We’re going to get numb to it soon, but the relatively heavy night of NBA action was a dream come true after a summer of waiting. It’s no wonder the traffic and interest in the NBA game is spiking, as we get an NFL Sunday’s worth of action every night. Let’s jump right into it.
To join the nightly party, click here to follow me on Twitter and click here to check out our NBA Season Pass. The Pickups of the Day section was rocking last night.
Presti’s Predicament
GM Sam Presti walks on water among NBA writer circles, and he did a good job drafting James Harden and Russell Westbrook, while the jury is still out on Jeff Green. He deserves no credit for drafting Kevin Durant. From there his track record is spotty at best.
His trade for Kendrick Perkins looked great at the time, but it did some damage in the locker room according to reports because the players were very close with Green. It’s no coincidence that Perkins played heavy minutes two playoffs ago when he was injured and amazingly brutal on the floor, and again this past year when a healthier Perkins was still being beaten by centers of all sizes on a nightly basis.
Whether or not it was Scott Brooks’ full decision to play lineups that were putting the Thunder at a 10-20 point disadvantage every night throughout the playoffs, the fact is that Presti has authorized Brooks to coach that way. One can’t have Derek Fisher on the floor for meaningful minutes while guys like Harden, Thabo Sefolosha, and Serge Ibaka ride the pine without the okay from above. And now the most recent Perkins-related disaster has hit in the form of Harden’s trade to Houston, as the team refused to amnesty Perkins over paying Harden to stay.
So Harden showed up for his debut against the Pistons and dropped 37 points on 14-of-25 shooting with six rebounds, 12 assists, four steals, one block, four threes and he might have swept the floor when he was done, too. Playing for a coach that isn’t holding minutes over his head with no end in sight, Harden has every chance to beast on any night. I admittedly should have raised him higher than No. 17 on my board, but I failed to calculate how much Jeremy Lin would help Harden (and vice-versa). Lin looked like a quarterback trying to find Harden down the field and is the willing passer that Russell Westbrook couldn’t (and shouldn’t) be. I still think Harden could struggle with his efficiency as he is utilized more, but the bump Harden gets playing for a coach that isn’t wearing blinders might be the trump card in all of this.
I get asked all the time why I’m so harsh on Brooks and/or the Thunder. I’ve had other writers try to call me out as if I have something personal against these guys, which is a bit over-sensitive in an industry of analysis, but to me this is the only story that mattered last season if you care about which team wins it all. The Thunder should have beaten the Heat, and with Harden and Ibaka theoretically in tow they should have won no less than 3-of-5 NBA titles counting last year and the four years thereafter. But they didn’t win last year, and they sure as hell won’t change their ways with the press corps slow to point out all of these flaws, if they point them out at all. It’s as if the writers are hesitant to admit their mistakes, backing their Coach of the Year votes and riding the Presti train all the way until it crashes through the Thunder’s missed window of opportunity.
Stubborn and enabled, Presti and the Thunder have to win an NBA title to make this mistake go away.
Fourth Dimensional Rocket Ships Going Up
The rest of the Rockets had nice debuts on Wednesday, in particular Jeremy Lin, who scored 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting with four rebounds, eight assists, four steals, and just four turnovers while looking fairly healthy. As noted before, Lin is going to benefit from the added attention and playmaking that Harden brings to the table, and the pressure for him to perform goes down exponentially. Omer Asik is cruising along, putting up 12 and nine with a steal and two blocks, so owners got what they bargained for (including a 2-of-6 mark from the foul line). Chandler Parsons flashed the fantasy game that teased owners last season with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting, seven rebounds, six assists, and a triple in 42 minutes, while Carlos Delfino was also productive in his 24 minutes. Delfino hit five threes for 15 points, seven rebounds, and a steal. Both should be owned in most 12-team formats.
Aminumination
Vying for the title of most discussed fantasy player on Twitter last night, Al-Farouq Aminu flashed the upside that has mostly disappointed owners in the past, scoring 17 points with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three blocks in 37 minutes. Doc loves the guy as a pickup, and I’m not quite as bullish but I’m right there with him, as Aminu is going to get minutes on a bad team so long as he’s simply ‘okay.’ Boasting a versatile fantasy game, if this is a watershed moment in his career he could be sneaky good, as he posted solid late round value over the final 17 games of last year while playing fairly poorly at times. To give you an idea of where he stands with me, I wouldn’t drop Gerald Green for him but I’d definitely drop Jae Crowder to take a shot at Aminu’s upside.
