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| Jefferson solid in limited minutes | Monday 10/6, 10:43 PM CT |
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Al Jefferson scored 18 points and grabbed eight boards in just 19 minutes of work on Monday night in the win against the Bucks.
Our View: Jefferson is coming off his second straight 11 rebound campaign and he also tossed in a career best 21.1 points per game last year. Guys that average double-doubles aren't easy to find, there were only nine last season, so his value is certainly high. |
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| McCants loves the charity stripe | Monday 10/6, 10:40 PM CT |
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Rashad McCants scored a game-high 22 points on Monday night in the Wolves 117-79 demolishing of the depleted Bucks squad.
Our View: McCants made only five shots from the field, but he was 10-for-12 from the line on way to his big scoring night off the bench in only 20 minutes of playing time. |
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| Bogut out on Monday night | Monday 10/6, 10:38 PM CT |
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Andrew Bogut was a late scratch on Monday night, not because of the tender ankle that trouble him after the Olympics but because of a migraine headache, according to the Associated Press.
Our View: Bogut should be completely fine in a day or two as he is ready to embark on what could be a year of growth after a year of 14.3 points and 9.8 rebounds in '07. |
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| Ridnour misses contest | Monday 10/6, 10:36 PM CT |
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Luke Ridnour missed the Bucks game on Friday night due to right knee tendonitis, according to the Associated Press. Tyron Lue (groin), Charlie Bell (left heel) and Joe Alexander (abdominal strain) also missed the game.
Our View: Not much out of the ordinary here as there is no reason to push anyone dealing with in an injury in a meaningless preseason game. |
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| Smith takes a lot of shots | Monday 10/6, 9:23 PM CT |
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Josh Smith played a game high 31:39 on Monday night in the Hawks 118-101 victory over the Magic. He scored nine points as he connected on just 4-of-14 shots, though he did add seven boards.
Our View: Smith will continue to be a productive point getter (17.2 points last season), and he is a surprisingly strong rebounder (over eight per game the past two years) for guy who doesn't have the reputation of being a huge inside presence. |
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| Howard blocks eight shots | Monday 10/6, 9:19 PM CT |
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Dwight Howard made six of nine shots on his way to 17 points and five rebounds for the Magic on Monday night. On the defensive side of the ball, Howard blocked eight shots to match his regular season best.
Our View: Few players, if any, can match the sheer magnitude of the physical gifts that Howard possesses. He is one of the top centers in all of fantasy. |
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| Lewis fills up net | Monday 10/6, 9:16 PM CT |
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Rashard Lewis was in mid-season form on Monday night as he scored a game high 22 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field which included two 3-pointers.
Our View: Lewis is the long range bomber who keeps teams from collapsing on Dwight Howard, and last season he did a solid job occupying defenders averaging 18.2 points per contest. |
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| Law hero in first game | Monday 10/6, 9:14 PM CT |
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Acie Law led the Hawks 118-101 victory over the Magic on Monday night by scoring a team high 20 points to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
Our View: Law had an uneven rookie season last year with middling numbers (4.2 points, 2.0 assists). The 11th overall selection out of Texas A&M last year will look to substantially improve on that developmental effort. |
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| Jefferon injures leg | Monday 10/6, 9:00 PM CT |
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Richard Jefferson was forced to leave the Bucks game versus the Timberwolves in the first quarter after suffering a strained left quad, according to the Associated Press. He will not return.
Our View: Jefferson is a vital cog in what the Bucks will try to do this season on the offensive end, so this is certainly not the start that the small forward was looking for with his new club. |
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| O'Neal will not coast | Monday 10/6, 8:04 PM CT |
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Jermaine O'Neal has a lot to prove this season and isn't willing to simply rest on his veteran laurels in the preseason, according to Slam Sports. "You practice and you play to win, it gets contagious. We don't want to get lazy and approach the preseason with a half-hearted effort. We want to approach it like a regular-season game."
