Fantasy Basketball News from Opening Day (12/26/11)
Dec 26, 2011 Blog
It’s nice to finally have some basketball to write about! Five games on the opening day board, so let’s hit the fantasy news:
Brandon Bass (BOS) – 20pt/11reb was a nice start to his Boston career. With Kevin Garnett needing regular rest, Bass is going to be a decent add off the waiver wire.
Jermaine O’Neal (BOS) – I was expecting big things out of O’Neal yesterday, but he looked like the same old sluggish guy from years past, 6pt/2reb. He may not be on fantasy rosters very long this year.
Kevin Garnett (BOS) – News flash, Garnett is still a dick. He decided to take a shot at former teammate Bill Walker and could be looking at a friendly meeting with David Stern.
Iman Shumpert (NYK) – Sprained a knee Sunday, which is a shame because it really seemed like the D’Antoni trusted him. Shumpert managed 13 shots in 22 minutes of action. He might be a good stash on the bench if you have room.
Tony Douglas (NYK) – Led the Knicks yesterday with 19 shot attempts, he hit 8 of them. 19pt/4ast/3stl. He’s going to be a great fantasy play if D’Antoni keeps letting him jack that many shots.
Josh Harrellson (NYK) – How much does he look like David Lee out there?
Udonis Haslem (MIA) – Haslem looked fully healthy and put up a solid 9pt/14reb line. If you need help at the PF spot, pick him up.
LeBron James/Dwyane Wade (MIA) – 37pt/10reb/6ast from James, 26pt/8reb/6ast from Wade. Was there anyone else on the court? And this came against the defending champs. Both guys look to be well worth the first round price tag.
Norris Cole/Mario Chalmers (MIA) – Split the minutes right down the middle with 24 each. Cole was the scorer, while Chalmers was the better playmaker. I’d really take a good look at Cole in keeper leagues and give him a flier if you have roster space.
Vince Carter (DAL) – He really looked bad on Sunday. Some guys fade slowly and some fall off a cliff. Look out below. Carter was benched in the second half, so Delonte West could be the real winner here if Carter is done.
Shawn Marion (DAL) – He broke a pinky finger yesterday, but doesn’t expect to miss any time. Might be a good idea to bench him in the next game if you have a better option.
Brendan Haywood/Ian Mahinmi (DAL) – The Mavs have a huge problem at center and really need to bring someone in to play defense. I had Haywood picked as a decent late round option, but that may have been too optimistic.
Carlos Boozer (CHI) – Boozer looked better physically than I’ve seen in about 2 or 3 years. He was lighter and quicker and could have a great fantasy season. He’s going too low in drafts based on what I saw yesterday.
Derrick Rose (CHI) – Rose is good, like you needed me to tell you that. He has improved the three point shot even more from last season going 4 of 6 Sunday. Not only was he hitting them, but he was nailing them from 2-3 feet behind the stripe, on the move. He looked confident. He’s my number one point guard on the board over Chris Paul.
Steve Blake/Derek Fisher (LAL) – The starting PG job in LA could be Blake’s soon. Now that the Lakers have moved to a more conventional (simpler) offense, Blake looks like a the better, more physical, option over Fisher.
Kobe Bryant (LAL) – Ignore the hurt wrist talk, Kobe still put up 28pt/7reb/6ast. He did make a really selfish play to end the game though trying to shoot over Noah and Deng when he had a wide open Fisher on his wing for an easy jumper.
Josh McRoberts (LAL) – McRoberts was solid, the Lakers might not miss Lamar Odom as much as people think.
Ryan Anderson/Glen Davis (ORL) – Based on yesterday’s action, Anderson should be the clear winner of the starting PF spot for the Magic. He led Orlando with 17 shot attempts, going for 25pt/10reb. Hang on to Davis for a few games, but it might become apparent soon that he’s a drop.
Russell Westbrook (OKC) – Westbrook could definitely have used more camp time, 7 turnovers and he looked completely out of control on most plays. He’s still a top 5 fantasy PG though.
Serge Ibaka (OKC) – The Thunder are going to have to get Ibaka more involved in the offense for him to be a useful fantasy option. The blocks are nice, but the ONE field goal attempt wasn’t.
Kendrick Perkins (OKC) – Perkins looked great physically and still has the same bad attitude, but much like Ibaka, they didn’t let him get involved in the offense. Hopefully, much of that had to do with facing Dwight Howard, but keep an eye on Ibaka and Perkins’ involvement in the offense.
DeAndre Jordan (LAC) – 8 blocked shots, congrats if you grabbed him in your draft. He only attempted 2 field goals, but did make it to the line 12 times.
Caron Butler (LAC) – Butler looked healthy and he might be going a little too low in most drafts. Bump him up if you still haven’t drafted yet.
Stephen Curry (GSW) – The Warriors really need to shut him down for a week or two and let the ankle heal. It might not matter though, because Curry is going to deal with bad ankles for the rest of his career. I didn’t touch him in any of my drafts and would definitely pass on him for a more dependable option.
Andris Biedrins (GSW) – Looked surprisingly good. Kwame Brown wasn’t much competition, getting only 7 minutes. Keep an eye on Biedrins and if he holds the solid production for a few games, it might be time to pick him up.
Tags: fantasy basketball