Isaiah Thomas got the start Friday night and scored 11 points with 4 assists, a steal and three 3-pointers in 29 minutes. The move to start him actually makes logical sense, which is strange since we’re talking about the Sacremende Kings here. Well, my league sources tell me Sacramento’s New Year’s resolution is to stop pissing off NBA fans so much. So there you have it. Can Thomas help lead the 2013 Kings back the relevancy? He’s been relegated to the bench for Aaron Brooks (10 pts, 3 ast in 19 minutes) for much of the first few months, but yes, Thomas finally started again Friday night. The stats were less than impressive last night but IT2 has the talent to be successful in this league. We’ve seen him go off scoring in bunches before (he scored 26 points in just 13 minutes versus the Thunder a few weeks ago), there’s no reason not to think he can do it again. Sure, this is the Kings and sure, there’s still a good chance both Aaron Brooks and Thomas will see equal time at point going forward, but Isaiah’s owned in just under half of yahoo leagues and as long as he’s starting the little Zeke is worth a speculative add based on the potential upside alone. It’s a new year! #kings2013champsorbust
Here’s what else happened in fantasy basketball Friday night (New Year’s Edition!):
Tony Parker – 31 pts, 5 reb, 10 ast, 9-10 FTM. Sacre bleu, monsieur! Parker is having a career type year, and shows no signs of slowing down. According to the stat geeks, Parker is the only player in the league right now averaging at least 18 pts, 7 ast, 3 rebs while still maintaining the percentages he has. Ooh la la! If you can trade Parker for a top 10 player, now’s the time to do it, but don’t sell yourself short either. He is a hot little potato right now.
Danilo Gallinari – 39 pts, 8 reb, 3 ast, 7 3pm. Well, cock-a-doodle-doo. That will wake you up in the morning. The 39 points were a career high, too!
Andre Iguodala – 20 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast, 4 3pm, 2 stl. He’s no Danilo Gallinari, but he is really good at everything else.
Kenneth Faried – 11 pts, 19 rebs. Oh my god, they killed, Kenny! No, wait, that’s wrong, looks like Kenny killed them. On the glass. To the tune of 19 rebounds–you bastard! (I know this joke is 10 years old, but I figure the Denver fans could appreciate it).
Dirk Nowitzki – 5 pts, 1 reb, 2-10 FG. Just rust. No need to panic. This is all going according to plan. Mwahaha…
Kyle Lowry – 17 pts, 8 ast, 3 reb, 2 blk, 1 stl. Returns from injury to show Toronto basketball fans why they still have a team. He is good at basketball. Buy if you can while the price is still low.
Amir Johnson – 12 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk in 38 minutes. Under 20% owned, he’s just waiting for you to scoop him up. And with the Andrea Bargnani trade rumors all but a certainty, looks like Amir’s minutes are here to stay.
Greivis Vasquez – 20 pts, 9 reb, 14 ast. Just missed the triple-double. Did I mentioned I like Greivis Vasquez? Because I do.
Anthony Davis – 25 pts, 9 reb, 3 blk. In case you were wondering UPS, that’s what Brow can do for you.
Brook Lopez – 26 pts, 11 reb, 2 ast, 3 blk, 8-8 FTM. Well, hello there, Bropez. Where have those rebounds been all my life?
Will Bynum – 25 pts, 2 reb, 10 ast, 3 3pm. Second straight game with over 25 points and 4 assists, WilBy is available almost everywhere and could be worth a look as a spot start while Rodney Stuckey is out. He’s as inconsistent as them come so get him while he’s hot!
Andre Drummond – 10 pts, 10 reb, 2 stl. The Little Drummond Boy aka Andrum put up another double-double, this time as the Pistons took out the Mighty Heat. Based on upside alone he should be owned everywhere by now, and he probably is.
Charlie Villanueva – 18 pts, 6 reb, in 26 minutes. Third straight game with over 15 points and 6+ rebounds. Another player worth riding while he’s hot, he can give you some treys to, but he’s playing over his head right now so expect a dip.
Josh Smith – 7 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast, 5 blk before leaving with a strained hip. J-Smoove said he’d be ready for Saturday’s game so owners can breathe easy.
Jeff Teague – 27 pts, 8 ast, 2 reb, 2 stl, 3 3pm. 18.7 points and 9 assists over the past three games, Teague is running this league right now.