Halloween Holiday
Jrue Holiday got his extension at the last minute and wasted no time showing his worth with 14 points, six rebounds, 11 assists and two steals in 41 minutes. He hit just 5-of-16 shots but that will get straightened out, and owners can sit back and enjoy the ride. The story of the night was Spencer Hawes, though, who had the crowd chanting his name after he posted 16 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, five blocks, and two 3-pointers in 31 minutes. This is why you drafted the injury-risk in the later rounds, and if you want to call this a sell-high moment I’m fine with that, as Andrew Bynum ‘should’ eventually return and cut into his value.
Mixed Greens
Gerald Green was pimped here yesterday and looked poised to have his coming out party, but instead had six turnovers and just six points on 2-of-7 shooting, though both makes were threes. He played a team-high 37 minutes and that’s the only number owners should be concerned with right now. Float a ‘buy low’ offer to his owner and hope for the best. Paul George was who we thought he is on the other hand, scoring 14 points on 7-of-15 shooting with 15 rebounds, five assists, and a block. Outside of an extremely favorable trade offer, he is a ‘hold’ for the foreseeable future. George Hill looked bothered by his hip injury as he scored eight points on 3-of-9 shooting with seven assists, and owners are correct to wonder if he’ll be seeing some time off down the road. Keep a close eye on D.J. Augustin (15 minutes) and be ready to move if news worsens on Hill. David West scored 25 points but had just two boards, and those numbers will move toward an equilibrium, and Roy Hibbert looked good going for 14 and nine with five blocks.
Lowry Livin’ Large
Kyle Lowry is putting his groin injury in the rear-view mirror quickly, as he exploded for 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting with two threes, seven boards, eight assists, five steals, and a perfect 7-of-7 mark from the stripe. His mild injury risk is the only concern here, and one that owners shouldn’t dwell on too much. Jose Calderon is both auditioning for a mid-season trade and filling the gap the Raptors have at shooting guard. Last night he scored 15 points with three assists and three 3-pointers in 25 minutes, and if guys like Landry Fields (0-for-6 FGs), DeMar DeRozan (4-of-15 FGs), and Terrence Ross (six minutes) can’t step up then he could post sustainable late round value. If you’ve been holding Ross do so only if you’re willing to wait a very long time for him to pop, and owners can do better than Landry Fields right now. Jonas Valanciunas hit just 6-of-15 shots and didn’t make it to the foul line, but his 12 and 10 with a block are a nice floor for a bad night.
The Kings need a point guard, but where might they ever find one?
They actually have one, his name is Isaiah Thomas, but Thomas is finding out why Stephen Curry eventually caused Keith Smart to get fired. Smart likes to do weird things with his lineups like play Acie Law, and he’s simply not ready to turn the team over to Thomas. Aaron Brooks has played well in his backup role, though he was 1-of-7 from the field when Smart turned the team over to him last night, but this isn’t really a question of Thomas vs. Brooks if you’re a Kings fan. It’s a question of what to do with a team that had just 14 assists last night, and whether a shoot-first point guard like Brooks, who also has defensive issues, should be stealing minutes from the only guy on the roster capable of running a team. But if you’re a fantasy owner, it IS a question of Isaiah vs. Brooks, especially when Smart is telling Thomas to dribble up the court, hand the ball off, and stand in the corner – crushing his margin of error in the process. Thomas is going to be better than last night’s 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting with two threes and one assist in 25 minutes, but things are going to be choppy until the coach stops micromanaging the team’s theoretic pacemaker.
Kawhi Fruit
Fantasy owners probably ignored Kawhi Leonard’s struggles shooting the ball during the preseason when they drafted him, but the hype clearly let up a bit for a guy whose role playing for Gregg Popovich was certainly in doubt. That won’t be an issue anymore after he scored 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting with three treys, seven rebounds, and five steals in 34 minutes. Yes, Manu Ginobili (back) was out, but moments like these will do wonders for alleviating the risk of Pop messing with his minutes.
