Daily Fantasy Diagnosis: 12.4
Beast of the Night: Vladimir Radmanovic tore it up last night, finishing with 20 points, 4 threes, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. He shot 62 percent (8-13) from the field and had just 1 turnover. This is an eye-opening from a player who’s owned in very few leagues right now, but Radmanovic, whose three-point shooting fits the Warriors’ system, is getting minutes in Golden State and has started almost every game since he’s been there. He deserves a look in most leagues.
Noteworthy Lines:
Kevin Garnett – 9-15 FG (60%), 2-2 FT (100%), 20 Pts, 7 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl; He was definitely locked and loaded for last night’s matchup with the Spurs. This was one of KG’s better games of the season and while he has been somewhat disappointing so far, he’s still a top-50 fantasy player who has played quite well during the past week. It’s interesting to note that he hasn’t blocked a shot in six games and counting.
Paul Pierce – 2-9 FG (22%), 3-4 FT (75%), 1 3ptm, 8 Pts, 2 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; This was his second straight forgettable line. Pierce has been fantastic so far this season and his recent struggles can be chalked up to great defensive schemes by the Bobcats and Spurs. Now’s the time to buy low on him, as he’ll bounce back in a big way.
Manu Ginobili – 4-12 FG (33%), 1-2 FT (50%), 2 3ptm, 11 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 TO; He’s still working off some rust and is a solid buy-low candidate.
Chris Andersen – 3-3 FG (100%), 3-4 FT (75%), 9 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Stl, 3 Blk; The Birdman has picked it up recently after a slow start and is contributing in the blocks category again. His shooting percentages are great so far and he’s rarely turning the ball over, which makes his boards and blocks with little else very enjoyable to own.
Aaron Brooks – 8-15 FG (53%), 4-4 FT (100%), 5 3ptm, 25 Pts, 2 Reb, 7 Ast, 2 Stl, 4 TO; His last three games have been great and though he’ll likely put up a string of second-rate lines soon, Brooks is worth the roller coaster ride.
Carl Landry – 8-10 FG (80%), 6-6 FT (100%), 22 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 Blk, 3 TO; He’s no fluke and continues to help owners in every category besides threes.
Shane Battier – 3-6 FG (50%), 4-6 FT (67%), 10 Pts, 10 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 6 Blk; He hasn’t met expectations this season but this line should be a reminder of the kind of efficiency Battier is capable of.
Waiver Wire Appeal:
DeJuan Blair – 18 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Blk, 1 TO; This was his second straight double-double and though he’s far from consistent minutes and production, he should be considered in most leagues and will get better as the season wears on.
Chase Budinger – 11 Pts, 2 3ptm, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; He’s not consistent yet but remains a good source of threes in deep leagues.
C.J. Watson – 12 Pts, 2 3ptm, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; This marks three solid games in a row for him. He’s getting more minutes and deserves consideration in most leagues. Monitor how coach Don Nelson’s return affects his value.
Injuries:
Jannero Pargo (hip): seeing specialist in Philadelphia, day-to-day
Will Bynum (ankle): didn’t practice Thursday, questionable tonight
Richard Hamilton (ankle): practiced Thursday, should return soon
Tayshaun Prince (back): ditto
Charlie Villanueva (nose): will play tonight
Chris Paul (ankle): practiced at full speed Thursday, could return tonight
LaMarcus Aldridge (knee): didn’t practice Wednesday, questionable for Saturday
Kyle Korver (knee): practiced Thursday, game-time decision tonight
Andrei Kirilenko (back): practiced Thursday, should return tonight
Eric Gordon (hamstring): questionable for Saturday
Kevin Love (hand): will try to play tonight, but Saturday more likely
For Tonight:
Watch how the Raptors respond to Chris Bosh’s verbal reprimand to his team’s defensive weakness in Washington. Expect Bosh to bounce back in a huge way.
See if Danilo Gallinari can keep his run alive in Atlanta tonight. Also, David Lee and Al Horford should make for a good matchup.
Pierce should have a big game bottled up and ready to explode in Oklahoma City.
For Next Week:
4 games: CHI, CLE, DEN, GS, MIN, NJ, POR, SA, TOR, UTA
3 games: ATL, BOS, CHA, DAL, DET, HOU, IND, LAL, MEM, MIL, NO, OKC, ORL, PHI, PHO, SAC
2 games: LAC, MIA, NY, WAS
Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.
