begin the year. Varejao has improved tremendously from year-to-year and gets mislabeled as an energy guy only, as he can also score and as we saw last night, he can pass too. To Doc’s point, this type of historic evening is bound to return the savvy owner an extra round or two of value in comparison to my top-65ish preseason ranking, which was appreciably higher than most sites’ evaluations. If you’re not getting that type of value, don’t do the deal.
Kyrie Irving was electric in his debut, scoring 29 points on 11-of-20 shooting with three triples, but if you were relying on him in a head-to-head league his three assists and zero steals were a slight buzzkill. This guy is a championship-level star in the making, and while the gaudy assist totals might not be there in relation to some of his peers he’s going to dominate fantasy leagues. The bigger fantasy story last night was Dion Waiters, though, as he put a pretty big down payment on earning fans and fantasy owners’ respect with a 17-point outing that included two 3-pointers, two boards, and three steals. He hit 6-of-14 shots and made a few highlight plays, and I’m pleased to say I own him everywhere after ranking him No. 89 in 8-cat formats. He was going dangerously late in some drafts and you’ll want to make sure he’s owned in all formats – he’s going to get heavy run and be better than most folks think.
Tristan Thompson took a nice first step last night with 12 points, 10 boards, five assists, and a steal, but hit just 2-of-4 free throws and shooting percentages have held him down in the past. My bet is that he improves his 43.9% field goal percentage by a good amount and continues to struggle with his freebies. He needs to keep his foot on the gas pedal, as rookie Tyler Zeller (five points, two boards, one steal, one block, 15 minutes) is serviceable and will see more time as the year goes, regardless. That said, this was an impressive debut for a guy I had questions about. Alonzo Gee (2-of-9 FGs) and C.J. Miles (1-of-5 FGs) both struggled shooting and had three turnovers apiece, with Gee seeing 34 minutes and Miles getting just 18. Both will be better going forward, but if they slip and Daniel Gibson (3-of-5 FGs, 10 points, 16 minutes) plays well it could create a timeshare situation. It’s too early to worry about that, but that’s the downside to consider.
The Cavs more or less controlled the game against the Wizards and eventually won, with no Wizard making a big impact in the box score. Bradley Beal (eight points, three boards, three assists, one steal, two triples) started off going toe-to-toe with Waiters, but couldn’t keep up as he hit just 2-of-8 shots and played just 22 minutes. Jordan Crawford put up a typical line of 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting with three rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block, and temporary starter at point guard A.J. Price was just as bad shooting with a 2-of-13 mark for seven points, six assists, and two treys. Price deserves to be owned in 12-team leagues right now as a short-term play until John Wall returns in a month or so.
Nene (foot) alternated between ‘out’ and ‘game-time decision’ for last night's contest, and he was on my do not draft list heading into the year. Trevor Booker drew the start as Nene was eventually ruled out, but managed just four points on 2-of-9 shooting to go with four turnovers and four fouls in just 17 minutes. He added a steal and block and will be better on most nights, and he’ll need to make some headway quickly to avoid a timeshare with Jan Vesely and Earl Barron. Emeka Okafor can’t be found on any of my squads, but he started the year off nice with 10 points, seven boards, and four blocks in 25 minutes. Okafor is an injury risk but he’s worth owning right now while he’s healthy. Kevin Seraphin (calf) is still not ready to play, but I still have him stashed in a few spots. I love his second-half of the year outlook and he should be able to contribute as the year goes on, too.
Sleeping with the Enemy
Ray Allen went to give everybody’s new favorite word, ‘dap,’ to former teammate Kevin Garnett before last night’s grudge match and was barely acknowledged. On top of that the Heat were given their championship rings, David Stern called the hurricane ‘Katrina,’ LeBron James left after playing 29 minutes with more cramps, and Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade were back at it throwing each other around. The game itself was played at a frenetic pace with both teams trending toward small lineups, leaving us with some fun fantasy box scores.
Rondo scored 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting with seven rebounds and 13 assists, Paul Pierce had 23 points on 6-of-15 shooting with five boards, five assists, and two steals, and made up for the poor shooting with two triples and a 9-of-9 mark from the charity stripe. Wade had 29 points on a 10-of-22 mark with a full line while managing to complain at the refs on nearly every trip up and down the floor, and LeBron was able to rack up 26 points, 10 boards, three assists, two steals, and two threes before the cramps took him out of the game. It’s an interesting subplot to know that the American Airlines arena was once again called out for being ‘hot,’ and what if anything that has to do with LeBron’s actual cramping. Of course, LeBron's mileage and potential for rest gave Kevin Durant a slight edge in making the latter my top overall pick, and this game will go a long way toward creating the perception that it was the right call but in reality it’s a fairly meaningless event after just one night.
