People had grown increasingly frustrated with Robin Lopez. With Anthony Davis back, he saw a mere 15 minutes the day before, and in the past week, he was only averaging 7.5 PPG and 3.3 RPG. Well, Davis finished with 16/5/0 and a block while Lopez earned 22 points, 9 rebounds, an assist and 2 blocks. Ryan Anderson was actually the one who came off the bench, and he finished with 7/5/0 and a devastating 0-8 from downtown. I wonder if this is going to mirror the Toronto situation, where there’s a fuster cluck between Ed Davis (11/9 with 2 blocks), Jonas Valanciunas (12/5/1 with a block) and Amir Johnson (5/9/2 with a block). Three guys for two positions, and frankly, Jonas should be the one sitting. In the meantime, all three have value in deeper leagues, but shallow leaguers can look elsewhere until this situation sorts itself out. As far as the Hornets go, it may be worthwhile to see how this shakes out. If Lopez gains starter’s minutes and can go for 7-8 rebounds a night, he still has value. Don’t confuse him with Brook Lopez, but also don’t confuse him with Rodrigue Beaubois.
Kris Humphries – Although starting, he played less than 18 minutes to finish with 0 points, 9 rebounds, 0 assists, and 0 blocks. I hate to say it, but you can’t own him in a 12 or fewer team league.
Andray Blatche – Despite a 23.4 Player Efficiency Rating (ranked 9th) and a .183 Win Shares Per 48 Min (ranked 18th), he finished with 7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block last night. Someone needs to tell him he’s supposed to be doing better than that based on his advanced metrics. Actually, before this game, he had been averaging 26 MPG for nearly 15 PPG and 6.6 RPG.
Jason Kidd – His supreme confidence gave him 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, but also he took all 9 of his shots from behind the arc and only hit 2. Settle down, Kidd-o.
Tyson Chandler – Do you know who leads the league in field goal percentage? Obviously it’s Chandler, considering this is his blurb. Did you know he has over a .700 FG%? That’s better than most Centers’ free throw percentage (including his own). He finished with 7 of 11 shooting for 16 points, plus 12 rebounds (5 offensive), 2 assists, a steal and 3 blocks.
Raymond Felton – Shot a pissy 4-15 (0-3 from downtown) with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal. That’s his first bad performance since the last time the Knicks played Brooklyn. Maybe he’s still upset about the Dodgers moving to L.A. I know I am. They broke the hearts of a loyal fanbase and infected the world with the Mets.
Andre Drummond – He had 6 points, 8 rebounds, a steal and a block. He’s 2nd in the league in Offensive Rebound Percentage, just FYI (only 2 last night, however).
Brandon Knight – He shot 1-10 last night (line: 9/6/0) and his FG% has dipped below .400 in the past week.
Jose Calderon – I hate to keep harping on Jose but his little monkey face is so adorable I just want to shove his head in my mouth. Hmm. Anyway, he had 17 assists to go with 7 points (2 threes), 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
Glen Davis – More bad news for the Davis clan. Glen finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 2 blocks. Yeah, I know. What’s that? That sounds okay? *Re-reads* Oh, I forgot to mention he left the game with a painful shoulder injury. He’ll have tests tomorrow, but no one seemed optimistic.
Arron Affalo – He had a nice night with 15 points (6 of 18 shooting, but missed all 5 three point attempts), 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Oh, and his name makes spell check want to commit suicide.
Nene – He’s back, baby! 20 points on 8-10 shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a block. 2 rebounds? He’s halfway back, baby!
Earl Barron – Despite 20 starter’s minutes, he finished with 2 points, 5 rebounds, an assist and a steal. In the old days, that would have cost a baron his head.
Kevin Seraphin – Don’t worry, James, he’s back to his usual; 6/2/2 with 2 blocks.
Derrick Favors – I try to avoid talking about the same people all the time, but when you try to avoid the superstars and the bottom dwellers, you’re stuck with the same guys. It’s not like Favors doesn’t deserve it, as he led his team off the bench with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Al Jefferson – Outside of Favors, the Jazz were playing the Blues, with Al finishing with 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and a block.
Paul George – I just went to confirm that Paul McCartney and George Harrison never collaborated together outside of the Beatles (they did, but also with Ringo Starr), and I came across this. I thought it was stupid, then read the article anyway. You know what isn’t stupid? George’s (not the Beatle) basketball skills. He finished with 20 points (2 threes), 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 4 blocks. Over the past 2 weeks, not including this game, his average line reads as thus: 21/7.6/4.6/1.4/1.0 with 2.9 3PG.
Roy Hibbert – He shot well, hitting 5 of 10 to finish with 12 points, but he also managed a mere 4 rebounds to go with an impressive 4 assists and 2 blocks. He does rank 3rd with a 95.6 Defensive Rating and 3rd again in Blocks Per Game, but he has been a disappointment, as we so often like to gripe about here. It seems like he took a step backward, not forward. Now slide to the right. Take it back now, y’all. One hop this time.
