At this point in the season it’s best just to get right to the point. So we’ll skip any sort of theme today and just take a look at all the games last night and try to hit on the big news.
Washington vs. Indiana
If not for Caron Butler’s knee injury acting up, this would have been just about the perfect game for me. At 5 p.m. or so when I went to set my lineup for the evening there was a news blurb on Yahoo about Jermaine O’Neal that featured the word “indefinitely” when referring to how long he’d be out. Apparently “indefinitely” means “about two more hours.” It was a fairly shocking return and O’Neal put up a very typical line in 29 minutes (he had five fouls). I surely would have liked that 24/7/3 with 2 blocks in my lineup, but it’s good enough to simply know that he’s back. Now, I’m not foolish enough to declare that he’s back for good, but if you’re in a daily lineup league you obviously have to get him in there for Saturday’s game against Atlanta. After that come a pair of games at Houston and San Antonio, so hopefully JO can put up some numbers against the Hawks because it’s a couple of the leagues stingiest defenses after that.
The news on Butler isn’t so good as he told people he’d be out “a while” as he walked off the floor. The Wizards haven’t won a game that Butler hasn’t played in the past two years, so this makes me very sad. It’s hard to say who will step up in Butler’s place, if anyone. Jarvis Hayes has proven he’s not an option, although he’s capable of a big game once every season and is a pretty decent rebounder from the SF position. Deshawn Stevenson might also find more opportunities. Back to the Pacers, Jamaal Tinsley was up to his old tricks, sitting out one game after pouring in 37 points. It’s been a fairly easy season to be a Tinsley owner and he sits at a respectable #69 on the player rater, but this is just a reminder that he can be one of the most frustrating players in the league.
Chicago vs. Philadelphia
Last night’s game is why we weren’t too – I’m not going to say bullish, so, um – enthusiastic about Tyrus Thomas. Explosiveness is there, opportunity is not. He still hasn’t topped 30 minutes once this entire season. A teammate that might be on the verge of one of his good stretches again is Chris Duhon. He’s fallen in and out of the rotation a few times this year and one game after receiving just 6 minutes, he played 35 and was good for 11/3/3 with 3 3s and 2 steals. When Duhon gets minutes he’s a solid option because he can help not just in 3s, like plenty of free agent options, but also assists and steals. At this point in the season, that can be of assistance to many people. For the Sixers, Willie Greene seems entrenched in the starting lineup for now, but still, meh. In seven March starts he’s averaging just over 27 mpg and is putting up 12.4/2.7/1.3 with negligible contributions in any other categories. That puts him at a sparkling #209 on the 15-day rater.
New York vs. Toronto
It looks like David Lee’s dream season might be over; don’t forget about him next year. This could keep his value down and make him a great value on draft day 2007. The Knicks are an extremely depleted squad right now without three rotation regulars as Quentin Richardson tried to give it a go but lasted just 10 minutes. Jared Jeffries is the big beneficiary when it comes to minutes, as he played 40 last night and put up a classic Jared line of 2/5/2. OK, he did get three steals, but 40 minutes! The minutes are there in March – almost 34.5 per game – but that’s all. He’s smartly not taking many shots and is shooting 61% on his 3.6 attempts per game, and those 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks are nice from a SF. But 4.6/5.4/1.6 just doesn’t cut it, not to mention that the guy is shooting 36% from the line this season. Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry and Steve Francis are all fantastic options right now. Nobody else on the Knicks is even a decent one. We had a Jorge Garbajosa sighting last night as the 29-year-old rookie hit the 20-point mark for the first time in his NBA career. It was also the first time since March 2nd that he topped 30 minutes. People are always undermanned at center this time of the year and Garbajosa does qualify there. He could be a sneaky option for teams looking to improve in 3s. But let’s see if he can stay on the court consistently before getting too excited.
Utah vs. Orlando
There’s so much luck involved in fantasy basketball, obviously. On draft day, in the second round, I was all set to take Andrei Kirilenko until the owner right before snagged him. Instead I ended up with Jermaine O’Neal. As frustrating as JO is to own, I’m pretty happy with the way that turned out. Kirilenko completely bottomed out last night, not even attempting a single shot in his 20 minutes on the court, although he managed to get a pair of boards, assists, steals and blocks. For teams in head-to-head leagues, AK47 simply isn’t a reliable option heading into the playoffs. He’s nestled in among Eduardo Najera and Travis Outlaw on the 15-day rater. Pathetic is really the only word to use at this point. Trevor Ariza was on the verge of having some value back in January before he went down with a knee injury. He’s played well since he’s returned, averaging 9.3/4.1/1.3 on 57% shooting in 22.5 mpg. Hedo Turkoglu is playing some excellent ball lately, though, and Grant Hill is still around, so Ariza won’t have too much opportunity. Still, keep an eye on him.
