Fantasy Related But Great Info.......
Big Toe Captain
Sgt. Hulka Lives
"I don't care if we're last in the league, I'm going to play every game like it's the NBA finals. And I can speak for my teammates that they will do the same...The biggest thing for us is to finish the season as positive as we can."
That is a quote from the Warriors'
Stephen Jackson that I posted in a news blurb on March 8. Unfortunately for Captain Jack's owners, it sounds like he's had a change of heart due to an injury to his big left toe that has seemingly been there forever. He says he's going to play on Wednesday against the Mavericks, but has reportedly been ruled out for Saturday's game at Denver. He's scheduled to be examined by a doctor in Houston on Friday and could then very well be shut down for the season.
"I've learned how to somewhat block it out," Jackson said. "I wanted to wait until the end of the season, but everybody is noticing it's getting worse."
Interesting quote, don't you think? Nothing about him wanting to shut it down, but instead "everybody" is telling him that he doesn't look right and should probably call it a season. Something is a little strange here, but it really doesn't matter why he might be closing up the shop. We should know by Sunday what his status is going forward, but the vibe of this story suggests that Wednesday will likely be his last game of the season. Logic would dictate that guys like
Anthony Morrow,
Kelenna Azubuike and
Corey Maggette will have added value in his absence, but only Nellie knows the answer to that question.
Don't forget about
Snapdraft. Should be plenty of solid play options with a full schedule in the NBA tonight, so check it out.
Stone Roses
Derrick Rose was a surprised DNP last night due a severely bruised right wrist. He suffered the injury in Monday's game on a dunk attempt and the wrist was so sore he couldn't even turn a door knob on Tuesday, which is a pretty disturbing visual. He'll be questionable for Thursday's game against the Heat and our plans for a big five-game week from Rose have currently been placed on hold.
In his absence last night,
Kirk Hinrich blew up for 24 points, three rebounds, eight assists, three steals, a block and three 3-pointers. My guess is there are a few geniuses out there who might win their fantasy hoops league because they rolled the dice on Hinrich and his five games this week. In addition,
Tyrus Thomas was great with 18 points, 12 boards, five dimes, a steal and a block. The five assists were easily a season high for him, which could also be a key factor for many owners this week.
Q: Are We Not Hurt? A: We Are Devin!
Devin Harris is now talking about practicing on Thursday and playing on Friday against the Lakers. That should mean
Keyon Dooling is safe against the Cavaliers tonight, but it could be a long weekend for Dooling owners in weekly leagues if Harris does return from his shoulder injury on Friday. With Wednesday's miss, Harris will be at five consecutive DNPs, but the good news is that it sounds like he could be near full strength by the start of the week.
Hornets' Nest of Injuries
Peja Stojakovic (back),
Tyson Chandler (ankle),
Hilton Armstrong (finger) and
Ryan Bowen (shoulder) are all classic game-time decisions for Wednesday's game against the Nuggets. "Tyson said he feels better today and Peja said he feels better as well," said coach Byron Scott. "I'm not ruling either one of them out, but I'm not ruling either one of them in, either. We'll just have to wait until [Wednesday]." Scott has said that Armstrong has the best chance of playing, while Bowen is the least likely to go. That leaves Peja and Chandler somewhere in the middle.
More of the Same in Detroit
Rasheed Wallace (calf) now sounds doubtful to play against the Lakers on Thursday, while
Richard Hamilton remains questionable with his groin injury.
Allen Iverson doesn't sound good for this one either. Sheed sounded likely to play in this one when the week started, but obviously his calf injury is not healing quickly.
Arron Afflalo had been playing well in Rip's absence, but had just two points, three rebounds and a block in 21 minutes last night. That's a terrible break if you played him this week. Meanwhile, back up point guard
Will Bynum went off for 20 points and nine assists. I'm sure each of these guys will have some good lines as the season rolls to a close, but it will be tough to figure out when they're coming.
The Roundup
Emeka Okafor missed Tuesday's practice with a sore knee but it sounds like he'll play against the Wizards on Wednesday.
Gilbert Arenas still sounds like he's on target to play on Saturday but shouldn't offer much value if he's only going to play in five or six games.
Andrea Bargnani sounds likely to play on Wednesday against the Bucks after missing Sunday's game with an Achilles' injury.
Luke Ridnour has reportedly already been ruled out for tonight's game with back spasms. I guess that plan of getting him more minutes and possibly starting him is going to be put on hold.
Ben Wallace (broken leg) is ready to begin practicing again and would like to play in the regular season. However, he says he will be in pain when he returns and there are no guarantees he'll get enough minutes to make a fantasy difference. And that should mean that
Anderson Varejao holds his value the rest of the way.
Game Quick Hits
Roger Mason hit 10-of-16 shots and three 3-pointers for 24 points, including the go-ahead jumper, as the Spurs barely beat the Warriors on Tuesday night.
Tim Duncan had 21 points and 10 boards in just 24 minutes, so maybe they'll take him along for tonight's game in Atlanta and play him. We should know more this afternoon, but there has been a lot of talk about Duncan sitting out tonight's game to rest his knees.
Tony Parker had 30 points and 10 assists in the win, and has quietly become one of the most reliable point guards in the league this season. It helps that
Manu Ginobili has been on the shelf for most of the year, but Parker is easily averaging career highs in scoring (21.6) and assists (6.9).
Monta Ellis had 27 points, five boards, three assists and a steal last night and it looks like the GSW will ride him until the end of the season.
Corey Maggette has now hit just 2-of-18 shots in his last couple games and finished with only six points in 22 minutes in the loss. I don't know if he's on the verge of shutting it down or not, but he's struggling badly over his past few games and getting weird minutes from Nellie.
Anthony Randolph surprisingly blew up for 13 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. Consider that a little gift from Nellie to the owners of
Brandan Wright, who had just 10 points, three boards and no blocks in 18 minutes. Ugh.
Aaron Brooks is like a box of chocolates. He had 20 points, two threes and four dimes last night, along with two 3-pointers. The Rockets schedule is not great the rest of the way, so he can be dropped in weekly leagues.
Mehmet Okur returned from an eye injury and had 12 points, six rebounds and four blocks last night. All indications were that he would play in that game, and it was nice of him to show up.
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=subHead vAlign=top colSpan=3>Stephen Jackson's season in jeopardy </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=vaLabel colSpan=3>Stephen Jackson - G/F - GS - Mar. 25</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=3>Stephen Jackson will not play on Saturday because of pain in his left big toe, and he might be done for the season. He does, however, intend to play against the Mavericks on Wednesday.
