Now time for the real material, let's see who caught my eye this week in the world of basketball.
Point Guard
Alexey Shved (PG,SG) Yahoo Ownership 18%
You may be wondering why I would begin my "Veteran Presence" article with a 23 year old rookie point guard from Russia. The fact is Alexey Shved made his pro basketball debut in Russia for CSKA Moscow at age 17!!!, showing the amount of pedigree and talent he possesses. After playing well overseas and leading the Russian national team to a bronze medal at the London Olympic games, Shved caught the eye of many NBA scouts and was finally signed by the Timberwolves this offseason. Coming into the year, this international man of mystery really had no role in the lineup, with the signings of Chase Budinger, Brandon Roy and fellow Russia teammate Andrei Kirilenko, the Timberwolves made it imperative to have a deep front court with the absence of Ricky Rubio. But things don't always go according to plan and Minnesota has been decimated by injuries losing Roy and Budigner to knee surgeries, and J.J. Barea to a foot injury. Now playing time has seemingly opened up for the Russian and he has not disappointed so far in the limited minutes he has played. Due to his length (he measures in a 6 ft 6 in) Shved has put up some impressive defensive numbers when given 30+ minutes. In the past 9 games, when given 30+ minutes Alexey has averaged a very impressive 16.2 points, 1.2 blocks, 4.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.6 three pointer. Although his shooting percentage (.383%) and turnover rate (2.8) shows that he still has a lot of work to do in getting adjusted with the NBA speed and style, Shved has clearly shown to fantasy owners that when given time to run, he can produce at an impressive rate. Although the sample size is small, and the presence of Ridnour (not like he stays healthy for long) and the future return of Rubio may hinder Shveds ability to see floor time, I truly believe that his multi category potential has the ability to greatly assist fantasy owners now and in the future. Managers would be wise to grab Shved now before it's too late in favour of players such as Jared Dudley and Mario Chalmers, he simply has much more upside.
Strong Buy (12-14 team plus)
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| Can the international man of mystery make a go of it in the NBA? |
Shooting Guard
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| The three ball specialist is ready to roll |
Daniel "Boobie" Gibson (PG,SG) Yahoo Ownership 12%
It's hard to believe but good old Boobie is playing his 7th season with the Cavs this year, and still at the ripe age of 26 years old. It's not a secret as to what Gibson calling card is, the man can flat out shoot the three ball. With a career 41.6 three point percentage it's obvious that Gibson is consistently a threat to hurt teams from downtown. Now the issue with Gibson is A) He never can stay healthy (only once has played more than 70 games in a season) and B) He rarely gets enough playing time to have a serious fantasy impact. Well with the unfortunate injury to superstar point guard Kyrie Irving it seems that Gibson's path to playing time has taken a turn for the better. With not many options to choose from in the front court, Byron Scott will probably be forced to deploy Gibson more than he has in the beginning of the season. When staying healthy and given court time, Gibson has averaged as a starter 11.6 ppg, 0.8 steals, and an impressive 2.3 3pt made per game. Although it's no guarantee that Gibson will become a starter with the 4 week absence of Irving I suspect that his minutes will climb to around 28 mpg, much better than his current 21 mpg and more than enough time for him to create and impact for owners. Managers who are in a pinch for some cheap three pointers, steals, and solid free throw percentages should look no further than Daniel Gibson as a short term loan. Think of him as a slightly better version of Kyle Korver and Jared Dudley and enjoy the short but fun ride while it lasts.
Moderate Buy (14 team plus)
Small Forward
Tayshaun Prince (SF,PF) Yahoo Ownership 30%
Now we've finally reached a real veteran in both age and career. The 31 year old Prince is now and 11 year NBA veteran and if there is one word I could use to describe his game, it would be "consistent". His career averages speak for themselves; 32 mpg, 12.9 ppg, 4.7 rebounds, 46% FG, and 0.7 3pt mpg, Tayshaun is the definition of deep league multi category fantasy player. He rarely puts up overwhelming numbers but never lets hurts you with terrible performances. The former Kansas product skinny figure and long reach translates into his ability to produce solid amounts across the defensive category board, from blocks (0.6) to steals (0.6). Although he no longer plays on the "Fab Five Pistons" Prince still is able to put up decent fantasy value across the board, averaging top 125 fantasy production. Yes the 2012 Pistons are a bad team, and some fans have been calling for a youth movement since the squad is not competing for anything significant, but Prince is at no risk to loose playing time simply because he is one of the only competent defensive players this team has. When you add up the fact that he is currently shooting a career best 55% from three point land its easy to see why owners can find Prince useful for their fantasy squads. Managers in need of consistent production across the board should look no further than Prince and would be wise to drop him in favour of underwhelming players such as Wilson Chandler and Trevor Ariza. Think of Prince as a slightly less version of Alonzo Gee and enjoy the consistent output.
