Fantasy Related But Great Info.....
Nellie & Crawf Crushing Owners
There is so much injury news out there on Wednesday morning that I really don't even know where to start. Do I start with
LeBron James' massive line from Tuesday, the fact the Sixers won at the Lakers thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by
Andre Iguodala,
Jamal Crawford's two-game benching "just because," or with the sudden emergence of
Arron Afflalo with Rip Hamilton's groin injury set to linger? I guess the best place to start is with the injury report, followed by a few of last night's headlines. Hopefully one of your main cogs is not listed below, but chances are your team was bitten by injuries or strange coaching decisions last night.
Last Call For Brackets
Fill out your NCAA brackets if you haven't yet. Thursday's deadline is looming, but you can just click on the
It's Madness link to complete your picks.
Doops – A Correction
I wanted to point out that
Keyon Dooling actually played 35 minutes on Monday night, and not the 18 minutes that some websites still have listed for him in the box score. With there being no timetable for
Devin Harris' return from a shoulder injury, Dooling should be owned in nearly all leagues, and starting for the time being.
Warriors' Report
Jamal Crawford was held out of last night's win against the Clippers and will also miss Thursday's TNT game against the Lakers, just because Don Nelson said so. Hopefully Crawford will play in the team's other two games this week, but who really knows at this point? I am so disgusted with Nellie that I don't even know what to say. Especially since Crawford is in one of my weekly lineups with a ton riding on this week. Maybe all the Crawford owners in the world can unite and bring some sort of lawsuit against Nellie for ruining their playoff dreams. Crawford was cut in that league and I excitedly picked him up and played him, despite knowing there was some risk involved. I just didn't think Nellie would really bench him for two games this week.
It now sounds like
Andris Biedrins is out until April with his ankle injury. That means you probably have to cut him depending on your situation, but it's quite possible that his season is over. Even though no one has apparently told Nellie or
Monta Ellis, the Warriors have officially been eliminated from the playoffs, in case you didn't know.
Ronny Turiaf should be solid the rest of the way, but who knows if he'll get the minutes or not.
Ellis had 29 points last night,
Kelenna Azubuike flirted with a triple-double (which will happen when
Stephen Jackson (suspended) and Crawford are sitting in street clothes), and
Anthony Morrow added 20 points. Ellis is starting to look fantastic and I like the way he's playing, yet I don't understand why he's even in there. Who knows if he'll still be getting run next week, but Ellis looks pretty darn good at the moment.
Duncan't
Tim Duncan was a surprise DNP last night as Gregg Popovich decided to rest his knees again. Hopefully it was a just a one-game thing and he'll be ready to go after getting both Tuesday and Wednesday night off, as the Spurs are idle tonight.
Pau's Pinkie
Pau Gasol suffered a right pinkie finger injury last night, but played through it to finish with 25 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks. It was serious enough that X-rays were taken, but it sounds like he's OK. Pau is officially listed as day-to-day, but it would be surprising to see him miss time with the injury.
Murphy's Law, Granger To Start
Troy Murphy had done a fantastic job of avoiding injuries this season, but finally appears to be going down. He's dealing with a left calf injury and is listed as doubtful for tonight's game. He's only missed six games this season and owners are in for a rude awakening when they find out how difficult it may be to win if he's in street clothes. Hopefully he misses only one game with the problem.
Danny Granger will start tonight against the Trailblazers, so get him in your lineup.
Yao Misses Practice, Teammate Shot
Yao Ming missed practice on Tuesday with the same flu that kept him out of Monday's game. He's hoping to play tonight, but that will obviously depend on how he feels this afternoon.
Dikembe Mutombo started in his place on Monday.
Carl Landry was shot in the leg after Monday's game and could miss the rest of the season, although they're saying he'll be back in a few weeks. Thankfully he wasn't seriously injured in what is being reported as a blown robbery attempt.
KG, Rondo, Allen, Powe, Davis All Beat Up
Kevin Garnett would like to play in Boston's final two games of the week with his gimpy knee, but Doc Rivers is showing very few signs that it will happen. In addition,
Rajon Rondo (who had 26-5-10 last night) hurt his right ankle during the game and is now iffy against the Heat, and
Ray Allen hyper-extended his right elbow in the fourth quarter as well. There's plenty of mystery surrounding the C's lineup tonight, but there is usually solid info coming out of Boston throughout the day, so I fully expect we'll have some early updates on these guys. In addition to the already smarting
Glen Davis,
Leon Powe left last night's game fairly early with a right knee injury, and he's also going to be day-to-day going forward. If you started
Kendrick Perkins or
Paul Pierce this week, it looks like the move could really pay off.
Glen Davis could play tonight through his ankle injury, although he's still listed as 'doubtful.'
Rip's Groin Injury, Sheed Still Down
Rip Hamilton is now doubtful for tonight's game after missing Tuesday with a groin injury. He says he's in a lot of pain and that it's getting worse, so guess what that means at this time of the year? He could play over the weekend and be fine, but my guess is he's going to get some rest between now and the playoffs.
Arron Afflalo started in his place last night and had 16 points, six boards, a steal and four 3-pointers, and could be a sweet pick up if Rip is going to miss some time.
Rasheed Wallace missed Tuesday's game and isn't expected to play tonight either, due to his lingering calf injury. I don't know when he'll return, but my guess is that he'll play by the end of the week.
Jason Maxiell started again for Sheed last night, but wasn't all that great.
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Snapdraft
With 11 NBA games tonight is there a better time to check out
Snapdraft and try to win a little cash?
All That Jazz
Deron Williams (calf) and
Mehmet Okur (ankle) started for the Jazz despite their injuries last night, but neither was spectacular. Williams had 12 points, eight assists and eight turnovers, while Memo had 13 points and six rebounds.
