Would you want to be average at everything or great at one thing? Being average at everything would make you a Renaissance man/woman or handy man/woman. I’d be happy to be considered either and the experience of life would be vast and fulfilling. Or would it? Another way of looking at being average at everything is, well…..Meh. Status quo. Ordinary. How could life truly be fulfilling if you never experienced excellence or being a POS at something? So then being great at one thing would be the way to go? One would definitely experience the highs and lows of life. But, at the expense of what? There are examples of savants who could never perform menial tasks like tying one’s shoelaces. Now, what if you were great at everything? Problem solved. But Son, that is an impossibility. Tell that to Giannis Antetokounmpo.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 31 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1/5 | 10/22 | 10/10 |
Don’t tell me that he does not excel at 3-point shooting. He will. And soon. So there. Eric Bledsoe leaves the game after three minutes due to injury? Don’t worry, coach. Giannis. Two game losing streak? Don’t worry, coach. Giannis. <insert problem here> Don’t worry, coach. Giannis.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
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Rudy has been hard at work in the lab. His latest creation? DAILY LINEUPS PAGE. So good. So smooth. So helpful. He decided to go with the Sonny Bono red tint, while I prefer the blue tint. What say you?
Jimmy Butler:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1/3 | 7/15 | 9/9 |
Ever hire a maid or cleaning service? It takes time for the operation to run smoothly. They need to get comfortable with the new environment, while also taking in specific instructions from the client. Thibs brought in Butler to clean what was inside the Target Center. It took time for things to gel. Butler had to figure out that Thibs didn’t want him cleaning what was underneath all the seats in the stadium. Just what was on the court, but not like those guys that mop the floor. Anyways, after a rough start to the season, Butler is a top 10 player for fantasy and is the head of the household on the court for the Timberwolves.
Jeff Teague:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 2 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0/2 | 1/12 | 0/1 |
An impressively terrible performance by Teague. There was the “revenge” narrative, as the Hawks traded him to the Pacers back in 2016. Maybe he wasn’t angry enough? Maybe he was too angry?
Karl-Anthony Towns:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 15 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1/2 | 6/8 | 2/2 |
How is Towns not putting up AT LEAST 15 shots a game? In the last six games, he’s attempted fewer than 10 shots in four. Meow. KAT really needs to get some dog in him. With that said, he’s still a top 10 player for fantasy and leads the league with 44 double-dubs. He’s played in 53 games.
Taj Gibson:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8/12 | 1/2 |
I’d imagine having a harem to be like…..Rakim, there is a beautiful woman over there. Please inquire if she would like to “live” with me. She would? Her name is Dame? Great, now make sure the accomodations are to her liking. A few months later. Rakim, I yearn for Debbie. I remember the good times we had many years ago. Go inquire to see if she would like to “live” me with. When my six-year-old son gets a new toy, he throws the old one into the corner. Well, Dame is Gorgui Dieng and Debbie is Taj Gibson and Thibs is the six-year-old son. I kind of feel bad for Dieng. He signed a four-year, $64 million contract? Dieng! I no longer feel bad for him.
Taurean Prince:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/6 | 1/10 | 0 |
Prince and Teague were engaged in an epic battle of ineptitude.
Dennis Schroder:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 18 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0/2 | 5/15 | 8/9 |
Dennis may be a Menace to opposing teams, but he’s been the Man for the Hawks. His usage rate the last five games has been: 33, 27, 34, 36, and 39. The Hawks are likely sellers at the deadline, so that usage rate should remain high for the remainder of the season.
Kent Bazemore:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4/8 | 8/14 | 2/3 |
Clark would be disappointed, as Bazemore is bringing unwanted attention to the name. Career-highs in assists, steals, blocks, and 3s. There is the possibility that he gets moved at the deadline, but he does have a hefty two years and $37 million left on his contract.
John Collins:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4/4 | 0 |
Played 20 minutes. Should get more minutes when Ersan Ilyasova is moved.
Dwight Howard:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0/1 | 9/15 | 4/5 |
Has double-dubbed in eight straight games. Over that period, Dwight is scoring 17.3 points, grabbing 15.9 boards, dishing out a dime, stealing 1.1, and blocking four shot a game. If only he could shoot free throws.
