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Dose: This is the End

Houston and Golden had their win streaks busted while Toronto and Portland kept the good times rolling & Darren Collison (knee) is back!

So this is it folks. It’s been a great year and though all of us are a bit weary in the legs, before you know it we’ll be longing for October. I’ve compiled a list of starts and sits, but you’ll want to be plugged into the Rotoworld NBA player news page for all the recent updates. I’ve also handed out some postseason awards, too.

I’ll be back later in the week with a year-in-review and we’ll have some postseason coverage to go through, too. You can click here to follow me on Twitter, where we’ll all watch the playoffs and have some fun. I’ve yet to finalize my picks for the playoffs, but on a recent radio spot I picked the Clippers over the (you guessed it) Pacers in the Finals. It’s probably the worst I’ve felt about Finals picks in years. And on that note, thank you for your eyeballs and your insights as we obsess over a bouncing ball that goes through a circular contraption.

BULLS AT BOBCATS

Start: Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler, Mike Dunleavy, D.J. Augustin (if active), Taj Gibson, Kemba Walker, Al Jefferson

Sit: Carlos Boozer, Gerald Henderson

Notes: Consider Jimmer Fredette in a deep league if Augustin or others cannot go. The Bulls still have a shot at the No. 3 seed. The same goes for the Bobcats, who are chasing the No. 6 seed and a way to avoid Miami. The makes Kemba Walker’s upside much too high to pass up on, and Josh McRoberts is worth a look but not a must-start on a busy night.

PACERS AT MAGIC

Start: Evan Turner, Luis Scola, Arron Afflalo, Kyle O’Quinn, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris

Sit: Paul George (out), Lance Stephenson (out), Roy Hibbert (missing), David West (out), C.J. Watson (out), Jameer Nelson (doubtful)

Notes: George Hill is worth a hard look even in limited minutes knowing that the only reason he’s on the court is to get him going again. Ian Mahinmi is also worth a look if you need big man stats, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Donald Sloan put up a low-end line. Arron Afflalo has talked about finishing strong, while Oladipo may be dealing with an undisclosed injury. Dewayne Dedmon profiles a lot like Mahinmi tonight. Maurice Harkless is a safer desperation play than Andrew Nicholson, but if Nicholson went for 18 and eight with not much else I wouldn’t be shocked.

MAVS AT GRIZZLIES

Start: Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Jose Calderon, Monta Ellis, Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter

Sit: No standout sit-recommendations due to silly season.

Notes: This game is for the No. 7 and 8 seeds in the West, and surely both teams will have interest in winning but I can’t see them breaking their necks with older rosters that are also dealing with some nagging injuries. Conley isn’t close to 100 percent but he has a great matchup. Mike Miller is worth a look if you need some threes after a big Monday night. Shawn Marion is not an advisable play on a busy night but he’s in the ballpark. Samuel Dalembert has been playing well but depending on your format he may also disappoint on a night with so many options.

PISTONS AT THUNDER

Start: Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, Kyle Singler, Russell Westbrook, Reggie Jackson, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins (just seeing if you’re paying attention)

Sit: Brandon Jennings

Notes: Jennings could very well go off but it’s possible Peyton Siva gets a heavy look. I almost included Rodney Stuckey in the sit list but it’s possible he stays on the floor to keep the game competitive. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could also get an extended look, as could Jonas Jerebko since he’s filling Josh Smith’s role. Thunder players are risky in case they jump out to a big lead, but you’re not benching any of these guys. Jackson would likely handle the ball in a blowout win.

LAKERS AT SPURS

Start: Jodie Meeks, Jordan Farmar, Nick Young, Wes Johnson, Jordan Hill

Sit: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, Danny Green

Notes: I was tempted to include Ryan Kelly in that start list, but he hasn’t been putting up must-start numbers with Nick Young trying to break records. Young is probably ruining his knee but trying to set himself up for a bigger payday. Start any Spurs at your own risk. If Kawhi Leonard didn’t profile better than the old guys I’d have him on the sit list, and he should probably be there anyway. Patty Mills and Cory Joseph are probably your best bets and Mills has a history of going big on nights like this.

RAPTORS AT KNICKS

Start: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan (if active), Amir Johnson (if active), Jonas Valanciunas, J.R. Smith, Tim Hardaway, Jr.

