Empty the Bench

- Amare Stoudemire missed the Suns’ games on Sunday and Tuesday and is officially listed as day-to-day with soreness in his surgically repaired knee. It’s certainly cause for concern. These will not be the only games Amare misses with knee troubles this season, and word on the street is that he will require more surgery at some point–the only question is if he can wait until the offseason. We don’t have any evidence to cause panic right now, but you may want to consider dealing the elite center sooner than later if you can get another player of his caliber in return.

After working out Tuesday Amare did sound like he would be back soon, “I feel better so that’s definitely a plus but I feel I should give it one more day to make sure I feel better consistently. I feel better about playing tomorrow because I feel good today.” In the short term, it’s a huge boost for Boris Diaw’s value, who posted a double-double in his absence last night. Diaw came into camp in much better shape this season, and even when Amare comes back it looks like a return to his 05-06 value is in the offing.

- Lamar Odom hopes return to action as early as this Friday after suffering injuries in a car accident during the preseason. He’s one of the better power forwards in fantasy basketball, especially for squads that don’t concern themselves with turnovers and FT% as much. Odom may not get quite as many shot attempts with a healthy Vlad Radmanovic and an emerging Andrew Bynum this season, but he’s a good passer who could benefit in the FG% and assist categories as a result.

- Acie Law got his first career start last night, but failed to impress. Law finished with just 7 points, 4 boards and 0 assists with 4 TOs. We’re fans of this guy at ETB though, and we think he’s going to be a fantasy asset as the season wears on. He should eventually garner a bulk of the PG minutes in Atlanta, and as with all rookies we urge patience. The starting gig in ATL could be a lucrative position with a young and athletic team that likes to run and can finish on the break. Don’t be too discouraged about this game, as Law faced off against the cagey Jason Kidd.

- I’m not even going to get into all of this, but Minnesota T’Wolves head honcho Glen Taylor needs to shut up. He’s the owner, and an extremely poor one. Nobody wants to hear him piss and moan about everybody but himself. There’s sour grapes, and then there’s this. Grow a pair, fire Kevin McHale, and then maybe I’ll start respecting what you have to say Mr. Taylor.

- Josh Howard returned from his two-game suspension last Saturday, and he put up two back-to-back strong efforts in his first two contests. Howard looked poised to assume a greater role in the Dallas offense, and will still likely do so, but unfortunately he went down with another ankle sprain on Monday. It was an ugly injury, but it’s a good sign that Howard was able to play on it briefly before shutting it down for the game. Avery Johnson was joking about the injury afterwards, and it shouldn’t sideline Howard for long.

- Jameer Nelson missed Tuesday’s game with a concussion after taking a wicked elbow from (who else?) Bo Outlaw in practice. There’s no need for concern, it was just a precautionary measure and Nelson should be good to go for the Orlando’s next contest. Whether or not he’ll be in any condition to earn that fat contract extension is another matter.

- Brevin Knight should probably be on a fantasy roster in your league. Maybe not yours, but somebody’s. He always put up terrific steals and assists numbers with a good FT% and that can help some team. What’s more, Sam Cassell came off the bench for last night’s Clippers game and head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. has said they’re going to heavily limit Sam I Am’s minutes all season in an effort to stave off the inevitable groin strain as long as possible. It’s got me thinking though: could Cassell really be on the move? There’s been a lot of chatter from unreliable sources about a reunion with KG in Boston…

- Raymond Felton‘s leg injury last night didn’t look good. Hopefully it isn’t serious, but he was taken to the hospital for an MRI and x-rays after the game. It would be a real shame if Felton were to miss any time in what figures to be his breakout season for an up- and-coming Bobcats squad. We don’t have any new information right now, but monitor his status.

- A shout out to one of my favorite fantasy hoops monsters: Josh Smith finished with 18 points, 7 boards, 6 assists, 5 steals and 4 blocks last night, coming just 1 block shy of a 5×5. He’s going to be worth that late first-round pick you spent on him, but just make sure to surround him with complementary talent that can mitigate his shooting weaknesses.

- Another player that makes me long for more keeper leagues in fantasy hoops, Monta Ellis is going to come off the bench once Stephen Jackson returns according to Don Nelson. Nuts to that. Ellis does nothing but produce when given minutes, and he’s going to be a franchise cornerstone. He’s the fastest player in the NBA with the ball and he’s learning how to use his quickness to vulture passing lanes like a young Allen Iverson. Give the kid as much tick as he can handle. Stephen Jackson is a malcontent whose skill set largely overlaps that of other players on the roster.

Up and Down Game

Push It:

Rashad McCants: Despite leaving last night’s contest with an ankle sprain, fantasy owners have to like what they’ve seen from McCants so far. He’s a pure scorer who has the potential to be a much better fantasy player than he is in real life, and should be a strong source of points and three-pointers after the lost season last year.

Rodney Stuckey: The Pistons’ first-round pick is way ahead of schedule in his rehab and has already started working with a basketball. He’s targeting a return date of November 21st, and should be monitored in most leagues. He’s not worth an add just yet, but Detroit has big plans for the youngster who could provide nice scoring and FT% off your fantasy bench.

David Lee/Renaldo Balkman: Even coming off the bench, they’re doing what they do: providing energy, hitting the glass, not bogarting the ball, and scoring with incredible efficiency. Quentin Richardson has been unimpressive and we wonder how long it will be before Isiah Thomas realizes that one of these players would provide a perfect compliment to the Knicks’ selfish starting lineup.

DeSagana Diop: In the absence of Dampier, Diop is averaging 3.5 blocks in 33:53 minutes. Damp isn’t the rebounder he once was and Diop is far superior at protecting the rim. With the Mavericks’ new emphasis on defense, Diop could still be in line for 27-30 minutes a night even after Dampier returns.

Francisco Garcia: Reggie Theus revealed that he intends to start Francisco Garcia at point guard and see how it goes. Garcia isn’t a natural point, but he can fill a box score with the dearth of options on the perimeter for the Kings. Ron Artest is going to cut into everybody’s playing time when he returns, but if Garcia sticks in the back court he has a chance to retain fantasy value all season.

Channing Frye: There are a number of shakups in store for the Portland Trailblazers after a sluggish start. Nobody outside of LaMarcus Aldridge is safe, and it appears that Joel “The Vanilla Gorilla” Pryzbilla is on his way to the bench. Channing Frye will take on a starting role and he’s more than capable of helping fantasy squads with his solid shooting, scoring and rebounding skills–especially with his C-eligibility.

Slow It Up:

Gerald Green: Green is suffering through a sore toe right now, but we’re getting the impression that Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman doesn’t hold the Dunk Contest champ in the same regard we do. It’s extremely disappointing after Green averaged nearly 16 points a game in 32 minutes for the Celtics last April. He has all the talent in the world, but Green can’t be on your roster right now.

Ben Wallace: As Brian and I are fond of saying, “It happens fast.” The fall from grace for elite athletes and fantasy producers is often a precipitous fall off a cliff–just ask Shaun Alexander owners in football this year. Wallace appears to have fallen off that cliff, and the Bulls have other young options in Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah to replace him. Wallace is averaging just 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 points on 30% FGs.

Jarrett Jack: Jack looks like he’ll be another victim of the shakeup in Portland, as he’s lost his starting job to Steven Blake. Jarrett is putting up just 2.3 points, 2.7 dimes and 3.0 boards in nearly 25 minutes of action, and that just won’t cut it. He came out and played extremely well in the first half of last season, but fell apart down the stretch and his struggles appear to have carried over into this season. It’s time to cut bait.

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