It’s time for the second installment of PPPM. First, let’s take a look at last week’s players and how the past 7 days treated them.

Mike James: It was a very telling week for James. Despite the absence of Michael Redd in all three games, James PT held more or less steady at just 27.3 mpg. Pretty disappointing. His hot shooting cooled off as he went just 8-for-26 in his last two games, leaving him with a 13.3/1.7/4.3 with 2.3 3pg and 0.7 spg on 38% shooting. He could still be useful if he got his 30+, but it’s looking rather unlikely, and he’ll probably be of use only to those needing 3s.

Mike Sweetney: Perhaps Herb Williams is a FBB reader? Sweetney was up to 23 mpg this week and he sure did deliver, to the tune of 15.0/7.0/0.5 on 57% shooting. He also got to the line a remarkable 28 times, getting up to 18th in the league in FTA per 48. Even better, he hit 26 of those. He’s going to be one to continue to watch very closely. He won’t get too many steals or blocks, but the boards and percentages are very nice.

Jameer Nelson: His PT remains wildly inconsistent. After 10 points, 8 assists, 4 boards and 2 steals in 25 minutes on Saturday, he saw 10 total minutes the next two games. Look for him to eventually put up Jamaal Tinsley numbers if ever given the chance.

Chris Andersen: Some good trends with Andersen, as his PT for the week looked like this: 20, 23, 27, 30. The highlight was a 16 point, 9 board, 3 dime, 2 steal effort against my Wiz, and he followed it with 9 points and 4 blocks against the Spurs. Keep watching him.

Chris Wilcox: At least he got off the bench. And yesterday in 18 minutes – his most PT since December – he was good for 10 and 5 with an assist and a steal. If he was on, say, the Hawks, he’d put up great numbers. But then again, you could say that about lots of people.

This Week’s Picks
Tony Allen
YTD: 15.8 mpg, 6.3/2.9/0.9 with 1.1 steals on 48% shooting
Last 5: 21 mpg, 9.8/3.6/1.0 with 1.8 steals
This is sort of a werid one. Allen has been a fixture in the starting lineup for the past month, but last night was the first time he saw more than 30 minutes in a game and look what he did: 15/7/2 with 3 steals and a 3. And he got those 15 points on just 5 shots, getting to the line 8 times. I say if you’re going to start him, you may as well play him. And I say that as a fantasy owner who needs steals, knowing that Allen is second in the league in steals per 48. With Ricky Davis, Paul Pierce and Gary Payton all needing minutes, it’s not all that likely, but you never know.

Fred Hoiberg
YTD: 16.1 mpg, 5.8/2.3/1.1 with 0.8 steals, 1.0 3s on 52% shooting
Last 5: 19.6 mpg, 7.6/3.2/2.4 with 1.0 steals and 1.2 3s
Props to Shep for pointing out the Mayor’s effectiveness, and on a team where nothing’s going right, what’s the harm in running him out there? He’s a player who doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, and while his upside is obviously limited, he can still be a solid all-around contributor, helping out in steals, 3s and percentages. Given the chance he could be sort of a poor man’s Tayshaun Prince, one of those under the radar guys that always seems higher than he should be on the Player Rater. If the Wolves can find a taker for Latrell Sprewell, Hoiberg might have a shot at having some fantasy relevance. The guy’s shooting 52% from 3-point land, which is just crazy.

Brian Cardinal
YTD: 19.9 mpg, 7.9/3.4/1.3 with 1.3 steals and 0.5 3s
Last 5: 23.8 mpg, 11.2/4.8/2.4 with 2.0 steals and 1.4 3s
Yes, today is the day that FBB gives some love to balding white guys. Cardinal has been unfairly antagonized this year. For some reason everyone thought that his addition to the Grizzlies squad was what caused their early season funk. Like it was his fault that Jerry West wanted to give him $40M, like you wouldn’t take it? He never really got into a groove, then he was injured, but with other injuries piling up in Memphis, the former Wizards benchwarmer (they certainly didn’t know what they had with him and Bobby Simmons) is starting to show what he can do. He’s starting to find his long-distance stroke, connecting in 6 straight games. Remember, he shot 44% from there last year. He’s also had two 4-steal games in his past three. While Pau Gasol and now Stromile Swift appear to be out, the legion of swingmen (Battier, Jones, Miller, Wells) are all around, so 30 mpg might be an unrealistic wish for Cardinal. But given equal time, I’d say that only Battier would be a better fantasy option.

Brent Barry
YTD: 19.7 mpg, 6.8/2.0/2.0 with 0.5 steals and 1.2 3s
Last 5: 18.8 mpg, 5.2/1.6/1.6 with 1.2 3s
Why not end with a white guys trifecta? Although Barry seems to have a fine head of hair. Just when it looked like he was finally finding his niche in San Antonio, he’s seen 15 or fewer minutes in three of the last four games. Still, there are some things such as his 15 straight games with a 3. Even if they are fighting the Suns for home court advantage, the Spurs would be wise to rest Tony Parker and especially Manu Ginobili down the stretch. Ginobili plays a very similar style to Allen Iverson and is always collecting various bumps and bruises. Like the rest of the fair lads on this list, Barry’s value comes from his percentages, 3s and steals; he won’t put up big points or rebound numbers, but he’s been a Top 50 Player Rater staple before this year. While 30 mpg is unrealistic, there’s no excuse for him seeing just 15.

It’s not often that we spend a whole column here going over the events of the day before, but yesterday was so jam-packed with issues both on and off the court that we’re gonna buck that trend and just go over all the fun news from yesterday. Ready? OK!

- Kirk Hinrich’s severely sprained right hand means that sorta-borderline Ben Gordon becomes a healthy risk to put in your starting lineup, assuming Hinrich is going to miss any sort of serious time. Also, as much as we hate to admit it, Chris Duhon could be worth your while as well, but he doesn’t have the value that Gordon could/should.

