FANTASY / PLAYER NEWS
T.J. Ford: Returns to Starting Lineup
Update: Ford (thumb) returned to the starting lineup Saturday after missing five of the last eight games.
Analysis: Ford had 12 points and three assists in 21 minutes, while Jose Calderon played 14 minutes in Toronto's blowout loss to Boston.
Jason Kidd: Returns to Action Friday
Update: Kidd (migraine) returned to action Friday night after missing one game.
Analysis: Kidd had 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting with seven rebounds and seven assists in 36 minutes.
Stephon Marbury: Returns to Action Friday
Update: Marbury returned to action Friday night after missing one game to mourn the passing of his father.
Analysis: Marbury played just 13 minutes, scoring two points with two assists and a steal.
Samuel Dalembert: Sparks the 76ers Friday Night
Update: Dalembert had 20 points (9-12 FG, 2-3 FT), eight rebounds and three blocks in Friday night's win over the Knicks.
Analysis: Dalembert finally showed some offense in his game Friday night as the center lane was open all night to him for easy dunks and lay-ups. This was easily his best game offensively in the last week or so.
Andre Miller: Nice All-Around Game Friday
Update: Miller had nine points (4-7 FG, 1-1 3PT), 11 assists and seven rebounds in Friday night's win over the Knicks.
Analysis: Miller has certainly turned around his play from earlier in the season with a few nice games over the past week or so. He didn't need to do much scoring on Friday night as the Sixers were up by 14 late in the fourth quarter.
Damon Stoudamire: Misses Game with Flu
Update: Stoudamire missed Friday night's matchup with the Hornets due to the flu, the Associated Press reports.
Analysis: Stoudamire had not missed a game this year. Kyle Lowry got the start in Stoudamire's absence.
Eddy Curry: Returns to Starting Lineup
Update: Curry (ankle) returned to the lineup against the Sixers on Friday, the Associated Press reports.
Analysis: He missed Wednesday night's game against the Nets with a sprained left ankle. Curry was able to start Friday night after having the ankle taped up and the injury doesn't appear to be too serious.
Stephon Marbury: Returns to Action Friday
Update: Marbury (personal reasons) will return to the lineup Friday night against Philadelphia, the Associated Press reports.
Analysis: He missed Wednesday's game to attend his father's funeral. Marbury considered skipping Friday night's game as well but decided his father would have wanted him to play.
LeBron James: Will Miss Fifth Straight Game
Update: James will miss his fifth straight game Friday against Charlotte, the Associated Press reports.
Analysis: James didn't practice Friday and will miss his fifth straight game with a sprained left index finger when the Cavaliers play Saturday night at Charlotte.
Demetris Nichols: Acquired by the Bulls
Update: The Bulls acquired Nichols on Friday.
Analysis: He'll ride the bench without question. No fantasy value here.
Ruben Patterson: Gives His Pinky a Thumbs-Up
Update: Patterson, who has been nursing a dislocated pinky finger, said it was almost completely healed and wants to play more, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Analysis: When the season started Patterson was one of the first players substituted into games. But gradually, he revealed that his finger was bothering him when he tried to finish shots near the rim, causing Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy to limit his minutes. Los Angeles is mired in a seven-game losing streak, so it may be time for drastic measures, which may include an increased role for Patterson.
Anthony Carter: Court Time Continues to be Erratic
Update: Carter started at the point on Thursday night but played just 22 minutes, posting seven points, four assists and three rebounds.
Analysis: Head coach George Karl can't seem to find the combination he likes the most and the result is Carter, J.R. Smith, Yakouba Diawara, and Linus Kleiza all getting very irregular minutes. When Chucky Atkins and Nene return this will only get worse so we'd recommend you stay away from any Nuggets outside of Camby, Anthony, Iverson and Martin at this point in time.
Jason Kidd: Should Play Friday
Update: The migraine that caused Kidd to miss Wednesday's game is better and he is expected to play against the Rockets Friday, the Associated Press reports.
Analysis: Barring a setback, coach Lawrence Frank said Kidd, who was at the Nets' shootaround around on Friday morning, would play Friday.
Sam Cassell: Coach Doesn't Expect Him Back
Update: Cassell (calf) hopes to play on Sunday, but Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy thinks that is unrealistic, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Analysis: "I don't think he's going to be ready," Dunleavy said. "All these pulled muscle deals are a couple of weeks." In Cassell's absence, Brevin Knight and Dan Dickau have been picking up the slack. The point guard has been out since Nov. 26.
Marcus Camby: Just Another Solid Night
Update: Camby led the Nuggets with 14 rebounds while scoring eight points, blocking five shots, and dishing out two assists against Dallas on Thursday night.
