Empty the Bench

Kobe Bryant Photo Credit: Jeff Lewis/Icon SM

I have to admit, I was convinced that Kobe Bryant’s days in Los Angeles were over in the weeks leading up to opening night. Things were said on both sides that seemed to signal the end, but it turned out to be a lot of hot air. At this point, both parties should be pleased that Kobe trade demand seems like a distant memory. With another impressive win against the Pacers last night the Lakers sit at 21-11, just one game behind Phoenix in the loss column for the Pacific Division lead… and they’ve already beaten the Suns twice.

The Lakers started strong last season as well, only to fade down the stretch. This year is different though. This time, they actually have the horses to back up the early-season success. The strength of schedule has also been much more difficult this season, and the rest of the way is softer than it was last year. In December alone The Lake Show beat playoff teams like Utah, Phoenix, Golden State, San Antonio and Denver

The most noticeable difference appears to be the play of Bryant, the best basketball player on the planet. Kobe is being more unselfish, playing fewer minutes and scoring less. It’s working because he actually has a cast that can support him, and kudos to Kobe for recognizing it. Los Angeles has a strong front line, one of the better benches in the NBA and a slew of role players that fit the system.

On the perimeter, the move to add Trevor Ariza for peanuts was a stroke of genius. He’s the type of athletic, slashing wingman that the Lakers have lacked for years. Ariza is a solid defender, a decent rebounder and puts pressure on opposing defenses with relentless cutting. The signing of Derek Fisher has also worked out. Fisher is past his prime, but he’s a steadying influence on this young roster, he’s a mentor to the developing Jordan Farmar and he’s capable in all phases of running the point. He’s also one of the better clutch shooters in the NBA and alleviates ball handling and big-shot pressure from Kobe down the stretch of close games. Meanwhile, with reduced expectations Farmar himself has shown a lot of progress as a legit backup PG in his second season.

Up front, Los Angeles is actually starting to dominate smaller clubs. Andrew Bynum is showing why GM Mitch Kupchak was so loathe to part with him this summer, even when a name like Jason Kidd was involved. At just 20 years of age Bynum is showing the ability to be a franchise cornerstone in the post and is the biggest reason for renewed hope in LA. Since stepping into the starting lineup for an injured Kwame Brown, Bynum has averaged 14.3 points, 10.6 boards and 2.4 blocks on an insane 65% FGs. He’s officially one of the best centers in the NBA already. He plays alongside Lamar Odom, a guy Kupchak brought to Los Angeles to play second fiddle to Kobe. Odom can still fill it up on occasion, but he’s slowly morphing into a tertiary option on offense, often not even finishing amongst LA’s top three or four scorers. Still, he’s a very solid rebounder, passer and scorer who fits the offense and can do whatever the Lakers need on any give night.

Joining Jordan Farmar off the bench, Ronny Turiaf has been a breath of fresh air every time he steps onto the court with his infectious energy and relentless hustle. Turiaf doesn’t have much polish on offense, but he’s solid around the basket and brings plenty of intensity on the glass and on the defensive end of the floor. Kwame Brown will never live up to the expectations that come with being the number one overall pick, but he can be a serviceable big man off the bench with size and mediocre scoring and rebounding. He gives LA minutes and fouls down low that takes some pressure off of Bynum. Luke Walton and Ariza have been trading starts, and while Walton is a tad overrated and overpaid, he’s an average combo forward who can pass and shoot.

Hell, even Javaris Crittenton, their athletic first-round pick this year, is starting to contribute with 19 points and some electric plays on Friday…

Up and Down Game:

Push it Up:

Jeff Green, SF, Supersonics: A pair of rookies that had been down and out are back to fantasy relevance this week. The first is Green, Seattle’s fifth-overall pick. Damien Wilkins’ run in the starting lineup is over, and the youth movement is on in Seattle. Green has started each of the last four games, and in his five starts this season he’s averaging 13.4 points, 6.2 boards and 1 block in over 35 minutes. Those numbers can help people in deep leagues, and the young man should continue to improve as he gains confidence and gels with teammates.

