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| Duncan in for a battle, but not from Shaq | Friday 4/18, 6:59 PM CT |
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Tim Duncan will receive considerable attention from the Suns in their first round matchup, first in the form of Amare Stoudemire and then Boris Diaw, this according to the East Valley Tribune.
Our View: What is surprising about this decision by the Suns is that Shaquille O'Neal will not be guarding Duncan thereby, theoretically, leaving O'Neal more energy to play offense. Time will tell if this is a wise move or not. |
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| Butler ready to overcome aches and pains | Friday 4/18, 6:38 PM CT |
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Caron Butler is suffering from numerous physical issues including a bruised right knee, but he fully expects to give the Cavaliers all they can handle in Round 1, this according to ESPN.
Our View: Butler scored over 20 points a game on the year with 6.7 boards and 4.9 assists, and he and a healthy Gilbert Arenas could give the Cavs fits, that is if Arenas and Butler are healthy. |
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| Arenas to come off bench | Friday 4/18, 6:35 PM CT |
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Gilbert Arenas will begin the playoffs by coming off the bench for the Wizards against the Cleveland Cavaliers, this according to ESPN. "We want to get him off the bench, look at 25 minutes, hopefully it grows to 28 minutes, maybe 30 minutes if he feels good," HC Eddie Jordan said. "He'll be a catalyst for us off the bench."
Our View: Arenas will look to match his mouth with his production in this series. He had better bring his "A" game because LeBron James is ready to show Arenas just who his daddy is. |
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| Garnett misses second straight practice | Friday 4/18, 6:33 PM CT |
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Kevin Garnett missed his second straight practice on Friday to be with his pregnant wife, but the team isn't concerned and still fully expects him to play on Sunday against the Hawks, this according to the AP.
Our View: We bet that Garnett will be his usual dominating self once the first jump ball is played, so don't be concerned in the least at this point. |
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| McGrady looking for redemption | Friday 4/18, 6:01 PM CT |
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Tracy McGrady has been in six playoff series in his career, and his team has never advanced past the first round. McGrady will look to reverse this trend when his Rockets take on the Jazz in Round 1 this year, this according to the AP. “I’m in a position to make it happen,” he said. “I’m eager to advance, but I’m not even worrying about what happened in the past. I’m here again and we’ll see what happens.”
Our View: McGrady and his mates face an uphill battle with Yao Ming on the sidelines, so look for McGrady to be Mr. Everything if the Rockets are to move on. |
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| Okur will not be suspended | Friday 4/18, 5:55 PM CT |
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Mehmet Okur will avoid suspension from the NBA after his Flagrant 1 foul in the team's last game on Wednesday, this according to the Salt Lake City Deseret News. "I didn't do it on purpose," said Okur. "I didn't do anything on purpose."
Our View: It appears that the league agrees with that assessment, so look for Okur and his 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds to be ready to go in Game 1 of the playoffs. |
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| Williams expects to play in Game 1 | Friday 4/18, 5:52 PM CT |
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Deron Williams, dealing with an injured tailbone, should be able to play in Game 1, this according to the Salt Lake City Deseret News. "I'm sure he'll probably be ready to play," head coach Jerry Sloan said. "He has a chance to kind of get some of the soreness out (with Thursday and Friday between games), but if not, we have to play anyway."
Our View: Williams is the best player on the squad and his health will go a long way to determining how they fare once the playoffs begin. |
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| Ming making progress | Friday 4/18, 4:44 PM CT |
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Yao Ming will be allowed to lose the crutches he has been on since he had surgery on his left foot, this according to the Houston Chronicle. "I still need to wear the walking boot for a couple weeks, but at least I can walk by myself. My hands are not busy anymore."
Our View: Yao still hopes to be able to participate in the Olympics, and it sounds like he is off to a good start in his recovery. |
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| Thomas fired as Knicks coach | Friday 4/18, 4:41 PM CT |
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Isiah Thomas was fired as the Knicks coach on Friday, this according to the AP. “It’s very difficult to be the coach and general manager,” he said. “Maybe it was too much.”