Ronnie Brewer was benched for the entire first quarter after being tardy to shootaround, but still managed to finish with 13 points, five boards and two steals. Make sure he's not still available in your league with a five-game week on the horizon.
Butler Out?
Caron Butler has not ruled himself out for the rest of the week, but if you can think of any reason he would play through his hamstring injury against the Clippers tonight, please let me know.
Wally's Knee
Wally Szczerbiak left last night's game with a left knee injury and did not return. Consider him day-to-day for now.
Cook Aggravates Injury
Daequan Cook took a shot in the face at Tuesday's practice, which aggravated the dental surgery he recently had. He will be very risky the rest of the week, so look for other options.
K-Mart To Close After Lunch?
Kenyon Martin will apparently only play in the first half of games until further notice. His back has been tightening up during the break, so George Karl and K-Mart have agreed that starting and playing the first half is the way to go. We'll see how long that plan lasts, as it's just not something you see happen very often in the NBA. In fact, I never recall it happening, but it will all depend on how his back feels from day-to-day. His main beneficiary from the injury is
Renaldo Balkman, but he's also injured with a sore groin. Balkman says he wants to play tonight, which would be great since he's in so many fantasy lineups this week. If neither can go,
Chris Andersen could be in line for a big night.
Knick Knacks
Danilo Gallinari's season is very likely over. He's headed to Italy and may be ready to have surgery on his back.
Chris Duhon is expected back tonight, although it's still unclear whether or not he's starting. Maybe the days off will give him a boost and he'll put up some big numbers tonight, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Just keep a close eye on him if he was dropped in your league.
Al Harrington is dealing with a right ankle injury suffered in Tuesday's practice and is questionable for tonight's game against the Nets. He played well in his last one and appeared to be on his way out of the doghouse.
Oden Appearance Coming?
Greg Oden has been upgraded to questionable for Wednesday's game at Indy with a bone chip in his knee. Even though it's possible he may play tonight, or before the end of the week, I'm not expecting big minutes or production. At least not right away.
Surgery Coming For Josh
Josh Howard is going to need surgery on his left ankle at some point, but he's hoping to play through the injury before opting for the procedure. He is out at least another week though, and may or may not be back to finish the season. I've received a lot of testimonials from folks who say that cutting Howard has cleansed their soul, so to speak, so take that for what it's worth.
Collison Hurts Hand Again
Nick Collison broke a bone in his right hand but is expected to play tonight. He hasn't exactly been tearing it up, but if you have another option, you may want to use it tonight.
Darko, Arthur GTD's
Darko Milicic (back) and
Darrell Arthur (knee) are listed as game-time decisions for Wednesday. If they can't go,
Hakim Warrick should be a decent play.
Tuesday's Game Headlines
King Does It Again
LeBron James racked up 43 points, 12 boards, eight assists, four steals, a block and four 3-pointers in a win over the Magic. While
Kobe Bryant could easily win it, I'm thinking the MVP award is probably going to LeBron this year.
Rashard In A Funk, Skip Breaks Out Of His
Rashard Lewis was terrible last night, hitting just 3-of-15 shots for six points and is now just 3-of-26 from downtown over his last four games. If you were innovative and put him on your bench in a weekly league, so far, so good.
Rafer Alston had five steals and a nice all-around game after being cut by many owners recently. We'll see if he can keep it going.
Z-Back
Zach Randolph returned from missing a couple games and had 20 points and 11 rebounds. He should be good to go, while
Baron Davis chipped in with 29 points and seven assists, and
Al Thornton added 25 points in a loss to the Warriors.
Iguodala Beats Kobe
Kobe Bryant scored just 11 points and watched helplessly as
Andre Iguodala answered Kobe's long jumper with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to beat the Lakers in L.A. Iguodala finished with 25 points in the win. Iguodala and
Andre Miller were both iffy for this one with minor injuries, but played through them. For the Lakers,
Trevor Ariza had another nice line, finishing with 16 points, eight boards and three 3-pointers. He's played well in his last two games and deserves serious consideration as long as he's starting and playing well.
Pierce's 37 Not Enough For Bulls
Paul Pierce scored 37 points but the Celtics fell to the Bulls, dropping their record to 6-6 without
Kevin Garnett recently.
Brad Miller had 21 & 14 off the bench,
John Salmons threw in 38 points and three 3-pointers (but had just three boards and zero assists), and
Tyrus Thomas played well with 18 points, five boards and two blocks.
Dampier Steps Up As Kidd Steps Down
Erick Dampier somehow double-doubled last night with 16 & 13, but
Jason Kidd was awful, finishing with just two points, three boards, six assists and a steal. As it has been all season, it's either feast or famine with Kidd.
K-Love's Big Night Not Enough
Kevin Love had 17 points and 19 boards in a loss to the Spurs, who were led by
Tony Parker's 24 points and six dimes.
Bibby Is Back
Mike Bibby had 18 points, five rebounds, seven assists and three 3-pointers and is finally a must-start again, as the Hawks beat the Kings for their sixth win in a row.
Josh Smith double-doubled again for the fourth time in his last six games, and looks much better.
Al Horford was big again, finishing with 23 points, 12 boards and six assists on 9-of-13 shooting. The Kings got eight points, four boards and six assists from
Beno Udrih's return to the starting lineup, but he hit just 3-of-12 shots.
Kevin Martin led the team with 31 points, but regardless of how many points he scores, his team continues to lose games.
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=subHead vAlign=top colSpan=3>Pau Gasol day-to-day with pinkie injury </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=vaLabel colSpan=3>Pau Gasol - F/C - LAK - Mar. 18 </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=3>Pau Gasol had X-rays taken of his right pinkie after he was slapped during the first quarter of Tuesday's game. The results were negative, and he is listed as day-to-day.
