The cavalry is coming. Carmelo’s back, Chauncey Billups is back, Rashard Lewis is back, Paul Pierce is back, Michael Redd is on his way. But wait! Steve Nash is hurting, as is Allen Iverson, as is Elton Brand, as is Jason Kidd. So we may have a lot of shakeup here. Let’s take a look.
1. Kevin Garnett, F (2)
And, he’s back. Rising to the top of the list for the first time since January of 2006, KG has earned it with that steady consistency that has made him a top pick for the last decade. The FG% is down, but the FT% is up to a career-high level. Meanwhile, his blocks are up to their highest in 4 years. Let’s be honest here - KG’s game never really dropped, it was more our infatuation with LBJ and Shawn Marion and our worries that KG would totally flip out. KG and Marion may flip-flop 1 and 2 for awhile, but that’s more a testament to the Matrix than a knock on KG.
2. Shawn Marion, F (1)
Most guys, you only have to worry about one person getting injured, but with Marion you have two worry about two - both him and Steve Nash. In the three games since Nash has been hurt, Marion has struggled offensively, averaging only 11.7 points and shooting 42%. Now, he’s picked up his game in other areas, grabbing 13 steals in those three games, and picking up 18 boards against Chicago, but the lack of scoring is a minor concern and we’ll have to keep an eye on how he continues to perform sans Nash.
3. Dwyane Wade, G (6)
Despite missing time, Wade has played so well he’s still at number two on the APR and is having a career year. Actually, it’s more like he’s having a career 2007. Since the new year he’s averaged 30 ppg, he’s shooting over 50%, and is averaging 2.5 blocks. He stays at number three because a) there’s no reason to think he’ll keep up this incredible pace and b) he’s still an injury risk, despite his toughness.
4. Dirk Nowitzki, PF (4)
The stats say that he should maybe be a spot or two down on this list, but two things keep him here - position scarcity and career consistency. It would make me feel a little better, though, if he started hitting more threes again.
5. Kobe Bryant, SG (5)
Kobe is better than Gilbert. Let’s just put that one to rest. The thing with Kobe is that it wouldn’t surprise me to see him score 35 ppg in March, but it also wouldn’t surprise me to see him get hurt and miss the whole month.
6. Gilbert Arenas, PG (3)
I discussed Gilbert yesterday, so there’s not much to add here, except did you hear that he moronically predicted he was gonna score 50 in his NEXT game against Portland? DAMMIT GILBERT.
7. LeBron James, SF (7)
LeBron doesn’t deserve to be this high right now. He’s at 15/20 on the total/average player rater and his best quality is only that he’s stayed healthy. Still, I can’t put him lower than this. I just can’t. Let’s see what happens over the rest of the season, because I can’t imagine he’ll stay this bad. Then again, I can’t believe it’s as bad as it is already.
8. Ray Allen, SG (9)
Allen has been playing some of the best offensive ball of his career since returning from his injury. He put up 30 ppg on 49% shooting in January and while his FG% has dropped in February, the points are still at 29. The return of Rashard Lewis, though, may mean Allen will return to career levels - not that there’s anything wrong with that.
9. Elton Brand, PF (11)
He’s back in the top 10 on the TPR but you only have to look at Tracy McGrady to know what back problems can do to a fantasy stud. Let’s hope this is a short-term problem.
10. Steve Nash, PG (8)
I blame myself totally for the shoulder injury. I wanted to keep him at 10 all year long, but then last month I upgraded him to 8. Now he’s hurt. Sorry about that, Steve!
11. Jason Kidd, PG (10)
He’s back in the top 10 on the TPR but you only have to look at Tracy McGrady to know what back problems can do to a fantasy stud. Let’s hope this is a short-term problem. Boy, that sounds familiar. There’s also the speculation that he may be sitting out so that he doesn’t get hurt while the Nets try to trade him … we’ll see.
12. Pau Gasol, FC (N/A)
Gasol makes his first-ever appearance thanks to his strong recent play (11 boards and 2.7 bpg in 2007). He probably doesn’t belong this high, but injuries are really hurting the second half of this NUT20.
13. Ron Artest, SF (N/A)
You know, Artest reminds me of that old website realultimatepower.net, about the ninjas. Remember that? I think I first saw it in college, it’s pretty funny. You can also substitute Ron Artest for “ninjas” and it’s pretty accurate. For example: “Ron Artest is the ultimate paradox. On the one hand he doesn’t give a crap, but on the other hand, Ron Artest is very careful and precise.”
14. Andre Iguodala, SG (16)
The question with AI2 is can he co-exist with another scorer and still put up these kind of numbers? It’s going to be an interesting offseason in Philly, and Iggy will be an interesting draft pick next year.
15. Tracy McGrady, GF (N/A)
He’s back in the top 10 on the APR over the last month, but you only have to read the about Elton Brand and Jason Kidd above to know what we think about T-Mac. Nonetheless his owners have to be thrilled with his recent production, and I’m feeling a little nostalgic between being able to put in T-Mac and the next guy onto this list…
16. Tim Duncan, FC (N/A)
Don’t look now, but Duncan is quietly having a nice little bounce-back year. He’s at number 13 on the TPR and is on pace to play in 80 games for the second year in a row. His FG% is at it’s highest since his rookie year, and while he’ll never be a Top 5 pick again, he may be a first-rounder next year due to his center eligibility.
17. Rashard Lewis, F (N/A)
Welcome back Rashard, and none too soon! The shooting may be an issue and I’m not sure how I feel about him not playing with the protective glove, but he seems to be ready to roll.
18. Caron Butler, SF (13)
I discussed Butler yesterday as well. Let’s hope he has a nice game heading into his first All-Star appearance.
19. Allen Iverson, G (12)
Get well soon AI. Hopefully the All-Star break will be enough.
20. Paul Pierce, GF (N/A)
We’re glad to see Pierce back of course, but if Boston is really going to tank the season, how long will he really be playing? He’s a big-time candidate to shut it down early.
