As predicted, Carmelo Anthony returned to the court on Friday to help lead the Denver Nuggets to a 110-99 win over the Charlotte Bobcats. Melo has been sidelined since breaking his hand Jan. 5 in a game against the Indiana Pacers. Melo started the game and played just under 30 minutes while producing a decent stat line. He scored 19 points with 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block. He did have 5 turnovers though.


Two players that most fantasy experts expect to take a downturn are J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza. Smith played just over 26 minutes and had 10 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists. Not the type of night we’ve been accustomed to while Melo has been out. Kleiza on the other hand, scored 21 points with 3 rebounds and 1 steal, all in just over 29 minutes. There will be plenty of minutes available for both Smith and Kleiza, but their respective values will drop considerably. Both will be a decent option for 3 pointers in deeper leagues, but for now I wouldn’t count on them helping you win a championship anytime soon.


As for Melo, I think he will bounce back quickly to regain his form and be one of the top fantasy players again. Chauncey Billups’ value might take a hit in the scoring category but it shouldn’t bring down any other categories for him. It never hurts a point guard to have a prolific scorer added to the roster.

Wednesday’s game brought the Clippers a few surprises. Both Baron Davis and Marcus Camby returned from injuries to play a little over 20 minutes each. Neither player played very well in their return with Davis going 1-10 with 3 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block while Camby delivered 6 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist. Give them time and they will return to form.


News about Zach Randolph’s quest to return to the court took an upswing. Randolph says that he will travel with the Clippers on their current road trip and hopes to play on Monday. I wouldn’t put him in your lineup just yet seeing as how the Clippers will most likely want to ease Randolph back into the starting lineup. It looks as though all of you Randolph owners finally have something to look forward to.
Eric Gordon should still be useful as the SG but I think this will really bring down Al Thornton’s numbers.

This is a look at which players have been lighting it up over the past week. Most of them might be available on your league waiver wire.

Guards

Mario Chalmers- He has been playing very well over his last 2 games really cutting down on his turnovers. He has been shooting the ball at a .524% clip while averaging 13 pts, 6.5 asst, 3.5 stl and only 0.5 TO.

Kelenna Azubuike- The return of Monta Ellis might negate these stats but over the past 4 games he has averaged a .553 FG%, 1.3 3ptm, 15 pts, 4.5 reb and 1.3 blk. Read the rest of this entry »

The Los Angeles Clippers have had a terrible time finding someone to play the Center position for them this year. It has nothing to do with a lack of performance though. It has everything to do with keeping their players healthy. First Chris Kaman went down with a foot injury and isn’t expected back until after the All-Star break. Then Zach Randolph went out with a bone bruise in his knee and he won’t be back for at least another week or two. Now, Marcus Camby has suffered a sprained ankle and is expected to miss about a week. Brian Skinner is dealing with a bruised knee and has been limited in practice also.


This brings us to DeAndre Jordan, the 7′ rookie who will be forced into the starting lineup now. Unless of course Mike Dunleavy Sr. thinks that Cheikh Samb might be able to hold his own for more than 3 minutes per game. Jordan might be a nice little stopgap player for a week or two judging by his line the other night of 8 pts, 10 reb, 1 asst and 6 blk. That’s right, 6 BLOCKS!!! Don’t expect that every night but you could do worse with a waiver pick up.


Jordan won’t be a starter for long but it could give the Clippers some insight as to how their bench could afford them to trade a player like Kaman or Camby. Camby is not happy at all in L.A. and has made no efforts to hide it. This could be a signal of a future trade which in my mind would only benefit Kaman, Camby and Randolph owners.

There is a rumor floating around that Jermaine O’Neal of the Toronto raptors could be used as possible trade bait for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. I’d be surprised if the Heat went for this. O’Neal is a very good player when he is on the court but how often is that? The guy can’t stay healthy. The Raptors would love to get Marion because it would give them a shot in the arm that they desperately need and give them huge cap relief at the end of the season. But, why would the Heat go for this? They could get a much better package of players and draft picks from a contending team or a team that is seriously looking to dump salary to get ready for the Lebron free agency sweepstakes. This trade just doesn’t make much sense to me.

