Daily Fantasy Diagnosis: 1.15
Beast of the Night: LeBron James notched 36 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 5 turnovers last night. He managed to hit 4 threes, shoot 60 percent (12-20) from the floor and 67 percent (8-12) from the free throw line. He’s turning the ball over 3.6 times per game so far this season, but his owners aren’t complaining.
Noteworthy Lines:
Kirk Hinrich – 5-10 FG (50%), 1 3ptm, 11 Pts, 6 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; Hinrich’s done quite well with his starting gig in Chicago and is putting up great all-around numbers.
Luol Deng – 8-13 FG (62%), 9-10 FT (90%), 25 Pts, 2 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; “How Luol Got His Groove Back” doesn’t roll off the tongue, but he seems to have found his scoring touch again.
Tyrus Thomas – 2-8 FG (25%), 1-4 FT (25%), 5 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 TO; He only logged 17 minutes and is clearly struggling to produce big numbers in limited action. Thomas could be dealt to another squad in the near future and that might be the only way he can break through this ceiling.
Kendrick Perkins – 5-9 FG (56%), 4-7 FT (57%), 14 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 5 Blk, 1 TO; The Celtics’ big man has been a pleasant surprise this season. He went in the last two rounds in most drafts but has been putting up just the type of numbers you’d want from a starting fantasy center. Though it might be good to sell high on him before KG returns, Perkins should continue to thrive in 2010.
Paul Pierce – 6-18 FG (33%), 6-10 FT (60%), 2 3ptm, 20 Pts, 8 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 TO; He’s as steady as they come and has been doing just what was expected of him coming into the season.
Carlos Boozer – 6-18 FG (33%), 7-7 FT (100%), 19 Pts, 13 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; Though not as hot as he was back in November and early December, Boozer’s still putting up solid all-around stats.
Waiver Wire Appeal:
Taj Gibson – 14 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk; He played through some foot pain and continues to fare well in the Bulls’ starting lineup.
Glen Davis – 6 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 TO; With Garnett and Rasheed Wallace out, Davis should get enough minutes to be mildly relevant in deeper leagues.
Delonte West – 11 Pts, 3 3ptm, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO; His inconsistency is a bummer, but he could be nice to stash in deeper leagues.
Ronnie Price – 13 Pts, 1 3ptm, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; He might get extra minutes if the Jazz’s starting point guard sits out with an injury (see below).
Sundiata Gaines – 9 Pts, 1 3ptm, 1 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Hitting the game-winner might earn him some extra minutes going forward. Gaines does well with the playing time allotted to him and should be monitored in deeper leagues.
Injuries:
Deron Williams (wrist): left the game early last night, day-to-day
Ben Gordon (groin): questionable tonight
Will Bynum (ankle): unlikely tonight
Chris Kaman (back): could return as early as tonight
Pau Gasol (hamstring): should return tonight
Brandon Roy (hamstring): questionable tonight
Andrei Kirilenko (knee): strained it last night, day-to-day
Kevin Martin (wrist): should return tonight
Gilbert Arenas (felony): charged, shouldn’t be on any rosters in non-keeper leagues
For Tonight:
See if DeJuan Blair can keep the train rolling in Charlotte tonight, even with a well-rested Tim Duncan likely to return to the lineup.
Watch how Martin’s return to the King’s lineup affects Tyreke Evans, Beno Udrih and Omri Casspi.
Brandon Jennings pays a visit to Oakland and faces the Warriors – the team he hung 55 points on back on Nov. 14.
For Next Week:
4 games: CHA, CHI, DAL, DET, GS, IND, LAC, LAL, MIA, MIL, MIN, NJ, NO, OKC, ORL, PHI, PHO, POR, SAC, TOR, WAS
3 games: ATL, BOS, CLE, DEN, HOU, MEM, NY, SA
2 games: UTA
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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January 15th, 2010 at 11:32 am
Francis says:
Doc,
Okafor for Calderon. Even trade?
January 15th, 2010 at 11:58 am
Coop says:
Doc, I’m in a 20 team league. Do you think I can now get a McFlurry for Jennings?
January 15th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Francis: Yeah, pretty even, though if %s are involved, Calderon will win out long-term.
January 15th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Coop: Haha, yes I do. If you want to deal him, wait until he has another big night.
January 15th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
zippy says:
Hey Doc.
Who should I play D.Harris, Hibbert, or B.Gordon?
Thanks
January 15th, 2010 at 1:29 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@zippy: Tough call. Gordon’s iffy and Harris is playing hurt, so I’d lean toward Hibbert, though his minutes seem erratic.
January 15th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Coop says:
Thanks Doc but I think I’ll be a rancid cadaver by the time that happens. I’m trying to pawn him off for Westbrook as I type this.
January 15th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
BROY says:
hey doc,
I still have 4 pgs; rose,stuckey,b.davis and billups.
He denied my rose for david lee offer, instead he wants stuckey for lee. Should I just accept this offer or is it good to keep all 4 pgs? do I really need David Lee? and for today should I start stuckey over manu?
My Teams:
G:Rose,Stuckey,B.Davis,Manu,Billups,Pierce
F:G.Wallace,Nowitzki,Lamar,Gallinari
C:M.Gasol,Love
January 15th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
dagwaller says:
BROY – my 2 cents is that you have 4 good PGs and David Lee is a beast. I’d do the Stuckey for Lee deal, especially since your C position is shallow. Good, but shallow. Maybe parlay one of those good Centers into a good Center that can block.
Anyway.
Doc, I picked TT up in a couple leagues, and immediately after he had his first game (a really good one) I traded him for Corey Maggette, who was right around TT’s draft position. That turned out to be a good move, not only because Maggette is FG/FT sniper this year, but also because TT hasn’t been producing. My question to you is, do you think that it’s worth applying the same strategy to try and trade him in my other league? Or do you think I can do better, or should I be less optimistic? Maybe I should keep him, to see if he gets traded to a team that’ll play him more…?
January 15th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Jay says:
Doc, I traded away Amare and Westbrook and got back Nash and Horford, did i win out on this trade?
Also i have too many guards on my roster and i need a C or PF, who do you think i can get for Calderon?
January 15th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
hoopinc10 says:
Jermaine O’Neal, Courtney Lee, Martell Webster, Ryan Gomes, Nick Young, Matt Barnes.
Which 3 should i start tonight?
January 15th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@BROY: Wow, Stuckey for Lee is a must-do for you.
I’d start Stuckey tonight.
January 15th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@dagwaller: Interesting scenario – Maggette is clearly a beast lately and I can’t recommend against dealing TT for him. But I’m one of those who still have hope for Thomas, especially if he gets traded. If you need the immediate help, pull the trigger on a deal. If you can afford to be patient, that wouldn’t be a bad idea either. It depends on how urgent you need production.
January 15th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Jay: As I said in a previous post, I like the deal for you. You probably can’t get too much yet with Calderon, but you can try to shoot for the likes of Elton Brand, Carl Landry, Roy Hibbert, Andrew Bogut and Marc Gasol.
January 15th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@hoopinc10: Webster, Barnes, O’Neal.
January 15th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
BrickLayer says:
Hey Doc,
My bench players are blair, ty lawson and rafer.
Do you think i should drop any of them?
Available players out there are juwuan howard, chalmers, a utah pg not named deron and mike bibby (waivers)
If i go for bibby i would be using up my waiver 1
Cheers
January 16th, 2010 at 10:32 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@BrickLayer: I’d consider dropping Lawson of those three but none of those waiver wire options are too appealing. Pick up Bibby if you want, but I’d stay put until someone more appealing appears.