Posted by Seth Landman, Special to ESPN.com
| WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 |
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HIGHLIGHTS
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• Daniel Gibson, Cavaliers: 28 points, 4 3-pointers, 7 assists, 2 steals versus Philadelphia.
• Danny Granger, Pacers: 35 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 3-pointers, 3 steals, 3 blocks against Milwaukee.
• Shawn Marion, Raptors: 34 points (15-18 FG), 11 rebounds, 3 assists against the Bulls.
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LOWLIGHTS
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• Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets: 12 points (3-18 FG), 6 rebounds, 1 assist against Portland.
• Ron Artest, Rockets: 10 points (4-12 FG), 5 rebounds, 5 assists versus Dallas.
• Boris Diaw, Bobcats: 7 points (3-8 FG), 3 rebounds, 2 assists against the Magic.
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In sizing up who played well on the final day of the season, there's a lot of looking to the past. A good game on the last day of the season can feel like a slap in the face to the fantasy owner who waited all year for it, unless that owner was one of the lucky ones who just won his or her league.
It would be foolish, for all of that looking backward, to not try to take some stock of what might happen in 2009-10, of course. Next season looms over our heads so often once our hopes have been dashed and we've realized that any hope we have has to be put off a year if it's going to sustain itself. The truth is, there's no way of knowing. Changes big and small will occur during the playoffs and the offseason, which will color even the most stellar of final-week performances. You have Ramon Sessions putting up double-doubles and looking like an all-around magician to end one season, and languishing on the pine behind Luke Ridnour to start the next one. We are not coaches or decision-makers, we fantasy lot.
And yet, we are. It's time now to start thinking about who our sleepers are, and to scour the rosters of the non-playoff teams we won't see again for some time to find the guys we're likely to reach for in our drafts next season, just to be sure we get them on our side. After all, in some way, they belong to us. We use the word "own" a lot in fantasy, and yes, it's just fantasy, sure, but it's also something we spend quite a bit of our time thinking about. It feels like we just might have something to do with it.
Personally, I'm looking at Brandon Rush, who put up three straight 20-point games to close out the season for the Pacers, and is versatile enough to find minutes in that lineup even if Mike Dunleavy is able to return and be healthy next season.
I like Jason Maxiell, who maintained a PER above the league average this season, despite playing inexplicably fewer minutes than he did last season (he recorded just his second double-double of the season last night against the Heat).
I'm looking at a veteran like Mike Miller, who had been such a good fantasy player in the past, but struggled with injuries all season. Miller averaged 10.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 7.0 assists in the final five games of the season, but he'll slip in drafts next season because he spent so much of this season banged up and ineffective.
The point is, I'm choosing my guys now. Not because I think it's important strategically, but just because it's fun to think about.
Under the Boards
The Magic flexed their muscles on the final day of the season and showed why they are such a great defense, holding the Bobcats to 73 points. As such, it was a bad night to be playing any of the Bobcats, unless you miraculously knew to start Dontell Jefferson (even he was only impressive when you compare it to the putrid performances of everyone else on the roster). … Rudy Gay had a nice game shooting for the Grizzlies (8-for-13 from the floor, 20 points), but finished with zero rebounds in 38 minutes of action. That, friends, is insane. To say I'm worried about his long-term prospects would be a massive understatement. … Shaun Livingston didn't do anything that special during the final weeks of the season for the Thunder, but for a guy this talented and this perpetually injured, just playing in actual NBA games seems like a major victory. As long as he's around, you have to pay attention to him in fantasy, because there aren't many players who come through the pipe with more potential. … As predicted, there wasn't a whole lot of defense going on between the Warriors and the Suns. The guy who really played big was Anthony Morrow, who finished with 33 points on 13-for-22 shooting from the floor to go along with 12 boards. The guy can play, and the Warriors have an extremely affordable team option on him for next season. Sadly, I don't think this bodes well for him. That team is so guard heavy that it takes injuries to get Morrow as much playing time as he needs. It's a situation that bears watching, though, because the dude is the real deal. … Finally, Caron Butler was heroic for the Wizards in their loss to the Celtics, throwing up 38 points and nearly willing his terrible team to a victory. The Wizards got 67 games (his most in three seasons) of highly effective basketball out of Butler this season and totally wasted it. I'm praying he can stay healthy in '09-10, but the fact that 67 games is a step forward for him is most certainly a bad sign.
Seth Landman is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com.