Left to right tonight:
Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/SUGSDLqjYg— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 28, 2018
Nicolas Batum:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5/10 | 8/17 | 1/2 |
Could be primed for a big second half. Looks healthy, getting minutes, and hoisting up shots. He has the occasional bad shooting night, but usually contributes in the ancillary categories to maintain a relatively high floor.
Kemba Walker:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 23 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3/5 | 7/15 | 6/7 |
Michael Jordan said that he would only trade Kemba for an All-Star in return, which pretty much means he’s not trading him.
That’s how I see the dynamic right now. But then why do I have the feeling that this will be happening soon?
Thaddeus Young:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0/2 | 8/12 | 0 |
Has really played well lately. How well? Almost a top 25 player for fantasy over the last two weeks. For the season, he’s now a top 60 player, which is crazy because he’s only a 62% free throw shooter.
Domantas Sabonis:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5/11 | 1/3 |
Played 28 minutes. Will begin to cede minutes because of the aforementioned Young and….
Myles Turner:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 22 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4/6 | 8/11 | 2/2 |
Played 21 minutes. It’s usually a good sign when the points scored is more than the minutes played. Should slowly start getting his minutes back up to the 30 minute range. I remember driving some hoopties back in the day. You’d have to tap on the odometer to get it to work properly. Well, this Odometer is no hooptie, but fantasy owners have been tapping the glass for quite some time.
Dragan Bender got the start at power forward and played 20 minutes.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0/2 | 0 |
Honey, Dragan played like shit again tonight. I’m off to the bar to go on a Bender. Don’t wait up for me.
TJ Warren:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0/2 | 10/18 | 4/6 |
When Devin Booker does not play, which was the case last night, Warren sees a usage rate of 31.7% (an increase of 4.7%). Mount up!
With Tyson Chandler out, Greg Monroe got the start at center and played 23 minutes.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6/8 | 2/5 |
You play him when Chandler sits. EZ PZ. Why doesn’t Monroe play every night? The same reason Triano plays Bender.
Alex Len:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3/4 | 6/9 |
Len returned after missing three games and played 25 minutes. The logical thing would be for the Suns to play their young guys. Maybe Triano is playing imaginary poker against his imaginary friend. I know what he has, but he doesn’t know that I know what he has, but he thinks that I’m thinking that he has this, so I will make believe that I think that I’m thinking what he’s thinking….my head just exploded.
Tyler Ulis:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1/3 | 6/13 | 0 |
Played 31 minutes. The logical thing would be for the Suns to play their young guys. Maybe Triano is playing imaginary poker against his imaginary friend. I know what he has, but he doesn’t know that I know what he has, but he thinks that I’m thinking that he has this, so I will make believe that I think that I’m thinking what he’s thinking….my head just exploded.
Josh Jackson:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2/5 | 6/16 | 6/8 |
Played 29 minutes. Has played over 20 minutes in each of the past four games and scored 20 points in two. He’s attempted 16, 13, 17, and 11 shots during that span. Chugga chugga choo chooooooo! Unfortunately, he hasn’t been contributing much outside of rebounds, but with his length and athleticism, I’d expect some of those D stats to be there.
Jared Dudley:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2/5 | 4/8 | 3/3 |
Played 28 minutes. Just some more evidence that Triano is spending a wee bit too much time at the bar.
Jerrell Martin:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0/1 | 4/9 | 1/2 |
Got the start at power forward and played 34 minutes. Our very own dynasty guru, Craig Bozic, said on the pod (go check it out) that Martin is meh. Listen to Craig.
Dillon Brooks:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1/2 | 5/8 | 1/2 |
Played 26 minutes and got the start at small forward. With all the injuries in Memphis, Brooks should continue to get plenty of run. There’s limited upside, as he doesn’t contribute much across the board, but he’s going to get minutes and drain some 3s.
Marc Gasol:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1/4 | 5/10 | 1/1 |
Played 24 minutes. Will probably get plenty of siestas going forward.
Andrew Harrison:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1/2 | 5/10 | 0 |
Played 30 minutes and started at point guard. With Tyreke Evans most probably shipped off at the deadline, Harrison should assume the point guard duties. He’s not really good, but should get plenty of run and contribute a little something something in everything but blocks.