Our View: That's the perfect attitude any coach would want to hear from any player, especially one who is looking to reestablish himself as an All-Star caliber performer. While just 29 year of age, O'Neal hasn't appeared in 70 games since the 2003 campaign making him a risky selection in '08. |
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| McGrady to miss first game | Monday 10/6, 7:57 PM CT |
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Tracy McGrady (knee) and Shane Battier (foot) will both miss the Rocket first preseason game, according to the Houston Chronicle. “I’m not ready to play,” McGrady said. “It’s early…My knee is not at full strength to go out there and play basketball right now.”
Our View: McGrady is full expected to be ready to play when it counts, and as always the production will be there when he plays, though drafting him means having to micro manage your roster through the inevitable injuries. |
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| Camby completes full practice | Monday 10/6, 7:54 PM CT |
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Marcus Camby returned from the flu on Monday and participated fully in practice, according to the Los Angeles Times. "I imagine I'll work him back in real slow," Clippers HC Mike Dunleavy said. "It'll take a bit."
Our View: Camby will continue to function as a massive defensive presence in his first season with the Clippers a season after he posted a career best 13.1 boards to go along with 3.6 blocks per game. Draft him as a top-5 center in most formats. |
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| Green spends time with first unit | Monday 10/6, 7:45 PM CT |
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Willie Green practiced on Monday with the Sixers first team, according to Philly Blurbs.
Our View: The club has been rotating players into the starting five also giving Kareem Rush and Thaddeus Young some time with the unit as HC Maurice Cheeks tries to decide what the best combinations are early in camp. |
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| Chandler skips practice | Monday 10/6, 7:36 PM CT |
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Tyson Chandler sat out the Hornets practice on Monday due to the ankle he sprained against the Warriors on Sunday, according to The Times-Picayune. Chandler believes he will be able to practice on Tuesday but he may not be game ready for the clubs matchup with the Pacers on Wednesday.
Our View: Backup Hilton Armstrong will look to take advantage of the minutes to increase his role with the team this season. The report stated that Chandler could probably play if it was a regular season game, so continue to draft him with confidence as the injury appears to be minor. |
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| Shoulder doing better for forward | Monday 10/6, 7:31 PM CT |
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Kenyon Martin returned to practice and his injured right shoulder is doing much better, according to the Rocky Mountain News.
Our View: Martin missed some time last week due to the injury but obviously has plenty of time to work his way back into shape. Martin had a nice comeback season after being limited to just two games in 2006 as he averaged 12.4 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting almost 54% from the field. Expect similar production this season. |
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| Iverson skips practice on Monday | Monday 10/6, 7:24 PM CT |
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Allen Iverson sat out practice on Monday due to a left knee contusion though no one is overly concerned about the injury, according to the Rocky Mountain News.
Our View: Iverson will likely return to practice later in the week. Given that he played almost 42 minutes a game last season, he could certainly benefit from a reduced workload in the preseason so this really isn't anything to be concerned about. |
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| Fesenko not impressing anyone | Monday 10/6, 4:53 PM CT |
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Kyrylo Fesenko has been working hard trying to get in shape but he still has a long way to go, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. HC Jerry Sloan said Fesenko has yet to "realize the importance of being in great shape, because when you aren't in great shape, you have a tendency to always be behind..."
Our View: Sounds like the youngster is really making a great impression with the club. After a summer league showing that was deemed "very poor", one has to be concerned about Fesenko's willingness to do what it takes to make it at the NBA level. |
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| Gordon limited by ankle | Monday 10/6, 4:46 PM CT |
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Ben Gordon is dealing with a sore ankle that has limited him in the early going, according to the Chicago Sun Times.
Our View: Gordon practiced on Sunday and though he has missed some time with the injury he has still been able to work on his shooting on the side. He'll just need to work on his conditioning once the ankle gets a little stronger. |
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| Curry says he will start | Monday 10/6, 4:40 PM CT |
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Eddy Curry returned to practice after missing some time due to a bacterial infection, and he said that he fully anticipates being the clubs starting center on opening night, according to the NY Daily News.
Our View: Curry will obviously need to work on his conditioning after this illness. If Zach Randolph ends up at power forward that will means that David Lee will be forced to come off the bench. |
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| Okafor not concerned | Monday 10/6, 4:33 PM CT |
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Emeka Okafor's lower back soreness that kept him out of action on Sunday is nothing to be concerned about, according to the Charlotte Observer. “I started feeling it Thursday. It was starting to hurt a little bit more, so I figured I better get it to calm down before it becomes an issue,” Okafor said.
