The dense foliage of the jungle provided cover from the rays of the sun, yet the heat was unbearable; as if I was trapped in a Russian banya with someone lashing my body with reeds and water constantly pouring over the heated rocks in the stove to produce endless amounts of steam. After weeks of traversing the jungles of Peru to find Paititi, the Lost City of Gold, my mind and body were definitely not one. I needed a break, yet I trudged on. One step with the right foot. One step with the left foot. One st…………….Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!! My mind harkened back to the days of riding roller coasters at Six Flags until….BAM! BOOM! OUCH! My head banged into something. My body rolled over and over and over again until……nothing but searing pain reverberating throughout my entire body. I curled into a ball, cursing at the gods when…..I saw it. The gold glistened from the rays of sun darting through the small crevices in the ceiling. That mishap of falling into the hole was a blessing in disguise, as I wouldn’t have found Paititi without it. Which is exactly how the season has gone for Paul Millsap, without all the theatrics and drama.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
21 | 16 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2/5 | 8/13 | 3/6 |
Millsap struggled for much of the season. He scored 20 or more points just five times and was held under 10 points 14 times. He also missed eight games due to injury. But then, Millsap sat three games due to an ankle injury before playing in two games before the All-Star break. He played 20 minutes then 31 minutes, which happened to be his best game of the season (25/13/2/1/3). After the break, Millsap logged 32 minutes and put up a 17/13/2/1/3 line. So, that’s three great games in a row, which has been good for top 10 value. Small sample size for sure, but he looks healthy and it’s the first time he’s dub-dubbed in three straight games. The trek has been arduous for Millsap owners, but it looks like you will be reaping the rewards of being loyal. Or stubborn. Or lazy. Regardless, the end result is all the same.
Here’s what else I saw last night:
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0/4 | 2/11 | 3/4 |
Imagine you’re a kid seeing a commercial for Sesame Street on the tv. “On Saturday at 8 am, we are going to bring in your favorite celebrities to help us go from A to Z!” Woo hoo! You can’t sleep on Friday night trying to imagine what the roster is going to look like. Will it be him? Or her? This is going to be sooooo awesome! Come Saturday, Anderson Cooper represents A while George Stephanopoulos is the G. To make matters worse, there’s no B C D E or F. That’s Aaron Gordon in a fantasy nutshell. So much potential, but disappointing and lacking in substance. Outside of the top 100 for the season.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3/6 | 5/11 | 3/4 |
We always knew about the defense, but what got us most excited over the summer was the aggressiveness on offense. Injuries derailed his season early on, but he’s been living up to the hype lately. Over the past few weeks, the usage rate has jumped from 15 to 19.8 and the shot attempts have gone from 8 to 11 per game. Top 80 player.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
23 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3/4 | 10/17 | 0 |
The only negative thing I can say about Vucevic is that he only plays 9 games during the fantasy playoffs.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
28 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3/8 | 9/21 | 7/7 |
In 30 minutes off the bench. I once met a girl many moons ago who said, “I’m not looking to clean, cook, or start a family. I just want to <BLEEEEEP. BLEEP. BLEEEEEEP> Ok, then. Ross isn’t going to dish out dimes or provide D stats. He’s going to shoot, then shoot, then shoot some more. He has a usage rate in the 29-30 range over the past few weeks.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
10 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2/4 | 3/10 | 2/2 |
Just one of them days, as the Raptors lost at home to the Magic, 98-113. Granted, Kawhi Leonard did not play but the Raptors were 13-3 without him prior to yesterday’s game. Anyways, for the season, Siakam has had a field goal percentage under 40% only eight times. He has developed into quite the all-around player. Over the past four games, he averaged 34.4 minutes, 23.3 points, 2 tres, 7 boards, 3.8 dimes, 1 steal, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 53% from the field and 79% from the line.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
16 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1/1 | 7/13 | 1/2 |
Got the start and played 24 minutes. Nurse likely started Gasol to match up with Vucevic.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
14 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0/1 | 7/14 | 0 |
Played 24 minutes. So, the center minutes were split right down the middle, which is how I see it playing out the rest of the season.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
19 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2/6 | 6/13 | 5/5 |
Over the past four games, Lowry has been a top 20 player, primarily on the heels of 45% shooting from the field. There was a stretch where he was shooting sub-40%. The tres, boards, dimes, and steals are a constant. It’s all about the efficiency for Lowry, as he is not a high usage player and doesn’t jack up a ton of shots.