The more important takeaway is how much ball movement the Miami offense had, and that will bode well for everybody there. Chris Bosh went for 19 and 10 with three blocks, and Allen showed he wasn’t dead with 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting (including two threes and a 7-of-8 mark from the foul line). I didn’t go crazy projecting a typical year for Allen with a 107/79 rank in 8- and 9-cat leagues, respectively, but I didn’t write him off like many folks did here and elsewhere. He’s going to get wide open looks all season long and the Heat will rely on him to take pressure off their big guns.
Mario Chalmers went nuts for nine points, 11 assists, and three steals in 36 minutes, so hopefully some of our blurbs that indicated a position battle with Norris Cole (six minutes) didn’t dissuade owners in deep leagues from picking him up. The book on Chalmers entering the year was that his shooting guard masquerading as a point guard role was better served by Allen than Chalmers, and along with competition from Cole he would struggle to hold late-round value. If the Heat operate like they did last year then I think that outlook will hold true, and this line is certainly fluky, but the kicker here will be whether or not the Heat continue to run and move the ball like they did tonight. If that happens it will be the tide that raises all boats, and Chalmers will do damage in fantasy leagues.
For Boston, Brandon Bass shook off knee issues and the threat of Jared Sullinger starting last night’s game, responding with 15 points and 11 boards. I mentioned it somewhere, but the positive Sullinger news reeked of a motivational ploy, and as the rookie logged just eight minutes it looks like for at least one night that might be the case. I think we’ll see Sullinger get heavier run in spurts, which will correspond with nights that guys like Kevin Garnett and Bass need some rest. Jeff Green, who will be ahead of Sullinger on the food chain and play a consistent 25-plus minutes all year, struggled to the tune of three points and three rebounds with a 0-for-4 mark from the field in 23 minutes. It’s not time to panic just yet, but owners shouldn’t hang on at the expense of a hot free agent like Gerald Green or Jae Crowder. Leandro Barbosa surprised with 16 points and three treys on 6-of-8 shooting overall in just 16 minutes, and the continuance of such efforts will only serve to annoy owners of Jason Terry (eight points, 2-of-7 FGs, 25 minutes) and Courtney Lee (11 points, 5-of-6 FGs, 24 minutes, five fouls).
Writer's note: If you haven't gotten a chance to check out our NBA Season Pass, you're really missing out. We've expanded many features and our Pickup of the Day articles alone are worth the price of admission. I used many of the tools from the draft guide that also power the pass to create the Bruski 150, and for me it's an essential part of my daily decision-making. Click here to learn more.
After months of waiting and preparing for fantasy drafts, we finally got a taste of real basketball on Tuesday night – and the three games on tap did their part to make it a great night. The Cavs’ explosive backcourt proved their worth, Anderson Varejao put his name next to Wilt Chamberlain with a monster effort, the Heat and Celtics battled in an uptempo grudge match, and the sky is falling in Los Angeles after the Princeton offense was offensive in its first go-round.
Rather than getting into it without actually getting into it, let’s jump right in and kick this season off right.
To get the scoop as the action happens, click here to follow me on Twitter.
Anderson Chamberlain
Anderson Varejao became the first player with at least nine points, 23 rebounds, and 9 assists in a season opener since Wilt Chamberlain did it in 1967 (he also had two blocks). Doctor A was the first to say the words ‘sell high,’ and it’s the correct play but I’m not backing off my somewhat bullish stance on Varejao to begin the year. Varejao has improved tremendously from year-to-year and gets mislabeled as an energy guy only, as he can also score and as we saw last night, he can pass too. To Doc’s point, this type of historic evening is bound to return the savvy owner an extra round or two of value in comparison to my top-65ish preseason ranking, which was appreciably higher than most sites’ evaluations. If you’re not getting that type of value, don’t do the deal.
