RADIO
Sitting right here in the middle of the 2014-15 NBA season, the waiver wire has taken its typical place in the weekly/daily routine of fantasy basketball managers. The following centers, whether of the “sleeper” variety or just cashing in temporarily on an unforeseen opportunity, almost certainly deserve attention across the various formats during Week 14 of the campaign.
Position Eligibility & Ownership Rate Based on Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Player List
Waiver Wire Forwards for Right Now
Tim Hardaway Jr. (NYK, SG/SF) – 24% Owned
Junior sure did look like his dad on Saturday night. He had his best offensive game of the year as the second year guard out of Michigan drained 25 points with 6 boards, 5 assists and 5 triples made. In the end it didn’t truly matter as New York lost yet again and short of miraculous comebacks by Willis Reed, Patrick Ewing and Jesus Christ, the Knicks will continue to wither away into epic badness.
As for Hardaway, two injuries should play into his hands. Amare Stoudemire continues to have health problems (big surprise) and there’s ample evidence to suggest that Carmelo Anthony will rest on the back end of back-to-backs and be completely shut down after the All Star Break. That leaves substantial opportunity for Hardaway to take some extra shots on the court. The former Wolverine offers plenty of upside on the offensive end but has unfortunately seen his shooting percentages decline across the board since his rookie campaign. Now for the good news. Hardaway is shooting at his best when he sees playing minutes in the 20s and he is at his three-point shooting best when his minutes climb to 40+.
As long as Hardaway’s minutes stay high, he should regain his confidence with every shot he takes. He’s a strong second or third option at forward for the remainder of the season.
Brandon Bass (BOS, PF/C) – 23% Owned
It’s hard to ignore a guy who will be a starter until at least the All Star Break for a team that is ranked third in pace. The injury to Kelly Olynyk, as well as several trades, has opened the door for Bass to show what he can do. At 6’8 and 250 pounds, the former LSU standout has a physically imposing body to dominate the boards. He needs to be picked up soon though as his ownership numbers have climbed five points since early Sunday. For more on Bass, check out Trevor Crippen’s article from Monday.
Waiver Wire Forwards for Deeper Leagues
Lance Thomas (NYK, SG/SF/PF) – 3% Owned
Although owned by 20% less fantasy players than Hardaway, Thomas offers perhaps more fantasy upside and is a much more intriguing option. Obviously Thomas is more fantasy versatile considering the three positions he is available at to be started, but something more interesting transpired during Saturday’s game against the Hornets. On several occasions coach Derek Fisher ran isolation plays for Thomas as if he were Melo. The undrafted Dukie is on a ten day deal so he obviously comes with baggage. That shouldn’t be too much of a concern since he has seen an increase in his minutes every night over the last five games.
With Thomas, the writing is on the wall. He will see a drastic increase in minutes when Melo is resting and probably after the All Star Break if/when Melo gets shutdown. Snatch up Thomas now before it’s too late.
Cody Zeller (CHA, PF/C) – 5% Owned
Zeller isn’t necessarily going to be an offensive diamond in the rough for fantasy owners. In fact he probably won’t even improve too much on his 7.6 PPG and 1.5 APG. Nevertheless, the injuries to Bismack Biyombo and Marvin Williams will up Zeller’s minutes and now with Kemba Walker getting surgery, Zeller will certainly be given more scoring opportunities. It’s just a matter of him coming through with making baskets which may be a tough proposition since he is averaging only six field goal attempts per game. That being said, a good fantasy equation is more minutes equals more production. Use the injuries to your short term advantage.
Waiver Wire Forward to Keep An Eye On
Jason Smith (NY, PF/C) – 4% Owned
For all the Knick-bashing going on here, it’s ironic that several of them have made this list. Smith isn’t exactly consistent enough to be added to a roster, however he is good enough to take advantage of exploitable matchups in daily leagues. Add in that he has logged at least 31 minutes in four straight games and he has our attention. His 11.1 PER and 113 DRating making him all-too-kind to opposing players and thus he still remains a question mark. It’s best to see how it plays out over the next couple weeks.