Sit: Raymond Felton, Tyson Chandler, Amare Stoudemire

Notes: The Knicks have nothing to play for and may start their vacations early now that a national TV game is out of the way following last night. Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire are too old for this sh*t. Shannon Brown and Toure Murry could mop up some minutes as truly desperate plays. The Raptors need to win this game to stay in the No. 3 seed and they’ll be coming strong, so Raymond Felton is going to have a hard time reproducing last night’s low-end line on a busy night. Greivis Vasquez will be a must-start player if Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan gets rested. Tyler Hansbrough double-doubled the last time out and both Amir Johnson and Patrick Patterson have been dealing with injuries.

JAZZ AT WOLVES

Start: Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Alec Burks, Trey Burke, Kevin Love (if active), Ricky Rubio, Gorgui Dieng, nullCorey Brewer

Sit: Kevin Martin

Notes: Trey Burke was a tough call but I think he’ll get going against Ricky Rubio and a Wolves team that isn’t playing much defense. Martin’s foot makes him somebody to avoid. The good news is that Love and Co. seem like they’re enjoying putting up numbers.

HAWKS AT BUCKS

Start: Brandon Knight, Ramon Sessions, Zaza Pachulia, Jeff Adrien, Khris Middleton, John Henson, Mike Scott, Shelvin Mack

Sit: Jeff Teague, Paul Millsap (questionable), Kyle Korver (questionable), DeMarre Carroll (questionable)

Notes: It’s odd that the Bucks’ side is so stable compared to the Hawks’ side that is anything but that. Even if key guys are going to take the court, it’s hard to trot any of them out there knowing that they could play limited minutes in a meaningless game before the playoffs. Lou Williams put up a nice line on Monday but he’s not impervious to rest, and the center combo of Pero Antic (ankle) and Elton Brand (old) has plenty of risk, too. Mike Scott and Shelvin Mack aren’t high-end plays if everybody rests, but they have some upside and a fairly nice floor if the Hawks play things safe.

SIXERS AT HEAT

Start: Thaddeus Young (if active), Michael Carter-Williams, Henry Sims, Tony Wroten

Sit: LeBron James (out), Chris Bosh (out), Dwyane Wade (proverbially questionable), Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen, Chris Andersen

Notes: I could see the Sixers giving Young a break after a long year of carrying the load (and losing). Wroten is a risky start but I could see him taking over a game like this. MCW is just trying to blow the candle out on a ROY season. Chalmers hasn’t been ruled out but I could see him playing 20 minutes or so, while Norris Cole is a sneaky play if that happens. Michael Beasley is a logical desperation play and had a nice night on Monday. Toney Douglas actually outproduced Cole in that game and is right in the mix as a garbage pickup. Rashard Lewis and James Jones are worth a look for 3-pointers.

NETS AT CAVS

Start: Marcus Thornton, Mason Plumlee, Dion Waiters (if active), Matthew Dellavedova, Tristan Thompson

Sit: Joe Johnson (out), Deron Williams (out), Shaun Livingston (out), Paul Pierce, Spencer Hawes, Anderson Varejao

Notes: This is a tough game to predict without knowing the injury/active information, but the Nets can still fall to No. 6 in the East with a loss so they have to play but they may still opt for rest. That makes Deron Williams and Joe Johnson risky plays if they start, but their upside is hard to bench knowing there is seeding attached. Matthew Dellavedova is a reach here but something tells me Mike Brown is going to reward his favorite hard worker. Kyrie Irving has had some time to rest but the old biceps injury is a concern. He almost made the sit list, but if he’s active I don’t see how you can bench him. Tristan Thompson is well positioned for a double-double. With Tyler Zeller a logical choice to get minutes I could see Spencer Hawes and Anderson Varejao getting limited run, if they indeed suit up.

ROCKETS AT PELICANS

Start: Omer Asik, Francisco Garcia, Omri Casspi, Donatas Motiejunas, Jordan Hamilton, Tyreke Evans, Austin Rivers, Darius Miller, Anthony Morrow, Luke Babbitt, Jeff Withey

Sit: Patrick Beverley, Jeremy Lin, Chandler Parsons, Dwight Howard, James Harden

Notes: The Rockets have nothing to play for, but that start list is still speculative until gameday actives are announced. Isaiah Canaan may also end up on that list when it’s all said and done. Tyreke Evans is going to back to his rookie year when he was also allowed to shoot at will for a terrible team. Anthony Morrow and Luke Babbitt space the floor perfectly for him and are decent bets to be at least low-end plays. Austin Rivers should get a ton of touches, too. Jeff Withey had four blocks on Monday. Darius Miller has been getting it done over the last week.