Our View: Thomas will remain with the team in some capacity, though after a 23-59 season, the decision to move on to another coach seems warranted. |
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| Carter undergoes MRI on ankle | Friday 4/18, 3:04 PM CT |
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Vince Carter underwent an MRI on his right ankle Friday, and he may need to undergo offseason surgery, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Our View: The paper is glib about the ailment, which we take to mean the surgery would not be serious. Carter has shockingly played 77, 79, 82 and 76 games over the last four season and shaken the injury-plagued tag. |
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| Owners vote 28-2 to move Sonics | Friday 4/18, 2:52 PM CT |
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The NBA owners voted 28-2 on Friday and approved the bid to relocate the Sonics to Oklahoma City. All that stands in the way of the move is potential a Seattle city lawsuit forcing the club to honor its lease with KeyArena, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen voted against the move.
Our View: First the Pilots move to Milwaukee and now this!?! This vote was basically a sad formality at this point. |
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| Sene has microfracture surgery | Friday 4/18, 12:20 PM CT |
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Mouhamed Sene underwent microfracture surgery on his knee Thursday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer confirms.
Our View: The timetable for microfracture can be tricky to nail down, but such an operation is especially tough on a fringe guy like Sene. |
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| Wade wants to play in Olympics | Friday 4/18, 10:19 AM CT |
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Dwyane Wade is aiming to play for Team USA in this summer's Olympics. He has yet to do any rehab on his left knee, which didn't allow him to take the court after March 8. Wade plans to begin working out on May 5, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. The pre-Olympics mini-camp begins on June 27.
Our View: Wade would help his 2008-09 fantasy value if he's able to suit up this summer. We're still going to have concerns about his future chances to ever log more than 70-75 games in a season, though. |
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| Hill plans to play | Friday 4/18, 10:14 AM CT |
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Grant Hill doesn't plan on missing the start of the playoffs on Saturday. He tweaked his sore groin on Monday and sat out on Wednesday. "I'm going to go," Hill tells the Arizona Republic.
Our View: Hill would have to be hobbled pretty badly to miss this chance of advancing in the postseason. The Suns-Spurs series should be hotly contested, and Hill could end up playing a key supporting role. |
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| Mullin wants to keep Biedrins | Friday 4/18, 10:09 AM CT |
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Warriors executive vice president of basketball operations Chris Mullin tells the San Francisco Chronicle that he'll re-sign Andris Biedrins this summer, no matter what the cost. The big man is due to be a free agent. He averaged 10.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks and shot 62.6 percent in 2007-08.
Our View: Biedrins turned 22 earlier this month, and he is still developing into a complete player. Fantasy owners can see the obvious pluses in his game, though. If Biedrins can get a little more aggressive on both ends and bump up his minutes from 27 to around 32 per night, he could turn into a quality fantasy center as soon as next season. |
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| Stackhouse ready for playoffs | Friday 4/18, 10:00 AM CT |
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Jerry Stackhouse tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he felt fine after returning to action on Wednesday. He played 16 minutes after missing nine games due to a strained right groin. Stackhouse is hoping to log more minutes once the playoffs begin.
Our View: Stackhouse will be a key player off the bench for the Mavs, especially if he is feeling better. The veteran can still fill it up on some nights. |
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| Marbury getting clean slate? | Friday 4/18, 9:56 AM CT |
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Stephon Marbury could be back with the Knicks next season. New president Donnie Walsh wants Marbury to come back from his ankle surgery and be the starting point guard in 2008-09. "He told Stephon he wants him back at the same high level he knows he's capable of," a source tells FoxSports.com. "It was positive."
Our View: Marbury is in need of a clean slate, whether it be with the Knicks or another organization. We believe he can still be a quality fantasy guard, but he needs to prove he's healthy and needs to work within the next head coach's system. Only time will tell if that can happen. |
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| Butler returns to practice | Friday 4/18, 12:23 AM CT |
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Caron Butler was able to practice on Thursday as the Wizards prepared for their first-round series against Cleveland. Butler missed the teams final three games of the season with a bruised right knee.
Our View: Rototimes sources report that Butler is close to 100 percent and will be available on Saturday. |
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