Kyrie Irving was electric in his debut, scoring 29 points on 11-of-20 shooting with three triples, but if you were relying on him in a head-to-head league his three assists and zero steals were a slight buzzkill. This guy is a championship-level star in the making, and while the gaudy assist totals might not be there in relation to some of his peers he’s going to dominate fantasy leagues. The bigger fantasy story last night was Dion Waiters, though, as he put a pretty big down payment on earning fans and fantasy owners’ respect with a 17-point outing that included two 3-pointers, two boards, and three steals. He hit 6-of-14 shots and made a few highlight plays, and I’m pleased to say I own him everywhere after ranking him No. 89 in 8-cat formats. He was going dangerously late in some drafts and you’ll want to make sure he’s owned in all formats – he’s going to get heavy run and be better than most folks think.
Tristan Thompson took a nice first step last night with 12 points, 10 boards, five assists, and a steal, but hit just 2-of-4 free throws and shooting percentages have held him down in the past. My bet is that he improves his 43.9% field goal percentage by a good amount and continues to struggle with his freebies. He needs to keep his foot on the gas pedal, as rookie Tyler Zeller (five points, two boards, one steal, one block, 15 minutes) is serviceable and will see more time as the year goes, regardless. That said, this was an impressive debut for a guy I had questions about. Alonzo Gee (2-of-9 FGs) and C.J. Miles (1-of-5 FGs) both struggled shooting and had three turnovers apiece, with Gee seeing 34 minutes and Miles getting just 18. Both will be better going forward, but if they slip and Daniel Gibson (3-of-5 FGs, 10 points, 16 minutes) plays well it could create a timeshare situation. It’s too early to worry about that, but that’s the downside to consider.
The Cavs more or less controlled the game against the Wizards and eventually won, with no Wizard making a big impact in the box score. Bradley Beal (eight points, three boards, three assists, one steal, two triples) started off going toe-to-toe with Waiters, but couldn’t keep up as he hit just 2-of-8 shots and played just 22 minutes. Jordan Crawford put up a typical line of 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting with three rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one block, and temporary starter at point guard A.J. Price was just as bad shooting with a 2-of-13 mark for seven points, six assists, and two treys. Price deserves to be owned in 12-team leagues right now as a short-term play until John Wall returns in a month or so.
Nene (foot) alternated between ‘out’ and ‘game-time decision’ for last night's contest, and he was on my do not draft list heading into the year. Trevor Booker drew the start as Nene was eventually ruled out, but managed just four points on 2-of-9 shooting to go with four turnovers and four fouls in just 17 minutes. He added a steal and block and will be better on most nights, and he’ll need to make some headway quickly to avoid a timeshare with Jan Vesely and Earl Barron. Emeka Okafor can’t be found on any of my squads, but he started the year off nice with 10 points, seven boards, and four blocks in 25 minutes. Okafor is an injury risk but he’s worth owning right now while he’s healthy. Kevin Seraphin (calf) is still not ready to play, but I still have him stashed in a few spots. I love his second-half of the year outlook and he should be able to contribute as the year goes on, too.
Sleeping with the Enemy
Ray Allen went to give everybody’s new favorite word, ‘dap,’ to former teammate Kevin Garnett before last night’s grudge match and was barely acknowledged. On top of that the Heat were given their championship rings, David Stern called the hurricane ‘Katrina,’ LeBron James left after playing 29 minutes with more cramps, and Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade were back at it throwing each other around. The game itself was played at a frenetic pace with both teams trending toward small lineups, leaving us with some fun fantasy box scores.
Rondo scored 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting with seven rebounds and 13 assists, Paul Pierce had 23 points on 6-of-15 shooting with five boards, five assists, and two steals, and made up for the poor shooting with two triples and a 9-of-9 mark from the charity stripe. Wade had 29 points on a 10-of-22 mark with a full line while managing to complain at the refs on nearly every trip up and down the floor, and LeBron was able to rack up 26 points, 10 boards, three assists, two steals, and two threes before the cramps took him out of the game. It’s an interesting subplot to know that the American Airlines arena was once again called out for being ‘hot,’ and what if anything that has to do with LeBron’s actual cramping. Of course, LeBron's mileage and potential for rest gave Kevin Durant a slight edge in making the latter my top overall pick, and this game will go a long way toward creating the perception that it was the right call but in reality it’s a fairly meaningless event after just one night.
The more important takeaway is how much ball movement the Miami offense had, and that will bode well for everybody there. Chris Bosh went for 19 and 10 with three blocks, and Allen showed he wasn’t dead with 19 points on 5-of-7 shooting (including two threes and a 7-of-8 mark from the foul line). I didn’t go crazy projecting a typical year for Allen with a 107/79 rank in 8- and 9-cat leagues, respectively, but I didn’t write him off like many folks did here and elsewhere. He’s going to get wide open looks all season long and the Heat will rely on him to take pressure off their big guns.
