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Hache Man · 11-03-07, 12:07 PM

The Good, Bad and Ugly
Thursday offered a taste of the good, bad and ugly in the NBA on a three-game night.

The Good

Kevin Durant, Tracy McGrady and Tayshaun Prince were all brilliant on Thursday, with Durant and Prince notching career highs and McGrady torching the Jazz for 47 points on 17-of-27 shooting.

Durant looks like the real deal and once he puts some more weight on his frame, he's going to develop quickly into one of the best scorers in the league. It's important to remember that his 27 points came against the Suns, who aren't exactly dialed in on the defensive end of things.

As for Prince, he was helped by the absence of Richard Hamilton, who missed the opener due to the birth of his daughter. Prince finished with 34 points and 12 boards in a win over the Heat.

Carlos Boozer had 32 points and 16 boards for the Jazz, while teammate Deron Williams added 18 points and 13 dimes in the loss to the Rockets. Mehmet Okur bounced back from a poor opening game with 16 points, 10 boards and three treys in the loss.

Steve Nash had 18 points, seven boards and 12 assists in the Suns win over the Sonics, but also committed seven turnovers on the night. Amare Stoudemire, Grant Hill and Boris Diaw also played well in the win.

Chris Wilcox was the other bright spot for the Sonics, finishing with 23 points, 11 boards and three steals, and appears primed for a huge season.

Ricky Davis had 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting in the Heat's loss, but also failed to hand out an assist. Jason Williams was encouraging, finishing with 11 points, seven boards, nine assists, two threes and a steal. Udonis Haslem also looked solid against the Pistons, finishing with 14 points, 10 boards and a block.

The Bad

Yao Ming struggled on Thursday, hitting just 5-of-14 shots for 11 points. He did have five blocks and two steals, but grabbed just seven boards in a tough win over the Jazz.

Leandro Barbosa, playing through a rib injury, finished with just nine points on 3-of-7 shooting but did have a three and five assists. He could struggle to get enough touches with Hill (13 points, six boards, five assists) around, but he is still a guy you'll want to hold onto.

Andrei Kirilenko was in foul trouble, partly because of his attempts to stop McGrady, and struggled. He finished with just five points, but still stuffed the stat sheet with six boards, four assists and two blocks.

The Ugly

Raja Bell played through a sprained ankle, but hit just 2-of-9 shots for six points in the Suns' win. The good news is that both of his makes were threes. The Suns are so deep this year that the fantasy goodies are going to be spread thin at times, which was the case last night. If you have to cut Bell to pick up a hot free agent, I think it's doable. Diaw was effective last night, going for seven points, four boards, six assists and two steals.

Shaquille O'Neal attempted just six shots in the Heat's loss, finishing with four points, six boards and no blocks. Add in the fact that he hit just 1-of-4 free throws and Shaq's opener has to be considered a borderline disaster, but at least he's still healthy.

Wally Szczerbiak and Luke Ridnour are struggling for minutes under P.J. Carlesimo and will be dropped in many fantasy leagues. Wally played just eight minutes for six points, while Ridnour played seven minutes and failed to score. He did hand out three assists, but Earl Watson is the starter here. He struggled with his shot, but had seven points, six boards, eight assists, a steal and a three in the loss. Szczerbiak and Ridnour are still going to be worth owning at some point this season.

Rafer Alston's hold on the starting point guard job in Houston could be slipping away after last night's eight-point, one-assist effort. Mike James had 15 points and seven dimes off the bench, and while the starting job is probably still Alston's to lose, he might be in the process of doing just that.

News and Notes

Yao was playing through an elbow injury, which may have been the cause of his poor shooting. The good news is that he is playing through the discomfort and should continue to be started.

Jermaine O'Neal will start for the Pacers tonight after missing the opener with a knee injury, so get him into your lineup in daily leagues.

Gilbert Arenas reported no soreness in his surgically repaired knee after Game 1 and should be ready to go tonight in Boston. He's been talking smack about the C's in his blog, and it will be interesting to see if he can back it up tonight. The Celtics will debut the 'New Big 3' tonight and Kevin Garnett owners are anxious to see him get going.

