Basketball Free For All

Yet another week has passed and there were more changes to the fantasy landscape.  Chris Paul, Travis Outlaw, Josh Howard, Kelenna Azubuike and Marreese Speights went down this week.  Meanwhile, Pau Gasol, Eric Gordon, Courtney Lee and Troy Murphy continued their Mr. Invisible impressions.  At least Antwan Jamison and Rashard Lewis will be sure to return this week.  Also, can’t go without mentioning Brandon Jennings.  He is the reason why NBA League Pass just might be worth it as it’s highly unlikely most of us will even have an opportunity to watch Bucks’ games.

Week Four Schedules

Four Games: ATL, CHA, CLE, DET, HOU, IND, MIA, MIL, NOH, OKC, ORL, POR, TOR

Three Games: BOS, CHI, DAL, DEN, GSW, LAC, LAL, MEM, NJN, NYK, PHI, PHI, SAC, SAS, UTA, WAS

Two Games: MIN

ADD LIST (players owned in 40% or less in standard yahoo leagues)

Will Bynum – He’s got a juicy four game schedule and both  Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton are not expected to play during the road trip.  Although Bynum’s numbers will likely take a hit when Rip gets back, he still might be worth owning as he’ll probably still get around 25 minutes a game and contribute decent scoring stats, assists and steals.

Toney Douglas – Over the last week, Toney has been the Knicks best guard.  It’s not saying much when you check the competition but it is very noteworthy.  D’Antoni’s grey is becoming more noticeable by the day and he’s tired of it.  Currently, he is re-evaluating the entire rotation and it is expected he’ll go with the youth.  I expect Toney to continue to get strong playing time and help fantasy owners in scoring stats, efficiency and steals.

Rudy Fernandez/Martell Webster – Funny how in one week Martell goes from the drop list to the add list.  Thanks Outlaw!  With Travis sidelined for at least 6 weeks, both of these guys will probably be worth owning.  Martell has a golden opportunity to really seize some time as it’s not expected the Blake/Miller/Roy trio to continue starting.  If Webster is able to start knocking his shot down with any regularity, he’ll put up very serviceable numbers across the board.  Rudy on the other hand is a perfect fit for the 6th man so that should continue.  However, his minutes are going to get a bump up so nab him if you really need help with 3’s and steals.

Chris Douglas-Roberts – He licked the swine flu in no time and has already logged 35 minutes in the Nets last game.  Pick him up if he’s available because the Nets are in dire need of his potential contributions.  He’ll be rewarding owners as soon as this coming week in points, efficiency, steals and rebounds.

Thabo Sefolosha – There is no denying it, he has a major role in the Thunder’s rotation because of his defensive abilities.  It’s a great sign that he’s still been getting a ton of time even though his shot has been way off of late (6-25 in the last 4 games).  While he’ll never be a volume shooter, he will help fantasy managers in 3’s, boards and defensive categories.

CUT LIST

DJ Augustin – Seems DJ is going through the motions of a second year player.  There were high hopes entering the season but he’s gotten off to a slow start and it appears Larry Brown won’t help him.  The other night, DJ took a shot off a pick and roll instead of passing to the open player and Coach promptly yanked him.  With Raja Bell attempting to play through his injuries and Flip Murray back, Augustin will be pressed to find consistent minutes.

Chris Duhon – Chris was never meant to be a fantasy relevant player, but that changed the day he put on a Knick uniform.  While he has the ability to put up some nice numbers on occasion, he hasn’t even been close thus far this season.  D’Antoni hasn’t kicked him to the curb yet, but I expect the next game or two to be a nice barometer for the next few months.  If he shows signs of snapping out of it, hang on to him as Coach will undoubtedly stick with him.  If not, send him packing.

Josh Howard - Well that didn’t take long.  Howard is already out indefinitely with rumors claiming he’ll be out until the end of December.  Considering the surgery was back in May and he’s still not right, I don’t suggest standard leagues to stick by this brittle body.

WATCH LIST

Darren Collison – Darren might be a nice plug in option for at least this upcoming week, but I’m not sold on him.  He struggled in his first start against the Hawks and scary as it sounds, Bobby Brown outplayed him.  It’s easy to envision him going from a bad game to average to bad to good to bad again.  Also, after this week, the Hornets will have two straight weeks of just 2 games so I assume there should be a better interim option out there at this time.

