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Gilbert Arenas comeback

After missing 156 of the possible 173 games, Gilbert Arenas is back. This game against the Detroit Pistons marked his first since April 27, 2008. It was filled with mixed emotions as people were excited to see him back but unfortunately, the game resulted in a loss where Arenas’ shot was blocked by Kwame Brown.

Caron Butler was able to grab the ball and take a shot but missed resulting in a 98-96 Detroit win.

“I’m going to think about that the whole way to Indiana,” Arenas said as the team prepared to catch a postgame plane to play the Pacers on Sunday. “I should’ve called a timeout, or I should’ve just drove the lane off the rebound, but that’s what happened. We’ve got to live with it. … Just had a mental block.”

But it wasn’t all that bad as he finished the game with 15 points, 10 assists, 2 threes and only one turnover. The fg percentage was bad but is forgivable as Arenas was rusty from not playing in over a year.

“You’ve ever heard that expression, ‘If you want it to rain, wash your car’? That’s what happened this morning,” Arenas said. “I got here, knee’s been feeling fine this whole time, as soon as I got here it started aching. ‘Oh man, see, I knew this was going to happen.’ So I said I wasn’t going to play. And then once I got home, I felt better. I said, ‘Oh, it’s just nerves kicking in.’ Once I got out there, it was all basketball from there.”

It really looked like he was feeling well in that game and was having fun even after tripping. But unlike the Arenas we saw last year where he would have had a hard time getting up, this time it seemed that it didn’t bother him that much.

Even after losing to the Pistons, Wizards fans have to be happy that their $111 million is back and what a better sight than to see their Big 3 back in action. Caron Butler played for the first time after missing seven straight games with a sore hamstring. As long as Arenas’ knee can hold up, and with a a very high possibility of getting a top 4 pick in next year’s draft, it looks brighter in Washington. I just wish Eddie Jordan would have still been their coach.

Fantasy Basketball Rant on Arenas:

Gilbert Arenas comeback

The Black Eyed Peas Detroit Pistons are trying to protect their 7th seed in the East with teams like the Bulls, Bobcats, and the rest of the East are trying to make the playoffs too. With starters Allen Iverson, Rip Hamilton, and Rasheed Wallace out, someone has to step up and that someone is Will.By.Num.

Will Bynum has been on fire lately averaging 16.7 points, 4 assists, on solid shooting from the field. His defense has also been great because of his athleticism and energy. Though the Pistons have lost six of their last seven games, the undrafted guard out of Georgia Tech has proven that he can step it up when needed.

As many of us were surprised and impressed just now, Joe Dumars and Michael Curry knew all along that this kid can step it up and play. After traveling around the world, from playing in the NBDL then the Golden St. Warriors to playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel, Bynum was called by Dumars to invite him to play for their summer league team. He, of course, was very impressive.

Will Bynum had another very good game as the Pistons starting point guard. His defense, running the offense and ability to drive to the basket and make something happen has to caught the eye of Joe Dumars and coach Curry. Bynum even showed he has leaping ability when he went up for a tomahawk slam that looked like his eyes were even with the rim. Too bad he was fouled on the play that prevented what would have been one of the best dunks of the summer. Bynum finished with 16 points, 3 assists and 2 steals in 28 minutes.

Like in our fantasy teams, Will Bynum was never drafted back in October but he has been impresive in helping our fantasy basketball teams in a lot of ways. I just hope your team is winning and not on a losing streak like the Detroit Pistons right now.

I’m a fan of Will Bynum now. How about you?

Here are some of Will Bynum’s top plays while playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv

David West

David West of the New Orleans Hornets had an all star year last year after averaging 20.6 points and 8.6 rebounds while also giving good numbers across the board. This year he was voted to play in the All star game again but some, including me, doubted that he deserved to be in that roster with others players still being available. He is still averaging 20 points and 8 rebounds this season but ironically, his stats increased and only became that way after the all star game.

In the games after the all star game, David West has been averaging 24.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, on 48.9% from the field and 84.7% from the line. Add the 3.6 assists and 1.2 to these great stats and now he has been a top 25 performer the last 20 days.

