1/28/06

Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi and Dwayne Jones were traded for Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks and Justin Reed.  In Minnesota, Davis will assume the minutes the Szczerbiak was playing with Trenton Hassell shifting to small forward.  Mark Blount was out of favor in Boston and will get a second chance in Minnesota.  In Blount's first game with the Wolves he played 24 minutes before fouling out.  The playing time was quite an improvement over what he had been getting as of late in Boston.  However the reason he was not getting much PT in Boston was because he is not a good player and that will likely send him to the bench soon in Minnesota as well.  Ricky Davis, as he already demonstrated in his first game with Minnesota, should weather the transition well. 

There should be some concern for owners of Szczerbiak who plays SF, the same position that Paul Pierce has been playing this season for the Celtics.  For Wally to start, Pierce will need to move to SG.  The spot is there for him as the Celtics current option in lieu of Davis is Tony Allen.  But until the Celtics make this move (which would make sense), Szczerbiak will come off the bench as he did yesterday.  This interim period will likely not give Tony Allen value as his minutes as a starter will still be limited. 

This is another deal where there are no apparent fantasy winners. 

Qyntel Woods has started the last two games for the Knicks and has been in double figure scoring his last four games.  In these four games he has shown abilities in the rebound, steal, and three point categories.  He is at risk to lose his playing time at any moment with the Knicks but for now he has gone from nowhere to someone worth monitoring. Box Score 

1/26/06

The Artest-Peja trade comes with relatively few fantasy impacts other than the obvious one of Artest going from zero value to some value as an active player.  Artest will likely go through a transition period as he adapts to his new team but should end up playing 35-39 minutes.  Playing with a good point guard in Mike Bibby and a center (Brad Miller) who can pass should contribute to him posting healthy scoring numbers.  He should also be counted on for his usual steal contributions. 

Francisco Garcia loses the opportunity to play extended minutes as a result of a disgruntled Peja remaining with the team.  In Indiana, Stephen Jackson was at risk at losing scoring potential with Peja coming but by serendipity for Jackson's fantasy owners, Jermaine O'Neal is anticipated to be out two months with an injury.  This should allow Jackson to maintain his recent scoring pace. 

I never thought pink eye would cause a player to miss a game but it is apparently a serious injury for Stromile Swift.  Meanwhile, undrafted rookie Chuck Hayes has averaged 8 rebounds in the first five games of his NBA career.  NBA vagabond Lonny Baxter has also had 11 rebounds in each of his last two games for the Rockets and added 18 points yesterday. 

Tony Battie has come to life in January showing a particular spark in shot blocking.  Over his last five games he is averaging 8 pts, 7.4 reb, and 2.4 bl.  While it is tough to be real optimistic about a player with a 9-year career playing time average of 22.6 min (with plenty of injuries), his recent performance deserves some attention. 

1/24/06

S. Pavlovic has started the last two games for the Cavaliers and has played an average 34.5 minutes in these games.  Tonight he was 6-9 FG including 4 treys for 16 pts.  He got this opportunity partly due to the struggles of Damon Jones.  Both players are filling in until Larry Hughes returns in late February.  Pavlovic shot 38% for three pointers last season but has shot only 28% this season.  Perhaps tonight is a turning point in that regard.  Last season he was decent in steals on a per minute basis but has also struggled in that area this season. Now is a candidate to help teams in deep leagues in the three point category. Box Score 

1/22/06

With Grant Hill out (indefinitely) again, Hedo Turkoglu has seen a surge in his playing time recently.  Over his last five games he is averaging 38 min, 19 pts, 6 reb, and 1.4 treys.   

The prognosis for Manu Ginobili is currently 1-2 weeks with a sprained ankle.  During this time Michael Finley may be an interim player in some leagues. 

Twelve players have started at least 5 games for the Knicks this season. Such validity makes Stephon Marbury, who is currently hurt, the only reliable player. 

After starting 9 games, Mike Sweetney was acknowledged for his efforts with a DNP (no health issues). 