Al Thornton, SF/PF, Clippers: After the Elton Brand injury, we pegged Al Thornton and Chris Kaman as the big winners for fantasy purposes. Thornton hasn’t impressed much so far, but the Clippers are going nowhere and head coach Mike Dunleavy appears ready to see what the kids can do. The offense has begun to run through Al and Chris the last two weeks, and Thornton is starting to come alive a bit with five starts in the last six games. He’s not worth an immediate add in most leagues, but keep an eye on him. He’s a solid mid-range jump shooter who is athletic enough to guard opposing SFs and should be quicker than most lumbering PFs.

Mike Conley, PG, Grizzlies: Stoudamire is out, and Conley is officially the starting point in Memphis. In his first three starts he’s put up an impressive 9.3 points, 6.3 assists, 4.3 boards and 2 assists per game. Conley is only going to get better from here on out in an up-tempo, Phoenix-style offense with plenty of athletes and shooters around him. He needs to be owned.

Chris Quinn, PG, Heat: Quinn gets an extremely modest endorsement here, as we’re not sold on the undrafted second-year player just yet. Jason Williams is recovering and it remains to be seen if he will cut into Quinn’s minutes, and the guy is an unproven commodity. Still, his numbers of late bear mentioning: 13.0 points, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.7 threes on 51.7% FGs in January. Miami has been desperate for solid play from their back court all season, and Quinn has been providing it, including 17 points and 5 threes in his last game. Add in the fact that Wade could sit down at any point, and he’s an interesting option.

Louis Williams, PG/SG, 76ers: Williams was mentioned as a breakout candidate here last week, and in the four games since then he’s averaged 15.8 points, 4.3 assists, 1.8 steals and nearly 1 three on a respectable 45.2% FGs and 75.9% FTs (including an impressive 12-for-14 FTs performance on New Year’s Eve). This guy is a pure scorer and lightning quick, so his steals numbers should also be decent. He needs to be owned in all leagues, especially with a strong possibility veteran Andre Miller will be traded.

Randy Foye, PG/SG, Timberwolves: There’s not a ton to report here other than the news you likely already heard: Randy Foye’s bone scan on his injured knee showed marked improvement Monday morning, and he’s been cleared to resume practice with his team. This is great news for anybody who was holding on to the second-year guard, as he should resume playing in games by the end of the month at the latest. In 12 starts last season Foye averaged 12.8 points, 4.4 boards and 4.2 assists with 1.4 threes and 1 steal. Those are pretty solid numbers, and he should be able to improve on them once fully healthy. The Wolves are starving for a steadying influence in the back court, and if your fantasy team is as well, Foye is an obvious addition.

TJ Ford, PG, Toronto: Like Foye, the only reason Ford makes this list is that there’s been some update with his spine injury. Ford has declared that he will play again this season, and even suggested it would only take him a day or two to be back on the court once the decision is made. We’re still very skeptical, but his numbers this season mean somebody should own him in every league: 14.1 points, 6.8 assists and 1.2 steals on 48.7% FGs and 85.4% FTs. If you’re struggling he may not be worth the roster spot, but any moderately comfortable team should take the gamble if he’s been dropped. I expect him back in the next 3-5 weeks.

Slow it Down:

Ronnie Brewer, SG, Jazz: Lost in my analysis of the Kyle “Silk Stockings” Korver trade was the potential impact on Brewer. Frankly, I just assumed that Brewer was playing so well and represented such a different skill set than Korver that his minutes wouldn’t be affected. Unfortunately, his fantasy value has been devastated. Ronnie was averaging over 30 minutes a game when Korver came to town, and has been around 20 since. The results over the last three games are averages of just 8.7 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.3 steals. Brewer was a revelation until Silk Stockings came to town, so perhaps you can still sell high on those early numbers.

