Weekend Wonder: Kevin Love came up big this past weekend, averaging 32.0 points, 16.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and a three in two games. He shot 49 percent from the field, 100 percent from the line and averaged 4.0 turnovers in that stretch. For the season, Love is averaging top five numbers, which is exactly where he was pegged by most fantasy owners in this season’s drafts.
Lines for Discussion:
Jeff Teague (2/10): 6-11 FG (55%), 1 three, 13 Pts, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO; After a strong start to the season and a hot stretch in January, Teague has looked pedestrian so far in February. His season averages place him in the top 60 players in 2011-12, but he hasn’t proven worthy of starting in most leagues lately. Look for him to bounce back sooner than later.
Jeremy Lin (2/10): 13-23 FG (57%), 10-13 FT (77%), 2 threes, 38 Pts, 4 Reb, 7 Ast, 2 Stl, 6 TO; There’s not much to say about Lin that hasn’t already been said, so let’s just leave it at this: Since Feb. 4, Lin has put up top 30 averages in leagues that count turnovers. In leagues that don’t count turnovers, Lin has been a top 15 stud.
Dirk Nowitzki (2/10): 11-19 FG (58%), 7-10 FT (70%), 4 threes, 33 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 1 TO; Diggler’s back to his efficient ways. Since Feb. 3, Nowitzki’s averaging top 10 numbers.
David West (2/10): 8-13 FG (62%), 6-10 FT (60%), 22 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; He followed this up with a 22/7/2 line Saturday. West’s shooting from the floor has improved steadily through the course of the season, and through seven games in February, he’s hitting 56 percent of his shot attempts from the field.
Manu Ginobili (2/11): 4-7 FG (57%), 8 Pts, 1 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 TO; He’s finally back after missing nearly all of January and the beginning of February with a broken hand. Ginobili will be worked back into the rotation and should see his regular load of minutes in the next week or so.
Raymond Felton (2/11): 4-17 FG (24%), 0-1 FT (0%), 1 three, 9 Pts, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; Felton is having a forgettable season, mostly thanks to his 37 percent accuracy from the field and sparse three-pointers made. He might still be bothered by his foot injury, but his owners will just have to be patient and hope he can turn things around, since his trade value is pretty low.
Brandon Jennings (2/11): 3-14 FG (21%), 1-1 FT (100%), 7 Pts, 5 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; This clunker followed his 24/5/8 game. Jennings remains a viable starter in most leagues, but his inconsistency will be maddening for his owners (who should’ve sold high when they had the chance).
Jared Dudley (2/11): 8-13 FG (62%), 1-1 FT (100%), 3 threes, 20 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 5 TO; The comeback is in full effect. Fantasy owners should start Dudley with confidence going forward, especially this week, when the Suns play five times.
Rajon Rondo (2/12): 11-22 FG (50%), 10-13 FT (77%), 32 Pts, 10 Reb, 15 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 TO; Rondo finally broke out in a big way after some ups and downs so far in February. He remains a top-tier fantasy point guard for owners who can stomach his lack of threes and poor free-throw percentage.
Kevin Martin (2/12): 7-16 FG (44%), 9-10 FT (90%), 5 threes, 28 Pts, 6 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; The drought is over – for now. K-Mart had four miserable games before this one but should be safe to start going forward.
Waiver-Wire Watch:
Amir Johnson: while he’s still not a reliable starter in most leagues, Johnson is looking better and better; he’s grabbed 10+ boards in three of his six games this month
Jordan Farmar: he’s averaging top 60 numbers in February and should be owned in more leagues by now
Ersan Ilyasova: he’s a solid option if you need points and rebounds
Ramon Sessions: he continues to have good value while Kyrie Irving is out
Steve Novak: if you need threes, give him a look, but monitor how his role is affected by the returns of Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony
Marco Belinelli: five of his last six games have been decent, and Belinelli is worth picking up if you need points and threes
Nikola Pekovic: he’s had some monster lines this month and should be scooped up immediately if he’s still available in your league
Klay Thompson: if you need threes in a deeper league, give Thompson a look
C.J. Watson: whenever Derrick Rose is out, Watson is a good bet to be a solid spot start
Gordon Hayward: he has averaged 14.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.8 blocks and 0.8 threes in his last nine games
Injuries:
Sasha Pavlovic (wrist): day-to-day
Jermaine O’Neal (shoulder, knee): day-to-day
Brandon Bass (knee): out for the next 10-14 days
D.J. Augustin (toe): out tonight, but could return Wednesday
Richard Hamilton (groin): could be out a week or longer
Dominic McGuire (knee): day-to-day
George Hill (ankle): day-to-day
Darko Milicic (ankle): monitor his status for tonight
Dexter Pittman (shoulder): questionable for tonight
Nene (calf): will miss a few games
Jeff Foster (back): out indefinitely
Marcus Camby (ankle): day-to-day
Anderson Varejao (wrist): fractured wrist puts him out indefinitely
Carmelo Anthony (groin): unlikely Tuesday, but monitor his status
Amar’e Stoudemire (personal): will return to the team today
Chris Kaman (ankle): day-to-day
Jarrett Jack (knee): will miss at least a few more days
Derrick Rose (back): day-to-day
For Tonight:
See if Pekovic can continue his roll as the Timberwolves visit the Magic.
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.
