Daily Fantasy Diagnosis: 3.4
Beast of the Night: LeBron James finished with 26 points, 7 rebounds, 14 dimes, 3 steals and 1 block in New Jersey. He shot 56 percent (10-18) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the line and had 3 turnovers. Though he’s averaging a career-high 8.6 assists per game this season, he’s also averaging 3.5 turnovers, his worst since his rookie season.
Noteworthy Lines:
Lou Williams – 11-15 FG (73%), 7-10 FT (70%), 1 3ptm, 30 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; No A.I. means good times for Williams. He should finish the season just as strongly as he started it.
Tracy McGrady – 6-12 FG (50%), 7-8 FT (88%), 2 3ptm, 21 Pts, 7 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; He started at point guard and had a great game but this is a clear sign to sell high on him more than anything else.
Al Harrington – 10-17 FG (59%), 6 3ptm, 26 Pts, 8 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 TO; After a forgettable January, Harrington put together a decent February and seems to have reclaimed a starting spot. He’s playing for a contract, so expect solid lines from him the rest of the way.
Paul Pierce – 9-13 FG (69%), 5-5 FT (100%), 4 3ptm, 27 Pts, 2 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; All this in just 26:30 of work. The Celtics will need Pierce if they want to solidify their playoff standing and he’ll likely dent the value of Ray Allen.
Mike Conley – 11-18 FG (61%), 3-5 FT (60%), 1 3ptm, 26 Pts, 3 Reb, 7 Ast, 5 Stl, 2 TO; The points were a season-high but Conley remains a bit too inconsistent for most owners’ tastes.
Marcus Thornton – 8-16 FG (50%), 5-5 FT (100%), 3 3ptm, 24 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; A lot of people were slow to trust him, but Thornton should be strong through the end of the season, even when CP3 returns.
Shane Battier – 2-4 FG (50%), 4 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 7 Blk, 1 TO; Battier’s value is usually pretty muted, but his low turnovers and decent mix of threes, steals and blocks makes him appealing.
Luis Scola – 8-16 FG (50%), 3-3 FT (100%), 19 Pts, 18 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 TO; Scola didn’t quite make the jump that many were expecting from him this season but lines like this nice.
Channing Frye – 8-12 FG (67%), 7 3ptm, 23 Pts, 1 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 TO; Frye was sizzling last night and is on a nice five-game streak, but he’s proven to be too unreliable for most starting lineups.
Amar’e Stoudemire – 12-16 FG (75%), 6-7 FT (86%), 30 Pts, 14 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 Blk, 1 TO; Great line, but his owners probably expected more of these this season.
Waiver Wire Appeal:
Willie Green – 17 Pts, 2 3ptm, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; With Iverson out, Green could have decent value the rest of the way.
Jonas Jerebko – 15 Pts, 2 3ptm, 13 Reb, 1 TO; The kid can play.
Bill Walker – 22 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl; So can he.
Eddie House – 17 Pts, 2 3ptm, 1 Reb, 2 Ast; Good source of threes, not much else.
J.J. Hickson – 20 Pts, 13 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Blk; Seems to benefit most from Shaq’s absence.
Nate Robinson – 16 Pts, 4 3ptm, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 TO; Still hard to trust, but he seems to have found his groove in Boston.
JaVale McGee – 14 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Blk, 2 TO; Very inconsistent, but he’s capable of big lines on any night when he doesn’t get into foul trouble.
Ersan Ilyasova – 19 Pts, 1 3ptm, 10 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Unreliable, but always capable of putting up a solid line or two each week.
Jerry Stackhouse – 13 Pts, 1 3ptm, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; He keeps turning back the clock and is on a nice five-game roll.
Serge Ibaka – 15 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; This was his third double-double of the season and his second in three games.
Injuries:
Brad Miller (knee): didn’t practice Wednesday, check his status
Luol Deng (knee): ditto
Joakim Noah (foot): out three weeks
Trevor Ariza (hip): won’t return this weekend
Goran Dragic (ankle): doubtful tonight
For Tonight:
See if O.J. Mayo can turn things around in Chicago.
Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @fbasketballblog.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DIMEMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
March 4th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Coop says:
Deadline day for most leagues today I think. Doc, if I fancy one last trade, who should I aim for if I want to trade Gasol?
March 4th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Coop says:
That’s Pau! by the way
March 4th, 2010 at 10:34 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Coop: Maybe someone like Boozer, Dirk, Josh Smith, Chauncey or, dare I say, Andray Blatche (best playoff schedule of them all)?
March 4th, 2010 at 10:49 am
Mike says:
Doc 2day is the trade deadline, I’m trying to get a more reliable scorer. I’m thinking Pau for Melo what do you think Or should I keep my team, here’s my team -
-Deron Williams
-Eric Gordon
-Steve Nash
-Josh Smith
-David Lee
-Pau Gasol
-Brook Lopez
-Andrew Bogut
-Anthony Morrow
-Jason Richardson
-Channing Frye
-Samuel Dalembert
March 4th, 2010 at 10:56 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Mike: You can do much better than ‘Melo for Pau – if you really want ‘Melo though, package Pau in a two-for-two and get another decent player along with Anthony.
March 4th, 2010 at 11:01 am
RC says:
Lou Williams doing what he does best again, jacking up shots like Mike James. And contributing nothing else on the floor.
Amare is starting to prove himself on the rebounding end. There was no doubt in the ability it’s just the willingness. 14 boards is nice!
T-Mac is showing he still got game. I can’t wait to see him against the Raps on friday.
