Another full week coming up. Let’s look ahead to 1/22-1/28:
Four games: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Indiana, LA Clippers, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto, Utah.
Three Games: Dallas, Detroit, Golden State, LA Lakers, Orlando, Portland, Seattle, Washington.
Two Games: Houston.
Plug ‘em in, Plug ‘em in:
Willie Green, SG: Iverson and Webber have departed and their 40 ppg need to be made up somewhere. Yes, Iggy has definitely stepped up his game with a career season, but he has yet to become a legitimate scorer. Enter 4th-year guard Willie Green who had yet to average more than 19 minutes per game before this season. Green has started the last five games for the Sixers, averaging 20/2/3 with 1.6 threes in 38 mpg over that stretch. He should post Cuttino Mobley-type numbers going forward (with weaker percentages), and is not a bad option in deeper leagues.
Samuel Dalembert, C: While Willie Green may be a shoddy replacement for AI, Dalembert is quietly having a career year and has particularly stepped it up in C-Webb’s absence. Take a look at Sam’s monthly averages thus far: Nov – 8 points / 8 rebounds / 1.8 blocks, Dec-11/8/1.9, Jan-13/9/2.5. He has improved every aspect of his game with increased minutes and most importantly he has not missed any time due to injury this season. Slammin’ Sammy may finally be coming into his own in ’07. Plug him in for four games this week and just pray that he continues his healthy streak.
Steve Blake, PG: You now have the green light to get Stevie “Not the Franchise” Blake in your fantasy lineups. I never thought this guy could be a starter in the NBA, but there he is starting alongside Allen Iverson in the Nuggets’ backcourt. The former Terrapin’s shooting will hurt you (39.8% career), but he won’t be taking too many shots in Denver. More than half of his shots are from long range anyway where he’s hit an impressive 38.4% in his career. It appears as though he’ll get 30-35 minutes a night in Denver and should be a good source of steals and assists as well. Blake makes for a good PG3 or utility player, especially with a full schedule this week.
David West, PF: West returned to action last night and produced as if he hadn’t missed a step. David posted 19/11/3 with 2 thefts after missing 30 games with a sore elbow. Hornets’ stars Chris Paul and Peja Stojakovic are still sidelined with their injuries, so West will have every opportunity to assert himself on offense. His biggest strength are his high percentages (51/84% last season); categories often neglected by fantasy owners. West appears to be back to full strength and should be ready to play four games next week.
Delonte West, PG: The Celtics’ starting PG returned to the lineup (bruised back) last night and scored a season high 25 points to go along with 6 dimes and 3 treys. Off-season acquisition Sebastian Telfair has played his way back to the bench and so West has been handed the reigns as the more reliable veteran. Delonte and Gerald Green should continue to excel as long as Paul Pierce is out (which now appears to be until the All-Star break).
Sit ‘em down:
Tracy McGrady, GF: That’s right. Bench T-Mac this week. He missed last night’s game with his recurrent back problems, and the Rockets only play twice next week, including a game at San Antonio on Wednesday. Willie or Gerald Green are better options with four games a piece on tap.
Jason Kapono, GF: Kapono managed only 2/2/1 in 20 minutes last night. Meanwhile, formerly fat forwards, Antoine Walker and James Posey, have both recently returned to action and are getting plenty of playing time (they combined for 67 minutes last night). Dwayne Wade is back to full-strength, and Shaq is allegedly scheduled to resume play this week. It looks as though J-Kap’s stint as a fantasy commodity may be coming to an end.