Sacramento vs. Charlotte
It’s time to get Sean May into lineups. He’s proven to be a very fragile player who doesn’t mind sitting out long stretches of time, but he’s healthy right now and with Emeka Okafor out he can be a featured player for the Bobcats. His minutes have gone up over the last three games – 22/28/32 – and even if it doesn’t get much higher than that, last night’s 20 and 12 shows that he can be plenty effective. Don’t expect too many more 3s like the clutch one he hit to put the game away, although he did have another one earlier on. Raymond Felton was fighting the flu but still managed to put up 16/3/8 in 26 minutes off the bench, which probably pleased his owners who were upset when he wasn’t in the starting lineup. One disconcerting thing about last night’s game for the Bobcats was that eight players received at least 20 minutes of PT. Did Hubie Brown take over Bernie Bickerstaff’s body for one game or something?
Atlanta vs. Boston
If you need a center, Kendrick Perkins is probably there for the taking and you should think about taking him. It could be one of those instances in which you pick a guy up and miss his most productive stretch, but Perkins was at his most effective at the end of the season last year and he could be in for a repeat. At the very least he should be good for some blocks and boards. He’s grabbed 22 rebounds in the last two games and has blocked a shot in seven straight, averaging almost 2 per game in that span. Rajon Rondo could be in for a very nice final month if he stays in the starting lineup, which he did last night even with the return of Delonte West. Everyone knows that he’s a steals machine, and the 2.5 per game he’s averaging in his last four starts are proof of that. The 7 apg are very nice, too, but that 12-of-23 from the line is no fluke for the 60% shooter. Each member of the Boston starting five is a viable option right now.
Cleveland vs. Memphis
LeBron James owners were surely thrilled to see him back in the lineup last night, and the fact that he only had to play 29 minutes but still put up a wonderful 29/6/4, 3 steals, 4 3, 11-of-17 (and, d’oh, 3-of-6 from the stripe) line was even better. Sasha Pavlovic had a great stretch a while back but hasn’t been able to make it happen again as a starter. He’s seeing just about 30 mpg in eight straight starts but is averaging just 9.3/2.9/2.6 with 1 3 and 1.1 steals on 42% shooting. That’s not going to get it done. Chucky Atkins didn’t have a very good game at all in last night’s blowout, but he is capable of hitting handfuls of 3s, but you just might not know when that will happen. I took a chance and plugged Stromile Swift into the lineup last night and while I would have liked more than 2 rebounds, I’ll take the 5-of-7 shooting and 2 blocks.
Clippers vs. Houston
And that’s why you don’t count on Jason Hart. After a few solid if unspectacular games Hart delivered a 4/1/2 stinker in 22 minutes last night, and that was without Sam Cassell around. Daniel Ewing clearly outplayed him and put up a solid 10/4/6 with 2 3s, and if he can find his way into the starting lineup … nah. Nice to see Chris Kaman come through with solid back-to-back games, receiving 35 minutes both times. He has been one of the biggest disappointments of the year but could be getting ready for a solid final month. Chuck Hayes probably should have been mentioned when I was talking about people who can help you in boards. He grabbed just 6 last night, but that was in 21 minutes. He fouled out (he does that a lot), but is locked into the starting lineup right now and has scored in double digits in four of his last five, averaging 8 rpg over that span while shooting a mighty fine 24-of-36 from the field.
Phoenix vs. Dallas
Yeah, I guess that lived up to the hype. There’s not much to say about these teams, fantasy-wise. It was nice to see Steve Nash launch 25 shots, which seems to indicate that his shoulder may be feeling pretty well. He didn’t top 11 shots in his first four games back, but has now topped 20 attempts in two of his last five, with 14 attempts in two of those other games. Devin Harris made his way back into the starting lineup only to leave with a strained neck. It sounds minor, but it just hasn’t been a very good season for the second-year player. It’s hard to see him being a viable option for competing teams down the stretch. Jerry Stackhouse had one of his monthly explosions, but he’s still not much more than end of the bench fodder.
Detroit vs. Portland
LaMarcus Aldridge did it again. You regular readers know that I’ve been all over him for most of the season. Even when he wasn’t getting any PT at all I told you to keep your eye on him and be ready to pounce, and the last two games are exactly why. It was great to see him have a very productive game while only scoring 14 points, as he chipped in 10 boards, an assist, 2 steals and 3 blocks. He does need to get to the line more, but that’s something he can improve upon. He’s attempting just 1.7 free throws per game in 20.5 mpg, which doesn’t cut it for a center. Still, he’s the real deal. The longer he stays in the starting lineup and gets comfortable, the more consistent he will be.