Championship Week Pick-ups

If you were fortunate enough to reach your fantasy finals, if you're still fighting for consolation, or even if you're just fighting for bragging rights with a friend, here's a short list of additions you could make to your roster that would benefit you here in Week 23.

Let's start off with Jermaine O'Neal, Warriors backup center.  Andrew Bogut was diagnosed with a pelvic contusion, and will be sidelined for somewhere in the ballpark of 4-7 days.  In leagues of at least 12 teams, O'Neal is probably one of the smartest pickups.  Almost every team plays four times this week, and with Andrew Bogut injured and David Lee's status up in the air, O'Neal and Marreese Speights are in for some big minutes this coming week.  It seems that Lee should be returning soon, but Bogut will be out for at least the next two games, if not all four.  In a start against New York, O'Neal posted a stat line of 8 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocked shots.  Solid performance for a waiver-wire pickup.

Jarrett Jack, Cleveland PG - If you didn't pick up Jack as soon as you heard Kyrie Irving would be missing substantial time, you missed out.  He's playing efficiently, scoring and assisting, and chipping in with a few rebounds, too.  In my opinion, the 37 MPG he's averaged over the last 9 games stands out.  The more time on the court, the more opportunities he is given to help your fantasy team.  You might even want to check out Matthew Dellavedova in a deeper league.  He's been playing upwards of 30 minutes each game since Kyrie's injury, and he's the main guard behind Jack and Waiters.

Enes Kanter, Utah C - Kanter is only owned in 68% of ESPN leagues.  Pretty ridiculous, considering he's won the starting center job in Utah and is a walking double double.  In his past 12 games, he's grabbed double-digit rebounds eight times and scored in double-digits nine times, including a couple 18-point games and 15-rebound games.  He's also played over 40 minutes twice over that span, and should be owned in all leagues.  He's a steal if you're alive in fantasy playoffs.

Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota C - All the hype around Dieng was hype for a reason.  The guy can play.  He's shown that he can be dominant on the glass, posting totals of 15, 17, and 21 rebounds in three of his last eight games.  Despite Pekovic's return, Dieng still has plenty of upside, especially if Rick Adelman decides to be cautious with Pekovic.  Any time Dieng plays at least 20 minutes, he's good for 8 points and 12 rebounds.

Matt Barnes, Clippers SF - Barnes got injured earlier in the season, at which point he was dropped in almost all leagues.  Now, he's healthy, and the defensive specialist is getting minutes and he's shooting a lot of threes.  He's only owned in 39% of leagues, and with four games this week, you can count on him to chip in every single category, and well.  With Griffin and Jordan sitting out, the boards are opened up to the likes of Barnes, and he will give you threes, steals, and blocks, stats that usually don't go hand-in-hand.

Omer Asik, Houston C - Asik is only really worth a look if Howard misses time.  Howard has been fighting injuries, leading to Asik starting four of the last six games.  In addition to that, some news sites are stating that Howard could miss up to eight to ten more days with his injury, opening up the starting job for none other but Asik.  He will most likely be a nice source of rebounds and blocked shots in the championship week of fantasy basketball.

Darren Collison, Clippers PG - Sitting backup to Chris Paul is never easy, but upon Griffin and Jordan missing time, Doc Rivers has instead decided to go with a small line-up, starting Collison at the 2-guard.  Collison has proven to be very effective in starter's minutes, considering his ability to score consistently, assist well, and grab some sneaky steals meanwhile.

Tony Wroten, Philadelphia PG/SG - If you're desperate and need a pick-up, I would first take a look at Wroten.  He's been a phenomenal all-around guy this season, despite the Michael Carter-Williams' shadow drowning him.  He can rebound, score, assist, and steal the ball, all great stats from a point-guard.  Just make sure he'll be playing if you decided to pick him up - he has missed a few games with an ankle injury.

Henry Sims, Philadelphia C - Previous to his last three games, Sims posted some pretty nice double-doubles against New York and Chicago.  However, he's slowed down in his last three.  He's worth a gamble if you're desperate, but I wouldn't rely on him for all four games.

Well, that's all I got for you today.  Best of luck in the championship round of fantasy basketball!

Kobe Bryant Ruled Out for 2013-2014 Season - How to Replace Him?

The injury-struck all-star will not be returning to court action the rest of the season.  Dealing with lingering problems and discomfort from his fractured knee, Kobe and the Lakers' staff have decided to call it quits for this season and rest him up for next year, when the struggling Lakers actually might make playoffs.  This may not come as much of a surprise to some, especially at this point in the season, but if you drafted him in your first or second round, you're at least disappointed.

I, for one, thought he'd be back on the court right about now.  I traded for him, buying him pretty cheap in a four-player deal, so I'm not distraught, but it would've been nice to see him produce for my fantasy team at least a few times.

So Kobe's out.  How do you replace a guy like that?
Easy: Anyone playing right now can replace Kobe.

Jokes aside, let's take a look at a few of the top prospects you should consider adding in Bryant's place.

1. Alec Burks, Utah PG (owned in 72% of leagues) - I'm not a huge fan of Burks's fantasy potential, mainly because he's so one-dimensional.  However, if you're in a category league and were hoping for points from Bryant, Burks might be a solid replacement.  He's been posting 12-23 points over his last 15 games, usually around the 18-19 side, but aside from that, his rebounds, assists, and three pointers made aren't remarkable.  However, given the opportunity, Burks could be a fairly consistent 19-5-5 guy.

