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Tuesday Tidbits

Andrew Bogut is 50-50 to play tonight through a knee injury, so check back later in the afternoon for an update (hopefully). Charlie Villanueva sounds good to go through his hamstring injury and my guess is that he will start for the Bucks tonight. He's tempting, but tends to always disappoint.

Shaquille O'Neal is iffy for tonight's game because it's the first of a back-to-back. He has also been taking practices off, which you would think might be enough, but he's going to sit out a lot of games in hopes of saving him for the playoffs. Anyway, it's possible that Shaq could play on both Wednesday and Thursday, but not likely.

Kelenna Azubuike is undergoing an MRI on his foot and we should know the results tonight. If healthy, he will start some games, likely alternating with Brandan Wright, for now. Then again, he could get buried in the rotation in favor of Anthony Morrow and Rob Kurz for all we know. And don't feel bad if you've never heard the name Rob Kurz. He's played 11 minutes this season.

Jameer Nelson might play tonight through his hip injury but the team is waiting to see how he feels at shootaround.

News came out Tuesday while I was doing some Christmas shopping that Tracy McGrady is now saying he'll be out three weeks. Good luck trying to trade him right now. Much like the Knicks and Eddy Curry, you may have to package him with David Lee to get him off your team. Shane Battier sounds like he'll return to action tonight and we'll get another look at Luther Head starting over Tracy McGrady. If Head's still available in your league, watch him closely tonight. Ron Artest should also see a boost in performance with T-Mac in street clothes for the next three weeks.

A report surfaced last night that Steve Nash could have the ball in his hands more going forward. My question is, why is Terry Porter just now figuring this out? But if you think Nash's turnovers are going to go down as a result, I'm not buying it. His turnover averages over the last five seasons? 3.3, 3.5, 3.8, 3.6 and 3.8 this year.

Yesterday's Pickup of the Day in the Season Pass was Ryan Gomes, who should see a boost with Corey Brewer's season ending early. Check out Wednesday's
Tuesday's Game Action

Rasho Nesterovic double-doubled in the absence of Jeff Foster (back) and the Pacers beat the Lakers on Troy Murphy's last-second heroics. Murphy had 16 points and 17 boards, and continues to be a fantasy stud. Danny Granger scored 32 and did a bunch of other stuff, while T.J. Ford had 21 points, eight assists and three steals in the win. Kobe Bryant had 28 points in the loss.

Chris Duhon's amazing run continued on Tuesday with a season-high 23 points and 13 assists. I guess anyone can be Steve Nash under Mike D'Antoni, huh? Actually, that's not fair and Duhon has been outstanding. I've never given him much credit, but he deserves some props after this run - especially given the fact he's hurting. David Lee had another double-double and Tim Thomas had 14 points and three 3-pointers as the Knicks fell to the Blazers. Nate Robinson missed his third straight game, but it sounds like he and Jared Jeffries will play on Friday. It's probably time to stash Jeffries just in case, as anything seems possible under D'Antoni.

Steve Blake had 15 points, four boards, six assists, a steal and four 3-pointers in last night's win. I started him in one league this week over Chris Paul (2 games to 4) which I would not have advised most people to do. It was a pretty big gamble, but with last night vs. the Knicks and tonight vs. the Wizards, I felt it was worth a shot. Rudy Fernandez, who had 18 points and four threes last night, should also be a good play vs. the Wiz. Joel Przybilla added eight points, 14 boards and a couple blocks, but has been too inconsistent to be owned by most of you, let alone starting. He picked up a certain big man's off night, which you can read about in "The Bad" and "Ugly" section.

Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison both scored 22, but Butler suffered a knee injury. I think it's minor, but it's worth mentioning. DeShawn Stevenson finally broke out of his season-long slump with 21 points, five assists and five 3-pointers and I grabbed him in a couple leagues just in case he's ready to start playing. The Wizards actually beat the Nets last night and it's worth noting that Dee Brown started his seventh straight game at point guard and had eight points, seven assists and two steals. Antonio Daniels is still slowed by a bum knee, so keep an eye on Brown. That was his best line in seven starts.

Carmelo Anthony sucked it up and played well through his bum elbow with 23 points, six boards, three assists, a steal and two blocks on 9-of-19 shooting. He was on my bench, but I hope you were smarter than me this week. He's going to break out and start getting it done soon, as long as the elbow is not serious. J.R. Smith hit four threes for 14 points, four boards and two steals, and is averaging 16.5 points and 4.5 threes over his last two. And as soon as you put him in your lineup, he'll probably get benched by George Karl. Doug Smith of the Toronto Star said the following in his blog last night about Mr. Smith.

