Wade Is King

Dwyane Wade was a monster again on Monday night and it's hard to imagine his owners actually losing fantasy games over the last few weeks. He went off for 48 points, six rebounds, 12 assists, four steals, three blocks and five 3-pointers in a double-OT thriller against the Bulls. He also stole the ball from John Salmons and hit a running 3-pointer at the buzzer to win the game. In addition, he hit a desperation, half-court three at halftime, as well as sent the game to the first overtime with a three at the buzzer. Since the All-Star break, Wade is averaging about 35 points, 11 assists, two steals and two threes, scoring 40-plus points in five of his last nine games. Not much more to say other than, 'he's back.' As far as where you take him next year? Looks like a Top 3 pick to me, along with LeBron James and Chris Paul, with guys like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Danny Granger (if healthy), Deron Williams, Dwight Howard (depending on league format), Gilbert Arenas and Yao Ming rounding out the Top 10.

Michael Beasley had 18 points, seven rebounds and a block for the Heat and is probably worth a close look if he was dropped in your league. He's hit double figures in eight of his last nine games and is finally starting to establish himself now that Shawn Marion is gone. The Bulls got a career-high 43 points from Ben Gordon, who hit eight 3-pointers on the night. Salmons added 29 points and a great all-around stat line, while Tyrus Thomas had just four points, five boards and a block in 22 minutes. Not sure what the problem was, but he was in there at the end of the game making plays. Joakim Noah had 11 points and 15 boards, and looks reliable enough to be starting in most formats right now.

Luol Deng will get two more weeks off to let his leg try to heal. If he's not cleared to play after that, I bet he has surgery and is shut down for the year.

Hawks Take Out Hornets

Joe Johnson hit four treys to finish with 30 points as the Hawks beat the Hornets in Atlanta. Josh Smith looked pretty bad for much of the game, but actually crashed the boards and posted his second straight double-double, finishing with 13 points, 13 boards, three assists, two steals and two blocks. He hit just 5-of-13 shots, 3-of-6 free throws and committed four turnovers. All four turnovers were a case of butterfingers, as he had several good passes coming his way that just went through his hands. It's easy to find plenty wrong with his line from last night, but compared to what he has been doing it's a step in the right direction. And with the news that Marvin Williams is out indefinitely with a lower back injury and could miss several weeks, Smith could be a very strong play the rest of the way.

Mo Evans started in Marvin's place but had a quiet 18 minutes, while Flip Murray had 14 points and three 3-pointers. Murray should be picked up in most leagues, while Marvin is a candidate to be dropped if you need to make a move.

For the Hornets, David West had 16 points and a career-high 20 rebounds, CP3 had his standard big line and Julian Wright played well in a start for Peja Stojakovic, who remains iffy for the week with a back injury. I was at this game and based on Wright's pre-game dunk-fest, it looks like he should be invited to the contest next year. And although I watched it, I can't even put my finger on what was wrong with Tyson Chandler last night, although it looked like he and Al Horford spent the night causing chaos for one another.

Wolves Lose Game, Plus 2

The Wolves were not only embarrassed by the Wizards, but lost Randy Foye and Rodney Carney to injuries. Foye's sprained ankle didn't look good on television and he could miss some time, meaning Mike Miller and Sebastian Telfair will have to step up their games. Carney has a lower abdominal injury, so we'll have to see what his prognosis is. A lengthy absence should just mean more run for Ryan Gomes.

Darius Songaila had a career-high 19 points to go along with six boards for the Wiz, while Caron Butler had 27 points, 10 boards, six assists, two steals and a block. As frustrating as it has been lately to own Butler, owners just have to keep throwing him out there and hoping for the best. Hopefully he wasn't on any benches for last night's monster line. Mike James missed last night's game with the flu. And in other Wizards' news, I posted a blurb on Monday about Gilbert Arenas shutting it down for the year. It's not official, but people close to the organization, including some players, don't think he'll put a uniform on this season. And that makes perfect sense to me.

Rockets Take Out Nuggets

Kenyon Martin actually played in a loss to the Rockets and had six points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes. I really thought he was going to miss several more games, so I would not be surprised if his back flares up and keeps him in and out of the lineup. And not surprisingly, this morning's update is that K-Mart sat out the entire fourth quarter after his back flared up, leaving him questionable for Wednesday vs. OKC. Chauncey Billups had a big game for the Nuggets, while the Rockets were led by Ron Artest's 22 points, also getting 19 points, three assists and two 3-pointers from Aaron Brooks.
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