Daily Fantasy Diagnosis: 12.30
Kobe Bryant
Beast of the Night: Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 44 points against the Warriors, chipping in 2 threes, 4 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover. He shot 48 percent (13-27) from the field and 100 percent (16-16) from the charity stripe. Kobe scored 40+ points just four times last season but has already done it seven times this season.
Noteworthy Lines:
Jamal Crawford – 10-17 FG (59%), 2-4 FT (50%), 4 3ptm, 26 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; He’s shooting 47 percent from the floor so far this season, his highest mark since 2001-02. Though he’s not much more than points and threes on most nights, it’s tough to disparage Crawford, who has managed to maintain top-70 value thus far.
Kevin Durant – 12-19 FG (63%), 8-10 FT (805), 3 3ptm, 35 Pts, 11 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Blk, 5 TO; He’s only 21 years old.
Gilbert Arenas – 8-20 FG (40%), 4-5 FT (80%), 4 3ptm, 24 Pts, 7 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO; This was impressive, considering it was the second game of a back-to-back. Arenas is giving third-round value this month, which is just about what most expected from him.
Ben Gordon – 6-9 FG (67%), 3-3 FT (100%), 2 3ptm, 17 Pts, 1 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 TO; He played 34 minutes to Richard Hamilton’s 33. Expect this tug of war at the SG position in Detroit to continue and even heat up once Will Bynum returns.
John Salmons – 5-8 FG (63%), 4-4 FT (100%), 3 3ptm, 17 Pts, 1 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 TO; This proves that Salmons isn’t an automatic drop just because he’s coming off the bench. He still needs to prove that he can maintain this kind of production consistently, but he’s worth holding onto.
Tyrus Thomas – 2-10 FG (20%), 4-4 FT (100%), 8 Pts, 15 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 5 TO; A nice second game back for Thomas, who is denting the nicked-up Luol Deng’s value, as expected.
Kevin Love – 5-11 FG (465), 8-8 FT (100%), 18 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 TO; He’s double-doubled in 12 of his 14 games since returning to the court and has already hit five times as many threes this season (10) compared with last season (2).
David West – 18-30 FG (60%), 6-8 FT (75%), 2 3ptm, 44 Pts, 12 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; This was his best game so far this season, and he hit as many threes in this one game as he has all season.
Chris Paul – 7-15 FG (47%), 2-4 FT (50%), 16 Pts, 11 Reb, 10 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; Though he’s been quieter this season, CP3 remains the top dog in terms of fantasy value and should improve as the season wears on.
Waiver Wire Appeal:
Delonte West – 17 Pts, 1 3ptm, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; He’s inconsistent, but continues to show his worth from time to time.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas – 15 Pts, 1 3ptm, 5 Reb; Big Z is still a relevant center in deep leagues, despite his diminished role.
Randy Foye – 12 Pts, 2 3ptm, 4 Reb, 3 Ast; That’s four straight games of double-digit scoring and so long as Mike Miller is out, Foye should continue to have decent value.
Earl Watson – 10 Pts, 2 3ptm, 4 Reb, 6 Ast; He’s not starting anymore in the Pacers’ fickle lineup, but could be a decent PG option to stash in deep leagues.
DeJuan Blair – 11 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO; He continues to start and should only get better in 2010.
Kyle Lowry – 7 Pts, 5 Reb, 7 Ast, 4 TO; He flirts with relevance on most nights.
C.J. Watson – 14 Pts, 4 3ptm, 2 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; Ride him out as long as you can.
Injuries:
Deng (thumb): playing through a broken tip on his left thumb
Rajon Rondo (hamstring): injured it Sunday, check his status
Carmelo Anthony (hand, elbow): was hurting Monday, has a few days of rest
Will Bynum (ankles): day-to-day
Tyler Hansbrough (inner ear infection): day-to-day
Marcus Camby (knee): questionable tonight
Ron Artest (concussion): should return Friday
Andrew Bynum (knee): tightness in his right knee – the one that was damaged before
Willie Green (ankle): day-to-day
Troy Murphy (ankle): probably out tonight
For Tonight:
Roy Hibbert should have another fine night as Murphy and Hansbrough are questionable.
See if Andrew Bogut and Michael Redd can bounce back from being benched in the second half Monday.
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December 30th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
rangerjohn says:
wow manu cant get any love from ANYONE!
i mean not even a note worthy line?
14 pts (5/11 45.5%) 3/6 (50%) from 3, 1/1 ft (100%), 10 assists, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 turnover in 27 1/2 minutes.
where is the LOVE!
December 30th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Nick says:
Hey Doc, I’m back:
Salmons I guess I’ll hold onto.
Another trade offer though: Ben Gordon + Maynor for Scola + Okafor, or Gordon for Z. Randolph. I’m not in love with either of those offers, should I be?
December 30th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
fallinup says:
Doc!
Milwaukee. What the crap is going on with Redd, and the SG, SF slot. I like what that Ersan dude brings but it’s been messy since Redd came back for mah Bucks.
December 30th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Nick says:
Have to agree with rangerjohn. And Richard Jefferson anyone? That’s as good of a game as he’s put up all year–give him some love too.
December 30th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Nick: No, those are pretty stinky offers.
December 30th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@fallinup: Redd and Bogut were both benched during the second half of Monday’s game. Ilyasova is struggling lately and the horizon looks cloudy for him so long as Redd is playing.
December 30th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Duck says:
Hey Doc,
Do you think Hansbrough or KMart are worth pickups?