Jodie Meeks
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2/5 | 4/9 | 0 |
Played 17 minutes. The Raptors signed Meeks to a 10-day contract. Fred VanVleet is out for at least a month, while Delon Wright and C. J. Miles are no longer with the team, so there’s an opportunity for Meeks here. He’s a career 37% shooter from downtown.
Jeremy Lin
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/2 | 2/8 | 2/4 |
Played 18 minutes. I just want Linsanity over and over and over and over and over again. With that said, if we do get Linsanity again, then something has gone terribly wrong.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
22 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0/2 | 9/16 | 4/6 |
Almost an identical line to Millsap’s. Is he that good? If so, what a Jokic!
Isaiah Thomas
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0/5 | 3/11 | 4/4 |
Played 24 minutes off the bench. He’s the Uncle Ben’s instant rice for the Nuggets. Points and dimes can be expected but not much else. With the Nuggets getting healthy, there are too many players for too little minutes. They will all neuter each other.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2/4 | 4/8 | 4/6 |
Played 22 minutes. He should be returning to the starting lineup soon, which will push Malik Beasley back to a reserve role, but it doesn’t sound like Malone is going to rush Harris back.
Only three Clippers scored in double figures during the 96-123 beatdown at the hands of the Nuggets.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
19 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0/3 | 6/13 | 7/7 |
Only played 25 minutes due to the blowout. Since returning from injury six games ago, Gallinari has played over 30 minutes just once. It’s only a matter of time before he starts playing over 30 minutes. Or it’s only a matter of time before he succumbs to injury. That’s going to be a tight race.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0/3 | 0/9 | 1/2 |
Impressively bad. Continues to start and played 30 minutes. Shai is barely a top 300 player, as he only provides some dimes and steals with horrendous efficiency from the field. With that said, he’s a rookie and one that the club will likely want to continue developing and getting experience.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
24 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1/5 | 6/15 | 11/11 |
Top 30 player over the past four games. Lou is sporting a 38.3 usage rate over that span!! Sweet!
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
32 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12/22 | 8/10 |
Forrest Gump would not be a fan of DeRozan because he would know what he’s going to get. 22 points, 6 boards, 6 dimes, 1 steal, 0.5 blocks on 17 shot attempts. Oh yeah, and no tres. Top 40-50 production.
LaMarcus Aldridge
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7/12 | 4/4 |
Only played 21 minutes due to early foul trouble. The Spurs lost 118-130 to the Knicks. LMAO!!!
Kevin Knox
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
19 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1/6 | 8/18 | 2/3 |
The rebounds have ticked up, which is good to see, but the D stats are lacking and the efficiency continues to be awful. At least we know he’s mentally tough. Or maybe he has a poor memory. Or maybe he’s clueless. Whatever the case may be, he shoots and it doesn’t bother him if he misses or not.
Dennis Smith Jr.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
19 | 6 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | 8/17 | 2/3 |
I’m still holding out hope for Steve Francis 2.0. We see flashes but can he put it all together? The dimes and steals have been plentiful, but the tres are light and he’s shooting only 60% from the free throw line. No bueno.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
27 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8/13 | 9/17 | 1/2 |
Played a team-high 37 minutes and…..Threeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeecolas!!!! That felt good. It’s been a long time. When he plays, Dotson provides points, tres, boards, and dimes. The issue is that we have no idea what Fizdale is going to do. Dotson can start and get 37 minutes or he can come off the bench and play 19 minutes. Good times.
Emmanuel Mudiay
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3/5 | 8/10 | 0 |
Played 19 minutes after playing 26 minutes in his return from a 12-game absence. DSJ is the man now in New York, but things can change in a heartbeat.
PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | 3PT | FG | FT |
15 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5/7 | 5/7 |
Played 30 minutes off the bench. DeAndre Jordan was out due to an ankle injury, yet Fizdale decided to start Noah Vonleh and Lance Thomas. Shrug emoji. Robinson has tantalizing upside, especially in the blocks department, but he’s prone to fouling and the minutes may not be consistent. With that said, he’s among the league leaders in blocks and has been a top 30 player over the past five games despite averaging only 23 minutes per game. Just play him!!!
Hei Son,
Is always a nice pleasure to start the working day in Romania with one of your articles 😀
None of my recent trade talks got me somewhere. So in my need of blocks I scooped J.Noah because I have a feeling JJJ will be out a while(maybe the whole season). Now my team looks like this:
Cp3,bledsoe,smart,white,middleton,ariza,prince,randle,vuc,jokic,valanciunas,dedmon,Noah.
IL:kyle anderson (i keep mention him although 99% he will not play anymore)
I might be a bit light of triples and points but I think is really depending on the week. If Noah gets the minutes then I should be ok on blk as well.