What’s the frequency, Kenneth?
Kenneth Faried played just 17 minutes last night, scoring six points with seven boards and not much else, which predictably sent folks spending a mid-round draft pick on the guy into a tizzy. Just don’t do anything crazy like drop the guy in most formats, and keep in mind that George Karl can be a bit of a pill at times. He said after the game that Faried isn’t the team’s “best option” for catchup mode, which of course is a nod to his limited offense. Just like spooning leads to forking, sometimes defense leads to offense, Mr. Karl. Regardless, with a low-minute baseline compared to most fantasy starters, this isn’t as drastic as it would be for a guy that logs 30-35 minutes on most nights. The same thing goes for JaVale McGee, who played just 18 minutes with four points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Their trajectories will both point slowly up as the year goes on.
We’re going to get numb to it soon, but the relatively heavy night of NBA action was a dream come true after a summer of waiting. It’s no wonder the traffic and interest in the NBA game is spiking, as we get an NFL Sunday’s worth of action every night. Let’s jump right into it.
To join the nightly party, click here to follow me on Twitter and click here to check out our NBA Season Pass. The Pickups of the Day section was rocking last night.
Presti’s Predicament
GM Sam Presti walks on water among NBA writer circles, and he did a good job drafting James Harden and Russell Westbrook, while the jury is still out on Jeff Green. He deserves no credit for drafting Kevin Durant. From there his track record is spotty at best.
His trade for Kendrick Perkins looked great at the time, but it did some damage in the locker room according to reports because the players were very close with Green. It’s no coincidence that Perkins played heavy minutes two playoffs ago when he was injured and amazingly brutal on the floor, and again this past year when a healthier Perkins was still being beaten by centers of all sizes on a nightly basis.
Whether or not it was Scott Brooks’ full decision to play lineups that were putting the Thunder at a 10-20 point disadvantage every night throughout the playoffs, the fact is that Presti has authorized Brooks to coach that way. One can’t have Derek Fisher on the floor for meaningful minutes while guys like Harden, Thabo Sefolosha, and Serge Ibaka ride the pine without the okay from above. And now the most recent Perkins-related disaster has hit in the form of Harden’s trade to Houston, as the team refused to amnesty Perkins over paying Harden to stay.
So Harden showed up for his debut against the Pistons and dropped 37 points on 14-of-25 shooting with six rebounds, 12 assists, four steals, one block, four threes and he might have swept the floor when he was done, too. Playing for a coach that isn’t holding minutes over his head with no end in sight, Harden has every chance to beast on any night. I admittedly should have raised him higher than No. 17 on my board, but I failed to calculate how much Jeremy Lin would help Harden (and vice-versa). Lin looked like a quarterback trying to find Harden down the field and is the willing passer that Russell Westbrook couldn’t (and shouldn’t) be. I still think Harden could struggle with his efficiency as he is utilized more, but the bump Harden gets playing for a coach that isn’t wearing blinders might be the trump card in all of this.
I get asked all the time why I’m so harsh on Brooks and/or the Thunder. I’ve had other writers try to call me out as if I have something personal against these guys, which is a bit over-sensitive in an industry of analysis, but to me this is the only story that mattered last season if you care about which team wins it all. The Thunder should have beaten the Heat, and with Harden and Ibaka theoretically in tow they should have won no less than 3-of-5 NBA titles counting last year and the four years thereafter. But they didn’t win last year, and they sure as hell won’t change their ways with the press corps slow to point out all of these flaws, if they point them out at all. It’s as if the writers are hesitant to admit their mistakes, backing their Coach of the Year votes and riding the Presti train all the way until it crashes through the Thunder’s missed window of opportunity.
Stubborn and enabled, Presti and the Thunder have to win an NBA title to make this mistake go away.
