Comments on: Sleeper: Kelenna Azubuike

By: plonden

plonden — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:19:23 +0000

Good point, Justin. But I could still see KA having some fantasy value even if he gets knocked down the offensive totem pole. If his efficiency from the field increases as his points per game drop and he maintains his defensive production, he would still have a nice all-around line (minus assists) for a late round pick.

Do you agree with that assessment or think that KA is going to be unrosterable next season?

By: jphan

jphan — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:24:23 +0000

yeah the point on monta and AR was its effect on buke’s spot on the offensive totem pole, not the minutes.

By: plonden

plonden — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:34:29 +0000

@Andrew: I agree that KA will not be touching a ranking of 70s this season but I think he should definitely outperform his ADP. Part of the reason is his defensive production, which is often overlooked. I probably have underestimated how much Randolph/Morrow are going to eat into KA’s minutes but I don’t think Curry should eat into KA’s minutes. Curry will take most of Crawford’s minutes and Ellis might even sop some of those up as well.

Wait, I thought Nellie loved anyone who was a black hole on offense?

@jphan: A lot of what I said about Nellie was trying to be tongue in cheek (fail). I don’t really think that Jack will get moved. But I think it is worth taking a late round flier on KA just in case, especially if you drafted SJ already and have a deep bench. Like you said though, I probably should have made it a point to state exactly how unlikely the chances of SJ getting moved are.

I’m not really worried about Monta’s return and how it affects KA because I think he gets a piece of Crawford’s minutes (he played 38.6 minutes per game). But, like I said earlier, I probably underestimated the impact that Randolph’s breakout will have on Buke and how much he will eat into KA’s minutes.

Thanks for the comments, Andrew/Justin. Someone’s gotta keep me honest!

By: jphan

jphan — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:52:02 +0000

how did you get any inclination that jack’s days are numbers in gstate from what nellie said?? you’re really overblowing nellie’s antics here. just because he’s been a headcase as a coach doesn’t change how jax is valued in the open market. his contract makes him very difficult to deal, even if the warriors were actively looking to do so (which i don’t even think is the case). buke is a nice value pick anywhere past 100th overall but you can offset any potential jack deadline talk with the return of monta and the development of AR. gotta look at things from all angles here.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:18:36 +0000

Definitely worth a round 12 pick, but not a ranking in the 70s. He may start at SG and play 30+ a night, but Jack, Morrow and Randolph could well be the starters leaving KA fighting for bench minutes with Curry and Maggette. He only got PT last year because of injuries, plus he tends to be a black hole on offence, so I really don’t think he’s one of Nellie’s favourites.

But hey, its Nellie, so who knows?

By: plonden

plonden — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:18:36 +0000

KA is definitely not a bad gamble because he can be had so late. Grab him in round 12 and dump him early in the season if he doesn’t pan out. If he works out, gravy.

By: mr. gm

mr. gm — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:16:23 +0000

True. Looks like I’ll be looking to draft him now thanks to you haha.

By: plonden

plonden — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:47:39 +0000

I agree that it is still hard to tell what will play out and Golden States’ depth chart is always fluid. But if he gets 30 minutes a night, he will be fantasy relevant.

I think Morrow is a real threat to eat into KA’s minutes but like I said in the beginning of the post it is really hard to recommend one of Don Nelson’s players as a sleeper.

The reason I am willing to recommend KA is because of his ADP. Being so low, you can take a late round flier on him. If it doesn’t pan out, dump him a few weeks into the season for a hot pickup off the waiver wire.

By: mr. gm

mr. gm — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 06:05:09 +0000

I am not sure if I am entirely sold. Even if SJax leaves the City by the Bay, the rotation could shake out like this (assuming a trade brings in no swingmen):

PG: Monta Ellis/Stephen Curry
SG: Kelenna Azubuike/Anthony Morrow
SF: Corey Maggette/Devean George

Still fairly deep, but I was totally unaware of his Francisco Garcia and Shane Battier-esque 1/1/1. It makes Buike seem like a new and improved Jason Richardson. Still, AR was not the only Anthony to have a nice outing in the Summer League, and George is still a solid vet.