FG% specialist Carlos Boozer returned from the hairline fracture in his right leg on Friday for the Jazz’s 114-104 win over the Denver Nuggets. He played just 12 minutes and scored only 10 points (5-8 FGs), but it’s only a matter of time before he’s back to his old self. The Jazz will ease him along, but within a week we expect to see him playing 30+ minutes, approaching his 35 minutes per game average. Despite the limited playing time, Boozer was a starter for the Jazz in Friday’s game.
Boozer also started Saturday versus the Boston Celtics and posted 16 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists (6-11 FGs, 4-5 FTs) in 23 minutes. Mehmet Okur has missed the last two games with back spasms, and Andrei Kirilenko sat our Saturday as well, so Carlos should be pressed into full duty sooner rather than later (Giving minutes to Rafael Araujo being the alternative).
All fantasy owners should feel comfortable inserting Boozer into their starting lineups going forward. He originally had the fracture diagnosed on January 27th and was expected to miss four to eight weeks, but has returned far ahead of schedule, a pleasant surprise for those who rely on his steady production. It’s certainly a relief to have Carlos and his 56.9% FGs, 21.8 points, 11.6 boards and 3 assists back in the fantasy lineup.
Just in case you needed some proof, check out the video below. We suggest you keep your finger hovering over the mute button on your computer, the music is a tad obnoxious. My favorite highlights are at 1:08, 2:50, 3:46 and 4:05. I’m pretty sure I could take most of these guys, too. I’d come at them like a tornado of teeth and fingernails and elbows. In any event, it’s fun as hell to watch people beat the living crap out of other people, so without further ado:
“I think probably the thing that caught my attention the most was, he’s in there 80-90 pitches deep, and he’s still going from the stretch, still checking runners, still taking it like a real game situation. Every single pitch had a purpose. You almost wanted to videotape it and show it to our young guys in minor league camp, about how to get the most out of your practice, and he certainly does.”
We had Matsuzaka rated in the top 25 starters in the MLB, but we’re itching to move him into the top 20. He represents a potentially high-reward, low-risk player as you likely won’t have to spend a pick on him in the first six rounds. Being relatively unknown, with few scouting reports available on him, and playing for a team with a very potent offense, Matsuzaka could come out of the gate quickly and rack up some wins for your fantasy squad. I personally am trying to get him on my teams, though still being careful not to overpay because of the novelty factor.
ESPN is reporting that the Buffalo Bills are actively shopping Willis McGahee. There is no word why the Bills are preparing to deal one of their top young playmakers, but it appears the talks are serious and Willis could be wearing another jersey come next season. McGahee has shaken the injury concerns that caused his NFL Draft stock to plummet, and has missed only two games over the last three seasons. Were he in a productive offense he could easily be a top-five running back. The Bills schedule is frequently one of the more fantasy friendly in the NFL, but the Bills’ offense is terrible, so the effects of a change of address are unknown at this point. The initial report from ESPN has NY Giants GM Jerry Reese quoted as saying,
“There is some talk about Willis out there. We’ll investigate Willis. We’ll investigate everybody out there with trade talks. We’ll leave no stones unturned.”
This is clearly massive fantasy news. There were a lot of fantasy players out there set to take Brandon Jacobs in the second or third round of fantasy drafts this season, and those plans would obviously go out the window if McGahee were a Giant. McGahee would also lose a ton of value if he were to team with a known touchdown vulture like Jacobs (See Tiki Barber 2005-2007). The Giants are the only team reported to be interested so far, but obviously more suitors would step up for a natural talent like Willis. Stay posted to ETB for any further updates on this situation which could send shockwaves up and down fantasy draft cheatsheets.
