HOOPLOG: Leandro Barbosa

Luke-Warm Pickups

Tue, 04 Apr 2006 09:42:32 -0800

As we near the end of the fantasy season, it’s important to recognize that you’re not going to find those awesome pickups that you always spend time trolling for during the first half of the year. And as you look for players to fill those extra games you’ve got lying around, your standards have to drop a bit. Remember – even if you play a guy who gets 2 points, a rebound and an assist, that’s 2 more points, one more rebound and one more assist than you’d have if you just let an extra game go by. With that in mind, let’s see if we can find some guys who are good bets for a single game here or there:

Nate Robinson, G, NYK
Robinson’s got a couple of things going for him. One, he qualifies at both guard positions, which mean that he’s got added value for those filling games. Two, with Stephon Marbury still out, Larry Brown may be forced to play him as Steve Francis’s backup. And three, even if he doesn’t see a bunch of minutes, he’s still a good bet for a three or a steal as long as he gets on the court. Of course, he does have the major negative of being under the rule of Larry Brown, who may be the most hated man in all of fantasy basketball, even surpassing Hubie Brown of a few years ago. As of yesterday, Robinson looked like a great play. As of this morning, it’s a slightly different story as news comes out that he was nearly sent to the D-League a month ago. But Robinson, who plays three times over the next four days, is still a nice game-filler for those of you with extra guard games.

Antonio McDyess, PF, DET
With Rasheed Wallace being suspended for tonight’s game, McDyess will likely be counted on for 30+ minutes. But even when he’s seeing his typical 20 or so mpg, he’s still a nice asset. He’ll contribute in both defensive categories, rebounds, and recently he’s been on a bit of a scoring streak. Also, with the playoffs approaching, McDyess is a strong candidate for more playing time as Ben Wallace and Sheed get a little rest now that the playoffs have been clinched. It’s also a possibility that Dale Davis will see some extra time off the Piston pine, but probably not enough to make him worthwhile.

The Phoenix Chuckers
Any of these guys – James Jones, Leandro Barbosa, Eddie House, Tim Thomas, Raja Bell – could be a fine pickup if you’re looking for threes. With Mike D’Antoni allowing his players to shoot at will, and Steve Nash putting them in position to do just that, the Suns not only take the most threes of any team in the league, they also make the highest percentage of them. The problem is knowing who’s going to have the hot hand from night to night. Last Friday, Barbosa exploded for 28 points – the next game, he was held to 10. But all of them, on average, will give you at least one three and maybe 8-10 points with a spattering of other stats.

Martell Webster, G/F, POR
While the rest of his team is a complete disaster, Webster will have an opportunity to strut his stuff over the final few weeks of the season. He’ll have his ups and downs, but in the end he’ll be a big help in threes, and should contribute in points and FT% as well. Anything more than that might be asking too much, but he’s also a candidate for one of those out-of-nowhere breakout games as well.

Suns' Nash, Barbosa miss San Antonio game

Thu, 09 Mar 2006 22:40:01 -0800

The Phoenix Suns were without Steve Nash and his backup Leandro Barbosa for Thursday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs. Nash, who had not missed a game all season, sprained his right ankle in the third quarter of Monday night's contest against New Orleans in Oklahoma City. The Suns rallied without Nash to beat the Hornets 101-88 for their 11th consecutive victory.

Barbosa Out 1-3 Weeks

Thu, 23 Feb 2006 09:07:51 -0800

Manu Ginobili’s flopping has cost somebody something other than a cheap foul. At the end of the first half of the Spurs/Suns contest on Saturday, Ginobili (in true Manu fashion) fell down in order to earn a call. There was no whistle. Instead, Ginobili fell into Leandro Barbosa’s knee. Poor LB [...]

