Fantasy Related But Great Info.........
Trip-Dubs R Us
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chatting hoops today at 1:30, while I will be around for a
Season Pass Live Chat at 3 p.m. See you then.
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MVP
LeBron James triple-doubled for the fourth time in his last seven games with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Cavaliers held off the Trail Blazers in overtime on Thursday. I remember when we were waiting for LeBron to finally post his first career triple-double in his rookie year and it seemed like it took forever to come. Those days are long gone, as this year's probable MVP continues to get it done night after night.
Anderson Varejao left early but returned to play through a quad injury for the Cavaliers, while Blazers
Nicolas Batum (ankle) and
LaMarcus Aldridge (concussion) missed the game with their injuries. Both players are considered day-to-day, but Aldridge's concussion sounds pretty serious to me.
Travis Outlaw started for Batum but wasn't much better than he is when coming off the bench, finishing with 17 points, seven boards and a 3-pointer.
Channing Frye started in place of Aldridge and had 14 points and four rebounds in the loss. Frye is a decent short-term pick up in deeper leagues.
Greg Oden played in his second straight game (woo hoo!) and had seven points, nine boards, one block and five fouls, while starter
Joel Przybilla double-doubled with 13 points, 11 boards and two blocks in the loss. Przybilla is still worth using as long as he's getting minutes, but Oden will eventually render him useless if he can stay healthy and out of foul trouble. But those are pretty big 'ifs.'
Lucky No. 7
The mighty Hawks won their seventh straight game by beating the Mavericks in Atlanta, clinging onto the fourth best record in the East in the process.
Joe Johnson led the way with 24 points, seven boards, four assists and three 3-pointers, while
Flip Murray scored 19 points and all five Hawks' starters scored in double figures. The Mavs got 23 & 12 from
Dirk Nowitzki, but
Jason Terry was just 3-of-13 from the floor and 1-of-9 from downtown for eight points in the loss.
Antoine Wright scored 16 points after leaving in the third quarter to get stitches in his elbow. He returned to play through it and should be good to go from here on out.
Erick Dampier missed the game with a knee injury, allowing
Ryan Hollins, who hardly even plays for the Mavericks, to start. Hollins finished the game with 13 points and seven rebounds, but I wouldn't count on much from him, even if he remains in the starting lineup.
Lake Show
The Lakers beat the Warriors and got 21 & 14 from
Pau Gasol, who hit 9-of-15 shots despite playing through a right pinkie injury. The Warriors were without
Jamal Crawford, who was out with a…nevermind. He's not hurt. Hopefully Don Nelson will play him this weekend after benching him for the last two.
Kelenna Azubuike is playing very well again, scoring 25 points to go along with eight rebounds and five 3-pointers.
Monta Ellis had 27 points, while
Stephen Jackson and
Corey Maggette both had off nights. Jackson was bothered by turf toe, but Maggette was simply in foul trouble.
Anthony Randolph left the game with a groin injury, allowing
Brandan Wright to break out with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Picking up Wright looks like a good idea, but then again, who knows how Don Nelson will use him even if Randolph remains sidelined.
Ronny Turiaf was quiet again with four points, eight boards and a block. It's still hard to believe that Turiaf isn't doing more with Biedrins out of the lineup with a sprained ankle, but he didn't make the most of his 33 minutes last night. At this point, starting any Warriors' player is basically the same as playing with fire.
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Injury News and Notes
Word On Wade
Dwyane Wade's hip injury doesn't sound great, especially with the news that it's spread into his groin and abdomen. The best news is that the Heat are in the playoff race and Wade simply won't be shut down "just because." The bad news is that he remains very questionable for tonight's game at New Jersey and for Sunday at Detroit. I would not be surprised if he's out for the weekend, but then again, he could also play. It sounds like he'll be a game-time decision for both of them. If he's out,
Daequan Cook and
Mario Chalmers should have big games.
Pistons Hoping To Play
Rasheed Wallace (calf) and Rip Hamilton (groin) are both questionable tonight against the Clippers, but could play. As for
Allen Iverson, it's still anyone's guess for when he might return from his "back injury." He's still at Georgetown undergoing tests and it's very possible he might be done for the year, or until the playoffs.
Celtics vs. Spurs – The Walking Wounded
Kevin Garnett is "ready," according to Danny Ainge, and should play tonight. Radio analyst Cornbread Maxwell said today today that he expects KG to play, and his word should be good. NBA TV's
Chris Webber said recently that he expected Garnett to be fully healthy and reenergized when he returns, but I just don't see him getting enough minutes to be a fantasy beast. We shall see.
Ray Allen is questionable tonight with his elbow injury, but
Glen Davis will play through his ankle injury and sore hand.
Leon Powe is out for a couple weeks with a knee injury, while
Rajon Rondo continues to play through his ankle injury. For the Spurs, Tim Duncan (knee) is likely to return to action tonight after missing his last game for precautionary reasons.
Manu Ginobili is out for about another week as he tries to come back from an ankle injury. Is it just me or does every report we get about Manu say he'll be back in another week?
The Remaining Injury Headlines
Marquis Daniels doesn't sound likely to play for the Pacers tonight due to a wrist injury. The Pacers looked terrible in their last game and it appears that they have officially given up trying to make the playoffs. If you own guys like
T.J. Ford,
Danny Granger and
Troy Murphy, that could mean very bad things. We'll just have to see what happens there, but the Pacers' "shutdown season" could be starting tonight.
Brandon Rush and
Roy Hibbert are probably nice pick ups right now, as I expect them to get a heavy dose of minutes the rest of the way.
Al Harrington is questionable for the Knicks on Friday with an Achilles' injury. Any idea who the Knicks' leading scorer is this season? Yep, it's Harrington. He's been inconsistent all year and has struggled with his shot, but has offered the value of a sixth-round pick.
Chris Duhon is expected to start tonight against the Kings after missing a couple games due to fatigue and a sore back, and coming off the bench in his Wednesday return. This means that
Nate Robinson will return to the bench, but that shouldn't hurt his value. In fact, he might be better suited to that role and it would not be surprising to see him flirt with 40 points tonight.
As for the Kings,
Kevin Martin is over his bout with the flu and is hoping to play tonight against the Knicks.
Andres Nocioni sounds like a game-time decision with his quad injury. Actually, he's a "shootaround decision," as he'll decide whether or not he'll go tonight after the team gathers this morning.
It sounds like
Leandro Barbosa will miss anywhere from one to three weeks with his knee injury, but the good news is that he'll be around for the playoffs. I'm sure this news is devastating to some of you who were planning on five games out of LB in the upcoming week, but it looks like
Grant Hill will be the benefactor in any games missed by Barbosa.
Caron Butler is a game-time decision for Friday at Denver with his hamstring injury. He admirably says he'll play through the injury if he can, but my guess is returns for one game, aggravates the hammy and then shuts it down for the rest of the year.
Gerald Wallace's knee injury doesn't sound bad after an MRI came back negative, and he'll try to finish the season for the Bobcats. Expect him to play tonight against the Raptors as the Bobcats continue to fight for a playoff spot. They're only 1.5 games behind Chicago for the final spot in the East, and Wallace appears to be ready to throw the team on his back and carry them. And how weird is it that
Raja Bell and
Boris Diaw have a better chance at making the playoffs with Charlotte than Phoenix?
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=subHead vAlign=top colSpan=3>Kev-Mart expects to play Friday against NY </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=vaLabel colSpan=3>Kevin Martin - G - SAC - Mar. 20 </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=3>Kevin Martin (flu) expects to play on Friday against the Knicks, according to the Sacramento Bee.