Luis Scola is just killing it. Actually Houston as a team is killing it right now.
March 4th, 2010 at 11:27 am
killa cam says:
whats the word on ariza? i thought he was coming back this week? he’ll miss the 2 weekend games too now? i just traded milsap for him. i need him soon…
March 4th, 2010 at 11:50 am
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@killa cam: Patience is the name of the game – he could return sometime next week. Don’t worry yet, especially since his playoff schedule is great.
March 4th, 2010 at 12:06 pm
b says:
should i drop ray allen for marcus thornton? thanks
March 4th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
Conrad says:
Droppables on my team: TJ Ford, BGordon, Hibbert, and WChandler.
Available on waiver wire: Dalembert, JJ Hickson, BWalker, Galinari, NateRob, Marv Williams, and Rasual.
Make any of those switches in my h2h avg-based league? Thanks as always!
March 4th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
killa cam says:
ok. what do you think about outlaw? think he has much upside? I know butler’s got the starting gig, but he’s always been around and has never really locked down that job.
March 4th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@b: Thornton is definitely more valuable, but it’s really tough to recommend dropping Allen, who has decent trade value. I’d definitely lean toward making the swap though.
March 4th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Conrad: Swap out all four for Dalembert, Hickson, Walker and Gallo or Nate.
March 4th, 2010 at 1:14 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@killa cam: Outlaw has upside, yes, but he’s going to struggle with inconsistency the rest of the way.
March 4th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Conrad says:
Drastic suggestion for me there, Doc…i think im too conservative to do so, but I did just drop Hibbert for Dalembert.
I want to wait to drop Wilson until I see him play another game (hopefully this week, b/c i started him!), but I think I might pull the trigger and drop BGordon for JJ Hickson. I’m not confident enough on Walker & NateRob to drop TJ (who’s been on par with Nate lately) and Wilson (who has been decent with his minutes + Tmac in the mix).
Thanks for the thoughts!
March 4th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
Conrad says:
sry for another Q, but crunch time is upon us.
8-cat roto: Need FG%, stls, + FT%. Drop either Ariza or JThompson for Danilo, Jerebko, or JJ Hickson? Thx!
March 4th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Conrad: I’d hold onto Ariza and swap out Thompson for either Hickson or Jerebko.
March 4th, 2010 at 3:48 pm
jace says:
@doc
i recently got rid of biedrins cuz hes slowly getting worse.. plus hes injured right now.
i was looking for a replacement bigman.. do you think dejuan blair is a good choice? his team has more games during the playoffs.. and i figure duncan might get some resting time. are there any other big men that i should be lookin at?
March 4th, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Madbijou says:
Dear Doc ! Last minute trade before the deadline…. Give Dre Miller and Bargnani to get Billups and Hibbert??
Thanks a lot for all the help !
March 4th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@jace: Blair is a nice option, but when Duncan does play, his value has a low ceiling. It’s tough to recommend others without knowing how big your league is, but see if guys like JaVale McGee, J.J. Hickson, Anthony Tolliver or Ronny Turiaf are available.
March 4th, 2010 at 5:23 pm
madbijou says:
Doc, I really need your help lol
March 4th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Madbijou: If you can make up for the lost depth, pull the trigger. You’re definitely getting the best player in the deal and getting rid of Miller, who has a terrible playoff schedule.
March 4th, 2010 at 5:48 pm
madbijou says:
Thanks man. I appreciated the help all year long. Great job
March 4th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
mules says:
doc, what are your thoughts on Crawford and Outlaw for Marcus Thornton and Sergio Rodriguez? I’d be giving up Crawford and Outlaw.
March 4th, 2010 at 6:38 pm
BrickLayer says:
Hey Doc,
Its trade deadline day, so time to make a move or two.
My team is:
Guards – Aaron Brooks, Marcus Thornton, Conley
Forwards – Durant, Robin Lopez
Centers – Howard, Marc Gasol
Others – Hinrich, Perkins, Serg Rodriguez
Pending trade – i am getting Steph Curry and Horford, giving away Tmac, Broy and Aldridge.
What do you think i am lacking in, if my trade goes through?? I know ft% and to% are pretty much out the window, but is there a player or two i should trade/target.
Cheers and thanks for all your help.
March 4th, 2010 at 6:48 pm
Jamal says:
Doc what do u think about me trading derron collison for Marcus thornton straight up, fair?
March 4th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@madbijou: Thanks for reading!
March 4th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@mules: You get the best player in the deal so I like it if you can deal with losing some depth.
March 4th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@BrickLayer: You probably gave up a bit too much in that deal, though you got rid of two Blazers, who have terrible playoff schedules. Pretty solid lineup. If you could package Lopez, Conley and Hinrich or Perkins in a deal to get more assists, you should be even better.
March 4th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Jamal: If you need more threes, then yeah, this is a pretty keen move, especially since CP3 will destroy Collison’s production.
March 4th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
Mike says:
Yo Doc I’ve been getting offers for Pau Gasol, the one thats intersting is Scola & Rip/Marcus Thorton for Pau what do you think? Which teams have the best playoff schedule & worst?
March 4th, 2010 at 10:07 pm
The Fantasy Doctor says:
@Mike: Look here for playoff schedules: http://dimemag.com/2010/02/buy-low-sell-high-fantasy-basketball-playoff-schedule-preview/
Two-for-ones usually don’t benefit the team that gets two, and I don’t think this deal is much different. Unless you desperately need depth, stay away.