Kyle Lowry : Leaves with Sprained Ankle

In some very devastating news for Kyle Lowry owners, the stud point guard stepped on Serge Ibaka's foot during the first half of the Thunder @ Raptors game. He had to be helped off the floor and apparently has suffered a sprained right ankle. We need to stayed tuned to find out the severity and cross our fingers that he does not miss a significant amount of time. Lowry was truly playing like one of the elite guards in the league early on.

News and Notes: 11/4

Some of you may have been too caught up in the great college football action to keep up with the NBA yesterday. Not to worry, I will give you a little recap along with my analysis.

Gerald Wallace

Not too much to report on the injury front. Gerald "crash" Wallace hurt his left ankle in the final minutes of the Raptors @ Nets game. X-rays came back negative and Crash is listed as day to day. If you have to set your lineups Monday for weekly leagues, I think its safe  to keep him active. Klay Thompson took a fall late in the Clippers @ Warriors game. Not helping matters was the fact that Blake Griffin landed on him. Thompson did not return to the game but seems to have avoided a concussion. Thompson should also be good to go when the Warriors play on Monday.

Rajon Rondo continued to impress last night in the Celtics win against the lowly Wizards. Rondo had 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 12 assists in the contest. This performance was his 27th consecutive performance with 10+ assists which tied him with John Stockton for the third longest streak in league history.

The Pacers were able to edge the Kings in double overtime last night in Indy. Paul George put together quite a game scoring 16 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 4 blocks really filling up the score sheet. This is the type of production owners who took a shot on him early were hoping for. David West was also solid for the Pacers with 18 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks.

There was finally a Manimal sighting in South Beach last night. Ken Faried became the player we were all hoping he would be this year in a loss to the Heat. Faried scored 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 steal. What is even more encouraging is that he got 36 minutes in the loss. Lebron continued his domination coming up one rebound short of a triple double last night. Chris Bosh was the real story for the Heat, scoring 40 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.

Mike Dunleavy

In Milwaukee, the Bucks were able to edge the Cavs 105-102. The story of this game was Mike Dunleavy's unreal performance off the bench. Dunleavy had 29 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, and a block. I wouldn't expect games like this from Dunleavy with any kind of consistency so tread carefully. Tobias Harris, who I recommended as a waiver wire addition yesterday saw his production plunge with the emergence of Dunleavy. Keep and eye on this situation to see how it plays out. Ersan Illyasova is off to a dismal start for the Bucks, but trust me, remain patient with this guy and I implore you to not do anything drastic. He will turn it around. On the other side of the ball, Anderson Varejao continued his hot start with 20 points and 17 rebounds for the Cavs.

In Dallas, Darren Collison and OJ Mayo both played like the fantasy studs we thought they would be this year. Collison had 18 points and 10 assists while Mayo had 30 points in the blowout win against Charlotte.

Mo Williams went out and had a big game for the Jazz last night in their loss to the Spurs. Williams scored 29 points, 9 assists, and 2 steals. We were expecting a solid year from Williams.

Waiver Wire: 

• Kevin Seraphin: who has been dealing with a calf injury made his debut last night ahead of schedule. He scored 19 points with  7 rebounds and a block in 29 minutes. Chances are Seraphin is available in your league and worth a pick up as this type of production should continue until Nene, who is out indefinitely returns.
• Mike Dunleavy: scored  29 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, and a block off the bench last night. 

News & Notes : 11/3

So if you read my previous I would like to tell you that it hasn't been all bad. Going into the season I had guys such as Damain Lillard, Glen Davis and Kawhi Leonard all pegged for big breakout seasons. Like I said in my previous post, its early so we don't want to be getting carried away just yet, but all three seem to be fitting the bill thus far. Lillard continued to impress last night, putting up 21 points, 7 assists, and three rebounds. Lillard remains locked in at the point for the Blazers while showing no signs that the NBA game is too big for him. Look for him to continue to post similar numbers as he continues his rookie of the year campaign. Glen Davis had a big night last night against the Nuggets. He scored 29 points, had 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. J.J Reddick, who has flown under the radar in most drafts and it probably available in your league had a huge game last night for Orlando as well.

