This article is part of our Rebound & Rant series.
I did something almost unmentionable: I attended the Celtics vs. 76ers game in Boston last week. Yes, for some unexplainable reason, I felt the need to watch these two retched teams live. And to make matters worse, Michael Carter-Williams was out with a foot injury.
After admiring the humorous styling's of,
The Thunderbastard, Stan Williams, I asked him to join my son and me on an adventure to TD Garden. After some much needed pre-game Guinness at
The Grand Canal, we entered the arena and watched some very poor basketball.
It got me thinking that with the All-Star break upon us, instead of focusing on the NBA's best, I should instead ponder opportunities in Lottery Land. For it's on the truly bad teams where fantasy gold can be discovered. This week, let's analyze the worst rosters in the East, shall we?
Philadelphia 76ers
It's probably too late for you to grab K.J. McDaniels or Robert Covington for your season-long teams. As I learned at the Boston game, Covington is more than happy to pad his stats with some end-of-game meaningless threes. He's still often undervalued in daily games. Over his last five games, he's averaged 18.8 points, 3.6 threes, and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting a strong 44 percent from the field. McDaniels has cooled off some, but has continued averaging one block per game over the last 20 games.
Point guard Tim Frazier has been benefiting from MCW's injury woes. Frazier is quick but a terrible shooter (22 percent from the field in three games with Philly). If you're desperate for assists, he's a cheap option, but his minutes should decline when MCW returns after the ASG break. JaKarr Simpson has taken McDaniels' shooting guard spot in the starting lineup, and while he has nice size, he doesn't score enough for most fantasy lineups. He takes the "shooting" out of shooting guard. Oh for the days of former Bullet Timmy Legler!
New York Knicks
How bad are things in NYC? Louis Amundson is starting at center. When with Cleveland, Amundson averaged only seven minutes per game, and the Cavs were thin in the frontcourt. Now he's averaging 23 minutes and has started 12 of 13 games with the Knicks. Wow, Phil Jackson is a genius. Next to Mediocre Lou is Jason Smith, proof that all seven footers are guaranteed six years in the NBA. If not for Amundson's ponytail, this would be the dullest frontcourt in the NBA. I don't have any advice regarding the Knicks' lineups – I just enjoy dumping on them. The best I can say is that Langston Galloway isn't awful and at least seems to care.
For the first time in my life, I may actually agree with Stephen A. Smith. I should get a drink:
Orlando Magic
Like most fantasy dorks, I've had a man crush on Tobias Harris ever since he escaped Milwaukee. The 22-year-old (yes, he's only 22) is poised to explode under new interim coach James Borrego. The Magic are resting him over the All-Star break to help his bruised knee. Expect him to come back strong.
Evan Fournier has cooled off after a surprising start to the season, and the young three-guard rotation of Fournier, Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo is not yet paying off. I'm not a fan of Orlando's "everyone can play multiple positions" approach. How do you "Do Your Job" (copywrite, New England Patriots) if you don't know what your job is? Count me as someone who views "tweener" as a negative.
At least their love for Bollywood runs strong.
Indiana Pacers
David West is a proud, 34-year-old veteran, who has been gradually improving his play this year after missing the first 15 games of the season with an ankle injury. He's probably undervalued in your league. Over the last 30 days, he has a per-game rank of 43 in my nine-category Yahoo league. Didn't expect that, did you? Get him.
Boston Celtics
The trade deadline is February 19, and Danny Ainge has an itchy trigger finger. I love Marcus Smart's game, but it's not fantasy friendly. Still, however Ainge makes moves this week, expect Smart and James Young to get more minutes. Young will do harm to your field goal shooting, but Smart will earn steals and assists.
Detroit Pistons
I am still kicking myself for not immediately grabbing D.J. Augustine as soon as Brandon Jennings (Achilles) was injured. He's now performing in Detroit just like he did last year in Chicago when Derrick Rose got hurt. Over the last 10 games, he's averaging 20.3 points, 8.2 assists, and 1.9 three-pointers in 34 minutes per game. Hello! It's too late to grab him now, but the value is still there in daily games. Ugh, why didn't I pick him up!?!
For all the Kentavious Caldwell-Pope talk, please remember he is still shooting 39.6 percent from the field.
Brooklyn Nets
It would be nice if the Nets can deal veteran Kevin Garnett (Garnett has a no-trade clause). It would free up even more rebounds for young Mason Plumlee. But the fact is Plumlee is already out-hustling Garnett for rebounds. Maybe the Nets find a taker for oft-injured Brook Lopez. Either way, expect Plumlee's minutes to increase over the second half. The rest of the roster is playing in sand.
For those of you saying "no way, you did NOT waste your money on Celtics versus Sixers!?!", I can provide proof. Here is a shot Thunderbastard took of me and my son Sam at TD Garden. Sam got that black eye sledding with friends – I swear.
Peace out!