Head On

Wed, 23 Nov 2005 10:53:10 -0800

So the popular pickup in leagues across the country last night was surely Luther Head. I must give credit to the guy in my league who snagged him a few hours before last night’s tip off. Good thinking. Head started, played 43 minutes and poured in 28 points, grabbed 7 boards, hit 5 3s, made 9-of-17 from the field, all 5 free throws, and added 3 assists. Quite a game. Still, color me skeptical that Head will be able to keep this up, or even come close. First off, the Rockets just don’t score enough so that anyone but Yao will have consistent value when Tracy McGrady is out. Yao is clearly the team’s first option, and they slow the game down to a crawl to get him involved. Usually there’s one player that manages to have a fantasy-worthy game in addition to Yao (who it should be noted is shooting 36-for-89 – 40% -- with T-Mac out compared to 44-for-76 – 58% with him in there). Maybe it will be David Wesley, maybe Derek Anderson, maybe Head. It’s risky to be counting on any of them. The more intriguing development is that if Head does manage to have a few more games close to this level, Rafer Alston might have a really, really hard time finding those 35 mpg he needs when he comes back. It’s looking worse and worse for Rafer everyday.

Some other recently won starting jobs and thoughts on them…

Jarvis Hayes – It’s well known that we’re Wizards fanatics around here, so it’s quite rare that I’ll miss a minute of any Wizards game. Over the past week this has caused me much frustration. In an effort to shake things up, Eddie Jordan replaced the struggling (putting it quite mildly) Antonio Daniels in the starting lineup with Jarvis Hayes. I’ll say this about Hayes – he is clearly the most improved player on the Wizards this year. He was drafted as a jump shooting specialist, but the thing was, over this first two years he could not shoot. He hit 40% and 39% of his shots in his first two seasons, and also had trouble staying healthy. But something has clicked this year. His jumper has always looked smooth and now it’s actually starting to fall, as Jarvis is connecting on 46% of his shots. His ideal range is out to 20 feet or so, he’s not a great three-point shooter, but he’s taking more than ever this year, and could connect on just over 1 per game if he keeps his starting job. He’s a good rebounder when he wants to, and the Wizards could really use him crashing the boards more, but he’ll never be much of a plus there. And that’s the rub with Jarvis’s fantasy game. He’ll never hit a ton of 3s, get many steals or blocks or score all that much. He got 31 minutes in his first start last night, and if he stays around that number he’ll be a very borderline fantasy play, because he’ll need to shoot a high percentage to have much value. Also, he’s no better than the fourth option on this team. Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler will all get their production. Butler didn’t play as much last night, but it’s hard to see Eddie Jordan leaving him on the bench in favor of Jared Jeffries for too much longer. Hayes is worth a look if you have a roster spot to play with, but it’s hard to see him helping you out too much.

Jim Jackson – It’s hard to imagine anyone picked up JJ after his 0-for-7 stinker last night. Jackson entered the starting lineup with Leandro Barbosa out of action for a couple of weeks, but didn’t take advantage of the opportunity at all. But take a look at the minutes column – in his first game as a starter, JJ saw 35 minutes of action. Only Steve Nash and Shawn Marion, who played 42 minutes each, saw more time on the court. So if Mike D’Antoni was willing to keep JJ out there for 35 when he couldn’t hit a shot to save his life, it will be interesting to see what happens when the shot does start to fall. But that might be wishful thinking. JJ is shooting an almost impossibly bad 27% on the season, which is why he hadn’t seen more than 18 minute since the season opener before last night. Still, he’s a proven vet, and he did connect on 3 or more 3s in 18 games last season. He’s likely completely off most people’s radar right now, but there’s a slight chance he could erupt for a boat load of 3s in the next game or two. He’s worth keeping an eye on at least.

Josh Smith – So he’s making his way back into the starting lineup tonight, mercifully putting Josh Childress on the bench. Young guys coming off a strong second half, never trust ‘em. Wait, so that means Smith too, right? Eh, maybe. Anyway, Smith will move back into the starting lineup, but will that mean a big boost in his value? He played 27 and 28 minutes as a starter in the first two games of the season. Since he moved to the bench his PT has been very inconsistent, but he’s still managed to at least 30 minutes in four of those games. In those four contests that he’s seen at least 30 minutes his numbers are 11.3/5/1.8 with 1.3 steals and – here it is – 3 blocks. OK, the dude has a worse looking jump shot than your sister, as his 34% FG will attest, and every time I see him launch a jumper I cringe. If there is anyone who ¾ of his FGA should be dunks, layups, follows, alley-oops, it’s Smith. The point is, moving into the starting lineup is always a good thing. Even if he doesn’t see much more than the 30 minutes he was often getting off the bench, there is a much better chance he won’t see those killer 15 minute outings. Everything’s obviously up in the air in Atlanta, but Smith still has the potential to slot as the team’s #3 option on offense, behind Joe Johnson and Al Harrington. Smith’s blocks make him and obvious fantasy dream, but he’s a borderline play until he gets his rebounds and FG% back to where they were last year. If he can manage consistent time as a starter, I’d bet on both of those happening. I might still wait a game or two before plugging him back in there, but soon it will be time.

