PRESEASON NOTES THE FOURTH WEEK November 14, 1999 October 26 to November 01 Preseason Notes: The Fourth Week The follow is a compilation of notes that I made during the preseason. They were delivered daily to subscribers during the preseason. To subscribe to the regular season 'Fast Break' Emailer and receive similar timely notes delivered to you personally (almost daily) go to the HoopsKlyce Order Page. 10/26 Lamond Murray is expected to miss 4 weeks with a sprained knee. From last night: Tariq Abdul-Wahad: 16 points and 7 rebounds (he should have some fantasy value with the Magic) Cedric Ceballos: 19 points, 7-25 FG, and 10 reb Erick Strickland: 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists (he teased a couple seasons ago with stuff like this - perhaps this is for real) Larry Johnson: 18 points, 7 rebounds (he appears healthy enough to start the season - he seems to always be at least sore) Tracy Murray: 20 points, 4 3-pointers (he is coming off a bad year - a potential sleeper if he can keep this up) Anthony Johnson: 14 points, 7 rebs (but he will be the third string point guard) Roshown McLeod: 14 points and 7 rebs (time to say potential sleeper? You know Laphonso will miss most of the season with a strain of some sort) Paul Pierce: 27 points, 8-10 FT, 9 reb Karl Malone: 13 points,10 rebounds, 5 ast (his preseason debut) Bryon Russell: 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists (will be counted on by the Jazz - a good mid round selection) Austin Croshere: 16 points and 8 rebounds (potential sleeper?) Scottie Pippen:20 points and 6 assists. (looking for a bounce back season - not that last year was a complete bust from a fantasy perspective) Bonzi Wells: 13 points 10/27 The NBA fined Anfernee Hardaway and Rex Chapman and suspended them for Tuesday's season opener. Well...I will reduce their projected games to be played by one. Matt Geiger will undergo knee surgery and is expected to be out 4 to 6 weeks. With Theo Ratliff and Tyrone Hill also nursing injuries it looks as if Todd MacCulloch will see some significant minutes in November and be worth drafting (later rounds). A risk with him would be the elimination of playing time when the Sixers front line gets healthier. Another beneficiary of Geiger's injury will be Larry Hughes who will probably start at small forward with George Lynch moving to power forward. From last night: Glenn Robinson: 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists (The big dog passed the ball a little last night!) Sean Rooks: 15 points and 8 rebounds (potential sleeper if Bradley is hurt or ineffective) Erick Strickland: 23 points and 6 rebounds (He has had consistent performances through the preseason_ Vin Baker: 31 points, 9 rebounds (despite showing up heavy again) Ruben Patterson: 18 points, 5 rebounds in only 19minutes (He will start at small forward but will see competition from other such as Lewis and the Sonics will sometimes play 3 guards leaving Patterson on the bench. Still Patterson should be considered a legit sleeper since he will start) Gary Payton: 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 12 assists. Chris Webber: 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Predrag Stojakovic: 19 points and 5 rebounds Shawn Marion: 16 points and 4 rebounds (Getting tired of hearing his name all the time? But he keeps scoring) Toby Bailey: 15 points Glen Rice:21 points, 4 3-pointers. (It's about time he scored some) Shaquille O'Neal: 26 points, 7-22 FG, 12-17 FT, 17 rebounds (His shooting percentage was better from the free throw line than from the field last night! That's unusual) Vince Carter: 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks. (Its nice to get blocks like this from a small forward) Doug Christie: 23 points, 7 assists (McGrady apparently is with his Pediatrician regarding his teeth) Brevin Knight; 15 points, 11-12 FT and 8 assists (appears to have kept the starting point guard spot) Voshon Lenard: 23 points, 5 3-pointers (this came from the bench) P.J. Brown: 19 points and 12 rebounds (A solid mid-round pick) Alonzo Mourning: 