Oh Ricky, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind, Hey Ricky!  Hey Ricky!

Oh Ricky, you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind, Hey Ricky!  Hey Ricky!

You shoot the other way, just to get another board
You rack up steals and points, there’s no doubting you can score
You’re sharing the backcourt, but not with TJ Ford, Ricky!

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Oh Ricky, you’re so tricky, I can’t understand
They trade away Garnett, but you might not be the man

Oh Ricky, you’re so tricky, I can’t understand…

It’s guys like you, Ricky…

Round 5, Pick 8: Ricky Davis, SG/SF, Minnesota Timberwolves

With one of the biggest blockbuster trades in the recent history of the NBA, Kevin Garnett was moved to Boston for a slew of youth to lead the way for the Minnesota Timberwolves.  This youth movement will be joined by a veteran wingman in Ricky Davis.

Davis has had quite the up and down career, ranging from being the only fantasy relevant player in Cleveland pre-LeBron, to being the running mate of Paul Pierce in Boston.  He was moved to Minnesota in a deal that involved Wally Szczerbiak, and has shared in the misery of losing by the lakes with Garnett – until this season.

But just because the team does not win a lot of games, it doesn’t mean that individual fantasy stats suffer.  While his scoring was down over two points a game last season, Davis was a solid across the board contributor with per game stats of 17.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 3PM, 1.0 steals, and a free throw conversion rate of 83.9 percent. 

If you’d like a decent gauge of what Davis did with Garnett out, simply look to his stats over the month of April: 19.9 pts, 3.2 reb, 4.9 ast, 0.7 stl, 0.5 blk, and 2.2 3PM

So what’s not to like about Davis this season?  The Timberwolves are obviously going with a youth movement this season.  Their starting point guard (Randy Foye) and power forward (Al Jefferson) are obvious parts of their future plans.  The ‘Wolves first round draft pick this season was former Florida Gator Corey Brewer, a player who may chip into the playing time of Davis at either the two or three. 

Davis’ name continues to float around in trade rumors.  The Miami Herald has reported possible trade rumors to the Heat, and ‘Wolves GM Kevin McHale is reportedly waiting on three or four other possible offers. 

Davis could be a goldmine if drafted this late in the fifth round, as he has a legitimate chance to put up top-30 numbers this season.  If you draft this early, you’re going to have to take a risk with Davis as he could move to a team where he becomes the third or fourth option on offense – as opposed to the first if he stays in Minnesota. 

As seen below, the fifth round is likely to bring plenty of SG/SF types, so it’s a risk-reward play with a guy like Ricky.  WIth two other SG/SF’s on this team, Ricky Davis may have not been the best selection, but coupling the value at the end of the fifth round with the potential for across-the-board production makes Davis a solid addition at this slot.  The ball’s in your court with Tricky Davis. 

Other Players On This Fantasy Team:
1.8 Amare Stoudemire, PF/C, Phoenix Suns
2.5 Rashard Lewis, SF/PF, Seattle Supersonics
3.8 Tracy McGrady, SG/SF, Houston Rockets
4.5 Mike Bibby, PG, Sacramento Kings

Previous Picks this Round:
5.1. Antawn Jamison, PF/SF, Washington Wizards
5.2. Kirk Hinrich, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls
5.3. Mo Williams, PG, Milwaukee Bucks
5.4. Zach Randolph, PF, New York Knicks
5.5. Rasheed Wallace, PF, Detroit Pistons
5.6 Mike Miller, SG/SF, Memphis Grizzlies
5.7 Manu Ginobili, SG/SF, San Antonio Spurs

Previous Round Selections:
Round One Recap
Round Two Recap
Round Three Recap
Round Four Recap