We’ll try to have something up on Friday, but we make no promises. Happy Thanksgiving.

Reed, Allen and Gomes propel Celtics over Suns

Mon, 11 Jul 2005 23:59:22 -0800

Celtics 82, Suns 53
By Gabe Kahn

LAS VEGAS- When the Celtics' summer league squad wiped the floor with their counterparts from Phoenix on Monday by a score of 82 to 53, it was difficult to tell whether or not it had anything to do with the superiority of the Celtic team or the vengeance of the refs. A mind-boggling 41 personal fouls were called... in the first half. For the game, there were 79 called and people all the way back at the MGM Grand could have permanent hearing damage from the constant scream of the whistles.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers, on his best behavior, said of the young, aspiring officials, "they're still working on their game and I think it's great. One guy, Matt [Boland], he worked last year in our league and now he's reffing this and I think that's great. He's like Perk and Al."

Under the watchful eyes of Danny Ainge, Chris Wallace, Rivers as well as Ainge's brain guru Jon Niednagel, the Celtics thrashed the a Suns summer league team bereft of almost any players representing the varsity, save Leandro Barbosa and Dijon Thompson. The Green and White led from coast to coast and increased their lead of 8 at the end of one quarter to 19 at the half and 23 by the start of the fourth quarter. Celtic sixth-man extraordinaire, Ricky Davis, came by with his son and watched the game with the Celtics, um, braintrust. He said he was "in town for a few days to check out the guys."

After three games at the Reebok Vegas Summer League, it's becoming increasingly clear that Rivers is going to have to find room in next year's rotation for second year small forward Justin Reed. Reed is not the flashiest player on the summer squad (that title would have to go to either Tony Allen or rookie phenom Gerald Green), but he is easily the most consistent. The stat sheet will say that he had 1 block and 4 rebounds to go with his 17 points, but in Vegas, the stat sheet does, in fact, lie, and Reed has also been the C's best defender.

A modest Reed said of his play, "I had a lot of mental breakdowns, but as long as you have good teammates, they help you. When you have great teammates, they make a lot things easy for me."

Tony Allen had a bounce back game after submitting a meager 6 points and 1 rebound when the Celtics played the Mavs during Friday's afternoon game. Allen finished with 16 points and was back to his aggressive, frenetic self that made him a starter halfway through his rookie campaign. Rookie Ryan Gomes had his best game so far, submitting 14 points and 11 rebounds while displaying his uncanny nose for the ball and high basketball IQ.

Gomes summarized his play so far in the summer league as follows: "I think I'm doing well. Just trying to run the floor, play defense, get rebounds. You know, do the little things." When asked about his knack for gobbling up so many loose rebounds, Gomes simplified things by saying, "I just try to go after every ball."

Green had a strong game, mixing his high flying drives with accurate outside shooting, scoring 13 points and going 2 for 3 from outside the arc. Point guard Delonte West was again on his stat-hating game with a quiet 2 points and 3 assists, but the team looked fluid with him at the helm. Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins struggled, with Jefferson chipping in 6 point and 3 boards and Perkins adding 2 points and 2 rebounds in 15 foul plagued minutes.

Faulty Box Score | Official Recap

As the Point Guard Turns

Mon, 28 Feb 2005 15:05:54 -0800

Ah, the frustrations of fantasy basketball. Two players who I ve been begging to get more playing time finally get put into situations where they are going to see that time and I miss out on both of them. Bah. Lots and lots of post-deadline PG situations to look at today, so let s get to it. With most fantasy trading deadlines fast approaching, this could be the last real chance to improve your team for the stretch run.

