This article is part of our NBA Waiver Wire series.
I've probably answered more questions about Mike Miller this season than on all other NBA players combined. And I've answered most of them the same way, saying, "No, I don't think he's a great pickup at this point -- the Heat are bringing him along really slowly, and even when he's up to speed it seems like he'll just be a three-point specialist."
That changes today.
The Heat have come back to earth after their white-hot holiday season, due in part to injuries suffered by all three of the Big Three. With Chris Bosh expected to miss another week or so with what's now being called a high ankle sprain, coach Erik Spoelstra is going to shake up his rotation.
The biggest change is at the point, where Carlos Arroyo is being replaced by Mario Chalmers (14% owned) as the starter. Obviously, that makes Chalmers a nice waiver target - given consistent playing time, he should generate threes and steals, though he won't rack up as many dimes as other points.
The shift to Chalmers will have a snowball effect on the rotation. Arroyo's role is apparently going to be cut down to nothing, as Spoelstra is content to let Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and... you guessed it... Mike Miller initiate the offense when Chalmers is out. Which would seem to indicate that the "Hey Mike, go stand in the corner and shoot a three when LeBron kicks out" directive has been updated.
Miller is just 40% owned in
I've probably answered more questions about Mike Miller this season than on all other NBA players combined. And I've answered most of them the same way, saying, "No, I don't think he's a great pickup at this point -- the Heat are bringing him along really slowly, and even when he's up to speed it seems like he'll just be a three-point specialist."
That changes today.
The Heat have come back to earth after their white-hot holiday season, due in part to injuries suffered by all three of the Big Three. With Chris Bosh expected to miss another week or so with what's now being called a high ankle sprain, coach Erik Spoelstra is going to shake up his rotation.
The biggest change is at the point, where Carlos Arroyo is being replaced by Mario Chalmers (14% owned) as the starter. Obviously, that makes Chalmers a nice waiver target - given consistent playing time, he should generate threes and steals, though he won't rack up as many dimes as other points.
The shift to Chalmers will have a snowball effect on the rotation. Arroyo's role is apparently going to be cut down to nothing, as Spoelstra is content to let Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and... you guessed it... Mike Miller initiate the offense when Chalmers is out. Which would seem to indicate that the "Hey Mike, go stand in the corner and shoot a three when LeBron kicks out" directive has been updated.
Miller is just 40% owned in Yahoo! leagues at this point. If he starts playing to his considerable potential, look for that number to jump in a hurry.
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.
Standard Leagues:
C.J. Miles (31% owned) - Like Spoelstra, Jerry Sloan is shaking up his starting five in the hopes of finding the right combination. Miles - who has been a very effective player off the bench for the Jazz - will join the starting lineup, and could provide Utah - and fantasy teams - with some scoring punch.
Anthony Morrow (51% owned) - Should be back in the starting lineup any day now, replacing Stephen Graham.
Reggie Williams (32% owned) - Stephen Curry hurt his ankle in practice on Tuesday - the severity of the injury is unknown at this point. If he misses any time, Williams gets a big boost in value.
Peja Stojakovic (5% owned) - Now that the league has approved the trade of Alexis Ajinca to the Raptors, the Mavs have an open roster spot they can use to sign Stojakovic. There's a decent chance he'll emerge as the Mavs' starting small forward, and could provide really nice numbers if he can stay healthy. (Of course, that's been a really big "if" in recent years...)
Deep Leagues:
Randy Foye (2% owned) - In line to start if Eric Gordon has to miss significant time with a wrist injury.
Rodrigue Beaubois (6% owned) - Reportedly "a week or two" from returning to the Mavs' rotation.
Dante Cunningham (2% owned) - Portland's frontcourt rotation could lose another player, as LaMarcus Aldridge is having an MRI on his sore hip... Cunningham could be in a position to step up out of sheer necessity.
Kendrick Perkins (7% owned) - Could be back sooner than anticipated -- not a bad thing, considering how banged-up the Celtics' frontcourt has been.
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