Hey all.  Sorry for no Daily Drop today.  By now you all should know that Amare Stoudemire had an amazing night, Kevin Martin will miss four-to-six weeks, and LeBron James’ finger may be worse than we had originally assumed.  With that said…here’s this week’s edition of Wire to Wire.  More Daily drops as the week rolls on!

Wire to Wire aims to be your waiver wire resource for all of your fantasy basketball needs. It will dive into playing time trends, injury replacements, and even an occasional category specialist—all of which can be found on a typical waiver wire within your fantasy league at any given time.

Things have been getting pretty dicey with injuries to big stars - including LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Kevin Martin – and the Chicago Bulls still searching for the right mix of players to get over the hump.  This week’s edition of Wire to Wire will bring you several options from long-range with some solid guard/forward-types to bolster your roster. 

Shallow Leagues (Less than 12 teams)

Jason Maxiell, SF/PF/C, Detroit Pistons

One of this year’s biggest sleepers coming into this season has not only been getting a ton of playing time, but he has recently gained center eligibility in most league formats increasing his value even more.  In his past three games, Maxiell has logged about 28 minutes of play and has produced double-double averages with two blocks and an incredibly solid field goal percentage.  The former first-round selections steals are down a bit from last season, and offers nothing in terms of assists, but with his eligibility and recent bump in playing time, he’s a must-add in all formats.

Juan-Carlos Navarro, PG/SG, Memphis Grizzlies

Navarro was a key acquisition for Memphis this season, but struggled to find his niche early on.  In the middle of November, Navarro entered the starting lineup and began putting up huge nights of scoring and three-point field goals.  With Darko Milicic’s return, Navarro fell out of the starting lineup, but his contributions have kept pace.  The guard has put up double figures in each of the last six contests, averaging over three treys per night.  If you’re a Kevin Martin owner and are in need of some threes, Navarro is your man.

John Salmons, SG/SF, Sacramento Kings

Speaking of Kevin Martin, he will miss the next several weeks with a groin injury that he sustained on Tuesday evening.  There is a decent chance that someone acquired Salmons a long time ago and simply held on since his demotion.  However, if you are in a league where an owner bailed after the minutes fell, jump all over the swingman as he will be a solid source of all-around contribution.  After Martin left with an injury, Salmons went off with 15 points in the fourth quarter.  Tell me that this is not something you could use.

Andres Nocioni, SF/PF, Chicago Bulls

While Scott Skiles continues to fiddle with the rotations he is using for his underachieving Bulls squad, Andres Nocioni continues to log solid minutes and is coming off of a 30-point outing against the Mavericks.  You are looking at a guy that can average 16 points, seven rebounds and a steal per game with solid percentages if given the minutes.  You better believe that Skiles will continue to ride out Nocioni’s hot streak while it lasts – and you should too.

(Last Week: Antonio Daniels, Jeff Foster, Monta Ellis)

Standard Leagues (12-14 teams)

Brevin Knight, PG, Los Angeles Clippers

Fewer players get injured each season more than the veteran point guard Knight.  Thankfully for Brevin, he is on a team that suits him and actually may have him beat in terms of injured players, allowing him to be the starting point guard over the past three games.  In said contests, Knight as averaged 10 points, six assists, and nearly two steals per game; something that we can all use from our back-up point guard.  Even better is the fact that he has only turned the ball over four times combined and has not harmed any of the percentages.  He’s no lock to stay healthy, but Knight is worth a look in all standard formats.

Chris Duhon, PG, Chicago Bulls

Similar to the situation with Nocioni above, the Bulls are trying to do whatever it takes to succeed – or at least play better than they have over the past month.  If this means sitting a (struggling) team captain in Kirk Hinrich in favor of Chris Duhon, then so be it.  Duhon has rattled off several solid games as of late and may receive more time if he can keep it up.  Sustainability is always a factor with the former Blue Devil, but if you need a quick boost in points, assists and steals, you could do a lot worst than Duhon.

Travis Outlaw, SF/PF, Portland Trailblazers

In sleeper-picks that failed to immediately live up to the hype, Outlaw may be at the top of the list.  With Greg Oden out for the season and Martell Webster finding his shot, it looked like Outlaw would be the odd man out.  Well as of the last five games, Outlaw is averaging 17 points and seven rebounds, including buzzer-beating heroics against the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this week.  He hasn’t quite entered the starting lineup just yet, but with nearly 30 minutes per night, it should not matter.  If Brandon Roy moves to the point and Outlaw get a shot at starting, look out.

Brent Barry, PG/SG, San Antonio Spurs

Think Juan-Carlos Navarro, but on a team that may not allow him to get as many minutes.  Chalking up about 20 minutes of playing time over the last seven games, Barry has nailed an astounding 17 three-point field goals en route to about 11 points per night with a flawless free throw percentage.  If you’re in a roto league that simply needs a boost in threes and you can afford to add someone and just let them sit in a utility spot for a while, you cannot get much better than Barry who should be able to single-handedly take you up three or four points in the long-range category.

(Last Week: Marko Jaric, Jamario Moon, Antoine Walker, Kenyon Martin)

Deep Leagues (Greater than 14 teams)

Louis Williams, PG/SG, Philadelphia 76ers

Fewer players get their names mentioned in possible trade scenarios than the current Philadelphia point guard Andre Miller.  With GM Billy King getting axed and the third portion of his infamous “three stage plan” still to come, it would make sense for the struggling Sixers to move their veteran point guard for some salary relief and youth to take them to the next level within the next few years.  In limited time, Williams has shown that he has what it takes to start and would provide a ton of value after a trade of Miller.  Scoop him up now and reap the benefits later.

Shannon Brown, PG/SG, Cleveland Cavaliers

It is officially time to start worrying about the index finger of LeBron James.  Some media outlets are considering the All-World forward day-to-day, others say month-to-month.  Regardless, the Cavaliers need to get their scoring somewhere and where better than to showcase your first round draft pick from a season ago?  Brown offers the most potential out of any of the current role players in Cleveland and would be one of the bigger trade targets for another team.  The fact that his contract expires this season will make Cleveland want to deal him that much more, so why not give him a flier?

Jerry Stackhouse, SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks have gotten to the point where a star guard like Jason Terry has been coming off of the bench, so there shouldn’t be much time for someone like Jerry Stackhouse, right?  Wrong.  Stack has averaged 27 minutes over the past two games and has made the most of it by taking 10 shots per game and filling in on the points and percentages.  If you’re holding on to someone like Walter Herrmann or Luis Scola just hoping for them to turn things around, I say wait no longer and swap for someone like Jerry Stackhouse.

Wally Szczerbiak, SG/SF, Seattle Supersonics

Similar to Stackhouse, Szczerbiak may entice you a bit more simply due to the lack of talent on his team.  His minutes-per-game allotment has been a bit odd as of late, but if you can catch him on a good game, you’ll get double-digit points with some of the best efficiency in the league.  The Seattle offense will continue to go through Kevin Durant, but look for Wally World to step in at the wing for about 20 minutes per night and make the most of it.

(Last Week: Dan Dickau, Sasha Pavlovic, Kurt Thomas, Nick Young) 

Have a good week, all.