Fantasy Basketball Daily News and Notes (10/14/10)

Sacramento – The SF spot for the Kings is still undecided.  It seems to be a three way between Omri Casspi, Dante Green and Antoine Wright.  I’m betting that Casspi gets the starting job, but I think you can safely ignore all three for now. 

Marco Belinelli/Marcus Thornton – It looks like Belinelli has pulled away in the race for starting shooting guard.  This may be a fantasy blessing in disguise if you’ve had your eye on Marcus Thornton.  You can probably now pick Thornton up a few rounds later than you normally would and stash him on your bench.

Austin Daye – He’s been really good over the last couple of games and the injury to Jonas Jerebko is going to open up minutes for him this year.   I also think he’s Tayshaun Prince’s long lost brother, they look just alike.   He’s worth a late round flier and a good target in keeper leagues.

Andre Iguodala – I have high hopes for Iguodala this year, but he has looked horrible in preseason.  Actually, the whole Philly team has looked pathetic.  They still don’t have any recognizable offensive strategy and we only have two weeks until opening day.  I’m just not sure why Collins doesn’t realize that Andre should be the primary offensive weapon on that team.  Be careful using a high pick on Iguodala unless Philadelphia gets things in order soon.

Linas Kleiza – He’s one of my favorite sleepers this year, but an achilles strain has been holding him back lately.   He’s got the talent and once he gets healthy he should show mid to late round value.

Brandon Jennings/John Wall – This is going to be a great matchup to watch tonight.

Referees – Kevin Garnett got two quick technicals and got tossed after 11 minutes of action.  Ridiculous.  They have gone way too far with this new rule and it appears that they are just trying to provoke players.  You can’t just remove the emotion from the game, emotion is what makes the game great.   I can already see myself having a complete meltdown when a ref tosses my best daily cash game player after 5 minutes of action.  I know it’s going to happen.

Timofey Mozgov – He looked really good last night hitting a few jumpers and playing with high energy.  He’s going to have to get those fouls under control though.  I was hoping he would get more minutes, but he might be one of those guys who performs better in a 20-23 minute role.  He’s still worth a flier at the end of drafts in a season which is very thin at center.

Anthony Randolph – I’m not sure if D’Antoni just doesn’t like Anthony Randolph or just can’t figure out where to play him, but Randolph has been completely ignored lately.  Paul Pierce hitting a game winning jumper in Anthony’s face last night probably didn’t help things either.  He’s probably already been overhyped to the point where you have to overreach in drafts, but if he falls, you still want to grab him.  Just don’t overpay.

Josh McRoberts – He’s recovered from a minor injury and still has the lead over Tyler Hansbrough for the starting PF spot for Indiana.

Chris Paul – I’m still worried about his knee.  Maybe it’s just early, but it looks like he’s lost a little explosiveness.  His shots at the rim numbers last season were down and he hasn’t been driving to the basket much this preseason either.  Keep an eye on where he’s getting his shots.

Mike Dunleavy – I’ve seen rumors of him returning to the starting SG spot for the Pacers.  Brandon Rush has a 5 game suspension to start the season, so if Dunleavy can establish himself quickly, he could hold the job.   He could help in the scoring category.

Udonis Haslem – He’s going to be a sneaky source of rebounds in your fantasy draft.

Roy Hibbert – I had some concerns about Hibbert after the Pacers shipped Troy Murphy out, but it looks like he’s going to be just fine this season.  Start moving him up your rankings.

Shannon Brown – He’s not really fantasy worthy, but how much fun is it watching this guy dunk?

Elton Brand – He could pick up center eligibility in your league, which really helps his value.

Joakim Noah – He’s going to see time at PF while Carlos Boozer is out.  Omer Asik will be at center, giving the Bulls a pair of big men on the court for defense.

Drew Gooden – Could see minutes at center while Bogut is out.  Gaining center eligibility would increase his value.

Minutes – There were some guys getting big preseason minutes last night:  Carl Landry 39,  Tyreke Evans 34, Evan Turner 36, Jrue Holiday 46, Andrea Bargnani 37, DeMar DeRozan 36, Paul Pierce 37, Rajon Rondo 41, Ray Allen 39.

Injuries – LeBron James (hamstring/cramps), Dwyane Wade (hamstring), David West (wrist),  Marreese Speights (hamstring), Spencer Hawes (back), Bill Walker (ankle), Tyreke Evans (ankle), Glen Davis (knee), Mario Chalmers (ankle), Delonte West (back), Charlie Villanueva (hamstring).

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