The long wait is drawing to a close. Yao Ming (Right, mistaking an all-too-eager Mehmet Okur for a bellboy) is scheduled to return to the lineup for the Houston Rockets in the next two weeks, and it can’t be soon enough. Yao was on the court before the Rockets 105-99 loss to the Atlanta Hawks Friday, taking jump shots with a large brace over his injured right knee. It was a welcome sight to his owners and basketball fans in general. The NBA is entering a new era where the dominant center is all but extinct, and Ming is a dying breed. It was also impossible for owners to replace his 52.5% FGs, 86.7% FTs, 9.4 boards, 25.9 points and 2.2 blocks a game. If you are a Ming owner and fortunate enough to be in a head-to-head league, then the fractured tibia Ming left in your stocking on December 23rd is water under the bridge. He should return slowly for the first week or so, but he will be back to full strength for the fantasy playoffs.
The 2007 NBA All-Star game has come and gone, but its memory will live forever in the hard-hitting blog of Boston Celtics’ dancer Courtney. Courtney, shown here hiding under four layers of mascara, was voted by Celtics’ fans to represent her team as one of the 30 dancers in Vegas. The whole crew can be viewed here. For 1 week, Courtney blogged for the NBA about her adventures, including:
On waving from planes:
Today I went to the airport to do a Southwest Airlines promotion with Dominique Wilkins and Clyde Drexler. And we actually waved in the Southwest Airlines NBA Slam Dunk plane. I was posed along with Kimmie of the Sixers right next to Dominique Wilkins on a platform as he waved in the plane. Tons of pictures. And two of the dancers rode down the conveyer belt and we all unloaded the bags from the plane. A lot of fun. A lot of photos, a lot of fun. So now we just had lunch.
On people she looks up to:
There’s so many girls I look up to and aspire to be. It’s like when you’re a kid and you watch your favorite athelete, your favorite dancer, your favorite anything and you aspire to be that person. Sarah from the Knicks is an amazing inspiration to me. Lindsay from the Clippers is also an inspiration. Gina from the Phoenix Suns and Jackie from the Nets. Also, Laurie Ann Gibson has been an amazing inspiration to me, and I will forever work harder because of these people.
On her tastes in film:
It was an incredible, incredible feeling that I got to entertain the great entertainers. I’ve seen every Adam Sandler movie ever made — I mean I’m one of his biggest fans. I hit that last pose and I was literally eye-to-eye with him. It was incredible, I can’t even believe it.
The whole blog is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the trials and tribulations of being a professional NBA dancer, and has some hysterical photos of the girls just goofing around, too. And if you want to know more about Courtney, don’t miss her Celtics dancer bio, where you’ll find a quick Q&A session. Here’s just two teasers:
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? “On the court at the TD Banknorth Garden, of course!”
If you could spend the day with anyone in the world, past or present, who would it be? “John Mayer, so he could sing to me all day.”
No CommentsPosted by Brian Spencer on Feb. 24, 2007 at 5:02pm in NBA
With the excess cash rolling around and some very marginal ends landing nice deals last offseason (like Detroit’s Kalimba Edwards), White is set up for a big score. This despite never really reaching his potential with Tampa Bay and producing only 14 sacks in the last three seasons. But White is still plenty young (27), plenty skilled and ripe to cash in on a barren market at a pivotal position.
The money thrown around like parade confetti once the NFL’s free agency period begins is pretty absurd (see Antwaan Randle El), but still nowhere close to that of Major League Baseball. Where does all that MLB money come from anyway?
No CommentsPosted by Brian Spencer on Feb. 24, 2007 at 3:20pm in NFL
Days after being involved in the biggest trade that didn’t happen, New Jersey Nets PG and still- Joumana-hubby Jason Kidd played like team trainers pumped him full of Jolt cola. In the Nets’ 109-96 win on the road against moribund Sacramento, Kidd recorded a triple-double with 22 points, 10 assists, 13 rebounds. He didn’t skimp on other categories, either: 50% from the field, 4 three-pointers, and just one turnover. Unfortunately, Kidd will need to have nights like this almost all the time for the Nets to have a shot at the playoffs.
