Fantasy Related but great info..........
Good, Bad, Ugly In Openers
Welcome to Day 2 of the Daily Dose! I'm not going to cover every player who did something last night, as we did a fairly thorough job of that with last night's blurbs. In fact, the only player I can think of that we should have hit, but didn't, was Caron Butler. But do you really need us to tell you that his 16-point, 8-rebound, 2-block line means you should hang onto him and maybe start him next time out? No, you don't.
Anyway, last night saw Kevin Garnett and Gilbert Arenas looking very fit, Baron Davis looking a bit lost, and sleepers like Andray Blatche, Travis Outlaw and Martell Webster looking promising. We also saw a huge line from Andrew Bynum, some promise from Greg Oden and some disappointing lines from any of the Rockets who aren't point guards.
[SIZE=+1]Tuesday's Good[/SIZE]
Wizards
Gilbert Arenas looked very good for the Wizards and it appears the two years off have done his body some good. He had 29 points and nine assists in the win and it looks like all systems go with Arenas. I still want to see where he is in a month, but so far, so good.
Andray Blatche (20 points, seven boards, two blocks) had a nice game off the Wiz bench, as Fabricio Oberto continues to struggle in the starting five. Blatche will be a popular pickup on Wednesday, and should produce until Antawn Jamison is back. Randy Foye also played well off the pine, scoring 19 points in the win.
Mavs
Dirk Nowitzki played very well, scoring 34 points with nine boards and a couple threes, but the Mavs just didn't have it last night. Shawn Marion had 16 points and seven boards in his debut, which I'm not sure qualifies as "good," but it wasn't bad.
Celtics
Kevin Garnett (13 points, 10 boards, 2 blocks) actually looked like KG last night and didn't seem to have any trouble with his knees or legs. Reports after the game were promising and he should be good to go for Game 2. Rasheed Wallace had 12 points, three 3-pointers and two blocks and should be owned in all leagues with Glen Davis out for two months. Rajon Rondo filled up the stat sheet while shutting down Mo Williams, and is still in contract negotiations with the C's, despite yesterday's early report to the contrary.
Cavs
LeBron James obviously posted a huge stat line in the loss and Shaquille O'Neal double-doubled with 10 & 10, but the rest of the team was fairly quiet.
Lakers
Andrew Bynum had one of the lines of the night with 26 points, 13 rebounds and great shooting from the field and line. I'm not sure why, but I think he's going to stay healthy and have a big year, although he was helped by the fact that Pau Gasol was out. And you regulars know that I've had a man crush on Bynum since the day before the Lakers drafted him. Kobe Bryant scored 33 and Lamar Odom had a huge line of 16 points, 13 boards, five assists, two steals, two blocks and two threes. Odom would be much more exciting if we didn't know Gasol was coming back soon.
Clippers
Chris Kaman seemingly came out of nowhere for 18 points and 16 rebounds on 8-of-17 shooting. He didn't block a shot, but he was a fairly solid player before last season's injury-fest, and looks to be in good form early. Al Thornton started over Rasual Butler last night and clearly outplayed him. Butler will be better on many nights, but if you're looking for a guy to cut in order to pick up a free agent, he might be your man. Craig Smith was also effective with 12 points, five boards, a steal and a block in the absence of Blake Griffin.
Eric Gordon paced the Clippers with 21 points, a full stat line, including two 3-pointers, two steals and a block, and hit 7-of-14 shots. We expected no less. And props to Marcus Camby, who was iffy with a sprained ankle. After a slow start he picked it up to finish with 14 points, six boards and four assists on 7-of-12 shooting. No, he didn't block a shot, but the fact he played is encouraging. Now let's see how he's feeling this afternoon.
Blazers
Travis Outlaw came off the Blazer bench for 23 points and three 3-pointers on 9-of-14 shooting, and looks like he could be the main beneficiary in the absence of Nick Batum this season. Martell Webster scored 14 and also hit a couple threes in the start, but Outlaw looks like he should be a more well-rounded fantasy player. Brandon Roy was solid, and Greg Oden scored just two points, but owners have to be encouraged by the 12 boards and five blocks. The five fouls and seven turnovers? Not so much.
Rockets
Aaron Brooks was one a few bright spots for the Rockets, but still managed just five assists and was 0-for-6 from downtown on 8-of-17 shooting overall. The 19 points were nice, but Brooks probably won't be a big assists man this year, especially given his weak supporting cast. Kyle Lowry came off the bench behind him and had 12 points and eight dimes, and while he won't take Brooks' job soon, he's definitely worth keeping an eye on.
