This article is part of our NBA Waiver Wire series.
Shut It Down
There are 30 teams in the NBA… and maybe ten with anything to play for at this point.
- The Bucks, Raptors, Bobcats, Heat and Bulls are separated by three games in the standings. Four of those five will win the seeds in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.
- The Mavs, Nuggets and Jazz are separated by two games. Their order of finish will determine the two, three and four seeds in the West.
- A half game separates Boston and Atlanta in the race for the three spot in the East.
The rest of the league is either trying to get key players some rest, or taking an extended look at guys who wouldn't get much run under other circumstances. So don't be surprised if a few of the league's elite teams are hit with "injuries" like LeBron's bum ankle.
Meanwhile the league's bottom dwellers may start summer vacation early for injured players while suddenly finding minutes for non-entities.
(Speaking of which, Eddy Curry is making his return to the Knick rotation tonight.)
To Drop or Not to Drop?
This is no time to wait out an injury… which is why you'll see names like Peja Stojakovic (abdominal strain), Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis), Jason Terry (orbital fracture), Tony Parker (broken hand) and Kenyon Martin (knee) on the "most dropped" list this week.
Any injury expected to linger for more than a few days should be considered potentially season-ending at this point. Proceed accordingly.
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 (30.4% owned) - Udrih has re-emerged as an option with Kevin Martin and Sergio Rodriguez out of the picture, and could be a reasonable option for teams that lost Tony Parker.
George Hill (21.7% owned) - Speaking of Tony Parker… Hill will slide into the now-vacant starting job in San Antonio.
Jarrett Jack (26.4% owned) - Even sharing the point guard spot with Jose Calderon, Jack has become a valuable scoring threat for the Raptors while Chris Bosh was sidelined - and that has continued since Bosh has returned (19 ppg average in two games).
Courtney Lee (18.4% owned) - Lee has been on a tear for the last week, and is averaging 26 points in the Nets' last four games.
Deep Leagues
Will Bynum (5.1% owned) - Bynum is starting in place of the injured Rodney Stuckey, who collapsed during Friday's game against the Cavs. The Pistons have no reason to rush Stuckey back into the lineup at this point - expect them to proceed with extreme caution.
Quentin Richardson (4.0% owned) - The much-travelled swingman has become an important part of the Heat rotation of late, playing 30-plus minutes in four straight games and scoring 15 or more in three of the four-- the lone exception being a seven-point outing against Charlotte's tough defense.
Jrue Holiday (2.2% owned) - With Allen Iverson officially out of the picture, Holiday has been installed as the point guard of the present and future in Philly. The rook scored has averaged 21 points, 5 dimes, 4.5 boards and a steal in the Sixers' last two games.
Article first appeared on 3/3/10
