In his own head, Charlie has been a fantasy General Manager for years. Unfortunately, real NBA teams did not return his calls when he applied to be their "real" GM. Following his rejection, he has spitefully chosen to share his knowledge with the world. For more from Charlie, visit his blog.
Have
three guards coming off early season injuries to strong
February’s who’ve Impressed, and for the very first
time in Charity Stripe History, an “honorable
mention” 3 Who’ve Impressed. Can you
guess who it is? He’s from LA.
To digress have the nasty fantasy fallout from the latest blockbuster deal.
And
by the way, I will respond in my next column to whomever emails me a
fantasy question or criticism of my recommendations to
danoff.charles@gmail.com. The next person to send something
will be the first, and officially be crowned the #1 World Wide Fan of
the Charity Stripe.
Now, for the show you all came here to see …
Rodney Stuckey Detroit Pistons Fantasy Eligible Positions: PG, SG
The
rookie from Eastern Washington was injured for most of the beginning of
the season, and took a while to get back into shape following his
late-December return. In February; however, he has finally
carved out a niche for himself in the Pistons rotation, averaging 21.9
minutes over the month’s first seven games.
He
hasn’t been scoring a lot, his highest point total was
Tuesday night in a loss to the Magic, he scored 16 points.
Its been his all-around play that makes him valuable as a fantasy
option. For the month he’s averaging .6 steals, 2.4
rebounds, 3.7 assists and 11.4 points. Keeping in mind the
low minutes he’s been playing and his youth, those numbers
are pretty impressive.
I’d
look for his minutes to go up as games mean less and less for Detroit,
and they seek to get Stuckey more experience. If
they’re gonna beat Boston to get to the Finals,
they’ll need all the help they can get from their the
“Zoo Crew.”
That means big minutes for Stuckey, which is good for Rodney and good
for you if you’re wise enough to listen to me.
Marcus Williams New Jersey Nets Fantasy Eligible Positions: PG, SG
Way back in early November, I made the far-too-early
recommendation to pick up Williams and stash him on your injury
list. Those loyal Charity Stripe disciples who listened back
then, you’re about to realize the fruits of your labor
… and it only took roughly four months.
With
the Kidd trade now finally official, look for Williams to get real
serious minutes down the stretch. Devin Harris was acquired
in the deal for Kidd, obviously, but he’s injured at the
moment. With no other real options at the point guard
position (Darrel Armstrong was viable … a decade ago)
Williams will be on the floor a lot more than he’ll be off it
down the stretch.
The
Nets need to figure out if Williams is a piece they can build around
going forward, and that means losses for them, and stat sheets filled
for you. And you don’t even have to wait four
months this time to yield positive dividends from my
recommendation.
Desmond Mason Milwaukee Bucks Fantasy Eligible Position: SF
In
seven years Mason has quietly had a very solid NBA career.
His best year came in ’02 – ’03, where he
averaged 14.8 PPG and 6.7 RPG for the Bucks. After a two year
absence, he returned to the Bucks this past off-season seeking to
recapture some former glory.
Injuries
have derailed that dream, he’s only suited up in 31 games,
putting up the lowest statistical numbers since his rookie
year. He’s come back healthy in February; however,
and is starting to again remind fans of the Mason of old.
He’s been averaging 5.2 RPG and 11.0 PPG while shooting over
50% for the month. Look for Mason’s minutes to stay
up as the Bucks don’t really have any young players to give
his minutes to at the position as their season winds down the
tubes.
**
Honorable Mention “3” Who’ve Impressed:
Another member of the Zoo: Amir Johnson. Against Indiana on
the 13th, he had seven blocks.
3 To Digress
Richard Jefferson & Vince Carter New Jersey Nets Fantasy Eligible Positions: RJ – SF; VC - SG
There are plenty of reasons to get rid of Carter anyway,
but it has never been more imperative than now. The life
support VC’s career was surviving on has officially dried up
with Kidd now in Dallas, and Carter’s numbers will peter
sharply downward from here on out.
Losing
Kidd is the same reason to ditch Jefferson now. While
Jefferson still has a long NBA career ahead of him, everybody is
better, scratch that A LOT BETTER, playing with Kidd.
It’s something Jefferson’s had the pleasure to
enjoy his whole career. Finally on his own now, fans will see
what kind of player Jefferson really is. Regardless of who
that is, for the rest of the year his numbers will be worse than what
he’s shown so far.
Their
PPG totals may stay roughly the same, but their percentages will go way
down. Those
couldn’t-be-more-perfect-passes-hitting-you-exactly-in-stride-right-where-you-like-it
won’tbe around any longer.
Jason Kidd Dallas Mavericks Fantasy Eligible Position: PG
Returning
to the Lone Star state is good for Jason and the Mavs, but bad for
you. Kidd’s numbers are already markedly down this
year (PPG % FG% lowest of career), and while he may be happier in Big
D, you won’t be if you own him. No guard plays more
than 32 minutes a game for them, and Kidd was already struggling as a
fantasy star averaging 37 minutes a night.
There
will be a getting to know you period where Kidd probably
won’t play a lot, and once everybody’s friends,
then they’ll keep his minutes down to make sure
he’s fresh for the postseason. Even once
that’s over, he’ll be sharing minutes with Jason
Terrry which deflate his fantasy numbers.
All in all, great on-court move, terrible fantasy move … get value now, while you can.
In his own head, Charlie has been a fantasy General Manager for years. Unfortunately, real NBA teams did not return his calls when he applied to be their "real" GM. Following his rejection, he has spitefully chosen to share his knowledge with the world. For more from Charlie, 