The Cavaliers signed Sasha Pavlovic on Friday to a multi-year deal. I think he's a worthy pickup in deeper leagues, but it's unknown if he'll play tonight against the Knicks.

Tyrus Thomas will continue to start at PF for the Bulls, which is great news for his owners. He should be better on most nights than he was in the opener and will be looking for a better game against the Sixers tonight. Samuel Dalembert said his foot felt better after yesterday's practice, so expect him to go again. Andre Iguodala is suffering from a bruised quad (and ego after not getting a contract extension done), but should be ready for tonight's game in Chicago.

Rip is expected to start for the Pistons tonight in Orlando. Dwight Howard says he wants to "destroy" the Pistons tonight after Detroit went 8-0 vs. the Magic last year. We'll see.

Look for a big game from Andrew Bogut tonight, as he typically plays very well against the Bobcats.

Stephon Marbury says he wants to shoot more this season and he'll get his chance to show his stuff tonight against the Cavaliers in New York. Meanwhile, look for a LeBron James explosion tonight after the worst game of his career in the opener.

Several teams make their season debut tonight, including the Hawks Celtics, Knicks, Bobcats, Timberwolves and Clippers. The Hawks are expected to start Anthony Johnson at point guard, but look for Acie Law to log more minutes tonight as they face the Mavericks. Al Horford should start at center over injured Zaza Pachulia.

The Wolves host the Nuggets tonight as Al Jefferson will make his debut for Minnesota. Look for Sebastian Telfair to start at point guard with Randy Foye shelved with a knee injury.

The Kings signed point guard Beno Udrih to help fill in for Mike Bibby, but he could miss a week with a finger injury and won't play tonight against the Spurs.

There are plenty of suspended players out there (Ron Artest, Josh Howard, Stephen Jackson, J.R. Smith, Shawne Williams, James Posey), so make sure none of them are in your lineup.

We've been fortunate to not see any major injuries since the season kicked off on Tuesday, but with a full slate of 13 games tonight, we may not be able to say the same thing tomorrow morning.