The Celtics situation is far from resolved. After Gary Payton was shipped to Atlanta, Delonte West who played a total of 120 minutes in the NBA prior to the trade stepped directly into the starting lineup the past two games and in 37 mpg put up 17.5/5.0/2.5 with 2.5 3s, 1.5 steals and 1 block on 64% shooting. Wow. The assists are low, which isn t surprising, and he should be looked at as more of a SG than a PG. But the 3s and steals are very welcome, and he s obviously a hot pickup. That said, Payton could be back in the fold very shortly. The Celtics will probably welcome him back if he wants to come back, but you have to wonder, should they? In their two games without him, with their new lineup featuring the rejuvenated Antoine Walker and West, they ve won tough road games at Utah and (an admittedly Steve Nash-less) Phoenix. It could be that this lineup of fresh legs is the way to go. Grab, West, hold on to Payton, but if The Glove comes back, I wouldn t be surprised to see them both have middling value at best. In his first game with C-Webb, Allen Iverson racked up 14 assists. The guy s just having a phenomenal year. If the 76ers can get past the Celtics for the Atlantic Division crown, it will be hard to deny him the MVP. Jason Kidd is #7 on the 30-Day Rater. He ll be one of the more interesting draft choices next year. He s obviously still worthy of a first-round pick, but how many people will be scared by his knee? A quiet week for Rafer Alston, both production-wise and blowup-wise. I m sure his owners will take it, though. Only 29.7 mpg in his last three isn t reason for concern, but it s a slightly interesting trend to watch. If you can buy low on Stephon Marbury right now, I d do it. The Knicks only have three guards on their active roster and one of those is the always-fragile Penny Hardaway. Expect Steph to see close to 40 mpg from here on out and to put up big numbers.

The Pistons are clicking on all cylinders. Wait, I didn t even mean for it to come out that way. Even if Shaq is completely healthy come conference finals time, the Pistons are looking like the team to beat in the East. Chauncey Billups continues his strong play and Carlos Arroyo is thriving in his backup role. The Pistons will have one of the best PG duos in the league over the next three years should they hold onto both of them. I suppose that technically Jeff McInnis is the PG in Cleveland, even though I talk about LeBron here all the time. But I mean, there s no news to report and it sure is a lot more fun to talk about LBJ than Jeff McInnis. Random LeBron thought of the day: I have one of these. I was thinking it d be going for more. Oh well. It was bittersweet seeing Kirk Hinrich lay it on my beloved Wiz on Friday night. Check out his mpg in the last six 42.8. Expect this to continue as the Bulls push not only for a playoff spot, but first round home-court advantage. He s still not getting as many assists as you d like, but he s going to be a stud from here on out. As for Chris Duhon, well he s seen 29.8 mpg in his last four, including three games of 30+. He s hitting open 3s, getting assists and a few steals. That said, he s #119 on the 15-Day Rater. Still, if you have PG games to make up, he s not a bad option. I do other things besides obsess fantasy basketball. In fact, I m in a band. (We both are, actually.) One thing I always have problems with is writing lyrics. Always drawing a blank. Maybe I ll write a song about how much I hate Jamaal Tinsley. The chorus could go, Day-to-day, why don t you just go away? Does that sound like a hit to you? Hmm, oh well. In any case, Tinsley is on the short list for most frustrating player in the league this year. Great numbers when he s out there, but he s absolutely killing his owners right now by being on the bench (not the IL), at a time in the season where most owners are cycling through all of their players in order to use their games in hand. It s really starting to look like he won t be a contributor the rest of the year. (Yes, I m trying reverse psychology. Yes, I realize that actually saying that means it won t work.) Anthony Johnson is still not an option he needs to play basically a perfect game just to be an average fantasy contributor. We re past the point of saying Mo Williams should be picked up. The question is who are his comparables as far as value for the rest of the season. BV pointed out his numbers earlier today, and they are tasty. Here s his deal: plenty of assists, very few 3s, average steals and scoring. Think normal Andre Miller for a good comp. If you need assists more than 3s, he s your man.

