• It’s looking more and more unlikely that Allen Iverson will return to the floor this season. He’s still dealing with pain in his back and is set for more tests Thursday and Friday, after which his status will be re-assessed. Even if he has a miraculous turnaround sometime in the not-too-distant future, he’ll need a practice or two to get back into game shape (he hasn’t played since February 25), and then he’ll deal with acclimating to a bench role, where his numbers will necessarily take a hit even if he were to be back to 100 percent. He’s looking droppable for fantasy owners at this point, although waiting for the test results sometime this weekend isn’t a terrible idea if you can spare the roster spot.
• It’s also appearing less and less likely that Josh Howard will be helping anyone again during the regular season:
Arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle will be required sooner or later. That’s the team saying that, not amateur physicians in the media. The Mavericks hope any procedure is later, not sooner. Even if it is, he will require a cortisone shot later this week and it will be at least next week before he is cleared to practice. Coach Rick Carlisle said it was “unlikely” Howard would play next week. It has become clear that the only priority is trying to get him healthy by the time the playoffs start. Surgery would be the worst setback. If that can be delayed until the off-season, Howard should be able to play at some point.
With Howard sidelined indefinitely and Devean George’s season over, James Singleton looks like a solid pickup. He’s recorded double-doubles in two of the past three games and has averaged 11.9 points on 57 percent shooting, 0.5 threes, 10 boards, 0.8 steals, and 1 block in the 11 games where he’s seen at least 24 minutes of playing time.
• Dwyane Wade was a late scratch on Wednesday thanks to a right hip strain that he has been battling for the past few weeks. Wade is also dealing with a left ankle sprain and a thigh bruise, but all parties involved are hopeful that he’ll be able to back in the lineup on Friday (and beyond).
• Gregg Popovich held Tim Duncan out of Tuesday’s matchup with the T-Wolves, the second game of a back-to-back for the Spurs, in an effort to keep him “fresh and healthy” down the stretch and for the playoffs. What fantasy owners need to note is that the Spurs play two more back-to-backs, March 24-25 and April 7-8, and Pop could choose to give Duncan a forced game off during one or both of those sets, as well.
• Devin Harris‘ official update is a left shoulder sprain and a strained deltoid. The New York Post is speculating that he could be sidelined up to two weeks, something this link backs up (assuming it was a grade 1 strain). Sit tight (other than adding Keyon Dooling) for now and wait for the initial progress reports – if the injury actually was less severe than it looked, Harris could be back for championship week.
• Leandro Barbosa left Wednesday’s game with what has been diagnosed as a hyperextended left knee. X-rays were negative (meaning no structural damage) but he’s set for an MRI on Thursday. There’s no single benefactor if he were to miss any time, but Matt Barnes, Jared Dudley, and Goran Dragic would all see their roles increase a bit.
• This should be the last Andrew Bynum update you need to see. He’s still a few weeks away from practicing and now has a target date of sometime in the middle of April.
• Celtics updates: Don’t be surprised if both Kevin Garnett (knee) and Ray Allen (elbow) miss the Celtics’ next two games (Fri/Sat), Leon Powe (knee) is out for at least a few weeks, and Rajon Rondo is dealing with a right ankle sprain, although he’s not expected to miss any games.
• Clippers’ updates: Thanks to a foot injury that made cardio workouts all but impossible, Chris Kaman is now roughly 15 pounds above his typical playing weight. In five games since returning, Kaman has averaged 10.2 points on 47 percent shooting, 6 boards, 0.4 blocks, and 3.8 turnovers in 24 minutes … Marcus Camby might not play on Friday but feels he’ll be “good to go” sometime soon after.
• More injury news: Caron Butler may try to play on Friday … It’s unlikely that LaMarcus Aldridge will play Thursday after suffering a mild concussion on Wednesday night … Gerald Wallace sustained a bone bruise in his left knee on Wednesday with some twisting of the joint, but he’s not expected to miss any time at this point.
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sheesh it’s a coin-flip....
hey buser. my team consists of: j. kidd, e. gordon, j. calderon, mike miller, ty thomas, c. villanueva, r. gomes, b. diaw, r. turiaf, t. sefolosha, m. barnes, t. duncan, a. bargnani, and j. moon.
notable free agents left are: andray blatche, rasual butler, delonte west, stuckey, chalmers, jason thompson
i’m gonna get killed this week but i’ll still make the playoffs. should i drop anyone and pick up a FA? i’d be willing to drop moon and maybe even turiaf.
i might pick up chalmers or stuckey for moon
Hey Buse, great breakdown as usual. I had a two parter:
1.) What do you think about Barbosa at this time? I saw where he is looking at 1-3 weeks wit a bone bruise. Do you think it would be wise to pick up someone in his place or should I hold off a bit.