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 blocks Kevin Garnett: 27 points, 12-13 FG, and 6 rebounds. Terrell Brandon: 13 points and 10 assists Ron Artest: 14 points (potential sleeper - should see decent playing time) Elton Brand: 12 points and 5 rebounds (being out played be Shawn Marion) Samaki Walker: 15 points and 6 rebounds Steve Francis: 20 points, 10-12 FT, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals. Michael Dickerson:24 points, 8-10 FT Bryant Stith: 17 points, 5 rebounds (coming off a couple injury plagued and unproductive seasons) 10/28 Scottie Pippen will sit out the last two games of the preseason because of a finger injury but will be ready for the start of the season. We will need to see if the finger hampers his play in November. Derrick Coleman was arrested on drunken driving charges and was treated for cuts on his nose and forehead resulting from a car accident. This is par for the course. At this time there does not appear to be any suspensions or reasons for him to miss any games. Eldridge Recasner was more seriously hurt in the accident. Grant Long will miss four to six weeks with a sprained left knee. His absence should elevate the fantasy value of Othella Harrington. From last night: Richard Hamilton: 19 pts, 1 bl but only 1 reb and 0 treys, assists, steals (I have concerns he won't fill out the stat sheet beyond points) Michael Smith: 35 min, 9 reb, 2 stl, 1 block although zero points Tracy Murray: 11 points, 2 treys (Averaging 11 ppg in the preseason. A late round sleeper to bolster your trey category) Tony Battie: 9 pts, 9 reb, 3 bl, 1 st (He should put up some decent stats while Fortson is out) Antoine Walker: 27 pts, 6 ast (This is what happens when he actually hits his shots. But last night he also had zero blocks and steals. On a brick laying night he can kill you considering how high he will go in the draft - of course there will be many good nights too) Vin Baker: 21 pts, 8 reb, 3 bl (but shooting only 53% from the line in the preseason) Obinna Ekezie, Grizzlies 2nd round pick: 14 pts, 13 reb, 3 st! (Not sure yet where Othella was last night) Allen Iverson: 26 pts but 0 assists and 1 reb Eric Snow: 16 pts, 7 ast, 0 TO Marcus Camby: 14 pts, 12 reb, 4 bl (started at center) JR Reid: 10 pts, 10 reb, 3 stl (started at center) Sam Cassell: 25 pts, 6 ast, 4 reb, 5-5 FT (does well in leagues with FT% category since he makes a lot at a very high percentage. He is 29-30 FT in the preseason!) Troy Hudson: 25 pts, 6 reb, 4 treys! but no assists from a point guard. (this came from the bench and he got more playing time than Erik Murdock) Austin Croshere: 11 pts, 2 stl, 4 reb (potential sleeper) Malik Sealy: 14 pts, 7 reb (coming off an injury plagued year) Kevin Garnett: 28 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast, 2 st, 1 bl, 2 treys! Andrew DeClerq: 15 pts, 9 reb, 3 bl (sleeper if Ilgauskas can't play) Brevin Knight: 11 pts, 11 ast, 3 st Danny Ferry: 20 pts but 0 bl, st, and ast (nothing to get to excited about yet) Jerry Stackhouse: 30 pts, 11-16 FG (He hit over 50% two games in a row. He has probably never done that before) Grant Hill: 28 pts, 8 ast, 4 stl, 5 reb 10/29 From last nights preseason games: Michael Smith: 15 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast (Appears to be starter for the Wizards. This is a nice stat line from a guy you can get later in the draft) Richard Hamilton: 17 pts, 6 reb, 2 stl ( A little better than the day before. Note he made the game winner - I usually don't report game winning shots since I have never seen this as a category in a league!) Adrian Griffin, Bos: 7 pts, 10 reb, 4 ast, 2 st (This is the first I have heard of this guy - will investigate) Karl Malone: 30 min, 17 pts, only 2 boards Byron Russell: 19 pts, 6 reb, 3 stl, 2 treys Greg Ostertag: 8 pts, 12 reb, 2 bl (A late round center who can rebound and block shots) Glen Rice: 0-10, 0 pts (Oh my goodness! what's going on here? - a terrible preseason turned in by Rice) Shaquille: 31 pts, 13-17, 8, 4 bl (This type of FG% is huge for your team. Looks like Shaq is ready to block shots again this