I won’t sit here and lie to you. I watch every Miami Heat game (or try to), hence the Mario Chalmers buy last week (speaking of Chalmers he strained his triceps last night but is day to day). You may be like, “Yo Redacted you’re totally biased cause you’re a heat fan” but I think I’m pretty objective. I saw improvement in Chalmers’ passing ability and my observations were confirmed by actual, real NBA analysts so it isn’t just my Heat love. Of course this week Chalmers took a dump on the court and millions of viewers were horrified. So getting to my actual buy, Ray Allen is the anti-OJ in that the glove fits. The guy is lighting it up in Miami because he is 1) Healthy; 2) WIDE OPEN ALL THE TIME; 3) See #1; 4) See #2; and finally 5) See #’s 3 and 4. I’d look for Top 50 production all season long, although in the second half of the season we may see the Heat reduce his minutes some to keep him fresh for the playoffs. We don’t need to worry about that just yet though.
BUY
Dwyane Wade – My 3rd Heat player as a buy this year! Maybe I’m a homer or maybe this team won the NBA championship last year so there’s bound to be good players. Wade has gotten off to a bad start (for him) with 17 ppg, 4 reb, 5 ast, 1.3 stl, 0.9 blk and hasn’t looked himself during games. So, why? Well last weekend he caught a bug and Spoelstra made him sit out the Atlanta game and now he has a foot injury that is bothering him. Every year we know that Wade misses some games due to injury but we also know that he’s an absolute juggernaut in the games he does play in. If you can find an owner that is worried and can buy him for someone like Kevin Martin or Zach Randolph, I think the injury risk is worth it.
Gerald Wallace – In non-Heat news, Crash has been dealing with a sprained ankle that has sidelined him for almost two weeks now (and has only played in one game all season). He SHOULD be returning on Sunday vs. the Kings so if you can find a frustrated owner try and make a dash for Crash.
Kyle Lowry – Hmmmmm, Wade then Wallace and now Lowry. Can you see a trend for the buys? Yes? I knew you were kinda smart. That’s right, injured players that will be coming back soon. Everybody that reads this blog wouldn’t sell a player like that but that’s why we win leagues. Lowry is dealing with that sprained ankle (another ankle… when did everybody turn into Stephen Curry?) and will be back within two weeks. Did I mention he’s ranked #1 on Yahoo’s average rankings for the season? Yeah, he’s good.
Klay Thompson – I love Klay Thompson. It’s a near man-crush and he (plus Curry) convinced me to put the Warriors as one of my 5 league pass teams. How does he repay me? With an abysmal 36% FG, 76% FT after shooting 44%, 87% respectively last year. Damn it hurts Klay… will he make it up to me? I think so. He’s been playing pretty well outside of the shooting and with Curry healthy he’s getting some open looks but just isn’t hitting them right now. Look for the %’s to rebound.
SELL
Kemba Walker – Wow. What a beast this guy has been on the Bobcats…I can’t even get away with calling them the Kittens anymore. After shooting an AWFUL 37% from the floor last year, he’s now at a respectable 43%. Part of the reason? Cutting down his 3 pt attempts from 3.4 per game to 2.4 (shot 30% from 3 last year). He’s been a top 15 player this year (per Yahoo) so why sell? He’s averaging 3 steals per game after only 1 last year. Walker may be in the running for most improved player this year but I would not expect a top 20 finish. Top 50 is possible, but I think top 70 is more likely. Let’s hope he learns from Josh Smith and just keeps going to the rim.
J.R. Smith – He’s the most irrationally confident player in the league. Yes, even more than Jason Terry. He could go 0-15, then hit a 3, and his swag would blow the roof off of MSG. This year his swag is reaching new heights with him being ranked 5th in Yahoo’s scoring. FIFTH. That would be one spot higher than freaking LeBron James. He is shooting 73.7% from 3. Yes, from 3. Also known as behind the arc or downtown. Dwight Howard would kill to have that as a FT%. SPOILER ALERT: Smith will not shoot that well from 3 all season. Dangle him in front of owners desperate for 3’s.
Luis Scola – We go from young guns to old men. It kinda makes me cry that I’m calling a 32 year old an old man, but we talk basketball years like we do doggie years. If you remember last week’s buy/sell, I had two other 32 year olds on the list. I hate this age. I’m going to start my mid-life crisis early when I reach it. Helloooo Dodge Viper, here I come! Look, Scola is good and consistent. I definitely see him as a top 75 player, but not a top 40. Be wary of his defensive stats dropping some, as well as his FT% (Current 84%, Career 74%).
Tim Duncan – Over the summer while everyone else was playing in the Olympics, Duncan visited a ski resort and a strange thing happened. No, the strange thing isn’t Duncan going to a ski resort in the summer. He found this hot tub. It turned out it was a time machine! Whoa! Duncan went back to 2003, ignored various time travel paradoxes, and convinced his 2003 self to play in Today’s NBA! He tried to persuade his teammate Manu Ginobili to do the same thing but he was tied up in London. Duncan is averaging over 2 blocks per game for the first time since 2007 and all his other stats are up from last year across the board. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that he will not finish in the Top 10 this year (currently 8th). I would sell him for a Top 10 player if you can.
