NBA Skinny: Check the charts
By Matt Buser, Yahoo! Sports Dec 2, 12:11 am EST
I stumbled upon an interesting resource at NBA.com – thanks to Ball Don’t Lie – that provides quick access to shot charts for teams and players around the league. It’s a pretty handy way to see how Andre Iguodala’s shooting has regressed all over the court this season (but in particular from 15-23 feet), how Nene Hilario is making his living around the rim (78-for-113 in that area), and how it’s been a long time since Shaquille O’Neal attempted what can be considered a mid-range jumper (he went 0-for-2 at the top of the key in 2004-05). It’s yet another way to break down the game in this age of limitless information.
Weekend Update: Need-to-know info from the past few days
• Just when it looked like we were going to have some resolution to Stephon Marbury’s saga as a quasi-Knick, we’re seemingly back to square one. The much-ballyhooed meeting of the minds lasted 35 minutes Monday, of which Marbury himself spent the final 20 sitting in his Rolls Royce, waiting for his lawyer to exit. “It’s not resolved,” said Hal Biagas (the lawyer) after the meeting. “I’ll keep you posted if things happen.” Clearly both sides can share blame for how ridiculous this has all become, and I can’t help but think that Marbury’s 15 minutes were spent reiterating that he wants all of his $21.9 million before he’ll agree to walk away (and sign another contract with a different team). Worst-case for him is that he’s on an extremely well paid vacation, and we can’t get much deeper into the worst-case territory for the Knicks, so he’s got the leverage at this point. Marbury becomes at least somewhat relevant for fantasy purposes if he were able to sign with another team, but there’s simply no way to know how this will eventually work out. One thing we do know: we’ll no longer be subjected to continuous cuts to Marbury on the Knicks bench during games.
• What was originally though to be a standard ankle injury has now developed into something more serious for Josh Boone, who has missed nine games and is slated for an MRI on Monday to get a better read of things. While Boone is a serviceable option when he plays steady minutes, the real news here is how this all affects Brook Lopez’s fantasy impact. He’s been stellar in his nine starts (13.8 points on 55 percent shooting, 8.7 boards and 2.1 blocks in 33 minutes) and now has to be looked at as locked in as the starter. His line as a starter is top-50 in terms of impact, yet he’s still available in almost half of Yahoo! leagues. Even if he slows his roll a bit, he’s a player who warrants near-universal ownership.
• Carmelo Anthony is shooting a career-low 40 percent from the field, and the right elbow issue that’s been nagging him for a number of weeks has to be considered the major culprit. He left Sunday’s game before the end of the first half and had a fairly strong quote after the game: “I couldn’t even dribble the basketball. I tried to lift my son up after the game and I couldn’t even do that.” Despite those realities, Melo is optimistic that, after some treatment, he’ll be back in the lineup on Tuesday. That seems overly-optimistic and a bit short-sighted – fantasy owners shouldn’t be expecting a quick fix. Be looking for status updates on Tuesday as this situation develops. Linas Kleiza would start if Melo missed any time, and J.R. Smith would also be needed to supply an offensive boost more often than every other game.
Other Injury Updates: Although he’s officially day-to-day, Don Nelson said Sunday that Stephen Jackson will miss “probably a game or two” because of his sprained left wrist. … Andrei Kirilenko has received a cortisone shot for his injured right ankle, and he’s doubtful for Tuesday and possible for Wednesday. … John Salmons is day-to-day with a left thigh strain. The silver lining here is that the Kings play just once before Saturday. … Kevin Martin is set to practice Monday and, barring any setbacks, should be active on Tuesday. … Eric Gordon called his hamstring “just a little strain” and doesn’t anticipate it limiting him moving forward. … Nate Robinson is still dealing with his groin strain and is doubtful for Tuesday. … Jameer Nelson is out Monday but could return to practice on Tuesday.
For updates on Andrew Bogut, Carlos Boozer, Josh Howard, and Chris Kaman, and Josh Smith, see Sunday’s Court Report.
Buzz Index: Notables from the weekend’s Buzz Index
Joel Przybilla (Por – C) 7,985 adds
Although Przybilla has certainly been solid over the past month (6.5 points, 7.8 boards, 1.6 blocks, per-game rank of 68), he’s given way to Greg Oden in the starting five and has averaged 4.7 points, 5.7 boards and 2.3 blocks in 20 minutes over the past three games. Those blocks are obviously nice, but he’s not going to see consistent enough playing time to be counted on in many fantasy leagues, so this volume of adds at this point doesn’t make an exceptional amount of sense. With that said, Oden is one player where a “handcuff” makes plenty of sense in deeper leagues.
Russell Westbrook (OKC – PG) 6,168 adds
I discussed the rookie PG in last week’s Big Picture and the only thing that’s changed in the interim is that he made his first start of the season Saturday. The move may or may not be permanent, but it’s not like Earl Watson is chock-full of long-term upside. Even if Westbrook’s shooting percentage has you scared at this point, give him a bench spot in the event that it can catch up with the rest of his numbers, which have been very solid relative to his playing time.
