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TESTING NEW WIDGET
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Saturday saw 18 teams going at it. A full slate of NBA action on the Saturday before Halloween was scary good. (I'm proud of that). After some crazy performances to start the season (50 point triple doubles for example) last night's action was a little more subdued. With no major injuries or crazy breakout performances there's nothing but the best performers and those that are starting to look a little funny in the light.
Let's get rolling.
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Game Notes for October 29th, 2016
Atlanta Hawks 104, Philadelphia 76ers 72
- After just two assists in the season opener, it was heartwarming to see Dennis Schroeder bounce back with a hefty 11 dimes. Paul Millsap continues to be the stabilizing force on the Hawks while Dwight Howard has definitely brought some defense and rebounding. Not much should be taken from beating up on a 76ers squad full of no names and Joel “The Process” Embiid. Although after two games it looks like Dwight Howard will continue to be a complete no-show on offense and this time he won’t be able to blame Kobe or James Harden for hogging the ball. Also, Tim Hardaway Jr. went back to being worth forgetting about after a decent opening night performance. Do not get tricked by Hardaway’s tomfoolery, he has his moments but there’s nothing there worth investing in.
- After two games it seems like the two year wait for Joel Embiid was well worth it. While he’s still on a minutes restriction, Embiid has shown that he is the most talented player on the 76ers and will only take over more and more as the year goes on. Outside of the big man, the 76ers are still a pretty tough team to watch. The two European prospects are the most exciting fantasy prospects. If you need assists then grab Rodriguez and plug him in, he will be good for more than six dimes a night. Saric has been getting shots and looks active all over the court, but he has been very inefficient and is still a wait and see prospect.
Memphis Grizzlies 104, New York Knicks 111
- The Grizzlies are missing a few key players and it showed against the Knicks. JaMychal Green, James Ennis, and Wade Baldwin IV all got more minutes than they usually would if Chandler Parsons and Tony Allen were healthy. The three young players impressed in the first game but couldn’t quite get going against New York. Green, Ennis, and Baldwin all will have the chance to impress moving forward but will lose value when Allen and Parsons come back. The two key veterans on the Grizzlies -- Mike Conley and Marc Gasol -- at least look healthy and active. When this team has all of their guys ready to go they will still be a giant pain for everyone in the West.
- The Knicks took on two aging and regularly injured stars from Chicago over the offseason. After two games it looks like the Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah signings should pay off if they stay healthy. Noah was back to dishing out passes, hustling, and playing hard defense. Rose looks explosive and still gets his shots off with ease from anywhere on the court. All that being said, last night was a small indicator that this is Kristaps Porzingis’ team right now and not in the near future. The team should run everything through the young big, a la Anthony Davis, but there is no way that will happen with Rose and Carmelo Anthony demanding so many shots.
Brooklyn Nets 108, Milwaukee Bucks 110
- The most interesting part of the Nets last night was that Brook Lopez was a healthy scratch. The big man will not be playing in double-headers this year to help prevent injury. If you have Lopez then keeping an eye on when he plays is a little more difficult but it will all get easier when he eventually gets injured anyway. Other than that, Jeremy Lin and Bojan Bogdanovic are the only Nets worth thinking about in fantasy or any other context. Sean Kilpatrick, Trevor Booker and Rondae-Hollis Jefferson are also players on the Nets, and they also get jerseys and are allowed to play. Booker and Kilpatrick had nice enough lines last night. That concludes all of the nice things I have to say about the Nets. Also, every time anyone says the Nets are “scrappy” what the really mean is the Nets stink. Think about scrappy without the S.
- Rashad Vaughn is an athletic freak that runs the floor and can jump with the best of them. Expect his role and contribution to grow throughout the year. His 22 points in 28 minutes are indicative of his ceiling and not what should be expected of him on the regular. After getting rid of Michael Carter-Williams it should be abundantly clear the Bucks are all in on Matthew Dellavedova. While the Greek Freak does run most of the offense, Dellavedova is still a traditional point guard and should be on all fantasy rosters.
Boston Celtics 104, Charlotte Hornets 98
- Avery Bradley went off, hitting a career high eight three-pointers. The Celtics are a well-coached and balanced team that look for everyone to contribute. Usually this breaks down and they have to rely on Isaiah Thomas to get buckets. Bradley was able to provide the second-scoring option this team so badly needs. Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown continue to impress but it is painfully obvious that they won’t be ready to contribute to this playoff ready team as much as the Celtics need them to. Boston keeps adding talented players but no one able to take over the way they need someone other than Thomas to do. If Bradley can take that step, this team will make some noise moving forward. If not, expect them to continue being closer to the middle of the pack among playoff teams in the East.
- Nicolas Batum functions as Charlotte’s de facto backup point guard right now. When Kemba is creating and running the offense this team looks dangerous and has a few big man that can do some damage. Otherwise the Ramon Sessions, Jeremy Lamb, and whomever else as ball handler just does not seem to work out. The team has resorted to using Spencer Hawes and Frank Kaminsky in a distributing big man role sometimes. As a result, there is a logjam with Hawes, Kaminsky, and Cody Zeller all getting around equal minutes so far. All of them are undesirable options, but Kaminsky is the most interesting breakout if he can only play consistently.
