Stephen Curry ended his season averaging 26.4/6.4/8.1 in April and he catapulted to many pre-season top 10 lists (not this one). Halfway through this season – and coming off two lackluster, foul-plagued games – Curry is averaging 18.2/3.4/5.9, has missed eight games due to foot injuries, and it feels like Curry’s a … not a bust, exactly, but a bit of a disappointment. It’s all dependent upon how you see it. Is a zebra white with black stripes or black with white stripes? Either Curry’s Curry or he’s less-than-Curry. Either I’m making a straw man argument or I’m arguing with the shrewdness of my attorney Alan Strawman. Ultimately, Curry is averaging remarkably similar numbers so far this year as he did in total last season (averaging exactly .462 FG% both seasons, exactly 5.9 assists and 1.9 steals both seasons and within 1 stat point in every other fantasy category, often within just 0.5 stat points). He’s doing this, by the way playing three fewer minutes per game. For you Steph Scholars out there, you’ll remember too that Curry spent the first three months of his rookie season bumming around, gettin’ right, doin’ what it do. Then in January he went warp speed. All this is getting around to me telling you not to freak out or even feel upset. He’s not top 10 material yet, but there’s reason to believe it’s coming and soon. I’m expecting a moderately large uptick in Curry’s production any day now. Might not be today. Might not be tomorrow, but it’s coming and y’all better be strapped in when it happens.
Here’s what else went down in a massive MLK hoops-a-palooza:
Sasha Vujacic – Scored 16 points in 27 minutes yesterday. He offers little else besides threes, FT% and the occasional steal, but in deep leagues, you could do much worse. Mime college would be an example of you doing much worse.
Rudy Gay – Rudy-Tootie-Fresh’n’Fruity wet stale against Chicago’s No.1-ranked NBA defense yesterday as he shot 1-for-10 from the floor and scored single-digit points for just the second game this season.
Derrick Rose – Aced his first career triple-double (22/10/12). He’s also averaging more blocks per game than Boozer. Jrue story.
Kyle Korver – Six threes. 22 points in just under 26 minutes. That’s nice, but not nice enough for me to roster him.
Taj Gibson – Played 43 minutes and blocked a career-high six shots. Only scoring 10 points on 11 shots is a little problematic, but with both Noah and Boozer out, he almost has to be a productive short-term pickup.
C.J. Miles – He scored eight points on 3-for-10 shooting after averaging 20 ppg in his previous three, 7.2 ppg in the five before that, 19 ppg in the two before that and so-on. You’ll drop him today, he’ll drop 21 on you tomorrow, you’ll pick him up and dance this dance until April. The C.J. stands for “can’t justify.”
Nick Young – 38 mpg/.464/.904/2.5 3pt/21 pts/3 rbd/2 ast. This is what you were hoping to get when you drafted Ben Gordon or O.J. Mayo or Rip Hamilton. It didn’t happen, instead you’ve been getting this from D.C.’sN.Y. in the 15 games since being positioned as a starter. You’ll eat it up and politely ask for seconds.
Vince Carter – Scored a season-high 29 points in his first double-double of the season. He also sank five threes, has hit at least one trey in every game he’s played with the Suns and is averaging a career-high 2.3 3ptm a game. I’m convinced he’s doing this because I said just after he was traded that he’d hurt Steve Nash‘s assist totals by driving rather than shooting. I hate you, Vince Carter.
Channing Frye – 18/2/3 with 2 threes. Yeah. This counts as a Good Channing Frye Game. Enjoy it while it lasts. Alvin Gentry will eventually bench him for five games, he’ll suck, Gentry will realize he has to put him back in the starting lineup, where he’ll seem rejuvenated for five games and then start sucking again. It’s as annoyingly repetitive as a beatboxing stutterer.
Raymond Felton – 3-for-13 yesterday, sinking his FG% this month to .365. He shot .474 in November, then .415 last month. .415 is closer to his career-average, and he’s declined from November to January then improved every month after that over the course of his career, so although you don’t have to love what’s happening there, perhaps you should hol your whining for at least another month.