WIZARDS AT CELTICS

Start: John Wall, Trevor Ariza, Bradley Beal, Marcin Gortat, Nene, Rajon Rondo (if active), Avery Bradley, Kelly Olynyk, Brandon Bass, Jeff Green

Sit: Nobody stands out except for Rondo if there are any limitations reported prior to a start.

Notes: The Wizards have seeding to play for tonight and a bad team to beat up on. The Celtics’ rotation has cleared up and all of the aforementioned are recommended plays with the exception of Bass, who is more of a low-end guy.

CLIPPERS AT BLAZERS

Start: Chris Paul (if active), DeAndre Jordan (if active), Matt Barnes (if active), Darren Collison (if active), Jamal Crawford (if active), Damian Lillard (if active), Will Barton, Thomas Robinson, Dorell Wright

Sit: Blake Griffin (out), J.J. Redick (out), LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews

Notes: This game is a mess since the Blazers have nothing to play for and the Clippers have something to play for only if the Thunder will lose, and they’ll get an update on that at some point before or during the game. Darren Collison might be the safest start of those listed if Doc Rivers starts pulling key guys from the game. Since Mo Williams is out, Damian Lillard is a somewhat safer play and can produce in limited minutes. Robin Lopez might still play reasonable minutes with the Blazers still not at full strength down low. Thomas Robinson profiles well for this game assuming his knee can handle heavy work. Dorell Wright hasn’t exactly jumped on huge minutes or production when given the opportunity but this type of game has his name all over it, but Will Barton is probably the best garbage-time pickup of the bunch.

SUNS AT KINGS

Start: Gerald Green, Eric Bledsoe (if active), Markieff Morris, Marcus Morris, Isaiah Thomas, Rudy Gay (if active), Ray McCallum, Derrick Williams, Jason Thompson

Sit: Goran Dragic (out), DeMarcus Cousins (out)

Notes: The Kings fans will be out in full effect to celebrate keeping their team, so don’t expect a totally lifeless game. Ish Smith almost got preemptively put on the starting list because it’s possible that Eric Bledsoe is given some time off after a late-season push to return from injury. The Morris twins are great starts against a Kings defense that will struggle, and if Channing Frye is active then he could go on the start list too against some bigs that can’t defend the 3-point line. Isaiah Thomas and Ray Mac should both get plenty of touches and it’s actually an organized IT/Gay stay night and fans will have 6,000 of their faces printed on signs in the crowd. Both could be on their way out this offseason. I put Williams and Thompson on the start list because a) this is the type of game that Williams will go for a meaningless 20 and 10 in, and b) the Suns are going to be playing Alex Len for extended minutes.

WARRIORS AT NUGGETS

Start: Stephen Curry (if active), Klay Thompson (if active), Jordan Crawford, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes, Aaron Brooks, Randy Foye, Timofey Mozgov (if active), Kenneth Faried, Quincy Miller

Sit: Andre Iguodala, David Lee, Wilson Chandler

Notes: The Warriors have nothing to play for and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Steph scratched, but if he starts his 15 minutes may be better than most guys’ 30 minutes. Klay Thompson doesn’t miss games and he could be put on the floor, if anything to get his rhythm back before the playoffs. Still, he’s a rest risk too. Jordan Crawford is custom-built for a night like this and I’m comfortable starting him even before potential news hits that he’s the guy. Steve Blake could have been on the start list but Mark Jackson has been skimpy with his minutes. Marreese Speights might end up on this list before it’s all said and done. The Nuggets are in a nice fantasy flow right now and this game has the potential to be among the highest scoring of the night. Evan Fournier didn’t produce much last night and on a busy night that makes it hard to put him on the start list, but there’s no reason he can’t go big. Consider taking a flier. Also watch out for a sudden Randy Foye absence. As of now I think he’ll go but he’s been grinding all year.

FANTASY AWARDS TIME

*Ranks in parenthesis where noted (8/9 cat). Could shift slightly after tonight’s games.

