Pure Excitement
Chris Bosh – Good thing Bosh took his rehab as seriously as he's been taking his blogging. His return to the court wasn't pretty (he shot 4-for-12), but things will get better quickly. His team looked good in a win today, and perhaps now that Calderon, Marion, Bargnani and Bosh are all reasonably healthy, the Raptors can reel off a few wins.
Prediction: Bosh will score over 25 points in at least one game this week.
Marcus Camby – Ear infection? Bah, I'm not worried Camby's ear infection. In fact, this might be one of the few injuries Camby could get that wouldn't worry me.
Prediction: Get Camby in your lineup, as he should play all four games this upcoming week.
Cautious Optimism
Danny Granger – Is Granger a buy low candidate or someone to avoid at all costs?* First we find out that Granger's knees were flagged by doctors prior to the 2006 draft. Then Granger pops a ligament in his foot. Now we are told that told that Granger may return anywhere from 10 days to three weeks. Things look pretty bleak. So yeah, maybe putting Granger's name in the "optimistic" section is a little forced.
Prediction: Granger, tough man that he is, returns in twelve days.
Andris Biedrins – Biedrins has hinted that he will return on Monday. I'd be more excited about his return, however, if Don Nelson wasn't his coach and if Warriors management wasn't pushing for Anthony Randolph to get more minutes. Still, Biedrins is one of those rare player who can put up lots of counting stats (rebounds) in relatively few minutes. I wouldn't start him this week in weekly leagues, but he should be back in your lineup the following week.
Prediction: Randolph steals five minutes a game from Biedrins.
Unmitigated Wariness
Chris Kaman – Not much to update on this one. As I wrote last week, the term "strained arch" is very misleading and doesn't tell the whole story. Kaman is really dealing with plantar fasciitis, which is a very insidious injury in that it can be very unpredictable. Some people have it for years, while others seem to be able to shake it quickly. Rumor has it that Kaman will return for the final 25 games of the season, but don't expect more than 80% of a typical Kaman output, and be aware that there is a huge likelihood that he aggravates his injury.
Prediction: Kaman plays 8 games before shutting it down for the rest of the season.
Carlos Boozer – Last week I predicted Boozer wouldn't be fantasy relevant for the rest of the season. Maybe I was being a bit melodramatic, as there rumors floating around that he might return this week. Even so, I continue to have little-to-no faith in him. Why? Because he's a liar. I call players like Boozer, who don't seem to care much about getting back to the court, "shrug" players: even if Boozer does come back and plays well, I will just shrug. I still don't want him on my team. Ever.
Prediction: I'm stubbornly sticking with my prediction that Boozer will not be fantasy relevant for the rest of this season.
Active Worry
Tyson Chandler – Rumor has it that Chandler might return on Monday. His two-to-three-year-old toe injury and recent ankle injury appear to be healing. The thing is, what will he do when he does return? Don't expect a slew of double-doubles. Instead, you should expect inconsistent play for the rest of the season from Chandler.
Prediction: Chandler returns and gets his only double-double for the rest of the season against Oklahoma City, the team that nearly traded for him, on March 7th.
Greg Oden – Poor guy. The word surgery is being thrown around. As I've mentioned before, I like Oden, and so I hope I'm wrong in being fairly certain that this 2009 season isn't going to end well. I tend to be aggressive, sometimes overly so, but I'd drop Oden for Przybilla's 6 points, 12 rebounds right now.
Prediction: Oden avoids surgery and returns to the court to consistently produce…nah, Oden is done.
Mike Dunleavy – When you're making ten predictions a week like I am, you're bound to get a few of them right eventually. Dunleavy is, well, done. His fantasy value has been flattened (dunleavened?) due to injury. Drop him and move on. Even if he does return, which is highly doubtful, you have to figure that he will shoot poorly and have less time on the court to rack up counting stats.
Prediction: Marquis Daniels once again becomes a viable fantasy options in some leagues.
Tracy McGrady – Shut it down! Remember when Vince Carter was king of the NBA universe back in 2000? Soon after he reached that pinnacle, there was a backlash against Carter. The same is true for McGrady. He used to be superhero-esque, but his image has certainly taken a hit this year. It's sad. Unless you were smart enough to not draft McGrady in the first place. Then you probably don't care what happens to McGrady one way or the other.
Prediction: McGrady is out for the year.
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