Thanks for your help 😀
@Ghita:
Ayo Ghita,
Just keep in mind Memphis has that 2 game week for the 1st round of fantasy playoffs.
I own J-Val & I was thinking about trying to trade him for a valuable guy with a more favorable playoff schedule before our trade deadline this week.
Depends on if you are fighting for a playoff spot now or looking at a 1st round bye.
Its time to start looking at scheduling.
I’m sure our fearless leader Son will be dropping knowledge on this as well.
Good luck!
@Mr. Blast:
Thanks Blast,
Our fantasy playoff starts one week later so I will have 3-4-3 for memphis. Also for Vuc will be 2-4-4 so I’m all in for the finals.
Good stuff Mr. Blast.
I broke down the playoff stuff here: https://basketball.razzball.com/fantasy-basketball-playoff-primer
Ha! Thanks Ghita!
A good pickup. Nice job. Good luck to you, my Romanian brother
@Son:
Thanks Son!
Son,
If Dinwiddie is back and in full form by the time the fantasy playoffs start, would you pick him up over one of the following, or pass on him?
Dragic
Gary Harris
Oubre
Otto Porter
I’d puff, puff, pass
With all things being equal, which they aren’t but lets say that they are, would you trade Thad Young for DSJ straight up? I think the kids got potential but it might be a bumpy ride for the remainder of this season at least.
This is in a 9 Cat – H2H league.
Hmmm, depends on your squad. If you want dimes, then DSJ. Rebounds, then Thad. Thad also provides better percentages, but DSJ will have more usage.
AYyYyYyO!!!
Wzup Son ?! Love the Monday morning reads. Great write up as always
Finally cut the cord on Lonzo… That last update was pretty discouraging.
Nabbed Mudiay on a whim’ but will most likely end up being dumps-ville & a streaming spot.
I’m starting to worry about Dunn & Lamb as well..
Once again my Point Guard situation is weak.
Anything you see here to move on ?
Squad –
Russell/Dunn/Dragic/Mudiay
P. George/Tobias/BogBog/Lamb/Osman, Kenrich
Embiid/Gobert/Valanciunas/MRob/Zubac
Available FAs – Baz, Ty-Jo, Augustin, Layman, Bryant, Diallo, Wright, Monte, Waiters, Mathews
Looking for best value for week 1 playoffs, I have some key guys who only play 3 times.
(In 2nd place here)
Thanks man!
AYyYyYyO!!!
Thanks Mr. Blast!
I’m with you on Dunn and Lamb. Dunn is the bigger concern, though, because of your spotty PG situation. With that said, all the guys you listed also have three games in the first week of the playoffs. Dunn also has three, but he’s got three really juicy matchups. I’d sit tight with Dunn.
I like Augustin’s matchups as well. Don’t get much better than WAS, CLE, and ATL. I wouldn’t have an issue replacing Lamb for him
How would you rank Prince, LaVert, Isaac, Cauley-Stein? Drop any for Faried? Thanks!
@miles proudfoot: Isaac, LeVert, WCS, Prince. I would not drop any for Faried
Hey Son! Long time! Hope you’re doing well.
A lot has changed fantasy basketball-wise over the last few weeks and I’ve gone from 7th to 2nd in my league thanks to all your great write-ups and solid advice! I’ve pretty much locked up my seeding for 2nd and my first round opponent would be someone I’ve taken care of twice during the course of the season so I’m feeling pretty good to at least make final four.
My league is H2H, 11-cat (PF and DD are extra cats), 14 team, and playoffs are from March 18th to end of season.
Current team is below –
Guards: Bledsoe, Murray, Levert, Shamet, Mills
Forwards: Isaac, K.Williams. Prince, Siakam, OPJ
Centres: Sabonis, Jokic, Embiid (in IR spot right now)
I had to pick up Mills and Shamet (dropped Huerter, put Embiid on IR) last week to stream 3s but it all worked out and I barely scraped by with the dubya. I was planning to drop one (or even both) of Shamet and Mills.
Would appreciate if you can give me your scoop and any recommendations for waiver wire additions below (sorry for the long list):
– Huerter, Wright, T.Johnson, Dotson, Osman, M.Williams, Layman, Aminu, Noah, Rabb, Zizic, Zubac, Olynyk
If I drop both Mills and Shamet then I’m low on guards so I was hoping to pick up at least one player with PG/SG eligibility if I take them both out.
Thanks in advance for everything dude!
@Guillermo: Sup Guillermo. That’s beautiful to hear my man! Nice job!
Out of the list, I like T. Johnson and Noah. Considering your situation, T. Johnson seems like the best guy.