- Hinrich isn’t the only point guard going down with injury. Shaun “Dr.” Livingston is out for a month with torn cartilage in the shoulder. That, combined with Marko Jaric’s injury troubles, means Rick Brunson becomes a hot pickup. Is anyone more proof of our “minutes are really the only thing that counts” pledge than Brunson? A journeyman 32-year-old point guard on his 7th team in 7 years, undrafted, never scored more than 4.3 ppg in his career. But when he gets 30+ mpg he helps you in 3’s, steals, and assists and is valuable enough to start in just about every league.

- One guy who certainly isn’t getting any minutes these days is Baron Davis. As much as we want to believe that these NBA players are giving their all, Baron is missing a ton of time with pretty minor injuries and is now not even with the team, instead “rehabbing” in his hometown of LA. Baron doesn’t want to be in New Orleans, and I’m not sure he’ll play much – if at all – after the break, unless he’s trying to increase his trade value. There’s nothing more frustrating than this, for a fantasy player sure, but what about the team that’s paying him TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS this year. Unbelievable.

- OK, enough of the whiners. How about an old school, “give it all you’ve got” guy – Reggie Miller, who just absolutely exploded last night. 36 points, 4 3’s, 12-12 from the line … and zero boards and 1 assist. Ah, Reggie. It’s his last year, and if he led this team to a playoff birth, you’d have to give him all the credit in the world. He’s a guy that is going to be super-motivated over the last third of the season.

- How about these three-game averages for Joel Przybilla: 17 points, 15 boards, 4.8 blocks. Are you kidding me? That’s absolutely ridiculous. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t rush out to pick him up. His output is based mostly on the fact that Zach Randolph and Shareef Abdur-Rahim are missing time with injury, and Theo Ratliff is afraid of the basketball. Eventually at least one or two of these guys will return, and Joel’s value will plummet. If you’ve got an extra roster spot, go for it, but if not, don’t drop anyone of value.

- Remember that glut of point guards in Utah? Carlos Arroyo, Raul Lopez, Howard Eisley, and then out of nowhere, Keith McLeod? Well now, there’s just one man left standing – literally. Lopez is set to have an MRI on his knee, McLeod has been out a couple of weeks with a bad hammy, and Arroyo is in Detroit. That leaves Howard Eisley as the one remaining point guard in Utah. Look for as much as 12/8 with 2 threes from Eisley if he gets good minutes, but you can probably wait to hear a status report on McLeod and Lopez before picking him up.

- Finally, one of my favorite players from this year’s draft, JR Smith, has emerged as quite the scorer. Over his last 5 games, JR is averaging 19.4 ppg with a 3, a steal, and 4 assists on 49% shooting. He will certainly be streaky-at-best over the last third of the season but he’ll definitely be someone to keep your eye on for next year.

One of the things that we preach here pretty consistently at fantasy basketblog is to be very, very aware of the past when choosing who to put on your roster. This is particularly true when it comes to injuries. You’re not going to see anyone feeling bad for you when Baron Davis misses 50 games this year (DM I’m looking at you), or when Marcus Camby sits on your bench, gets 8 blocks, then sits out a game when you put him into your starting lineup. When you get these players on your team, you get them at a discount, and for good reason.

Nonetheless, it can occasionally be worth your while to take that risk. A great example is Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who after a solid rookie campaign played only 5 games in 1998, missed the whole 1999 campaign, and played in just 24 games in 2000. After playing a decent 62 games in 2001 – but getting only 21 minutes a game – Z was hardly a guy that fantasy players were clamoring for. But over the last 2 and a half seasons, Big Z has missed only 2 games, and has turned into one of the top centers in the league. Whoever took a chance on him in 2002, and again in 2003, probably got him at a great discount.

The reason that I bring this up, of course, is because of the recent play of 2 oft-injured stars – Vince Carter and Chris Webber. As I mentioned in yesterday’s New! Updated! Top 20!, I traded Chris Webber about a month ago, because I wasn’t willing to take the risk any longer. However, the guy who has him now is certainly reaping the benefits of taking that risk. Meanwhile, whoever had Vince Carter sitting on the IL when he got traded to New Jersey is enjoying an unexpected run of awesome games for Air Jersey. Nonetheless, both of these guys are still injury risks. Who’s more likely to close the year strong? Let’s take a look:

Vince Carter’s injury history is fairly well documented. If it’s on his leg – a quadricep, an achilles, a hamstring, a knee, whatever – he’s hurt it. However, it’s also true that the change of scenery has brought Carter out of his funk. His 26 points with the Nets are the highest he’s averaged since the year 2000. His 5 assists are the highest he’s averaged, period. He’s shooting better from the field, from the arc, from everywhere. Still, he left last night’s game in the final minute after tweaking his ankle, and will probably miss tonight’s showdown with Sacramento.

Even with tonight’s game in doubt, I think Vince is in for a nice final third of the year. He’s motivated, he’s got the best passer in the game in Jason Kidd to feed him the ball, and for the first time in years, he’s excited to be playing the game. Even if you don’t approve of his not giving 100% in Toronto, you do have to take it into consideration when trying to figure out how strong Carter will be come the end of March. My prediction for Carter: He’ll play in 27 of the final 30 games.

Chris Webber is a tougher call. Despite the fact that the Kings lost Vlade in the offseason, lost Bobby Jackson mid-season, and have pretty much no bench to speak of, the Kings have just as good a chance of finally cracking into the Finals this year. Thanks to the crumbling of the Lakers and T-Wolves, and the new Western Elite playing no defense whatsoever besides San Antonio, the Kings could be looking at a nice playoff run. All they have to do is stay healthy.

HA!

