Big Ben(ch)
Week 3 is loaded with tricky decisions between players with three- and four-game schedules. As usual, I'll try to shed light on some borderline candidates and future trends to help you win your fantasy league. There isn't much of a preface needed this week, except to say that I'm open to tweaking the format or focus of the column, so if you have any areas that you would like addressed, be sure to let me know.
TWO games: Bucks
THREE games: Hawks, Bobcats, Bulls, Cavaliers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Timberwolves, 76ers, Suns, Spurs, Raptors, Wizards
FOUR games: Celtics, Pistons, Rockets, Pacers, Lakers, Grizzlies, Heat, Nets, Hornets, Knicks, Magic, Trailblazers, Kings, Supersonics, Jazz
BENCH Acie Law:
Acie Law has taken over as the Hawks' point guard, and the move appears to be permanent: "The bottom line is this, we drafted him so he could come in here and run our team," Hawks' coach Mike Woodson said. "It was just a matter of time before he forced us to make that decision." While this move increases Law's fantasy value tremendously, it does not make him an immediate starter for your team. In four games this season, including two starts, Law has not played more than 25 minutes, he hasn't recorded more than three assists in a game or scored more than 11 points, and he has 12 turnovers compared with 12 combined rebounds, assists, and steals. If he is still on your league's waiver wire, it is high time you grabbed this Hawk with a flier; clearly, he is the point guard of the future, and in the future you can probably start plugging him in. In a three-game Week 3, however, Law might do more harm than good to your team's numbers.
The Bucks: When is a Buck worth eight quarters? In a two-game week, of course! With half the league playing four times, there are simply too many four-game alternatives to give any Buck a realistic chance of out-producing their peers.
Mo Williams hasn't been playing up to fantasy owners' (or anyone else's) expectations and will struggle to double the per-game stats of guys like
Rafer Alston,
Mike James,
Derek Fisher,
Damon Stoudamire,
Jason Williams, and
Earl Watson, none of whom are even great fantasy plays. Of course, after I wrote this Mo Will nearly went for a triple-double, but you know what I'm saying.
Andrew Bogut gets some consideration because of how shallow the center position is, but he should only be used as a last resort.
Desmond Mason is hoofing it off waiver wires this week after shooting 10-of-10 in a game (causing me to choke on the joke that closed last week's column; "If you decide to start a Mason, you must expect him to lay bricks."), but he has no fantasy value this week. Cursed with a two-game schedule, even
Michael Redd's owners might be better off bucking the trend and benching their stud depending on the alternatives. On the plus side, the Bucks have the only 5-game outburst in the entire league, which comes in Week 13, so you'll get the lost value back then.
Ben Wallace: Big Ben is getting old. He has been as dependable as his namesake for years, but his gears are looking pretty rusty these days. I really hate writing about benching him, because his lack of productivity is destroying the parity of a pre-season trade I accepted, and my nerves along with it. There are nagging ankle injuries that have been talked about, but the bottom line is that he is in the Bulls' starting lineup and should be offering some value, but isn't. Wallace has never been a 'skills player', relying instead on tremendous athleticism, toughness, and ferocious defense to make his fro a household concept and endear himself to fantasy owners. Ideally, his ankle is bothering him, it gets better in a week or two, and we see a marked increase in his blocks, steals and rebounds. The Bulls didn't draft
Joakim Noah to be their new starting center, so Wallace's job is not in jeopardy, but his ability to help your fantasy team is in serious doubt. Keep him on your bench until the old, I mean young,
Ben Wallace makes a few appearances.
Fool's Gold: The Denver Nuggets are off to a rocky 3-3 start this season, a record attributable to multiple injuries to point guards, suspect defense, recent terrible shooting by
Carmelo Anthony (until Friday), and sporadic team chemistry. The most recent blow was losing Nene for six weeks to a left thumb injury that will require surgery. In his absence, the Nuggets will mine even deeper into their bench, installing
Yakhouba Diawara as the starting small forward and moving
Linas Kleiza to the bench, where he will back up both forward positions. Diawara began the season as a starter, but Karl soon demoted him, meaning he is and will continue to be on a short leash. Kleiza is young and inconsistent, and a move to the bench won't increase his value, even if it doesn't kill it entirely.
Eduardo Najera stands to gain the most from Nene's departure, but again, his reserve role and unpredictable minutes are a major fantasy buzz-kill. The Nuggets still have a few games to play between this writing and Monday afternoon, so keep a close eye on the situation, but unless you have A.I., Melo, or the Cambyman, you ought to bench your pyrite Nuggets.