Orlando Magic 99, Cleveland Cavaliers 105
- Evan Fournier led the Magic in minutes and points last night. He looked like he’s the main guy to own for fantasy in Orlando. It also seems like the Aaron Gordon experiment may not work out. He is an athletic freak but there just doesn’t seem to be a position or role for him other than backup role player. Serge Ibaka definitely looks like he will be involved with the offense more than he was with Oklahoma City, while Bismack Biyombo will have a role but might not be worth considering unless someone gets injured in the Magic's over-loaded frontcourt.
- The Big Three of LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving look amazing. They’re not going to blow teams away every night, but it is very clear that the three marquee guys on the team all understand their role and know when it’s time for them to contribute. The question of who emerges as the fourth option will change throughout the season for the Cavs. Last night it was J.R. Smith getting 16 points off four threes made. Everyone wants Smith to be that fourth scoring option but buyer beware if you’re considering the mercurial guard. More than Smith being inconsistent, the Cavs can win with just their big three and everyone else just playing a little defense, so there may be no need for Smith or anyone else to really “emerge."
Indiana Pacers 101, Chicago Bulls 118
- Myles Turner is the real deal and no one is allowed to act surprised or not know him anymore. Turner is owned in 97% of Yahoo! Leagues and that is an injustice because this is a 99% or more guy. Back-to-back 20 point games are good but the way Turner looks on the court is just so impressive. On the flipside, Jeff Teague went 0-7 shooting and didn’t look completely awful but didn’t look good either. The Pacers will be interesting as long as Monta Ellis, who only had two points last night, and Thaddeus Young are able to figure out their roles. Both Ellis and Young will have to get used to being the third and fourth options on a team after being one or two the last couple years. They might not always produce as a result but it will be important to be patient with both of them.
- The Bulls have a lot of veterans that actually look good playing together. The mix and match of old guards and old big men make for a truly scrappy team (and "scrappy" may not mean "bad" in this case). Taj Gibson and Robin Lopez look like they will be doing what they always do and should be respected for that. But Cristiano Felicio and Bobby Portis are both young bigs that could cut into the Gibson and Lopez rotation. Felicio and Isaiah Canaan both showed some youth and athleticism in spots when the old guys were resting. Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic look like they’re never going to take that leap to the next level, so what you see with them is what you get. Good players who can go on hot shooting streams, but nothing to get overly-excited about or hope in some sort of ascension.
New Orleans Pelicans 79, San Antonio Spurs 98
- Anthony Davis didn’t score 40+ for the third night in a row. Instead LaMarcus Aldridge and others were able to hold Davis to just 18 points. The Pelicans have serious play-making problems outside of "throw the ball to Davis and hope for the best." Tim Frazier came down to Earth after two decent games. As long as Jrue Holiday is out, Frazier is worth a flier because he will be getting minutes and some assists. Basically no one else on the Pelicans roster is fantasy relevant. Any hopes of that Terrence Jones resurgence have come crashing to earth.
- Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili sat out the game because it’s the first half of a back-to-back. This has been the case for a few years now but always make sure to keep an eye out for when these two future hall of famers actually get on the court. Kyle Anderson and Jonathan Simmons both look like they will be important parts of this team and might be worth a roster spot. Don’t be afraid of picking up either one for the bottom end of your roster for a few spot starts.
Portland Trailblazers 115, Denver Nuggets 113
- Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are really, really good. No surprises here but it’s worth noting. Evan Turner and Allen Crabbe continue to battle it out for the third option on the Blazers but neither looks like they will take hold of the job. This is a flawed team that relies way too heavily on their superstar and all-star to do everything offensively. That being said, Al-Farouq Aminu and Mason Plumlee continue to be the most intriguing big men prospects on the team.
- Holy Nikola Jokic. 23 points and 17 rebounds on 50% shooting with four steals makes for a good night. Also, after a bad preseason and a not so good first eight quarters to the season, Emmanuel Mudiay did well enough to inspire some hope. Jokic, Mudiay, and Jusuf Nurkic all continue to be very exciting young prospects for the Nuggets to build around. Also, it seems like the two young big men are finally beginning to push Kenneth Faried out of the rotation. If Faried isn’t traded later in the year it might be time to move on from the athletic power forward. Finally, a healthy Danilo Gallinari and Will Barton can be expected to put up shots and maybe even get some buckets as a result.
Minnesota Timberwolves 103, Sacramento Kings 106
- Time to pump the brakes on how good the Timberwolves “will be.” They have a bright future but their present is currently still a little dim. Kris Dunn looked like the game was moving a bit too fast for him when it comes to decision making and just knowing where he is on the court. Also, the Timberwolves do not go down the court and put the ball in Karl Anthony-Towns’ hands every single time. Watching this team can be breathtaking and maddening all within a single possession. Gorgui Dieng and Zach LaVine continue to be surprisingly strong fantasy options, despite playing second fiddle to Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
- Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins were put on this Earth to get score points professionally in the NBA. Everyone else on the Kings' roster is debatable about whether or not they belong in the league. Aaron Afflalo, Ty Lawson and Matt Barnes might all retire midseason from old age, injury, or just because they’re playing for the Kings. Of these washed up names, Afflalo is the only one worth anything fantasy wise and that is a stretch. It seems like talented youngsters Ben McLemore and Willie Cauley-Stein will be relegated to bench and clean up duty instead of getting the chance to actually develop. The Kings are still the Kings.
