I always like humorous interactions that result from the NBA ecosystem and one such occurrence was made possible because Steve Kerr complained about the loud music the Phoenix Suns played during the game. And I quote “In this building, you can’t hear anything because it’s like a club, it’s like a South Beach club out there. What are we doing? I’m being dead serious. I couldn’t hear anything out there. The whole game is just thumping, techno club music. Can we just have a basketball game anymore? What the hell?”
The next game in Phoenix for the Warriors had a surprise though for Kerr, as the DJ of the Suns arena made the only logical move and prepared a special remix, just for him.
Suns DJ remixed Steve Kerr complaining about arena music 🤣 pic.twitter.com/vqx5lB3cGx
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 9, 2023
Not to be outdone, Kerr entered the pregame press conference with protective gear for his ears and later admitted that he found the remix hilarious.
Steve Kerr came prepared for the "techno club music" tonight in Phoenix 😂💀 pic.twitter.com/QZExwpG9Zy
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 13, 2023
Always nice to see things being resolved in a friendly and humorous way.
Regarding last week’s suggestions, both Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith were useful streamers based on their schedule, but with the IST finished you can move on from both. Meanwhile, Tobias Harris is still running ice cold, so the buy low window is still wide open and I would urge you to take advantage of it. Finally, on the “Sell” front, Herb Jones’ defensive stats have already taken a hit and I think eventually his minutes will also follow, to ramp up the playing time of Trey Murphy.
Buy
Isaiah Hartenstein: After mentioning Mitchell Robinson in two consecutive articles, even if it was just in the introduction, it was only a matter of time before he suffered a major injury and indeed my curse stays winning. Robinson will undergo a left ankle surgery that will sideline him for the next 8-10 weeks and the playing path is wide open for Isaiah Hartenstein to provide at least top100 value for the rest of the season. Jericho Sims got the start on Monday and will probably continue to start but Hartenstein’s minutes will increase well above his season average of 18 and he can provide reliable big man stats so he is a must add option in my opinion (44% owned). Jericho Sims can be a deeper league add as well but I wouldn’t bother with him in standard leagues (3% owned).
Dante Exum: Dante Exum’s career path is a very interesting one, after getting drafted 5th in 2014 by the Utah Jazz. Injuries and shooting issues derailed his career in Utah and after two trades to Cleveland and Houston and minimal playing time he made the jump oversees to play for Barcelona in Spain. His rejuvenation was completed this past season in Serbia, playing for Partizan under legendary coach Obradovic and that earned him a contract with the Mavericks this summer. Fast forward a couple of months and some injuries in the backcourt, with the most prominent one being Kyrie Irving, and Exum is starting and producing with 17.5 points, 2.8 triples, 5.8 assists and 1.3 steals. As long as Kyrie is out Exum is a priority streamer who will not be available for much longer (37% owned).
Jarrett Allen: It has not been a very productive season for Jarrett Allen in general, as his playing time has regressed to 27.8 minutes per game and his counting stats have suffered as a result. However, his last 2 weeks have been particularly painful, with his usage dropping to a meager 13.8 and that must have left a bitter taste in his owner’s mouth. Add to this his 15-minute foul-plagued performance against Orlando 2 days ago and this is the perfect time to try and get him at a discount, bearing in mind that he will finish the season inside the top 70.
Patrick Williams: Another player with a very slow start to the season, Patrick Williams needed an injury to Zach LaVine to regain a starting place in Chicago but during the last 2 weeks he increased his minutes from 25.9 to 33 and his value has followed the same trajectory. He is ranked inside the top100 since LaVine went down mainly due to his steals (1.3) and blocks (1.3) but his rebounding and scoring has also improved and for now he is worth an add in standard leagues (47% owned).
Brandin Podziemski: Draymond Green has done it again after hitting Jusuf Nurkic with a boxing level punch and a suspension is coming his way, with only the length of it left to be determined. Behold…
Besides the obvious beneficiary, Chris Paul, who will have increased playmaking duties, the rookie Brandin Podziemski is also in line to see increased minutes and he has proven in his first season in the league that he can be a very useful fantasy player when he gets enough playing time. In the 6 games he has played more than 25 minutes, he is averaging 14.8 points, 2.2 triples, 3.5 assist and a very impressive 7.1 rebounds and I think he will be trusted with minutes for as long as Draymond is suspended, making him a potentially good add that is very available currently (8% owned).
