David West will be gone for the duration of the season with a torn left ACL suffered Thursday in Utah.
Analysis: Losing David West is huge. 19 points, 7 boards, a block, a steal and great percentages from the power forward position is just great but now it’s gone. Enter Carl Landry, owned in just under 50% of fantasy leagues nationwide and a beast of a fantasy player last year with the Rockets and Kings. He’ll step in for the injured West and he should do just fine. Last year he averaged 17 PPG, 6 RPG while shooting over 80% from the stripe and over 50% from the floor. Yes, there will be a drop off in performance but inserting Landry into your lineup make the most sense. You’ll lose just a little in every category as opposed to a lot in two or three. Landry is quite an efficient player with a career free throw percentage of 77%, absolutely great from a power forward. As long as his minutes are there and they should be, the steals and blocks should be just enough of a contribution to keep him around.
Projection: If he can get 28 minutes or more a night as the starter, he’s money. Expect 14 PPG, 5 RPG with some great field goal and free throw percentages the rest of the season. Be patient the first few games, he hasn’t been the great fit with the Hornets he was expected to be. Let the chemistry develop.