Above: Fantasy superstars Renaldo 'Kool' Balkman and Tyler 'Psycho-T' Hansbrough circa 1991.
SEASON 2009/2010 Welcome to the new season GM's. Great seeing that everyone hyped up for our second keeper season. Don't forget to keep your trading blocks updated throughout the season. Good luck all. May the best manager win.
DRAFT RECAP It was an eventful draft with many jealous cries (82. Randolph) and chuckles (Bibby & Sheeds) echoing throughout our Fantasy world. Nobody is ever wrong on draft day, but others can be more right. Nene dropped almost 40 odd spots to the Lakers. Rookies were going reasonably later than expected. Websites were being cited. Tyrus Thomas was taken accidentally. Sal beat everyone to Big Roy. Dom beat everyone to Selma Blair. All 500 of the Houston big men were drafted. Everyone thought about taking Yao in the last 2 rounds. Pressure picks were being made. Some with the help of discreet palm cards. At the same time, many 'not-so-much-pressure-picks' were made from the comfort of a quiet home with an embarrassment of notes at hand. Many thanks to the Autodrafters for shaving off the top - hopefully you will make it next year.
Butler nailed four three-pointers and scored 18 points in the Clippers' 109-99 loss to Utah on Tuesday.
Spin:
Butler kept Los Angeles close in the first half with his hot shooting, but died down the stretch with the rest of his squad as the Clippers were outscored by 14 in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles finishes off its first half of the season with a game against Golden State on Wednesday, and it is worth noting that Butler has been good in back-to-back situations this season, averaging 13 points per game in those 13 instances for Los Angeles.
Price hit all three three-point attempts and scored 11 points off the bench Tuesday. He also added two rebounds and two steals.
Spin:
Price has not gotten much playing time lately and has not scored in double-digits since mid-January. He may have spurts of good play but is not a steady fantasy contributor.
Boozer was 13-for-17 from the field Tuesday and scored a game-high 34 points in a win against the Clippers. He completed a double-double with 14 rebounds while adding four assists and four steals.
Spin:
Boozer stepped up and had a huge night against the Clippers. He was left off the All-Star team in favor of Clippers center Chris Kaman and my have taken out some frustration.
Arthur (torn pectoral muscle) returned to the Grizzlies' lineup Tuesday.
Spin:
He played for 18:46 but only scored four points (2-3 FG) and grabbed four boards. He will give the Griz some frontcourt depth behind Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, but he won't hold much value unless one of those two guys leaves the starting lineup. For now, he will help what has been a thin Memphis bench.
With Trevor Ariza (hip) out Tuesday, Landry made his first start of the season, but it resulted in only 11 points and six boards in 26 minutes of action.
Spin:
The move shifted Shane Battier to shooting guard, although Landry took a backseat to Chase Budinger in the second half. Expect Landry to resume his role off the bench after the All-Star break.
Ellington had 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including two three-pointers, in Tuesday's loss to the 76ers.
Spin:
Ellington made good in front of his hometown Philly fans, but this was just his second game in double digits since January 15, so don't get overly excited.
Durant scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the Thunder's 89-77 win over the Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
Spin:
Durant went 12-of-25 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the line, also adding two 3-pointers and two steals in 35 minutes of playing time. His 29.7 ppg is second only to LeBron James this season, and it's a tightly contested battle right now.