Happy New Year, one and all. You have burnt the yule log down to ash, and done drunk the eggnog up. Now it’s New Year’s resolutions, and old year’s regret. I don’t want to be negative, however, as 2017 is still a wee baby, and we can nurture it along to be a fantasy monster. What are your ideas on how to do this? Me? I think you may want to consider making a deal for one of the players that may be on the move. Who could that be, he asked speculatively? Let’s take a looksie, m’kay?
BUY:
Paul Millsap PF, C
Millsap will be pricey, to be sure. But he is an expiring contract, so if he gets moved, it will be on a team that has eyes on going deep in the playoff run. Paul would be a dynamic fit on a team like the Toronto Raptors, for example. Yahoo has him ranked at 37 currently. That puts him in the neighbourhood of DeMar DeRozan, Jae Crowder, and Brook Lopez. I would gladly take 17.2/8.5/3/1.7/.9 with a smattering of 3pts as well for Jae Crowder, or an injured Rudy Gay, for example.
Thabo Sefolosha SG, SF
The more affordable option that may possibly be on the move out of ATL, Thabo is a good get. He is on a 2 game swoon, going only 3.5/3.5/.5/.5/.5 over the last two, with 19.5 minutes per game of playing time. This is well below his season averages of 26 minutes and 1.9 steals per game. Buy low, good friend, buy low.
Jae Crowder SF, PF
This may be a bit of a reach, as there is little substance to the rumour that Crowder may be on the move, other than this: Boston fans, in their usual classy manner, cheered for Gordon Hayward when Utah came to town. Hayward is a free agent this coming off season, and Celts fans would love to see him in green. This understandably irked the current starting SF, Crowder. He tweeted his displeasure, and then responded to an inflammatory fan tweet, with a ‘I have no problem leaving’ (not verbatim) tweet that he then removed. Regardless of that, Jae, while not a buy low candidate, could be expected to kick it into high gear for the next while, and therefore should be sought after.
SELL:
Kyle Korver SF
Kyle has played very well in the last few games, well above his season averages. He, along with Kent Bazemore, have taken away some of Thabo’s minutes, and capitalized: 18/5.5/3/.5/.5 with 3.5 treys per game over his last 2. But his is still ranked 116 for the season in Yahoo. You may snatch up a player in the 60-80 range for him, if you play your cards right.
Nikola Jokic PF, C
This is always where I get burned, speculating whether or not a player on a hot streak is going to continue this way or not. Jokic has been straight murder the last 5 games, going 20.8/9/5.8/1/.3 with almost a trey per game. But the Nugs also have Jusuf Nurkic, and Nikola has a reputation for not being the best in the locker room, so that means trade rumours are swirling. Maybe he rises to the moment and blocks out the distractions, but maybe he doesn’t. I personally do not gravitate to uncertainty, so do with that what you will.
Ok, cool cats, that is all I have for this week. until next time, may all your shots be nothing but net!