Raymond Felton

Other notables from last night include Chris Paul, who went for 18 points, 6 rebounds and 15 assists in a win against the Lakers. That should be a pretty standard line for CP3 as long as he can remain healthy the whole year. Stephan Curry bounced back from a poor opener scoring 26 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Curry has been one the most injury prone players throughout his career so cross your fingers that his ankle remains intact and he can continue to produce at this level. Similar to Curry, Mike Conley had a rough opener and was able to bounce back in a big way last night. Conley posted 21 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists proving why we should never have worried after his game one dud. Raymond Felton did a lot to silence a lot of his haters coming into this season. Felton scored 14 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists and had three steals in the Knicks win over the defending champion Heat last night. Teammate Carmelo Anthony led the team with 30 points, 10 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals. Melo just looks much more comfortable when Amare is sidelined. Numbers like these should continue for Melo for the foreseeable future.

Waiver Wire: 

J.J. Redick

• Tobias Harris: Harris was named the starter at small forward for the bucks prior to last nights game. He responded with 18 points, 6 rebounds  2 assists and a block in the win against the Celtics. Worth taking a shot on. 
• J.J. Reddick: who has flown under the radar in most drafts and it probably available in your league had a huge game last night for Orlando. He posted a line of 21 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal. Should be owned in all leagues. 

OOOOPS: Linsanity & the Manimal

Jeremy Lin & James Harden 

Last night was certainly a jam packed night in the NBA with the majority of teams in action. We are only a few days into the season but let me first address where I have been wrong so far. Number one being Jeremy Lin. In just two games, Lin has been highly efficient. He was just three assists shy of a triple double last night going for 21 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. James Harden's 45 point effort on the heels of his 37 point outing may have something to do with the success of Linsansity thus far. I for one, would be recommending selling high on Lin at the moment. Moving onto Ken Faried. I was extremely high on the Manimal coming into the season, as were many people inside fantasy basketball circles, and to be quite honest, its been hard to watch. Granted, its only been two games and I am not willing to waive the white flag on his fantasy value just yet, but his minutes have not been there and that is becoming a bit disconcerting. Faried played 17 minutes in the opener and just under 20 minutes last night. If you have a better option on your bench, you may want to sit the youngster down and proceed with patience. Its only a matter of time before George Karl starts giving him the minutes he deserves.

News & Notes

From a fantasy perspective, last night was quite uneventful. Thunder @ Spurs was the only  game on the schedule. The game came down to wire and was won 86-84 by the Spurs on a buzzer beater by Tony Parker. 

Kevin Durant

One of the questions coming into last night was how would Kevin Martin's value going to be affected after being traded to the Thunder. Popular belief was that it would remain pretty static after the trade, and what we saw last night proved just that with 15 points, 5 assists and 1 steal. This is the type of production you can expect from him going forward. Kevin Durant was himself last night, showing everyone why he will finish in one of the two top spots in terms of fantasy value this season. He scored 23 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. We all know Durant can score, so it was the 14 rebounds that really impressed me. Big expectations were place on Serge Ibaka coming into this year as he worked very hard in the off-season to improve his offensive game. Ibaka shot 2-7 from the floor last night, scoring 4 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. I wouldn't panic if I were an Ibaka owner. He will have better nights than this one. 

Kawhi Leonard now has 5 steals in each of his first two games. Owners who took a shot on Leonard in the mid rounds of their draft are going to be rewarded in a big way. At the age of 36, Tim Duncan doesn't look like this will finally be the season that slows him down. Duncan had 20 points, 8 boards, and three blocks in the win. Tony Parker added 14 points and 11 assists as well as the game winning shot. 

Friday night brings a large slate of games in the NBA so stay tuned............ 

