Jumbled Up NBA - How It Will Affect the Fantasy Year

The NBA thought it was time to mix things up again.  This offseason has probably been one of the most dramatic in at least the past fifteen years.  LeBron James returned to his hometown Cavaliers. Chris Bosh declined Houston's offer to re-sign with the Miami Heat with Dwyane Wade, adding Luol Deng in LeBron's spot.  Trevor Ariza left Washington to sign with Houston, who failed to match the Mavericks' 3 year, $46 million offer for Chandler Parsons.  Carmelo Anthony dramatically chose to re-sign a max contract with the Knicks after being pursued by Chicago and Houston.  Chicago signed Pau Gasol, Aaron Brooks, and rookie Doug McDermott, making them one of the deepest teams in the league.  It's been crazy, and I'm here to give you every little detail on how this affects the league and your fantasy year.

You can stay up to date on all the latest action here: http://www.thescore.com/nba/offseason

So who's stock is going to rise because of their new destination?

1. Chandler Parsons, Mavericks SF
This guy is one of the best all-around players in the league.  He will consistently give you production across the board every night while shooting consistently and keeping the turnovers down.  I predict he'll be a 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists guy in Dallas as one of the main options.  Look for this guy early on in your draft.

2. Lance Stephenson, Hornets SG
Stephenson led the NBA in triple-doubles last season, and despite his reputation for blowing in superstars' ears, he's one of the toughest guards in the league, and one of the best rebounding ones as well.  Last season, Stephenson was third in scoring, second in rebounds, and first in assists on the Pacers.  Like Parsons, he's an across-the-board guy with a lot of potential on a struggling Charlotte team.

3. Trevor Ariza, Rockets SF
This guy's draft stock won't rise as much as the previous two, but he will be solid.  Ariza is a defensive specialist with an efficient three-point shooting capability.  In Houston, he will no longer have to shoulder a load like was required of him in Washington.  I would look for him to have increased efficiency, more threes, a solid number of steals and blocks, and a few boards every game.   If you can steal him deep in the draft, I recommend it.

4. Luol Deng, Miami SF
Deng has always been one of the best two-way players in the NBA.  At this point in his career, I would rank him at 2 or 3, behind LeBron and Paul George.  Regardless, Deng is a scorer, playmaker, rebounder, and defensive wall.  He will provide across the board stats, and on a team devout of LeBron James and with a dwindling Wade, look for Deng to be the team's 1st or 2nd playmaking option this year.

5. Tyson Chandler, Mavericks C
Think back to the 2011 NBA Finals.  Tyson Chandler is right in the middle, grabbing offensive and defensive rebounds, turning shots away and affecting even more, all while being very efficient.  I would assume similar numbers this year in his return to Dallas.  I wouldn't necessarily put him as a top 5 big man, but I wouldn't drop much further.  You could expect 10 points, 10 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and .650 field goal percentage from him this season.

Other players to consider who's stock are rising:
Paul George, Pacers SF - with the loss of Stephenson, much more production and responsibility is opened up to George.
Jordan Hill, Lakers PF - with the loss of Pau Gasol, Hill steps in as the strongest power forward on the roster, and he showed sparks of greatness this last season.  Look for him to excel in L.A.
Carlos Boozer, Lakers PF - much as the same situation as Hill, it will be interesting to see if the Lakers start two power forwards, and if not, who will they decide to start.

Now, to players that are going to be negatively impacted by recent trades.

1. Kyrie Irving, Cavaliers PG
With the addition of LeBron to the Cavs roster, every player is given an instant boost of efficiency.  However, there is a good chance there will be a loss in production of Irving, Waiters, and Verejao, just for instance.  LeBron does everything, so naturally, there will be less for the other players to do.  Irving is no longer a top-5 fantasy point guard, especially considering his recent injury struggles.  Look for just about every Cavalier to level out fantasy-wise.

2. Isaiah Thomas, Suns PG
Last season, Thomas posted a solid season, making him relevant in just about every fantasy league.  Now on the Suns roster, Thomas is now the third point-guard in the rotation behind Dragic and Bledsoe.  Look for Thomas' production to decrease to that of a bench role.

3. Paul Pierce, Wizards SF
Pierce is no longer in his prime.  That was very relevant last year in Brooklyn, and now, he will be a third or fourth option at best in Washington.  You've got John Wall and Bradley Beal headlining the team, with Nene and Marcin Gortat down low.  Paul Pierce is a veteran bringing experience and knowledge, not fantasy statistics.

4. Dwyane Wade, Heat SG
Wade has faulty knees, and that's the main reason he will drop drastically this season.  If it wasn't apparent enough this last season that he is slowly deteriorating, nothing has changed and his drop will continue.  LeBron has been replaced with Deng, and Wade may have the ball a little more but will lose efficiency as well as have an increase in turnovers.