See Page 2 for the Bad & Ugly, as well as Quick Hits.
<!--RW-->
[SIZE=+1]Tuesday's Bad and Ugly[/SIZE]
Shane Battier, Luis Scola and Carl Landry all struggled for the Rockets, which is why they lost. Scola appears to still be bothered by a sprained ankle and I'm wondering if he'll play in the next one. Battier took nine shots but hit just two of them. Before you start sending me hate mail about my love for Battier as a sleeper this year, let's give it a couple more games. Landry will also be better on most nights. Trevor Ariza hit a couple threes and just 3-of-8 shots in his debut for 12 points in 33 minutes, but he's got to take closer to 20 shots a game. Kenny Smith said on NBA TV last night that Ariza is "an 8-shot player," but there's no way the Rockets are going to allow him to shoot it less than 15 times a game.
LaMarcus Aldridge and Andre Miller did not play well last night, and I still think Miller would play much better if he were starting. Someone on Twitter questioned that thinking, but it has little to do with matchups, and a lot to do with psyche. The guy brought up the point that Outlaw didn't seem to have any problems off the bench, so why did Miler? Especially when he was playing against the second unit? Some players struggle in the starting lineup and are more comfortable watching the game develop from the sidelines before stepping in. Some guys are in better shape mentally if they start the game. Miller is a starter and always has been, and his demotion to the bench not only has screwed up his rhythm and approach to the game mentally, but for the first time in his career he now cools down after warming up. And Outlaw has thrived off the Blazers' bench for years. It would be the equivalent of taking me off hoops and putting me on hockey detail. I could still do it and work my way through it, but it wouldn't necessarily be good.
I still contend that Miller is eventually going to have a meltdown if something doesn't give soon. But the Blazers won with Steve Blake's seven points, two assists and two threes as a starter, so Nate's not going to change his mind anytime soon. But from a fantasy standpoint, Miller would be in much better shape if he were starting.
Ron Artest hit just 3-of-10 shots for 10 points, but did fill the stat sheet. I really don't like much of what I've seen from Artest in L.A. He seems to have no passion on the offensive end and it will only get worse when Pau returns. It's only one game, but I think owners have to think about moving him before people realize that last night (and the preseason) wasn't a fluke.
If Baron Davis' ankle is not still bothering him, I'd be shocked. He looked terrible last night, turning the ball over and hitting just 1-of-10 shots for two points, although he did have eight assists. Much like Scola, you have to wonder about Baron's availability for the next one. And Davis' injury reminds me very much of Derrick Rose for the Bulls. Rose is going to give it a go on Thursday, but as a fantasy owner, I wish they'd just sit him until next week so he can get fully healthy.
Mo Williams got off to a slow start last night with just 12 points and three dimes on 3-of-8 shooting. Yuck. Let's just 'Blame It On Rondo.'
Jason Kidd had one of those bad lines last night, finishing with just four points, six boards, six assists, two steals and zero threes. You know he'll bounce with a big line in one of his next two games, but man those low-scoring nights are tough to handle from such a high draft pick.
[SIZE=+1]Wednesday's Injury Report and News Quick Hits[/SIZE]
Mike Conley – ankle- From everything I can tell, he will be in the starting lineup tonight.
O.J. Mayo – Tweaked an ankle yesterday's practice, but should start.
Quentin Richardson – Will start for Heat at SF, moving Udonis Haslem to the bench.
Allen Iverson – hamstring – Almost no chance he plays.
Danny Granger – heel – Doubtful. Would be shocked if he plays. And yes, I'm a little worried.
Anthony Randolph – Sounds like he'll play through his back injury, but tread carefully.
Ronny Turiaf – Will start at power forward for the GSW, not Corey Maggette.
Mickael Pietrus – Will start at SF for Magic, Ryan Anderson at PF.
Brandon Jennings – Is officially the starting point guard for the Bucks.
Jonny Flynn – Iffy with flu. Ramon Sessions would start in his place.
Al Jefferson – Fully expected to play.
Raja Bell – Will play through wrist injury for now. Tough break for D.J. Augustin.
Tyreke Evans – If he's still available in your league, I suggest you grab him while you still can.
Jason Richardson – Suspended for first two games – Barbosa could start.
Renaldo Balkman – Supposedly suspended for two games, but not a lot of evidence to support that.
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=subHead vAlign=top colSpan=3>Report: Danny Granger now doubtful for opener </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=vaLabel colSpan=3>Danny Granger - G/F - IND - Oct. 27 