Paul Millsap went for an MRI on his bruised right knee after missing a second consecutive game. The results of the MRI showed that Millsap is suffering from just a bruise and there is no structural damage. This is good news for Millsap owners who have been counting on him since Carlos Boozer went down.


Millsap has said that his injured left knee feels worse than his hyperextended right knee did when he injured it back in December. He missed three games due to that injury. He is feeling pain when he runs and jumps and it seems that rest is the only thing that will help. Hopefully, this won’t be another Zach Randolph issue. Randolph has missed ten games with a bruised knee. Millsap owners can not afford to lose him for that long.


Andrei Kirilenko owners should be ecstatic with this news because it means that he will start in Millsap’s place. Kirilenko was having a comeback player type of season as the sixth man for the Utah Jazz while still receiving starter’s minutes. But, now his minutes will likely increase even more and his numbers should get even better.

Does Monta Ellis have something brewing in the ways of forcing a trade? I understand that he is angry that he was fined roughly $3 million for his bonehead moped stunt but come on. The Warriors can’t possibly trade Ellis, could they?


Golden State is going nowhere this year and are headed for a lottery pick. Ellis is just itching to get back on the court and I don’t know if he will be able to sit out just to force a trade. The most reasonable solution would be for the Warriors to give back some of the money they fined him. But, should they? NO! However, they probably shouldn’t have fined him that much in the first place. I guess the Warriors felt betrayed and wanted to make an example out of Ellis.


This is a tough situation and Ellis is the only one to blame for it. I know he is only twenty-three (twenty-two when he crashed the moped) but isn’t it about time for him to take some responsibility for his actions? Pro athletes have been violating contract stipulations since they were first put into contracts. Look at Vladamir Radmonovic and his snowboarding mishap. He did the right thing by taking his lumps and apologizing and moving on.


Ellis needs to put this mistake behind him so he can get back on the court in that crazy Don Nelson system and start rewarding the patience his owners have shown all year by keeping him on their rosters. Just shut up and play basketball.

While Baron Davis rests his bruised tailbone, Eric Gordon has decided to take matters into his own hands. Over the past week, Gordon has averaged 24.8 points, 4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.3 three pointers per game. The Clippers have been without Davis, Zach Randolph and Chris Kaman for awhile now and Gordon has stepped up big time.


However, this offensive explosion has not translated into wins for the Clippers. This usually is a bad thing but in this case I believe it will help Gordon in the long run. The Clippers have no chance at making the playoffs in the West. It would take an absolute miracle for them to make a comeback of that magnitude. This should give the Clippers an opportunity to play some of their young guys like Gordon and see exactly what they can do.


I don’t see Ricky Davis taking too many minutes away from Gordon anytime soon so feel free to start Gordon in all formats and be ready to reap the benefits.

Elton Brand and the 76ers feel that there is a good chance that he will be able to return to the court sometime within the next two weeks. This is good news for Brand fantasy owners who have been angered by his lack of production before and after the injury. Brand hasn’t been himself all year long but don’t give up on him yet.


Here is what Brand had to say about his return. “I can feel it coming,” Brand said Tuesday. “It’s not far away and that’s very encouraging.” This should make all of his owners happy. Sit tight and wait for him because he knows he has a lot to prove when he comes back. Look for him to play with a new found sense of urgency because Philly fans won’t put up with a guy with his current production and his current contract.

If you haven’t already picked up Anderson Varejao in your fantasy basketball league, you might want to check on his availability. Now that Zydrunas Ilgauskas is out for 3-4 weeks with an ankle injury, Varejao is a must add player in almost every format. Don’t believe me? Check out his numbers as a starter when Ilgauskas is out. 15.4 pts, 8.8 reb, 1.6 stl, and 0.6 blk. Throw in a 56.6 fg%, and you have yourself a pretty good fill-in player while Ilgauskas heals.

Rodney Stuckey is another guy who has been flourishing since being inserted into the starting lineup. Here is what he has been able to do as a starter for 16 games. 17.8 pts, 3.8 reb, 6 asst, 1.6 stl, and a 50.5 fg%. This is another guy that should be owned in your league. Read the rest of this entry »