Analysis: Camby has been rock solid all year and has not missed any time due to injury. We know we say this all the time but why not sell high now? He's never going to be worth more and with his injury history you'd hopefully be making your team better/deeper and you'd relieve that gnawing feeling that the other shoe is about to drop.
Carmelo Anthony: Has Poor Shooting Night
Update: Anthony did post 23 points during the Nuggets win over Dallas on Thursday but it took him 30 shots to do it.
Analysis: Anthony finished 9-of-30 from the field (0-of-1 3pt) and just 5-of-9 from the line. Over his last 10 games he's a modest 92-of-208 from the field (44.2%), however, if you take out his 11-of-15 against the Clips on Nov. 29th and his 12-of-19 against Miami four nights ago he's a paltry 69-of-174 (39.7%). We don't know why he's misfiring right now as there is no word of any nagging injuries. Anthony shot 48.1% in 2005-06 and 47.6% last year so we're hopeful that his current slump is just temporary and that he'll start hitting closer to 50% of his shots on a nightly basis.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim: Out of Action Again
Update: Abdur-Rahim (knee) will not play Friday against the Clippers.
Analysis: Abdur-Rahim hasn't played since Nov. 12. The power forward is averaging 1.7 points in six games.
Quincy Douby: Getting Hungry
Update: Douby is ready for his role to increase in the wake of Kevin Martin's groin injury, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Analysis: "Quincy, in my opinion, is starting to get that hunger (to play)," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "When you're a player and you don't get your minutes, it has an effect. Sometimes you sink into an abyss." Douby has played four games where he's logged 20-plus minutes. In those games, he averaged 9.3 points while shooting 34.1% from the floor. Keep an eye on Douby's box scores, but don't ponder using him yet.
Francisco Garcia: His Roles Should Increase
Update: Garcia should play more and is likely to be the first player off the bench while Kevin Martin recuperates from his groin injury, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Analysis: Garcia has played six games where he's registered 30-plus minutes. In those games, he averaged 19.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals. It may be time to dust off Garcia and stick the swingman in some fantasy lineups. Sacramento plays four games in Week 7, so we'll track his progress before then. The Kings play on Friday and Saturday.
Luke Ridnour: Game-Time Decision for Friday
Update: Ridnour (left quadriceps) is a game-time decision for Friday's game, the Tacoma News Tribune reports.
Analysis: Ridnour returned to practice Thursday for the first time since suffering his injury about three weeks ago. Ridnour says he ready to play, but coach P.J. Carlesimo doesn't think he is 100 percent healthy yet. They'll see how he moves in pre-game and if team trainers give the OK, Ridnour likely will play limited minutes.
Sebastian Telfair: Still Gets Mintues With Jaric Back
Update: Telfair scored eight points with four assists in Thursday's loss to Atlanta. He was just 4-of-10 shooting from the floor, but got 32 minutes of playing time despite Marko Jaric returning from an foot injury.
Analysis: While this wasn't a good game for Telfair, the good news is he still got significant minutes with Jaric back. It looks like the T-Wolves may continue to utilize both Telfair and Jaric on the court at the same time.
Carlos Arroyo: Re-Joins Magic
Update: Arroyo has re-joined the Magic and is expected to play Friday at Indiana, the Orland Sentinel reports. He missed the last two games to be with his ill daughter, who he says is improving.
Analysis: He'll resume his back up point guard role.
Andrea Bargnani: Won't Play Friday
Update: Bargnani (knee) won't play on Friday, the Toronto Sun reports.
Analysis: He stayed behind in Toronto receiving additional treatment while the Raptors traveled to Boston. This will be the third straight game Bargnani has missed.
Chris Bosh: Did Not Accompany Team to Boston
Update: Bosh (groin) will not play on Friday, and didn't even accompany the team to Boston, the Toronto Sun reports.
Analysis: No word yet on when Bosh might be able to return, but the Raptors are being understandably cautious with their slightly brittle superstar.
T.J. Ford: Could Star on Friday
Update: Ford (arm/thumb) could return to the starting lineup on Friday against the Celtics, the Toronto Sun reports.
Analysis: "We'll see how he feels," coach Sam Mitchell said. "If he comes to me and says he's ready to start, then he'll start. It's always going to be my decision but it's going to go by how he tells me he feels." Given the way Jose Calderon has played recently it may seem crazy for the Raptors to even consider putting Ford back in the starting lineup, but the team still thinks he's the better fit for the type of offense they want to run. If you've kept Ford on your bench even after Wednesday's 27 point eruption, it's probably time to activate him again.