JJ Hickson – The Cavaliers moved him into the starting lineup to shake things up a bit after a disappointing start to the year.  Somewhat surprisingly, JJ has come through with flying colors.  In their last game against Utah, he put up 20 points, but more importantly, he received 38 minutes on the floor.  If this continues, then he’ll most likely be worthy of ownership in standard sized leagues.

Marcus Thornton - Last week, I had him in my Deep League Specials section, but this week he gets a bump up.  It’s no secret that the Hornets are struggling especially on the offensive end.  Peja Stojakovic, Morris Peterson, Devin Brown and James Posey have looked awful too many times.  With Jeff Bower responsible for drafting Marcus, I believe he’ll get his share of chances at significant playing time rewarding owners with points, 3’s, FT% and steals.

STAY THE COURSE

Andris Biedrins – Horrid start for sure.  Combine that with a lousy back injury that seemed to be perpetuated by Nellie’s lack of sense, he’s giving fantasy owners absolutely nothing right now.  However, according to Ziguana,  he put up Round 5 value last season.  Considering the Warriors have no other viable center, he’ll jump back into the rotation once he’s deemed healthy.

John Salmons – He couldn’t have gotten off to a worst start – under 32% from the field thus far.  However, don’t make the mistake on either dropping him or selling low as he’s a proven efficient shooter.  Despite his struggles, he’s averaging 38 minutes a game so it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a valuable asset on your team.

DEEP LEAGUE SPECIALS

Eddy Curry, Jordan Hill – I’ve got a strong feeling one of these two guys will be relevant as soon as this coming week.  David Lee at center seems worse than last year as his opposition is running layup drills around him.  With Darko Milicic apparently not a factor, one can expect D’Antoni to next look to these two guys.  Hill has shown flashes of late that he’s got some game but he still has a number of things to learn (as indicated by his foul rate).  Curry has been a laughing stock for such a long time but the Knicks are desperate.  He’s lost a ton of weight and might be serviceable until his next injury.

CJ Watson – In the world of Nellie, even fodder can turn into gold.  Not surprisingly, Stephen Curry has already landed on the end of the bench so CJ has been able to receive some fantastic minutes the last two games (27 and 34).  Subsequently, he has taken full advantage of it by playing very well and there is a decent chance it’ll continue in the short term.

Well, week 2 has come and gone but at a major cost as a number of key players went down.  Among some of the bigger names slated to miss a ton of time are Yi Jianlian, Kevin Martin, Tyrus Thomas and Tayshaun Prince.  Tony Parker, Kenyon Martin and Andris Biedrins look to miss at least a game or two themselves.  Even the swine flu decided to stop by and say hello by claiming the first victim from the NBA – Chris Douglas-Roberts.  In fact, it’s gotten so bad for the New Jersey Nets that they have the league minimum available right now (8) with Brook Lopez the only starter left standing.

Week Three Schedules

Four Games: DAL, GSW, HOU, LAC, MIN, NOH, OKC, PHI, PHO, POR, TOR, UTA

Three Games: ATL, BOS, CHA, CHI, CLE, DEN, DET, LAL, MEM, MIA, NJN, NYK, ORL, SAS

Two Games: IND, MIL, SAC, WAS

Add List (players owned in 40% or less in standard yahoo leagues)

Quentin Richardson — The slimmed down version of Q might be worth owning this year as the Heat are in need of consistent production at SF while he plays for another contract.  Over the last 3 games, he’s averaged over 16 pts, 3 3ptm and 9 boards.  Naturally, he’ll on occasion put up some horrid efficiency numbers, but it shouldn’t be as bad as years past.

Beno Udrih — Coming into the year, I’m pretty sure even Slovenian fans wrote him off.  However, with Kmart going down in flames again, it’s opened the door for Beno.  The last 4 games he’s averaged a little over 16 pts, 1 3ptm and 4 assists on solid percentages.

Chuck Hayes/Carl Landry — Decided to pair up this duo as they both play for the Rockets giving solid boards and FG%.  Go with Hayes if you’re looking for a significant boost in steals (2.3 per game) or choose Landry for points scored (14.3 per game).