Amare Stoudemire; No longer a must own

With only one game being played  tonight due to Hurricane Sandy rendering the Barclays Center unable to host Knicks @ Nets, I figured I would take this time to address the current Amare Stoudemire situation. First off, let me just say that I had Amare pegged as one of my bounce back candidates for this year. This was highly contingent on him being able to stay healthy and unfortunately Amare was not even able to play 1 game for the Knicks this season before requiring knee surgery. He underwent surgrey on his left knee on Wednesday and is expected to be out for 6-8 weeks. At this point, I do not even think Amare is worth stashing, just cut your losses now. Even when he comes back, he is going to be dealing with rust, conditioning issues, and trying to mesh with Carmelo.  Melo should spend a lot of time playing the 4 with Amare on the shelf.  A role that he has been able to thrive in the past.

Harden's Big Debut

James Harden

James Harden: Harden showed everyone last night that he is worth the max money deal that he received from the Rockets. Harden posted a line of 37 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 steals, and one block. There is a very good chance that Harden provides first round value this season.

Damian Lillard: Lillard certainly did not disappoint in his NBA debut last night. Lillard went off for 23 points, 3 rebounds, 11 assists and a steal. We were high on Lillard coming into the season, and even though it was only one game, he seems to be proving us right.



Kyle Lowry: The big question surrounding Lowry was if his groin injury was going to slow him down coming out of the gate. He showed no ill effects from the groin last night as he posted a line of 21 points, 7 rebounds,  8 assists, and five steals. Keep an  eye on the injury but he is certainly a must start at the moment and should provide second round value if he is able to stay healthy.

Spencer Hawes 

Spencer Hawes: Hawes had a monster night in Philly. Sure, Bynum will eventually come back and eat away at a lot of his production, but in the meantime, keep running him out there. His line last night was a gaudy 16 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals. Jrue Holiday, another Sixer we were extremely high on going into this season also posted a great line with 14 points, 11 assists, and 2 steals. Nights like this will be commonplace for Jrue this season.





Waiver Wire:  Took a look at these guys

• Gerald Green; Green may or may not be available in your league but as long as Danny Granger remains sidelined Green is going to see big minutes. He led the Pacers in minutes last night with 37 and although he didn't produce great numbers, his minutes should continue and will post some solid games. 
• Al-Farouq Aminu; Its highly unlikely that he was drafted in your league as he was extremely under the radar coming into the season but with a solid outing like the one he turned in last night, he is worth taking a shot on. Aminu had 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. 
• Marvin Williams; had 21 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, a steal and a block. Solid line from Williams who was traded to Utah in the off season for Devin Harris and maybe the change in scenery was exactly what Williams needed. 

Eric Gordon; Out Indefinitely

Well, it looks like Eric Gordon was just downgraded from game time call tonight night against the Spurs to being out indefinitely. This is really bad news for the Hornets as he is their max player and seems to have the hardest of times getting on the court. For fantasy owners that took a shot on Gordon during their draft, this is certainly a blow, however you probably  didn't take him higher than the seventh round so it is a storm you should be able the weather as expectations had to be tempered already. I am not recommending dropping Gordon just yet. GM Dell Demps said he will make a statement at the appropriate time so monitor the situation closely. Roger Mason and Austin Rivers will see a bump in minutes in Gordon's absence.

Opening Night Recap: Anderson Varejao's Huge Night

So the first night of the NBA season is in the books and we had some interesting fantasy developments to discuss. Lets take a look game by game.

Anderson Varejao

Washington @ Cleveland: Nothing really positive coming from the Wizards last night on the fantasy front as they lost 94-84 to the Cavs. Pretty pedestrian numbers across the board. So lets move on the Cavs. As expected, Kyrie Irving was a star scoring 29 points, 3 assists, and 6 rebounds. The assist number is a bit troubling but that should improve as the season progresses. Rookie Dion Waiters started in the back-court next to Irving and showed why he was worth a late round flier. He put up a line 17 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 turnovers while completely outplaying fellow rookie Bradley Beal. If waiters isn't owned in your league, that should change immediately. Two big performances came from the Cavs frontcourt as well. Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson both showed why they will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Varejao scored 9 points, 23 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 blocks while Thompson had 12 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. They feasted on a Wizard frontcourt that was extremely banged up so don't expect gaudy numbers like this every night however both Thompson and Varejao can comfortably be inserted into starting lineups going forward.