Erick Dampier: Goes Scoreless With 11 Rebounds Against Nuggets
Update: Dampier went scoreless with 11 rebounds and two blocks in the Mavs' 122-109 loss to the Nuggets on Thursday night.
Analysis: Dampier has always been able to rebound, but we may see the Mavs work him into the offense more over the coming games, given that their "avoid Dampier on offense" strategy has resulted in a losing streak.
Jason Terry: Disappears Against Nuggets
Update: Terry scored only five points on 2-7 shooting in the Mavs' 122-109 loss to the Nuggets on Thursday night. Terry also had five rebounds and five assists in the loss.
Analysis: Despite his relative consistency this year, Terry has long been a streaky shooter, and fantasy owners may want to ready themselves for the occasional Terry drought.
Josh Howard: Shoots Poorly Against Nuggets
Update: Howard had 20 points on 5-16 shooting in the Mavs' 122-109 loss to the Nuggets on Thursday night. He also had six rebounds in the loss.
Analysis: Despite his shooting woes Thursday, Howard is still averaging more than 22ppg and 9.4 rebounds over his last five games.
Devin Harris: Struggles Shooting Against Nuggets
Update: Harris had 12 points on 5-14 shooting in the Mavs' 122-109 loss to the Nuggets on Thursday. He also had four assists in the loss.
Analysis: Harris seems to have hit a wall shooting-wise, as he's shot only 31% from the field over his last five games.
Antoine Walker: Misses Game With Sore Ankle
Update: Walker missed Thursday's loss to the Hawks with a sore ankle.
Analysis: He played through the injury on Tuesday, but apparently had a setback. He may need to sit out another game or two before he's ready to return.
Travis Outlaw: Another Strong Game
Update: Outlaw scored 20 points (9-for-17 FG) with seven boards, two assists and a block in 29 minutes off the bench.
Analysis: Outlaw has scored 17 or more points in four of the last five games, a stretch in which he is averaging 18.4 points and 7.2 boards per in a consistent 30 minutes off the bench. Numbers like this warrant a pick-up for Outlaw in most leagues, as he is still young with solid upside on a youth-oriented team.
Dwyane Wade: Near Triple-Double as Health Returns
Update: Wade flirted with a triple-double Thursday night, scoring 21 points with 10 boards, nine assists and a blocked shot in 42 minutes of action.
Analysis: This was Wade's second consecutive double-double, and came a game after he finally dunked to display the return of some of his explosion. While Wade has struggled a bit since returning from his injuries, it appears that he is finally getting closer to full speed.
Jerry Stackhouse: Getting More Playing Time
Update: Stackhouse scored a season-high 23 points (8-for-14 FG, 5-for-5 FT) on Thursday night to go with seven boards, five assists, two treys and a steal in 31 minutes.
Analysis: This was Stackhouse's third consecutive game playing more than 30 minutes, after 10 straight games of not reaching 30 minutes at all. This was also his best all-around effort of the season, as generally he is considered more of a scoring role player these days. Both the minutes and the diverse production are worth watching to see if they develop into a trend, because if they do Stackhouse could become fantasy relevant again.
Dirk Nowitzki: Season-High Scoring Effort
Update: Nowitzki matched a season-high with 32 points (10-for-20 FG, 10-for-10 FT) on Thursday night to go along with 12 boards, five assists, two treys and a blocked shot.
Analysis: This is what used to be considered a regular night for Nowitzki, but this season these efforts have been fewer and farther between as Nowitzki and the Mavs have seemed a bit out of sorts. Perhaps the Wednesday night loss to the Duncan-less Spurs was enough to get Nowitzki fired up.
Linas Kleiza: Strong Game but Inconsistent Production
Update: Kleiza scored a season-high 23 points (8-for-14 FG, 4-for-4 FT) with four boards, three treys and two steals in 30 minutes off the bench Thursday night.
Analysis: Kleiza has a good game like this about once every week or two, but doesn't produce enough on a consistent enough basis to warrant roto playing time.
Kenyon Martin: Big Minutes in Back-to-Back Games
Update: Martin played a season-high 35 minutes on Thursday night against the Mavericks and responded with a season-high 18 points (8-for-12 FG), seven boards and a steal.
Analysis: This came right on the heels of Martin playing a season-high 34 minutes on Wednesday. Apparently the Nuggets have dropped all restrictions on his playing time due to his knee injury, which thus makes Martin a more viable fantasy option moving forward.
Allen Iverson: Taking the Lead?
Update: Iverson followed up his huge Wednesday night game with another mega effort, scoring 35 points on only 19 shots (12-for-19 FG, 11-for-13 FG) while dishing out 12 assists, grabbing six steals and adding a rebound in 43 minutes of action.
