It’s amazing how quickly things can change in the NBA. A few weeks ago, Jeremy Lin was the talk of the town. Linsanity was in full swing. The kid was getting shoe deals, standing ovations in Madison Square Garden and a slew of racist headlines. Times were good. But now, it’s like no one knows he even exists anymore. Go under the knife for a necessary knee surgery and your celebrity dies in a fiery explosion. Linsanity is dead. Hudsanity, however, is just beginning. Lester Hudson has been throwing down ridiculous numbers off the bench in Cleveland since Kyrie Irving suffered his shoulder injury, and he’s got the same rags-to-riches story Lin has. He played in China and in the D-League before getting his shot, and now he’s the proud owner of 15-point, 4.4-rebound and 4-assist per game averages. The Cavaliers play on Saturday and Sunday this weekend. If you’re in the fantasy playoffs, you’re going to want Hudsanity on your squad for the weekend.
BUY
Greivis Vasquez – Jarrett Jack is likely done for the season with an injured ankle. He hurt it when he slipped in a pool of wax that he uses to make his dome so shiny. His replacement, Vasquez, has 13.4/7.6 in five games since being put in the starting five, with three double-doubles in that stretch. Shimmy him into your lineup.
Danny Green – Danny Green has a soft spot for old people. He finds their wrinkly appearance soothing, their technological indifference adorable and their affinity for hard candies wonderful for his sweet tooth. Which is exactly why he loves playing for the Spurs so much. While he’s on the court posting very serviceable lines, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are resting their brittle bones on the pine. You know that feeling you get when your grandmother asks you what the internet is? That’s how Danny Green feels every day in San Antonio.
Derranthony Randilliams – After suffering a concussion this week, Kevin Love is at risk of not playing again for the rest of the season. (I’ll pause for a second while everyone that owns him weeps uncontrollably. You all back? Good.) In his stead, you might want to look at teammates Anthony Randolph and Derrick Williams. Ant-Rand posted 28/6 and 16/9 in two games since Love went down and looks to be locked in right now. D-Will had 27/8 in his first game but just 4/5 as a starter in the next. But both could be nice plays to close the year out.
J.J. Hickson – “The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and that sinking feeling that had stayed with him throughout the season had finally disappeared. After months of pain, Hickson finally got to leave Sacramento.” That’s what two-weeks ago Josh told you. Now LaMarcus Aldridge might be shut down for the season, and Hickson is firmly implanted as a starter. WHY WON’T YOU AD HIM?!? WHY WON’T YOU LOVE ME?!?
Kevin Seraphin – K-Ser is a 6-foot-9 center from France. On most teams in the league, he plays 7 minutes per game, averages 2.1 points and 1.3 boards and goes on his merry way. Yet the dude is averaging 19 points and eight rebounds in his last seven games. As a starter. The Washington Wizards, everybody.
SELL
Charles Jenkins – Jenkins is a starter the same way Thabo Sefolosha is a starter: he technically takes the floor with the first team every night, but you know Mark Jackson is chomping at the bit to get Nate Robinson into the game to replace Jenkins. Its Nate-Rob’s world now; Jenkins is just producing shoddy per-minute stats in it.
Drew Gooden – His back is spasm-ing iut of control. It’s been popping unhealthy amounts of ecstasy, heading out to all the local Milwaukee clubs and just gyrating itself all over the floor with the reckless abandon of a drunk college freshman. He’s only played twice in his last five, and the Bucks only play three times next week. There might be better options out there.
Byron Mullens – I told you to add him last week. With gusto, too. Lord Byron was going to be my everything. We were going to take long walks on the beach, stay up all night talking and maybe even get happily married in a classy ceremony on Martha’s Vineyard one day. The Bobcats had a 5-game week on the horizon, and he had just come off a bonkers stretch where averaged 19/9 in five games. It was all going according to plan until he started throwing down 5/5 in his last three. Now our marriage is in shambles and he sits on the waiver wire with nothing but dreams of what could’ve been.
Glen Davis – Five double-doubles in his last six games. That’s all well and good, but he’s done with Dwight Howard sitting on the bench with a back injury. And for as long as Dwight is out, Big Baby should continue posting gaudy numbers. But as soon as Dwight returns (probably Sunday or Wednesday), it’ll all be over. There’s only room for one monstrous malcontent on the floor at a time. Everyone knows that.