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December 4th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Jcarr says:
Hey doc! I dropped Wilson chandler for gallinari, your thoughts? Also should I pick up rip and drop Nate Robinson?
December 4th, 2009 at 11:34 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Jcarr: Good swap for Gallo.
I’m not sure if Rip will have more value than Nate, especially with the emergence of Will Bynum. They’ll both be inconsistent, but Nate hits threes and will probably get more opportunities to produce than Hamilton. That said, Nate is in coach D’Antoni’s dog house right now.
Rip will be more reliable, but Nate’s ceiling is higher. I’d lean toward sticking with Nate right now, but watch Hamilton’s comeback closely.
December 4th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
St says:
Hey Doc,
Should I trade Monta Ellis and Steve Nash for Kidd and Dirk?
I’m in H2H all category. I’m still unbeaten now 5-0, leads the league in pts,ast, and FTs, but worst in TO and almost worst in 3PM.
What do you think?
December 4th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
dmitry of jersey says:
Anyone think Redd is going to come back this season, or is he on track to be the next Gilbert Arenas?
I just traded Paul Pierce + Westbrook for CP3 and picked up Redd from FA…
December 4th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
zippy says:
Carl Landry has been producing consistenly all season long. he put up a sick line in only 25min of play. how is he not in Houston’s starting line up?
December 4th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@dmitry of jersey: He should return this season, but will probably be in and out of the lineup.
December 4th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@St: That seems like a fair deal. You’ll win on threes and turnovers. Nash is about comparable with Kidd and Dirk is better than Monta, so this seems like a good deal overall for you.
December 4th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
cmt says:
Hey doc,
Is trading boozer/butler for rondo/noah seem like a good trade? I also have the option of trading okafor instead of butler. I’m not sure what would be best for my team that seems to be more of a small-ball team.
Any thoughts?
December 4th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Joe says:
Tried to pick up Spencer Hawes off waivers but the first place guy got him.
My teams stands at P. Gasol, Kaman, Bargani, Gay, G. Wallace, B. Diaw, D. Granger, T. Evans, J. Calderon, R. Artest, A. Iverson.
Bench A. Randolph, J. Nelson, T. Young
Think I can use another big man instead of Young
Ben Wallace, Kenyon Martin, Shaq, Dampier and Dalembert are out there?
Can I drop Young for one of the above? I’m first in scoring and second to last in FG% (starting to slip in rebs and blks)
Thanks Doc!
December 4th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
BrickLayer says:
Hi Doc,
Who do you think is a better pickup:
Blair
Webster
Cheers,
December 4th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@cmt: If you want to be a small-ball squad, don’t make either of those deals. But if you wanted to make one, the latter (with Okafor) seems better, but that might be because I’m expecting Butler to continue his progress.
December 4th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Joe: I like Martin, Dampier, Dalembert, Wallace (unless you can punt FT%) and O’Neal, in that order. Nice group to choose from.
December 4th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@BrickLayer: Short-term, Webster. Long-term, Blair.
December 4th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Jamal says:
Doc – someone offered me okafor and Ben Gordon for brook lopez. I’m leaning towards rejecting the trade, your thoughts?
December 4th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Jamal: I’d also lean toward rejecting it also, unless you really need to add depth to your squad.
December 4th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Duck says:
Hey Doc -
So just as a recap, I picked up Udrih, dropping A. Randolph. Udrih’s stats don’t seem too amazing, averaging only 14/4/2. After looking at your diagnosis, do you think picking up Radmanovic or Blair would be better tha Udrih?
December 4th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Duck says:
Also, since CP3 is back in, who should I drop Collison for?
There’s A.Randolph/Blair/Radmanovic/Ridnour/B. Wallace/Watson, etc.
December 5th, 2009 at 12:50 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Duck: I’d stick with Udrih for now, but Radmanovic is more appealing than Blair right now.
Ridnour, Radmanovic, Watson, Randolph, Wallace, Blair in approximate order.
December 5th, 2009 at 3:30 am
nola says:
what do you think of tyrus thomas? if he comes back to the bulls, what do you think he’ll average? and also if he gets traded to the knicks, what do you think the impact will be?
December 5th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
nola: He’ll be better in the run-and-gun system of the Knicks.
On the Bulls, maybe 11/6 with 1 steal, 1.5 blocks.
On the Knicks, maybe 13/8 with 1.5 steals, 2 blocks.
December 6th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Geraldine A. Hammond says:
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