This article is part of our NBA Waiver Wire series.
The Carmelo Anthony trade was finally consummated late Monday night, and turned out to be a bit bigger than anticipated. The Knicks are shipping four of the top six players in their rotation to Denver - Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov - and getting 'Melo, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman and Anthony Carter in return.
The Knicks are also sending Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry to Minnesota. The T-Wolves ship Corey Brewer to New York and Kosta Koufos to Denver.
Got all that? There's going to be a test later.
The biggest beneficiary from a fantasy perspective is probably Denver's Ty Lawson (38% owned); George Karl has already announced Lawson as his new starting point guard. (Tough break for Felton owners.) Shawne Williams (1%) should get a big boost in value as well. The Knicks are wafer-thin at center after the trade, which could lead Mike D'Antoni to go with small lineups featuring Amar'e Stoudemire at center. That would give Williams the opportunity to run with the first team - and a lot of open looks from the corner. It's possible that Shelden Williams (14%) could emerge with the backup center job, but that doesn't seem particularly likely; according to reports, Donnie Walsh is inquiring about the availability of several big-name centers, including ex-Knick Marcus Camby.
Toney Douglas (14% owned) could get a boost as well. Douglas is at his best playing off the ball; the arrival of Billups -
The Carmelo Anthony trade was finally consummated late Monday night, and turned out to be a bit bigger than anticipated. The Knicks are shipping four of the top six players in their rotation to Denver - Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov - and getting 'Melo, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman and Anthony Carter in return.
The Knicks are also sending Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry to Minnesota. The T-Wolves ship Corey Brewer to New York and Kosta Koufos to Denver.
Got all that? There's going to be a test later.
The biggest beneficiary from a fantasy perspective is probably Denver's Ty Lawson (38% owned); George Karl has already announced Lawson as his new starting point guard. (Tough break for Felton owners.) Shawne Williams (1%) should get a big boost in value as well. The Knicks are wafer-thin at center after the trade, which could lead Mike D'Antoni to go with small lineups featuring Amar'e Stoudemire at center. That would give Williams the opportunity to run with the first team - and a lot of open looks from the corner. It's possible that Shelden Williams (14%) could emerge with the backup center job, but that doesn't seem particularly likely; according to reports, Donnie Walsh is inquiring about the availability of several big-name centers, including ex-Knick Marcus Camby.
Toney Douglas (14% owned) could get a boost as well. Douglas is at his best playing off the ball; the arrival of Billups - who can defend bigger guards - could mean Douglas will get more time at the two. Corey Brewer (14%) is an intriguing option. He could become an important part of the Knicks' second unit, but his tenure with the Knicks could be exceptionally short-lived -he may be fitted for a new uniform before Thursday's trade deadline. If he sticks with New York, he could be worth a flyer.
And all the fantasy owners who stuck with Anthony Randolph (37% owned) should finally get a little return on their investment. Randolph should get quality minutes backing up Kevin Love and Darko Milicic in Minnesota.
Picks for the Week
The first set of picks is for players in standard leagues - guys who may 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 Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball - your mileage may vary.
Shallow Leagues
O.J. Mayo (71% owned) - there was some concern that Mayo would have a hard time winning back a spot in the rotation after his PED suspension, but Rudy Gay's injury eliminates that problem. Mayo could be dealt this week, but Memphis' asking price is reportedly very high.
Tony Allen (21% owned) - Allen will start in Rudy Gay's place - possibly for the remainder of the season. Allen's greatest value is in steals - he has averaged over two per game this month.
Peja Stojakovic (12% owned) - Peja has moved into the Mavs' starting lineup, and should be a good source of threes at the very least.
Deep Leagues
Erick Dampier (2% owned) - Miami coach Erik Spoelstra is moving Dampier into the starting lineup, replacing Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
Jermaine Taylor (1% owned) - Could be a short-term starter for Sacramento while Tyreke Evans is sidelined with plantar fasciitis. Evans is expected to miss the next three weeks.
James Johnson (0% owned) - Traded to Toronto in exchange for Miami's 2011 first-round pick. Johnson wasn't getting any run in Chicago, but the Raptors' frontcourt is a land of opportunity in comparison. (Incidentally… Johnson is also all the Raptors have to show for the trade that sent Chris Bosh to South Beach.)
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