Anthony Morrow — Last years 3 point shooting wunderkind, has been on a decent 3 game roll knocking in 17.7 points per game to go along with 2.7 threes.  With Golden State struggling out of the gate, I expect Amo’s role to increase at some point.  GSW will continue to shop Sjax behind closed doors while Nellie will slowly become more drawn to Morrow’s proficient shooting with the passing of each loss.

Corey Brewer — If you don’t mind a horrendous FG%, this former Gator is probably for you.  He’s currently averaging 12.7 points, 4.3 boards, 2.3 steals and almost 1 block a game.  In addition, he’s hit 4 3’s the last two games.

Cut List

Ryan Anderson — Nice run by the kid but expect inconsistent production when he finally gets over his ankle injury.  Vince Carter will be back and Rashard Lewis not too far behind him pushing the new Pat Garrity back to the bench where he’ll have to fight for minutes with Bass, Pietrus and Barnes.

Allen Iverson — Well, the AI experiment in Memphis didn’t last long.  Just a few games under his belt, and Allen is already grumbling about his role.  Also, it can’t be anything good that he just left the team indefinitely to deal with a personal matter.  If it was truly a death in the family or something similar, don’t you think that news would have been released as to avoid speculation?

Martell Webster/Travis Outlaw — It was already bad enough both of these guys were sucking out each other’s fantasy values with a pretty solid timeshare.  Now, it’s gotten progressively worse as Nate McMillan has decided to go with a 3 guard lineup.  With both of them coming off the bench for at least the short term, I’m sure you can find a better option on the waiver wire.

Watch List

Peja Stojakovic — Earlier today, the Hornets stated that Peja will be moved back into the starting lineup.  Not too surprising considering the lackadaisical play by the Hornets wingmen (especially Julian Wright).  Not suggesting he be picked up yet as he still looks stiff as a board and doesn’t offer much to fantasy owners if his shot isn’t dropping.

Omri Casspi — This Israeli-born player seems to be going places.  First, Garcia goes down with a significant injury and then Desmond Mason does so poorly that the Kings just recently decided to waive him.  During preseason, those close to the team raved about his intensity and ability to put the ball in the basket.  Well not much has changed so far in the regular season as he’s definitely worth an add in deeper leagues.  In the near future, he might be worth a pickup in standard leagues too if the Kings decide to limit Nocioni at SF.

Stay the Course

Anthony Randolph — Yeah, many of us who decided to bite the forbidden fruit from the Nellie tree are currently paying the price.  However, I don’t advocate jumping ship quite yet.  First, it appears that Randolph will still manage to get on the court as both Biedrins and Turiaf are struggling with injuries.  Second, in what already looks like a lost season, fans and management might push Nellie to play the young guys as to better prepare them for following seasons.

Deep League Specials

Taj Gibson — When Tyrus Thomas’ bone snapped, Gibson became an intriguing pickup in deeper leagues.  Del Negro prefers to keep Brad Miller as the first big coming off the bench so Taj will get some decent run.  Although he is still quite raw, he has some nice athleticism that should translate to some points, boards and defensive numbers.

Ersan Ilyasova — Say yes to Ersan!  The Bucks’ forwards have not surprisingly been a mess to start the year.  However, Ilyasova offers some hope as he appears to be getting his feet under him in the NBA.  Ilyasova has the ability to fill up the stat sheet as witnessed by his performance in the recent European Championship.

Marcus Thornton — By default, Marcus appears to be in line for an increased role in New Orleans.  Recently, Morris Peterson was put on the inactive list (CHEER) due to his poor play.  Now Byron Scott is giving Devin Brown a shot.  Well, with Devin, it’s only a question of when.  Since Scott has announced Thornton is next on the list, I wouldn’t be surprised if Marcus starts getting solid run by the end of this week.

For years now the man behind the mask, Richard Hamilton, has been a staple of the overachieving Piston’s backcourt. In 2002, Hamilton was traded from Washington to Detroit in a package deal centered around Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse. Ever since, he has been a vital cog in the Piston’s war machine, a team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals an amazing six years in a row after Rip’s arrival and won it all in 2003-04. Now after many productive years in Detroit, it seems that a tide of change is in the proverbial air.

Last season, we saw Hamilton’s backcourt running mate and trusted floor general, Chauncey Billups, get shipped out to Denver in exchange for Allen Iverson. Acquiring ‘the Answer’ was one of Piston’s President Joe Dumars’ attempts (he also fired head coach Flip Saunders) to reshape his elite roster into another Championship-caliber team to compete for years to come.