Ok, now, really, that’s just not going to happen. Between Webber and Peja, and now occasionally Cuttino Mobley, the Kings are used to playing short-handed. Webber missed 4 consecutive games a couple weeks ago to bring his total missed games level to 8. He hasn’t missed fewer than 12 games since 1999 and I wouldn’t expect that streak to end this year. All of his missed games have come as a result of his knees, which aren’t getting any younger. At least he’ll get to rest during the All-Star break, but right after the break they head out east for a 6 games in 9 days road trip. My prediction for Webber: He’ll play in 23 of the final 30 games.

It’s been a tumultuous season for the Nugs. Expectations were high … but Carmelo Anthony’s friend wasn’t, because he left his weed in ’Melo’s bag. In some ways, I think that Kiki Vandeweghe almost didn’t mind the team’s rough start because it gave him a good excuse to get rid of Jeff Bzdelik, who he obviously didn’t care for. But team has never really had a chance to gel, starting from the first game of the season when Voshon Lenard went down with a torn ACL. His outside presence has been missed, but you’d think that a team whose other four starters include a #1 overall pick, a #2 pick, a #3 pick and a #8 pick (not to mention a #5, a #6, a #7 and a #9 on the bench) would be better than 23-28, even with Lenard. But Anthony has been fighting injuries all year, Kenyon Martin has been banged up a bit, Marcus Camby is Marcus Camby, and Nene just went down with a bum knee. But all hope is not lost for the Nuggets who find themselves in 11th place in the conference, three games behind in the race for the last playoff spot. The team is 6-3 since George Karl took over, and if they can get over their road woes and win their final two games before the break at Atlanta and Charlotte, the team will be in a good position to sneak into the playoffs, as 17 of their final 29 games will be played in Denver. So what’s this all mean for your fantasy squad? Let’s see.

Let’s start with Kenyon Martin. Looking at his career stats, it’s amazing how consistent he’s been, especially over the past three years. After two straight years of 16.7 ppg, he’s at 15.8. His assists have gone from 2.4 to 2.5 to 2.6. Steals from 1.3 to 1.5 to 1.5. Blocks from 0.9 to 1.3 to 1.0. FG% between 47 and 49, FT% between 64 and 68. This should tell us that this is the player K-Mart is, and at #47 on the Player Rater, he was probably overvalued on draft day. But I’m still holding out hope for a more impressive final third. With both Camby and Nene likely to be fighting injuries from here on out, K-Mart will be depended on more. Before playing just 30 minutes in a blowout against the Nets on Sunday, K-Mart saw 43 minutes in back to back games. If George Karl keeps him out there, expect K-Mart to bump his numbers up to his current February line, which sees him with increased scoring, steals and blocks.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, Andre Miller owners might have a reason to be worried. Not only has Miller scored in single digits in five of the nine games since Karl took over, but Earl Boykins is starting to steal some of his assists. Miller had 22 assists in the two game prior to Boykins joining the starting lineup. He had 9 in the next two. This is definitely a situation to watch. Miller needs those assists. His 6.4 per game might not seem all that great, but it’s good for 11th in the league. He can’t afford for that number to drop closer to 5, because he doesn’t hit enough 3s to make up for it. He’s a great shooter and will always get his roughly 1.5 spg, but you’ve got to be concerned about that #105 ranking in the last 15.

How about little Earl Boykins? First off, I’m a fan if only because whenever the Nuggets are on TV and he’s on the court, my girlfriend enjoys watching him scoot around and isn’t complaining that we’re watching basketball. As for his fantasy prospects … I’m still not sold. Getting 30+ minutes a night is a great start, but Boykins problem is that he just doesn’t do that one thing especially well. Let’s take his season stats and pro-rate them to 33 minutes, which might be a bit generous. Here’s what we get: 15.3/2.3/4.7 with 1.0 3s and 1.1 steals. Actually, that’s pretty solid, but like I said, it may be a bit generous. His 92% free throw shooting is a thing of beauty, though, and with more PT he should be even better than the 9th best in that category. I’m starting to sell myself on him, but I just have a hard time seeing him consistently getting 30+ minutes. If the trade deadline passes without the Nuggets adding a shooting guard, he should be a nice utility player for the rest of the season.

Marcus Camby … there’s not much to say about Marcus Camby. He’s had just about every minor injury possible this year, but he’s avoided the serious back problems that made him a perennial most hated fantasy player. When he plays, there are only a handful of players who can help you more in rebounds and blocks. He’s avoided a major injury for one and a half seasons now. I’m not going to pretend to be Will Carroll and know if that means anything, but it seems like you can count on him for 75% of the games from here on out. We’ll see.

As for ‘Melo … I’ve never been a fan, but I didn’t expect his season to be this much of a disaster. He’s missed only 7 games to injury, but he still finds himself at #105 on the Player Rater. That’s not what you want from what was probably your third or fourth round pick. Here’s his problem, which is pretty simple: he’s a player whose value comes from his scoring. As a general rule, players whose strongest category is points are overrated, and the hype machine on ‘Melo obviously didn’t help. But while his scoring isn’t down much this year, his 40% shooting and lack of an outside game make him a middling fantasy player. He’d seem a logical buy-low candidate, but his hype still makes him overvalued. The team who drafted him in the 4th round in my league is in 9th place. That sounds about right. Until he shows another skill besides averaging one point for every shot he takes, he’s not someone to have on your team.

Horrible break for Nene owners who were holding on to him waiting for the inevitable Camby breakdown. He probably wasn’t in lineups the game Camby got hurt, when Nene went for 17/8/4. He probably was in there the next game when he himself went down. He’ll be out for at least five games with a sprained MCL, and that doesn’t sound good. Put him on IL, of course, but it’s starting to look like he won’t get an extended chance to show what he can do this year, which is a shame. Let’s hope he gets dealt somewhere he can start. Check out his numbers in 9 games as a starter this year: 15.9/7.8/2.8 with 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks on … 62% shooting!