The Damon Jones binge continues. I like him better than Quentin Richardson for 3s from here on out. Gilbert Arenas got in one last monster game before Larry Hughes returns, going for 43/7/3 with 7 3s and 2 steals. Watching him and Mike Bibby duel was really a treat. There was also a Steve Blake sighting, which I couldn t let pass. In 34 minutes he went for 17/5/5 with 2 3s and a steal. It s all about opportunity, people. There s just not that much separating Blake from Dan Dickau. Remember when the Magic were one of the year s better stories? When they finish 37-45, four games out of the playoffs, those memories will be even more distant than they are now. Still, at least they re getting Jameer Nelson in there. I was clamoring for it, and in his first two starts he was good for 13.5/8.0/6.5 with 1 steal on 50% shooting. Now there s some talk that he creates bad defensive matchups and that his spot in the starting lineup isn t completely secure. Eh. I d still take my chances. I maintain he ll be a Jamaal Tinsley type, although it looks like he ll be more valuable on the boards and he might not his as many 3s as of yet (it took Tinsley a few years). Hopefully he won t inspire me to write hateful songs about him. Oh right, I didn t get him, so he won t. As for how this affects Steve Francis he s still the same incredibly overrated player he s always been. And now he ll have fewer assists. Brevin Knight has seen 30+ in two straight. You know what you re getting. He s like a rich man s Rick Brunson. Or something like that. Tyronn Lue alert! In his four games since returning from injury, he s received 36 minutes, and put up 15.3/2.8/7.0 with 0.5 steals and 1.0 3s. Solid, but a few things to notice: The assists are a bit high, expect him to be closer to 5. The 3s and steals are about right. He should be closer to 1.5 3s, but he s never been a top thief. He s seeing plenty of PT now, and should for the near future. But I ll echo the rest in thinking that those 13 year-old kids at the end of the Hawks bench might start taking his time as we get closer to April.

There s an emerging trend in San Antonio, and that s of Tony Parker being the secondary scoring option behind Tim Duncan. He averaged 20.4 ppg in February compared to Manu Ginobili s 16.5. Man is that PG situation in Dallas frustrating. After scoring 18 points in three games, Jason Terry goes off for 27 on Saturday. Don Nelson needs to keep him in the lineup, although it should be said that in Terry s two best games in February, the Mavs lost both times. That probably doesn t mean much. You have to stick with him and hope that maybe Brad Miller lays another one into Devin Harris, and Darrell Armstrong too, while he s at it. Although that would certainly upset this guy. It s just wrong, I tell you. Who s the one who s been yapping endlessly about Mike James all year? Me. Who snagged him the moment he got traded to Houston. BV. That stands for Bastard Verymuch. Hmm, I could have probably done better. Oh well. So out of all of the newly valuable PGs, it should come as no shock that I like James the best. Bob Sura s on the IL, Rod Strickland was given the boot, Andre Barrett s on the IL yeah, Moochie Norris and his hair are around, but this is James s show, and that was very evident as they put him in the starting lineup in his first game and he was good for 19/2/3 with 3 steals and 3 3s in 34 minutes. This is an especially good game, but he will be solid. Don t expect tons of assists, but the 3 and steals will be there. Until Sura gets back, he s got every chance to be as good as, say, Chucky Atkins. Remember, Atkins is the 62nd best player in the league this year, fantasy-wise. That s good. Ho-hum in Memphis. Jason Williams is the man, but you ll have to deal with games like Saturday when Earl Watson is the better player and J-Will gets only 23 minutes. I like Mike James more as long as Sura s out, unless you really need assists. We got our first look at post-trade deadline New Orleans and it wasn t pretty at all. That s a very Hubie-esque looking box score, with 10 guys seeing at least 14 minutes and no one logging more than 35. Dan Dickau stepped up with 22 points, 3 assists and 3 3s, but if you can sell high right now, you might want to try. He s playing for a contract, so you know he ll look to put up numbers, but his PT is in the hands of Byron Scott. As for Speedy Claxton, he might be able to salvage some value, but if they keep sharing time like that in the Big Easy, it will be tough for anyone to really distinguish themselves.

