Lamar Odom will have ‘problematic,’ lingering shoulder pain, according to Phil Jackson. I really appreciate when coaches expand on injury announcements by adding color with words like “problematic.” This lets us plebeians differentiate between injuries no one is happy to have from those that serve to improve lives; like that kid in ‘Rookie of the Year’ or Doc Brown’s run-in with the toilet back in 1955. At least Lamardashian is in a joking mood. “‘I’ll have to play right-handed. That will be kind of crazy. I don’t know how I’ll pull that one off,’ Odom said jokingly,” I typed hoping that Lamar Odom made that statement jokingly. It’s hard to tell how bad this news will be for Odom owners, as they’ve already been dealing with the fact that in five games since moving to the bench, he’s playing seven fewer minutes and has almost completely stopped earning threes, steals and blocks. His rebounds have already decreased 2.2 per game, a shoulder injury sure won’t help the cause. But more than anything, there’s just no telling how a guy like Odom will respond to playing with pain. He’s one of my favorite players to watch, but I wouldn’t ever mistake him for one of the more motivated players in the league. Whereas Kobe might see an injury as a challenge to overcome, Odom is more likely to see it as roadblock and then, an excuse to chill. I’d run him out there this weekend against the Hornets and Knicks, see how he plays, and move forward accordingly.
Here’s what else went on last night in fantasy basketball:
Daniel Gibson – Will miss at least the next five games. Let the next two weeks be known as the Sessions sessions.
Shawn Marion – 10-for-13, 21 points at halftime. The Matrix took the blue pill and bent the spoon. Or was it the red pill and deja vu means there’s a glitch? Also, does anyone still refer to Shawn Marion as ‘The Matrix?’ Also2 , Marion added just four points on 2-for-4 shooting in the second half, which was about as underwhelming as ‘The Matrix’ sequels.
Jason Kidd – 0-for-7 in 40 minutes, but did manage 10/7 rebounds and assists respectively. Chauncey Billups scored 16, but recorded no assists. If we combined these two broke-down old floor generals you’d have one awesome one. And if ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts, we’d all have a handful to share.
J.J. Barea – Matched his third-highest point total of the season last night after scoring a season-high 28 three games ago. And although that makes Joe Jon sound like he’s on fire, keep in mind the Barea tar pit scored four and 10 points in between those two games and his third-highest point total of the season is 14.
Tyson Chandler – 14/18 with two blocks last night, making it three double-doubles in a row. It would be difficult to argue against2007 being Chandler’s best season, (he might have been better in ’02 if given more burn), but this season he’s vastly improved his shooting percentages, he’s playing his best defense since 2004 and he’s doing it all without being a focal point in Dallas’ offense. Held out of all but the deepest drafts because of the preseason appearance of a timeshare with Brendan Haywood, Chandler’s one of the biggest fantasy free agent pickups of the season so far. Recognize!
Jeff Green – 16/9/2/2 stl. Now do that for the next 10 games and you’ll begin justifying your 65 ADP. Wait, no. No you still wouldn’t.
Aaron Brooks – Aaron Broke. Out Friday. Maybe out Saturday too. Even if he does play, he’s averaged 9.4/4.5 since returning from the initial ankle injury and he’s not likely to improve on this until he’s fully healthy. Acting like you’re too good to roster Kyle Lowry (11.4/7.2 as a starter) is soooo 2010.
Arron Afflalo – Dropped the rather inert 4/3/1/1 blk line on national television last night. Worst performance by a guy who spells Aaron with two Rs all week.
J.R. Smith – Played through a toe injury last night, but ended shooting just 2-for-5 on the night. J.R.’s first problem? He’s shooting with his toes.
Ty Lawson – Averaging 5.5/1.8/2.2 in his last four games. Don’t drop him. He’s a stash. Not a ‘stache, which I believe is what you call a homosexual helping a heterosexual pretend to be gay. It’s also completely possible that I just made that up.
Tyreke Evans – 27/5/12. He should really consider, publicly discuss, then eventually reject plantar fasciitis surgery more often.
Jason Thompson – Seriously, Jason Thompson? Westphal paraded you out there for 14 minutes last night and you can’t grab a single rebound? You can’t dish to DeMarcus or something for a quick assist? You’re almost 7-feet-tall, averaging just one rebound every 3:40 and you somehow managed to do worse than that last night? You’re averaging over 21 mpg on the court in January and you can’t grab more than 4.5 boards? I can’t even look at you. Sacramento can’t look at you either. And that’s saying something because it could look at its roster from a decade ago and everyone but Chris Webber was hideous on that team. Hideous. Doug Christie? Hedo? Vlade? Bibby? Bobby Jackson? Hideous. Jason Thompson, your game is uglier than the 2002 Kings.