"You know, I would perhaps be mildly impressed and entertained by J.R. Smith's preening and prancing and "look at me" crap after he makes a shot if he'd done anything of any consequence at all in his career," Smith wrote. "Really, you've got to earn the right to look like an ass; he hasn't. The story this week that he and George Karl aren't talking makes me feel a bit better about George." Good stuff.

Chauncey Billups went for 24 points and 14 assists as the revival in Denver continued, while his counterpart can be found in the "Bad" section.

I guess Jermaine O'Neal deserves some props here for getting back on the court, but the 12 points and two boards in 19 minutes leaves plenty to be desired.

Kevin Martin returned from a 12-game absence and had 22 points and three 3-pointers, so get him back in your lineups. Francisco Garcia started and had 11 points, six boards, three assists, a steal and zero turnovers, but was out at the end with an ice pack on his recovering calf. John Salmons was out with his thigh injury, but will hopefully still be a starter when he returns. Spencer Hawes made the most of a start at PF with 14 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three steals. OK, so maybe I was wrong about the whole "sell high" thing a couple weeks ago. Especially if he continues to start. And did you see that sweet behind-the-back pass? Wow. Brad Miller added 18 points, nine board and four blocks in the disheartening loss to the Jazz, which proves the two bigs can play together.

Kyle Korver had 15 points and a 3-pointer, effectively killing my man C.J. Miles, but more on him later. Deron Williams was effective again and I bet he plays in all four this week, while Carlos Boozer (quad/knee) and Andrei Kirilenko (ankle) were out.

Marcus Camby had six points, 15 boards, four assists and two blocks despite a foot injury, while Eric Gordon had 13 points, two rebounds, three assists, two steals, three blocks and two threes. That is impressive given he was iffy coming in with a hamstring injury. Zach Randolph had 27 points and 10 boards in the loss and Al Thornton had 23 points, nine boards and three assists. Z-Bo looks great thus far for the Clips, while Thornton has kept it going as well. Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 10 boards in the win, Jason Terry added 26 and five treys, while Brandon Bass finished with 14 points and seven boards on 6-of-8 shooting in the two-point win.

Tayshaun Prince broke out of a slump with 15 points, 12 boards and five assists, notching his first double-double since Nov. 13, while Rodney Stuckey had 10 points, seven assists and two steals in a win over the Spurs. Stuckey is getting hot. Rip Hamilton scored 16 points, but contributed almost nothing else in the win. Manu Ginobili replaced Roger Mason in the starting lineup, which could be permanent, and had 13 points and two threes. Matt Bonner quietly started at center and is averaging 11.5 points, seven rebounds and two threes in his last two games. Keep an eye on him (I can't believe I just wrote that).

And finally, Andre Miller scored a season-high 28 points to go along with four boards and four assists to lead the Sixers over the Bulls in overtime. Andre Iguodala scored a season-high 25 points on 11-of-19 shooting to go along with nine boards, five assists, a steal and a block, so maybe he's about to pay off those of you who bought low on him recently. Sixers' center Marreese Speights hit 5-of-9 shots for 11 points and eight rebounds, and is currently a better center option in Philly than Sammy D. Speights had 6 & 7, 12 & 6 and 12 & 3 in his previous three games, so keep an eye on him.

Derrick Rose was nice again for the Bulls, while Tyrus Thomas came out of nowhere for 14 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. I should have my head examined for picking him up in a couple leagues (again). If any of you can offer some psychoanalysis on how the human mind works in regards to why I would set myself up for more punishment from this guy after he has constantly beat me down over the last two years, I'm all ears.

The Bad and Ugly

Trevor Ariza stayed very consistent with 13 points, five boards, three assists and a steal, but did commit a season-high four turnovers. He has just 18 turnovers on the season, but nine of them have come in his last three games - yikes.

Jose Calderon had nine points and seven assists, while Andrea Bargnani got into early foul trouble to finish with nine points, two boards, two blocks and a three. The Raptors were decimated by the Nuggets, so I'm just chalking this up to a bad night. But am I starting to get worried about Bargnani? Yes.

Greg Oden had just two points, seven boards and two blocks, which has to be driving his owners crazy. I traded high on him after a couple decent games and you should probably look into doing the same.

Andray Blatche had just three points, three boards and two blocks in 14 minutes. Sorry for recommending you grab him recently. His good games will probably be overshadowed by a buncha bad ones going forward, so I'm jumping ship on him for now. JaVale McGee had eight points, five boards and three blocks, as he continues to show glimpses of greatness. He's just not doing enough consistently to be held in most leagues. For the Nets, Devin Harris scored 18 points, but added just two rebounds, two assists, one three and zero steals. He hit 7-of-14 shots and committed just one turnover. Am I worried about Harris? No way.

