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Hache Man · 04-05-08, 11:28 AM

The Final Week Ahead

Game Totals in Week 24:

Four games: MIL, CHI, BOS, NOR, LAL, DAL, DEN, DET, SEA, MIN

Three games: PHI, CHA, LAC, MEM, ATL, MIA, UTA, SAC, NYK, ORL, NJN, IND, TOR, HOU, SAS, PHX, POR, GST, WAS

The recurring theme this week was the return of many NBA superstars around the Association. NBA All-Stars Dirk Nowitzki, Gilbert Arenas, Elton Brand, Jermaine O'Neal and Pau Gasol all returned to the hardwood this week. It couldn't have come sooner for the fantasy owners who have patiently held onto these players hoping for a final week explosion propelling them to the fantasy winner's circle. dallasmavericks.com

With the Fantasy Playoffs upon us, your lineup decisions are more critical than ever. The most favorable schedule next week belongs to the Denver Nuggets. They have four games, three of which (@lac, @gst, @uta) are against teams who give up over 100 PPG. Throw in the fact that they are in a dogfight for the 8th and final seed in the West and they will be playing their best players trying to win every game. Slotting Carmelo Anthony or Marcus Camby into your lineups for next week is a no-brainer. Even though Allen Iverson has said that his broken finger is "getting worse," the Nuggets need to win every game left so The Answer is going to play and you should keep him in your lineup. Other usual borderline Nuggets starters, J.R. Smith and Anthony Carter, are also pretty safe starts next week.

Golden State is the team chasing the Nuggets for that last spot in the West playoffs, so they are on the outside looking in with so few games to go in the season. You know Don Nelson wants to get into the post-season again and repeat their playoff magic from last year. The Warriors score the most PPG and also have four games next week, one of which is against the team that gives up the second most PPG in the league (@mem). For those of you who drafted Baron Davis this season, I congratulate you. This was finally the year B-Diddy was able to stay healthy the entire season, and many of you have rode Baron to your fantasy title - or into the playoffs taking place right now. You can't even think about sitting him next week. Monta Ellis has exploded into superstardom this year and was a player who well exceeded his draft position. Monta was another player who helped many teams to fantasy playoffs or even championships. Due to the favorable schedule next week, you need to have Monta in your lineups as well next week. I'm sure if you are in the fantasy playoffs, you don't need me to tell you to play Baron Davis and Monta Ellis next week. I will say that borderline ballers like Kelenna Azubuike, Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington all deserve a long look next week in most leagues.

Portland only has three games next week. When you throw in the fact that two of them are against teams that are in the top four of least PPG allowed (SAS, HOU), you really need to seriously consider looking for better options than any of your Trailblazers outside of LaMarcus Aldridge. Brandon Roy is supposed to come back on Sunday, but check back if he actually makes it back and what kind of numbers he can put up after missing the last three games with an injured groin. If Roy does make it back, it will also limit the value of other Blazers hoopsters Steve Blake, Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw who had picked up some value over the last few games.

Matrix Decoded

Shawn Marion has been shut down for the season due to his plantar fasciitis in his left heel. He will actually undergo the same OssaTron shock wave therapy that his new teammate Dwyane Wade started on for his rehab last month. The Heat have trotted out players named Stephen Lasme, Blake Ahearn, Kasib Powell and Alexander Johnson on a nightly basis over the last few weeks. I think its safe to say that before the season, less than 50% of fantasy players had ever even heard of these players, let alone had any of them on their rosters. Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Fantasy MVP LeBron James has been battling back spasms over the last few days, but BronBron has been able to gut it out and hopefully will be playing in the most crucial week of the fantasy season next week.

Paul Pierce missed the C's game on Friday night, but he wasn't injured. The Truth was with his fiancée welcoming a baby Pierce into the world Friday night. It will be safe to get PP back into your lineups next week. bostonceltics.ws

Vince Carter was held out of Friday's game with a sore right ankle. Vinsanity thinks that by sitting on Friday, he will be able to play in the Nets game on Saturday. VC has also stated that he will not shut himself down if the Nets are eliminated from playoff contention. He looks to be a relatively safe play next week, but make sure Carter plays on Saturday without incident.

Due to a left knee sprain, Bucks F/C Yi Jianlian will be shut down for the rest of the season. Chairman Yi had a decent rookie year, finishing up with respectable averages of 8.6 PPG and 5.2 RPG. Charlie Villanueva will be a very solid player for the remaining games of the season.

