Beast of the Night: Kobe Bryant finished the season with a strong game to the tune of 36 points, nine rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block and one three-pointer. He shot 54 percent (13-24) from the field, 90 percent (9-10) from the foul line and had two turnovers. While he was taken in the first round of virtually all drafts, Bryant returned top-30 value, signaling the end of his time as a truly elite fantasy player. His name will cause many to take him too early in next season’s drafts – don’t be the one to make that mistake.
Lines for Discussion:
Chase Budinger: 12-21 FG (57%), 7-7 FT (100%), 4 threes, 35 Pts, 6 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl; Budinger capitalized on the departure of Shane Battier and fared quite well with his starting job in the latter part of the season. In 22 games as a starter, Budinger averaged 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 threes. He’s a candidate to take a step toward fantasy stardom in 2011-12.
Gordon Hayward: 12-17 FG (71%), 5-5 FT (100%), 5 threes, 34 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Hayward had a solid final stretch of the season, thanks to some starts. He has the potential to be a solid contributor of points and threes next season, though he’ll have to fight for his minutes.
Gerald Henderson: 9-17 FG (53%), 2-2 FT (100%), 20 Pts, 6 Reb, 6 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 Blk; Henderson was a solid asset in the second half of the season, though his fantasy value was limited by his lack of threes. He’s earned himself a steady spot in that rotation for next season, granted that no major changes are made to the Bobcats’ roster.
Blake Griffin: 13-21 FG (62%), 5-7 FT (71%), 31 Pts, 10 Reb, 10 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Griffin tattooed his name all over this season. While his low free-throw percentage and lack of blocks limited his value in 2010-11, fantasy owners should be salivating at his potential for next season.
All Waiver-Wire Team:
PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Wilson Chandler
PF: Serge Ibaka
C: Marcin Gortat
Bench: Kris Humphries, Marcus Thornton, Arron Afflalo, Greg Monroe, Jordan Crawford, Chuck Hayes
All-Injured Team:
PG: Tyreke Evans
SG: Eric Gordon
SF: Rudy Gay
PF: Andrei Kirilenko
C: Joakim Noah
Bench: Carlos Delfino, Baron Davis, Carlos Boozer, Rashard Lewis, Marcus Camby, Chris Kaman
For Next Season:
Up: Kyle Lowry, Ty Lawson, Chase Budinger, Serge Ibaka, Jrue Holiday
Down: Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer, Danny Granger, Steve Nash, Joe Johnson
Thank you all for reading and commenting this season. It’s been a fun ride, thanks in large part to you guys. I hope these posts helped you achieve some form of fantasy basketball success this season. Enjoy the offseason – for however long it lasts.
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