Jason Kidd didn't score on 0-of-6 shooting, but did add seven boards, eight assists and four steals in the win. J.J. Barea added 15 points and six assists, so just put him on your radar. Kidd owners know they're going to have to take the good with the bad, so just stay the course. Josh Howard (ankle) didn't play AGAIN! That makes six straight games, and something tells me he's not going to make Kamla's "Warrior" list in the fantasy show any time soon.

With Manu starting, Anthony Mason Jr. went back to the bench for just six points. I bet he emerges again at some point this season, but the hot run is definitely over for now. Feel free to cut him if you want to (Monta Ellis, anyone?).

C.J. Miles, who I picked up in most leagues for the four-game week, had just eight points, two boards and one 3-pointer in 19 minutes. Of course, just after I told the world to pick him up (and did so myself) he posted his worst line since Nov. 14. I still don't feel bad about the move, as he had hit double digits in scoring in eight of his last nine games and Kirilenko and Boozer were out. Oh well. He has three games to redeem himself, right?

Thaddeus Young hit just 1-of-9 shots for four points, but did at least snag five steals. He could move to a sixth-man role, but don't give up on him. Meanwhile, look for Samuel Dalembert to hit your waiver wire today after last night's zero points, three boards and two blocks in just 12 minutes. I'm not ready to cut him, as he has to get it turned around at some point, but he's not close to entering my starting lineup right now. Speights is playing better, which is scary. And for the Bulls, Drew Gooden had just nine points, five boards and six turnovers last night. He'll bounce back.

Wednesday's Action

There are 11 games tonight and I will be in Atlanta for their matchup with the Grizzlies to welcome Josh Smith back to action after a 12-game absence with a sprained ankle. His minutes are going to be monitored, but hopefully he gets enough run to produce.

Other things to watch for tonight include:

Can Emeka Okafor's strong play continue against the Thunder, and can Russell Westbrook and Chris Wilcox take advantage of their starting gigs?

Can the Cavaliers slow down Duhon and the Knicks in Cleveland?

Can the Sixers hang with the angry Lakers? The Sixers won in OT last night, while the Lakers lost to the Pacers.

Can the Pacers win at Boston after knocking off the Lakers last night? I doubt it, but they will get some serious respect if they pull it off.

Will Luther Head live up to the hype against the Clippers in L.A.?

Can Shawn Marion stay hot against the Jazz tonight, and can Deron Williams really handle another back-to-back? Just got word that Deron suffered a hip strain last night, but plans on playing through it. And Kirilenko sounds doubtful again since he'll likely need another cortisone shot and is now talking about the need for offseason ankle surgery.

More Monta

I received the following well-written email this morning. Guy makes some great points and has me re-thinking my disinterest in Monta Ellis, but I still argue that clogging up a valuable roster spot with such a big question mark is risky, but maybe it's something we should all be looking into. The fact that the author is sitting on both Monta and Arenas is interesting, and I know there's no way I could do that in most of my leagues. I would be getting killed. And I'm still not convinced that Monta will return by February or offer that much value if and when he does show. Yes, if I had a choice between owning Anthony Morrow or Mickael Pietrus, I would rather be sitting on Ellis. But if I could pick up a guy each week that would help me instead, I'd rather go that route. Check out his take, think back to what we went through waiting on Gilbert Arenas last season, and then take the poll.

The Email: I admire your work and value your opinions, but I cannot believe you continue to advocate not picking up Monta Ellis. All available information had his initial prognosis at 3-4 months of rehab following surgery which coincided nicely with his 30-game suspension, giving him a likely return to game action at around mid-December. Clearly he won't be at close to full strength initially, and he may not get back to the player he was last year. However, even if you believe that, to advocate not picking him up is just plain bad advice. This guy averaged 20 pts, 4 dimes, 5 boards, and 1.5 swipes a game last year. I would imagine that most people who read your column play in competitive leagues (i.e. at least 10-12 teams) and carry rosters of at least 12-15 players. Do you honestly believe that Monta Ellis, even at 65-75%, is not better than the 12th or 15th man on most people's teams? That's basically what you are saying when you advise against picking him up. I have both Ellis and Arenas on my team in a 10 team league - 15 man roster, and I have received multiple trade offers for both from savvy owners who recognize that either guy could be the key to winning a league title in April. Better advice would be to advise owners to take a flyer on Ellis or Arenas if they are sitting with a Pietrus, Morrow, Landry, Fernandez type of player on the end of their bench who will more than likely not be the difference maker Ellis or Arenas may be for their team. I think most agree he's roster worthy (he's owned 83% at ESPN), but I'd be curious to hear your thinking aside from the "Arenas burned owners last year" angle. Thanks, and keep up the good work.

Julian

The Poll

Steve "Dr. A" Alexander is the senior editor for the NBA and PGA Tour for Rotoworld.com. The 2008-09 NBA season marks his seventh year of covering hoops for Rotoworld.com.