Merry Christmas Christian Nation! The NBA’s gift to you this Holiday season: All teams will be playing at least three or four games this week. Here’s a look at 12/25-12/31:
Four games: Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle, Washington.
Three Games: Atlanta, Cleveland, Golden State, Indiana, New York, Orlando, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto, Utah.
Last week we discussed the emergence of the Celtics’ new starting center Al Jefferson. Yesterday we learned that Boston’s main man Paul Pierce will miss 2-3 weeks with an injury. Rarely, does an injury to just one player affect (benefit) as many players as this one. We know that Jefferson and Tony Allen have been stepping it up in the absence of starters Wally and Perkins, but now the C’s leader in minutes (38.4), points (26.6), assists (4.3), and threes (2.5) is out and all his numbers are there for the taking. Now the question is who wants them? DM recommended picking up Ryan Gomes yesterday (not a bad idea), but I think last year’s surprise Delonte West will be the one to benefit most during Pierce’s absence. The Washington DC native has been sporadic so far this season with inconsistent minutes backing up a disappointing Sebastian Telfair, but he has seen a recent uptick in playing time even before Pierce got hurt. West should now be in line for 30-35 minutes a night. Keep in mind he’s got sneaky value as an across-the-board contributor from the guard position.
The thing that’s nice about Pierce missing time (except for his owners of course) is that it increases the value of just about everyone on the team. Jefferson and Allen should continue to surge, Gomes and West are sure to pick it up, and even youngster Gerald Green has an opportunity to shine (especially from long range) if he gets hot and earns some playing time. All of the aforementioned players should be worth starting as the Celtics look forward to four games next week. I must admit I own and plan on using most of them (Jefferson, Allen, West, Telfair) over the next couple weeks.
Plug ‘em in, Plug ‘em in:
Brendan Haywood, C: I’m not very comfortable recommending Haywood, not ever. But, you could do worse this week if you’re looking for a second center. The Wizards’ big man is averaging 8/11/2 with 2 blocks and 65%FG over his last five games. He’s definitely inconsistent, but he’s getting minutes and has a full schedule on tap, so why not.
Other centers for your consideration:
Mark Blount: His minutes are up this month (31.8) and he’s averaging 16/9/1 over the last 10 days. He may not be quite as ugly as Calvin Booth, but the T-Wolves have four matchups this week.
Erick Dampier: Big game the other night (22 and 16). He should chip in a bit more with Dirk missing a couple games. Decent option with four games coming up.
Speedy Claxton, PG: Over the first six weeks of the season, the Hawks’ prized offseason acquisition failed to top 9 points or 5 assists in any single game. I subsequently dropped him. Tyronn Lue goes down, Mr. Claxton sees 40 minutes per game this past week and averages 14/3/10 with 3.7 spg. Damn. I shoulda dropped Bassy instead. Marvin Williams is back in action and Childress is due back any day now, so Claxton should have plenty of options going forward. If he can stay healthy and maintain 30+ mpg, Speedy will remain in fantasy lineups for the foreseeable future.
Keep on Truckin’:
Luther Head, G: The dude averages 17/5/4 with 2.8 threes and 1.4 steals per game as a starter. He’s even hitting a solid 45% of his shots when in the starting lineup. Yes, he’s great when McGrady is out, but if he keeps it up, Head may be able to earn enough playing time to remain a decent utility player for the rest of the season.
Damien Wilkins, G/F: Just when Ray Allen is due back, the Sonics’ #2 scoring threat Rashard Lewis goes and hurts his shooting hand. Wilkins is averaging 13/4/3 and a nifty 2 steals in 34 mpg filling-in for Allen and should continue to see plenty of time on the court with Lewis now sidelined. Keep him in your lineups at least through New Year’s.