Posted by Neil Tardy, Special to ESPN.com
This NBA season has been flat-out tremendous. All-Star weekend was a kick, and the trade deadline was wild. And it'll just get better. Now we get to take in the Western Conference postseason positioning scrum and the
Kobe Bryant-
LeBron James MVP battle. (I'm not sure how the West will shake out, but to me, Kobe is a mortal lock for MVP, unless you're talking fantasy MVP. Then it's LeBron.)
But for fantasy hoops owners, the goings-on in the Association right now are just icing. In our game, this time of year always entertains. I think the stretch drive is where fantasy basketball shines compared to its "more established" counterparts, fantasy football and fantasy baseball. Yes, you drafted a solid team, and along the way you probably augmented your roster with some shrewd free-agent pickups and a trade or two. But if you want to win your league, your work is just beginning.
In every NBA season, unheralded players emerge over the final weeks. Sometimes it takes an injury for a veteran reserve to get off the bench. Oftentimes, March and April are when noncontending teams give their youngsters a look. For instance, the fast finishes of Walter Herrmann and Tarence Kinsey probably decided more than a few fantasy leagues in 2007. But is there a Herrmann or a Kinsey out there this year? Dedicated fantasy owners must dig into this question.
A few heretofore unproductive players are now on my watch list. First is Matt Carroll in Charlotte. As I noted in Sunday's Fantasy Forecaster, when the Bobcats waived Jeff McInnis, Carroll took his place in the starting backcourt alongside Raymond Felton. Carroll knocked down three more treys Tuesday as Charlotte claimed a rare road win in Minneapolis. He has scored in double figures in four straight games.
Sticking with the Bobcats, Jared Dudley contributed 14 points in 33 minutes against the Timberwolves. Dudley is essentially replacing Gerald Wallace right now. Thankfully, Wallace's recovery from a concussion seems to be going well, though The Charlotte Observer notes he hasn't yet been cleared for full practice. Expect the Bobcats to be extremely cautious with Wallace, and if Dudley continues to produce, he should keep getting minutes regardless.
For deeper leagues, I'm watching Johan Petro and Corey Brewer. The 22-year-old Petro has been starting at center since the Sonics sent Kurt Thomas to San Antonio. Right now, he's doing just enough to make you wish he'd do just a bit better. Take Tuesday in Detroit: He had 8 points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes that were also marked by 3 turnovers and 4 personal fouls. Petro actually had 15 points against Denver on Feb. 27, but followed that up by getting blanked in the next game. And the game after that, he managed but one board. The kid's up and down, but the Sonics have said they want to give him a chance. Track him.
As for Brewer, he missed the Charlotte game with a thigh bruise, and he might not play tonight in Utah either. Bad timing for the rookie, who was coming off two good games in which he combined for 29 points and seven steals. But follow Brewer once he gets back in there. Obviously Minnesota has incentive to play its first-round draft choice.
Also see if John Salmons is a free agent in your league. While Salmons is well-known to fantasy leaguers, a lot of folks have dropped him lately, since the 27-year-old hadn't scored more than eight points in his past 10 games. On Tuesday, though, he came through with 17 points against the Lakers, and I can see that being the start of a good finish. Sacramento doesn't exactly wow you with its depth, so I have to think that Salmons should be able to fill in behind Kevin Martin and Ron Artest. Remember Salmons' big December, when he averaged 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 1.1 3s and 51.1 percent shooting.
Another thing I pointed out Sunday is that Memphis is beyond terrible. After getting handled 112-97 by Chicago on Tuesday, the Grizzlies have lost 15 of 16. Twelve of those defeats have been by double digits. But one bright spot for Memphis was Kyle Lowry. Lowry's numbers were very good against the Bulls -- he finished with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting -- but I was as impressed by what he said after the game as I was by what he did during it.
"I don't want to get blown out," Lowry told The Associated Press. "I want to be respectable. You just have to play. You can't worry about the score. You have to have pride."
I know that all pro athletes should have Lowry's approach. But you know that not all of them do, especially when they're toiling for a bad team. Given Memphis' commitment to the struggling Mike Conley Jr., I'm not sure I'll be adding Lowry because I'm not sure if he can be consistently productive the rest of the way. But I'm rooting for him.
Neil Tardy is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com. He can be reached at editor_njt64@yahoo.com.