11-03-07, 12:07 PM	#36 (permalink)
Hache Man Moderator On The Rays' Wagon Join Date: Aug 19, 2005 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 42,758	Re: NBA News/NBA Fantasy News 2006/2007 The Good, Bad and Ugly Thursday offered a taste of the good, bad and ugly in the NBA on a three-game night. The Good Kevin Durant, Tracy McGrady and Tayshaun Prince were all brilliant on Thursday, with Durant and Prince notching career highs and McGrady torching the Jazz for 47 points on 17-of-27 shooting. Durant looks like the real deal and once he puts some more weight on his frame, he's going to develop quickly into one of the best scorers in the league. It's important to remember that his 27 points came against the Suns, who aren't exactly dialed in on the defensive end of things. As for Prince, he was helped by the absence of Richard Hamilton, who missed the opener due to the birth of his daughter. Prince finished with 34 points and 12 boards in a win over the Heat. Carlos Boozer had 32 points and 16 boards for the Jazz, while teammate Deron Williams added 18 points and 13 dimes in the loss to the Rockets. Mehmet Okur bounced back from a poor opening game with 16 points, 10 boards and three treys in the loss. Steve Nash had 18 points, seven boards and 12 assists in the Suns win over the Sonics, but also committed seven turnovers on the night. Amare Stoudemire, Grant Hill and Boris Diaw also played well in the win. Chris Wilcox was the other bright spot for the Sonics, finishing with 23 points, 11 boards and three steals, and appears primed for a huge season. Ricky Davis had 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting in the Heat's loss, but also failed to hand out an assist. Jason Williams was encouraging, finishing with 11 points, seven boards, nine assists, two threes and a steal. Udonis Haslem also looked solid against the Pistons, finishing with 14 points, 10 boards and a block. The Bad Yao Ming struggled on Thursday, hitting just 5-of-14 shots for 11 points. He did have five blocks and two steals, but grabbed just seven boards in a tough win over the Jazz. Leandro Barbosa, playing through a rib injury, finished with just nine points on 3-of-7 shooting but did have a three and five assists. He could struggle to get enough touches with Hill (13 points, six boards, five assists) around, but he is still a guy you'll want to hold onto. Andrei Kirilenko was in foul trouble, partly because of his attempts to stop McGrady, and struggled. He finished with just five points, but still stuffed the stat sheet with six boards, four assists and two blocks. The Ugly Raja Bell played through a sprained ankle, but hit just 2-of-9 shots for six points in the Suns' win. The good news is that both of his makes were threes. The Suns are so deep this year that the fantasy goodies are going to be spread thin at times, which was the case last night. If you have to cut Bell to pick up a hot free agent, I think it's doable. Diaw was effective last night, going for seven points, four boards, six assists and two steals. Shaquille O'Neal attempted just six shots in the Heat's loss, finishing with four points, six boards and no blocks. Add in the fact that he hit just 1-of-4 free throws and Shaq's opener has to be considered a borderline disaster, but at least he's still healthy. Wally Szczerbiak and Luke Ridnour are struggling for minutes under P.J. Carlesimo and will be dropped in many fantasy leagues. Wally played just eight minutes for six points, while Ridnour played seven minutes and failed to score. He did hand out three assists, but Earl Watson is the starter here. He struggled with his shot, but had seven points, six boards, eight assists, a steal and a three in the loss. Szczerbiak and Ridnour are still going to be worth owning at some point this season. Rafer Alston's hold on the starting point guard job in Houston could be slipping away after last night's eight-point, one-assist effort. Mike James had 15 points and seven dimes off the bench, and while the starting job is probably still Alston's to lose, he might be in the process of doing just that. News and Notes Yao was playing through an elbow injury, which may have been the cause of his poor shooting. The good news is that he is playing through the discomfort and should continue to be started. Jermaine O'Neal will start for the Pacers tonight after missing the opener with a knee injury, so get him into your lineup in daily leagues. Gilbert Arenas reported no soreness in his surgically repaired knee after Game 1 and should be ready to go tonight in Boston. He's been talking smack about the C's in his blog, and it will be interesting to see if he can back it up tonight. The Celtics will debut the 'New Big 3' tonight and Kevin Garnett owners are anxious to see him get going. The Cavaliers signed Sasha Pavlovic on Friday to a multi-year deal. I think he's a worthy pickup in deeper leagues, but it's unknown if he'll play tonight against the Knicks. Tyrus Thomas will continue to start at PF for the Bulls, which is great news for his owners. He should be better on most nights than he was in the opener and will be looking for a better game against the Sixers tonight. Samuel Dalembert said his foot felt better after yesterday's practice, so expect him to go again. Andre Iguodala is suffering from a bruised quad (and ego after not getting a contract extension done), but should be ready for tonight's game in Chicago. Rip is expected to start for the Pistons tonight in Orlando. Dwight Howard says he wants to "destroy" the Pistons tonight after Detroit went 8-0 vs. the Magic last year. We'll see. Look for a big game from Andrew Bogut tonight, as he typically plays very well against the Bobcats. Stephon Marbury says he wants to shoot more this season and he'll get his chance to show his stuff tonight against the Cavaliers in New York. Meanwhile, look for a LeBron James explosion tonight after the worst game of his career in the opener. Several teams make their season debut tonight, including the Hawks Celtics, Knicks, Bobcats, Timberwolves and Clippers. The Hawks are expected to start Anthony Johnson at point guard, but look for Acie Law to log more minutes tonight as they face the Mavericks. Al Horford should start at center over injured Zaza Pachulia. The Wolves host the Nuggets tonight as Al Jefferson will make his debut for Minnesota. Look for Sebastian Telfair to start at point guard with Randy Foye shelved with a knee injury. The Kings signed point guard Beno Udrih to help fill in for Mike Bibby, but he could miss a week with a finger injury and won't play tonight against the Spurs. There are plenty of suspended players out there (Ron Artest, Josh Howard, Stephen Jackson, J.R. Smith, Shawne Williams, James Posey), so make sure none of them are in your lineup. We've been fortunate to not see any major injuries since the season kicked off on Tuesday, but with a full slate of 13 games tonight, we may not be able to say the same thing tomorrow morning.