year) Todd Day, Pho: 14 pts (He's back in the NBA - got some playing time since Shawn Marion sat out last night) Rasheed Wallace: 22 pts, 12 reb, 3 stl (Won't put up number like this during the season when Pippen is back in the lineup) Johnny Newman: 18 pts, 4 stl (If Kittles is out he could get some playing time) Marbury: 30 pts, 13 ast, 5 stl (Had an outstanding preseason) Kurt Thomas: 21 pts, 10 reb (Should see some playing time for the Knicks) Michael Curry: 20 pts, 10-10 FT, 8 ast (This is unusual from him) Corey Magette: 17 pts (First time he has put some points on the board in the preseason) Chauncey Billups: 15 pts, 5-5 FT, 2 treys (Ron Mercer needs to move to small forward as originally planned for him to get 30+ minutes per game) Vince Carter: 27 pts, 10 reb, 3 ast 1 bl 10/30 LaPhonso Ellis was hurt in practice Friday, re-injuring the calf muscle that has bothered him during training camp. An MRI found it to be only a strain and he is listed as day-to-day. Chances are he will sit out games as usual. Chris Crawford and Roshown McLeod will benefit from his absence. Zydrunas Ilgauskas will start the season on the injured list with a sore foot and will miss at least the first eight weeks of the season. We saw this coming in the preseason. From the last night of preseason games: Steve Smith: 19 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 2 st, 3 treys Jon Barry: 16 pts, 7-8 FT, 1 trey, 22 min (would need more playing time in the regular season to have fantasy value) Vlade Divac: 17 pts, 11 reb, 6 ast, 2 bl, 1 st Larry Hughes: 21 pts, 9 reb, 2 st (too bad he can't hit the trey regularly but he has had a good preseason) Jamie Feick: 10 pts, 16 rebs, 4 st Stephon Marbury: 27 pts, 7 ast, 3 reb (Will give big point and assist numbers but also has the liability of low FG% and rebs and high TO) Shandon Anderson: 18 pts (but doesn't give much else beyond some points) Chucky Brown: 15 pts, 7 reb (Journeyman started at small forward for the Spurs last night) Eddie Jones: 34 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast, 2 st Elton Brand: 17 pts, 7 reb, 3 st 10/31 I participated in a draft last Friday night and I thought I would pass on who ended up on the HoopsKlyce team. It was an ESPN draft (my first ESPN league) with Rotisserie scoring in the categories: Pts, Ast, Reb, St, Bl, FG%, treys, and FT%. There were 10 teams drafting 12 players and I had the ninth overall pick in the first round. Round 1, 9th overall: Allen Iverson - I was happy to end up with Iverson at this spot. I had him projected at number 2 and ESPN had him at number 6. Perhaps other owners were concerned about his thigh bruise or just wanted another guy. Since I live in the Philly area I will be able to watch and cheer for him often. Round 2, 12th overall: Grant Hill - It came down between Hill and Vince Carter. In all my years of fantasy basketball this is the first time I had Hill on my team. This is a contract year for him so I hope he is motivated to put up big stats. But he could probably turn in a sub par year and still get the maximum contract. Look at Vin Baker. Round 3, 29th overall: Raef LaFrentz - I passed up guys rated higher on my depth chart (he was at 38) to make sure I had someone to fill the center spot. I am hoping he is fully recovered from last year's injury. This was perhaps my riskiest and boldest pick of the entire draft. Round 4, 32nd overall: Shawn Kemp - I had him at 17 on my chart but ESPN had him at 30. I am hoping he plays himself into shape and ends up looking like a draft day steal. A few years ago he was my first round pick and played like one too. Round 5, 49th overall: Mike Bibby - Was rated 37 on my chart. I am hoping he shows tremendous improvements this year. Round 6, 52nd overall: Brian Grant - This player was automatically given to me by the ESPN auto draft feature when I could not find Marcus Camby in the ESPN charts in time. This is the price I paid for not taking the time before the draft to become familiar with the draft tool. I was too busy preparing player reports in the preseason! Every time I see Marcus Camby have a big