Fourth Dimensional Rocket Ships Going Up
The rest of the Rockets had nice debuts on Wednesday, in particular Jeremy Lin, who scored 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting with four rebounds, eight assists, four steals, and just four turnovers while looking fairly healthy. As noted before, Lin is going to benefit from the added attention and playmaking that Harden brings to the table, and the pressure for him to perform goes down exponentially. Omer Asik is cruising along, putting up 12 and nine with a steal and two blocks, so owners got what they bargained for (including a 2-of-6 mark from the foul line). Chandler Parsons flashed the fantasy game that teased owners last season with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting, seven rebounds, six assists, and a triple in 42 minutes, while Carlos Delfino was also productive in his 24 minutes. Delfino hit five threes for 15 points, seven rebounds, and a steal. Both should be owned in most 12-team formats.
Aminumination
Vying for the title of most discussed fantasy player on Twitter last night, Al-Farouq Aminu flashed the upside that has mostly disappointed owners in the past, scoring 17 points with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and three blocks in 37 minutes. Doc loves the guy as a pickup, and I’m not quite as bullish but I’m right there with him, as Aminu is going to get minutes on a bad team so long as he’s simply ‘okay.’ Boasting a versatile fantasy game, if this is a watershed moment in his career he could be sneaky good, as he posted solid late round value over the final 17 games of last year while playing fairly poorly at times. To give you an idea of where he stands with me, I wouldn’t drop Gerald Green for him but I’d definitely drop Jae Crowder to take a shot at Aminu’s upside.
Halloween Holiday
Jrue Holiday got his extension at the last minute and wasted no time showing his worth with 14 points, six rebounds, 11 assists and two steals in 41 minutes. He hit just 5-of-16 shots but that will get straightened out, and owners can sit back and enjoy the ride. The story of the night was Spencer Hawes, though, who had the crowd chanting his name after he posted 16 points, 12 rebounds, two steals, five blocks, and two 3-pointers in 31 minutes. This is why you drafted the injury-risk in the later rounds, and if you want to call this a sell-high moment I’m fine with that, as Andrew Bynum ‘should’ eventually return and cut into his value.
Mixed Greens
Gerald Green was pimped here yesterday and looked poised to have his coming out party, but instead had six turnovers and just six points on 2-of-7 shooting, though both makes were threes. He played a team-high 37 minutes and that’s the only number owners should be concerned with right now. Float a ‘buy low’ offer to his owner and hope for the best. Paul George was who we thought he is on the other hand, scoring 14 points on 7-of-15 shooting with 15 rebounds, five assists, and a block. Outside of an extremely favorable trade offer, he is a ‘hold’ for the foreseeable future. George Hill looked bothered by his hip injury as he scored eight points on 3-of-9 shooting with seven assists, and owners are correct to wonder if he’ll be seeing some time off down the road. Keep a close eye on D.J. Augustin (15 minutes) and be ready to move if news worsens on Hill. David West scored 25 points but had just two boards, and those numbers will move toward an equilibrium, and Roy Hibbert looked good going for 14 and nine with five blocks.
Lowry Livin’ Large
Kyle Lowry is putting his groin injury in the rear-view mirror quickly, as he exploded for 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting with two threes, seven boards, eight assists, five steals, and a perfect 7-of-7 mark from the stripe. His mild injury risk is the only concern here, and one that owners shouldn’t dwell on too much. Jose Calderon is both auditioning for a mid-season trade and filling the gap the Raptors have at shooting guard. Last night he scored 15 points with three assists and three 3-pointers in 25 minutes, and if guys like Landry Fields (0-for-6 FGs), DeMar DeRozan (4-of-15 FGs), and Terrence Ross (six minutes) can’t step up then he could post sustainable late round value. If you’ve been holding Ross do so only if you’re willing to wait a very long time for him to pop, and owners can do better than Landry Fields right now. Jonas Valanciunas hit just 6-of-15 shots and didn’t make it to the foul line, but his 12 and 10 with a block are a nice floor for a bad night.
The Kings need a point guard, but where might they ever find one?