Brandon Bass

Boston @ Miami: In what was the marquee match-up of the NBA's opening night, the defending champion Heat were able to rout the Celtics 120-107. Rondo was great in the loss, posting a line of 20 points, 7 rebounds, 13 assists. Rondo will continue to produce at an elite level throughout the duration of the season. Brandon Bass, who many pegged as a breakout candidate this year had a big night with 15 points and 11 rebounds. He will have to fend off Jared Sullinger for the starting role but Bass should be owned as long as he remains the starting PF in Boston. Jason Terry had a down night, but be patient with him as he adjusts to his new team. Lebron James picked up right where he left off last year, showing everyone he really is the best player in the world. Lebron was able to post a line of 26 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in only 29 minutes. Lebron left the game with cramps but doesn't seem to be anything serious. Expect many more nights just like this one. Dwayne Wade also showed why  he was worthy of a late first round pick with 29 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Chris Bosh and Mario Chalmers also posted solid numbers in the win.

Pau Gasol

Dallas @ Los Angeles Lakers: The new look Lakers were not able to hold off the banged up Mavericks last night in LA. They looked out of sync all night and should have some growing pains early on. Darren Collison posted a solid line with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Many have Collison pegged for a bounce back year and performances like this are a step in the right direction. O.J. Mayo, who I was extremely high on going into this season struggled mightily with his shot last night. Do not let this performance deter you from owning him. Mayo remains in line for a big year in Dallas. Shawn Marion had 11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and a block in a very impressive performance. He should continue to post solid lines as long as Dirk remains sidelined with a bad knee. Kobe Bryant scored 22 points in the loss but wasn't  able to get much else going as I mentioned LA looked out of sync in coach Mike Brown's Princeton offense. Steve Nash, who debuted for the Lakers last night didn't have one of his best nights. He managed just 7 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists. Look for Nash to improve on these numbers one he settles into the offense. Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol both looked pretty good in the slow tempo, half court Princeton offense. Dwight had 19 points, 10 rebounds and a block in his Lakers debut while Gasol posted a huge line of 23 points, 13 rebounds,  6 assists, and 3 blocks.

Notes:

With three games looming tomorrow to kick off the NBA season there are some quick news and notes that need to be addressed.

James Harden; In a pretty shocking move, the Thunder decided to ship one of their rising stars, James Harden along with three other players to the Houston Rockets. In return the Thunder will get Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first round picks and one second round pick. I believe the fantasy impact of this trade will be huge. Harden will sign a max extension with the Rockets and become the focal point of that offense. I was high on Harden coming into this season, and this trade only adds to his value. If you have yet to draft, target Harden in the second round. Kevin Martin will continue to be a useful fantasy starter in OKC. He will still be relied on for some scoring.

Kobe Bryant; The Black Mamba is suffering from a strained foot and was unable to practice on Sunday. His status for the opener remains in question and if we don't get any more news before most lineups lock in weekly formats on Monday, you may want to play it safe and keep Kobe on your bench.

Tyson Chandler; Tyson Chandler, who banged up his knee in a preseason contest says he is on track to play Thursday vs the Nets. An MRI cleared Chandler of any structural damage in his knee and confirmed this injury was simply a bone bruise. Even if he is in the lineup, he may experience some lingering effects from the injury. With center being a pretty deep position this year, it may be a good idea to plug someone else in your lineup until he proves he is back to normal.

Eric Gordon; The oft-injured guard was able to practice on Sunday without any restrictions  This is a good sign that he will be ready to go on on Wednesday when the Hornets open their season. Gordon is being drafted around the 8th round of most fantasy drafts and if he able to get his knee healthy, he certainly has the talent to return mid to early round value.