This is just a preliminary post especially considering the start of the NBA is still nearly three months away.  As the season gets closer, I will be back with more information and more recommendations.

Who's Got the Hot Hand?

I've been disappointed with the NBA over the past few weeks, and especially with the fantasy aspect of it, my team in particular.  I currently hold on to Russell Westbrook, out until past the All Star break, Ryan Anderson, out indefinitely with a herniated disc, and Chandler Parsons, Jimmy Butler, and Tyreke Evans, all dealing with day-to-day injuries.  Not to mention an under-producing Lebron James.  Frustrating barely describes this season.  Well enough about me, so let's get right into some players who have been playing exceptionally well and are worth a look at trading for.

1) Goran Dragic 

Straight to the point, the guy's an assassin, and a silent one.  You didn't realize it, but the Suns are off to a 21-15 start, and they wouldn't be there without Dragic.  Phoenix is in the game, and all of the sudden, you realize Dragic has 22 points, 8 assists, and a couple of rebounds and steals.  He's playing 35 minutes a game, and that's while Eric Bledsoe is playing.  With Bledsoe just undergoing knee surgery, that gives a pretty dominant boost to the already-productive Dragic.  I'm not saying that Dragic's minutes will increase significantly, but the offense will run through him more than it already had.  He's scored 21 points or more in six of his last ten, and has had 7 or more assists in six of his last ten games.  Bottom line, this guy is a top-tier point guard and a threat every night.  

2) Terrence Jones

I've been going on and on about Terrence Jones for weeks, and I'm not done giving props to the big guy.  He had a few rough games, but I blame it on his ankle injury.  Jones has been a monster lately, posting rebounding totals of 14, 11, 13, and 17 in four of his last 9 games, dipping below 8 rebounds just once.  Don't forget, he's getting these rebounds in spite of Dwight Howard.  Heck, he's taking boards AWAY from Howard.  He's had multiple games of 3+ blocks.  There's nothing not to like about this guy.  He can finish around the rim, he's athletic, can grab boards, can block shots, and he's getting 26 minutes per game.  Normally, 26 MPG is a little low, but I give Jones the exception.  He's playing exceptionally well and if he's on waivers, pick him up; if not, trade for him.

3) Kris Humphries

Believe me, I'm even upset with myself for putting him in this list.  I really am.  So much so, I am almost didn't do it.  But that doesn't mean I can overlook what he has been doing and the potential he has on the Boston Celtics.  He's healthy, he's playing over 30 minutes a game now, he's rebounding well... and he's on the Celtics.  His competition on the boards is Jared Sullinger, a 6' 9" forward playing the center position.  Not to discount Sullinger's play or rebounding abilities, but Humphries is the obvious rebounder on the team.  I don't like the guy or the way he plays, and he played quite awful last season, but a new team with very little depth in rebounding means Humphries has potential to be a double-double guy, including 13 rebounds per game or so and a couple of blocks.  Give him a chance if you've got the room for him.

4) Kyle Lowry

I love Kyle Lowry.  He's a guy that is a triple-double threat every time he plays a game, but will never quite get there.  I've known that, but lately, he's proven it to everyone else.  The guy's averaging 16 PPG, 7.5 APG, and 4 RPG while hitting 2 threes a night.  He's playing great, and the Raptors are finally playing just as Kyle Lowry wants them to.  DeRozan is hitting, Terrence Ross is coming around, Amir Johnson, Patrick Patterson, and Jonas Valanciunas are on their games, and more importantly, Rudy Gay is gone.  That's been the case over the last few weeks, and Lowry has averaging over 8.5 assists over that stretch in addition to double-digit scoring in every game since.  He's a top-20 player in my mind with no hesitation, and if you can grab him from someone who doesn't quite appreciate his potential, do it.

5) Kendall Marshall

I was going to stop after Lowry, but I couldn't resist not mentioning Kendall Marshall.  Let's put it this way:  in his first career start with the Lakers, he scored 20 points, dished out 15 dimes, and grabbed 6 boards.  In his second start, he scored 9 points, dished out 17 dimes, and grabbed 6 boards.  There are no other point guards on the Los Angeles Lakers roster, and Steve Nash, Jordan Farmar, and Steve Blake are all sidelined with injuries, and Kobe Bryant is still out.  I'm not convinced that any of those point guards will replace Marshall after the showings he's put up lately, and I think even when Kobe is back, Marshall is looking bright.  It's amazing how well he is playing, and even better, he understands his role.  I guess I'll mention that despite his efforts, the Lakers are 1-9 in their last 10, and Marshall looks to be the starter from here on out.  If you're part of the 87% that picked him up, congratulations.

Now let's talk about some disappointments.