We re approaching 2,000 words. Sports Guy would be proud. My employer wouldn t be. Luke Ridnour is on the verge of uselessness. I guess you can throw out yesterday s game because it was a blowout early on, but that s still one decent game out of his last four. He s lucky Antonio Daniels has hit a rough patch as well. It s unlikely Ridnour will be removed from the starting lineup all season, but he s no Mike James. Sam Cassell has been every bit as frustrating as Jamaal Tinsley this year. Even more so. Sammy owners, I feel for ya. He s slowly working his way to the point where he can re-enter the starting lineup. With Latrell Sprewell looking like he might have finally turned it around (someone should fine me for saying that), if Sammy can come back the Wolves can make that push to get swept by the Spurs in the first round. Continue to be patient. But then again, what else can you do? You think Andre Miller was glad to see Earl Boykins banished to the bench. Maybe it s a mental thing. Boykins still saw almost 30 mpg off the bench, just slightly below what he was getting as a starter, but it still made all the difference in the world for Miller. Hopefully George Karl makes this a permanent change. It s best for everyone; even Boykins might hold his value. But probably not. He won t make it to the line 16 times every game. Yesterday was the first time Damon Stoudamire was held to single digits since Jan. 2. He s been over 20 only once in the past five games. Is his run over, or should you buy low? The minutes are still there, so I m buying (relatively) low. Keith McLeod should be a top point guard option from here on out. Ha, just making sure you re still paying attention this far in. You should be, I mean, is your job really any more exciting? Well, it s gotta be more exciting than the Jazz PG situation, at least.

Leandro Barbosa got plenty of PT with Steve Nash out (36.3 mpg), but didn t light it up, all things considered: 15.3/4.7/3.7 with 1.7 steals and 1 3. Very solid, but on the Suns it s easy to have high expectations. Since Nash is likely to miss a couple more games as we wind down, he s a good guy to have around for single game fill-ins. I always say how much I love Mike Bibby. No, not that like that. Not entirely like that, at least. He s always been better in real life than fantasy, but this is the year that s changed, and with Chris Webber taking his Monistat 7 to Philly, Bibby will be a total stud the rest of this year and next year and the year after, etc. He s #13 on the Rater, #4 in the last 30 Days and just might be a late-first rounder next year. Maybe. Chucky Atkins will be up and down with Kobe Bryant back, but his 3s will keep him valuable. Rick Brunson is fine for those of you who need assists, but he just doesn t shoot/score. He was getting a lot more 3s last time he saw lots of PT. Not this time. Poor man s Brevin Knight, right? And finally, the Warriors. Good to see Baron Davis out there. Hard to see him coming off the bench too much longer, and the Warriors probably want to keep his minutes down so as not to risk an injury in a meaningless season (insert Warriors meaningless season joke here), but he might want to show his new home crowd that he s still got it. Derek Fisher owners should get ready for the letdown. After averaging 43 mpg in his last four, he was back down to 33 last night. Still put up an awesome 19/4/2 with 3 steals and 3 3s, once his minutes slip into the 20s, his time will be up. That said, it s not like he isn t signed for another 5 years, so the Warriors might as well keep running him out there because like it or not, he s a part of their future.

Suns' Nash, backup both hurt in practice

Tue, 18 Jan 2005 17:45:51 -0800

After limping home from an 0-4 road trip, the Phoenix Suns thought they would have Steve Nash back in the lineup Wednesday night against Memphis. Then Nash had his foot stepped on in Tuesday's practice by his backup. Now, the Suns may have to get along without either one. The bruised left thigh that sidelined Nash for the last 2{ games is no longer a problem, but he twisted his back when backup point guard Leandro Barbosa stepped on his foot.

Weekend Review

Mon, 10 Jan 2005 14:33:18 -0800

Sunburned.

The non-game of the week(end), Phoenix vs. Indiana, was pretty much over after 5 minutes. The Suns broke out to a 15-3 lead and never looked back. What it did do, however, was give us a chance to look at some of the Suns second-stringers, who got a decent amount of court-time in the second half. Remember, when a team is scoring almost 110 points a night, just being on the court should get you a decent amount of open looks and fast-break buckets. So if ever a non-Nash starter goes down with an injury (if they lose Nash, all bets are off), their replacement could have some pretty significant value. So let s have a look at who got more minutes that usual Sunday night, and how they did.

