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Looking over the box scores, something jumped out and screamed “HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL, IS THAT A TYPO?”  Those Celtics who looked even better without Kevin Garnett lost to… the Clippers.  Wow.  The Clipper that lost by 40 a week ago.  They beat the defending champs.  Wow.  Maybe Brian Scalabrine is the MVP of that team?

Wednesday’s best: Very tough to pick one, so we’ll pick two.  Tony Parker had another great game, with 39 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists, with just one turnover. Devin Harris also had a great game (seriously, dude is on fire right now) with 42 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.  He also was 11-11 from the line and had 3 threes made.  It would be unfair to also not to mention Dwight Howard’s 24 points, 21 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

Wednesday’s worst: Jared Jeffries.  I’m a big D’Antoni guy, but seriously, why is he starting?  What do the Knicks benefit by having him in there?  I saw some of the Pacers game Tuesday, and this guy is a waste of a roster spot.  Tonight he went off to the tune of… zero points, zero rebounds, zero ANYTHING besides his one block and five fouls.  In 17 minutes.

Keep an eye on: Goran Dragic.  Steve Nash is a game-time decision tomorrow, and if he misses some time, Dragic is your guy.  He’s played well under new coach Alvin Gentry, and even if Nash does play, he should see increased minutes while Nash gets a little more rest than usual for that bum ankle.

What to watch for Thursday:  It’s a TNT Thursday, which honestly kind of sucks.  Cleveland and Houston might be a good game.  Might be.  The Lakers will likely stomp all over the Suns, especially if Nash doesn’t play.  Oh well, what can we really expect from a two-game Thursday schedule?


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Not much surprising Monday in terms of box score, but before you read on, please go watch this.  You’ll see why in a second.

Monday’s best: Did you watch it?  Wow.  The line Devin Harris put up tonight: 39 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 threes, 2 steals, a block, 11-22 from the field, and 12-14 from the line.  Also worth mentioning was the line Nate Robinson was putting up at the same time across town.  KryptoNate went off for 41 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 threes, 2 steals, 11-18 FG, and 15-19 from the line.  Couple more points, rebounds instead of assists, one fewer three and block, but better FG%.  Pretty close, but not much tops that shot from Harris.

Monday’s worst: Chauncey Billups.  No wonder the Nuggets got bulldozed by the defending champs.  In 34 minutes, Billups had 3 points, 5 assists, and 4 turnovers.  He was 1-8 from the field and ended up a team low -38 at the end of it all.

Keep an eye on: The Utah Jazz.  They got Carlos Boozer back tonight, and they’re playing good ball.  Now they have a purpose, and with the West so tight, they could really climb that ladder.  They are a scary team for sure.

What to watch for Tuesday:  Two good games will be Mavericks/Spurs and Portland/Houston.  No Greg Oden vs. Yao Ming, but oh well.  Also, word has it that Mikki Moore is signing with the Celtics tomorrow.  He’d be worth a pickup probably, at least if you have the spot to spare.  Interestingly, Mike D’Antoni will miss practice Tuesday to attend an arbitration hearing for Stephon Marbury.  Might the Celtics be interested in him as well if the meeting spurs a buyout?  Hm…


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What a day Tuesday was.  Let me tell you, there were some crazy lines.  One stood above the rest.  Way above.  One could say it was… super.  And there was no green substance anywhere to be found…

Tuesday’s best: Let me start off saying there was a triple-double Tuesday.  It was Pau Gasol (12 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists).  However, it was CLEARLY the second-best line.  The winner?  Superman himself, Dwight Howard.  All he did was score a career-best 45 points to go along with 19 boards and 8 blocks.  Two blocks short of one of the more impressive triple-doubles I’ve ever seen in my life.  Not only that, he was an uncharacteristic 13-18 from the line (72%) and 16-23 (70%) from the field.  Sorry Pau, Dwight just blew your triple-double out of the water.

Tuesday’s worst: Zach Randolph.  The former Jail Blazer played under 12 minutes because he felt it necessary to throw a punch at Louis Amundson.  I mean seriously, I was there, and we went to a boxing match and a basketball game broke out.  The plus side for Zach?  His +/- was only -13, compared to Eric Gordon’s -45 and Ricky Davis’ -42.

Keep an eye on: Amundson.  Sure, it was a blowout.  But Lou was the first guy off the bench under new coach Alvin Gentry and played 20 solid minutes, scoring 13 and pulling down 8 boards with the team’s lone block.  If he gets 20 minutes a game, which he could easily under a new coach, he’s worth a look in 12-16 team leagues where you need a big.

What to watch for tomorrow: Shawn Marion plays his first game as the Cavaliers travel to take on the Raptors.  Keep an eye on how many points the Raptors score, especially if Chris Bosh plays.  Dwight could go off again against New Orleans, who traded their best defensive big today.  And Devin Harris comes back to Dallas, where Vince Carter trade rumors are abound.  Could be semi-interesting.


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Happy belated new year! Yours truly is way overdue for a post. Drive safely if you leave in a snowy region today.

I took a peak at the standings in the paper today. The season has just passed the one-third mark and there are some intriguing playoff scenarios. Obviously a lot of ball still needs to be played, but check out the match-ups if the playoffs started today. Like last year, on paper the match-ups in the West sizzle, while the East still looks top-heavy.