Earl Watson: Watson is a career 40% shooter with a 68% lifetime free throw average, two of the reasons he will never be a reliable fantasy player. Two more reasons why he won't pan out this year? How about
Luke Ridnour and
Delonte West. And one final, clinching reason…he is losing his starting job in the very near future. Yes, although P.J. Carlesimo didn't pull the trigger before Friday's game, he has publicly stated his intent to move Watson to the bench in favor of
Luke Ridnour. While Watson could have some small value despite the demotion, if he couldn't help your team as a starter, you'd be crazy to think he'll do better on the bench. That said, Watson had 11 assists on Friday in a game they could have won, so Carlesimo probably has some more thinking to do here. And given the fact Ridnour didn't even play on Friday, you need to keep your eye on what happens on Sunday when they host Detroit.
START Kelenna Azubuike: If you've got Azubuike on your team, you'd better be playing him this week. The Warriors only play three games, but two of those are without suspended starter
Stephen Jackson, whose spot in the rotation Azubuike is so ably filling. Given coach Don Nelson's predilection for riding the hot hand, a starting spot for the Warriors is a golden opportunity; Azubuike is taking full advantage, averaging 18 points, five rebounds, one steal and over one three per game. However, Nelson's lineups are notoriously unstable, and the return of
Stephen Jackson, along with the Warriors 0-5 start, means that Azubuike's days as a starter could be numbered. Play him while he's hot, play him while he's starting, and trade him if you can manage to find an excitable owner who lives in Oakland.
Willie Green:
Willie Green isn't playing fantastic basketball, but the Sixers are winning. He isn't racking up points, assists, or steals, but he has no competition at shooting guard on an offensively-challenged 76ers roster. It is therefore not Green, but the situation in Philadelphia, which promotes him as a fantasy starter. His shot should come around, and when it does Green will be a decent source of points, threes and steals, while limiting his turnovers and chipping in some assists and rebounds. He is not the best option out there, but if you need a utility-man to cover a weak spot in your lineup, Green might be your guy.
Al Horford: Quick, before
Zaza Pachulia gets back! By Monday, things might have changed, but for now
Zaza Pachulia hasn't played in a game yet this season. Young
Al Horford has been impressive as a rookie starter, averaging double-digit rebounds and over a steal and a block per game. His offense is raw, but the Hawks are all about the youth movement and Horford might be playing his way into the heart of the Hawks' rotation. Pachulia's impact on his fantasy value is the looming storm-cloud. Coach Mike Woodson might decide to limit Pachulia's minutes right away, or he could ease the burden on the rookie, and either guy could end up as the starter. Play Horford before Pachulia hawks all of his value, and trust that, even in a three-game week, Horford makes a decent start at the shallowest of positions, center. But whatever you do, don't cut Horford for the flavor of the day.
Kings for a day:
Ron Artest's season-opening suspension was compounded for the Kings when
Mike Bibby suffered a thumb injury which will sideline him for well over a month. From this miasmic puddle of a team arose two unlikely fantasy stars;
John Salmons and
Francisco Garcia.
Ron Artest returns on Nov. 14th, so owners should play these guys now, to get all the value they can out of their king-sized waiver-wire treats. Salmons figures to have value despite Artest, but will likely find himself back on the bench. It is conceivable that Salmons would shift to point guard, relieving Garcia of his duties and moving him to the bench. No matter how it plays out, Artest is going to be the team's No. 1 option upon his return, and his production will come at the cost of another player. In a four-game week, despite the questions surrounding Artest's return, you should run with the Kings who have been putting up the numbers.
Kendrick Perkins: Perkins isn't having a good start to the season, averaging six points and less than five rebounds through three games. He has at least managed to record over a block per game, which is his strongest suit, so that is encouraging. Next to
Kevin Garnett, Perkins will struggle all year to grab double-digit rebounds, but he hasn't played less than 26 minutes in a game, and with
Scot Pollard still nursing an injury, he has plenty of time to step up for the Celts. Perkins will need a seven-leaf clover to record multiple double-doubles this week, and even with four games scheduled he is a shaky start. If your fantasy team is thin in the middle, consider starting Perkins before fellow borderline fantasy centers
Jamaal Magloire,
Joel Przybilla,
Robert Swift,
Primoz Brezec,
Rasho Nesterovic,
Theo Ratliff and, sadly, even the current incarnation of
Ben Wallace. If Perkins is on your waiver wire and you need a center, think about adding him.
Tyrus Thomas: After posting two monster double-doubles this early in the season, this should be a no-brainer. Amazingly, Ty Thomas is still available on some waiver wires, and if he has slipped through the cracks in your league, you need to do yourself a huge favor and add him. Drop whoever you need to, and add him. He owns the Bulls' starting power forward job outright (
Joe Smith is no real threat to overtake him) and although he will struggle to be consistent, he looks incredibly good this year. He gets blocks, steals, rebounds, points, shoots a good percentage. The Bulls play three games next week and Thomas is making a case to start over plenty of four-game players you've probably got stashed on your bench right now.
That does it for this week's edition of BENCH/START. I hope you've learned something that helps you win your league, and if you have questions, comments, or jokes involving quantum mechanics, send them my way.