Maciej Lampe, F
19 mins, 4-7 FG, 1-1 3pt, 1-2 FT, 10 pts, 5 rbs, 1 blk, 4 fouls.
Previously best known for sitting in the waiting room at the NBA draft until the second round, this 6-11 sweet-shooting forward has shown some flashes during his short career. While he s going through typical youngster troubles with turnovers (4.6 per 48 mins) and fouls (8.1 per 48 mins), Lampe looks to be a nice spot-shooter, and could really find a niche on this team should Shawn Marion get hurt. Down the road he could definitely be a great player, but for now even with minutes he probably wouldn t be more than 12-7 with a 3. Also he s from Poland, but you shouldn t make any jokes about that.

Casey Jacobsen, G/F
27 mins, 3-6 FG, 1-4 3pt, 2-2 FT, 9 pts, 2 rbs, 1 ast.
Jacobsen is good for one thing and one thing only 3-pointers. This year, 58% of his shots have come from beyond the arc, and he s hit one in 9 straight games. That said, he s already getting 18 mpg, and he shouldn t be much more than a role player at any point in his career.

Steven Hunter, F/C
15 mins, 5-5 FG, 10 pts, 5 rbs, 4 blks.
Here s an interesting guy. Despite being the 15th overall pick in 2001, he s never seen more than 13 mpg in any of his 4 years in the league. His per-48-minute numbers this year (19.4 points, 10.1 boards, 4.9 blocks) are pretty nice, and he s shooting an absurd 68% from the field. He could be a Brendan Haywood type, helping in blocks and maybe a little in boards.

Leandro Barbosa
12 mins, 2-3 FG, 2-2 3pt, 6 pts, 3 ast, 1 reb.
Things are not looking good for this onetime Fantasy Basketblog favorite. Coming out of Brazil, he showed promise of being a Rafer Alston type last year, posting nice numbers in 3 s and steals, and playing well after Stephon Marbury was traded. But now he s seeing less time due to Steve Nash s incredible play, and after missing 5 games with the chicken pox (don t ask), Joe Johnson may have supplanted him as the backup PG. Barbosa might just need a fresh start.

Who s Your Daddy?

So remember how last week we told you that James Posey would be your "best bet" among the Grizzlies 500 swingmen? Well, prove us wrong, Shane Battier, prove us wrong. And that s exactly what Battier did this weekend, while Posey played only 20 minutes on Thursday and sat out with his ailing foot on Friday.

Battier had a monstrous weekend, getting 73 minutes over 2 games and putting together 31 points, 5 blocks, 2 steals, 13 boards, 5 assists, and 6 threes while shooting 65% from the field. Those are some great numbers. If Posey continues to miss time and Battier continues to get major minutes, he could be a nice all-around player for your team.

The Last Emperor - West

Wed, 15 Dec 2004 17:07:33 -0800

The East isn't the only conference that is signaling a change in the guard. Two afterthoughts in the West are breezing along to the league's best records. Right now, there may not be a bigger surprise in the NBA than the Seattle SuperSonics. How bad was Seattle suppose to be? Let me quote from some of their team previews for this season:

In the past two years, the Sonics are 77-87, ending a 15-year run of .500 or better. This season Coach Nate McMillan faces a tough, but not impossible, challenge to get Seattle back to its wining ways...The trend is troubling in Seattle, where two straight losing seasons are already in the books. A third could arrive in '04-05 if the shots don't fall and the big men don't improve.

Or this one:

This is a team that needs a new direction. The Sonics' roster is not equipped to win in the West and the time to completely rebuild has arrived. Allen could be sacrificed to help Seattle get draft picks along with some new blood, and it would not be surprising to hear Lewis' name pop in trade talk as well. McMillan could be on the hot seat, as the Sonics will miss the playoffs for the third straight season with less wins than a year ago.

Or this one:

The Sonics are in a bit of a rebuilding mode... Look for the Sonics to have yet another long season. If their young player develop well, the Sonics will be a contender in the near future.

For a rebuilding team, the Sonics are doing awfully well. They sit atop the Northwest division with a staggering 17-4 record, ahead of Minnesota who had the league's best record last year. Seattle's biggest change might be Nate McMillan and the coaching staff finally getting the team to play some defense. Last year the Sonics allowed 109 points per 100 possessions (pPTS), 3rd worst in the league. This year they are ranked 20th, with 101.9 pPTS. For most teams that would be a mediocre improvement, but consider that Seattle has one of the most potent scoring machines in the league (108.9 pPTS - ranked #2). Their high powered offense only requires an average defense to sustain them (or in this case not one of the league's worst).