They actually have one, his name is Isaiah Thomas, but Thomas is finding out why Stephen Curry eventually caused Keith Smart to get fired. Smart likes to do weird things with his lineups like play Acie Law, and he’s simply not ready to turn the team over to Thomas. Aaron Brooks has played well in his backup role, though he was 1-of-7 from the field when Smart turned the team over to him last night, but this isn’t really a question of Thomas vs. Brooks if you’re a Kings fan. It’s a question of what to do with a team that had just 14 assists last night, and whether a shoot-first point guard like Brooks, who also has defensive issues, should be stealing minutes from the only guy on the roster capable of running a team. But if you’re a fantasy owner, it IS a question of Isaiah vs. Brooks, especially when Smart is telling Thomas to dribble up the court, hand the ball off, and stand in the corner – crushing his margin of error in the process. Thomas is going to be better than last night’s 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting with two threes and one assist in 25 minutes, but things are going to be choppy until the coach stops micromanaging the team’s theoretic pacemaker.
Kawhi Fruit
Fantasy owners probably ignored Kawhi Leonard’s struggles shooting the ball during the preseason when they drafted him, but the hype clearly let up a bit for a guy whose role playing for Gregg Popovich was certainly in doubt. That won’t be an issue anymore after he scored 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting with three treys, seven rebounds, and five steals in 34 minutes. Yes, Manu Ginobili (back) was out, but moments like these will do wonders for alleviating the risk of Pop messing with his minutes.
What’s the frequency, Kenneth?
Kenneth Faried played just 17 minutes last night, scoring six points with seven boards and not much else, which predictably sent folks spending a mid-round draft pick on the guy into a tizzy. Just don’t do anything crazy like drop the guy in most formats, and keep in mind that George Karl can be a bit of a pill at times. He said after the game that Faried isn’t the team’s “best option” for catchup mode, which of course is a nod to his limited offense. Just like spooning leads to forking, sometimes defense leads to offense, Mr. Karl. Regardless, with a low-minute baseline compared to most fantasy starters, this isn’t as drastic as it would be for a guy that logs 30-35 minutes on most nights. The same thing goes for JaVale McGee, who played just 18 minutes with four points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. Their trajectories will both point slowly up as the year goes on.
David Lee, Electronic Football Player
David Lee is in the running for the league’s worst defensive player. It’s not his poor athleticism, lack of toughness, or inability to jump – it’s his complete lack of awareness on the basketball court. He jumps imaginary passing lanes, helps when it’s not needed, doesn’t help when he’s supposed to, and sometimes he just runs to a spot on the floor that makes no sense at all. He’s like one of those old school electronic football players.
Now that’s all good and fine when he’s putting up monster numbers, but he and Stephen Curry looked like they didn’t know how to play basketball last night. Lee hit just 2-of-16 shots for six points, nine rebounds, three assists, and a block, and I am a tiny, tiny bit concerned that he has lost some of his offensive athleticism, but on the whole I think this is a buy low moment.
Curry, for his part, has definitely lost explosion and he really struggled to make things happen with the ball in his hands. Not being able to shake his guy, Curry debuted with a 2-of-14 shooting night after getting his contract extension hours earlier. I think he’ll regain most of his explosion and get back on track, and even if his injury risk isn’t going anywhere soon this is definitely also a buy low moment. If you can somehow secure Jarrett Jack (10 points, seven assists, one steal, one three) it will tremendously lower your risk, too. As a standalone value, Jack has too many threats to be considered anything but an injury stash.
The group of Carl Landry (17 points, six boards), Brandon Rush (14 points, zero threes/blocks), and Harrison Barnes (14 minutes) is going to be hard to trust. Mark Jackson is an ineffective tinkerer and will eventually frustrate one or all of them, and I’d wait for one of them to maintain their production before dropping anybody of value. Andrew Bogut (ankle) returned to play 18 minutes with eight points, six boards, and a block. He looked out of condition for the most part, but the skills and general athleticism are still there. Just cross your fingers that the Warriors aren’t putting on blinders in hopes of proving their trade to get Bogut was smart.
Howard Hitting His Throws
Dwight Howard hit 15-of-19 free throws last night and that’s the good news, but the bad news is that he’s still shooting just 55 percent on the year. We’ll need to see a lot more of this to forget years and years of bricks, but it’s encouraging nonetheless. He finished with 33 points, 14 boards, five assists, a steal, and a block against a very shallow and soft Blazers squad, looking less than 100 percent in the process. Kobe Bryant was a bit better than Tuesday night in terms of versatility, posting six rebounds, three assists, and four 3-pointers to go with his 30 points, but seven turnovers and another loss will have the sky falling in L.A. for another day.