night this year I will wince. I had Brian Grant at 77 on my chart and Camby 44. Also, in retrospect I wish I would have taken Tracy McGrady at this spot. Round 7, 69th overall: Jerry Stackhouse - At this point in the draft I like to be picking guys still rated in my top 50 but none were available. This is a tribute to the quality of the other owners. I did not want Stackhouse but he seemed to be the best shooting guard out there which is what I needed. I have referenced Stackhouse's poor shooting many times but I was pleased to see he shot 51% in the preseason and took only 6 treys making 2! Round 8, 72nd overall: Rasheed Wallace - I had him at 50 on my chart. I figured now that I have an injured Brian Grant on my team I should protect myself with the guy who will back him up. Rasheed has never been one of my favorites since he is not a big rebounder and plays power forward. Round 9, 89th overall: Chauncey Billups - I had already skipped over him to take Wallace. I had Billups at 58 on my chart. He will be able to provide treys and some accurate free throwing to the team. I realize that if James Posey continues to play well for Denver and Ron Mercer stays at shooting guard Billups may not live up to my preseason projections. Round 10, 92nd overall: Tony Battie - I am hoping Battie comes up big while Fortson is out. Last year in limited minutes he was able to block 1.4 shots per game. I had him at 67 on the depth chart. Round 11, 109th overall: Jimmy Jackson - I see him as one of the better offensive players for the Hawks although he may not start. I had him at 78 on the depth chart. Round 12, 112th overall: Othella Harrington - I had him at 92 on the depth chart. I think he should put up some respectable numbers while Grant Long is out. After the draft I picked up Lindsay Hunter and moved Brian Grant to injured reserve. I had Hunter at 69 on the depth chart. With Billups and Hunter I may end up with a surplus of threes and may need to get rid of one either by trade or just dropping one. 11/1 Subscriber Erik Knudson researched Adrian Griffin of the Boston Celtics and found the following at: http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/teams/celtics/ "Adrian Griffin, 6-5, 215, small forward/shooting guard: He was the MVP in the CBA last season and was a pleasant surprise in the exhibition season. He's a `little things' player, totally unselfish, perfect for the Celtics' rotation. He's not afraid to take the ball to the basket and he wants to prove to all those teams that didn't sign him that they made a mistake. He and Cheaney will split starter's minutes until Fortson returns." Cheany fouled out of many preseason games and may give Griffin more opportunities during the regular season. I don't expect Griffin to have much fantasy value early on but will check him out. The season begins tomorrow and the status of many players is questionable. These players include Patrick Ewing, Kerry Kittles, Sean Bradley, Steve Nash, Michael Finley, Joe Smith, Theo Ratliff, and Brian Grant. The owners of these players should check for news on their status but for many I bet it will be a game time decision for most. I generally prefer to have questionable players inactive. This strategy might change if you are able to take out players without waiting long or if you have absolutely no back up. I like to see the questionable player in a box score before activating them. Also, they might say they will play but then play a very short period of time. There will be many games broadcast on TNT, TBS, and NBC this season giving plenty of opportunities to see your players. This represents the last issue of the preseason Emailer. Those who have not subscribed to the Fast Break regular season Emailer may do so by replying to this email. The cost is 10$. For more fantasy analysis I recommend Chris Colston of USA Today at: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketba/skn/colcol.htm   Previous Article Next Article Copyright © Hoops Klyce 1999 - All Rights Reserved Website Designed by Lelnet Failed to execute script '../cgi-local/ax.cgi': Win32 Error Code = 2