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.

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.

How the Recent Trade Deadline Affects Your Fantasy Team

Perhaps the biggest trade nearing this year's trade deadline is the one that dealt Danny Granger to Philadelphia in exchange for Evan Turner and LaVoy Allen.  Danny Granger has officially gone from the best team in the Eastern Conference (record-wise) to the the second-to-worst team in the entire league.  Needless to say and absolutely an understatement, Danny Granger is not happy.  I doubt Evan Turner is either.  From a guy getting almost 35 MPG, being demoted to a bench role in Indiana isn't exactly what you hope more, but then again, now he has a chance to win an NBA championship.  So let's talk about how the following trades affect your fantasy team.

1. Warriors receive Steve Blake from the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks.  

• Stephen Curry - Stays absolutely relevant
• Klay Thompson - Will keep up his same level of play, three-pointers and a lot of shooting
• Jordan Crawford - Crawford lost fantasy relevance the second he left Boston, and now with the addition of Blake, there's absolutely no reason to have Crawford
• Steve Blake - Blake will be running back-up point guard duties, along with some run with the first string, placing Curry at the shooting guard.  Either way, Blake will be playing limited minutes.  If you're one of the many that picked him up upon his return from injury, I say give a trade a chance or just pick up someone new completely.  In limited minutes, Blake is only valuable in the deepest of leagues.  
• Kendall Marshall - Marshall should be picked up in any and every format.  With Nash riddled by injuries and Blake dealt to the Warriors, the only point guards on the Lakers are Marshall and Jordan Farmar.  On a tanking Lakers team, D'Antoni is going to develop Marshall as opposed to refining Farmar.  Marshall is good for a double-double every game, including multiple three-points and probably 12-13 assists.  Pick-up for sure.
• Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks? - Neither of these guys will really become relevant in fantasy basketball anytime soon.  If anything, Brooks will cut into Jodie Meeks's minutes, hurting him there, but until you see consistent production and minutes from either of these guys, there's no reason to add them.

2. Nets traded Jason Terry and Reggie Evans to the Kings for Marcus Thornton.

• Jason Terry - At this point in his career, Terry is inconsistent and good for a few three-pointers at best, and he will not be playing a large quantity of minutes in Sacramento.  Not worth a pick up.
• Reggie Evans - Evans is a great rebounder, but very little else.  He will be playing behind DeMarcus Cousins, Jason Thompson, and Derrick Williams.  Evans will not be relevant fantasy-wise.
• Marcus Thornton - Thornton hasn't shown much life this season, but given enough minutes he could be a nice low-key pick-up.  However, I wouldn't do that until you see what New Jersey plans to do with him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he got around 25-30 minutes per game, perhaps relevant in deeper leagues.

3. The 76ers acquire Byron Mullens from the Los Angeles Clippers in a trade involving future draft picks.

• Byron Mullens - Mullens is definitely one to keep an eye on.  Mullens's game style is similar to Spencer Hawes, and until Nerlens Noel is ready to come back, Mullens looks to be the main center in Philly considering Hawes has been dealt to Cleveland.  If you have a roster spot open, he's worth a shot.

4.  The Bucks send Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour to the Bobcats for Ramon Sessions and Jeff Adrien.

• Gary Neal - I would venture to say Neal may be worth a pick-up, and if not yet, definitely keep an eye on him.  In Charlotte, Walker mans the point-guard position with Gerald Henderson at the 2-guard.  If they wanted, they could play small-ball and move Henderson to the 3, put Kidd-Gilchrist at the 4, and have Al Jefferson at the 5, starting Gary Neal at the shooting guard.  Neal is a 6'4" guard that can hit from downtown, and he may be just what Charlotte is looking for to space the floor more.
• Luke Ridnour - Ridnour will be handling back-up point-guard duties behind Walker, and will not be getting enough minutes to be relevant.  Even if something were to happen to Walker, Neal would probably take over at the point-guard spot.
• Ramon Sessions - Sessions will not get enough minutes playing alongside Brandon Knight, OJ Mayo, and Giannis Antetokounmpo to hold much fantasy relevance.  However, Sessions is pretty streaky and if the Bucks decide to put him in front of Mayo in the rotation, he might have a shot in deeper leagues.
• Jeff Adrien - Adrien will not be relevant in any circumstances in Milwaukee.  

