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.

With the recent eight-man deal that has been completed by the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors, several players have seen an increase or decrease in value.  We’re also starting to see some of the injured stars make their way back to their respective practice floors, soon to be found in a game near you!  This week’s Wire to Wire will break down the return of a few of those stars, the recent trade, and which players involved can be found on waiver wires across the fantasy hoops universe.  Let’s dig in…

(Note: I’ve been having some internet issues lately, so for the sake of time, we’re going to get right in to this week’s recommendations.  I apologize for the inconvenience!)

Shallow Leagues:

David West, PF, New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets
7 G; 35.4 MPG; 17.4 MPG; 8.3 RPG; 1.3 APG; 0 3PM; 47.1 FG%; 74.3 FT%; 0.4 SPG; 1.0 BPG; 1.9 TO

Good news for those that held on to David West is that he’s participating in his first practice sessions in over two months.  Better news for those that are in leagues that have West on their waiver wire – as you may be able to pick up some solid production for forty cents on the dollar.  West has double-double potential with incredibly solid percentages.  I’d also expect an increased role when he returns due to the overall (lack of) health of the Hornets.

Troy Murphy, PF/C, Indiana Pacers
26 G; 25.4 MPG; 8.9 PPG; 6.0 RPG; 2.3 APG; 0.9 3PM; 45.0 FG%; 71.2 FT%; 0.8 SPG; 0.7 BPG; 1.1 TO

Don Nelson coming to Golden State has not meant good things for Troy Murphy.  Impatient owners likely ditched him during his hobbled state, and maybe even recently with his inability to crack the 30 minute mark.  Now that Murphy’s a Pacer, I expect Larry Legend to fully utilize his double-double potential in the frontcourt next to Jermaine O’Neal, and increasing his role if JON is to miss any time with his recently aggravated ankle.  Shallow league owners in need of some help at the Center positions should definitely put in a waiver request.

Stephen Jackson, SG/SF, Golden State Warriors
37 G; 32.0 MPG; 14.1 PPG; 2.6 RPG; 3.1 APG; 1.1 3PM; 41.9 FG%; 82.2 FT%; 0.9 SPG; 0.5 BPG; 2.2 TO

When your season is most notably known for shooting up a strip club, it’s never a good thing.  With the recent trade, Golden State’s run-and-gun offense coupled with an injured Jason Richardson should mean good things for the ever erratic Jackson.  The change of scenery will definitely have it’s pros and cons.  The increase in nightlife opportunities may not be a good thing for his career, but Jackson’s short-term fantasy potential just skyrocketed with the move to the bay.

Standard Leagues:

Shaquille O’Neal, C, Miami Heat
4 G; 30.4 MPG; 14.0 PPG; 7.5 RPG; 1.3 APG; 0 3PM; 45.3 FG%; 44.4 FT%; 0 SPG; 1.0 BPG; 3.5 TO

While O’Neal is on my list of players that I’d never own under any circumstances, some owners have a stronger stomach for the decimation of their free throw percentage.  In a season that has seen big men go down like flies, O’Neal will likely need a good home in fantasy land in many of standard leagues.  He was likely cut after his injury news, but you won’t have a lot of time to add him once he gets things going.  If you need the help in your frontcourt, add some Diesel to your engine.

Rajon Rondo, PG/SG, Boston Celtics
33 G; 15.4 MPG; 4.2 PPG; 2.6 RPG; 2.4 APG; 0 3PM; 40.5 FG%; 61.7 FT%; 1.1 SPG; 0.1 BPG; 1.3 TO

You can likely find a infamous video of Tony Allen’s knee injury somewhere on the web.  The result of this unfortunate incident, aside from the collective forehead slaps of Allen owners, is a drastic increase in the minutes of Rajon Rondo.  With Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak still dealing with their respective injuries, Rondo now finds himself logging PT in the mid-30s.  His shot has been struggling as of late, but once it starts dropping, look out.

Willie Green, SG, Philadelphia 76ers
36 G; 25.3 MPG; 11.8 PPG; 2.1 RPG; 1.4 APG; 0.8 3PM; 40.8 FG%; 66.1 FT%; 0.9 SPG; 0 BPG; 1.4 TO

Count me in on the bunch that just couldn’t deal with Green’s percentages during the (Allen Iverson) pre-trade period.  Since I’ve dropped him, more shakeup has taken place in the city of brotherly love – which has meant great things for Green’s production.  He’s more of a scoring-only option, but with the slew of injured scorers around the league, standard leagues could use Green’s double-digit production.

Deep Leagues:

Marcus Williams, PG/SG, New Jersey Nets
35 G; 16.4 MPG; 6.4 PPG; 1.8 RPG; 2.9 APG; 0.6 3PM; 40.6 FG%; 88.0 FT%; 0.5 SPG; 0 BPG; 1.6 TO

As the old investment saying goes, “Buy on rumors, sell on news.”  While the Jason Kidd trade rumors are far from a lock, if he were to leave New Jersey, Marcus Williams would easily be the biggest beneficiary of the move.  We’ve all seen Williams’ potential when given minutes, and if this trade were to go down, he’d be an easy candidate for Rookie of the Year.  Stay tuned.

Marquis Daniels, SG/SF, Indiana Pacers
34 G; 15.4 MPG; 5.0 PPG; 1.7 RPG; 1.2 APG; 0.1 3PM; 39.6 FG%; 76.5 FT%; 0.7 SPG; 0.2 BPG; 1.0 TO

Following up a Marcus with a Marquis.  While a lot of trade fallout scenarios talk about those actually swapping teams, many fail to discuss Daniels – who will now likely be given a shot at the starting shooting guard role for the Pacers.  Check back to Daniels’ numbers at the end of the 2003-04 season, and you’ll see that he was a triple-double threat on many of evenings, and is a steals machine.  Worst case scenario is that he splits time, which is still a bump in minutes.  Daniels is definitely worth a deep flier – and should even be monitored in standard settings.

Bostjan Nachbar, SF, New Jersey Nets
33 G; 16.0 MPG; 6.2 PPG; 2.5 RPG; 0.7 APG; 0.9 3PM; 38.1 FG%; 87.3 FT%; 0.3 SPG; 0.4 BPG; 0.7 TO

Nachbar’s struggling to get his playing time over the 25 minute mark, but is making the best of things when he’s on the floor.  Since starting the January 5th game against the Bulls, Bostjan has rattled off double-digits in six of his last seven contests.  He’s a solid source of cheap threes, and may even help your free throw percentage from time to time.  He’s definitely someone to consider – especially if anything were to happen to Richard Jefferson.

Ike Diogu, PF/C, Indiana Pacers
17 G; 13.1 MPG; 7.2 PPG; 3.7 RPG; 0.3 APG; 0 3PM; 53.0 FG%; 79.6 FT%; 0.2 SPG; 0.7 BPG; 1.1 TO

I was one of Diogu’s biggest fan’s going into last season.  As you all know, Ike really didn’t do much for me until about the last two weeks of the season.  For Don Nelson’s Warriors, it’s been more of the same.  However, now that he’s on the Pacers, I think Diogu has excellent long-term potential.  He’s now in a logjam at the post (with O’Neal, Murphy, and Jeff Foster), but if he can squeeze in some minutes, I think Rick Carlisle will be impressed.  I wouldn’t add him right away, but definitely keep an eye on the former top ten pick.

That’s all for this week.  May the eight man trade mean good things for your waiver wire additions.  See you all next week…