NBA | Cousins, Thomas benched in Kings loss

Welcome, Guest Login | Register | Contact / Help | My Roto

Latest Headlines

DeMarcus Cousins was benched for the entire second and fourth quarters on Wednesday, although coach Keith Smart didn't provide much of reason for it, other than that he liked how the bench (mainly Patrick Patterson) was playing tonight.

Cousins finished with just five points, four rebounds, four steals and a block on 2-of-10 shooting, and surely isn't thrilled about the 20 minutes he got tonight. Patrick Patterson played well off the bench with 15 points, eight boards and three 3-pointers in 28 minutes, but we fully expect him to return to obscurity in the next one, while Cousins should bounce back against the Suns on Friday. Isaiah Thomas was also benched for much of this one, in favor of Toney Douglas, as Smart continues to just make us shake our heads in pain.

Thu, Mar 7, 2013 01:44:00 AM

Meyers Leonard cleared for 5-on-5 on Oct. 8

Meyers Leonard (shoulder) said he is ahead of schedule on his shoulder rehab and expects to be cleared for 5-on-5 on Oct. 8.

He said his shoulder feels "great" and his surgeon was impressed with his range of motion. Leonard said he's still going to have to get in better shape before he's cleared and will have to adjust to the contact coming to his shoulder. He had a massive opportunity last year and it didn't work out, so he's really just a late-round lottery ticket in most leagues.

Source: CSN NW

Sep 26 - 10:00 PM

Deron Williams to practice most of the time

Coach Rick Carlisle expects Deron Williams (sports hernia) to practice "the majority of the time."

The Mavs are going to evaluate him as camp goes along. Williams had surgery this offseason and had previously said he expects to be a full go for camp, so that looks like it won't happen. The Mavs added Seth Curry to their second unit, which means they might be able to dial back Williams' playing time. At this point, it makes more sense to pick up Curry over Deron in the late rounds of standard drafts.

Source: Dallas Morning News

Sep 26 - 8:37 PM

Draymond: I don't even want to win 74 games

Draymond Green said he doesn't "even want to win 74 games, or 75 games" this regular season.

"It's brutal," Green said. During last season, the All-Star talked a lot about the pressure of the Warriors chasing the record. These comments also coincide with general manager Bob Myers implying the team will rest some guys throughout the season. The Warriors have 17 back-to-back sets, so there's a somewhat high probability we see their superstars rest in several of those. Regardless, Green is still a fine top-25 pick in fantasy leagues.

Source: Sam Amick on Twitter

Sep 26 - 4:40 PM

Greg Monroe, Carter-Williams to 2nd unit

Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams will move to the bench to start training camp.

They will be replaced by Miles Plumlee and Rashad Vaughn. Monroe did come off the bench for 12 games last year and arguably played better in those, averaging 14.3 points, 9.0 boards, 2.3 dimes, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 steals on 52.9 percent from the field. There's plenty of talk of Monroe being moved in a trade, so maybe that is a factor here along with the Khris Middleton (hamstring) injury. Monroe is a decent pick in the late middle rounds of standard leagues.

Source: C.F. Gardner on Twitter

Sep 26 - 4:29 PM

Miles Plumlee and Rashad Vaughn will start

Miles Plumlee and Rashad Vaughn are expected to start for the Bucks this season.

Wow. Even with Greg Monroe on the trade block, this is surprising. The Bucks did give Plumlee a four-year, $52 million deal over the summer, so they clearly believe in him. The Bucks also have John Henson signed to a long-term deal, so they could have three centers vying for minutes unless a trade opens things up. Plumlee averaged 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.0 block in 14 starts last season, so he's not exactly an attractive fantasy asset. We should have more clarity once camp officially begins on Tuesday.

Source: CF Gardner on Twitter

Sep 26 - 4:25 PM

Harry B expects to play a lot of PF this year

Harrison Barnes said he anticipates playing a lot of power forward this season.

He added he expects those minutes to come next to Dirk Nowitzki and Dwight Powell. Anyone who followed the Warriors knows about Barnes playing the stretch four in the vaunted Death Lineup, so this isn't uncharted waters. On the other hand, Barnes had just a 13.2 usage rate in that five-man lineup, so that number should definitely rise as a stretch four in Dallas. The Mavs are saying all the right things to put Harry B in a good spot, but he still has to show he can produce consistently. Barnes is a decent pick in the later middle rounds of standard drafts.

Source: Earl Sneed on Twitter

Sep 26 - 4:01 PM

Blake Griffin, Chris Paul both 100 percent

Blake Griffin (quad) and Chris Paul (hand) both said on Monday that they are 100 percent.

This means the Clippers will open training camp at full strength. Griffin spent most of the summer rehabbing, and while his recovery was abnormally long, hopefully the quad issue is in the rearview mirror. He's entering a contract year and the trade rumors have been buzzing, so his price in fantasy drafts has noticeably dropped. It will be interesting to see how he holds up during the preseason.

Source: Dan Woike on Twitter

Sep 26 - 3:35 PM

Giannis: Jabari will be an All-Star this year

Giannis Antetokounmpo said Jabari Parker will be an All-Star this year.

It's not that wild of a thought. The Bucks are really going to need a lot out of Parker, especially with Khris Middleton (hamstring) expected to miss most of the season. After the break last year, Parker played 80 percent of his minutes next to Antetokounmpo and Antetokounmpo will run the offense, so this is good to hear for Parker. What's more, he did get a handful of minutes at small forward late in the year. With some talk of Parker adding more treys, he might have success in that spot. He's a very interesting pick in the middle rounds of drafts.

Source: Bucks on Twitter

Sep 26 - 3:27 PM

Kelly Olynyk cleared for non-contact drills

Kelly Olynyk (shoulder surgery) has been cleared for non-contact drills.

Just in time for training camp. Olynyk will be reevaluated on Oct. 15, but this doesn't mean that he will be ready for the season opener. The Celtics won't rush him back given their frontcourt depth, but this could give Tyler Zeller an early edge over Olynyk for the backup center role.

Source: Chris Forsberg on Twitter

Sep 26 - 3:14 PM

Chandler Parsons (knee) without a timetable

Chandler Parsons (knee surgery) doesn't have a set timetable to return according to Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace.

"He's progressing," Wallace said. "He had a good offseason. I just saw him in the weight room doing some things. He's back on a limited basis now; not totally fully cleared but has been progressing well." Wallace added that it's still unclear if Parsons will be ready for opening night. The versatile forward will be limited to non-contact drills early in camp, and he will continue to be reevaluated on a weekly basis. His upside is very real, but so are the durability concerns.

Source: Memphis Commercial Appeal

Sep 26 - 2:39 PM

Malone hints Nurkic & Jokic can play together

Coach Mike Malone said the Nuggets "have two young bigs that can play together."

In other words, it sounds like he's open to playing Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic together. In the last 11 games, Jokic played 12 percent of his minutes next to Nurkic. What's more, that combo had a positive net rating and looked good against bigger teams. While the Nuggets aren't likely to unleash Nurkic due to his injury history, his per-minute output makes him a very intriguing pick in the later rounds after the reliable bigs come off the board.

Source: Chris Dempsey on Twitter

Sep 26 - 1:32 PM