Beast of the Night: David Lee posted 29 points, 20 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block last night. He shot 77 percent (13-17) from the field, 100 percent (3-3) from the foul line and had four turnovers. This was the kind of line many fantasy owners expected to see from Lee this season, but he fell short of expectations, thanks in part to Wilson Chandler‘s tooth. In the past month, however, Lee has averaged top-12 numbers. He shouldn’t be forgotten on draft day next fall.
Lines for Discussion:
D.J. Augustin: 7-20 FG (35%), 6-7 FT (86%), 2 threes, 22 Pts, 1 Reb, 8 Ast, 5 Stl, 2 TO; Augustin has been a roller coaster all season long but has pieced together a solid start to the final stretch of the season. If things remain relatively steady in Charlotte, he should improve his consistency next season.
Greg Monroe: 7-13 FG (54%), 8-10 FT (80%), 22 Pts, 14 Reb, 4 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Monroe will be a very appealing draft pick in next season’s drafts. Remember him.
John Wall: 6-15 FG (40%), 14-16 FT (88%), 26 Pts, 6 Reb, 12 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 Blk, 5 TO; If your league doesn’t count turnovers, Wall has been a top-50 player this season. If your league doesn’t count turnovers or field-goal percentage, he’s a top-25 player. Expect him to improve in both of those areas in 2011-12.
Anthony Randolph: 8-16 FG (50%), 4-7 FT (57%), 20 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 6 TO; With Kevin Love potentially done for the season, Randolph looks appealing again. But if we know one thing about Randolph, it’s this: he is fully capable of letting you down.
Deron Williams: 6-15 FG (40%), 4-7 FT (57%), 2 threes, 18 Pts, 4 Reb, 21 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; The fact that he can dish out 21 assists for a depleted Nets squad is quite a feat.His shooting remains poor but the fact that he’s toughing things out and trying to finish the season should be more than enough for his fantasy owners, especially with lines like this. However, the rest of his season is in serious jeopardy, as he’s set to be re-evaluated today. Keep an eye on that.
DeMar DeRozan: 13-27 FG (48%), 9-12 FT (75%), 1 three, 36 Pts, 10 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; DeRozan will be just 22 years old when next season starts. If he can start hitting some threes, he’ll be a very potent fantasy asset.
Marc Gasol: 6-11 FG (55%), 2-4 FT (50%), 14 Pts, 15 Reb, 2 Ast, 4 Stl, 3 Blk, 1 TO; Gasol is putting a nice finish on a slightly disappointing season. He’s racked up at least one steal and one block in each of his last five games.
Samuel Dalembert: 8-12 FG (67%), 5-6 FT (83%), 21 Pts, 15 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 Blk, 2 TO; It took him a while, but Dalembert has finally transformed into Dalembeast for much of this latter portion of the season. He’s a free agent after this season’s done, so watch to see where he lands.
Andrew Bynum: 5-13 FG (39%), 2-2 FT (100%), 12 Pts, 23 Reb, 1 Ast, 4 Blk, 2 TO; With Pau Gasol playing with a bum knee, Bynum is now the Lakers’ big man who has to pick up some slack. He did just that last night and should fare well in this last run of the season.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Drew Gooden: 18 Pts, 4 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Gooden looks like he’ll finish the season on a high note.
Gerald Henderson: 15 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Give him a look if you need some all-around help in your championship run.
Dante Cunningham: 10 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 TO; He’s worth a look in deeper leagues.
Alonzo Gee: 13 Pts, 2 threes, 6 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; Gee has notched double-digit points in each of his last four games.
Tracy McGrady: 14 Pts, 5 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; T-Mac will chip in with some help in most categories.
Ed Davis: 22 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Davis continues to roll for the most part, though he’s not the most consistent option around.
Jerryd Bayless: 19 Pts, 1 three, 3 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 TO; Bayless should finish the season strong for his owners and should be started in most leagues while Jose Calderon is out.
Toney Douglas: 28 Pts, 6 threes, 1 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl; Douglas continues to retain value as the Knicks’ sixth man.
Gordon Hayward: 22 Pts, 2 threes, 6 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Hayward should get his opportunities to shine in this last stretch of the season and should be considered if you need points and threes.
Derrick Favors: 14 Pts, 11 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; Like Hayward, Favors should be a solid pickup for those still in contention in daily leagues.
Injuries:
Josh Smith (knee): could miss the rest of the week
Tyson Chandler (back): hopes to play tonight
Chris Andersen (ankle): day-to-day
Ryan Gomes (knee): day-to-day
Dwyane Wade (thigh): didn’t practice Tuesday; monitor his status
Ersan Ilyasova (concussion): practiced Monday and could return later this week
Anthony Morrow (knee): day-to-day
Elton Brand (hand): has been playing with a fractured hand since March 9
Jose Calderon (hamstring): day-to-day
Leandro Barbosa (finger): day-to-day
Devin Harris (hamstring): day-to-day
Cartier Martin (ankle): likely done for the season
Josh Howard (knee): ditto
Nick Young (knee): ditto
Jason Collins (ankle): day-to-day
Samardo Samuels (groin): day-to-day
Kyrylo Fesenko (thumb): day-to-day
Deron Williams (wrist): MRI scheduled today; monitor his status
Andrea Bargnani (ankle): played just eight minutes before ending his Tuesday night with that bum ankle
Ben Gordon (knee): monitor his status
Charlie Villanueva (back): day-to-day
Marcus Camby (neck): day-to-day
C.J. Miles (ankle): day-to-day
For Tonight:
Bayless and Davis should turn in another set of solid lines as the Raptors host the Cavs.
Keep an eye on Pau Gasol‘s minutes as the Lakers visit the Warriors in the second game of a back-to-back.
Throughout the season, be sure to leave your questions, comments, concerns, trade offers, roster problems and more in the comments below.
Follow Jason on Twitter at @fbasketballblog.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