Andre Nocioni is making half his three point attempts this season to average 1.3 made per game. 

The Celtics are currently 3 games out of the last playoff spot.  If they get further back my instincts would say a player like Kendrick Perkins gets more playing time.  It seems that Mark Blount will either be given away or play negligible time the remainder of the season.  Over his last give games Perkins is averaging 11.6 ppg on 67% FG.  He has two blocks in three of his last five games. 

Gerald Wallace will be out four to six weeks with a knee injury.  Okafor is also still out. My feeling is that he will be out another week or so.  Jumaine Jones may benefit the most from the absence of Gerald Wallace.  Yesterday in 42 min he had 18 pts, 8 reb, 2 st, and 1 trey.  He was also 5-5 FT.  This is noteworthy in that year to date he had been making only a little over one FT attempt per game.  It is likely though he will go back to his spot up shooting ways.  This may be for the best as he shoots under 70% FT. 

Andre Kirilenko did not block a shot yesterday.  It was only the second time this has happened in a game this season. 

Victor Khryapa plays his first game since Jan 18^th tonight.  In that game in 36 min he had 18 pts, 12 reb, and 2 stl.  Prior to that he had been in single digit scoring in his previous 13 games.  In that regard one should anticipate he goes back to single digit scoring tonight.  But you might want to see how he does and see if his performance on the 18^th was some sort of turning point. 

1/18/06

Francisco Garcia has played over 40 minutes in his last threes games.  He has had this opportunity due to injuries on the Kings including Peja, Bonzi Wells, and Abdur-Rahim.  Yesterday he had 21 pts, 10 reb, and 2 stl as part of an overall better effort by the King's team.  As a guard, Garcia as shown the ability to contribute some blocks as on the season his projected block total per 30 minutes is 1 bpg.  Yesterday, Garcia started at SF in place of Peja who is listed as day-to-day.  In that regard this recent episode of extended playing time may go away with his return but Garcia may still warrant consideration in deeper leagues. 

1/17/06

HOOPSKLYCE EXPERT LEAGUE PROGRESS REPORT

 1/16/06

M. Pietrus played his second game since a prolonged absence due to a knee injury.  Unlike his first game back when he was only 1-6 FG, he was effective today going 7-9 FG including three 3-pointers for 19 points.  He is the type of player who mostly just scores but he can be good at it and make an impact in that area when healthy. 

Over his last seven games, R. Swift has played progressively more minutes as part of the shake-up in Seattle although he has yet to start.   J. Petro has been starting the past 7 games but has struggled from the field and gets into foul trouble.  Swift has been better from the field but gets into foul trouble as well.  Today Swift was 6-10 FG for 12 points and contributed 2 blocks, an area where the 7-footer had previously not been producing.  Right now the two centers have been 'canceling' each other out but the potential is there for one to grab more minutes from the other.  After today, the leading candidate to emerge is Swift. 

K. Perkins once again is in a spurt of more playing time.  Today he started and played 28 min and had 10 pts, 8 reb, and 1 bl.  LaFrentz, Blount, and Al Jefferson were all healthy with only Blount getting more minutes than him.  At this point though Perkins can not be counted on for consistent playing time. 

1/10/06

J. Rose had his highest scoring output (24 pts) since Nov 5 (third game of the season) yesterday.  He has averaged only 21.5 min over his last 19 games and subsequently may be available in your league.  He has the potential to contribute points, treys, and perhaps some assists.  He has been struggling with his shooting this season with a year to date average of 38% compared to his career average of 44%.  Considering his fantasy strength is scoring, if he struggles with his shooting he has little value. 

In his last two games Kwame Brown has averaged 35 min, 9.5 pts, and 9.5 reb as a starter.  Prior to this he had been averaging in the low 20's for playing time since returning from his injury.  Note that he has additional value in some leagues as a center. 

1/7/06

Over his last five games Mike James is averaging 24.4 pts, 8 ast, and 1,2 stls.   He has been a fantasy gem this season.  The Raptors are now 2.5 games out