2.) What about Biedrins from GSW? I read something were he is looking at a April 1st return. With nellie yo-yoing everyone in the line-up might it be best to drop now and assess later if need be in order to get starters in.
Mind you the playoffs start next week and I am looking at a 3 seed and 6 seed. i have been consistent but i suspect I may have to drop Beans and barbosa in order to get bodies into the line-up. thanks
seems like you answered your own question – if you can’t afford to hold on to them then you’ve got no choice. lots of uncertainty with both players, really
Do you all think Dudley is a good pickup w/ 5 games this week and Barbosa out?
Would kenyon Martin be a possibility and even steve novak? Novak has been hot but Martin interests me but the back issues are what trouble me.
k-mart’s minutes are likely to be held low for the rest of the regular season (20-25ish) and novak is going to be a sporadic two-cat contributor. not a huge fan of either
Hey Matt,
As you know, Yahoo playoffs start next week. I already have a guaranteed spot but not a bye. Should I drop Harris? In the other league, I’m thinking of keeping Harris because I have a bye and think that I can get to the Finals without much trouble. The only problem is that I must face the number 2 seed who is pretty good himself. What do you think I should do? Thanks a lot in advance! Keep up the good work!
which players would you pick up?
In the league where I don’t have a bye, I could get Krstic, Varejao, McGuire, Singleton, Afflalo, Anthony Randolph, Novak. In my bye league, Ariza, Novak, Singleton, Afflalo, McGuire, Powe, Nick Young, Shane Battier, A Randolph, Hinrich, Balkman
all those non-bye players are headed for a 3-game week. do you think 25 points and 22 boards from varejao might mean the difference between a win and a loss for you? if so, you might want to (have to?) make the move. i’d hold off otherwise and sit tight in general where you have the bye
Thanks Matt! I’ll update you on my week. Appreciate it!
Oh wait, so you’re saying I’ll pick up Varejao? Novak plays 4 games next week. Although 3 against SA, BOS, and HOU. 1 would be against NY. Is Varejao still the way to go? I also added Balkman for Krstic.
yeah it seems like you can sit tight where you have a bye
but if you aren’t too sure about your other matchup, you may want to make a move. novak has terrible matchups for guys that only shoot threes
http://basketballmonster.com/teamdifficultyrankings.aspx
so i’m leaning towards varejao of that list, yes
Thanks Matt! Thanks for the quick replies. More power to this site.
How serious is Troy Murphy’s injury? I can’t find any real updates on whether he’ll play tomorrow. Hopefully he’s not out for long, I need the double double machine back.
nothing about his friday status yet. the injury didn’t appear to be that serious though
I’m on the same page as a couple others… Considering dropping both Biedrins and AI for available players. Is it time to sub in Hinrich for a 5 game week or Thabo (considering he stays hot). Other options: McGuire, Randolph, Blatche, B Wright. I am leaning towards making a move but thought I would get some advice first… I have healthy starters but could use the weekly 4/5 game weeks over some of my 3-gamers for my first playoff match.
Thanks!
yeah thabo is a very good pickup and hinrich makes sense from a volume perspective and with 3 particularly good matchups. it’s pretty safe to move on from AI, period – biedrins i would think about more carefully
Thanks!
Hey… I’ve been lurking for a while now, but am a first time poster. First of all, I love the site, it’s become my number one source for fantasy info.
Here’s my issue… I have a fairly strong team, however, I have injuries in Wade, Duncan, Ginobili, Biedrins, Harris, and Chandler… Next week is the first round of playoffs. I’m hoping Duncan and Wade are good to go, and I’m going to try and see if I can escape the first round without dropping Harris, Biedrins, or Ginobili.
How should I treat Chandler? I could drop him for players such as Thabo, Jack, Stuckey, Przybilla, or Balkman…
I could try to hang on to him as well… but I’m uneasy entering playoffs with this many question marks.
Any suggestions?
Grab Przy NOW! He’s good for 6/8/2 even with Oden back – and that’s more than you can expect from a half injured Chandler IMO.
i like thabo of that group in general, but OKC plays 3,3 games over the next two weeks, compared to 4,4 for detroit. using their march averages, compare 6 games from thabo with 8 games from stuckey:
ts: 26/57 FG, 20/23 FT, 74 pts, 35 reb, 14 ast, 8 to, 17 stl, 11 blk
rs: 44/110 FG, 32/40 FT, 120 pts, 34 reb, 50 ast, 21 to, 8 stl, 2 blk
thanks… I appreciate the input!
Hey… First time poster but am in need of some fantasy pointers.
