Hello, my name is Andy
Here's a look at about a dozen headlines that could impact your fantasy hoops team over the weekend.
Chat rescheduled for Saturday
I won't be able to do the Season Pass Live Chat today at 3 p.m., but will be
here on Saturday at noon if you'd like to join me.
Big Ben out 4-6 weeks with broken leg
It's not too often that a guy who failed to score in 20-something minutes of his previous game is the hottest pick up in your fantasy league, but
Anderson Varejao qualifies.
Ben Wallace suffered a broken leg last night and could be out for the rest of the regular season. Yes, I know Varejao might not be available in your league, but he was owned in only 42 percent of CBS leagues last week. Varejao should start the rest of the way for the Cavs and I think he'd be an excellent guy to pick up if you can cut a player like
Larry Hughes. Wallace wasn't doing anything too special for the Cavaliers from a fantasy perspective, but Varejao should start racking up some double-doubles and also had a couple blocks and steals last night.
Answer benched
Allen Iverson is not expected to play tonight due to his back injury, but even if he was healthy, he'd still be coming off the bench. At least that's what
Michael Curry is saying today.
Richard Hamilton is back in the Pistons' starting five and AI is to come off the bench for the foreseeable future. I have a pretty bad feeling about how this is going to end, although Iverson is supposedly cool with the move for now. We'll have to see how he feels about it once his back is feeling better. If Hamilton's available in your league, grab him.
'Sheed not suspended after all
Rasheed Wallace had a couple technical fouls rescinded recently allowing him to play tonight. It was initially reported that he would be suspended for this one after picking up his 15th and 16th T's on Wednesday, but he's back in good graces after the other two were wiped off the books. But two more T's means that Sheed will have to sit out a game.
Nash misses Thursday's loss
Steve Nash missed Thursday's game with a sprained ankle and remains day-to-day.
Alando Tucker surprisingly got the start and scored a career-high 16 points in a blowout loss to the Lakers.
Marbury to sign with Celtics
Stephon Marbury has cleared waivers and it sounds like he's already signed a contract for $1.3 million with the Celtics. He should practice with the team tonight at five and then may or may not play against the Pacers. Feel free to go out and pick Marbury up if you're so inclined, but I'm going to pass.
Nene could play tonight
Nene would like to play against the Lakers tonight despite a bone bruise in his right knee. He was initially ruled out for a couple weeks with the injury, but it's starting to sound like he could play tonight. Consider him a game-time decision.
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Duncan a game-time decision for Friday
Tim Duncan won't need surgery for his quad tendinitis and is a game-time decision for tonight's game against the Cavaliers. He's dealing with some pain in his right knee and should be considered day-to-day until further notice. My guess is that he can play tonight, but don't be surprised for more Gregg Popovich shenanigans. I can't think of a better way to get into Mike Brown's head than to beat the Cavs without
Manu Ginobili and Duncan in uniform.
Oden out on Friday
Despite his knee injury not being too serious and not requiring surgery,
Greg Oden is not expected to play on Friday, which will be his sixth straight missed game. Hopefully he gets back in the lineup on Sunday against the Spurs, which would actually give you an idea of what to do with him next week.
Bynum still not officially done
Andrew Bynum's knee reportedly feels great and yesterday's news indicated that he could return in "late March or early April." There's also a lot of talk coming out of L.A. (and George Karl's mouth) that the Lakers are better with
Lamar Odom starting instead of Bynum. If you're still holding onto Bynum, you might as well continue to do so. But I'll still be shocked if he returns and does anything of significance in the regular season. As for Odom, he was money last night against the Suns, hitting 11-of-12 shots for 23 points, nine boards and three blocks.
LeBron fails to record an assist in loss to Rockets
LeBron James and the Cavaliers were embarrassed by the Rockets last night, who are now 10-0 in
Aaron Brooks' last 10 starts. LeBron failed to record an assist for the first time in his career, which is pretty amazing considering
Reggie Evans is averaging 0.6 assists on his seven-season career. As for Brooks, there are still folks out there waiting for
Kyle Lowry to steal his starting job away, but I just don't see it happening. Brooks knows the system, knows the players and the Rockets are winning with him starting. Yes, he hit just 1-of-7 shots last night, but it was against a tough Cleveland defense.
Crawford's agent unhappy with benching
If you own
Jamal Crawford you have to love his agent's (Aaron Goodwin) rant against Don Nelson. "What is the message that Don Nelson is sending to a young team? 'Don't play to win?' " Goodwin said. "What is the message he is sending to the fans who work hard to pay for Warriors tickets in order to see them win?" Crawford scored 50 against the Bobcats earlier this season and won't get a chance to do so again tonight unless Nellie has a sudden change of heart.
Marco Belinelli and
Anthony Morrow are expected to get Crawford's minutes tonight.
Corey Maggette is iffy with a sore hand and
Stephen Jackson missed yesterday's practice due to a "dental emergency." Consider both players game-time decisions.
Bibby and Smoov back for Hawks
Mike Bibby and
Josh Smith are both expected back for the Hawks tonight. Bibby was out with the flu while Smith was out for personal reasons on Wednesday.
Beno out for a few games
Beno Udrih, who suffered a sprained foot on Wednesday, is expected to miss the next couple games with the injury. Perhaps no player has been tougher to make the right call on lately than Udrih. He was probably on your bench or waivers when he scored 18 points in three straight games and played like an all-star in six straight. Then you get him in your lineup this week and he goes for five points and two assists in one game, then leaves just a minute into his next one not to be heard from again. Ouch.
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=subHead vAlign=top colSpan=3>Duncan a game-time decision Friday vs. Cavs </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=vaLabel colSpan=3>Tim Duncan - F/C - SA - Feb. 27 </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=3>Tim Duncan, who missed the past two games with right knee pain, will be a game-time decision against the Cavs on Friday, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