Antawn Jamison sat out Friday night's game with a shoulder injury and might be able to return for next week's fantasy playoffs. Check back over the weekend to see if you can get Jamison into your lineups next week.

Richard Hamilton (hip) sat out the Pistons game on Friday night, having now sat out five of the last six games for Detroit. Coach Flip Saunders has reiterated that as long as the Pistons still have a shot at the #1 seed in the East, he will continue to give his healthy starters significant minutes. Whether or not Hamilton is considered healthy by next week will be a difficult prediction to make, but more information may be available after Detroit's Sunday night game against Miami.

Brandon Roy went through an extensive practice on Wednesday and pronounced himself ready to go for Sunday. Check back here on Rotoworld after the games on Sunday to see if B-Roy made it back into the lineup and if he looks to be a safe play for next week.

Chris Kaman returned from his injured back this week, but left the game on Monday with the "worst" one he's ever had. The Kaveman is up for the Most Improved Player award this year posting tremendous season-long fantasy numbers (15.7 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 2.8 BPG) for the first time in his career. Coach Dunleavy has said that it looks like Kaman has played his last game of the year for the Clippers, so if you need a healthy body, Josh Powell may be a pretty good emergency fill-in next week, as he looks to be the starting C the rest of the season for Los Angeles. I hope you aren't relying heavily on Tim Thomas or Cuttino Mobley in your fantasy playoffs, but both players sat out Thursday's game and are considered day-to-day.

According the Lakers' GM, Mitch Kupchak Andrew Bynum is not expected back until the last game or two of the season. Bynum's knee injury has taken him out of the lineup for the last three months and probably crippled many fantasy owner's dreams of a title. Unless you have daily lineups, you may need to finally cut the big man for a healthy body. I can't believe I'm saying this, but if you need 3s, Vladimir Radmanovic might be your guy.

Beno Udrih is still out with his back injury and has missed eight of the team's last nine games. He is supposed to come back next week, but he is a huge risk especially with Anthony Johnson playing well in his place this week. Unless you are a big-time gambler, it's hard to recommend getting Beno into your lineups next week. In Phoenix, Grant Hill (groin) was looking to return this weekend, and may be a safe play next week, but check back here on Sunday night to make sure.

Michael Pietrus has now missed the Warriors' last seven games with his injured groin. I wish I had more of an update for you, but his return date is still unkown. Ronnie Brewer missed the Jazz's game on Friday night, but is considered day-to-day. Rafer Alston missed Thursday's game with an injured hamstring. Skip-to-My-Lou may be able to return for Friday's game, but either way should probably be able to return next week.

Drew Gooden missed the Bulls' game on Thursday night and may be sidelined for the remainder of the year with the ailment. If you are a risk-taker and have Tyrus Thomas on your squad, now is as good a time as any to roll the dice and put him in your lineup. After finally carving out some fantasy value, Jerry Stackhouse injured his groin this week and is questionable to return for the remainder of the season. With the return of the Big German, Dirk Nowitzki, Stack was probable cuttable anyways. Jason Terry should have even more value than normal next week. dallasmavericks.com

In addition to the NBA stars mentioned earlier, other players returning from injury this week were Hedo Turkoglu, Ben Wallace and Andrew Bogut, Spencer Hawes.

High Five:
Stats exclusively from each player's last five games

Al Thornton 5 G, 21.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 48% FG, 9 3-pointers
J.R. Smith 5 G, 20.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 15 3-pointers
Rasho Nesterovic 5 G, 16.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 56% FG
Jeff Green 5 G, 15.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 4 3-pointers
Earl Watson 5 G, 14.5 PPG, 7.3 APG, 3.0 RPG, 48% FG
Chris Quinn 5 G, 13.4 PPG, 7.2 APG, 5.0 RPG, 8 3-pointers
Josh Boone 5 G, 12.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 67% FG
Anthony Parker 5 G, 11.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 6 3-pointers
Joakim Noah 5 G, 10.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 2.2 BPG, 49% FG

Scoop De Ville:
Other players you should scoop onto your fantasy rosters

Marko Jaric – Averaging 10+ PPG/2+ SPG over last five games.
Luis Scola – Has scored 18 or more in three of his last four games.
Kendrick Perkins – 6 or more rebounds in four of last five games.
Steve Blake – Averaging 12.4 PPG/6.8 APG, value dependant on return of Roy.
Spencer Hawes – Could be a cheap source of blocks for the stretch run.
Tyrus Thomas – With Gooden out, he could get major minutes next week.
Francisco Garcia – Can score in bunches; 16, 17 and 21 pts in 3 of last 4.

