Category: NBA

Blocks and Boards For The Last Two Weeks

There are only two weeks left in the NBA regular season and it’s time to pick up the hot hands in the fantasy basketball world. Enter Golden State big man, Ekpe Udoh.

Analysis: Ekpe Udoh has at least two blocks a game in his last eight contests. Yes, the guy is just plain nasty on the defensive end right now. Add in a steal per game over his last five games and you’re going to get some attention. Udoh has also amassed at least five rebounds in six of his last seven games. He also isn’t that bad from the stripe for a big man, about 70% on the year. Udoh’s field goal percentage isn’t quite at fifty percent which is what you want from your bigs, but he’s not going to hurt you in that department either. There are very few players in the fantasy realm putting up his kind of numbers and are owned in less than ten percent of leagues nationwide. Throw in center and power forward eligibility and you have a winner for the final two weeks of the season.

Projection: Ekpe Udoh along with Serge Ibaka are quickly becoming premier NBA shot blockers. Andris Biedrins will return in a few games for the Warriors but don’t expect Udoh to slow down. Expect two blocks, six boards and just under a steal per game from Udoh the rest of the season.

Three Ball And Assist Help

With only a little over two weeks in the regular season it’s time to make that final push. If you are in need of three ball and assists down the stretch, Lou Williams just may be your man.

Analysis: Despite getting his average number of minutes recently, Lou Williams is playing some sneaky good ball. His points and steals are up over his season averages over the last few weeks but that’s not what your looking for, you need some assists to go along with those threes. Well, Williams has hit at least two threes a game in four of his last six games with a free throw percentage around eighty percent in that stretch. Williams has also reached four assists in four of his last six games and dropping 24 points twice in that span. Granted, he isn’t setting the league on fire but this deep into the season you don’t have many options to improve your squad, every little bit helps. Williams’ point guard and shooting guard eligibility only add to his value at this point.

Projection: Expect more of the same as Williams will help the Sixers secure the sixth seed in the eastern conference. He’ll give you 14 points and a steal pretty much every night but it’s the threes, assists and free throw percentage that make him so valuable in deep leagues right now.

JaVale McGee is Playing Great Down the Final Stretch

Despite the Wizards second worst record in the East they still have a few things to be excited about, JaVale’s playing being one of them.

Analysis: This has been a breakout year for JaVale with everything except team success coming his way. He really broke out of his shell during the all-star game with his creative dunks. The dunk on two separate rims was epic. He appears to have found a new confidence and is harnessing it very successfully. Over the last 10 games JaVale is averaging a whopping 3.5 blocks per game along with 11 boards. He is also putting up decent scoring numbers with 14 points a contest at 59% shooting. These last 10 game statistics are well above JaVale’s season averages, but I don’t see them as a fluke. I believe the more he plays with a great point guard in John Wall and the more confidence he accumulates the better he will be. At this point in the season the Wizards aren’t playing for anything. Their playoff hopes have long been dashed and their is really no purpose to them trying their hardest. JaVale is still putting up one of the best streaks of his career.

Projection: JaVale has finally arrived and I expect his stats to improve on his recent streak. He’ll finish out the season posting similar numbers, but next season is when you should expect him to really pour it on. Imagine how good he’ll be when he’s actually playing for something.

Carl Landry In, David West Out

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.

Hump is Playing the Best Basketball of his Life

Kris Humphries has been up and down for years now, mostly down, but he has finally figured out the game of basketball in recent weeks.

Analysis: Humphries has always been a solid per minute rebounder, but was never able to do enough other things to keep himself on the court. He was prone to fits where he thought he could score like Jordan, but this obviously wasn’t the case. Playing with a great point guard, in Deron Williams, seems to have revitalized his career. In his last 10 games Hump is shooting 55% from the field, putting up 15 points a game, and ripping down 16 boards a game. These numbers are pretty damn impressive, especially when you consider his career numbers. Hump has averaged an unimpressive 4.6 boards and 5.6 points a game on his career. This season was already an improvement with Hump averaging just shy of a double double every game, but his recent play makes him a must have fantasy option (at least for now). When you throw in the fact that he’s averaging 2 blocks a game in his last 10 games stretch Hump has a lot of value to offer your team. I think there are two significant factors that are finally allowing Hump to blossom. The first is playing with one of the best point guards in the league, and the second is the simple nature of finally getting enough minutes to put up some stats. He has averaged 39 minutes per game in his last 10 games.

Projection: As long as Deron is in New Jersey and Hump doesn’t start trying to do too much he is a great fantasy option. Ride the Hump, at least for now.