Mario Chalmers went nuts for nine points, 11 assists, and three steals in 36 minutes, so hopefully some of our blurbs that indicated a position battle with Norris Cole (six minutes) didn’t dissuade owners in deep leagues from picking him up. The book on Chalmers entering the year was that his shooting guard masquerading as a point guard role was better served by Allen than Chalmers, and along with competition from Cole he would struggle to hold late-round value. If the Heat operate like they did last year then I think that outlook will hold true, and this line is certainly fluky, but the kicker here will be whether or not the Heat continue to run and move the ball like they did tonight. If that happens it will be the tide that raises all boats, and Chalmers will do damage in fantasy leagues.
For Boston, Brandon Bass shook off knee issues and the threat of Jared Sullinger starting last night’s game, responding with 15 points and 11 boards. I mentioned it somewhere, but the positive Sullinger news reeked of a motivational ploy, and as the rookie logged just eight minutes it looks like for at least one night that might be the case. I think we’ll see Sullinger get heavier run in spurts, which will correspond with nights that guys like Kevin Garnett and Bass need some rest. Jeff Green, who will be ahead of Sullinger on the food chain and play a consistent 25-plus minutes all year, struggled to the tune of three points and three rebounds with a 0-for-4 mark from the field in 23 minutes. It’s not time to panic just yet, but owners shouldn’t hang on at the expense of a hot free agent like Gerald Green or Jae Crowder. Leandro Barbosa surprised with 16 points and three treys on 6-of-8 shooting overall in just 16 minutes, and the continuance of such efforts will only serve to annoy owners of Jason Terry (eight points, 2-of-7 FGs, 25 minutes) and Courtney Lee (11 points, 5-of-6 FGs, 24 minutes, five fouls).
Writer's note: If you haven't gotten a chance to check out our NBA Season Pass, you're really missing out. We've expanded many features and our Pickup of the Day articles alone are worth the price of admission. I used many of the tools from the draft guide that also power the pass to create the Bruski 150, and for me it's an essential part of my daily decision-making. Click here to learn more.
Crowder Chowder
I’m a bit mad at myself for not having Crowder higher than the 136/99 ranking I gave him in my top 150 (8/9 cat), and also for not reaching a round earlier to grab him in a few of my leagues. I had him snaked from me by one pick on two occasions, and that really grinds my gears. He looked great when he was on the floor and deserved more than the 20 minutes he got, but Rick Carlisle probably doesn’t want to overload the youngster just yet. Crowder finished with eight points on 3-of-7 shooting, three rebounds, two assists, a steal, and two threes, and showed off his impressive defensive ability all night. He should be owned in all leagues, and I’m not really concerned about his long-term outlook when Dirk gets back. In a worst case with everybody healthy there is still a major need for Crowder’s defense and athleticism to be on the court, and Carlisle has been very forthcoming with his praise for the rook. He can defend everything from point guard to center (he was seen forcing Pau Gasol misses last night), and most importantly he takes care of the ball and is very savvy with his spacing and rhythm. When you factor in the injury risk of Dirk, Chris Kaman, and the older legs of Shawn Marion and Vince Carter – I’m all in. If you think his owner is looking at him as a short-term prospect, pick a slow night and try to trade a solid low-end producer in exchange for Crowder’s upside.
The Mavs took it to the Lakers last night, who appeared confused and lethargic while the younger Mavs weapons ran circles around them. Darren Collison put Steve Nash on an island and walked him like a dog, scoring 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting with two boards, four assists, and three steals. I was admittedly a tiny bit concerned that we’d see more of Indy Collison than Nawlins Collison, and I’m not giving anybody a ton of props when they destroy the wood-legged Nash, but I liked what I saw out of Collison’s fundamentals. Everything was balanced and polished, which bodes well for his long-term outlook, obviously.
O.J. Mayo struggled with a 4-of-13 mark from the field, scoring 12 points with three assists and a steal, and may have got caught up in the one-on-one battle with Kobe Bryant a bit too much for my liking. If he chills out and lets the game come to him, I think the potential for he and Collison to play off one another will create some really big games. In hero mode, it could go the other way.