Blazer Jackpot
The Blazers have no depth, and when you combine that with talented starters you’re bound to get some big numbers. Nicolas Batum scored 26 points on 9-of-16 shooting (including three treys) with six boards, three steals, and a block, J.J. Hickson put up a workmanlike 13 points, 10 boards, a steal, and two blocks in 25 minutes against Dwight Howard, LaMarcus Aldridge had just three boards but managed 19 points and two blocks, Wes Matthews had 22 points, four steals, and four triples, and Damian Lillard looked every bit the part with 23 points and 11 assists – joining Oscar Robertson and Isiah Thomas as the only players to go for 20 and 10 in a debut. I hope you went all-in to get these guys.
Eric “My Heart is in Phoenix” Gordon and Monty’s Exasperation
Eric Gordon (knee) is a piece of work. You don’t have to read too far between the lines in this must-read article from the New Orleans Times-Picayune to see what I mean. I’m reading between the lines here, but the writer probably erased “Eric Gordon has no heart” a handful of times before finally publishing his piece. It’s a tricky situation. On one hand, his knee could very well be heading toward Brandon Roy territory and sitting could be the correct decision, but it sounds like the doctors think he could be on the floor.
"I've checked with Doc," Monty Williams said, "but for him to explain to me what's going on with his body and then have Eric feel a certain way doesn't matter. You know what I'm saying? If Doc says one thing and the guy is feeling another, then you have to . . . what am I supposed to say?
Monty Williams is sarcastically pointing out that players want to play, and with the doctor apparently saying he can play, Williams is framing Gordon’s choice as an issue of pain tolerance, or lack thereof. Looking back to last season, Gordon essentially saved whatever he had to give to play heavy minutes in a handful of games that he would dominate the ball in – rather than ease back into things – which gave him a great opportunity to put up numbers in advance of his restricted free agency. Those auditions, no doubt with an unspoken nod from the league office to keep the centerpiece of the Chris Paul in New Orleans, caused the Hornets to give him a max extension this summer.
Of course, Gordon didn’t like that and said his heart was in Phoenix, which is at the heart of why nobody in New Orleans sounds very happy right now. Writers are writing stories that imply Gordon isn’t being straight up, Williams is providing quotes that imply Gordon isn’t being straight up, and all the while the injury itself could be very real. Maybe Gordon is trying to extend his career by conserving his knee’s health, and maybe he spent the summer telling everybody he was healthy, and maybe Monty thinks he should be giving the team his body after the team made him the man to the tune of $58 million.
Fantasy owners get to put all of that in their corn cob pipe and smoke it.
Injury Ward
Rudy Gay left during the first half with a knee injury, but returned to finish with 25 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block with an 11-of-21 shooting line. Talk about a roller coaster.
Steve Nash (two points, four assists, 16 minutes) was kneed on the outside of his lower left leg, and after a few trips on and off the floor he eventually sat the night out. He is “hopeful” that he plays on Friday, and owners spending an early pick on him having to be mashing their teeth. Yes, he will be better, but that doesn’t make it any easier not knowing how he’ll be deployed. I did notice a few more Nash-like sets, which I think will be a trend as the year continues, especially if the losses keep piling up.
Four Quarters of Fury
1st Quarter: Rodney Stuckey hit just 1-of-10 shots for nine points and six assists, bolstered by a 7-of-8 mark from the stripe, and he’ll be better on most nights. Watch out if he can carry over his 3-point shooting from the preseason. Injury-risk Richard Hamilton hit 7-of-16 shots for 19 points in 31 minutes last night, and is worth a look if you need a consistent low-end producer as long as he stays healthy. Kirk Hinrich played through his groin injury and hit just 1-of-7 shots for three points and seven assists in 29 minutes, and it’s fair to wonder if we’ll see Atlanta Hinrich or the more palatable version from his prior stint in Chicago. Joakim Noah beasted with 23 points, 10 boards, five steals, and three blocks, which would have gotten more pub if it hadn’t happened against the Kings. Tim Duncan scored 24 points with 11 rebounds and three blocks against his heir apparent Anthony Davis, showing why the old man was a value pick in drafts.