I don’t really need them at the moment, but they look like they’ll be doing well.
Think they’ll continue on and improve, or is this just a rare stretch?
December 30th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
Jay says:
Doc,
I have Calderon rotting on my bench for the past month because he has yet to play a game, what can i expect from him once he comes back, if he ever does? Also, i offered Nene & Calderon for Pau Gasol. I would be receiving Gasol, am i giving up too much or whats the deal?
Thanks man!
December 30th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Jay says:
OR
Brook Lopez and Rodney Stuckey for Nene, Calderon, Diaw
Which one would be a better deal for me?
Thanks
December 30th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Kevin says:
Hey Doc
I know I asked you already, but I really need more clarification!
So I’m close to accepting a trade where I’ll receive Brook Lopez, Jameer Nelson and Trevor Ariza for my Baron Davis, Troy Murphy and Jarret Jack.
I know you said go for it, but Troy and Baron have been invaluable for me in December and they are the reason I’m first in my H2H league.
I’ve noticed Lopez has been on the decline lately, still dominant though so not much worry there, his numbers are similar with murphy except instead of murphy’s 3s, he gets blocks. I agree that Ariza will be back, but I am pretty sure his fg% will stay low and my weakest category his fg%. Jameer I’m sure will get back on track but I’m losing some assists by giving away Davis for Jameer (However, I already have Wade, Turkoglu, Curry and Brooks for assists)
With all that being said, am I just worrying too much? This deal seems like a steal for me.
December 30th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
lsuhornet17 says:
Um, West’s line is superior to Kobe’s. He shot 60% on 30 shots. The rebounds and assists pretty much balance out. I think this site just REALLY likes that picture of Kobe in that ugly purple outfit. I’ve seen it about 20 times in the last month.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Duck: Yeah, they’re worth a look right now. Hansbrough’s value will take a step back once Granger returns, but Martin’s valuable so long as he remains healthy.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Jay: You can expect the same stats as he was putting up before the injury, though it’ll take him a few games to get back into the groove of things.
I like the first deal better than the second.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Kevin: Those are legit worries. Murphy will take a hit once Granger returns, so you’d be selling high on him. B-Diddy and Murphy certainly have higher peaks than Nelson and Lopez on most weeks, but you’d be getting more value overall with that deal. However, if you’re still not sold on the deal (it sounds like you aren’t), declining the offer won’t kill you.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@lsuhornet17: Assists are more valuable/rare than rebounds, so that gives the edge to Kobe, along with the fewer turnovers. West was a very close second.
December 30th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
ShaqFu says:
Who do you like better for the rest of the season Boris Diaw or John Salmons both outright and in light of the fact I need Asts, FG%, FT% and Stls in that order?
December 30th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@ShaqFu: Outright, Salmons. Diaw should eventually be better in assists and maybe FG%, but that’s about it.
December 30th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
SWAT says:
hey guy.
is this a lopsided deal…?
m redd, rudy gay, rip hamilton, marc gasol, and billups
for
mo williams, joe johnson, and hedo…
wht u think?
December 30th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@SWAT: Monster deal right there. Five-for-three probably won’t do much good for the one receiving five players, especially since that’s a lot of depth that might render some useful players useless. Also, Redd is very delicate and Hamilton’s stuck in that gluttonous Pistons’ backcourt. Those two players could easily be taken out of the deal.
A three-for-three would work much better for both sides probably.
December 30th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
SWAT says:
ok i was thinking the deal seemed legit but some dudes in my league had some questions. thx for the info!
December 30th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Duck says:
Wait Doc, were you talking about Kevin or Kenyon Martin?
December 30th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Duck: Kenyon Martin.
December 30th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
larry needs help says:
Would anyone be interested in taking over my squad? i’m unable to put in the time that i need to manage my team competitively. And if anyone is seriously interested in turning my team around hit me up on my e-mail:
larrylaker1000@yahoo.com
only if you seriously want to manage the team though. Hopefully somebody wants to challenge themself.
here’s how the league is set up:
(PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, C, UTIL, UTIL, with 5 bench players) rosters can be changed everyday.
here’s my squad:
Chris Paul, Stephen Jackson, Jason Richardson, Mike Dunleavy, Andrei Kirilenko, Hedo Turkoglu, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Chris Kaman, Devin Harris, Baron Davis, Larry Hughes, Spencer Hawes, Josh Howard, Jose Calderon, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
I’m currently 11th out of 12 teams. top six get playoff berths. hit me up
December 31st, 2009 at 12:09 am
Conrad says:
Doc, love the Diagnosis…
In avg-based play, would you drop Gomes and/or Speights for any of these guys:
Casspi
Barbosa
Bibby
CJ Watson
D. Greene
R. Brewer
Bayless
R. Butler
If so, then which and who to drop? Thanks!
December 31st, 2009 at 10:12 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Conrad: For the short-term, I’d take Casspi or Watson over Gomes. Speights is probably worth holding onto for the rest of the way.
Good list of players to monitor though. Keep an eye on all of them, especially Barbosa down the line.
December 31st, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Nick says:
Doc,
One more trade offer:
Flynn + Udrih for Baron.
I would get the double package. I like Baron a lot (i’m steady in assists), I could use the more points, but it worries me that I won’t be getting that many more points while taking up 2 roster spots with Flynn + Udrih. Davis is solid (especially of late) in assists, and the points come inconsistently. One more thing — keep in mind I’m heavily lacking in steals.
Take it or leave it?
And a very happy new year, my new fantasy adviser.