Sorry for the delayed post this week folks. NBA All-Stars may have been chillin’ in Vegas, but I was tied up most of the weekend.
Here’s a quick look at week 2/19-2/25:
Four Games: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, Washington.
Three Games: Cleveland, Denver, Golden State, Houston, Indiana, LA Lakers, Memphis, Miami, New Jersey, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Portland, San Antonio, Seattle, Toronto, Utah.
Two Games: Dallas, LA Clippers.
Plug ‘em in, Plug ‘em in:
Rudy Gay, GF: The rookie swingman has put together his best 5-game stretch of the season going into the break. Gay is averaging 19/6/1 with 2 threes, 0.8 steals, and 1.8 blocks over that span. With the Grizzlies’ season in the toilet (at 14-40), we can expect the former Husky to remain in the starting lineup going forward.
Randy Foye, G: There’s some serious potential for a huge second half from Foye in Minnesota. It appears that the T-Wolves have given up on Mike James as their starting PG. The rookie out of Nova makes for an excellent pickup or even a trade target before your league’s deadline. It doesn’t look like Foye’s recent brush with the law will have any detrimental effect on the court. Get him in your lineups for four very sweet matchups this week (@WAS, CHA, PHO, WAS).
Darko Milicic, FC: While generally considered a major bust as the second overall pick in the 2003 draft, Darko has really been limited due to his lack of opportunity over the years. Granted, you could argue that he wasn’t given the opportunity because he just wasn’t any good… but I don’t think that’s the whole story. Now that he’s starting and getting 35+ minutes per game, Darko should really surge in the second half of the season. Tony Battie is out with a broken thumb and will be lucky to ever start another game in the NBA. Battie is another one of those feeble “big men” in the Lorenzen Wright or Jason Collins mold who just doesn’t do much of anything. Darko should be more of a threat on both ends of the floor especially in the blocks department where he should swat 3+ per game going forward. He’s a great play with four games coming up.
Jason Kapono, GF: Probably one of the most outrageous statistical feats so far this season is Kapono’s 56% shooting from long range (89 of 159). I think it’s about time we start giving the former Bruin some credit… He has now started 24 consecutive games for the defending champion Miami Heat, in which he’s posting 15/4/2 with 2.4 treys on 55/91% shooting. J-Kap has held off the likes of Antoine Walker and James Posey to remain in Miami’s starting lineup and took another step to toward validating his status as a big league sharpshooter by outshining the likes of Nowitzki and Arenas at the 3-point competition over the weekend. While it will be nearly impossible to maintain his 56% three-point shooting, Kapono can be expected to deliver a solid second half. Plug him in for three tilts this week.
Who are your picks for a breakout or strong second half this season? Knight? Livingston? Aldridge? Blatche?