Well, we saw how that worked out. Now that the dust has finally settled from last season’s implosion, Hamilton has begun to (uncharacteristically) speak out about the A.I. situation and the team’s lack of strong leadership from the coaching position.

“It could have worked out,” said Hamilton. “I just thought the coach we had at the time (didn’t) put us in situations where we all could be at our best. When you don’t have that, it makes it difficult. All the guys are trying to figure it out on the floor, on the fly, rather than putting us in situations where we could be better.”

Source: The Detroit News

Hamilton is really going out on a limb here to backup Iverson for his troubled season last year in Detroit. Iverson took a lot of heat for all of the Piston’s shortcomings and was basically a scapegoat for the franchise (and Dumars) as they ran him out of town.

Hamilton bashes then head coach Michael Curry saying he failed to maximize the potential of the team by bringing both Iverson and he off the bench at various times throughout the season.This instead of allowing them to both start together in the backcourt from day one.

Rip is right for defending Iverson. He and A.I. starting together would have made quite a potent tandem. The fact that the Pistons were intent on developing Rodney Stuckey came at the expense of their All-Star and future Hall of Famer that was ready to contribute right away. Make no mistake, Stuckey is the future of the team and does need playing time to develop, but not at the expense of hindering your star player that you just traded for. Moreover, as it’s been widely rumored, someone promised AI a starting type of role. How did you expect he was going to react when he suddenly was tossed aside.

By taking Rip and Iverson away from their customary starting roles, Curry hurt their egos and caused them to compete against each other instead of the opposing teams. When they did share the court together personal agendas seemed to be the primary goal, as each player seemed intent to show what they could do and not what the team could do (for Iverson, this trait has followed him to his new team). The result was a roller coaster ride from start to finish resulting in a playoff appearance in which the Piston’s failed to win a game in the first round of the playoffs.

Now Rip, Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince are the sole remaining starters from their championship team in 2003-04. No, Chucky Atkins’ corpse doesn’t count. With the Piston’s bringing in younger talent, i.e. Ben Gordon, Will Bynum, Stuckey, Austin Daye and Charlie Villanueva, one has to wonder what the future holds for the aging Piston veterans.

The fact that Rip is speaking out could spell trouble for his relationship with the franchise. The team has relied and continues to rely heavily on Hamilton for all aspects of its offense. As evidence, his career usage percentage is 28th of all time. The Pistons have also been considerably better across the board with Hamilton on the floor. There is no doubt Rip has been a loyal soldier for D-Town and has been one of the primary stabilizing forces both on and off the court.

Despite all of this, you can’t help but get the feeling that Rip is on his way out of the Motor City sooner rather than later (by the trade deadline perhaps). His production has been very consistent for years, sporting strong career averages of 17.9 points per game on .454/.853 percent shooting, 0.5 threes, 3.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks and 2.2 turnovers.  Stats like this would be attractive to a number of teams seeking an upgrade at the two guard position.

Offseason acquisition Ben Gordon is a younger shooting guard who is ready to move into the starting lineup and can easily supply Hamilton’s twenty points a game. Emerging guard Will Bynum could then fulfill Gordon’s role as instant offense off the bench, making Hamilton more or less expendable. If the Pistons can obtain a post presence or dynamic forward in return, the current crop of Pistons guards can certainly step up and fill Rip’s shoes.

Working against Rip changing addresses, however, are both his age (he will turn 32 next February) and his salary (he is scheduled to make over $11 million in 2010 and then $12.5 million per year through 2013) may make him less attractive to potential suitors. In these oh so tough economic times, contracts such as Rip’s are becoming harder and harder to move.

But his reputation as an upstanding citizen (he participates in numerous charity events and frequently donates to local youth campaigns for his hometown in Pennsylvania), and his abilities on the court will always provide a market for Hamilton. If the Piston’s decide to really strip the roster down and completely start anew, they will look to provide more time for the youth of the future (Stuckey, Bynum, Gordon) expect Rip to be one of the first players on the trading block.

He logged major minutes in the season opener but has been MIA ever since with . For as long as he remains a Piston, Rip should see steady minutes on the court. However, the only certain thing in Rip’s future is uncertainty as the Pistons continue their quest to remodel the franchise.