Fantasy Basketball Daily News and Notes (12/9/11)
Dec 9, 2011 Blog
It was the blockbuster trade that wasn’t. Last night’s veto of the Chris Paul trade is one reason that I don’t write about stuff until it’s official. I can’t remember how many times I’d spend an hour writing a nice piece when I first started this blog only to have it blown out of the water because the rumor wasn’t true. I can only imagine how the guys who worked to actually put that deal together feel right now. And what about the players involved, how do they get over the hard feelings of getting dumped? How loud will the screams from LA be when Dwight Howard joins another couple of all-stars somewhere else? Does the NBA block a Howard trade too?
Pretty embarrassing for the NBA right now. It’s turned into one of those petty, whiny fantasy leagues where jealous owners (looking at you Dan Gilbert) just veto any trade because they don’t want to see another owner get an advantage. Yeah, I know you guys have been in one of those leagues too at one time or another, and they suck.
Chris Paul (NOR) – I’ve got Chris Paul in one of my keeper leagues and now I’m worried. Since Paul wasn’t allowed to go to the Lakers, there’s a really good chance that the league can’t allow him to go anywhere now, so he rots in New Orleans for a year biding his time and not really bringing much effort or enthusiasm to the game. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he didn’t even show up to camp. How many assists could Paul have collected feeding Kobe and Pau? Certainly more than passing to Willie Green and Emeka Okafor. Poor Jarrett Jack, back to the bench.
Keyon Dooling (FA-BOS) – The Celtics signed Dooling to backup Rajon Rondo. Rondo put in 37.2 minutes a game last season, so Dooling will be lucky to get 12 minutes a game. And it only gets worse for Dooling if the Celtics somehow reel in Chris Paul.
Shane Battier (FA-MIA) – Battier is in Miami for his defense, which really doesn’t help your fantasy team. He won’t see the basketball enough to be worth a draft pick.
Greg Oden (POR) – He’s staying in Portland for at least another year. He was also supposed to be released for contact drills yesterday, but that didn’t happen. I’m guessing Oden got the message that nobody else was interested in his only ability, which is to occupy the training room. You can take a chance on him in keeper leagues, but pass on him for one year leagues.
Tayshaun Prince (DET) – Detroit signed Prince for four more years, which is a move I just can’t understand. Might as well just bring back Hamilton and Wallace too. Maybe it’s a sign and trade. If he stays with Detroit, that will kill Austin Daye’s value. The Pistons really needed to start rebuilding with youth rather than keeping these retreads.
Jonas Jerebko (DET) – Signed with Detroit. I’m not sure where he’s going to play or how many minutes he’s going to get with Greg Monroe and Charlie Villanueva holding down the PF spot and Prince at SF. He’s also been out of basketball for nearly 16 months. This makes him undraftable.
Baron Davis (CLE) – Cleveland will likely use their amnesty card on Davis. His value will depend on where he lands. Kyrie Irving’s value explodes on this news. Grab him at pretty much any price in keeper leagues, but keep your expectations reasonable in one year leagues.
TJ Ford (FA-SAS) – He’s been brought in to backup Tony Parker. Waiver wire material.
Mike Dunleavy, Jr. (FA-MIL) – He’s nothing more than a bench backup at SG/SF and probably won’t get enough minutes to be draftable.
Caron Butler (FA-LAC) – This is a nice fit for Butler, but not such a great deal for his fantasy owners. Butler will not be an important scoring option for a team that already has Eric Gordon and Blake Griffin. And he’s got that injury thing to recover from too. His reputation will have him going way too high in most drafts.
Shannon Brown (FA-PHO) – I love this move by Phoenix. Vince Carter is gone and Brown will step right into the vacant starting SG spot. The guy can play but hasn’t ever gotten the chance to shine while backing up Kobe in LA. Brown is definitely worth a gamble on draft day, high risk-high reward.
Eddy Curry (FA-MIA) – Why? How long can he be expected to survive there once LeBron and Wade get a whiff of his attitude and work ethic? At least Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem put forth effort.
Nate Robinson (FA) – Thunder report that Nate won’t be back with the team this season.
Chauncey Billups (NYK) – Billups is one angry PG. He packed his bags and left NY and headed home to Denver. He might be amnestied, so his fantasy value will depend on where he lands. Not a wise move by the Knicks.
Tags: fantasy basketball