Fantasy Basketball articles - Sports Grumblings.com

Collison maturing...

Two weeks into 2008, this is the time when most folks start to break those resolutions they made on the 1st, if they have not already. This week I feature three players who’re sticking to their New Year’s Resolutions to help your fantasy team, and three players who are still stuck in their old habits.

Nick Collison
Seattle Supersonics
PF
Unlike a fellow 27-year old Iowa native who played at Kansas, Nick Collison has been playing really well and improving this season. Over November and December Collison played at about the same level he has for most of his career, but in January his numbers have taken a huge jump. I don’t know what kinds of New Years resolutions Collison made for himself, but he has been a lot better than I have about sticking to them.

Through the first six games of the new year, Collison has been playing 31.5 minutes per game, and averaging 2 assists, 13 points and an excellent 14 rebounds. He has also been making over 53% of his shots, including 65% of his attempts over the last three games. Collison’s minutes have gone up since replacing Chis Wilcox in the starting lineup after Wilcox suffered an injured right pinkie. Look for Collison to hold down the starting spot going forward, and while this may not exactly be a Wally Pipp, Lou Gehrig type situation, Collison is still an excellent asset to add to your roster.

Charlie Bell
Milwaukee Bucks
SG
In the 2005 offseason, Bucks GM Lenny Harris pulled Bell off the scrap heap (he was a 25 year old not in the NBA at the time), and it was one of the best diamond in the rough findings of recent memory. Last season, Bell played in all 82 games and scored over 13 points per game for the Bucks.

In the 2007 offseason, Bell, now a proven NBA commodity, was ready to move on from the Bucks and signed a 5-year offer sheet with the Miami Heat, only to have the Bucks match. Bell was not happy with the decision, and it showed over the season’s first few months as he really struggled, shooting under 30% from the field.

Charlie has finally gotten his groove back in January, however, and is now someone you need to pick up. He has rediscovered his stroke, making 50% of his shots for the month, and is now back up to scoring over 13 points per game. A center making half his attempts is expected, a 6-3 guard doing it is just not supposed to happen. He will also help your team with his 82% free throw percentage and a little with his 3.4 assists per game and 3.8 boards. As of right now most fantasy owners seem to have overlooked Bell’s surge … do not make the same mistake yourself.

Ryan Gomes
Minnesota Timberwolves
F
Though standing only 6-7 and a SF by trade, Gomes has been starting at the PF for the Timberwolves in their diminuitive lineup that features 6-9 Al Jefferson out of position at center. Like Jefferson, though, Gomes has been making the most of his opportunity.

Acquired in the Garnett trade, Gomes has not made any fans forget about KG, but he has been putting up 14.1 PPG and 6.7 RPF for the month of January. I originally was going to put another undersized T-Wolves F in this spot, Craig Smith, but Gomes has just been much more impressive. He puts up better numbers than Smith and consistently gets more minutes. As a nice whip cream topping, Gomes also makes nearly 85% of his Charity Stripe attempts. Heading into the rest of the ’08 regular season, the T-Wolves look to pile up a lot of losses, and along the way Gomes can help your fantasy squad pick up some wins.

Hedo Turkoglu
Orlando Magic
F
The sweet-shooting Turk has been one of the NBA’s biggest fantasy surprises this season. Following a few solid years playing heavy minutes for the Magic, Turkoglu’s numbers have increased to near All-Star levels. Why in heaven’s name would owners wise enough to grab Hedo earlier this year ever want to trade him?

Mainly because, while Turkoglu clearly is a better player than most realized, he is not as good as his early season numbers have indicated. In January, he has fallen back to earth a bit, making only 36% of his shots, down from 44% in the first two months, and only scoring 15 points, down from nearly 20. His all-around game is still his strong suit as he puts up good assist and rebounding numbers, but Turkoglu is simply not an All-Star.

If you keep him, he will not suck or anything, his production will just line up more with what he’s done over the rest of his career. Trade him now, while some owners still see him as the player he was through the season’s first two months.

Jamal Crawford & Jason Richardson
Knicks & Warriors
SG’s
I put these two together, because the reasons for trading both now are so similar. Both have had fine scoring years as they usually do, averaging around 20 points per game. Both do well in one other statistic besides scoring: assists for Crawford and rebounds for JRich. And both are entering the prime of their careers, Crawford is 27 and Richardson is 26, hoping to take the next step up in their games.

Unfortunately, neither will. Both are basically guys who can score a lot of points shooting a low percentage. The biggest problems with these two, though, are injuries. Neither has played a full 82 games since the ’02 – ’03 season. Crawford’s never played a full slate of games in his career. Each has managed to avoid the injury bug so far this year, but its only a matter of time.

Trade them now that they are in the midst of hot shooting January’s. Each will cool off soon enough and then got injured shortly after that. Make sure they are someone else’s problem by then.