Kaman (calf) will be sidelined until at least Saturday, and Brandan Wright (calf) started in his place and put up 14 points, five boards, and three blocks. He showed significant improvement last season and owners needing to shore up their big man depth can give him a look as a short-term play with injury upside. Elton Brand started at power forward and looked spry despite a 3-of-10 shooting line, scoring eight points with 11 boards, one steal, and one block, which is something for folks to get used to as long as he can stay healthy. Marion will outproduce his late-round ADP while Dirk is out, and was called the best player on the court by Rick Carlisle after an 11-point, nine-rebound, and four-assist night that included a steal and block. Carter is another guy that will pick up the slack with an ultra green light, and he put up 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting with four rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 27 minutes off the bench. I know we said in our blurbs that we’re not targeting him, but if you need a stable low-end producer in a 12-team league I think he’s a clear-cut add. Roddy Beaubois looked good last night, too, with 11 points, five assists, a steal, and a three in just 17 minutes off the bench, as he will absorb most of the minutes that were slated for recently departed Delonte West. West’s exit is also a dark horse factor in Crowder’s development, as 15-20 mpg got added to the team’s bucket.
Princeton Power Outage
Brace yourself for the onslaught of coverage about the Princeton offense, why it sucks or doesn’t suck, and the paint-by-numbers analysis that the Lakers will be fine when it counts. Now I’m not saying the Lakers aren’t getting back on track, because they will, but a column about Laker-land basically writes itself after last night’s disaster. The problems are numerous, so I’ll try to sum them up quick. Steve Nash isn’t touching the ball enough, deferring instead to Kobe and the high post game of Pau Gasol, who is entering the ball into Dwight Howard so he can eventually miss free throws. The whole offense is stagnant and the answer will be to let Nash run pick-and-rolls in an uptempo environment, but Mike Brown may be the worst offensive coach on this side of Scott Brooks so who knows how long it will take to figure out. The Lakers could also do well by treating Howard as a rim-runner until he proves that he deserves touches with his back to the basket, though he had a couple of decent conversions last night. The opposition is fine with entrusting the ball to Howard in one-on-one coverage for a reason, and discussion that Howard frees up space for 3-point shooters is drastically overrated.
Fantasy-wise, Kobe hit 11-of-14 shots for 22 points, but didn’t record a steal, three, or assist on the night. His foot injury didn’t appear to be a factor and his explosion is impressive at his age and mileage, so I don’t see any issues there, but the overall problems noted above and the eventual realization that Nash needs to tote the rock were concerns that had me drop Kobe to No. 23 on my 8-cat list. Nash had a really slow night and owners probably have buyer’s remorse, as he hit just 3-of-9 shots for seven points with only four assists. I really doubt that he falls off a cliff, though if anything could do it to Nash it would be Kobe’s inability to trust teammates. I didn’t have Nash highly rated (63 in 8-cat), and while some of that was due to age and injury risk, the early troubles were to be expected to some degree.
Howard hit 8-of-12 shots for 19 points, 10 boards, and a block, and hit just 3-of-14 freebies while everybody except Richard Simmons is teaching him foul shooting in L.A. A new method is something Howard has to consider if he has any designs on reaching his potential, but the early results could be something of a trainwreck. Gasol’s owners are probably the only ones in L.A. calling for the Princeton offense to continue, as Mr. Automatic put up 23 points, 13 boards, six assists, three blocks, and a three. I don’t think Howard is going to cut into his numbers appreciably, and talk that he is declining doesn’t give his value proper respect. I saw the big man slip into the late-second and early-third rounds at times, but had him No. 16 on my eight-cat list and expect him to have another big year. Metta World Peace (1-of-8 FGs, eight boards, four assists, three steals) and Antawn Jamison (five points, five boards, two assists) are capable of holding some value, but I’m not breaking my back to own either one of them.
Granger’s Owners Green with Envy
Danny Granger’s knee injury had caused him to plummet in my rankings, eventually dropping him to No. 100 and I feel like I should have had him lower, but I’ll live with the results. I can bask in the glow of owning Gerald Green on almost every fantasy team, and I wish I had gone even higher with his No. 103 ranking. Hopefully you guys got the point, nonetheless, which is that Green has been turning heads throughout the preseason and would have gotten a healthy 25 mpg even with Granger on the court. Granger isn’t going to be on the court for conceivably a long time, as the dreaded ‘second opinion’ usually doesn’t end well. If Green isn’t owned in your league, stop what you’re doing and grab him at all costs. Green was a top-100 value last season on a per-game basis in just 25 mpg, and he’ll be playing more than that for however long Granger is out and he is improving at a high rate.
