Last week's Knicks-Clippers trade may have been just the tonic Eric Gordon needed to kickstart his stagnant rookie season. It sure seemed that way on Monday night, anyway.
Gordon scored 25 points in his first NBA start, shooting 9-for-18 from the field with four three-pointers, four steals, a rebound and even a block. To say that it was a career night for Gordon would be an understatement. The rookie had scored in double figures just once all season, an 11-point game against the Rockets on Nov. 7. He has spent much of the season playing behind Cuttino Mobley and Ricky Davis, without much of a chance to get into any kind of a comfort zone.
On Monday, though, Mobley was on his way to becoming a Knick and Davis was sidelined due to knee tendinitis. That gave the former Hoosier standout his first real chance at making an impact and, boy did he. Gordon had a 33-point game in the preseason and a 17-pointer, but saw 30-plus minutes only once during the exhibition season. It is that level of inactivity that has resulted in minimal production out of him. That is also why he was owned in just 20 percent of CBSSports.com leagues going into this week.
Gordon's main competition for minutes at the moment is Davis, who has been vastly underproductive even with ample playing time this season. Gordon was the team's first round pick this season and Monday's effort will go a long way in earning him more playing time over a declining veteran like Davis who has no real future to offer the franchise. It benefits the organization to develop their young scorer and Fantasy owners should be ready to take advantage of that.
There have been some indications that the Clippers are not done dealing yet. They still have a surplus of big men after netting Zach Randolph in their trade with the Knicks. Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby and Randolph all in the same front court, something will likely have to give. Kaman or Camby could be traded for a shooting guard, which would once again put Gordon in a limited role. For the time being, though, Gordon is the primary shooting guard for a Clippers team that now boasts a strong offense with Baron Davis, Randolph and Al Thornton.
In case you didn't notice ... George Hill has been more than just a stopgap for the Spurs while starting in place of Tony Parker. He has scored 20-plus points in his last three games and has two or more steals in each of the games with a few rebounds and assists mixed in. Sure, Manu Ginobili is back, but Parker won't return for at least another couple of weeks and possibly longer. Hill is available in 82 percent of CBSSports.com leagues. How many players on the waiver wire can score 20 points in three straight games?
Add 'Em
Delonte West, G, Cavaliers
Owned: 51 percent of leagues
Analysis: He is averaging a 14-3-2 line over his last five games and is offering the Cavs -- and any Fantasy owner who is interested -- some very solid three-point shooting. He has made at least one three pointer in each of his last seven games and is 26-for-53 (49.1 percent) from beyond the arc in November. The Cavs are looking to him and Mo Williams to provide outside shooting, the only thing LeBron James does not offer with much consistency. West is seeing 35 minutes per game as a result and should consistently be in double figures with a handful of assists and rebounds.
Ryan Gomes, F, Timberwolves
Owned: 23 percent of leagues
Analysis: His 20-point, 7-rebound outing may seem out of the ordinary, but it is more the result of a trend that has seen his role increase over his last four games. He has attempted 10-12 shots in each of those games and has seen around 30 minutes per game in each. He has managed 12-plus points in three of those four games. He has also made at least one three-pointer in six straight games, an excellent trait for a forward in Rotisserie formats or category-based leagues.
Rasho Nesterovic, C, Pacers
Owned: 43 percent of leagues
Analysis: Fantasy owners looking for a center off the waiver wire know that there is not a whole lot out there. Nesterovic has seen his playing time increase over the last couple of weeks. He has been seeing around 30-35 minutes per night. He has scored in double figures in five of his last seven games and is averaging 8.4 rebounds over his last five games. He's worth an add if you are looking for a stopgap. Don't forget that Rasho did average around 15 points and seven boards over the last 25 games last season playing for the Raptors when he got a chance for similar playing time to what he is getting now.
Avoid' Em
C.J. Miles, F, Jazz
Owned: 23 percent of leagues
Analysis: He's gotten a bit of a boost in playing time lately, but that is because Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams have been down due to injury. The Boozer injury in particular has forced the Jazz to move Andrei Kirilenko into the starting lineup and Miles into Kirilenko's sixth man role off the bench. The team is getting Williams back and Boozer should be back relatively soon. Don't get too excited about Miles.
Mario Chalmers, G Heat
Owned: 64 percent of leagues
Analysis: Fantasy owners may be in a rush to pick the rookie up off waivers following his 23-point, 6-assist outing against the Rockets Monday night. Don't forget there was already one big rush to nab Chalmers after his 17-8-7 line in his debut against the Knicks Oct. 29. He went nine games before cracking double figures again and has done so just three times all season including Monday. Playing time has not been the issue with him, he's getting around 30 minutes per game, but the second-round pick out of Kansas is not putting up numbers on a consistent basis. He's still too erratic to trust.
Stash 'Em
Cuttino Mobley, G, Knicks
Owned: 61 percent of leagues
Analysis: His heart condition held up the Clippers-Knicks trade all the way to the deadline to close the deal, but the heart issue is nothing new for him and has never caused him to miss a game in his 11-year career -- until Tuesday. Knicks president Donnie Walsh seems to be a little concerned with the ailment, something that the Clippers, Magic, Kings and Rockets all knew about when he played for them. Walsh says he is unsure if Mobley will be able to play for the Knicks, but the trade was concluded Tuesday and once this situation is cleared up, Mobley will have a chance to start at shooting guard for a Mike D'Antoni-led team. He and Nate Robinson can co-exist in the high-scoring offense the Knicks now boast and Mobley could have a chance to see around 15 points per game under the right conditions. He's worth stashing in larger formats.
Steve Blake, G, Trail Blazers
Owned: 38 percent of leagues
Analysis: He is not going to put up big numbers, but he can certainly be a useful low-end starter for Fantasy owners when he is going well. Right now is one of those times. He has scored in double figures in each of his last four games and has seen around 10-15 shots per game, including at least four three-point attempts in each of the games. He made 6-of-10 from beyond the arc on Nov. 21 at Sacramento and scored 20-plus points in back-to-back games with five assists in each of those contests. He even had four steals against the Kings on Monday night.
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