Analysis: Iverson now has 86 points on only 46 field goal attempts in the past two games, while Carmelo Anthony has a much less efficient 49 points on 53 shots in those same contests. Iverson has deferred a bit to Anthony as the alpha offensive threat since he has been in Denver, but stretches like this show that Iverson still has the skills to take the lead when he wants to.
Tony Parker: Sore Ankle; Expected to Play Friday
Update: Parker has battled through a sore right ankle the past few days, the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Analysis: Parker got the day off from practice Thursday, but is expected to play Friday night against the Jazz.
Manu Ginobili: Banged Up; Will Play Friday
Update: Ginobili, who had been nursing a sore left index finger, received a day off from practice Thursday due to the beating he took in San Antonio's victory over Dallas on Wednesday, the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Analysis: Ginobili is expected to be in the starting lineup Friday, replacing Tim Duncan, when the Spurs play the Jazz.
Tim Duncan: Returns to Practice; Will Not Play Friday
Update: Duncan (ankle) practiced Thursday, but Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will likely give him the night off Friday night against Utah, the San Antonio Express-News reports.
Analysis: Duncan is expected to return to action Tuesday at Golden State.
Morris Almond: Assigned to D-League
Update: The Jazz assigned Almond to the Utah Flash of the NBA Development League on Thursday, the Deseret Morning News reports.
Analysis: This is the first trip to the D-League for Utah's first-round draft pick, who has played 12 minutes for the Jazz over three games.
Kyrylo Fesenko: Assigned to D-League
Update: Fesenko was assigned to NBA Development League on Thursday, the Deseret News reports.
Analysis: This is Fesenko's second stint for the Utah Flash.
Udonis Haslem: In Spat With Coach
Update: Haslem and Heat coach Pat Riley got into a confrontation during a second-quarter timeout Thursday, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Analysis: This is just another example of the frustration boiling over on the Heat, who are 4-14 to start the season heading into Friday night's game against Golden State.
Al Horford: Another Windex Night
Update: Horford grabbed 15 rebounds with eight points, two blocked shots and a steal in 35 minutes Thursday night.
Analysis: Horford and his former Gators teammate Corey Brewer combined for 33 rebounds in this game. Horford now has 53 rebounds in his last four games, and continues to be one of the most impressive rookies from this year's class.
Anfernee Hardaway: Replaced in Starting Lineup
Update: Hardaway was replaced in the starting lineup by Dorell Wright Thursday night in Miami's loss to Portland.
Analysis: Not only was he on the bench to start the game, Hardaway never got off the bench. Hardaway had been scoreless in the last two games and scored a total of seven points in four starts at small forward.
Josh Childress: Leaves Early with Strained Groin
Update: Childress was forced out of the game Thursday night with a strained groin.
Analysis: Consider him day-to-day for now.
Daequan Cook: Big Game for Rookie
Update: Cook scored 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting (2-of-2 3pt) in 30 minutes Thursday night in Miami's loss to Portland.
Analysis: As things spin out of control in South Florida, expect more playing time for Cook and more opportunities to score.
Shaquille O'Neal: Delivers Another Message
Update: O'Neal expressed his frustration over his role in Miami's offense once again, saying he needs the ball more, the Miami Herald reports.
Analysis: O'Neal is averaging career lows in points (15.4), rebounds (7.4), minutes (28.4) and field-goal attempts (10.8), but is still a 60-percent shooter and feels he can still be productive. "If I'm taking 20 shots a game, and I'm only making two, then you can say my production is going down," O'Neal said. "But I'm still shooting 60 or 65 percent from the field. So they've got to find better ways to get me the ball. It should be simple." O'Neal was just 3-of-9 from the field, scoring eight points in Thursday's loss to Portland. Meanwhile, the tension on the team is boiling over in practice. O'Neal and coach Pat Riley got into a confrontation last week that was broken up by Alonzo Mourning, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Dorell Wright: Starts at Small Forward Thursday
Update: Wright started at small forward Thursday night in Miami's loss to Portland.
Analysis: Heat coach Pat Riley tried another tweak in the lineup, but he's running out of answers for the 4-14 team. Wright had eight points on 4-of-5 shooting with four rebounds and a steal, then was replaced my Ricky Davis to start the third quarter.
Josh Smith: Block Party with Strong Shooting
Update: Smith blocked seven shots, many of them of the highlight reel variety, on Thursday night against the Timberwolves.
Analysis: He also scored 28 points on excellent shooting (11-for-19 FG, 6-for-7 FT) while grabbing two steals and dishing two assists. If Smith has worked through his shooting difficulties he will become an even more dangerous roto threat, as that was his only real weakness.
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