Pure Excitement
Jose Calderon – Being without Calderon for 10 of his last 11 games was tough, but after scoring 23 points and getting ten assists in his return, all is forgiven. One interesting side effect of Calderon's injury is that the Raptors discovered that Anthony Parker knows how to play the point. My only question is this: will Anthony Parker continue to dish out a handful of assists even with Calderon back? The early returns (two games) say yes, as Parker had seven assists in each of the two games since Calderon's return.
Prediction: As I said last week, Calderon will immediately go back to dishing out the fourth-most assists in the NBA (on a per-game basis).
Cautious Optimism
Monta Ellis – In his first game back, Ellis was healthy enough to jack up 19 shots. It will be interesting to see what happens when he has to play alongside fellow shot-chucker Jamal Crawford. My guess is that Ellis gets his shots but that Crawford struggles to get his.
Prediction: Ellis, who averaged 20 points, four assists, and five rebounds last year, hits for 18 points, three assists, and four rebounds this year. He shot 53% from the field last year, but he will shoot slightly under 50% this year.
Shawn Marion – There are certain stat anomalies that are going on this season that nobody seems to be able to explain. For example, why can't Josh Smith seem to block shots anymore? Here is one that is more relevant to this column: why does Marion suddenly get "shy guy" every time he's behind the three-point line? Thing is, even a sub-par Marion is better than most other players in the league. I don't have him in any of my leagues, but I've been trying to get him. I know he's certainly a volatile investment, but it really feels like the stats we've been getting from Marion over the last few weeks are his floor, and that in all likelihood any trade to a new team will increase his value.
Prediction: Marion is traded to the Toronto Raptors before February 10th.*
| *Will Marion be traded this year? Give it a thumbs up or down. |
Marcus Camby – Camby ended up missing his Sunday night game (9:00 pm EST), but he should be back for the Clippers' game on Monday. UPDATE: Nope, he didn't play on Monday. Sigh.
Prediction: Camby misses a few games here and there with small injuries but plays like a top ten pick when he does play.
Danilo Gallinari – My brother-in-law is Italian and named Danilo. I never have any idea what he's talking about, but I have fun hanging out with him. To give you a glimpse of what it would be like hanging out with Danilo, here is a video of Danilo having bathroom issues while traveling in China. So I guess my point is this: I'm inclined to like any NBA player named Danilo. What I like about Gallinari in particular is that in his limited minutes, he's been able to do a little of everything. Doubling the stats he's gotten in the sixteen minutes he's played in four games so far in January would give him this line: 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 3 three-pointers made, 1.6 steals, 1.6 blocks, 1.6 turnovers, 100% free throw shooting, and 56% from the field. Now, you should know that this little exercise might be incredibly misleading. Then again, maybe it is more eye-opening then misleading, as it shows that Gallinari has the potential to be a serious fantasy force if given serious minutes. But will Gallinari ever get serious minutes? I think so. The Knicks' primary goal is to keep him healthy. But once they've been satisfied that his back injury won't return, they are going to want to see what sort of player they have in Gallinari. My guess is that he's getting serious minutes (25 plus) by February.
Prediction: Gallinari becomes more valuable than Wilson Chandler by mid-February.
DeAndre Jordan – Now that Camby is on the verge of returning, I think it is safe to assume that Jordan won't be getting big minutes in the near term. Still, Jordan's recent good play has taught us something, namely that Jordan has a lot of value if Camby were ever to go down with injury again. Along these same lines, Ronny Turiaf would be valuable if Andris Biedrins were to be injured. I'm also a believer that Kosta Koufos would be valuable if both Millsap and Boozer get injured. UPDATE: This needs to be said: This guy is one of the worst free throw shooters I have ever seen. Seriously. He's in danger of dipping below 30%...
Prediction: Jordan has a few big games this season but doesn't get enough playing time to be a consistent fantasy force.
Unmitigated Wariness
Baron Davis – Davis is going to try to come back on Wednesday of this week. He's missed so much time that he'll probably only play twenty minutes or so in his first few games back.
Yikes: Davis missed this much time with a "bruised tailbone." Can you imagine how hard he must have hit his tailbone? Seriously. He must have really done a number on his coxycx.
Andrew Bogut – A few weeks ago, I really thought Bogut was a great guy to get on the cheap. Now I'm not so sure. Bogut himself has confessed that he can't seem to shake his back injury. His team has a four-game week this week and Bogut might return on Monday, but his lingering back injury makes him a risky play in weekly leagues.
Prediction: Bogut's back injury lingers all season.
Chris Kaman – A recent report came out that Kaman won't be back until after the All-Star break. His injury, planter fasciitis, is a serious injury that can be really hard to shake, especially for dudes who need to run and jump a lot. If I were a Kaman owner and in danger of not making the playoffs, I would sell him to the first place team in my league at a discount. That way, the first place team can stash him away, and you get someone to help you win now.
Prediction: Kaman's foot injury lingers all season.
Active Worry
Tyson Chandler – Chandler is out until after the All-Star break with a sprained ankle. I, however, want nothing to do with Chandler, healthy or not. Why? Well, primarily because he's having a terrible year, and secondarily because he's a bit of a punk.
Prediction: The 2007-2008 season will be the only time in Chandler's career that he averages a double-double.
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