5. The 76ers send Spencer Hawes to the Cavaliers for Earl Clark, Henry Sims, and two future draft picks.

• Spencer Hawes - With Anderson Verejao ailing with injuries, Hawes steps right into Cleveland as the starting center.  He will have already been owned in your league, and he won't be dominant enough to warrant trading for him, but keep him if you already have him.
• Earl Clark - Not even hours after acquiring Clark, the 76ers waived the forward.  Needless to say, he should not be owned.
• Cavalier forwards - This trade really doesn't effect any other players on the Cavaliers besides Verejao.  When Verejao returns, there may be complications with splitting those minutes, so mind that.  

6.  Houston Rockets send Aaron Brooks to the Denver Nuggets for Jordan Hamilton.

• Aaron Brooks - While Ty Lawson continues to recover from his broken ribs, Brooks will take the start at point.  Brooks has the explosiveness to produce 18 points-8 assists in enough minutes.  If you have a roster spot, I would think about picking up Brooks until Lawson returns to the court.
• Randy Foye - As strange as it may sound, Randy Foye's value will go up with this trade.  Foye is a natural shooting guard, and being tossed into point-guard duties, he could create well but the turnovers and his shooting percentages were very negatively affected.  Now that there is a more natural point guard on the floor, Foye can return to his shooting guard role and become a dead-eye from three.
• Ty Lawson - Lawson will be unaffected.  As soon as he returns from injury, he will resume his role as the starting point guard for the Nuggets.
• Jordan Hamilton - Hamilton will be coming off the bench for Houston.  McHale likes to give the starters significant minutes, so there is pretty much no justification in owning Hamilton, Francisco Garcia, or Omri Casspi.

7. Indiana Pacers send Danny Granger to Philadelphia for Evan Turner and LaVoy Allen.

• Now you've already heard plenty about the Granger Grumblings and his dissatisfaction with his new team, so I'll cut to the chase.
• Danny Granger - Seeking a buy-out from Philly, and considering Granger has not participated in a single basketball-related activity with the team, it's definitely a situation to keep an eye on.  I believe that whatever the case is, Granger will eventually play in Philadelphia.  There's a lot of question about how he'll be resuming a starting role.  I believe he will be effective, and he will be playing hard in order to attract notice from other teams if he wants to leave Philadelphia.  If he begins to participate in practices with the team (which I believe he will within the week), he's a must-add in my opinion.
• Evan Turner - This trade kills Turner's fantasy value.  Turner was playing almost 35 MPG averaging 17.4 points, 6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists a game in Philadelphia.  In Indiana, he will take on Granger's workload of a little over half those minutes, cutting Turner's production drastically.  If you can get anyone to take Turner off your hands for whatever you can get, I advise you to do so.
• James Anderson - If Granger keeps this up and either receives the buy-out demand or just doesn't want to play, this opens up the small forward position in Turner's absence.  I would look to James Anderson as the guy that fills the role.  If this is the case, I say pick him up.  He's going to want to prove himself on this team, and if he gets Turner's workload or close to it, he could probably be good for 12-6-3 on a given night, draining a couple of threes in the process.
• Paul George, Lance Stephenson - These guys will be unaffected, just as every other Pacer will be unaffected.  The acquisition of Turner will not mix up the rotation in any way; Turner will just be replacing Granger in the rotation.
  
  
  

I basically covered the majority of the trade-deadline transactions, but if you have any other questions or opinions, feel free to contact me.