Our View: Okafor has a big dollar contract to live up to, so expect him to be on the court when it counts as looks to build upon an extremely solid '07 season that produced 13.8 points, 10.7 boards and 1.7 blocks per game. |
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| Dunleavy out of opener | Monday 10/6, 4:23 PM CT |
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Mike Dunleavy will miss the Pacers preseason opener on Wednesday due to tendonitis in his right knee, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Our View: Marquis Daniels will likely pick up a start or two while Dunleavy works through his injury which sounds like a rather minor concern that will just need some maintenance. |
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| Murphy out of opener | Monday 10/6, 4:20 PM CT |
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Troy Murphy will miss the Pacers preseason opener on Wednesday due to an Achilles tendon problem, according to the Indianapolis Star. Travis Diener will also miss the game because of an injured foot.
Our View: Jeff Foster or Austin Croshere will be called on to start in place of Murphy. At this point there isn't a lot of information to go on, but given that this is the first we have heard of this condition we would expect it to be rather minor. |
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| Storey waived | Monday 10/6, 2:48 PM CT |
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Awvee Storey has been waived by the Nets, according to NetsDaily.com.
Our View: He was a camp invitee and was viewed as a lonshot to make the Nets, despite a strong showing in the summer league. |
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| Dalembert has lofty goal | Monday 10/6, 10:33 AM CT |
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Samuel Dalembert stated that he intends to make the All-Star team this season, according to the Phillyburbs.com. Andre Iguodala believes his goal is realistic and said, "When Sam puts his mind to something, he's capable of doing it. He has those 20-rebound nights and those eight-, nine-block nights. I definitely feel he has the capability of doing that."
Our View: Dalembert has never received an All-NBA vote or averaged more than 10.7 points in a season. Dalembert was fourth in the league in blocks (2.34) and ninth in rebounds (10.4) last year, however. Coach Maurice Cheeks also believes Dalembert could be more effective this season while playing alongside Elton Brand. His fantasy stock looks to be on the rise for 2008.
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| Ollie vs. Ahearn | Monday 10/6, 8:23 AM CT |
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Kevin Ollie is battling Blake Ahearn for the third spot at point guard with Minnesota, according to the Star Tribune.
Our View: That could change as teams release players and shuffle their rosters for salary-cap purposes when rosters are set just before the start of the regular season. The team will continue to monitor the waiver wire, and are looking for either a guard or a big man.
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| Booth remains hindered by back | Monday 10/6, 8:19 AM CT |
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Calvin Booth remains hindered by back spasms, according to the Star Tribune. He is not participating on the court, and is spending most of his time on an exercise bike.
Our View: The Wolves added Booth to provide depth at center, but he will hold no fantasy value as he only averages 3.3 points over 358 career games. Fellow big men Jason Collins (elbow surgery) and Brian Cardinal (sore calf) are also limited by ailments. |
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| Miller available for tonight | Monday 10/6, 8:14 AM CT |
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Mike Miller left Saturday's scrimmage early due to a sore hamstring, but is available to play in tonight's preseason opener against the Bucks, according to the Star Tribune.
Our View: Miller averaged 17 points and six boards over his last two seasons with Memphis, and should prove to be a strong addition to the Wolves' frontcourt, assuming he is healthy. |
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| Jefferson expected to play | Monday 10/6, 8:09 AM CT |
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Al Jefferson is expected to play some tonight with a plastic brace on his leg as the Wolves open their preseason against Milwaukee, according to the Star Tribune. He is recovering from a sprained knee ligament.
Our View: Jefferson is the leader of the Wolves, as he averaged 21 points and 11.1 boards over 82 games in 2007. He won't be pushed too hard tonight, and should continue to be brought along slowly. |
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| Campbell released by Rockets | Monday 10/6, 7:25 AM CT |
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Marcus Campbell has been released by the Rockets, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Our View: The Rockets' group of big men have performed well in training camp, hence making Campbell expendable. |
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