Kyrie Irving – 28 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 4 3pm, 4 stl, 1 blk. Ah yes, that’s why you drafted him. This kid’s gonna be a star! Ha-cha-cha!
Tyler Zeller – 12 pts, 7 reb, 1 blk in 37 minutes. Still another week until Anderson Varejao returns, and Zeller is taking full advantage of the minutes he”s getting. Maybe you should, too?
JJ Redick – 23 pts, 4 ast, 4 reb, 5 3pm, 2 stl. Took a dip in scoring lately, but still producing across all other categories. Redick remains a “player you own but don’t really want to.” Not sure why, but he’s always on my “should I drop him for him” list no matter how good he’s playing. Sorry, J.J., you da man, you don’t excite me much is all.
Nene – 23 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast in 29 minutes. I’ve been telling you to buy low for weeks now, and then Nene goes and has a big game like this and ruins everything.
Emeka Okafor – 2 pts, 11 reb, 3 blk. Averaging double digit rebounds and 3.0 blks over the past 3 games, Emeka is worth a look if you needs boards and blocks and you hate yourself.
Jordan Crawford – 27 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast, 3 3pm. I mean, someone has to score for Washington. Why not the guy named Jordan?
Sebastian Telfair – 19 pts, 6 ast in 41 minutes. The 19 points were a season high for ‘Bassy. Could be a nice spot start this weekend while Goran Dragic is out. Clearly, Coach Gentry is comfortable with giving Telfair plenty of minutes, and if he continues to play well he could see increased time in a bench role.
George Hill – 22 pts, 2 rebs, 2 ast, 2 stl. Yaaawn. The sad part is this was like his best game of the season.
Lance Stephenson – 10 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl in 37 minutes. Gerald Green returned to score 8 points but it didn’t matter. Lance’s scoring numbers don’t make you jump up and down, but he contributes to all categories so he’s worth a look.
Demarcus Cousins – 15 pts, 10 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 1 blk. Oh no he didn’t. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent. Sigh. Luckily, Cousins finally returned from the suspension only to learn that a trade is possibly shipping him off. If you can find a owner who’s fed up with his shennanigans, now might be the time to buy. The dude is obviously a stud in waiting. Waiting for you, maybe?
Tyson Chandler – 21 pts, 18 reb. The Knicks did their darnedest to take out the ferocious Kings but despite big performances from Chandler, Jason Kidd (16 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast), and J.R. Smith (28 pts, 7 reb, 5 ast), Carmelo Anthony and Ray Felton were sorely missed.
Jarrett Jack – 16 pts, 6 ast, 4 reb. Philly got Jack’d up! Few are playing as well as this guy right now, he’s averaging 20 pts, 3.0 rebs, 6.7 ast, 2.3 3pm, and 1.3 stl over the past 7 days. Yup.
Damian Lillard – 11 pts, 4 ast, 2 reb (4-17) FG. Lillard has certainly hit a slump as of late, maybe its an Omen? But I though he was the Omen? Now I’m confused.
Steve Nash – 6 pts, 10 ast. Yeah, I think its safe to say the Lakers are happy he’s back. Welcome back, old friend.
Pau Gasol – 15 pts, 9 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk. Can you believe a few weeks ago owners were asking me if they should drop him? Oh, fantasy bball, you fickle beast. One of these days, Crash, BAM, PAU! To the moon!
Chandler Parsons – 24 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 2 3pm. Just when we thought he was losing steam, he pulls us right back in. Sure, Pars scoring has taken a dip but he’s still averaging 6.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 2.1 3pm, and 1.3 spg. Fantasy pro tip!* that will help your fantasy team.
Toney Douglas – 14 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 4 3pm in 28 minutes. Toney’s minutes and points will be inconsistent but he’s a decent source of 3’s if you are desperate for the long ball.
Danny Green – 17 pts, 5 reb, 5 3pm. Like Toney with an “e”, Danny with a no “e” had the 3-ball working for him last night and is averaging almost 5 three’s a game over the past 7 days.
James Harden – 33 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast. As always save the best for last, and yeah, James Harden is the best. (Except for Lebron, KD, Kobe, etc. all of whom you are welcome to name in the comments. But re: facial hair, awesomeness he’s for sure no. 1.)
Jeremy Lin – 21 pts, 4 reb, 8 ast. More like Auld Lin Syne, right? Are we still doing that? lol Let all time in New York be forgot and never, ever be brought up again.
Join us next Saturday for another Friday recap, as fantasy basketball continues next week, all week long!
