Last time I’m gonna mention it, I’m not a masochist, but last week, I suggested that Terrance Ross should be dropped. Well, I think he may read my smelly little article, because homeboy went off for 51 with 10 treys, making me look a fool. Well, to Terrance I say: “I don’t need any help looking like a fool, thank you very much!” I think I won that joust. But in all seriousness, there’s a good lesson to be learned here: never drop slam dunk winners! Wait, whut? No, Daniel-san, the real lesson is no matter how good you are, you’re gonna make mistakes in fantasy. I had Ross, and dropped him just in time to watch him put in a performance that would have won my week. But he had scored 14 points his previous 3 games, with not a lot of supporting stats, the drop was a good move, based on his numbers up to that point. I, like any good fantasy player, have to shake it off, and not beat myself up too much. So on that note, if you’re still reading, you may want to know whom to buy and whom to sell, and to that I say, thank you, read on, but obviously, buyer beware!
BUY:
Nikola Vucevic PF, C
Big Nik is back from a concussion, and the ding to his melon doesn’t seem to have affected his hands. 16/10/0/2/0, shooting 50% from the field. Now, some might think that the time to buy has passed, but I say, if he posted that stat line in just 20 minutes against a tough Raptors defence, by all rights he should post even better numbers going forward. Play down his value by pointing out his risk for re-injury, which is a real enough concern, by the way. But his value far exceeds his risk, in my opinion. Now if we could only get him to play with a hockey helmet on…
John Henson PF, C
My man Long John is only 61% owned, so you might be able to get him for free off the waiver, but even if you have to make an offer, Johnny is worth it. He’s currently 5th in the league in blocks at 2.16 per game. His season stats are 12/8.1/1.6/.6/2.1, which makes him a must own on my books.
Ty Lawson PG
I love this cat’s game. It’s a simple as that. I know I’m not offering anything earth shattering by suggesting you grab Ty, as he’s a top 5-to-8 PG right now, but at the moment, he is injured, (short term), and perhaps you can capitalize on that when making an offer.
JJ Reddick SG
Fun fact: JJ stands for “Jonathan Clay”. His sister, as a baby, always abbreviated his name to a J, then repeated the J. While I don’t love the explanation for the JJ, I do love Reddick’s production, for FG%, FT%, and 3’s, and you should too. You can point out that his production may be affected by Chris Paul’s return, to try to drive the price down. And, full disclosure, I don’t actually think JJ’s production will be too adversely affected. As an aside, I may be alone on this, but it takes balls to officially go by your nickname, and I’m going to adopt that attitude. So, from now on, I want to be addressed as “Hambone”.
Chris Paul PG
Captain Obvious says Chris Paul is good to have! There is no way to not pay through the nose for CP3, but he’s close to being back, along with his 19.6 points, and 11.2 assists. He’s worth a lot, so, make your best offer. There is a minuscule chance that his being out may work in your favour, but to have him for the stretch run would bolster any team, and worth a lot.
SELL:
Amir Johnson PF, C
We all know Hambone hasn’t had too much luck with predicting the future of the Raptors lately, but Amir, whom I love in real life, has been underwhelming in fantasy. Boy, that sentence, out of context, could be taken in a myriad of ways. Johnson just had an outstanding game against the Magic, going 22/11/3/2/0, with a 3pt, but his previous 10 games have been pedestrian. I think the extra shots came because Demar Derozan was out, and is due back soon, so sell high now.
Joe Johnson SG, SF
You’re not gonna be selling too high, based on his past 3 games, but he just got named to the all star team, (bumping Kyle Lowry, or even Lance Stephenson, criminal!) so maybe you can parlay that into more value. I’m sure he won’t continue to play as poorly as his last 3, but I’m worried he won’t improve enough to deserve that all star title, so strike now while the iron is hot!
Ok, race fans, I hope this week’s projections go a little better than last…
Hambone, out!