Danilo Gallinari – Returned to drop 17 quiet points. Coo-coo ca choo! <– I know that’s not the sound a rooster makes, but it’s a helluva lot closer to a rooster than whatever the sound a damn walrus makes.
Francisco Garcia – Sat out Monday with a surprise sore calf. The Kings weren’t really willing to discuss this much. Also unwilling to discuss their sore and surprised calves? Hillbilly farmers.
Al Horford – 23/9/6 with a career-high seven blocks. He’s the Brook Lopez you wish you had instead of Broke Lopez.
Jarrett Jack – Played 27 minutes and ended with a 17/2/3 line. Okay, Jarrett. We see you. We see you. Now settle down.
Julien Wright – Started for the first time this season and ended with 11/6 in 28 minutes. This was among his best games this season, which means I wouldn’t roster him with YOUR team.
Amir Johnson – 17/8 with a trio of steals and a pair of blocks. That’s more Abig Johnson than Amir Johnson.
Ed Davis – 11/12. He seems to get a double-double about once every 20 days. I’ll see you on February 8.
Jose Calderon – 0-for-5, 0/5/13, 7 tovs, nothin’ else in 39 minutes. Whoa. That line reminds me of … of …
Jason Kidd – 0-for-7, 0/1/13, 3 tov, nothin’ else in 36 minutes. Screw you, Calderon. No one out-Kidds a Kidd!
DeShawn Stevenson – Back to the bench with you!
Gerald Wallace – Arguably, Crash and Andre Iguodala were the two biggest stars coming into this overtime game. They played a combined 82 minutes and only shot the ball a total of 17 times. Meanwhile, Boris Diaw weighs as much as the two of them combined and triple-doubled. We live in a crazy world, man.
Kwame Brown – 15/16 in 42 minutes. It was his second straight double-double and I’d allow you to paint me green and call me Gumby if that streak reaches four games. Just as I couldn’t believe I was recommending owners pick up Mike Conley in early November, DeShawn Stevenson in December and Brown now, I look forward to March when I send everyone clamoring for Eddy Curry.
Ryan Anderson – 16/8 with four threes and two blocks. He’s, like, the perfect fantasy reserve.
Kevin Garnett – Returned after a nine-game absence and ended with a 19/8/2 in 31 minutes. There wasn’t even any rust in his scowl.
Darko Milicic – 22/8 with four blocks. Waited until his 34th minute to draw that magical fifth foul.
Marcus Camby – Left with a knee injury less than eight minutes into the game and didn’t return. But if you watched the Portland broadcast, you couldn’t help but be reminded of that every 15 seconds as Barrett and Rice mentioned Camby’s absence two dozens times with the desperation of guys still not over the only hot girlfriend they’ll ever had dumping them. LaMarcus Aldridge dropped 37/12 without Camby. Yes. This will happen as long as M.C. is hammered.
Corey Maggette – Today was Maggette-O’s game to take over. Tomorrow I’m guessing it’ll be Ilyasova. The Bucks offense attacks like a pack of velociraptors: you may have your eye on one, but it’ll be one of the one’s you don’t see that guts you from behind!
Aaron Brooks – It’s odd how little I’m hearing about one of the 60 best players in the league neither starting much nor playing well. at any rate, bench him until he compels you not to.
Roy Hibbert – Speaking of top 60 players neither playing much nor playing well: Roy Hibbert, ladies and gentleman, who looks like a 7-foot-tall neurotic Woody Allen on the court these days. Might as well send him out there with glasses and black dress socks.
Darren Collison – Speaking of top 60 players not playing well … DarCo is the opposite of that. 30/1/8 yesterday and averaging +5.9 ppg and +2.6 asts this month as compared to last month.
Blake Griffin – NBA season-high 47 points. But you already knew that. What you might have overlooked is that dude sank 9-of-11 free throws. That’s his weakness. Free throws. He shot .580 from the line in November. He’s shooting .701 in January. July Adam has a pencil and his top 20 rankings. We all know what he’s up to.
