Hi everybody. Sorry for the delay in my posts. Between two man luge and the NHL Trade Deadline I just haven’t had time to do anything else. Hey do you know what the NHL Trade Deadline and ‘Seinfeld’ have in common? They’re both shows about nothing. Thank you, thank you very much!
Next to football, basketball has always been my favourite fantasy sport. I’ve never been a big hockey guy and I just can’t commit to the workload required for fantasy baseball. Seriously can you name the starting 3rd baseman for the Pirates? I can’t and I’m glad that I can’t.
Anyway, every week I’ll bring up seven to ten points NBA fantasy points to keep in mind when you are managing your roster.
So without further ado …
There is no need for me to write about the glory of Audray Blatche since the Wizards traded their entire lineup for the equivalent of the Washington Generals. But what everyone should consider is his keeper value. He’s only 23 and if his recent play tells us anything; it’s that he could be a 18-10 guy for a long time to come. Just a revelation for the Wizards and the only positive thing to come from their miserable season.
J.J. Hickson should be a nice play for the remainder of the season. Shaq won’t be returning to the starting line-up until the playoffs and who knows if Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been staying in game shape during his “hiatus”. Hickson has young legs and a world of potential. Oh by the way in his last two games Hickson has combined for 37 points, 22 rebounds, 3 blocks while only turning the ball over 3 times.
Don’t be too discouraged by Stephen Curry’s lousy game against Orlando on Wednesday (3-12, 9 points). The Magic are a great defensive team and Curry’s play has been getting better with each month. For a guy who many thought would struggle adapting to the point guard position Curry has been putting up solid assist numbers in 2010 (7.3 APG in February & 7.5 APG so far in March).
Sticking with Golden State for a moment Anthony Murrow has been on fire since coming back from injury. Murrow has scored in double digits in his last 11 games, including 6 games with 20 or more. Not bad for a 2nd year player who wasn’t even drafted.
One guy to start if you have him on your bench or pick up if you’re in a fantasy league with idiots is Taj Gibson. Tyrus Thomas is long gone and Joakim Noah is out for at least two more weeks. Since February 16th Gibson has gotten at least 25 minutes per game and he should see even more touches as one of the last remaining healthy forwards on the Bulls roster.
Devin Harris was killing his fantasy owners for the first half of the season with injuries and inconsistency but he’s been putting up better stats in the past month. In fact the month of February was especially kind to Harris who averaged over 20 PPG for the first time this year and chipped in with 9.1 APG and 3.5 RPG. If he can stay healthy, Harris should finish the season with a flourish.
One player who is experiencing a statistical renaissance is Tyrus Thomas. I’ve never been a fan of his game but something is working with him and Coach Larry Brown in Charlotte. Consider that in the 29 games Thomas played for the Bulls he scored in double figures only 10 times. With the Bobcats he’s put up double digits in 6 of his 7 games.
Keep an eye on the Knicks Bill Walker who has gone off for back to back 20+ games. We don’t have much of a sample size to work with in New York, but keep in mind this team has little to no talent on their roster so someone has to get shots and minutes, and unlike the majority of the roster, Walker doesn’t seem like a chucker with his 43 total points coming on just 27 shots.