Drop:

Fred Jones or Hedo or Kendrick Perkins

for

Jose Garbajosa or Marvin Williams or Smush Parker

thanks a lot

If you’re OK in rebounding, I like the move. As has been noted here numerous times, Battier is an underappreciated player who’ll give you a smattering of steals, blocks, 3s, boards and good %.

Ray:

I don’t think anyone here is “going overboard on Biedrins.” Look, we all know it’s way too early to anoint him the second coming of Bill Russell or even think about giving up 2nd/3rd round value for him at this point.

Here are the facts, as I see them. The kid is barely 20 years old and has already spent two full years in the NBA. Before this season, he rarely got minutes and was widely regarded as a talented project who was very raw and prone to foul trouble. At the start of this year, he still wasn’t on anyone’s radar. By week 3, however, he had established himself as the Warriors’ best center, albeit one with an underdeveloped offensive game, a penchant for fouling, and utterly hopeless at the line.

Well, in the few weeks since he began getting regular minutes, his scoring has increased (including a completely unexpected 31 pt outburst), his fouling has decreased enough for him to stay on the floor for 40+ mins, and his FT shooting has improved to the point where he can actually make one.

In short, the kid seems to be a quick study who has shown the ability to correct some of the flaws in his game and appears to be improving with each passing game. Maybe he hits a plateau or backslides a bit. Or, maybe he continues to get better. And if that winds up being the case, as Rich points out, then it’s not unrealistic to project him as a prospective 2nd/3rd rounder next year.

Anyways, right now I have a waiver claim filed for Shane Battier (giving up Chris Wilcox). Take a look at my roster:

LeBron James
Paul Pierce
Joe Johnson
Mike Bibby
Marcus Camby
Jameer Nelson
Chris Kaman
Darko Milicic
Andre Miller
Kevin Martin
Josh Howard
David West
Nenad Krstic
Deron Williams
Chris Wilcox / (Battier)

Right now I’m leaning towards Battier to drop. The only guard I would give up is Nelson, and even then I think he’ll play better than he has done so far. Krstic, I think, will continue to do what he is done so far this year, and I think that Darko could legitimately break out if given 30 minutes a game, which is where his numbers have been creeping up lately. Wilcox only is strong in rebounding, and doesn’t help out much in anything else; plus, I do have some other pretty strong rebounders at other positions, such as Paul Pierce at G/F (9.0 rebs/game).

Would you pull the trigger on this? I think that Battier will end up in the top 60, Heck he’s #72 right now even with him not shooting well. My only concern is that Bonzi Wells may come in and eat up some of his time, which could be a factor (Unless Battier continues to play more time at the PF). Anyways, what do you guys think about this? The waiver goes through tonight I believe, and I have the next to last waiver claim so hopefully I’ll be able to grab him.

Thanks.

rick, i got something pretty close to your trade last week in steve nash/stephen jackson for my deron williams/kevin martin. going with the conventional wisdom of getting the best player in the deal i pulled the trigger, but am kind of regretting it right now. i still think you should do it though.

If Biedrins keeps this up.. it’s going to be very hard for me to not use a second or third round pick on him next year. If he keeps up his recent free throw shooting improvement, and I have a pick near the end of the first, I’m taking him. I see no reason why he wouldn’t completely dominate the league in rebounds, blocks, and FG% with natural improvement by age and experience, again assuming he maintains something close to his now ridiculous pace this season.

Brent Barry
Smush Parker

I am a big stickler for pct%s and i think barry would be better in the FT and FG% categories. Suggestions?

Thanks.

AK: I posted my AK rant on Thanksgiving and my feelings haven’t changed much since then, last night’s good game notwithstanding.

Kirilenko has jumped the shark and just about everyone who plays fantasy hoops knows it. Hell, If I could get 6th round value for him right now, I’d grab it. Problem is, no one in my league is willing to bite.

Forget the injury history. Even if he stays healthy he’s still the odd man out on this team. If you look at his game last night, you’ll see that he woke up after Williams went out with foul trouble early on and AK got to take on the point forward role. The crappy shooting I can live with (who drafts AK for his scoring prowess anyway?) but the dropoff in the other categories is what’s been so painful to watch. Seems that if AK ain’t in the flow of the offense, he kinda disappears elsewhere.

Boozer: I wouldn’t overpay. He’s traditionally been a fast starter who gradually tapers off as the season wears on. I think 20/9/2 is about right. Considering how little he gives you in blocks, it’s just not that unique. Plus his injury history isn’t all that much rosier than Kirilenko’s. Tread carefully.

Finally, how ’bout that Andris Biedrins? Dude was totally sick last night. If there was ever a game when I would have expected him to drop off, it would have been against Duncan and the Spurs. Not only did he drop 18/15/4 with 6 blocks, but he played Duncan to a virtual draw.

Hope not too many here went with last week’s sell recommendation. This kid is barely 20 years old and is literally improving nightly. Nellie loves him (gave him 42 mins last night) and he’s cemented himself as the Warriors’ starting center. I’d ride this bus as far as it goes…

I like deals where you’re getting the far-and-away best player, and that’s the case here. I’d pull the trigger and go hunting for another PG.