Wayne Selden:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 17 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3/4 | 7/12 | 0/1 |
Played 31 minutes and got the start at shooting guard. Balled out in the Summer League, has good size, and could be in line for a ton of run going forward. Won’t contribute in the periphery categories but has 30-point upside.
Tyreke Evans:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3/5 | 11/17 | 2/2 |
He gone. But to where?
Deyonta Davis:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5/6 | 2/2 |
Only played 17 minutes, but if we think Gasol is getting siestas, then Davis could be the main beneficiary. Boards and blocks.
Dario Saric:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0/8 | 7/18 | 5/5 |
When Joel Embiid sits, Saric gets a 3.7% usage rate bump.
Robert Covington:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 13 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1/8 | 3/12 | 6/6 |
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.
With Embiid sitting, Amir Johnson got the start and played 18 minutes. Richaun Holmes played 23 minutes, and Trevor Booker only got 13 minutes of run. Basically, Embiid or bust.
Eric Bledsoe only played three minutes due to an ankle injury. Tony Snell started for him in the second half and ended up playing 31 minutes.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3/5 | 4/7 | 0 |
If you need 3s, Snell could be worth a short-term pickup. He won’t contribute much else, though. I’d assume that Malcolm Brogdon would move to the point with Snell at shooting guard if Bledsoe were to miss time.
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0/3 | 1/4 | 2/2 |
Only played 22 minutes, but he was returning from a calf injury.
Sterling Brown:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2/3 | 4/7 | 0 |
Played 20 minutes. Last five games: 20, 28, 27, 27, and 39 minutes. Can score and board. Maybe get his 211 on from time to time. Isn’t fantasy relevant, but someone to keep an eye on if one of the starters sits.
James Johnson:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0/1 | 2/4 | 2/2 |
JJ has been pretty brutal this year. I feel like I’m married to him: till death do us part. I think homie needs to spend more time in the dojo.
Hassan Whiteside:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 25 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10/15 | 5/6 |
Played 26 minutes. The matchup against the Mavs doesn’t get much better for a player like Whiteside. Worst rebounding team in the league? One of the worst at defending the center position? Thank you very much. He hasn’t been playing in the fourth quarter recently, only four minutes last night, so not all is peachy.
Tyler Johnson:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2/4 | 2/6 | 2/3 |
Played 28 minutes. After missing five games due to injury, Johnson has posted back-to-back 8 point games. His jersey number is 8. Chinese people throughout the world are rejoicing.
Wayne Ellington:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3/9 | 3/9 | 0 |
It doesn’t get any more 3 & D than that.
Dirk Nowitzki:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 10 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2/6 | 3/11 | 2/2 |
Dirk has been sneaky good in the right matchup. Centers that don’t like to defend on the perimter are prime spots to utilize Dirk. Top 70 player for fantasy on the year.
Dennis Smith Jr.:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 14 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1/7 | 4/17 | 5/6 |
Till death do us part.
Wesley Matthews:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 19 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3/6 | 7/12 | 2/2 |
Not sexy, but contributes in everything but blocks and plays a shit ton of minutes every night. A top 100 player for fantasy.
Jayson Tatum:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2/4 | 8/13 | 2/2 |
Sees rookie wall and…..
Kyrie Irving:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 27 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2/4 | 11/17 | 3/3 |
Let’s cut to video of Kyrie….
? HOT SAUCE AND1 MIXTAPE TOUR IS LIVE IN ATLANTA ?
“It’s a hobby for me, it’s a job for him.” ? (via @atlhawks) pic.twitter.com/GJjVoJH0Gl
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) January 30, 2018
That wasn’t Kyrie? Could’ve fooled me.
Terry Rozier:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 8 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2/4 | 3/8 | 0 |
With Marcus Smart and Shane Larkin out, Rozier played 30 minutes. Obviously, won’t see that kind of run when everyone is healthy, but definitely utilize when guys are sitting.
Nikola Jokic:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 24 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2/5 | 8/17 | 6/7 |
Till death do us part. I am now a Son of the Mormon faith.
Mason Plumlee:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 16 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7/10 | 2/4 |
Continues to start and played 28 minutes. I still think Trey Lyles should be starting, but Plumlee is producing so…..I think this is when I say Process Over Results right?
Trey Lyles:
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
| 20 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4/7 | 7/10 | 2/4 |
You know what time it is. Ready? Uno….Dos…..Trey!!!!!