2. Amar'e Stoudemire, New York PF/C (owned in 60% of leagues) - I've been a Stoudemire supporter since his Suns days, but I'll be the first to say he's been extremely under-productive this year and every year since he landed on the Knicks.  However, over the past six games, Stoudemire has averaged about 18 PPG and 7 RPG.  He's on the up-and-up, recovering from his injuries well, and I feel pretty confident he could get back up to a 20 PPG, 8 RPG stat-line by the end of the season.

3. Khris Middleton, Milwaukee SF (owned in 52% of leagues) - I wasn't a believer that Middleton would stay this hot at the beginning of his streak, but props to the 52% of people that picked him up.  Middleton has been a consistent source of points and threes, but lately he's stepped up his rebounds, assists, and steals.  He might be the best option for you on a failing Bucks team.

4. Maurice Harkless, Orlando SF (owned in 41% of leagues)

Mo Harkless has increased his play lately, scoring in double digits each of his last seven games, knocking down about two threes per game and stealing the ball well, but most importantly, he's averaged about 37 MPG over that stretch.  When Harkless gets enough minutes, he's always a good option to produce a solid game statistically.  Look to Harkless if you need points, threes, and steals.

5. Miles Plumlee, Phoenix C (owned in 29% of leagues) - Many owners dropped Plumlee recently due to his time out with injuries.  He's the kind of player that you can't hold onto when he gets injured because he doesn't produce enough, but he's also the player you can't drop because he produces well enough.  He's one of those guys that's solid and consistent, but never explosive.  Plumlee is good for 14 and 10 on a given night, especially with facilitators like Goran Dragic and Ish Smith attacking and dishing.  He's probably available, and worth a pick-up in any league.

6. Wesley Johnson, Los Angeles Lakers SF (owned in 22% of leagues) - Johnson has proven that he can produce in every category every night.  In any league, category or points, Johnson is worth a pick-up, as he's shown to be probably the most consistent Laker from a fantasy standpoint.

7. P.J. Tucker, Phoenix SF (owned in 23% of leagues)

Tucker has been a pleasant surprise this season, as have the whole Suns team.  He has been playing great lately, scoring, rebounding, and assisting well.  He produces well in almost every category, and especially in rebounds and points for a small forward.

8. Ryan Kelly, Los Angeles Lakers PF (owned in 3% of leagues)

This is the guy I will be replacing Kobe Bryant with (mainly because Harkless isn't available).  I see potential in the first-year forward, and in his last two games, he's averaged 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.  His only problem is that he can be inconsistent, but I think he'll get a good run down the stretch.

So there you have it, a group of eight solid players with potential that you can pick up to fill the void left by Kobe Bryant.  For many of you, playoffs begin next week, so best of luck to you all and I hope that you can grab someone that helps out your team!

It's Official - Contract Buy-Outs

So over the past week, a couple "big-name" players have been moved around, many of whose contracts have just been bought out by their respective teams.  This will briefly discuss each buy-out, the destination of each player, and how their playing time/productivity will be affected.

1. Danny Granger - The Philadelphia 76ers have officially bought out Granger's contract, and he has signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.
2. Glen "Big Baby" Davis - The Orlando Magic have officially bought out Davis's contract, and he has signed with the Los Angeles Clippers as well.
3. Jimmer Fredette - The Sacramento Kings have bought out Jimmer's contract, and he signed with the Chicago Bulls for the rest of the season.
4. Caron Butler - The Milwaukee Bucks waived Butler, and he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder for the rest of the season.

Danny Granger - There's been a lot of talk about Granger this year, particularly whether or not he can return to a superstar form as he was a couple years ago.  Maybe on a team like the 76ers this was possible, but now signing with a team like the Clippers, he will come off the bench behind Matt Barnes, and the second rotation involves scorers Collison, Crawford, and Dudley, leaving very little production for Granger.  He will have a role as minimized as he had in Indiana, and will not be relevant fantasy-wise in the near future.

Glen Davis - Needless to say, Davis will not be obtaining a starting job over Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan, so if Davis is to have any production on the Clips, it would have to come in the 20 minutes he will be offered off the bench, assuming he gets that much playing time when considering Doc Rivers's preference to play with a smaller lineup.  He will not be productive fantasy-wise either.

Jimmer Fredette - Jimmer was a very interesting pick-up by the Chicago Bulls.  He doesn't really fit their style of play, considering they play the second toughest defense in the league.  Perhaps they will look to Jimmer as they once had Kyle Korver and Marco Belinelli run off screens as a source of threes.  Thibodeau likes his line-up of Hinrich, Butler, Dunleavy, Boozer, and Noah, but if he could perhaps find some way to utilize Fredette, it might be interesting to see how.

Caron Butler - Butler in Oklahoma City doesn't scream production either.  If he couldn't pull together consistency in Milwaukee, there is very little reason to believe he will do so from a bench role in OKC.  

The bottom line is that none of these transaction really will affect your fantasy team in any way, shape, or form.  Granger won't be notable on the Clippers, but if you're in a deeper league he might be worth watching.  The main person of this group I would at least keep an eye on is Jimmer Fredette, but don't worry, nobody is going to rush to pick him up.