04-05-08, 11:28 AM	#215
Hache Man Moderator On The Rays' Wagon Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 43,131	Re: NBA News/NBA Fantasy News 2007/2008 The Final Week Ahead Game Totals in Week 24: Four games: MIL, CHI, BOS, NOR, LAL, DAL, DEN, DET, SEA, MIN Three games: PHI, CHA, LAC, MEM, ATL, MIA, UTA, SAC, NYK, ORL, NJN, IND, TOR, HOU, SAS, PHX, POR, GST, WAS The recurring theme this week was the return of many NBA superstars around the Association. NBA All-Stars Dirk Nowitzki, Gilbert Arenas, Elton Brand, Jermaine O'Neal and Pau Gasol all returned to the hardwood this week. It couldn't have come sooner for the fantasy owners who have patiently held onto these players hoping for a final week explosion propelling them to the fantasy winner's circle. dallasmavericks.com With the Fantasy Playoffs upon us, your lineup decisions are more critical than ever. The most favorable schedule next week belongs to the Denver Nuggets. They have four games, three of which (@lac, @gst, @uta) are against teams who give up over 100 PPG. Throw in the fact that they are in a dogfight for the 8th and final seed in the West and they will be playing their best players trying to win every game. Slotting Carmelo Anthony or Marcus Camby into your lineups for next week is a no-brainer. Even though Allen Iverson has said that his broken finger is "getting worse," the Nuggets need to win every game left so The Answer is going to play and you should keep him in your lineup. Other usual borderline Nuggets starters, J.R. Smith and Anthony Carter, are also pretty safe starts next week. Golden State is the team chasing the Nuggets for that last spot in the West playoffs, so they are on the outside looking in with so few games to go in the season. You know Don Nelson wants to get into the post-season again and repeat their playoff magic from last year. The Warriors score the most PPG and also have four games next week, one of which is against the team that gives up the second most PPG in the league (@mem). For those of you who drafted Baron Davis this season, I congratulate you. This was finally the year B-Diddy was able to stay healthy the entire season, and many of you have rode Baron to your fantasy title - or into the playoffs taking place right now. You can't even think about sitting him next week. Monta Ellis has exploded into superstardom this year and was a player who well exceeded his draft position. Monta was another player who helped many teams to fantasy playoffs or even championships. Due to the favorable schedule next week, you need to have Monta in your lineups as well next week. I'm sure if you are in the fantasy playoffs, you don't need me to tell you to play Baron Davis and Monta Ellis next week. I will say that borderline ballers like Kelenna Azubuike, Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington all deserve a long look next week in most leagues. Portland only has three games next week. When you throw in the fact that two of them are against teams that are in the top four of least PPG allowed (SAS, HOU), you really need to seriously consider looking for better options than any of your Trailblazers outside of LaMarcus Aldridge. Brandon Roy is supposed to come back on Sunday, but check back if he actually makes it back and what kind of numbers he can put up after missing the last three games with an injured groin. If Roy does make it back, it will also limit the value of other Blazers hoopsters Steve Blake, Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw who had picked up some value over the last few games. Matrix Decoded Shawn Marion has been shut down for the season due to his plantar fasciitis in his left heel. He will actually undergo the same OssaTron shock wave therapy that his new teammate Dwyane Wade started on for his rehab last month. The Heat have trotted out players named Stephen Lasme, Blake Ahearn, Kasib Powell and Alexander Johnson on a nightly basis over the last few weeks. I think its safe to say that before the season, less than 50% of fantasy players had ever even heard of these players, let alone had any of them on their rosters. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Fantasy MVP LeBron James has been battling back spasms over the last few days, but BronBron has been able to gut it out and hopefully will be playing in the most crucial week of the fantasy season next week. Paul Pierce missed the C's game on Friday night, but he wasn't injured. The Truth was with his fiancée welcoming a baby Pierce into the world Friday night. It will be safe to get PP back into your lineups next week. bostonceltics.ws Vince Carter was held out of Friday's game with a sore right ankle. Vinsanity thinks that by sitting on Friday, he will be able to play in the Nets game on Saturday. VC has also stated that he will not shut himself down if the Nets are eliminated from playoff contention. He looks to be a relatively safe play next week, but make sure Carter plays on Saturday without incident. Due to a left knee sprain, Bucks F/C Yi Jianlian will be shut down for the rest of the season. Chairman Yi had a decent rookie year, finishing up with respectable averages of 8.6 PPG and 5.2 RPG. Charlie Villanueva