This article is part of our NBA Waiver Wire series.
By Charlie Zegers
RotoWire Hoops Editor
Andray Blatche was been one of the best waiver-wire pickups of the season… but please note my tense. Blatche's talent is immense, but so is his penchant for knucklehead behavior, and the latter is going to have a significant impact on his fantasy value going forward.
Blatche was pulled from last night's game for failing to get back on defense. But rather than accept responsibility for his blown assignment, he pouted - telling coaches he didn't want to go back into the game. Head coach Flip Saunders was furious. During the post-game press conference, he fumed: "Coaches aren't wrong, no matter what. When a coach wants to teach you something, and you think you're above that because you've played, what, 16 games?"
Saunders called it the low point of the season - and considering the year the Wizards have had, that's saying something.
If Blatche is benched or suspended, JaVale McGee (3.4% owned) and Al Thornton (36%) would be the likeliest beneficiaries, with James Singleton (0.4%) and Fabricio Oberto (0.1%) also in line for increased minutes.
The Most Added
The most popular adds in ESPN NBA.com Leagues this week:The Most Dropped
Picks for the Week
The first set of picks is for players in standard leagues - guys who will typically be available in your average 10 team/15 player roster league. The second group is for owners in very deep leagues, and will be based more on speculation than actual numbers.
All "percent owned" stats are taken from ESPN NBA.com Fantasy Basketball - your mileage may vary.
Standard Leagues
Beno Udrih (37.8% owned) - Tyreke Evans' absence makes Udrih a great short-term play.
George Hill (28.8% owned) - All the owners dropping Hill this week (see the most-dropped list, above) are kicking themselves after his 27-point outing on Tuesday.
Jrue Holiday (25.7% owned) - Sixer rookie came into the league with reputation as an excellent defender; he's living up to the hype with excellent steal totals.
Deep Leagues
Zydrunas Ilgauskas (13% owned) - Officially re-joined the Cavs on Monday.
C.J. Miles (1.9% owned) - Putting up very good numbers since he was moved into Kirilenko's starting spot.
Shannon Brown (1.8% owned) - The start of a trend? Brown has played 20-plus minutes in the Lakers' last two games, and scored in double-figures both times.
Leon Powe (0.1% owned) - Powe may be playing his way into a regular role - he's averaged 7.5 boards and 11.5 points in the Cavs' last two games.
Article first appeared on 3/23/10