A big change at the top, and some familiar faces coming back from dead…

Tier One

1. LeBron James, SF – There, I said it. We’ll discuss KG in a sec, but LBJ has every right to be number one here. He’s 7th in the league in points, 2nd in steals, 4th in assists, plus he gives you 3’s, blocks, and boards. You’d like to see a nicer FT%, but whatever.

2. Kevin Garnett, F – I blame this entirely on the tag team of Sprewell and Cassell, whose poor attitudes have killed the T-wolves this year. But KG’s February has seen him fall off in nearly every category, and with a sore knee it’s going to be interesting to see how much Mr. Reliable is going to play, particularly if they fall out of playoff contention.

3. Dirk Nowitzki, FC – Perhaps the biggest story no one is talking about is Nowitzki, who despite losing Steve Nash, having year-long turmoil at the PG spot, and dealing with an aging Mike Finley, Dirk has led the Mavs to a 33-16 record. He’s putting up career highs in points (26.9), blocks (1.5), and assists (3.1) in the process.

4. Shawn Marion, SF – Really, the stats say that he should beat out Nowitzki for the 3rd spot. But between Dirk’s center eligibility and the acquisition of Jim Jackson and Walter McCarty to cut into Marion’s minutes, we’ll put him 4th. Still the most complete player in the game, though.

5. Kobe Bryant, SG – When the going gets tough … well, you know. These next 2 months will be where Kobe has to prove he can do it without the Diesel. He has all the motivation he needs with his team clinging to a playoff spot, and if there’s one guy with a chance to average 35 points in the next couple months, it’s Kobe.

6. Tim Duncan, FC – Did you see those 9 assists he got the other night against the Nets? Ridiculous. With the new ‘small ball’ strategy in San Antonio, he might be in line for even more nights like that.

7. Allen Iverson, G – He leads the league in scoring, is top 5 in assists, and 3rd in steals. It’s a shame that his team is so terrible, but that doesn’t matter in fantasy. He probably went in the 2nd or 3rd round this year, and he’s been everything his owners could have possibly hoped for, and more.

8. Tracy McGrady, SG – For some reason, in February, he’s completely forgotten how to shoot the ball, or steal it for that matter. But his assists (7.5) have taken a nice bump.

Tier Two

9. Jason Kidd, PG – He’s baaaaack. Plus, as the clear #2 scorer on the Nets, he’s taking (and making) more 3’s than ever before. I mean, if someone told you in September that come February, Kidd would be playing great ball for the Nets, and teaming up with Vince Carter to lead them in a push for the playoffs, well, you’d have called them crazy.

10. Vince Carter, GF – Unbelievable. If I’m a Toronto fan, this guy is the devil. Can you believe that all the Nets gave up was Zo (waived) Eric Williams (demanding a trade, not playing) and some other junk for VC? Steal of the century. Almost 30 points, 2.1 3’s, over 5 boards and assists, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks on 48% shooting over the last month makes him a Top-10 player right now, for sure.

11. Gilbert Arenas, PG – OK, I waited as long as I could. Since Larry Hughes went down with a busted thumb last month, Gil has been on fire, and his last months stats (29.1/ 4.1/5.9, 2.8 3’s, 2.3 steals) are amazing. The only reason he isn’t at 6 or 7 is because Hughes will be back right after the All-Star Break, and his stats will suffer because of it.

12. Andrei Kirilenko – Since his return to the starting lineup, his steals, 3’s and boards have all been below last year’s levels, and his blocks (2.4) have fallen from his absurd pre-injury numbers (4.4) as well. Plus he hurt himself last night and may miss a game or two.

Tier Three

13. Steve Nash, PG – This is where things get murky, but since I’ve been championing Steve Nash for MVP since November, he’ll get lucky number 13 on the list. His assists are incredible, yes, but how about shooting over 50% as a PG?

14. Amare Stoudemire, FC – He just keeps getting better – averaging 11.7 boards in his last 7 games.

15. Elton Brand, PF - He got left off the list last time, but he’s averaging 2.7 bpg since the new year, which was my main beef with him last time. Plus his scoring and rebounding is up over the last month and a half, too.

16. Brad Miller, C – The more time his teammates miss, the more he’s gonna rack up the stats. His value may be a little over-inflated at this point, but not by much.

17. Chris Webber, PF – Fine. FINE. He may be getting almost a triple-double every night he plays, but I still don’t like the injury risk, and he’s posting a career low in blocks. Yes I traded him a month ago, no I’m not bitter.

18. Quentin Richardson, SF – Yeah, I’m putting 4 Suns in the top 20. But you know what? Q’s 3.1 3pg is absolutely dominant, plus he helps in boards, steals, and FT%.

19. Peja Stojakovic, SF – I don’t like these injuries that keep coming up, but Peja, when he plays, is awesome from the line, hits 3’s regularly, and scores almost 20 ppg. A disappointing season, though, for Peja and his owners.

20. Dewayne Wade, PG – On the player rater, he’s a plus in every category except 3’s and boards. If he ever expands his range, he’s a top-10 player.

Time for our weekly journey around the league looking at the position most important to fantasy players everywhere.

A very low-scoring week for Gary Payton, as he averaged only 9.5 ppg in four contests. He’s still a fine second PG. You think Allen Iverson will win player of the week honors? I mean, he only averaged 42.7/5.0/8.0 with 3 steals and 1.7 3s. Call it a hunch, but those owners who snagged Jason Kidd in the 6th or 7th round and stashed him away for the first few months are probably rocketing toward the top of your league’s standings. The Rafer Alston situation seems to be under control for the time being, as he averaged 14.3/3.7/7.7 in (most importantly) 39.3 mpg since the latest incident. Milt Palacio saw just 49 total minutes in the last three, so let him go … for now. Thanks to two overtime games, Stephon Marbury averaged 44.3 mpg this week. He’s never quite dominant, but his durability and consistency from the PG position are quite valuable. Still, I’d like him a whole lot better as my team’s second best player.

