See, Kobe. Sometimes, you have to be careful what you wish for.
Last season, Kobe Bryant wanted young big man Andrew Bynum out of Los Angeles when trading him was the only thing standing in the way of acquiring Jason Kidd from the Nets. Now, Bryant will get a taste of what life without the promising young pivot will be like for at least the next two months with Bynum out after dislocating a kneecap.
Prior to getting hurt, Bynum was enjoying a breakout season in which he was averaging 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.7 assists while shooting a league-best 63.6 percent from the field. He'd become a Fantasy stud and had convinced Bryant and anyone who was paying attention that he's going to be a force in this league for years to come.
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| Ronny Turiaf should see a nice bump in production with Andrew Bynum out. (Getty Images) |
Brown has dealt with injuries and troubles on and off the court, but the most frustrating thing about him is that he's played well enough at times to remind everyone of the talent that made him so appealing to NBA teams earlier in the decade.
When then starting center Chris Mihm went down with an ankle injury late in the 2005-06 season, Brown was put in a similar situation and was called upon to be the starter. During his time as a starter, he raised his averages from 6.1 points and 6.3 rebounds to 12.3 points and 9.1 rebounds. With Mihm out for all of last season, however, Brown missed a chance to follow up on his success when an injury of his own allowed Bynum to get his first chance to start as a 19-year-old.
If Monday's start was any indication, Brown should be able to at least come close to the success he had in 2006. He had 10 points and 10 rebounds in 39 minutes on the floor in the team's first game without Bynum. Brown is still available in 56 percent of leagues, but we don't expect that to last much longer. On Thursday afternoon, Brown was the third most scouted player in CBSSports.com leagues and his ownership has seen a 35-percent increase over the last week.
But Brown won't be the only Lakers big man to see a boost in Fantasy value while Bynum is out.
On Monday, Ronny Turiaf scored 14 points, only his second double-digit scoring total in his last 17 games. Turiaf is widely available in Fantasy leagues and is worth a flier in deeper leagues. He won't help much in the rebound category, but he'll get more chances to contribute offensively now.
Lamar Odom had 14 rebounds on Monday, Luke Walton had 10 off the bench and Bryant exploded for 48 points. The Lakers are getting accustomed to what life without Bynum will be like and Fantasy owners should take note -- and take advantage.
In case you haven't noticed ... Nate Robinson is playing well in the absence of Stephon Marbury (ankle). He's scored in double figures in 12 of his last 13 games and is likely locked into a big role after Marbury proclaimed this week that he'd undergo surgery to repair loose bone spurs in his ankle -- a surgery that will end his season.
Add 'Em
Milwaukee Bucks
Analysis: How do you add a whole team off the waiver wire, you ask? Simple. If there is a Buck on your league's waiver wire that is in any kind of a situation to produce, pick them up. They will play five games (that's right, five) in Fantasy Week 13 (Jan. 21-27) and this is a good week to squeeze some juice out of some of the team's fringe players, especially in leagues that use cumulative scoring systems. Rookie Yi Jianlian starts regularly for the Bucks and is available in 23 percent of leagues. Charlie Villanueva sees decent minutes off the bench and can chip in decent rebound numbers to go with around 10 points off the pine and is available in 67 percent of leagues. Bobby Simmons has been chipping in 7-10 points, 3-5 rebounds and 1-4 assists per game and he could be useful as a one-week stopgap in larger leagues. He's available in 85 percent of leagues.
Carlos Delfino, SG, Raptors
Owned: 19 percent of leagues
Analysis: If you take a look at his numbers over the last week, you'd think he was a player who was drafted in the early rounds in Fantasy drafts, yet he's owned in less than 20 percent of leagues. He's scored 16, 14 and a career-high 26 points in his last three games to go with at least seven boards in two of those three games. He's worked his way into what has been an inconsistent rotation, so make use of him while he stays hot.
Kareem Rush, SG, Pacers
Owned: 5 percent of leagues
Analysis: Rush has been plugged into the regular starting lineup at shooting guard and he's responded by averaging 11.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 1.5 apg during the month of January. In December, he ended the month by scoring in double figures in eight straight games. Consider him a decent, low-end source for points in larger leagues while he starts.
Maurice Evans, SG, Magic
Owned: 15 percent of leagues
Analysis: Evans has also been inserted into the starting lineup in place of Keith Bogans and has played well. He's scored in double figures in three out of five starts with nine points in the other two games. He's averaging 9.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 apg in five starts. He also has exactly one steal in each of those starts.
Drop 'Em
John Salmons, F/G, Beno Udrih, G, Francisco Garcia, F/G, Kings
Owned: 95, 73, 66 percent of leagues
Analysis: They filled in well for the Kings while they were devastated by injuries to key players. But now, Mike Bibby, Kevin Martin and Ron Artest have made their way back to the lineup and that will cause them to fall back into secondary roles off the bench. Salmons was a complete stud in Fantasy as he became the team's primary scorer, but he will likely revert to his 2006-07 numbers: 8.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 3.2 apg. The same can be said for Udrih and Garcia, who were anonymous figures in Fantasy prior to the injuries.
Mark Blount, C, Heat
Owned: 15 percent of leagues
Analysis: Shaquille O'Neal is back, so Blount returns to his very minimal role off the bench. He went from scoring a season-best 27 points on Jan. 11 against New Orleans to being held scoreless in 17 minutes off the pine Wednesday night with Shaq back. He's no longer worth using in Fantasy, but be ready to scoop him up when/if Shaq gets hurt again.
Nene, PF, Nuggets
Owned: 18 percent of leagues
Analysis: He had a tumor removed in a surgery performed this week in Denver and he took an indefinite leave of absence. Thankfully, the tumor turned out to be benign, but he will likely be forced to miss a good amount of time as a result.
Avoid 'Em
Luke Ridnour, PG, SuperSonics
Owned: 31 percent of leagues
Analysis: He had been out with a lingering quadriceps strain before returning Monday against the Lakers with 10 points and 11 assists off the bench. We aren't big fans of the point guards in Seattle because they each end up cutting into the other's Fantasy value. Earl Watson and Delonte West aren't going to go away long enough for Ridnour to be a consistent Fantasy option this season, so we'd avoid him if at all possible.
Watch 'Em
Luther Head, SG, Rockets
Owned: 13 percent of leagues
Analysis: He's been starting in place of Tracy McGrady (knee) and has played very well. He's averaging 13.8 ppg, 2.8 apg and 2.4 rpg in eight January games and has scored in double figures in 13 of his last 14 games. T-Mac seems to be close to a return, but Head appears to be the proper insurance policy to take out on the injury-plagued Fantasy star.
Roger Mason, PG, Wizards
Owned: 8 percent of leagues
Analysis: Mason scored 20 points while starting in place of Antonio Daniels (knee) once again, but Daniels is only considered day-to-day for the moment. Should Daniels be forced to miss an extended amount of time, Mason would be worth scooping up as a short-term stopgap option. He scored in double figures in four straight games while starting in place of Daniels in late December.
Rodney Stuckey, PG, Pistons
Owned: 7 percent of leagues
Analysis: The Pistons are looking for more ways to include their rookie guard in the rotation. They are going with a shorter bench that includes Stuckey as the primary backup to Chauncey Billups. While Billups is healthy, Stuckey doesn't figure to have much Fantasy appeal, but he's a nice young player with some upside and is worth keeping an eye on.
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