We know it, you know it, a crying shame that former NBA cad Latrell Sprewell didn’t: when Kevin McHale offers you a 3-year, $21 million contract to make token appearances off the bench for an NBA franchise, you take the $21 million… even if it means your paltry salary will only allow you to feed your family a steady diet of prime-cut filet mignons, donuts glazed in silver, and Dom Perignon served in golden goblets. Otherwise, one day, when you break a promise to “share your life and fortune” with your girlfriend, you might end up owing her $200 million.
Sprewell, shown here regretting his decision to eat both #2 and #6 off the White Castle Value Menu last week, is back in the news, and no, he’s not trying to pull a Pippen. One month after ex-girlfriend Candace Cabbil filed a $200 million lawsuit against him for not sharing his wealth—and after being charged with third-degree assault, obstructing governmental administration, and five counts of endangering the welfare of a child—the good news continued to roll for Spree as a judge ruled that he may communicate with his children only by phone, e-mail or text message. An ETB source close to the case said Sprewell took immediate advantage of the ruling, sending “Kid #3″ a text that said “Hey, what U doin? Can I borrow $10? I’ll pay U back 2morrow 4 sure. Promise!”
No CommentsPosted by Brian Spencer on Feb. 24, 2007 at 11:48am in NBA
Every year there are some players out there who go from decent pickups to prominent fantasy contributors down the stretch. Usually, they are young players, often rookies. It takes them a few months to learn the system, to get their coach’s confidence and to adjust to the speed of the NBA game. There are also injury fill-ins who just needed more playing time to achieve fantasy relevance. I don’t see anybody on the Heat who will explode now, but Dorell Wright and James Posey should see a nice influx in playing time and offensive opportunities. Jason Williams and Gary Payton started last night, so keep them in mind, too. I don’t like Posey, but Wright has a chance to be a fantasy contributor with his size and athleticism on the perimeter. Between Payton and Williams, Williams obviously has the higher upside, but I don’t see either holding up if they’re asked to carry too much of the load.
We’ve already mentioned some of our favorites in this space, so here are a few guys we haven’t talked about, but have our eyes on:
Pippen said the charter-plane issue is one of many poor business decisions that were made primarily by a former agent, whom he blames for causing him to lose about $27 million in bad investments and questionable accounting. Pippen sued his former law firm in 2005, claiming he had been swindled, but he lost the case.
In terms of the plane, court documents claimed Pippen was using charter planes so often in 2001, when he was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers, that a pilot persuaded him to consider buying his own jet. Consequently, Pippen and his wife, Larsa, borrowed $4.375 million from an aircraft finance company, JODA LLC, in the St. Louis area.
Folks, that’s not a typo—Pippen is responsible for $27 million worth of bad investments! You’d think that after losing a cool, say, $13 mil he’d back off investing in such can’t-miss ventures as edible deodorant, Crystal Pepsi, stone-washed jeans, and Zubaz. And the twin-engine corporate jet this random pilot convinced him to buy? Apparently there’s no proof that Pippen even got around to using it. Scottie, I have $6 and some loose change burning a hole in my pocket… I’d love to hear your ideas on how to spend it.
1 CommentPosted by Brian Spencer on Feb. 23, 2007 at 3:28pm in NBA
After failing two field-sobriety tests, Rhodes told Hafez he had consumed two or three alcoholic drinks. While sitting in the police car’s front seat, Rhodes urinated on himself, the report said.
We’re dying to know how Officer Hafez handled the situation: did he sop up the urine with a few thin Dunkin Donuts napkins? Did he wipe it off with that old “Indianapolis Colts, AFC South Champions 2005″ sweatshirt in the trunk? Or did he make Mr. Rhodes “just slide over a bit” and soak it up with his already damp jeans?
No CommentsPosted by Brian Spencer on Feb. 23, 2007 at 12:43pm in NFL
