We’re in the thick of March Madness and Fantasy Baseball drafts are happening this week, but don’t ignore your NBA obligations. Here’s a look at week 3/26-4/1:
Five Games: Memphis.
Four Games: Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, San Antonio, Seattle, Toronto, Utah, Washington.
Three Games: Atlanta, Charlotte, Golden State, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, New Jersey, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Portland.
Two Games: Sacramento.
Plug ‘em in, Plug ‘em in:
Chris Wilcox, FC: In the two games that Ray Allen has missed, Wilcox has erupted for 43 points and 34 rebounds. It looks like he’s finally starting to live up to the hopes of Terrapin Nation. This may be his fifth season in the NBA, but Wilcox is only 24 years old and still has room for improvement. At 6’10 he should definitely be averaging more than 0.5 blocks a game, but his career 53% shooting is legit. With just a few more mpg and some inspired play, Wilcox will regularly post double doubles as he continues to develop. He’s got four games coming up, so get him in your lineups.
Chucky Atkins, PG: The veteran journeyman has put together a nifty little season for the dreadful Grizzlies. Regular starter Damon Stoudamire is out again with a hurting knee, and Chucky has been a decent fill-in posting 16/2/5 with 2 threes and 2.3 steals over his last three games. He can catch fire at times (see January 24th @ Utah where he dropped 29/4/15 and 6 treys), and with Memphis tipping off FIVE times this week he’s a great guy to plug in.
Hakim Warrick, F: Another Grizzly who’ll be seeing plenty of action this week, Warrick is back in Memphis’ starting lineup and getting big minutes. The second-year man out of Syracuse has shown significant progress, especially in his shooting percentages (52/78% this season). He’ll contribute across the board without hurting you anywhere, and with five games on the schedule the Helicopter is a safe bet.
Nate Robinson, G: The Dunkin’ Munchkin’ can leap higher than most little people, and he’s got serious range too (as evidenced by his 8 for 9 from the arc on Thursday). Quentin Richardson has missed the last couple weeks with a sore back and Jamal Crawford is out for the season, so Lil’ Nate should see plenty of minutes going forward. He can score and drain some treys, but don’t expect too many assists as he hasn’t dished more than 4 in a game all year long (damn, isn’t he supposed to be a PG). Also, if Steve Francis’s knees were to give out Robinson would be primed for a serious breakout. The Knicks play four times this week, so feel free to plug him in.
Jorge Garbajosa, FC: The 29-year-old rookie has started 59 games for the Raptors this season but is only averaging 28 minutes per game. However, fellow rookie big man Andrea Bargnani underwent successful appendectomy surgery on Wednesday and will be at least a couple weeks. This opens up the door for the Garbage Man to finish the regular season with a bang. Garbo has averaged 33 minutes a night in his last 5 games, and went off for a season high 22 points while connecting on 5 of 9 from downtown. With four games on tap, those treys from the center slot could be the difference in your H2H matchup this week.