Injuries have led to plenty of very hot pickups in the past week. Let’s take a look at some of those players and see what we can expect from them in the short term and long term.
Josh Childress
Childress finally returned last night after missing just over a month with a broken left foot. It didn’t take him long to make an impact. First off, let’s ignore all the numbers but one – 35. As in, the number of minutes Childress played in his first game back. That’s the most important number of the night, as it shows that he can handle the PT and that Mike Woodson trusts him out there, which can’t necessarily be said about one of the guys he’s competing with, Marvin Williams. Will Mike Woodson be around much longer? That’s debatable. But with Josh Smith out for a month, Childress will have his opportunity to make an impact. I don’t like bench players, but at least in Childress’s case he’s been proven effective while coming off the bench. Childress didn’t start any of the season’s first seven games but still averaged 37 minutes per contest, so he will get his minutes. Even if he doesn’t get quite that many, he does what a bench player needs to do to have fantasy value – contribute strong percentages. Because bench players don’t get as many minutes to help with the counting stats, it’s important for them to help out wherever they can, and as a career 51/80 shooter, Childress does just that. His line tonight was about what you expect from him – 13 and 6 with a couple steals and blocks on 6-of-13 shooting. One more shot goes in and that’s 54% instead of 46%, and at least he attempted a couple of 3s even if he didn’t hit any. If you’ve seen me talk about players who help good fantasy teams more than they help bad ones, Childress is a good example of a player like that. He won’t help you make a big push in the standings, for but a team that’s near the top and needs someone solid to hold down a utility or bench slot, he’s a perfect choice.
Jannero Pargo
I was all ready to write about what a disappointment Pargo was in his first start of the season last night, since he was scoreless well into the second half. Then he caught fire during a Hornets come back attempt and finished with a very respectable 16/6/5 line, even though he didn’t add anything to it. Pargo came into last night’s game as one of the league’s most notorious gunners, averaging nearly 10 attempts per game in just 23 mpg, attempting shots at roughly the same rate as Kobe Bryant. So his 11 attempts in 35 minutes was far less than I was expecting, but I expect Pargo to be up his usual gunning ways when the Hornets host the Nuggets on Friday. And I think you’ll want to find room for him in your lineup for that one. It might take him 20 shots to get his 20 points, but he should be in store for a big game. Estimates have Paul out for two to four games, but it would be downright shocking if he’s back after missing just two contests and not at all surprising if he misses more than four. So Pargo might get an extended chance to prove himself. I consider him a much better option than Desmond Mason, who might score a couple more points, but really has very little else to add, save a few boards. Pargo is sort of a Chucky Atkins-type, but less of a playmaker, as he’ll go for stretches where nobody else will touch the ball and it’ll just be him alternating between driving for layups and launching 3s. The kind of guy fantasy players don’t mind having around.
Matt Barnes
What in the wide world of sports is going on by the bay? Matt Barnes pours in 25 points on 9 attempts? That’s something Gilbert Arenas should be doing. I picked up Barnes a few days ago and threw him in the lineup for that great game, figuring he’d see plenty of time on the court with Golden State’s roster in the condition its in, and sure enough he played 45 minutes. But what will that next game be like? Back on Nov. 27 Barnes played 45 minutes and had a very solid game of 13/7/6 with 2 3s, a steal and 3 blocks in a win over the Spurs. But two nights later he scored just 3 points in 19 minutes in a loss to the Pacers. He was out of the starting lineup the next game and was DNP-CD just five games after that 24 point outing. Then three games later he was back in the starting lineup, going for 32/11/3 with 6 3s, 3 steals and a block in 44 minutes. Since then he’s managed to stick in the starting lineup, starting 9 of the Warriors past ten games. His minutes have gone 26-32-40-45 in the last four as the team fights the injury bug, and he’s scored double digits in 5 of his last 6. So this is all very good. But it should be obvious that Barnes simply cannot be counted on long term. Mickael Pietrus is back, and while that didn’t cut in Barnes time last night, he won’t be shooting lights out like that every game. And he certainly won’t keep up that 48% from the three-point range much longer. That’s truly one of the most outrageous statistics of the year. It’s really simple what to do with Barnes – leave him in the lineup and ride out this hot streak and hope it lasts for a while. Park him on the bench when he goes cold and see if another hot streak follows soon. And if it doesn’t, say goodbye.
Gerald Green
So my Ryan Gomes pickup in the wake of Paul Pierce’s injury sure doesn’t look so good. Gerald Green was certainly the high-upside pickup in Pierce’s absence, but I had my doubts. But he’s certainly proven me wrong so far. Three starts is not the biggest sample size, but it’s hard to argue with 18.3/8/1.3 with 3.3 3s, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks. OK, so the 43/53 shooting is very bad, and that was one of the reasons I was staying away from him. I always seem to start off very strong in the percentage categories and keep dropping as the season goes on, and I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen this year. Still, as long as he gets things straight at the line – and he should be able to settle in at at least 70% – his 43% from the field is very manageable if he keeps putting up insane numbers like he has the past few games. People always used Tracy McGrady as the comparison point for Green and it’s looking pretty apt. He has a beautiful stroke from long range and can leap out of the gym. Wally Szczerbiak’s return might cut into Green’s scoring opportunities a bit, but I wouldn’t count on it. In last night’s blowout Green had five fouls and still played 34 minutes, second to only Sebastian Telfair’s 35, and he had to put in extra time because Delonte West was out. That’s a very good sign for Green, although he has amassed five fouls in two straight games, so that might catch up to him soon. The big question is whether Green has earned himself enough PT when Pierce gets back to remain fantasy relevant. We can’t be sure yet. Tony Allen seems to be sticking in the starting lineup – how about scoring 13 points on one field goal attempt last night! You can’t have a TS% much better than that! And Pierce is obviously going to have his spot. So it would seem like Green would be the odd man out unless Doc Rivers did something weird and played Pierce at PF, which I can’t see him doing, especially right after he comes back from injury. But Green has flashed enough skills to merit holding onto for a while as a bench player, and if you play in a keeper league, he’s obviously a very valuable commodity.