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Sports Grumblings -
http://www.sportsgrumblings.com/basketball/articles
Treasure Hunting -- November 22, 2007
http://www.sportsgrumblings.com/basketball/articles/articles/232/1/Treasure-Hunting----November-22-2007/Page1.html
Scott Sargent
 Scott Sargent is the Senior NBA fantasy analyst for Sports Grumblings. He is a
lead writer for DroppingDimes.com, and has been featured on SI.com. He also
contributes his sharp analysis for Sports Grumblings for fantasy football
fans. By Scott Sargent
Published on 11/22/2007 |
Off-court issues saw him fall, but on-court success has seen his stock rise.
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It looks like I may have been about a month early with the Andray Blatche treasure hunt, but if you did not see his recent numbers by now, odds are that the big man is not available in your leagues at this time. Blatche has been inserted into the Wizards lineup as a power forward as well as a small forward when the team opts to move Caron Butler to the shooting guard slot. He has been a monster for blocks and steals, and has recently picked up his scoring average. Go scour your waiver wire and then come back here to check out this week’s edition of Treasure Hunting - where I will aim to give you two more players to be thankful for as we roll into the holiday weekend.
Jamario Moon, SF, Toronto Raptors
The first of two rookies that I am going to dig up this week, Moon is one of the 27-year old variety. In the basketball world, we call this “rare,” as most rookies in his class are eight-to-nine years younger. But unlike a lot of his peers, Moon is not only receiving playing time but he is starting and getting plenty of minutes.
A virtual unknown before a week ago, Moon was given a random start in a game that resulted in a slaughtering of the Chicago Bulls. In that contest, Moon put up 12 points, six boards, three steals and a block in only 23 minutes of play. Since then, the undrafted rookie has gone on to put up lines that featured decent scoring, some threes and even a game with three blocked shots.
The downside to Moon is that he is stuck playing small forward, a position that also demands time from two new acquisitions for the Raptors: Jason Kapono and Carlos Delfino. Given Toronto’s slight struggles this season, it would not surprise anyone if the team rolled out an entirely new rotation during any game in the near future.
With a player of Moon’s upside, the best bet is to ride him while he is hot and simply hope that the Raptors realize what they have at the small forward slot. He may not record more than 30 minutes in any given night, but he provides a ton of hustle and work ethic that allows him to score here and there, but log in several steals and a few blocks in a given week.
Sean Williams, C, New Jersey Nets
Speaking of blocked shots, there is a kid on the block in New Jersey these days that has some crazy hops – and it is not Vince Carter. Williams’ draft stock slid considerably due to some off-court problems that he had in college. Without diving too much into them, there is no secret that the Nets frontcourt is their biggest weakness. Mikki Moore played well in Nenad Krstic’s absence last season, but he took full advantage of that by getting a new contract in Sacramento.
The Nets then picked up former All-Star Jamaal Magloire, hoping to fill any void that may be left while Krstic recovers from his knee surgery. It is obvious that Krstic’s knee has not recuperated to the fullest extent, but it’s also been fairly obvious that Magloire is not the long-term answer in New Jersey. That answer? It may just be the rookie big man – Sean Williams.
Like Moon, others playing his position surround Williams. Aside from the two abovementioned, Jason Collins and Malik Allen also appear to be logging some time in the post. Further, like Moon, Williams appears to be the most talented of all of the big men on the Nets. In his first start with the team, Williams scored 22 points and added eight rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. In his last five games, starting or not, the rookie has blocked 16 shots – good enough for any owner in any league format.
If Lawrence Frank is willing to start a rookie, he is will to play one in extensive time. With any first-year player, there are bound to be some ups and downs so don’t get worried if he puts up a 2-for-10 night in the near future. The cream eventually rises to the top, and similar to the case with Jamario Moon, Williams will be a part of the New Jersey frontcourt for the considerable future. Scoop him up if only for his upside, and then be presently rewarded when he goes off.
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