Fantasy Market

This will be my first entry of what I hope to be a consistent string of posts dedicated to fantasy basketball. I hope what's stated here will be helpful to you and your fantasy endeavors. Here we go...

Buy Low

Rudy Gay: I was honestly targeting this guy in one of my leagues, but someone beat me to him. Don't let his current rank discourage you from trying to acquire him; he's much better than his 79th (Yahoo rank) suggests. As hot as OJ Mayo has been in his first month as a Grizzly, Gay is the go to guy on the team. Take advantage of his recent shooting slump to get him; he's bound to recover. He throws up 17 shots a game with 4+ threes (he's only shooting 24% from behind the arc this year, but he's a career 35% 3pt shooter). As the season wears on, I see OJ cooling down a bit - every rookie does. When that happens, Memphis is going to fall back on Gay.

Al Harrington: Getting out of Golden State is going to work miracles for this guy. A number of fantasy owners (including myself) are probably frustrated with his month of DNP's. However, in D'Antoni's run-and-gun offense, Al has the potential to flourish. He's going to get 28+ consistently at PF and C. Act fast though, he's already played his first game as a Knick. Despite only scoring 13pts, he did collect 11 rebounds and shot the ball 16 times.

Lamar Odom: Here's a suggestion I'm not so confident about, but I still feel he's worth the pick if he pans out. Odom is coming off the bench as the 6th man this year, and he's been struggling to be consistent. However, I think he's slowly adjusting to this new role. Odom still gets 25-30 mins a night, and will only become increasingly efficient in the minutes that he does get. Right now, he's averaging 10pts, 6rebs, and 2 assists. Given an adjustment period, I see him growing to around 14pts,6rebs, and 4 assists with a steal and a block. Don't throw anything huge to get him, Odom is known for disappointing owners, but I'd still be willing send some offers for him.

Sell High

Zach Randolph: It may be to late already, but get rid of him if you can. He may have played lights out on the Knicks, but ZBo won't see anywhere close to that level of success with the Clips. LA is already have solid big men in Camby and Kaman, both of who can rebound and defend well. Thornton is an emerging offensive force. Baron Davis will also get his shots, and Eric Gordon is getting more and more shots as well. He's going to come off the bench and give you 15pts and 6 rebs at best.

Ronnie Brewer: As much as I love this guy, I'd advice trading him away in fantasy leagues. Brewer has made the most of Deron Williams's absence to show what he can do. In his last four games, his shot attempts of been 11,13,14, and 19 respectively. He's scored, pitched in some rebounds, assists, and most importantly been HUGE in steals. However, the fact of the matter is that Brewer will not get 15 shots a game once Dwill returns (tentative date this Wednesday). His recent stretch of good games won't continue. He's still valuable for steals...but shop him around right now and see what you can get in return.

Nene Hilario: I was shocked to find that Nene is currently ranked 8th in Yahoo rankings. He has been surprisingly productive this year and contributes across the board in pts, rebs, FG%, blocks, and steals. The problem I have with him is that he's injury prone. In his last four seasons, he's played 55,1,64,and 15 games. It's true that many of the injuries like his thumb and calf injuries may have purely been bad luck, but it's bound to happen again. Sell him while his value is still high.

Waiver Wire Pickups

Russell Westrbrook(owned in 30% of Yahoo leagues): The Thunder's replacement of P.J. Carlesimo with Scott Brooks is beginning to show off the potential of this first round draft pick. Brooks has been playing much more small ball, allowing OKC to play both Earl Watson and Westbrook at the same time. Westbrooks's minutes have steadliy been growing, and now it looks like he'll get between 25-30 mins a game. Despite only shooting 31% from the floor, he still gets a good 12+ shots a game. Additionally, both his assists and steals have risen. Pick him up right now if he's available.

Andray Blatche(owned in 11% of Yahoo leagues): Blatche started off the year with promising potential, but soon after found himself in Eddie Jordan's doghouse. Fortunately for him, Eddie Jordan got fired, and interim coach Ed Tapscott may give him another chance to prove himself. The only competition at the center position in Washington is veteran Etan Thomas and rookie Javale Mcgee. I don't see Washington using Thomas as anything more than an energy backup, and though Mcgee shows promise, I don't think he's strong enough yet to take over. Both Blatche and Mcgee will split minutes at center, but Blatche has more experience and an NBA ready body. He's worth a pickup in deeper leagues.

Darko Milicic(owned in 8% of Yahoo leagues: Don't look now but we've just had another Darko sighting. Milicic put up 11pts, 11rebs, and some blocks in his latest game. If you're extremely weak at the center position, Darko is worth a look. This is definitely not a for sure recommendation, but definitely keep an eye on him. I haven't given up on this guy yet!