Posted by Brian McKitish, Special to ESPN.com
What a week for the San Antonio Spurs. After Friday's 109-98 victory over the Grizzlies, the Spurs have won eight of their past 10 games, including four straight. Manu Ginobili returned to action Monday, and Tony Parker made his much anticipated return with 15 points, 7 assists and a steal in just 16 minutes Friday night. Yeah, I'd say it was a decent week. The Western Conference better look out because not only did the Spurs just get healthy, but they were also able to find some nice role players in Roger Mason and George Hill to compliment the Big Three.
As far as fantasy is concerned, it will be business as usual for the Spurs. Well, almost business as usual. Unless you own him, you probably haven't noticed that Tim Duncan has averaged just 15.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game over his past five. Those are fine numbers for any other player, but they're pedestrian for an elite fantasy performer like Tim Duncan. Sadly, this could be the beginning of a trend rather than a blip on the radar.
We told you in October that Tim Duncan would start the season strong while Manu Ginobili recovered from an ankle injury. Then Tony Parker went down and we expected Duncan to dominate. And he did, but only on the offensive end due to an increase in shots. The rest of his numbers slipped, despite the fact that he's logged 35.2 minutes per game, the most minutes he's seen since 2003-04. Most concerning has been the deterioration of his per minute numbers on the defensive end. After seeing his defensive numbers decline in 2007-08 (0.7 steals, 1.9 blocks), Duncan has averaged just 0.2 steals and 1.7 blocks through 15 games this season. His overall numbers are still very good -- 21.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks -- but Duncan owners may be in for a rude awakening now that Ginobili and Parker are back to help shoulder the load. Gregg Popovich will undoubtedly cut back on Duncan's minutes now that the Spurs are healthy. In fact, he already has as Timmy is averaging 29.4 minutes over his past five games. The decrease in minutes will inevitably lead to a corresponding decrease in production.
Don't get me wrong, Duncan is still going to be a fantastic fantasy option. He just won't be the same old Tim Duncan that we've become accustomed to unless injuries strike the Spurs again. He's still an elite player in real life, but like Kevin Garnett, his reign as an elite fantasy performer may be coming to an end. With that in mind, it wouldn't be a bad idea to see what his value is on the trade market. His numbers look good, and he's a big name, so he may be able to fetch you a few high quality players in trade negotiations.
Under the boards
Lamar Odom scored just two points on 1-of-6 shooting in 20 minutes in the Lakers' victory over the Mavericks, but he did have two steals and a blocked shot. The only saving grace for Odom this season has been his defensive stats, 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. Unfortunately, his 9.9 points and 6.1 rebounds simply aren't enough to hold onto him in shallow leagues. It's hard to drop a player who has Odom's talent, but he's not going to return to form unless he starts earning more than 25.4 minutes per game. … Greg Oden owners have to be frustrated right about now, especially after his 1-point, 8-rebound, 1-block effort Friday. Oden is now averaging 5.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 0.4 blocks over his past five games. Not exactly the all-world player we were expecting, huh? Oden should improve as the season progresses, but he'll be inconsistent (due to his foul issues) and can only be counted on for rebounds and blocks at this point. … Congrats to the owners who were savvy enough to grab rookie point guards Russell Westbrook and D.J. Augustin off the wire. Westbrook went for 15 points, 8 assists and a steal in Friday's loss to the Timberwolves, while Augustin put up 17 points with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 3-pointers in a victory over the Pacers. For rookie point guards, these two are displaying fantastic consistency as of late. Going forward, I'd rather own Westbrook than Augustin, but both will be similar with Westbrook the better option for steals and Augustin the better option for 3-pointers. … Francisco Garcia made his season debut in Utah on Friday night with just two points in 12 minutes. He'll be worked in slowly as he recovers from a strained calf, but don't be discouraged if the minutes aren't there right away. Garcia averaged a versatile 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.5 3-pointers as a starter last year and should be a solid option once he gets back into game shape. He'll also cut into John Salmons' production a little, so be ready to see Salmons come back down to earth after putting up four straight games with 20-plus points. … For the second time in the past week Craig Smith blew up for a 20-point game in Minnesota. Smith went off for 23 points and 8 rebounds against the Thunder, and could emerge as a decent fantasy option in the paint while Kevin Love is buried on the bench. … Everyone is talking about the free agent class of 2010, but Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are playing like they're in contract years right now. Wade ranks second on our player rater and Bosh comes in at the sixth spot. Both were brilliant again Friday night: Wade scored 43 points on 15-of-24 shooting from the floor, while Bosh put up 30 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks.
