Fantasy Related but great info......
Smoov Sailing?
I'm changing up the format of the injury report this week. The bigger names and analysis are included immediately below and the full injury report list is included at the end of the column instead of the beginning. Let's dive in, although the first player I'm tackling is not even injured.
News and Notes
Josh Smith was benched for the entire second half on Friday after getting into it (again) with his coach. He returned for a nice line on Saturday and is now saying all the right things. He wants to get back to being the "old Josh," which means he might also start crashing the boards again. Hopefully Mike Woodson got into it with him intentionally with hopes of lighting a fire under his immature star. So far, so good.
Banged Up In Boston
Rajon Rondo's ankle injury doesn't sound too serious, but Doc Rivers is
so cautious with injuries, he could just decide to hold Rondo out all week. My guess is he plays on Wednesday, but I don't think I would start him if I owned him, as an earlier report guessed he could miss 7-10 days.
Kevin Garnett would like to play on Sunday, which is the earliest he'll return from a knee injury. Doc sounds like he'd like to hold him out for another week after that, so KG owners will just have to hope he plays on Sunday so you can get him active for next week.
Glen Davis went down with an ankle injury on Sunday that required X-rays. He was on crutches when he left the locker room and I think he could miss the whole week.
Leon Powe looks like a very solid play this week with KG and Big Baby hurting.
Deng It
Luol Deng was originally thought to be lost for the season with a broken leg, but an MRI said otherwise. Deng then wanted some other opinions, apparently in hopes of being shut down. News broke that his injury wouldn't end his season, but now it's hard to tell what the truth is, as he still hasn't come close to appearing in a game. If you're hanging onto him, it's probably time to let go, but only if there's someone worthwhile available on your waiver wire. I would be surprised to see him play this week.
Quit Joshin' Around
Josh Howard sprained his left ankle on Monday, causing me to write some gloom & doom about him after he missed 11 games earlier in the year with an injury to the same ankle. He then showed up on Wednesday and had a very impressive line, which was shocking to me. He also tried to give it a go on Thursday, but sat out the second half because of more pain in his left ankle. He hasn't played since and will see a specialist this week, which is pretty bad news if you own him. I'm not going to cut him, but he won't be in any of my lineups this week. And the really scary thing about Howard and ankle injuries is he was listed as "day-to-day" for the entire time he was out with the injury last time. Yep, all 11 games worth.
K-Mart Hurting
Kenyon Martin's back problem has shut him down and he says he's not sure when he might play again. Cut or bench him, and look for
Chris Andersen and
Renaldo Balkman to continue to offer some extra value in his absence. Nene should also put up some big numbers as well.
Off the Bench
Allen Iverson could play through a back injury this week, as the world awaits to see how long it takes for this whole "off the bench" experiment to blow up in
Michael Curry's face. Trading
Chauncey Billups for
Allen Iverson made little sense at the time and makes even less sense now, as it's clear the Pistons are simply a better team when AI is in street clothes. Bench him until you actually see him play in a game. There are still rumblings out there that he won't finish the season.
Why Bother?
Monta Ellis apparently took his long personal leave in protest against the Warriors, for multiple reasons. He will supposedly be back with the team in time for their Tuesday game against the Nets, but who knows if he'll play in it? I would bench him until further notice and even consider cutting him if you want to. It still makes no sense to me for him to play another game this season, but I was also in disagreement with bringing him back when they did. He needs to relax and get healthy for next year.
Captain Jack
Stephen Jackson came out on Saturday and said that he and his teammates were going to fight until the end of the season and treat every game like a playoff game. This is great news for his owners, but we now just have to hope that Don Nelson plays along.
Danny Boy
Danny Granger could play on Tuesday, but is not guaranteed to even play this week due to a foot injury. If you own him, start him at your own risk. If I owned him and this week mattered to me, he would probably be on my bench if I had some other options.
L.A. Clusters
Zach Randolph's father died on Thursday and Z-Bo played on Saturday. He should be good to go the rest of the way.
Marcus Camby has "fluid on the brain," which they believe is a result of his ruptured ear drum/ear infection, which has also been causing him migraines. If
Chris Kaman really is coming back on Tuesday, maybe the Clips shut Camby down for a week and let him get healthy. I started Camby in a big league last week and it killed me. He will be on my bench this time around, and maybe for the rest of the season.
Kaman sounds like a go for Tuesday if today's MRI goes well and I see him averaging about 10 points, six boards and a block once he gets going – if he can stay upright.
Baron Davis sat out Saturday's game with a hamstring injury. Owner Donald Sterling recently ripped the team after a 30-point loss to the Spurs and none of the players seemed to take too kindly to it. It's probably not a coincidence that Davis went down shortly thereafter, but I do expect him to play again at some point this season. I just don't feel comfortable starting him unless we get more news about him between now and game time.
The only good news for the Clippers is that
Eric Gordon returned from his shoulder injury and went off. I think you have to play him in most formats this week.
<!--RW-->
Will Vince Play Through a Knee Injury?
Vince Carter went down in a heap last night with a right knee injury. If you were watching the game and own him, you may be in the hospital right now after suffering a heart attack, although he eventually popped up and played through the pain. The key will be to see how he feels today, but my guess is he will play this week. If I owned him, I would still probably take a look at my other options and think about benching him just in case he does sit out a game or two.