2nd Quarter: Greivis Vasquez started off quickly and finished with eight points, six rebounds, and 13 assists, and quickly looks like one of the steals in your draft. As I’ve noted repeatedly, he might have the best job security in the league given the Gordon situation and Austin Rivers’ lack of true point guard skills. Rivers struggled badly last night, and I don’t doubt that his ankle is bothering him, finishing with seven points on 1-of-9 shooting, one rebound, and two assists. I think owners in most cases have to simply hold Rivers, as the potential for a Klay Thompson-like role down the stretch is pretty nice. Is he a must hold? Not with the holes he has in his fantasy game. Anthony Davis scored 21 points with seven rebounds, one steal, and one block, in what should become a fairly typical night. Ryan Anderson was quiet with 11 points, five boards, and a triple, and I wouldn’t read too much into his slow night. The Hornets need NBA caliber players at this point, and they will lean on Anderson all year to provide scoring and clean up the glass. We were hoping for more out of Danny Green with Manu Ginobili out, as Green scored nine points on 4-of-11 shooting with a steal, block, and 3-pointer. He’s really built for deeper leagues where owners can ride the waves out, but he actually returned mid-round value last year if you were able to set it and forget it.
3rd Quarter: Jae Crowder played just 21 minutes and had five fouls, managing just eight points, three rebounds, and two 3-point buckets. The night wasn’t a total disappointment and the Dallas beat writing crew still loves the guy, but he’ll need to show more to owners with Chris Kaman’s return right around the corner. He needs about 25 mpg and to stuff the stat sheet to maintain his spot on 12-team rosters, and while I’m exercising some patience I wouldn’t hesitate to drop him for Al-Farouq Aminu. Marvin Williams looked great with 21 points, three rebounds, one steal, one block, and two triples last night, and that’s enough for an add and he’s one more game away from being a must-add player. His injury history keeps me from making that declaration right now, but if you have a stinker on your roster make the move right away. I’m not panicking over Gordon Hayward’s slow night of 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting with three rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes. Randy Foye (13 points, two threes, three rebounds, three assists, 22 minutes) could be a nuisance and both Williams are playing well, but Hayward has improved himself and won’t just roll over. Mo had 21 points and six assists and is looking like a steal at his ADP, but it’s a long season for him and his health. Don’t drop Derrick Favors (six points, 10 rebounds, two blocks). He’s a lottery ticket and can provide serviceable low-end value in a pinch.
4th Quarter: Goran Dragic started off in fine fashion, scoring 17 points on 4-of-12 shooting with six rebounds, eight assists, three steals, a block, and a 3-pointer while acting as the team’s focal point every trip down the floor. I counted about five assists that his teammates botched and he was also forced to shoot a handful of shots under duress due to the shot clock, for whatever that’s worth. I feel fine having him ranked at No. 11 on my 8-cat list. Michael Beasley started his season off with a thud, scoring eight points on 2-of-9 shooting with four boards, a three, and one assist in just 22 minutes. The Suns turned to P.J. Tucker as a spark in a game they were getting clobbered in early, and as the team came back it’s probable that Alvin Gentry used the second half to reward Tucker and remind Beasley. The team needs Beasley to come up big this season, and while there is major mental risk here, there is no way I’m giving up on him after one game. It’s definitely measured buy low territory for a player I had ranked No. 78 and 102 in 8- and 9-cat formats. Speaking of buy low, Mike Conley got Chris Paul’d with a seven-point, six-turnover outing that did include three rebounds, five assists, three steals and one trey. He might be the most consistent player in the whole league over the past three years, so I’m not worried one bit. Zach Randolph went for 15 and 16 with a steal and block, jawing with Blake Griffin for much of the night.
Odds and Ends
Rick Adelman said that Brandon Roy is going to play 30-32 minutes per night, which is awfully ambitious. I didn’t have Roy in my top-150 but I don’t begrudge any owners that took the plunge. Upside is what you look for and he certainly has it. I just don’t think he’ll hold up. We’ll see. Randy Wittman said the Kevin Seraphin (calf) is close to returning, and I personally won’t let him slide past me on the 12-team waiver wire unless my team is stacked. I’d drop Jae Crowder for him at this time.