Fantasy Basketball Daily News and Notes (8/27/10)
Aug 27, 2010 Blog
It’s still August and I participated in my first mock draft of the season last night. Yes, it is a sickness. Thanks to Jason at fBasketballBlog.com for setting it up and rounding up a good group of drafters. I’ll try to get a post up this weekend describing my roster, as well as links to each of the other teams as they also explain their draft picks. I’m also still working on the Power Forward rankings, but the mock draft took up my free time last night so I’ll try to have them done by Sunday.
Player News and Notes:
Kalenna Azubuike – Azubuike tore his patellar tendon last November and he still isn’t able to run or jump. It’s looking like he will probably miss most of camp and the first part of the season, which is a shame because it seems like D’Antoni wanted to give him the starting SG spot. Expected recovery time on that type of injury was one year, so if he turns out to be a slow healer or has any kind of setback, we might not see him on the court until Christmas. While this is bad news for Azubuike, it does bump Wilson Chandler up a bit in value.
Denver Nuggets – Drafting Nuggets players is a risky proposition right now. Melo wants out and J.R. Smith finds himself in legal trouble. Kenyon Martin may also be on the trade block and Nene is fighting injury problems this summer with his legs which is keeping him from playing for Brazil. It appears that this might be the perfect opportunity to blow the team up and start over. Not saying it will happen, but it could and it’s a sad way to welcome back George Karl from his successful battle with cancer. One guy for fantasy owners to keep an eye on is Al Harrington. If Martin and Melo get traded, it could be Billups and Harrington running the show.
Tyreke Evans – CowbellKingdom.com reports that Evans has improved his jumpshot in the offseason. If true, Evans could increase his fantasy stats in a big way. Evans has a Jumper/Inside split of 47%/53% according to 82Games.com, so he’s got some room to increase his jumper total. I don’t think he will score a lot of points with the jumper, but rather opposing defenses must respect it and guard him a little closer, which can be a disaster when ‘Reke blows by them on the way to the basket. It may also create a little more space for Evans to create for others, which could help his assist totals. Keep an eye on his midrange jumper in preseason.
Ben Gordon – Gordon reports that his ankle “is about 85% now” after offseason surgery. I just can’t bring myself to draft Gordon this season. Will Bynum is making a case for more time at PG and Rodney Stuckey would really be better off at SG. Rip Hamilton is still the starter at SG and the Pistons brought in Tracy McGrady for scoring off the bench. Not sure where all this is going to leave Gordon, so he should probably be left to the very late rounds as a backup to your starting SG’s.
Devin Harris – NetsAreScorching.com has an article on Harris and what he needs to do for NJ to be successful this season. The Nets need Harris to be a facilitator, but that just isn’t his game. They are forcing the square peg into the round hole and it just isn’t going to work. It’s another factor in my ranking Harris so low this season. There may be a reason the Nets brought in Jordan Farmar on a three year, $12 million contract. Farmar left the world champions because he wanted more playing time. The Jersey PG situation could turn into a very unhappy platoon if Harris can’t run the offense like Avery Johnson wants him to, especially since Johnson and Harris have clashed in the past. It’s just one potential fantasy headache you should avoid.
Fantasy Links:
Yes, it’s a slow news day. Daily Distraction Girl Andrea Calle from HoopedUpOnline.com.
GiveMeTheRock.com’s fantasy preview of the Phoenix Suns.
GiveMeTheRock.com’s fantasy preview of the LA Lakers.
GoldenStateofMind.com examines Monta Ellis and Reggie Williams and their outlook for the upcoming season.
Twitter account identities for the Miami Heat players and media coverage.
Twitter account identies for the Orlando Magic players and media coverage.
Tags: fantasy basketball