Click to continue reading Current Playoff Scenarios


Dropping Dimes is trying out a new feature. Fantasy 30 intends to rank all of the NBA teams in terms of fantasy power. A list like this tends to lead to a lot of disagreement and discussion, but the hope is that these rankings will be fluid and updated as the year goes on. Thanks to Ron Chow for the assist. In addition to publishing updates on the Fantasy 30, once in a while we hope to produce sister articles that focus on a specific team and its roster.

#1: Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant ranks as a top four fantasy player this year. The Lakers employ two fantasy-worthy starters for center in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Lamar Odom has played well coming off the bench. Jordan Farmar has sleeper point guard potential, and the team also employs three-point threats like Derek Fisher and Vlad Radmanovic. All of this adds up to the Lakers being top dog early in the year.

Click to continue reading Fantasy 30, Version 1


Tour de NBAI had to let our first podcast marinate a little at the top of our page. It’s not every day Kevin Garnett gets traded after all! The Atlantic Division is getting crowded! Certainly in terms of fantasy impact, New Jersey no longer has the best trio in the division. Isn’t it great to have a huge trade like this to break up the summer doldrums? What else is going on in sports these days, besides the Tour de Farce?

This pick acquitted himself well last year in terms of answering the questions about his age and injury issues.

Round 2, Pick 3: Jason Kidd, PG, New Jersey Nets

Click to continue reading Dropping Dimes Mock Draft Blog 2007: Round 2, Pick 3


Yao Ming can't play, but he can modelI am back like Jack Bauer! Unlike Jack’s dramatic return from a Chinese prison, I was freed (booted?) from my parent’s basement. Now semi-acclimated to life on my own (thank god for the microwave!), I am ready to make a contribution to Dropping Dimes. Thanks to Dennis, Sarge, and Alvin for holding down the DD fort.

What the heck did I miss? What is up with all the injuries to key fantasy players?! In all my years in fantasy basketball, I don’t remember a season where so many players have been knocked out with injuries like a Mirko Cro Cop high kick (He is going to wreck havoc in the UFC!). In one of my leagues, a GM lost his top four picks to injuries (Chris Paul, Yao Ming, Josh Smith and Rashard Lewis). The poor GM had his playoff hopes dashed in the month of December. Them’s the breaks. In this edition of the Injury Lowdown I will give a quick rundown of key injuries and some players to keep an eye on.

Click to continue reading Injury Lowdown - What the Heck Did I Miss?!?!


Who, you?  Yes, you, Yao!Stat’s All Folks will be a week-to-week stock market look at the standard cumulative categories – points, assists, rebounds, three-pointers made, steals, and blocks.  I’ll be calling out the “bulls” and “bears” in each category, in order to help you assess your portfolio of players on your fantasy basketball team(s) and whether you should sell, hold, and/or diversify your assets. 

Note that you won’t always see the superstar player written about in this column, otherwise it would be LeBron James or Steve Nash every week.  So, check out who’s bullish and who’s bearish coming into the week.

Statistics are through December 14th – December 20th.

POINTS

BULLISH

Yao Ming, C, Houston Rockets
Last Week’s Numbers of Note: 4 G; 34.8 PPG; 50.9 FG%; 91.2 FT%

Usually, the top scorers are coming from everywhere BUT the center position.  Indeed, the dominating scoring big man in the middle is a dying breed, but Yao Ming refuses to lay down softly and go the way of the Thighmaster.  Face it people, Yao is here to stay unlike the Suzanne Somers product and he is undeniably the best center in the NBA.  In his four games last week, Yao scored no less than 32 points in each contest and was feeling it so much he even attempted a trey from downtown!  He miseed, but that’s about the only shot he’ll ever clang off the rim.  And unlike other players that make a living down in the post, Yao hits his free throws allowing him to accumulate points from the charity stripe.  Obviously, hold on to Yao like your league championship depended on it because it just might.

Click to continue reading Stat’s All Folks: Yao = Best Center


Gilbert ArenasStat’s All Folks will be a week-to-week stock market look at the standard cumulative categories – points, assists, rebounds, three-pointers made, steals, and blocks.  I’ll be calling out the “bulls” and “bears” in each category, in order to help you assess your portfolio of players on your fantasy basketball team(s) and whether you should sell, hold, and/or diversify your assets. 

Note that you won’t always see the superstar player written about in this column, otherwise it would be LeBron James or Steve Nash every week.  So, check out who’s bullish and who’s bearish coming into the week.

Statistics are through December 7th – December 13th.

POINTS

BULLISH

Gilbert Arenas, PG, Washington Wizards
Last Week’s Numbers of Note: 3 G; 35.7 PPG; 47.9 FG%; 78.1 FT%

What does Benihana and Arenas have in common?  HIBACHI!!!  Apparently, whenever Agent Zero takes a shot, he’s saying the word “hibachi” with each stroke.  This is just another example of Arenas’ quirky ways, but there’s no questioning it’s working, is there?  Arenas is scoring a little more than six points more in the month of December than he did in November, thanks to slicing to the basket and getting to the charity stripe almost ten times a game.  There hasn’t been this much success being off-kilter since Pee Wee Herman.  Arenas’ stock is high, so keep your hands on him.

Click to continue reading Stat’s All Folks: HIBACHI!!!


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