Chauncey Billups has averaged 34.9 mpg in the eight games that Carlos Arroyo has played for the Pistons. He’s averaging 37.4 in non-Arroyo games. Not much of a change, but maybe something to keep in mind. Even with Ira Newble still out, the Cavs are going with a LeBron/Jeff McInnis/Sasha Pavlovic trio, leaving Eric Snow irrelevant. More assists for LBJ. You take progress wherever you can get it – Kirk Hinrich’s 41% shooting last week was his best in almost a month. Still, he’s registered 6 or fewer assists in 7 of his last 8 games. Chris Duhon continues to teeter on the brink of usefulness. His 4-3s game against the Mavs made his numbers almost respectable for the week: 9.0/3.3/4.7 with 2 3s. That’s still not doing too much for you. I told you not to expect Jamaal Tinsley back. He’s got a real chance to play 30 effective games after the all-star break, but this is two years in a row now with missing lots of games. That qualifies as a trend. Be extremely cautious next year. Anthony Johnson is basically putting up Duhon numbers in Tinsley’s absence. You can probably do better. It was somewhat disappointing to see Mike James get only 27 minutes even with Michael Redd out on Saturday, but his 18 points, 6 assists and 3 3s were very nice. The guy is #59 on the 15-Day Rater and has just one game of more than 27 minutes in that span. That’s rather amazing. Because he’s coming off the bench he’s still a risky play, but it’s hard not to put him in there right now when things are going so well.

Remember how I said it was risky to take Damon Jones out of your lineup because he could go on a 3s binge at anytime? Does 15 in three games count? It’s his best stretch since December, and hopefully he can make it last. Gilbert Arenas was actually held under 30 in two of the last three games. But he’s averaging 2.6 spg so far in February, which is downright awesome. Depending on how he plays when Larry Hughes comes back, he might be a late-first round pick next year, sneaking ahead of Marbury and … Steve Francis responded to his all-star “snub” with a great week. He was especially aggressive, getting to the line 37 times in the last three games. Jason Hart alert! My favorite temporary PG solution might have a couple of good games in him this week if Brevin Knight’s ankle keeps him out until the break. It’s been well-documented what he can do with PT – in 33 minutes last night he went for 17/2/4 with 3 3s and a steal. Of his 19 3s on the season, 7 have come in the last four games, just another reason to get him in there. Tony Delk is too hot and cold to count on. People who put him in after back-to-back 25-point outings were given a 1-for-10 stinker on Saturday. Only for the truly desperate.

Tony Parker’s breakout season continues with 20+ points in five straight. He’s even averaged 2 3pg and 2.3 spg in his last four, but is still at 0.6 3pg and 1.2 spg for the season. Until he gets those numbers up, he still won’t be more than a #2 PG for winning fantasy teams. Jason Terry seems to have survived Don Nelson’s return, averaging 21/1/6 with 2.5 3s and 1.5 steals in 36 minutes in the past two. That’s very good. I’d rather have Terry than Parker from here on out. Bob Sura keeps rolling on. Even with only 4 points yesterday, he still chipped in 12 boards and 8 assists. He’s also a fun player to watch. Jason Williams, who has one of the funnier pictures for his Yahoo page, missed yesterday’s game and probably will sit out the last game before the break. Obviously, this makes Earl Watson a great pickup for at least one game. The break should let J-Will heal, but you never know. Watson had only 3 assists yesterday, but chipped in 16 points, a 3, a steal and 2 blocks. He’s 13.0/2.7/6.9 with 1.8 steals and 1.1 3s as a starter this year, so you know what to expect. The Dan Dickau show continues, as he pumped in a whopping 7 3s last night. Good stuff. Most impressive is his 49% shooting in 7 February games. As if to further taunt his owners, Baron Davis was activated from the IL but won’t play until after the break, making it near impossible for his owners to make roster moves. With Dickau, J.R. Smith, Casey Jacobsen and Bostjan Nachbar all playing pretty well to very well, the PT crunch when Baron comes back will be interesting. A situation where everyone gets 25-30 minutes would be horrific.

Antonio Daniels has started to assert himself in Seattle and take some of Luke Ridnour’s PT. Only 29 mpg for Ridnour in the last three, while Daniels has seen 28 and has done more with it, to the tune of 17.3 ppg. Not much help elsewhere, but anyone who saw the Thursday night game against Sacramento knows that Daniels is just as much of an option at the end of the game as Ray Allen or Rashard Lewis. Ridnour owners should be concerned, if not worried. The T’Wolves are such a ridiculous mess. It was good to see Troy Hudson in the starting lineup instead of Anthony Carter in Kevin McHale’s first game behind the bench, but he was only good for 9/1/7 with a three in 34 minutes. If he gets that much time in the next two games, he’ll be better. I’m still holding out hope for a productive final third from Sam Cassell, whenever he comes back. The insertion of Earl Boykins into Denver’s starting lineup is bad news for Andre Miller. Expect his effect on Miller’s assist totals to be similar to what Duhon is doing to Hinrich. Boykins has 10 assists in the past two games; Miller has 9. Like I’ve been saying, don’t expect Damon Stoudamire’s production to drop from its current levels as long as he’s in Portland. The guy is awesome. Raul Lopez had a very nice game Friday with 14/6/9, 4 steals and 2 3s. Still, you know my feelings on the Jazz backcourt.