will be a very solid player for the remaining games of the season. Antawn Jamison sat out Friday night's game with a shoulder injury and might be able to return for next week's fantasy playoffs. Check back over the weekend to see if you can get Jamison into your lineups next week. Richard Hamilton (hip) sat out the Pistons game on Friday night, having now sat out five of the last six games for Detroit. Coach Flip Saunders has reiterated that as long as the Pistons still have a shot at the #1 seed in the East, he will continue to give his healthy starters significant minutes. Whether or not Hamilton is considered healthy by next week will be a difficult prediction to make, but more information may be available after Detroit's Sunday night game against Miami. Brandon Roy went through an extensive practice on Wednesday and pronounced himself ready to go for Sunday. Check back here on Rotoworld after the games on Sunday to see if B-Roy made it back into the lineup and if he looks to be a safe play for next week. Chris Kaman returned from his injured back this week, but left the game on Monday with the "worst" one he's ever had. The Kaveman is up for the Most Improved Player award this year posting tremendous season-long fantasy numbers (15.7 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 2.8 BPG) for the first time in his career. Coach Dunleavy has said that it looks like Kaman has played his last game of the year for the Clippers, so if you need a healthy body, Josh Powell may be a pretty good emergency fill-in next week, as he looks to be the starting C the rest of the season for Los Angeles. I hope you aren't relying heavily on Tim Thomas or Cuttino Mobley in your fantasy playoffs, but both players sat out Thursday's game and are considered day-to-day. According the Lakers' GM, Mitch Kupchak Andrew Bynum is not expected back until the last game or two of the season. Bynum's knee injury has taken him out of the lineup for the last three months and probably crippled many fantasy owner's dreams of a title. Unless you have daily lineups, you may need to finally cut the big man for a healthy body. I can't believe I'm saying this, but if you need 3s, Vladimir Radmanovic might be your guy. Beno Udrih is still out with his back injury and has missed eight of the team's last nine games. He is supposed to come back next week, but he is a huge risk especially with Anthony Johnson playing well in his place this week. Unless you are a big-time gambler, it's hard to recommend getting Beno into your lineups next week. In Phoenix, Grant Hill (groin) was looking to return this weekend, and may be a safe play next week, but check back here on Sunday night to make sure. Michael Pietrus has now missed the Warriors' last seven games with his injured groin. I wish I had more of an update for you, but his return date is still unkown. Ronnie Brewer missed the Jazz's game on Friday night, but is considered day-to-day. Rafer Alston missed Thursday's game with an injured hamstring. Skip-to-My-Lou may be able to return for Friday's game, but either way should probably be able to return next week. Drew Gooden missed the Bulls' game on Thursday night and may be sidelined for the remainder of the year with the ailment. If you are a risk-taker and have Tyrus Thomas on your squad, now is as good a time as any to roll the dice and put him in your lineup. After finally carving out some fantasy value, Jerry Stackhouse injured his groin this week and is questionable to return for the remainder of the season. With the return of the Big German, Dirk Nowitzki, Stack was probable cuttable anyways. Jason Terry should have even more value than normal next week. dallasmavericks.com In addition to the NBA stars mentioned earlier, other players returning from injury this week were Hedo Turkoglu, Ben Wallace and Andrew Bogut, Spencer Hawes. High Five: Stats exclusively from each player's last five games Al Thornton 5 G, 21.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 48% FG, 9 3-pointers J.R. Smith 5 G, 20.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 15 3-pointers Rasho Nesterovic 5 G, 16.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 56% FG Jeff Green 5 G, 15.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.0 BPG, 4 3-pointers Earl Watson 5 G, 14.5 PPG, 7.3 APG, 3.0 RPG, 48% FG Chris Quinn 5 G, 13.4 PPG, 7.2 APG, 5.0 RPG, 8 3-pointers Josh Boone 5 G, 12.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 67% FG Anthony Parker 5 G, 11.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 6 3-pointers Joakim Noah 5 G, 10.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 2.2 BPG, 49% FG Scoop De Ville: Other players you should scoop onto your fantasy rosters Marko Jaric – Averaging 10+ PPG/2+ SPG over last five games. Luis Scola – Has scored 18 or more in three of his last four games. Kendrick Perkins – 6 or more rebounds in four of last five games. Steve Blake – Averaging 12.4 PPG/6.8 APG, value dependant on return of Roy. Spencer Hawes – Could be a cheap source of blocks for the stretch run. Tyrus Thomas – With Gooden out, he could get major minutes next week. Francisco Garcia – Can score in bunches; 16, 17 and 21 pts in 3 of last 4.