They are only 8-8 but the New York Knicks are a completely different team and pretty much the entire roster is making Fantasy owners drool with delight. They like what coach Mike D'Antoni is cookin'. It must be Italian food.
Coming off a 138-125 win over Golden State, New York's new offensive scheme not only makes almost everyone on the Knicks a greater Fantasy option, it also has a way of making their opponents' stats go up. The defense leaves a lot to be desired, so if you own a scorer playing the Knicks, chances are he's going to have a good night.
Two Knicks specifically had the performances of their careers against the Warriors on Saturday night, but the story doesn't begin with the many Knickerbockers that are flying high. No, instead this week's Stockwatch begins its focus on one Knick player who stands to only lose Fantasy value from here -- and no, we're not talking about Stephon Marbury -- since Quentin Richardson doesn't even really consider him a teammate.
Quentin Richardson, SF, New York The Knicks have been a Fantasy treasure so far, with Richardson being the one exception. With the addition of Al Harrington and eventually Cuttino Mobley, Richardson is the odd man out of the rotation. After scoring 34 and 22 points in consecutive games, Q-Rich dropped just six and 14 in his next two contests and was one of the only Knicks to shoot poorly in Saturday's game. The fact that his shooting touch has been off lately is only going to make him less and less a part of the team's plans. Right now the Knicks are struggling to find healthy bodies but once their depth returns, Richardson could be bumped even lower down the depth chart. Right now he's one of the only Knicks regulars to avoid in 10-team Fantasy leagues.
David Lee/Chris Duhon, PF/PG, New York As we said, basically everyone in the Knicks rotation is playing well enough to have their stock rising, but Duhon and Lee stand out after Saturday's performances. Duhon scored 12 points against the Warriors but did his damage by getting the basketball into the hands of those who can finish. The former Duke Blue Devil dished out an incredible 22 assists in the game and has averaged 12 dimes over his last four contests. Lee was the recipient of many of those assists as he accomplished something that no Knicks player had done since Patrick Ewing. Lee finished Saturday's game with 37 points and 21 rebounds. That production wasn't a fluke, either. Over his last five games Lee has five double-doubles and is averaging 20 points and 14.6 boards. Plus, he just gained center eligibility in Fantasy leagues that allow multiple positions. Make sure both guys are owned in your Fantasy league right now.
Allen Iverson, G, Detroit The funny thing about Iverson being included as a down stock is that he might actually be growing up and learning how to play with the Pistons as opposed to for himself. Iverson has been very apologetic since missing practice on Thanksgiving and having to come off the bench Friday against the Bucks. And he played quite well in the game, too. It just wasn't the type of "well" Fantasy owners have come to expect from A.I. Iverson scored 17 points, had five boards and dished out seven assists in 28 minutes, a good game to say the least. Plus, he got his teammates more involved. But his owners thirst for scoring and the fact is, the better the Pistons play, the lower Iverson's scoring average will likely become. Iverson, who averaged over 26 points per game last season with Denver, is dropping just over 18 this year and is even worse, 15, over his last six games. His assists may rise a bit and he remains a must-start in Fantasy, but it looks like the days of him averaging over 25 points per game might be over unless he leaves Detroit.
Joey Graham, SF, Toronto When you play a total of 11 minutes in two games and follow that with 22 minutes and 17 points because of a key injury, it definitely sparks our interest. That's exactly what Graham accomplished against the Hornets and added six rebounds with Jermaine O'Neal missing time with injury. Graham played 22 minutes in the team's last game and scored 11 points with five boards. It's not superstar production, but the fourth-year man out of Oklahoma State has become a member of the Raptors' rotation and he doesn't want to give back his ID card. If he continues to out-perform Jamario Moon, Graham could stay a permanent fixture in the offense. We don't expect 17 points too often, but he could become a 10-point per game scorer if he keeps getting minutes. It's probably not time to rush out and pick him up just yet, but a few more games like the last two and owners in deeper leagues should definitely consider making the acquisition.
Andris Biedrins, C, Golden State Biedrins opened the season with 10 consecutive double-doubles and has been one of the hottest players in Fantasy all season, so he had nowhere to go but down. But with just one double-double in his last seven contests, his owners are starting to wonder why their stud center is starting to revert back to the guy they thought they drafted and not the No. 1 guy he'd become. Biedrins is averaging 11.4 points and eight boards over his last five games, a far cry from the 16 and 12 he's still averaging for the year. He's still having a breakout season in his fifth year in the NBA and is a must-start at all times in Fantasy, but Biedrins will likely play more like the current version than the one who started the year off so hot going forward.
Jason Terry, PG, Dallas You don't normally expect a bench player to average 27 points per game, but that is exactly what Terry is doing over his last five games for the Mavericks. Coming off the bench, Terry is getting about 35 minutes per night and is also dishing out 4.4 assists per over the last five. He's dropping over 20 points for the entire season as Dallas' sixth man and is also an excellent source of threes. The 10th year man out of Arizona is having a career season in the scoring column and his numbers are only rising.
Andre Miller, PG, Philadelphia Miller is not playing well right now. Averaging 14 points per game this season with 5.6 assists, Miller has been awful of late with just under 10 points and about five assists per his last four contests. Miller is shooting just 34 percent over his last three games and has just three three-pointers all season. Plus, he's been turning the ball over at an alarming rate compared to his assists and points. The Sixers are still having trouble getting any momentum going and Miller has been one of the biggest reasons, as he's struggled from the point guard spot. Over the past week Miller is not even among the top 40 point guards in the NBA as far as Fantasy value. He's still worth starting on a consistent basis, and we expect his stats to rise again, but right now he's playing like only a low-end Fantasy point man for the Sixers.
Michael Redd, SG, Milwaukee Redd finally returned from a 14-game absence dealing with a sprained ankle on Saturday night against the Cavaliers. Redd, who was averaging 21.3 points per game before going out, came off the bench and played 35 minutes against Cleveland. He scored 20 points, grabbed three boards and dished out four assists. We say that means he's ready to return to the starting lineup and re-assume his role as the team's top scorer. He's finally back and barring another injury setback is a must-start again in Fantasy.
Darko Milicic, PF, Memphis A bust in Detroit, insignificant in Orlando and playing like a scrub in his second season with the lowly Grizzlies, six seasons after being chosen second after LeBron James and before Carmelo Anthony in the NBA Draft, Milicic probably will never live up to his potential. Averaging just over five points and four rebounds over 17.9 minutes per game this season for a Grizzlies team that, at 4-13, could surely use production anywhere they can get it, Milicic is not providing it and appears he never will be someone to consider in Fantasy. If he can't produce while playing for Memphis, there are not many situations where he'd play well at this point in his career.
Brook Lopez, C, New Jersey Don't worry about the two points and eight rebounds he amassed in Saturday's game against Utah. Lopez has arrived as a force inside for the Nets. Playing about 35 minutes a night in the absence of Josh Boone, Lopez, who has more upside than Boone to begin with, has thrived of late. He's averaging 14 points and 9.2 boards over his last six games and that includes Saturday's exception. Lopez, a rookie out of Stanford, should continue to adapt to the NBA game and has a stranglehold on the starting center job in Jersey. Owned in 76 percent of CBSSports.com Fantasy leagues, Lopez should now be owned in pretty much all formats. He's playing like a top 20 center over the past two weeks and that is only going to continue for the Nets as Boone is even considering switching to power forward when he returns so that Lopez can continue starting at center.
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