It will be interesting to see how Steve Nash holds up in the final third of the season. He’s been better than ever so far in February, but has a history of tailing off. The Suns will probably be fighting the Spurs for home-court advantage, so Nash might not be able to rest too much. Mike Bibby is an all-star. That’s a fact. Get used to it, Chucky Atkins owners. In Kobe Bryant’s first game back, Chucky still saw 40 minutes, and still chucked 6 3s, but had just 11 points and 4 assists, as Kobe took a team-high 22 shots and dished a team-high 6 assists. Might we be on the verge of the Shaun Livingston era? With Marko Jaric’s feet giving him problems, and Rick Brunson being Rick Brunson, the Clips may as well see throw Livingston out there. Brunson got the start yesterday and will probably continue to do so, but Livingston scored 10 with 9 assists in 26 minutes off the bench. Don’t get carried away, though. He’s attempted only two 3s this season, so he won’t help there, and his FG% is unlikely to be higher than it’s current 42% mark. He’s a good one to keep on your bench if you have the room, but I’m not expecting anything great … this year. Speedy Claxton and Derek Fisher owners sure aren’t wishing Troy Murphy a quick recovery. In the four games that they have both been in the starting lineup, Claxton has gone for 14.5/3.3/6.8 with 1.8 steals in 36.3 mpg, while Fisher has been even better, with 22.3/4.8/3.5 with 2.8 3s and 1.5 steals in 41.5 mpg. Just huge numbers, getting him to #31 on the 15 Day Rater. He’s never produced like this in his career and is a logical sell-high candidate. Don’t be afraid to pull the trigger.

Can We Just Go Home Already?

Take my 8th playoff spot in the Western Conference – please! Even the return of Kobe Bryant didn’t help the Lakers yesterday against Cleveland, but they still hold the 8th spot for now. Directly behind them are the Timberwolves, who are determined to lose regardless of who’s coaching, and the Clippers, who’s starting center may or may not be about eight stories tall and a crustacean from the plethazoic era. Tied with the Clippers are the Nuggets, who may have lost a huge trading chip in Nene yesterday depending on the severity of his knee injury, and still within 5 games are the Trail Blazers, who are … well … the Trail Blazers.\

So why are we talking about this stupid “regular basketball” stuff? After all, this is a fantasy basketblog. Well, because how these teams are doing in the standings can have a pretty significant effect on how they handle their rosters and minutes. For example:

Minnesota - The further the Timberwolves fall from contention, the closer they are to trading Latrell Sprewell, whose expiring contract may have more value than his basketball skills right now. In a true ‘increase his trade value’ move, VP/new coach Kevin McHale featured Sprewell in yesterday’s loss to the Bulls, playing him 44 minutes, and having him lead the team in shots, with 25. Sprewell, remember, is also playing for a nice contract in the offseason. It didn’t hurt that Wally Szczerbiak was out with the flu, but nonetheless Sprewell could be a great short-term pickup against the Nets and Cavs this week.

Denver – Remember when the Nuggets had too many big men, and Marcus Camby, Kenyon Martin and Nene all had to fight for playing time? Ah, those were the days. Of course, yesterday Camby didn’t play because, well, he’s Camby, and Nene hurt his knee bad enough that he’s going back to Denver in the midst of a 4-game road trip to have it “examined,” which is never a good thing. So now, Kenyon Martin is the “featured” big man for the foreseeable future, and is a great buy right now. Unfortunately, Camby’s on again/off again status makes all the backup bigs – Elson, Tskitishvili, etc. – too risky to even consider picking up. The other thing that Nene’s injury does is pretty much put to rest the rumored Redd-for-Nene swap with the Bucks.

Portland – While it may look like things are going terribly in Portland, really, things couldn’t be going better. With Nick Van Exel looking at retirement after this year, he’s going to be great trade fodder at the deadline next week for a team looking for instant scoring off the bench (San Antonio? A return to the Lakers?). Meanwhile, Damon Stoudamire – a free agent after the season – is putting up his best numbers since he was a Toronto Raptor in the first few years of his career. Since becoming a starter again in mid-January, Stoudamire has gone off for 25 points, 6 assists, 4 boards, 4 3pt, and 1.2 steals. He might be playing for a new contract, but come March he may be playing for a new team, as well, as he hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the Portland staff. Should both of these guys be traded next week – which is, admittedly, unlikely – Sebastian Telfair should get a long look over the last third of the season, which should give him enough value to be worth starting on your fantasy team. If you’ve got an extra roster spot available, you may want to pick him up now before he becomes the hot pick-up.

Back With A Vengeance

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, Stephen Jackson has come back from his 25-game suspension and is playing extremely well right now. Over the last week, his 22 points, 2.5 3’s, 7.3 boards and 94% FT% has his owners thrilled. With a fading Reggie Miller, a constantly banged-up Jamaal Tinsley, and no Ron Artest, this might be a nice buy-fake-high opportunity for those of you in need of a swingman.

As the NBA season moves to the All-Star break, there are a few teams playing as many as 4 games over the next 6 nights in a final sprint to the just-over-halfway point. With this final flurry of activity, hopefully some cloudy situations will clear up. For example, these two:

Meet the Nets, Greet the Nets
With four games against Western Conference teams before the break, the New Jersey Nets could either end the half on a really high or really low note. Jason Kidd and Vince Carter have been playing out of their minds, and at this point I’ll admit that I have no idea what to expect from either of them over the next few months. But other than their 2 big stars, the Nets have no one who’s really standing out as a strong third option for the offense. Remember, Kidd is the best PG in the league when it comes to sharing the ball and getting teammates involved, so if anyone on this roster wants to step up and score 15 points a game, they’re more than welcome.

