Here at FBB HQ, the topic of minutes comes up as much as any other statistic measured in the NBA. And now that the number of games played creeps into the 6 or 7 mark for most teams, this weekend we’re going to start to get a better idea of who’s going to be on the court and for how long. Here are a couple of guys that we’re going to be watching:
Ricky Davis (Fri v. SA, Sun. v. Hou)
Sure the 2 OT games have helped inflate his minutes so far, but don’t think we haven’t noticed Ricky’s robust 44 mpg, a league-high. All that time on the court has led to great fantasy value for Davis, and if he continues to see at least 35 mpg, his stats may return to where they were during his glory days with the Cavaliers.
Marvin Williams (Sat. v. Mem)
Sure the numbers aren’t particularly good, but look at the mpg for rookies this year, and there’s Marvin Williams coming in third with a respectable 28. That’s actually a very encouraging number, considering how unproductive he’s been on the court, but he looks like he’ll eventually be able to do the things that fantasy players love – shoot threes, get steals and make blocks. It’s far too early to rule out an Iguodala-like rookie year for Williams, depending on how the minutes shake out in Atlanta.
Udonis Haslem (Sat v. Cha)
After the hectic offseason in Miami, Haslem was largely an afterthought in many drafts this year. But with Shaq out, Haslem has re-established himself in the Heat lineup, seeing minutes right in line with what he got last year. He had a rough game last night at home against Houston, dealing with foul trouble, but the next week or so will have a huge impact on his fantasy value for the rest of the season as he proves his worth to Stan Van Gundy.
Where are the shake-ups going to come from?
This weekend is going to determine which teams are going to enter panic mode as the slide farther and farther down in the standings – both in fantasy and reality. Both of these can have serious impact on your fantasy teams. Real-life teams that are struggling are going to tinker with their lineups and start giving more minutes to bench players (teams to watch include Toronto and Seattle).
Meanwhile, only about 10 days into the season, some of the teams at the bottom of the standings in your league may start to panic. Now – while they’re still paying attention – is the time to strike with some trade offers to try and improve your team. Even if you can’t pull the strings on a nice trade, be sure to scour the waiver wires extra carefully this weekend as panic mode sets in and some slumping-yet-serviceable players hit the wires.
Game of the Week(end)
New York Knicks at Sacramento Kings (Sun. 9 PM)
Each team plays tonight as well, but both of them absolutely have to come out of the weekend with at least one win. Without it, the Knicks would be 0-6 and Larry Brown might quit on the spot. I kid, of course, but fantasy owners with Knicks on their roster have to be watching this team very closely to see how the PT shakes out. As for the Kings, a winless weekend would put them at 1-6, and the trade rumors will start flying – and that’s always exciting.