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| The skinny Prince is still the king of consistency |
Moderate Buy (12-14 team plus)
Power Forward
Jason Thompson (PF,C) Yahoo Ownership 44%
Let's get a little younger and little more upside and talk about the fantasy value Jason Thompson has surprisingly provided. I say surprisingly because coming into this season, no one had any idea how the playing time would pan out with the Kings' starting rotation. With the presence of Demarcus Cousins and Chuck Hayes and the additions of rookie Thomas Robinson and James Johnson, it seemed impossible for Thompson to find anything above 25 minutes per game in this crowded back court. Yet as much as a carousel ride Keith Smart's starting rotation has become, shockingly Thompson has been one of the few players receiving consistent 30 minute playing time. After the first 10 games into the season Thompson has averaged 10.8 ppg, 7.2 rebounds, a career high 1.3 blocks, and in free throw percentage 76.5%. Now Thompson has put up these top 80 fantasy numbers while averaging a solid 30.11 minutes per game, something that is essential for him to take the next step from a fringe top 140 fantasy player, to a solid top 100 fantasy player. The former 12th overall pick has seen himself carve out a substantial and safe role in the Kings lineup, while Demarcus Cousins will always be locked into the starting centre role, Thompson has so far been able to hold off the veteren (but offensively inept) Chuck Hayes, and has surprisingly not lost much playing time to the highly touted prospect Thomas Robinson. While an eventual loss of playing time to Robinson seems likely, (and logical because this team isn't going anywhere) as long as the mind numbing presence of Keith Smart is calling the shots for this club, Thompson should have no problem keeping up the production he has displayed so far. Owners would be wise to seek the talents of Thompson in favor of other under achieving players such as Ersan Ilyasova and Emeka Okafor and enjoy the likely top 100 production for the remainder of the season.
Solid Buy (12-14 team plus)
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| Like his game...love his sideburns |
Centre
Brendan Haywood (C) Yahoo Ownership 8%
Now it's time for the real deep league veteran special, and who better to talk about then 13 season veteran centre Brendan Haywood. The 32 year old Tar Heel has been another model of mediocre consistency but in recent seasons his production has slipped beyond serviceable for even deep leaguers. After his 3 year tenure in Dallas ended (which was disastrous in both a basketball and fantasy perspective) deep league owners were intrigued with Haywood's signing with the lowly Charlotte Bobcats. Although for doubters it seemed as if Haywood did not have much gas left in the tank and would most likely continue to play in a reserve role, behind the likes of Bismack Biyombo and Byron Mullens. Yet Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap has surprisingly decided to not move forward with the sophomore Biyombo and feels that Haywood provides the team with a better chance to win now. This decision has resulted in an Haywood starting and averaging 5 minutes more than his career average 23 mpg. With the extended court run, Haywood has averaged 7.2 ppg, 8.0 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, and 55.1 FG%, not spectacular numbers, but stats that can certainly be appreciated by deep league owners. Managers in shallow leagues and in need of a centre would be wise to acquire the services of Haywood as a short term investment (Bynum and Bogut owners im looking you), those in deeper leagues who are in need of rebounds and blocks would also be smart to go out and grab Haywood as a season long investment. Haywood is a low risk and medium reward commodity and owners should have no problem receiving solid defensive stats from the veteran centre.
Moderate Buy (14 team plus)
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| Deep leaguers should look no further than the veteran centre |
That's it for this weeks edition of Three in the Key Fantasy Basketball Pickups, I leave you all with my misplay of the week. We've got Jeremy Lin not living up to the New York Linsanity like some owners hoped he would:
