Posted by Brian McKitish, Special to ESPN.com
It's not really news anymore when
LeBron James goes off for 37 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, 3 steals, a block and 2 3-pointers, but it is when he hits 7-of-8 from the free-throw line to bring his percentage up to 82.6 percent over his past five games. If he can find a way to bring his free-throw percentage up to around 75 percent (and I think he will), no one will even come close to touching his overall fantasy value.
Anyone else notice how active Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been this season? Big Z took it to the Raptors on Saturday afternoon, posting 16 points, 15 rebounds and a block, and is now averaging 16.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game on the season. It's not a coincidence that Zydrunas is having a great season, considering that he's logging 30-plus minutes per game for the first time in more than two years, but that's not the only reason for his resurgence. Big Z looks to be in great shape and is a step quicker this season, which is allowing him to keep up with some of the younger big men in the league -- something he was unable to do last season.
Chris Bosh owners finally can breathe a sigh of relief. Bosh's 41-point outburst in Cleveland is a sign that his early-season woes could be behind him. More importantly, Bosh logged 42 minutes, and is averaging 37.8 minutes per game over his past five games. Bosh couldn't possibly be as dominant as he has been in previous years with only 32 minutes per game, so it's not a surprise to see him back to averaging 25.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and a steal per game over his last five now that he's finally getting the minutes he deserves.
Jose Calderon continues to prove that he might be the best backup point guard in the league, going for seven points, 13 assists and a steal in the absence of T.J. Ford. Ford isn't expected to miss much more time, but Calderon might still be a useful fantasy commodity given that he ranks 16th in the league with 6.3 assists despite seeing just 21.3 minutes per game. What's even better is that Calderon ranks second (behind Chauncey Billups) with a 4.41 assist/turnover ratio.
OK, I'm officially worried about the Bulls. You know it's getting bad when you lose to the Knicks. With Luol Deng out of action, Andres Nocioni turned in another nice effort with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 3 3-pointers, but as long as Scott Skiles is still running the show, you'll never know how long Nocioni will be able to sustain his current value. In other Bulls news, Tyrus Thomas got another opportunity to start but failed to capitalize, as he quickly found himself in foul trouble. T2 finished with just seven points, four rebounds, a steal and a block in 16 minutes. He'll never earn high marks for consistency, but it's nice to see him working his way out of Skiles' doghouse, and he's still someone to keep a very close eye on because of his steals and blocks potential.
David Lee just isn't the same player when Zach Randolph is on the court. Lee has averaged 14.0 points, 11.7 rebounds and a steal in three games without Randolph but is averaging just 8.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 0.2 steals and 0.5 blocks when Randolph suits up. A lot of that obviously has to do with minutes, but the point is, he's simply not getting enough minutes to be productive when both Eddy Curry and Z-Bo are healthy.
Gerald Wallace owners got some good news on Saturday when Wallace's MRI came back showing no tear in his injured right calf. Looks as though he'll be able to suit up sometime next week, but in the meantime, it was Jared Dudley, not Walter Herrmann, earning the start for the Bobcats. The rookie out of Boston College made the most of his opportunity, with 11 points, nine rebounds and a block in 38 minutes. Keep this game in the back of your mind, just in case "Crash" Wallace goes down again.
One of this week's most dropped players -- Monta Ellis -- proved that he still belongs on fantasy squads with a 31-point, seven-rebound, three-assist outburst in an overtime victory over the 76ers. Don Nelson's inconsistent lineups will lead to, well, inconsistent production for Monta, but that doesn't mean he should be flat-out dropped in fantasy leagues. Ellis is too talented and too quick to keep off the court, and those who are patient will end up reaping the rewards later in the season.
Over in Philly, it's hard not to notice Louis Williams' stellar play as of late. Williams had another nice game off the bench for the Sixers, with 18 points, a steal and three 3-pointers on the evening. He's now averaging 16.8 points, 3.0 assists, a steal and two 3s over his past five games and is looking like a solid addition for anyone who's looking for a boost in points, 3s and steals.
Al Jefferson did his best Dwight Howard impression (23 points, 16 boards, 2 blocks and a steal), but the Timberwolves scored just 24 points in the second half and fell to 1-10 on the season with a loss to the Hawks. Don't blame the Wolves' struggles on Big Al, who is not only averaging 20.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.1 blocks on the season but is also shooting 85.7 percent from the free-throw line this season. Obviously he's not going to shoot this well all season (he's a career 66.7 percent shooter from the line), but he looks to be much improved and should be able to keep it above 75 percent on the season. If he can do that, it's hard to deny that he's a top-five PF/C in fantasy leagues.
Did anyone play defense in Memphis last night? What a huge fantasy game this turned out to be. Rudy Gay (27 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 3-pointers) and Juan Carlos Navarro (28 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, 5 3-pointers) led the Grizzlies to victory, while Antawn Jamison (41 points, 11 rebounds, 2 3-pointers) and Caron Butler (27 points, 7 boards, 6 assists, 5 steals, 3 3-pointers) had big fantasy nights for the Gilbert Arenas-less Wizards. Navarro should be added in most leagues at this point, but he will continue to have a roller-coaster season as long as his minutes continue to fluctuate. Still, it's becoming clear that Navarro is going to produce if he can somehow secure 30-plus minutes per night.
Jamison and Butler are going to be monsters while Arenas heals, but then again, so will Antonio Daniels, who registered another double-double, with 10 points and 11 assists in 36 minutes. The only downer of the night was that Andray Blatche played only 22 minutes and finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Eddie Jordan needs to get this kid 25-30 minutes, but it's still nice to see that he can contribute in steals and blocks despite the lack of minutes.
Luis Scola's fluctuating minutes are starting to become pretty frustrating, huh? Scola took a backseat to Chuck Hayes in a 109-81 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night, scoring just five points with eight rebounds in 16 minutes. Hayes, on the other hand, logged 27 minutes and finished with 8 points, 6 boards and 4 steals. It looks as if the two will continue to alternate good and bad games until one separates himself as a clear-cut winner. I've been wrong before, but my guess is that Scola will emerge as that guy sooner rather than later.
Charlie Villanueva's string of solid games ended last night, as he scored just one point in 17 minutes of action. Most of Charlie's production of late has come at the expense of Yi Jianlian, but Jianlian was unable to make the most of his extended minutes with just nine points, seven rebounds and a block in 32 minutes. Both have value in deeper fantasy formats, but neither will be a consistent producer as long as they continue to split minutes. If I had to pick one of the two, I'd probably take my chances with Jianlian, but that's only because he has been promised minutes. Villanueva actually has more upside this season if he gets the playing time.
Brian McKitish is a fantasy baseball and basketball analyst for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Littlemac@TalentedMrRoto.com.
