As I mentioned earlier this week, there is still a ton of things to cover, let’s just dive right in:
It’s obviously a good ways down the road, but a lot of people are optimistic for a return for the opener next year for Rajon Rondo. As we saw from Derrick Rose this past year, that has me horrified. Rondo tore his ACL on January 25th and Rose on April 28th and we didn’t see the latter now for a full year. Even if Rondo can beat the timetable Rose has had by a two months (returning in only 10 months), that will still have him returning in late November, missing a month of the season. Rose and Rondo both rely on slashing and agility for their games, and while the clear caveat that their injuries and bodies are different, I’m probably avoiding a 3rd or 4th round pick on Rondo.
Sticking with the Celtics, Jeff Green had some mammoth games while Kevin Garnett missed some time with injuries. While he won himself a starting gig, we saw some inconsistency when Green was in there with both Paul Pierce and Garnett. If Garnett returns, I won’t buy into Green’s price tag (even though there will be a built in amount of time with no Garnett with definite injuries), but if Garnett retires or for some reason isn’t in Boston green, I’ll probably be a big Jeff Green buyer.
A guy I will be buying into no matter what is Anthony Davis who had to deal with a few nagging injuries and inconsistent minutes in his rookie season. The scoring, rebounding and blocks I think all take another step forward, and any big who can pick pockets is gold in my book. If only someone had picked Plaxico Burress’ pocket…
Fortunately there has been only one big injury thus far in the playoffs, with David Lee tearing a hip flexor. That does not sound pleasant, but at least he doesn’t need surgery. He should be 100% by next season.
As I briefly mentioned in part 1, John Wall was huge for owners who took a flier on him, and will demand a hefty price for next season. I’m buying. We saw a huge offensive outburst in the final month and a half and the Wizards will be an improved team with another offseason together. Remember there were tons of rookies and guys with minimal playing time Wall had around him.
Daily League Notes: If you’re playing in some daily leagues, I love both Paul Pierce and Dwight Howard as key players in their respective teams’ return to home court. If you’re playing a “1-N-Done” challenge, I have both available as my pick tonight and I’m going with either Howard or Klay Thompson (read below). I think the Celtics have the better chance of a longer series, so I’m going with the Laker between those two popular picks. I also like Jeff Green to bounce back from a poor game 2 in New York for a solid game 3 back at home, especially with Kevin Garnett ailing with a hip injury.
The Warriors game is rife with intrigue as Stephen Curry’s twisted ankle worsened and he’s considered questionable tonight. If Curry does indeed miss game 3, which I have a feeling he will at this point, Jarrett Jack and Klay Thompson look like strong plays as well for 1-N-Done or daily lineups.
BREAKING NEWS [Added at 1:30 PM EST] Russell Westbrook is out indefinitely with a meniscus tear and will probably miss the rest of the playoffs, but could see action in the finals. Be sure to have him out of your daily line-ups and future playoff teams until possibly the NBA Championship.
Any other daily league or offseason questions? Shoot them below! Also, RCL wrap up coming soon, sorry again RCL-ers that updates got a little lost in our editorial transition, but we will be all over them next year. We’ve also got way-too-early rankings and a new glossary coming in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!