It's no secret that the Sonics' offense lives off a barrage of three pointers. Just look at the volume & percentages of their best guys:

NAME...........	3PM/G	3P%

Ray Allen......	2.6	41%

Rashard Lewis..	2.1	39%

Vlad Radmanovic	2.0	41%

Antonio Daniels	0.9	33%

Luke Ridnour..	0.9	41%

What people might not know, is that Seattle has two other major offensive weapons in addition to their sharp-shooters. They sport one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league (32.6% 2nd), and are the best at creating scoring opportunities at the line (29.5FTM/FGA 1st). Fortson (51.7 eFG, 1.36PSA, 21.96PER), despite limited minutes has helped in both areas. In less than 20 minutes a game, he's 1st in the league in rebounding rate (23.7), and he's is second on the team with 5 free throws a game. Whatever rebounds Fortson can't get to, Reggie Evans (51.9 eFG, 1.06 PSA, 12.01 PER) probably does. In fact Fortson & Evans rank 1-2 in Hollinger's rebound rate in the league.

Fortson's ability to get to the line is quite unique. Danny has made 1.10 free throws for every field goal attempted. If this number means nothing to you (and unless you're lucky enough to write for the Sonics it probably doesn't), let me put it in context. Consider most teams don't have anyone over .60 and Michael Sweetney leads the Knicks with a .54 ratio (and Knick fans know how often Sweets gets to the line). So Fortson is getting to the line at a rate of twice the best player on most teams. The ratio is boosted by the fact that Fortson doesn't shoot many shots, he's a great offensive rebounder (easy opportunities), and he's hitting 86% of his free throws. For a guy with a limited offensive skill set, Fortson does quite well for the few minutes he's out there.

While the Sonics mediocre defense and lack of a post-up player might be their undoing in the playoffs, it's hard to find anything to dislike about the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have the best record in the league and rightfully so. While it's obvious that they have the best offense in the league (111.5 pPTS), what may be deceiving is their defense. While they rank an unimpressive 11th in points scored against per game, they're actually 6th in the more accurate points per possession (98 pPTS).

A lot of people have singlehandedly credited Nash (59.4 eFG, 1.26 PSA, 23.58 PER), who is one of the league's best passers (3rd in Hollinger's assist ratio 40.9), for the Suns turnaround. The logic might go something like this:

Suns (last year) =35% win%
Suns + Nash = 86% win%
Nash's contribution = 51% win%.

Well not exactly. While it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Nash was a major upgrade from Leandro Barbosa (55.4 eFG%, 1.16 PSA, 14.32 PER), he hasn't been the only improvement. Just like Cleveland's improvement has coincided with King James' ascent into the league's best, I think the Suns have become a powerhouse with the appointing of Amare the Great (57.3 eFG, 1.24 PSA, 27.74 PER). Stoudemire ranks 4th in offensive PER, only behind Duncan, Garnett, and Nowitzki. His defense is a bit above average at center (14.8 oPER), despite being the smaller player most nights. I'm going to go out on a very long limb & say that Stoudemire, Nash and Marion are the best three man lineup in the NBA right now.

The Suns main weakness is their bench. The Suns 5 starters are averaging 37 minutes a game, because they don't have good options coming off the bench. If one of their starters hits the IR, the team will loose a good amount of production. Phoenix still has a few chips to cash in. Although they owe a future first to San Antonio (protected), they also own the Bulls first round pick (protected top 3). The way the Bulls are playing it would be a waste to trade that pick for only a bench player or two. Luckily for Arizonians, the Suns also have a pair of European prospects with the teenage Maciej Lampe and the rights to Milos Vujanic, who's still enjoying his European Vacation. Before the trade deadline is over, Bryan Colangelo might have to make that tough decision to sacrifice some of that youth for a better bench for a championship run, because the Suns are in a good position to win one this year.

With so many teams that could vie for the title, the era of the 2 star dynasty in the NBA may be over. Most of last year's top teams, the Pistons, Pacers, TWolves and Spurs are on the outside looking in. San Antonio has a great looking record, but the upstart Sonics have already beaten them twice this season. Come June, we could easily see a Finals where neither of the participants have won a championship in more than 20 years.