1) Andre Iguodala - I've been saying all season long that Andre Iguodala isn't cut out for an elite fantasy position with the Warriors.  There's too much going on with the Splash Brothers and with David Lee and Bogut in the post that Andre is very limited in almost every category.  Curry, Thompson and Lee combine for 50 shots per game, and Iguodala is 5th on the team in shots attempted.  Take that and combine it with the fact that Curry always has the ball and Iguodala is limited by Lee and Bogut on the boards... trade him if you have him, and don't trade for him.  We'll leave it at that.

2) David West - David West annoys me terribly.  He's a great player and a great power forward who should be averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds every night.  But he's not. And it's not because of Roy Hibbert's dominance.  And it's so frustrating because he could.  Here's what it is.  It's the fact that the Indiana Pacers thought it would be a great idea to add Luis Scola to the roster.  It's the fact that Lance Stephenson and Paul George like to bang with the big boys and grab rebounds of their own, and West doesn't give that extra effort anymore.  There's too much depth on the Pacers for West to be an elite option anymore.

3) Evan Turner - The Philadelphia Sixers are 12-25, the third worst record in the East, and the third worst record in the NBA.  Michael Carter-Williams has been named a superstar for some reason.  He's good, no doubt, and stuffs the stat sheet, and I applaud his efforts and I think he's a good player, but truth is, Evan Turner is the star of the Sixers.  He's the go-to guy, the scorer, the defender, the guy you should run your offense through, the guy who is going to rebound, score, and create plays for teammates.  He's a 20-8-6 guy in my mind, and it's frustrating for me to see players play below their potential.  Turner, I recommend, is a guy I would look into picking up, because one of these days, he's going to pick up his game and start playing like the multi-dimensional player he is.

4) Jameer Nelson - He's playing 34 minutes a game, and having very little to show for it.  His stat line looks pretty good, at 12.7 PPG, 6.3 APG, and 3.8 RPG including 2.4 threes per game.  But he's Jameer Nelson, and Victor Oladipo wants to be the Magician.  Nelson has potential, but nothing is going to change on the Magic as long as they keep spreading the love like they are, giving 6 players at least 11 shots per game.  He's not worth the pick-up, but you might be able to get something out of him because of his name.

Now let's play a game involving frequently asked questions, and let's call it, hmm, FAQs.

Who's going to benefit from Ryan Anderson's injury? Al-Farouq Aminu.
But who's going to benefit from Tyreke Evans's injury? Oh, easy one.  Al-Farouq Aminu.
But with Jrue Holiday out, too, who's going to benefit from his absence?  Eric Gordon.
Not Austin Rivers? No.
Bottom Line: Pick up Al-Farouq Aminu.

I'm as sad about Luol Deng leaving Chicago as just about anybody.  But despite my feelings, let's answer a question.

How is the Luol Deng trade going to affect the Bulls?  Easy answer: Pick up D.J. Augustin.  Tonight, Augustin led the team in minutes (35), points (20), and assists (12).  Problem solved.  Also, try to get Joakim Noah if you can.
How about Andrew Bynum?  Leave him alone.
And the Cleveland Cavaliers?  There are very few players on the Cavaliers worth having.  Kyrie Irving, Luol Deng, and Anderson Varejao.  Please don't keep Alonzo Gee or Dion Waiters, but fine, keep Tristan Thompson.

Chandler Parsons is suffering from all sorts of injuries this season, what do I do?  Hold on to him.
Who will be benefitting from Parsons's injuries?  No one.  Ronnie Brewer and Omri Casspi will be filling in for Parsons, but neither of them will get enough minutes nor will they do enough in those minutes to warrant a pick up.  Pick up Terrence Jones if you can.


A message to all fantasy basketball players looking to make a run for the playoffs.
Download theScore app for your Android phone or iPhone, and subscribe to the NBA basketball news alerts.  Not only is it a great way for you to have first-hand knowledge of injuries and updates, but it's just a good app to have to track players and teams and their statistics.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fivemobile.thescore&hl=en
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/thescore-mobile/id285692706?mt=8

Now, when it comes to trades, you want to look for players who a) are getting good minutes, b) have very little competition at that position on their team, c) are effective in multiple categories, and d) are getting ample opportunities and chances to reach their potential.  Best of luck to you in Week 12!

P.s.  Keep in mind Rajon Rondo is trying to return by the end of the month and while the Celtics have very little to play for, they are only 2 games out of playoffs with their horrendous 13-25 record.  Boston isn't an organization that will try to doom themselves for a lottery pick; they'll play to compete.  Rondo will be good; I guarantee it.  He will be the point guard and he will have options that consist of Jordan Crawford, Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, Jared Sullinger, and Kris Humphries.  Maybe not the best players to surround a guard like Rondo with, but still good enough to grant Rondo is assist numbers that he is always so determined to achieve.