I am wondering if you see any problems with my current rosters… I was thinking about picking up Turiaf, but am stumped as to who I should drop…
Heres my roster: (BTW 1st Place with a 17.5 Game lead on 2nd)
C. Billups
D. Wade
L. James (Fleeced some poor guy = B. Davis,G. Wallace and C.duhon for James and Billups)
R. Lewis
B. Diaw
N. Hilario
N. Robinson
A. Kirilenko
R. Westbrook
M. Gasol
R. Hamilton
*EDIT*Add Lamar Odom
lucky guy. dwade and lebron on the same team. ak47 is i think the weakest guy on ur team. he is worth dropping for turiaf, with AB down until the end of March..
Exactly. And you can think of adding Lamar for Diaw too, depending on matchup and schedule (LAL has the joint best schedule until the last week).
I’d ride that pig right into the finals and enjoy the ride. Unless your playing like in a two man league you’re not going to get a roster like that every year. Good Job!!
AK is definately the drop and Turiaf is just adding Big Man insult and injury to your opponents. Have fun!!!
Just wondering, should I drop Josh Howard considering that I have a bye week next week? Notable FA include Chris Andersen,Joel Przybilla,Roger Mason,Rudy Fernandez, and Andrew Bynum.
fairly slim pickings there, so i might wait it out. if things get more grim (or just don’t improve) over the next 5-7 days, then look to pick up someone. something to keep in mind – the jazz have 5 games the week after next
With Granger back and Marquis now ailing, should I drop Daniels or wait it out? I have a playoff spot locked up as this week progresses. But I can ill afford any injuries next week as all of the playoff teams in my league are very solid. I was thinking of picking up Keyon Dooling if I were to drop Marquis.
Or I could opt to pick up Brandan Wright or Roy Hibbert? Do you see either of these guys getting decent run the rest of the way out? Nellie is unpredictable but it seems like the youth movement is on in G-State and the Pacers look to be giving up on the playoffs meaning they could give Hibbert some nice minutes? Or am I just being overly optimistic about these two?
get dooling. but keep updated on harris’ injury. b.wright is good but Nellie is very unpredictable. its up to you if you wanna gamble on b.wright’s production.
Clearly depends on need, as Dooling will provide plenty of assists and not much else reliably. Are Wright and Hibbert your best options on the wire?
Flip Murray is also on the wire. It’s a 12 team league but everyone is very competitive and serious about it.
i’d probably pick up dooling – you at least know he’ll be on the court for as long as harris isn’t
Hey buser and his legion,
I need to pickup a guy for 3s. Roto league, I’m doing well in points, rebounds, and blocks and I just want to bolster my lead with a couple of points in 3ptm.
I don’t care about any other production than 3 makes, I’d be dropping kenyon martin for him…
Steve Novak’s been hot…
yeah. novak is a great add. who are the other available guys in your league?
yeah tough to say without knowing. novak is a good matchup play – if you pick him up, you should figure on playing him sunday (@TOR) and wednesday (@NYK) but not monday (@BOS), friday (@SAS), or saturday (@HOU)
see if afflalo is available. brandon rush also drops a decent amt of 3s…
Novak would be your add then, looking solely for threes. No one else has out produced him over the last week except for Vince. He’s clearly supplanted Ricky Buckets as the primary backup to Thornton.
Here are the guys available in my league:
Novak, Steve Blake, Raja Bell, Delonte West, Michael Finley, Rasual Butler. Also Larry Hughes, Nocioni and Francisco Garcia.
Think I will go with Novak
pick up novak for sun (tor) and wed (nyk) and then blake for thurs (pho) and sat (mem)
raja bell and ‘cisco garcia are both worth watching too.
David Lee being shut down?
If that is the case, Q-Rich should be of some value. Scored 33 points out of nowhere Saturday.
From Yahoo:
Lee missed a game for the first time this season Saturday night against the Orlando Magic with tendinitis in his knees.
Advice: Lee said he should be able to play again when the team returns to New York to face the Magic again Monday. Lee said the tendinitis is in both knees but a little more painful in his right one, which had a brace on it during Friday’s loss to the Kings. Lee, who remained on the active roster against the Magic, is averaging 16.1 points and 11.1 rebounds this season. “I only missed one game last year,” Lee said. “And I plan on making this the only one I miss this year.”
Phew!
Three double doubles for Jason Thompson in the last four games, is he a good end of the season pickup?
yeah nocioni moving to the starting five has helped him – nobody is pushing him for time at all. think about grabbing him towards the middle of the week if possible – they don’t play again until friday, but have a nice schedule next week (NO, @GS, @PHO, GS)