FANTASY MVP – KEVIN DURANT

Kevin Durant ran away with MVP honors this season and it wasn’t even close. Chances are, you won your league if you owned him considering he provided nearly 150 percent of the value than the No. 2 guy in both 8- and 9-cat formats.

WAIVER WIRE PICKUP OF THE YEAR – ISAIAH THOMAS (23/36), TREVOR ARIZA (28/23), JODIE MEEKS (48/40), RANDY FOYE (59/58), MARKIEFF MORRIS (63/70), TERRENCE JONES (80/48)

Isaiah Thomas isn’t going to take the award since he was supposed to be drafted and he was rated very high around here in preseason ranks (sixth round by the Bruski 150). Still, he was added in many leagues and managed to post a monster season once the Kings got wise to Greivis Vasquez’s real value. Real purists should say that Jodie Meeks should take the award because nobody had him on a roster on opening night, but I’m going to go with Trevor Ariza because he was barely cracking the top-200 in terms of ADP.

ALL FANTASY 6

Because LeBron James has to compete with not-so-nice Kevin Durant and he’s a fantasy superstar, I went with a six-man rotation for the All-NBA fantasy first team. It’s almost mandatory that you have one of these players on your team to win your fantasy league.

PG: Stephen Curry (2/2) – Assassin.

SG: James Harden (5/8) – Turned it on late in the year to keep owners happy.

SF: Kevin Durant (1/1) – Westbrook shifting in and out made riding KD an easy call for OKC.

PF: Kevin Love (4/4) – Finished the year and answered concerns over his durability.

C: Anthony Davis (9/5) – Steve Nebraska has no ceiling.

Sixth Man: LeBron James (3/3) – Disappointing and unsurprising finish, but still a dominant fantasy play.

SECOND TEAM

PG: John Wall (8/15) – He gets the nod over Chris Paul (11/10) because of his durability.

SG: Paul George (7/11) – Fantasy playoff owners will disagree, but his body of work matters.

SF: Carmelo Anthony (6/6) – I couldn’t go seven deep on the first team, but if I could he’d be there.

PF: Dirk Nowitzki (9/7) – I’ll get all lathered up about Dirk in a little bit.

C: Serge Ibaka (14/9) – Didn’t get much benefit from the Westbrook injury, but still a solid finish.

Sixth Man: It’s CP3 but since he’s already mentioned above I’ll add Kyle Lowry (13/12). Stud.

Point Big Men: Since I’m breaking my own rules and adding passing big men, we’ll stick Blake Griffin (12/14) and Joakim Noah (15/13) on the list.

FANTASY PLAYOFF ROTATION

Taking a look at the last month of the season, including bonuses for games played advantages, injuries and the like – here’s the crew that took fantasy playoff owners to the chip. As an aside, I’m hoping that we can continue to come up with new ways to take the luck out of playoff formats, unless of course you’re playing in a casual league and don’t care that 5-of-6 months setting lineups is worthless.

PG: Stephen Curry (tie-3/3) – Bonus points for making you expect greatness.

SG: James Harden (1/1) – If you’re not going to live up to your ADP this is how you do it.

SF: Kevin Durant (2/2) – It speaks to how well Harden did that he could best KD.

PF: Kevin Love (8/12) – A weaker addition to this list, but we’re not running a small lineup here.

C: Joakim Noah (7/8) – Surely we all had Noah running the point when he got drafted out of Florida.

Sixth Man: LeBron James (tie-3/4) – All-in all he survived the stretch run, which wasn’t guaranteed.

Super Sub: Chris Paul (5/5) – Injury derailed the top-5 ADP’s value, but not when it counted.

First Big Off the Bench: DeMarcus Cousins (6/9) – Going to approach Shaq levels of dominance.

Glue Guy: Kawhi Leonard (12/6) – The blueprint is evident. Made up for a disappointing first half.

FANTASY ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – VICTOR OLADIPO (46/97), MICHAEL CARTER-WILLIAMS (51/105), TERRENCE JONES (80/48)

Terrence Jones isn’t technically a rookie but in reality that’s what he was. The technicality is enough to give Victor Oladipo the nod, and in the case of Michael Carter-Williams his disappearing acts both played out in his ranking and made him a bit more frustrating to own. Oladipo didn’t get the keys to the car so to speak and it’s fair to question Jacque Vaughn for sticking with his vets, but he still turned a tidy profit for owners after plenty of preseason hype.