Thunderstruck
Kevin Durant doesn't sound likely for Tuesday, would like to play on Wednesday and says he'll definitely go on Saturday despite a severely sprained ankle. That's all well and good, but as far as I can tell, Durant hasn't even really run on the ankle yet. I love his positive attitude and there's a pretty decent chance he will play on Saturday, but I would also not be the least bit surprised if he's out all week. I don't think you can start him with the prospect of playing in just two games, and maybe none, but it's your call.
Jeff Green's back injury kept him out for the week and there's a chance he could play on Tuesday. In fact, it sounds like he is even expected to play in that game, so he might be worth a roll of the dice this week, unless you have a better and healthier four-game option.
Old Man Take A Look At Yourself
Greg Oden's knee injury is still a big mystery and there is now talk that he won't play again this season. He's been way more trouble than he's been worth and I think you can finally cut the cord once and for all this season and let him go. Hopefully he won't be injured his entire career, but we're certainly not off to a good start.
What's On the Manu?
Manu Ginobili could play this week or sit out another two. Who knows? I don't get the sense that Gregg Popovich is in any hurry to bring him back soon, so just keep him benched until further notice.
Monday Morning Injury Breakdown
Josh Smith – disciplinary – Benched Fri., played Sat., Rejuvenated?
Rajon Rondo – ankle – Wants to play Wednesday; Doc will be cautious.
Kevin Garnett – knee – Aiming for Sunday. We shall see.
Glen Davis – ankle – Left Sunday's game, iffy for week.
Brian Scalabrine – concussion – No real value when healthy.
Raja Bell – shoulder – Will be an issues, but playing through it.
Luol Deng – shin – Not likely for Monday, future is cloudy.
Tim Thomas – leg – Strained quad. Day-to-day and useless.
Kirk Hinrich – quad – Iffy for Monday, but hoping to play.
Ben Wallace – leg –May not return for regular season.
Josh Howard – ankle – Seeing a specialist. Uh oh.
Jerry Stackhouse – foot – Returned, but then shut down again.
Anthony Carter – hip – Missed Sunday, iffy for the week.
Kenyon Martin – back – Missed Sunday, iffy for the week.
Allen Iverson – back – May play later this week? Off the bench.
Kelenna Azubuike – back – Iffy, but off until Wednesday.
Andris Biedrins – personal – Missed weekend, but should be back.
Monta Ellis – ankle – Should be back w/ team, but why play him?
Brandan Wright – shoulder – Nellie says he has no idea when he'll play.
Tracy McGrady – knee – It's official. Season over.
Roy Hibbert – personal – Missed Saturday, but not sure why.
Jeff Foster – back – Played through it, but still risky.
Mike Dunleavy – knee – Had surgery, out for the year.
Danny Granger – foot – Trying for Tuesday, start at own risk.
Zach Randolph – personal – Father passed Thursday, back in action.
Chris Kaman – foot – Sounds likely to play on Tuesday.
Baron Davis – hamstring – Day-to-day, but very risky for Clips.
Marcus Camby – head – fluid on the brain – Iffy for the week.
Ricky Davis – knee – Could be done for the year.
Andrew Bynum – knee – Still no word on realistic return date.
Marko Jaric – ankle – Missed Sunday, no value when healthy.
Andrew Bogut – back – Season very much in doubt.
Michael Redd – knee – Had surgery and is done for the season.
Al Jefferson – knee – Knee surgery, season over.
Vince Carter – knee – Went down Sunday, but played through it.
Eduardo Najera – ab strain – Not much value when healthy.
Peja Stojakovic – back – Iffy for week, you can find better option.
Morris Peterson – foot – Could return soon, may hurt
Rasual Butler a little.
Jared Jeffries – knee – Missed Saturday, but risky for this week.
Chris Duhon – ankle – Playing through it, but no longer a must-start.
Eddy Curry – knee – Could play again, but no fantasy value.
Kevin Durant – ankle – Out Tuesday, could play later, but I'd bench him.
Jeff Green – back – Could play Tuesday, but start him at your own risk.
Robert Swift – personal – Missed two, but could return Tuesday.
Desmond Mason – knee – Out for season.
Jameer Nelson – shoulder – Not likely to play again this season.
Elton Brand – shoulder – Season over.
Amare Stoudemire – eye surgery – Done through playoffs. Hello, Barnes.
Greg Oden – bone chip knee – Don't be surprised if season is over.
Martell Webster – foot – Out for season.
Beno Udrih – foot – Missed last week, bench/cut until you see him play.
Drew Gooden – groin – May wait a week to throw him in the mix.
Manu Ginobili – ankle – Could play soon, but then again, may not.
Kris Humphries – leg – Broken leg, out indefinitely.
Carlos Boozer – ankle – Very iffy for Tuesday. Start at own risk.
DeShawn Stevenson – back – Season-ending surgery.
Etan Thomas – knee – Trying to avoid surgery. Forget him.
Brendan Haywood – wrist – Not likely to play again this year.
Gilbert Arenas – knee – Wiz still want him to play 15 games. Why? Don't know.
</TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=subHead vAlign=top colSpan=3>Boozer now 'hopefully' will play on Tuesday </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top><TD class=vaLabel colSpan=3>Carlos Boozer - F/C - UTA - Mar. 9</B> </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=3>After a report on Sunday from the Salt Lake Tribune stated that Carlos Boozer (sprained ankle) "expected" to play on Tuesday, a new report emerged later that evening stating Boozer would "hopefully" play.
