Before we get started, I’m not going to sit here and pretend that my eyes will be focused solely on basketball this weekend. My Washington Redskins are returning to the playoffs for the first time in a bazillion years, so my attention will not be on the NBA all weekend long. Let’s go Redskins.
Also, we have received some calls recently for another mailbag – so if you’ve got some questions, fire away at fantasybasketblogATgmail.com. We’ll try and sort through the fun next week.
Okay then! On with the preview. All season we’d been amazed at how well Chris Webber had been playing. But an injury was bound to happen, and last night it did. He missed a game with a sore back, and apparently it had been hurting him for awhile. He’s also dealing with a sore wrist, and if there’s anybody who can be counted on to miss some time, it’s Webber. I don’t need to go through his injury history, but needless to say, he’s not going to play 80 games this year.
On top of Webber being Webber, Allen Iverson left Wednesday’s game against the Suns with a bum ankle and is a question mark going in to Friday’s game against the Lakers. It’s the only game the Sixers play all weekend, but if both Webber and AI are out, that’s 52.9 ppg sitting on the bench for Philly, and it’s going to be a great chance to see some role players showcase what they can do. Now I’m not saying that any of these players are going to have any real value going forward, but it’s always fun to see some guys take the lead that you don’t often see handling the rock much, and should Webber or AI miss significant time, these guys could all be worth considering:
Shavlik Randolph, PF – Randolph, an undrafted rookie out of Duke (yeah, I thought all Duke players got drafted, too), has shown a terrific knack for grabbing rebounds. Over 40 minutes, he grabs almost 13 rebounds, while chipping in almost 12 points, 1.6 steals and .8 blocks. Given the minutes, he could be – at worst – a Reggie Evans clone.
John Salmons, G/F – Salmons is in his fourth year with the Sixers and has found a nice niche as an off-the-bench slasher. He’s a poor shooter, but given starter’s minutes he’s capable of being a doesn’t-hurt-your team kind of player, contributing in points, boards, assists, steals, and threes.
Lee Nailon, F – Nailon has been on seven different teams in his six years in the league, and will really only help you in points and FG%. He peaked out last year in New Orleans at 14.2/4.4 in 30 minutes. I’d have to see him do something pretty special to consider picking him up at any point in the future.
Again, we’re not recommending that you pick these guys up, or even put them on the radar screen. This is more for your long-term benefit, so that if, say, Shavlik Randolph is in line for some major minutes later this year or even next year, you’ll know how to value him.
Game of the Week(end)
Utah Jazz at Detroit Pistons, Sat. 1/7, 7:30PM EST
After all the talk regarding defensive stats on Wednesday, how about a game that features three of the biggest contributors to defensive stats in the league? The rejuvenated Andrei Kirilenko will be facing off against the defensive duo of Ben and Rasheed Wallace. All of these guys are averaging over 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals, so this will be a fun chance to watch all of them on the court at the same time. Meanwhile, the Utah PG position – which DM talked about on Monday – is still in flux, with Keith McLeod as the new starter and rookie Deron Williams still struggling. With Jerry Sloan running things, you’ll never learn much from one game, but you’ll still get a peek at how each is performing in their new roles.