Gilbert Arenas, PG, Wizards: As my esteemed colleague pointed out this morning, Gilbert Arenas has hinted that he may not see the floor again this season. He told the Washington Post, “I have to protect the rest of my career, too, so I won’t jeopardize that for just 15 games if I’m not 100 percent. If it’s aching, if I’m out here practicing and it’s swelling up then, I’ll see you next year.” Let’s be honest, the guy can opt out this summer, he thinks he can get a max deal, and he’s not going to let anything get in the way of that… not even fulfilling his current contract or obligations to fans and teammates.

From a fantasy prospective, he’s no longer a must-own guy. If I were in a roto league, I’d dump him. If I were in a head-to-head league and struggling to make the playoffs, I’d dump him. If I were in a head-to-head and I was in comfortable playoff position, I’d hold on to the guy. I’ve been an Arenas fan since the 02-03 season when he busted out as one of the best sleepers in all of fantasy hoops. However, lately I’ve been left wondering why the Wizards are just as good when Antonio Daniels starts, even going 11-6 with Daniels and just 3-5 with Arenas this season.

Shaquille O’Neal, C, Heat: “Shaq” (as he is known to close friends) has been anything but a Man of Steel recently, failing to play in 60 games each of the last two seasons. He’s missed the last five games with a hip injury, and left Heat practice yesterday to see a specialist. O’Neal hasn’t been one to tough it out in recent years, preferring to rest in the regular season whenever possible. Miami currently has a better record than only my lowly T-Wolves, so he has little motivation to push it right now. The Heat aren’t going to the playoffs, and O’Neal’s over/under on games played this season is right around 50. If you really think his diminishing stats can help you in limited playing time you can hold on, but dropping the big man is not a terrible idea right now. First though, you should make every effort to trade him.

Carlos Arroyo, PG, Magic: Carlos Arroyo was a hot add this last week after he took the starting job away from Jameer Nelson, but the squirrelly point was never their long-term answer there after the Magic locked Nelson up to a big deal this offseason. We questioned the move even when Orlando was winning earlier this year, saying, “We’re not completely sold on Jameer Nelson. Orlando has committed to the young man as their quarterback of the future, but he could end up holding them back… He’s a better scorer than distributor, lacks a quality outside shot and is simply too small to guard many of the NBA’s elite points.” Still, he’s their man. Arroyo had some decent starts, but he came back to earth last game and head coach Stan Van Gundy said yesterday, “We may need a different mix again. Part of me says quit screwing around and go back to the guys [Nelson, Bogans] when you were 16-4… I just don’t know right now.”

Anthony Johnson, PG, Hawks: Heading into the holidays, Johnson was the hottest pickup in fantasy hoops. Over the previous four-game stretch he had totaled 38 assists and 54 points. It turned out to be fools gold though. As we mentioned in the Pick and Rolls for 12/19, “Yes, the Hawks are a supremely athletic team that can run and finish and a capable point guard in Atlanta will rack up assists, but Johnson isn’t it. As the season wears on he’ll lose more and more minutes to Acie Law, and this hot streak will be a distant memory.” It happened even sooner than we expected though, with Johnson totaling just 8 assists in his next four games. Acie Law IV is slowly emerging, Tyronn Lue is back from injury and none of them are really worth owning right now- though Law is obviously the best long-term bet.

Nazr Mohammed, C, Bobcats: Nazr was neck and neck with Anthony Johnson in terms of adds around the holidays. He had just been traded to the Bobcats and was suddenly starting and seeing minutes. Mohammed responded to the increased tick with four games of double-digit points and four games of double-digit rebounds amongst his first five, all starts. Veteran fantasy owners have seen this before though, and we mentioned, “Every season he manages a strong stretch here and there, but every season he leaves owners wanting shortly after.” Sure enough, Nazr lost his starting gig after five games and has only seen double-digit rebounds or points once in the last five contests. It’s time to cut bait in all but very deep leagues. This isn’t the season Mohammed puts it all together, but it was pretty to think so.

Almost as pretty as Silk Stockings Korver: gone, but not forgotten in Philly…

(Korver eroticism via Fanhouse)