Tag: Kyrie Irving

Stock Rising- Jarrett Jack

Kyrie Irving will be out for the remainder of the season with a biceps injury. The Cavs won’t come out and say it but he will not suit up again this season. What does this mean? Well, Jarrett Jack has and will continue to be on the end of some major minutes.

Analysis: Jarrett Jack is averaging 35.6 minutes per game in his last five contests. During that stretch he is dropping 13.2 points per game, 4.0 assists and 1.0 threes. Over the last week of the season Jack is the 16th rated fantasy point guard and the 11th best fantasy shooting guard.

Obviously, Jack isn’t going to blow anyone away in assists, threes or steals but he is more than serviceable. Keep in mind that he is averaging 32 minutes per game in the month of March and because of the Kyrie Irving injury that number will continue to climb.

Currently, Jarrett Jack is available in 45-60% of fantasy leagues. He has OKC Thursday night followed by Houston on Saturday night. Jack also has four games on the schedule next week.

Draft Impact- Kyrie Irving

The NBA draft is over and it’s time to start projecting the rookies and their potential fantasy impact for the 2011-12 season.

Analysis: We shouldn’t have high expectations for Kyrie Irving this year especially after John Wall spoiled so many of us with 16.4 PPG, 8.3 APG, 1.8 SPG and 4.6 RPG. Like with so many rookies Irving will be taken in re-draft leagues well before he should. The hype machine will tout Irving as nearly a twenty point per game player and he’s just not capable of that his rookie year especially with the complete lack of talent on the Cavs. We also have to consider Irving’s playing time. Baron Davis and Ramon Sessions are still on the roster and they both averaged around 13 PPG with 6 APG last year. What the Cavs do with these point guards remains to be seen, but Irving is splitting time with one of these guys this coming year. We can expect nearly thirty minutes of playing time from Irving this year but his durability over an eighty-two game season is in question.

Projection: Kyrie Irving isn’t going to light the league on fire or become the NBA’s next elite point guard like the hype machine would have you believe. His 2011-12 season should be 15 PPG, 5-6 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.5 SPG and about one three pointer made per game. Think Mike Conley type numbers not Steph Curry.

NBA Draft: Early Entrants, Combine and Lottery

 

Sunday night was the deadline for college basketball stars to submit their names to be considered for the NBA draft. Some have already withdrawn, opting to  return to school, others may as well by the June 13th deadline. With uncertainty due to potential NBA labor strife, a surprising number of top players decided to forgo the draft. At the same time, others that will go undrafted, opted to hire agents, giving up their college eligibility.

In advance of the draft, a combine will be held in Chicago next week. 54 players will undergo physicals and interviews with prospective teams. Players will also have the option to participate in drills if they so choose. Historically, those invited to the combine are drafted, so the list is a fairly good peak.

Notable players withdrawing from draft (over weekend):

Ashton Gibbs- Pittsburgh

Reggie Johnson- Miami

Terrence Jones- Kentucky

Here are the top early entrants: (in no particular order)

Center

Enes Kanter- Kentucky

Forward

Tobias Harris- Tennessee

Jordan Williams- Maryland

Derrick Williams- Arizona

Trey Thompkins- Georgia

Tyler Honeycutt- UCLA

Scotty Hopson- Tennessee

Kawhi Leonard- San Diego State

Tristan Thompson- Texas

Markieff Morris- Kansas

Marcus Morris- Kansas

Chris Singleton- Florida State

Guard

Kyrie Irving- Duke

Brandon Knight- Kentucky

Alec Burks- Colorado

Kemba Walker- Connecticut

Josh Shelby- Kansas

Travis Leslie- Georgia

Shelvin Mack- Butler

Jordan Hamilton- Texas

Klay Thompson- Washington State

Darius Morris- Michigan

Note: 20 international players have also filed eligibility paperwork

With no natural centers leaving early, expect international bigs to get attention early.

7’0″ Donatas Motiejunas (Italy)

6’11” Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania)

6’11” Jan Vesely (Serbia)

The NBA Draft Lottery will be held on Tuesday night at halftime of the Western Conference finals. In order, Minnesota, Cleveland, Toronto, Washington, Sacramento and Utah (from New Jersey) have the greatest chance of picking first. Seven teams will have two selections in the first round. Cleveland, Utah, Washington, Charlotte, Minnesota, Houston and Chicago have an extra pick due to trades.

The 2011 NBA draft will be held on Tuesday, June 23rd at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.