Mario Chalmers (Mia – PG) 5,198 drops
Chalmers has been showing some signs of life on offense, scoring in double figures in three of the past four games while averaging 13.8 points on 49-percent shooting and 2.8 threes to go along with his continued high-volume of steals (2.8). If he continues to shoot and make threes at a reasonable clip, then his fantasy impact takes on a whole new dimension. If you have been eyeing Chalmers on your free agent list, it makes sense to take a chance on him right now. There were rumblings that the Heat might be interested in Marbury’s services if they were to be available, so that’s another variable here.
Chris Wilcox (OKC – PF, C) 4,267 adds
Wilcox was coming off a strong stretch of games (16.8 points on 62-percent shooting, 7.0 boards in 26 minutes in the previous four) when he was moved into the starting five on Saturday against the Grizzlies, but he responded with just six points and three boards in 15 minutes. The thing is, he’d be grossly overmatched on most nights against starting centers, so he’s doomed to being a reserve now that Kevin Durant is manning the three and Jeff Green is playing the four. He could remain a fringe three-category performer (FG%, PTS, REB) for the Thunder, but that’s the extent of it.
Quentin Richardson (NY – SG, SF) 3,111 adds
Richardson definitely makes sense on fantasy rosters given the current state of the Knicks. They’ve had no choice but to inundate him with playing time (37 minutes over the past seven games) and he’s responded with 16.1 points, 2.9 threes, 6.7 boards and 1.1 steals over that stretch. Two things are working against him: (1) he’s also shooting 41 percent in those games and (2) it’s been a while since he’s shown the ability to hold up under the strain of significant minutes. If you can handle the trade-off in field goal percentage, then you should roster him until the wheels fall off and/or the Knicks get enough bodies in place that he won’t be needed for so many minutes.
Tim Thomas (NY – SF, PF) 2,624 adds
Thomas has immediately stepped into the fray for the Knicks, averaging 14.3 points, 2.3 threes, and 7.0 boards in 28 minutes in his three games. What should be noted is that everyone’s stats got something of an artificial spike in Saturday’s 138-125 win over the Warriors, in which only seven players logged minutes. Thomas certainly deserves a look in deeper leagues, particularly while the Knicks remain short-handed, but he’ll be much less prominent when this team gets closer to healthy.
Leandro Barbosa (Pho – PG, SG) 2,016 adds
Barbosa caused a ripple of excitement when he scored 20 points in 37 minutes on Friday, but he only reached either mark because Steve Nash didn’t play in the game. I’m convinced that Barbosa’s doomed to be essentially non-productive this season without a major injury to either Nash or Shaquille O’Neal.
Mike Dunleavy (Ind – SG, SF) 2,379 drops
This week’s Mike Dunleavy update follows in brackets: [ ]. What is of note is that, once again, there’s nothing there.
Andray Blatche (Was – PF, C) 2,815 drops
Blatche was a hot commodity after totaling 25 points, 12 boards, five assists, two steals and five blocks in 29 minutes of a 124-100 blowout of the Warriors last Tuesday, but he’s been somewhat typical in two games since (7.5 points on 40 percent shooting, 4.5 boards, 1 steal, 1 block, 5.5 fouls in 30 combined minutes). The opportunity for success could not have been larger than what he was presented with entering the season, so I’m not ready to jump back on the bandwagon. With that said, he’s cut back on his turnovers since the early-going and his per-30 numbers are very solid to this point (13.8 points, 7.3 boards, 1.3 steals, 1.5 blocks). The upside remains and JaVale McGee hasn’t exactly run away with the starting gig, so Blatche is certainly still worth looking at.
George Hill (SA – PG) 3,005 drops
Hill showed plenty while the Spurs were shorthanded in the backcourt, but he’s fairly marginal now that Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are back. The Spurs tend to run a fairly deep rotation, so Hill isn’t completely irrelevant, but they only have so many available minutes.
Anthony Morrow (GS – PG, SG) 7,443 drops
Morrow scored 62 points in 78 minutes during games on Nov. 15 and 18 and has scored 54 points in 150 minutes in his eight other games this season. Feel free to cut him loose and don’t be surprised if he scores 20-plus in a game next week or doesn’t reach that figure over the next month as a whole.
Mickael Pietrus (Orl – SG, SF) 10,872 drops
Pietrus is out for a month or so because of a torn ligament in his right thumb. He was something of a fringe performer as the fifth option in Orlando’s offense but was welcome on fantasy rosters as a cheap source of points and threes – while Pietrus is out, J.J. Redick will have a chance to show that he’s ready to play consistent minutes at the NBA level.
Yahoo! Friends and Family League Update
Big weeks from Devin Harris and Dwight Howard helped propel me to a 6-3-0 win over Doctor A from Rotoworld. I remain in the middle of the pack, although I’m hoping that 11/13 waiver claim on Al Harrington starts to pay dividends this week. Recent transactions included Ryan Gomes, Luke Ridnour, Jeff Foster, Trevor Ariza, Travis Outlaw and Craig Smith, among others.