Our favorite for being that guy is Billy Thomas, a 29-year old Kansas product who’s never played in the NBA before, but recently got signed to play the rest of the year. He responded by jacking up 15 shots against the Lakers on Wednesday, including 9 three-point attempts. Of course, fantasy players love guys who shoot 3’s all day long. Should Ron Mercer return with any consistency from his knee surgery, he could also have a shot at being third fiddle. Jacque Vaughan, however, is probably not worth your time. He’s gotten the minutes for the past few games and been pretty ineffective, and should see his minutes cut as Thomas and Mercer gain the confidence of J-Kidd. Either way, the next few games for the Nets could be a sneak peak into what could happen post-break.

Marquis de Mavs
In Dallas, the one-two punch of Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley has been performing pretty much as expected all year long. After those two, however, it’s another mess similar to in Jersey, except most of these guys have OK value even if they’re not the clear number 3 option. But you would expect Donn Nelson – or Avery Johnson, whoever the coach of this team really is – to figure out a lineup he can count on for the stretch run. With Nelson/Johnson/Cuban favorite Marquis Daniels out another 2 weeks after an appendectomy, Jason Terry, Erick Dampier, Jerry Stackhouse, and Josh Howard should be seeing more of the ball on offense in an audition for 3rd scorer for the stretch run.

While Dampier has been on fire lately, at least from a rebounding standpoint, Jason Terry has been the most consistent third option for the Mavs over the past month and a half. Now that Stackhouse is hurting and missing a little time, Terry stepped up over the last 2 games with 20 points, 8.5 assists, 3.5 3’s, and 1.5 steals. If Terry can cement himself in that 15-18 points per night role, he should have outstanding value after the break. Daniels, meanwhile, will probably end up taking most of his minutes from Howard and Stackhouse, and will probably end up making all three of them useless.

Game of the Week(end)
Sacramento Kings at Boston Celtics, Sunday, 6pm EST
Don’t look now. In fact, it’s better if you don’t look at all. Just ignore this whole paragraph, because the person I’m going to mention could single-handedly kill your fantasy team. Ready? OK: There’s been a Mark Blount sighting. Hey, I warned you. But he scored 17 points on Wednesday against the Clippers, and has averaged 11 and 5 so far in February. It might be worth watching this game just to remind yourself that he’s not worth owning.

On the other side of the court, we have the rotating starting lineup of the Kings. Between Webber, Mobley, Miller, and Stojakovic, the only player who hasn’t missed time lately due to injury or suspension is Mike Bibby, who has stepped up big time in the absence of other starters. Even with last night’s hollow 16-point effort, Bibby has rung up 27 points, 7 assists, 5.4 boards, 2 3PM and 1.4 steals over his last five. However, at this point it looks like all 5 starters should be playing this time for the Kings, so you’ll get a feel for how they want to run the offense when they’ve got everyone playing.

Sort of in the same vein as my cohort’s post earlier this morning, I’d like to introduce a new feature to FBB: Please Please Play Me. It’s pretty self-explanatory – basically a weekly look at guys I’d like to see get more playing time, because I think they’d do good things with it. I won’t be picking people that are too outlandish, it will mostly be guys who are on the verge of being fantasy relevant, but just need that extra bit of love from their head coach. I mean, I’d like to see what Dorrell Wright can do, but I don’t expect the Heat to give him that chance this season. OK then, here we go, I bet you’ll never guess who heads up the initial list…

Mike James
YTD: 24.7 mpg, 11.3/2.7/3.8, 0.9 steals, 1.2 3s, 45%
Last 5: 27.6 mpg, 16.0/2.6/3.6, 0.8 steals, 2.2 3s, 52%
At this point I picture Mike James like Homer in the Flaming Moe’s episode of The Simpsons. Wandering the Bradley Center mumbling, “Mo … Mo … Mo.” What does he have to do to crack the starting lineup? But the tide might be turning. In the last three games, James has totaled 91 minutes; his backcourt nemesis, Mo Williams, has totaled just 69. In the last two games – both Bucks victories – the team has scored a whopping 231 points. James has been the one out there in the fourth quarter, and he made some big shots against the Raptors. In the lowly East, the Bucks are only 3.5 games out of a playoff spot, and it might be time for James to take the reigns and see if the Bucks can start simply outscoring their opponents. He’d be a great 3rd PG/Utility player if he can get those minutes.

Mike Sweetney
YTD: 17.3 mpg, 7.5/4.7/0.6, 0.6 blocks, 53%
Last 5: 19.8 mpg, 7.2/5.2/0.6, 0.4 blocks, 52%
I won’t speak for BV, but I’m not the biggest Nazr Mohammed fan. He was impressive early in the season, but check out his monthly splits and you’ll see a steady decline month by month. Now he’s got a bit of a groin strain, although it’s unclear if he’ll miss any time. I say sit him out for a few games, slide Kurt Thomas into the center slot, and give Sweetney minutes at PF. The next couple games are against Boston and Charlotte, whose big men, Mark Blount and Primo Brezec, aren’t exactly the most intimidating big men in the NBA. Thomas could match up with them. Sweetney has had four games this year in which he’s received 30+ minutes. His numbers in those games? 15.3/8.5/1.8 with 1.8 blocks on 50% shooting. I like those numbers. Don’t forget that the former Hoya was the 9th overall pick two years ago, and I’d like to see him get his chance to make an impression.

