How about a little point-counterpoint to DM’s column yesterday on the Cagey Vets? Here are a couple of guys who were, as of a year or two ago, were fantasy gold, and now? Not so much…
Andrei Kirilenko
Right now I’m looking at the game log for the New Jersey/Utah game and the last thing reported was “P. Millsap enters game for A. Kirilenko.” It’s like two ships passing in the night. For the last two years, Kirilenko - while an injury risk - was one of the most coveted fantasy players in the land, a blocks dynamo who contributed a little bit of everything. Now, it’s a different story. His numbers are significantly down across the board, and he seems…well…disinterested? Well, whatever it is, it’s not resulting in fantasy value. But before we start trashing AK, let’s think about something. Here’s the Jazz’s leading minutes getters from this year and from 2003-2004, when Kirilenko had his best fantasy year:
‘03-’04: Kirilenko, Greg Ostertag, Carlos Arroyo, Raja Bell, Jarron Collins, Deshawn Stevenson.
‘06-’07: Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Kirilenko, Derek Fisher, Matt Harpring.
Here’s the point - since ‘03-’04, the Jazz have upgraded their rotation at just about every position. Could it be that Kirilenko is the same player he’s always been, it’s just that the talent around him demands the ball that much more? Think back even to last year, when Boozer missed 39 games, Williams struggled at times as a rookie, and Gordan Giricek, Jarron Collins, Devin Brown and Keith McLeod all played major roles. This year things have changed so significantly around him that Kirilenko may just be lost in his lineup. Furthermore, if I can’t figure out a way to work Jerry Sloan and the “I didn’t even have to use my AK” line from Ice Cube’s “Good Day” together into this column, I guess it’s just never going to happen.
Mike Bibby
This one, well, ya got me. How long can a slump last? Bibby didn’t play great last year but the complete collapse he’s suffered this season is just confusing. He got on a roll there right around New Year’s, but since then he’s reverted back into his poor shooting habits. The plus side for Bibby is that it seems that it’s only his shooting that’s been a problem - his other numbers are right around his career averages. The minus side is that, unlike with Kirilenko, I can’t find something here where I say, “well, in retrospect, I can see how this would happen.” Maybe - MAYBE - I can blame this on the wrist problems. But, for this long? We’ll have to see. I wouldn’t be surprised if after the year, we see a report that says something along the lines of, “Mike Bibby says that his wrist bothered him throughout the year and that he will need to rest it in the offseason.” Can we say, “possible sleeper next year?”
Larry Hughes
If there’s one guy that we are big fans of here at FBB, it’s Ernie Grunfeld, GM of our beloved Washington Wizards. Just like in fantasy basketball, sometimes it’s the deals you DON’T make that make you a great GM, and Hughes is a great example of that (Jared Jefferies would be an even better example). Two years removed from a career year in Washington, Hughes had one mulligan last year as he suffered through an injury and some personal problems, but this season he’s out of excuses. Yes, he’s dealt with some injuries but nothing extreme, and he’s still seeing 36 mpg. Hughes was a popular mid-round pick this year but is just 110 or the APR, and he’s obviously not a favorite of head coach Mike Brown, who has tinkered with starting lineups throughout the year. Obviously, the 2.9 steals from ‘04-’05 were a major anomaly, as were the 22 points, and Hughes has faded into a late-round pick at this point.
(Seriously…)