Wednesday Night Nuggets
There was a report that rookie SG Terrence Ross “might not crack the rotation” early on, which seems a bit drastic, but it’s clear he needs more time in the oven. He’s stash material only right now. George Hill (hip pointer) couldn’t laugh without pain as recently as this past week, but he’s starting and owners will need to keep a close watch on him. We’ll see if D.J. Augustin can eclipse the 20-minute mark, which will be aided by Danny Granger’s knee issue, but it’s going to be hard to run Hill out there as a true starter and still get DJA his minutes. Danilo Gallinari (ankle) is a game-time decision and for now the injury isn’t being reported as serious, and I’d look at a guy like recently productive Corey Brewer over gimpy Wilson Chandler (hip).
Jason Smith (shoulder) will play, and if he can stay healthy it will take some of the wind out of Robin Lopez’s sails. Eric Gordon (knee) is a game-time decision and there is talk that he’ll come off the bench – great contract, New Orleans, great contract. Greivis Vasquez has the best job security in the NBA by default right now. Patrick Patterson (quad) is “iffy” to play and Terrence Jones has been getting the starts in his place during the preseason, and makes for an interesting plug-and-play in deeper formats but that’s about it. Andrew Bogut (ankle) practiced again yesterday, but his status for tonight’s game is still a mystery. On one hand the Warriors could opt to play it safe, but tell that to Stephen Curry’s owners last season that watched the team send him out there on a bad wheel. Speaking of Curry, he is set to play and owners should have both Jarrett Jack as a handcuff and a bottle of Tums on hand all year. I probably should have given it more run on the site (and used the idea myself), but those owners that drafted Curry with the intention of handcuffing him with Jack might have played things perfectly. Corey Maggette (calf) is “day-to-day” and questionable for tonight’s contest, which should only matter to Tayshaun Prince owners that are relying on his low-end value in a full-time starter’s role.
Ed Davis (hip) should play for the Raptors, making sure it’s a tight squeeze in the frontcourt but I still like Jonas Valanciunas to be productive in his debut. Manu Ginobili (back) didn’t travel with the team and that takes some of the risk away from using Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard, though it’s hard to imagine the latter isn’t in most lineups. Thomas Robinson and John Salmons are both back with the team as the Kings get set to play the Bulls, but Robinson is the only one that should be anywhere near fantasy lineups and he’s a better fit for 14-16 team formats. Mo Williams (groin) has been practicing and barring something extremely unforeseen he should be a go against the Mavs. The Clippers will be without Grant Hill (knee), Chauncey Billups (Achilles), and Matt Barnes (suspension, ankle), and owners would be wise to consider Jamal Crawford an instant sell-high candidate after his expected solid production over the next few weeks. Just know that you’ll have to move fast to give owners enough meat to chew with that bone. Wesley Matthews (knee) is worth watching but we have no news to suggest he won’t play, and Meyers Leonard (head) should be good for about 13-18 minutes in his backup role.
Hurricane Sandy
Our thoughts are with the folks affected by Sandy, and some of the pictures have been pretty brutal. Here is a link to donate to the Red Cross. As for basketball, it appears the Thursday game between the Nets and Knicks at the new Barclay’s Center is set to go off. Stay tuned to Rotoworld for updates, as usual, and play your guys like you normally would.
News and Notes
Arron Afflalo (hamstring) looked good in Monday’s practice and I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays well in Friday’s opener. The Magic need him to. Amare Stoudemire (knee) is out for at least 6-8 weeks. This is my shocked face. Tyson Chandler (back) practiced yesterday and looks to be on track for Thursday’s opener, and I wouldn’t go overboard bumping him up due to Amare’s absence. My No. 33 9-cat play was going to get all he could eat down low whether Amare was there or not, and the player for owners to consider is Chris Copeland, who figures to start at 25 mpg with his play dictating where he goes from there. Copeland was pretty good during the preseason and sports a game similar to Andrea Bargnani, light on defense and rebounding and heavier on offense. Andrew Bynum (knee) has resumed “low-impact conditioning,” and we have pretty reliable information that conditioning is going to be an issue with him. The Sixers may choose to play him into shape, and whether they do that or not this is shaping up to be a nightmare scenario for owners spending an early pick.