Jameer Nelson
YTD: 13.2 mpg, 5.8/1.7/2.2, 0.8 steals, 0.3 3s, 44%
Last 5: 14.6 mpg, 7.4/3.2/2.0, 1.0 steals, 0.6 3s, 47%
Remember all the talk about the Magic getting such a steal with Nelson as the 20th overall pick, since he was so NBA ready? Well, he’s not getting much of an opportunity with the Magic. But he’s another guy who’s done nothing but produce when given the chance, like his 12-point, 7-steal performance on Jan. 22 or his 19-point, 6-assist, 3-steal, 3-3s performance on Jan. 10. Jameer is 10th in the NBA in steals per minute, so if he got time, he’d obviously be an asset there. Admittedly there’s not a lot of room for him, but I wouldn’t be upset if the disappointing Doug Christie started to see his time reduced in favor of the rook. But with the Magic in the thick of the playoff race, it seems unlikely that this will happen. It will probably take the not-so-inevitable-anymore Grant Hill injury to even get him near 20 minutes.

Chris Andersen
YTD: 20.1 mpg, 6.9/5.4/0.9, 1.4 blocks, 51%
Last 5: 18.4 mpg, 6.0/4.0/1.6, 2.0 blocks, 42%
It’s surprising that Andersen hasn’t gotten more of an opportunity in Jamaal Magloire’s extended absence. P.J. Brown is always solid, but certainly isn’t a true center, and you’d think the team would like to give the 26 year old Andersen a chance instead of going with a starting frontcourt of George Lynch and Rodney Rogers along with P.J. Fantasy owners are aware of Andersen because of his blocks (12th in the league per 48), and if he could get 30 minutes, he’d be a must add. Look at his YTD numbers and then look at these: 23.6 mpg, 6.8/6.9/0.5, 1.7 blocks, 52%. Basically the same thing, right? That’s Samuel Dalembert. The Hornets don’t have much of an excuse for not seeing what they have in Andersen, but if he hasn’t gotten the chance by now, it’s hard to see it happening.

Chris Wilcox
YTD: 22.8 mpg, 9.8/5.0/0.8, 0.5 steals, 0.6 blocks, 52%
Last 5: DNP-CD
Hey, I gotta look out for a former Terp, because it’s obvious that nobody else is. In 30 mpg all the way back in November, Wilcox averaged 13.7/6.8/1.3 with 0.7 steals and blocks on 53% shooting. Not bad, right? I know he’s prone to some bone-headed plays on defense, but his +/- is better than Chris Kaman’s. In the 19 games Wilcox has started, the Clippers are 11-8; in the 30 he hasn’t started, they are 12-18. I’m not saying he’s the reason, and I’m not saying he should replace Kaman, who’s been playing good ball and is fun to watch, but he doesn’t need to be ignored like he has been since coming back from his injury.

Sometimes it’s tough to look at the box scores and the morning and realize that there are a few things that you wish would happen EVERY TIME YOU READ THEM. Frustrating rotations, or some stupid little things that kill certain players’ value. So I’d like to go over a couple of things that, really, every fantasy player should hope for.

1. For the Blazers to clear up their front court mess.
This one is easy. Between Ruben Patterson, Zach Randolph, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Darius Miles, and Theo Ratliff, there are 5 guys who, given 30-35 minutes a game, have fantasy value. Thanks to some injuries, each one has had value at some point this season. But now Randolph is back, Reef will be back soon enough … and everything will go back to the way it was. It seems like one of them is always on the trading block, but nothing has happened yet.

2. For Sam Mitchell to be fired as the coach of the Raptors.
One of the unspoken creeds in the NBA is that any time that a player is arguing with a coach, the organization has to side with the coach – unless the player is a huge star. But that’s not the case with Rafer Alston, who’s certainly a good player, but no superstar. Some of GM Rob Babcock’s comments give us some good reason to think Mitchell could be out the door, like: “Sam will have to find a better way to deal with Rafer, he has to learn a better way.” With Mitchell out the door, we might finally see some consistency from Alston. However, Rafer’s not the only one struggling under Mitchell.

Chris Bosh is having a breakout year, but for some reason only played 23 minutes against the Cavs on Tuesday. Donyell Marshall, who at times can be a top-20 fantasy player due to his versatility, has been dreadfully inconsistent. Eric Williams, who had modest value on the Nets earlier in the year, now is lucky to even get on the court for the struggling Raptors. Needless to say, there aren’t many fantasy players that want Mitchell around. Or NBA players, for that matter.

3. For the Bulls to stop playing Othella Harrington, Chris Duhon and Andres Nocioni so damn much.
OK, so I understand that this is a young team, and you’ve got to figure out what’s working and what’s not and all that good stuff. But here’s a telling stat for you: in the Bulls’ 23 wins, Eddy Curry has averaged 30.3 minutes per game. In their 23 losses? He’s averaged just 23.8. Playing Othella Harrington (and Antonio Davis when he’s healthy) is NOT helping. Plus, if this is a “young, delevoping” team, then play your young, developing players!

Meanwhile, Chris Duhon’s main goal in life, I’m convinced, is to take assists away from Kirk Hinrich, which he does to the tune of over 4.5 per game, while hardly scoring at all or contributing in any other way. Hinrich’s minutes are fine, but his assist numbers are pretty much where they were last year. He’s capable of better.

Finally, all you need to know about Andres Nocioni can be found at this absurdly complex website: 82games.com. What you might notice on the Bulls’ page is that Nocioni’s presence on the court is pretty awful. His being on the court costs the Bulls over 15 points every 100 possesions. Playing Luol Deng more regularly, Scott Skiles, is not such a bad idea.

4. More Teams in the Playoff Hunt.
The more teams that are in the hunt for the playoffs, the better. No one likes to see a player stop performing just because the playoffs are out of reach. That’s a pretty cheap way to go about winning a league – although, a win IS a win. Either way, the important thing is that as many teams as possible believe they have a reasonable shot at the playoffs for as long as possible. Right now in the East, I’d say that only 10 teams have a decent shot at the playoffs, and in the West, it may be 11 teams. That’s not too great an amount. In fact, next week, we’re going to look at some of the teams who are out of the hunt, and what that may mean for their players.

So there you have it. A fantasy player can dream, can’t he?