Dion Waiters – He saw a full regiment of 35 minutes, missing 4 three attempts but otherwise netting 13 points to go with 4 boards, 4 assists and a steal.
Tristan Thompson – He missed 8 of 10 from the field, but thanks to many trips to the free throw line, he finished with 11 points to combine with 12 rebounds (6 offensive), 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. And it wasn’t even Tue-sday.
Paul Pierce – He was remarkable with his shots, nailing 13 of 16, including 6 of 7 from downtown, to finish with 40 points. Add that to 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and a block and it makes LeBron LeBlush.
Jason Collins – Despite 23 minutes on the wood, he took no shots, finishing with 1 point, and only grabbed 2 rebounds, swiping 1 steal and blocking 1 shot before fouling out. Bizarre night for Collins.
Rajon Rondo – He had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and a block, but he did not reach double digit assists, stopping at 8. Trade him before it’s too late!!1!1!!
Kevin Durant – Just to steal the thunder (get it???) from Pierce, Durant had a sterling game with 41 points (4 of 8 from downtown), 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks and, unfortunately, 6 turnovers.
Kyle Korver – He had 9 points (3-7 from deep), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks (a season high).
Serge Ibaka – The Lord of Blocks has also been the Duke of Making Field Goals, a more unwieldy and lesser used title, going for .580+ FG% on the year. Last night, however, he missed 7 of 9 to finish with 4 points. Nevertheless, he still managed 14 points rebounds and 3 blocks.
Zaza Pachulia – I’ve been carrying Zaza Gabor in a deep league because, hey, it’s a deep league and also because I think there’s something there. He finished with 6 points and 10 rebounds (5 offensive). That’s what daddy likes.
DeShawn Stevenson – He took 3 shots, missing all of them, and finished with 0 points, 5 rebounds, an assist and 2 steals.
Evan Turner – He left the game after spraining his ankle, came back, and then injured the ankle again. His status forward is unknown. Otherwise, he had 6 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.
Jason Richardson – With over 30 minutes of court time, he only had 11 points, 3 boards, a dime and a steal. His December has not been as hot as his November. Someone in a league I’m in sent Brook Lopez and Kobe Bryant for Dwayne Wade and Marc Gasol, then flipped Wade and Jason Richardson for Kevin Love. The net effect is he got Love and M. Gasol in exchange for B. Lopez, Bryant and Richardson. Interesting.
Nick Young – With Jrue Holiday out, Young took advantage with 21 points, including 2 threes, but as usual, the peripheral stats were sparse, with just 4 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block.
Chandler Parsons – I love this line from Matt Miller at NBA.com: “Rockets forward Chandler Parsons could not find a rhythm during his first bobblehead night, shooting 4-for-13 overall and 1-for-7 from 3-point range.” What a way to christen your first bobblehead night! His final line: 9/5/4/3. He also missed 6 of 7 from downtown and has been ice cold from behind the arc.
Toney Douglas – The Rockets have been burning up the atmosphere, and Douglas threw in with 17 points (5 threes), 3 boards, and 4 assists.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – He may not be rookie of the year by the end of the season, but last night he was top dog with 25 points, 12 rebounds (5 offensive), 4 assists, 3 steals and a block.
Byron Mullens – He saw over 39 minutes on the court and finished with 13 pints, 9 rebounds and an assist, plus a generous 2-2 from three point land. Nothing like a PF/C having more threes than blocks.
Ramon Sessions – Final line: 2/1/4/1. This on the heels of 20/4/6. He’s a solid player in deeper leagues, but you may bemoan Ramon in shallow types.
Shannon Brown – He led the Suns with 26 points (the last game, 22), and also contributed 4 points, 2 assists, a steal and a block. He shot 5 for 7 from downtown.
Larry Sanders – He had 8 points, 9 rebounds, an assist, 3 steals and 2 blocks. He’ll probably have 4 blocks the next time out.
Brandon Jennings – With nearly 42 minutes, he had 26 points, 7 boards, 2 assists, a steal and 3 threes. He is averaging 20 PPG over the past week.
Monta Ellis – He missed 13 of 14 (including all 5 three point attempts), concluding his efforts with 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block.
Zach Randolph – With 17 rebounds, he owned the backboards, and with 15 points, he also led his team with points. Yup.
Stephen Curry – He hit a scorching 7 of 12 from beyond the arc, wrapping up with 32 points to go with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block.
Harrison Barnes – With Festus Ezeli, they combined for 19 1/2 minutes, 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 0 assists. To quote Stan Lee, “Nuff Said.”
Aaron Brooks – His line was 23/2/5/2, a season best. It was basically in response to more time with the absence of Tyreke Evans.
Marcus Thornton – With 19 points (5-10 from deep), he had 19 points, but that was never his problem; he only had 3 rebounds and zero assists.
Lamar Odom – After landing on my radar, he tallied 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. Must have been a bird.
Jamal Crawford – He led his team in minutes from the bench, finishing with 17 points, a rebound, 5 assists and 3 steals. Hate the FG%, love the assists and steals.