FANTASY COACH OF THE YEAR – TERRY STOTTS, FRANK VOGEL, TOM THIBODEAU, KEVIN MCHALE, DOC RIVERS, MIKE MALONE

All of these are fine choices. Terry Stotts’ rotations were smooth and productive. Frank Vogel’s only real blemish was the team’s downturn in fantasy playoff time. Tom Thibodeau pushed all the right buttons to put lipstick on some pigs. Kevin McHale was consistent and gave Terrence Jones a shot. Doc Rivers was quick to put Jared Dudley out to pasture and instilled confidence in DeAndre Jordan for his big season. Mike Malone did an underrated coaching job this season and deserves Coach of the Year votes, but in fantasy leagues he was smart enough to get behind Isaiah Thomas and got big efficiency gains out of Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins.

I’m going to give a nod to the degree of difficulty and give the award to Tom Thibodeau. Though players like Jimmy Butler couldn’t take the fantasy leap (a leap that wasn’t necessarily a given), Thibs was obviously masterful in getting big seasons out of D.J. Augustin and Mike Dunleavy. He correctly took minutes from Carlos Boozer to give to Taj Gibson and the decision to feature Joakim Noah was among the most influential in fantasy leagues.

FANTASY INJURY OF THE YEAR – AL HORFORD, BROOK LOPEZ, ERIC BLEDSOE, RYAN ANDERSON, KOBE BRYANT, DERRICK ROSE

Each of these was brutal for owners. Al Horford and Brook Lopez were locked into big seasons. Eric Bledsoe was a pricy, unproven and ultimately risky pickup. Ryan Anderson’s injury not only hurt but you hurt for the guy after the year he’s had off-the-court. But it’s the last two names on this list that hurt fantasy owners the most. Kobe Bryant, whose history of playing through injuries is a legend of its own, dragged owners through a ridiculous charade of hope. I drafted him 2-3 days before opening night prior to the report that he was nowhere close to returning and it chopped 1-2 legs out from underneath me in a big money league. The report that he would miss all that time? Oh, it came about 15 minutes after I drafted him.

But even though Kobe dragged owners through the mud for most of the year, I’m giving the award to Derrick Rose after his meteoric preseason rise. This guy forced owners to consider using a first round pick on him by flying around exhibition games like the Rose of old, and then it was all over in just a few weeks. At least with Bryant his injury concerns played out behind closed doors, not on the ADP-juicing highlight reels.

MOST ANNOYING PLAYER TO OWN – KAWHI LEONARD

Kawhi Leonard was rated very high by this guy right here and usually taken in the second or third round of drafts. Of course it was good news that he turned his season around, but watching him struggle to start the year and then lose weeks to injury was tough. Seeing what he was capable of after his return just confirmed why he was taken highly, but in a Roto league it was too little, too late – the ultimate tease.

MOST ANNOYING SUPERSTAR TO OWN – JAMES HARDEN, LEBRON JAMES

This award is limited to true superstars and is going to go to James Harden because ultimately LeBron James was the better play, even if Harden did edge him a bit down the stretch. Yes, James owners weren’t thrilled watching him toil at the bottom of first round value for the early part of the year, but Harden’s owners never truly knew if he’d climb back up near his ADP until very late in the year. For a guy that was supposedly the safest of the top 3-5 picks including Stephen Curry and Chris Paul, he lost out on touches and pacing due to Dwight Howard’s arrival and owners had to watch Curry beast all over the place.

NO. 1 ON NEVER DRAFT AGAIN LIST – DWYANE WADE, KOBE BRYANT, ERSAN ILYASOVA

I’m trying to stay away from the obvious but Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant will both get inordinate amounts of fantasy consideration next season, in particular Bryant after he tests owners’ patience one last time with rosy statements about his ability to play at a high level. Barring some big free agent play out of L.A., Kobe won’t be competing for a championship next season and that will lead to a lot of rest, while Wade is already on that page of the book. That leaves Ilyasova, and if you were like me you took a flier on him late and hoped for the best. It’s amidst that backdrop that Ilyasova still managed to be one of the most frustrating fantasy plays on any given week. Owners weren’t expecting the world, and often times they’d have been better off trotting out an empty active slot. With a history of that now under his belt and no talk of Larry Drew’s firing on the wire just yet, he’s setup to do this again for new Bucks owners that aren’t enamored with him like Herb Kohl was.