The Hornets have really benefited from this explosion of David West and together with the resurgence of Tyson Chandler they’re on a six game winning streak right now. They look like contenders in the West again just like how they were last year and they could go far as long as their star point guard, Chris Paul, and David West are healthy.

In a fantasy basketball perspective, congratulations if you were able to buy this guy at a cheap price before the all star break. Great patience also if you believed in him and didn’t trade this guy for someone not that worthy. Enjoy this production as he could carry your team a long way too come the fantasy basketball playoffs.

As long as he keeps this going and the Hornets keep on winning, I think this will be enough to convince me that he really deserved to be in that All Star team. Forget it, he really deserves it.

After struggling his first two seasons after being selected first overall in the 2006 NBA draft, Andrea “ll Divo (The Magician)” Bargnani is finally producing. In his first two year he was filled with inconsistency, criticisms and poor play. But this year he looks to be starting to make his mark in the NBA.

In the last ten games as a starter, Bargnani has averaged 22.1 points a game, 6.1 boards and has made a total of 29 threes. What’s great is that he is shooting 58.9% in those games, which I had to check twice since he is just a low 40% career shooter.

He has been starting and getting minutes because Jermaine O’neal has been out with an injury. There would be a time split again when O’neal comes back but the good thing is that he is willing to come of the bench and let Bargnani continue starting.

Fantasy Analysis

I know that there are a lot of you out there either feeling good or feeling bad because of Bargnani. The reason you may be feeling good is that you were able to pick him up off waivers or you had the patience and not drop him. But I know a lot of people aren’t feeling good because of this guy since they dropped him just before he exploded. Don’t worry, I’m one of those guys who dropped him too. And now it’s coming to haunt us.

Anyway, despite (yup since O’neal will get minutes) the return of J.O. I still think Bargnani will continue his hot streak and will produce close to this the rest of the season. My reason is that he has become more confident with his shot and that can do a lot of positive things for a player. Jose Calderon, when he comes back, will also look for this kid in the offense and if they improve their record that would really boost his confidence.

I’m liking averages of 15 points, 6-7 rebounds, and over 2 threes a game the rest of the season. He should still continue his good fg% and that should be close to 50%. As I said, Calderon will get him the ball now and that would make it much easier for him to produce.

If he continues his play, I’m considering him as a keeper for next year if I have him in my leagues. But this depends on the number of players you will be keeping. With averages worthy of a mid round pick, that’s a great reason to keep him especially if your rule is that you lose the draft round above the player you keep. Another thing, J.O. is said to being shopped around, maybe for Shawn Marion, so this is better news for “The Magician.”

Good job to those who kept him when he was down and sorry to those who dropped him. Maybe we could find another gem in the waiver wires soon. Good luck to everyone!

Thanks to basketbawful.blogspot.com for this Tyson Chandler pic

The New Orleans haven’t been struggling but they just aren’t as good as last year. They could have been first place in the standings last year but this year they’re in 4th place. Yes, other teams have improved and the Hornets haven’t really gotten anything to bolster their lineup. In how I see it, it’s because Tyson Chandler played really well last year and his presence on the boards this year isn’t the same.

Chandler’s averages last year were 11.8 points and 11.8 rebounds and making 62% of his shots while this year it’s down to 9 points and 8.3 rebounds on 55.6% shooting. His stats haven’t been at par last year that yahoo forgot to include him as their top rebounder.

New Orleans Hornets on yahoo

In a fantasy perspective, Chandler has just been a 4-cat player at most. Just contributing to rebounds, fg%, block and a few points but this was last year when he was still averaging a double double. Right now, you he is still contributing to those stats but you could get players who have those stats drafted way after him.

Despite not having a great season, Chandler looks to be getting better lately as he is putting up three straight games with a double double. If he continues this pace he could somehow reach his averages a year ago and owners wouldn’t have to feel bad about getting him in the 5th-8th round this year. I know of someone in one of my leagues of drafting this guy in the 3rd round of a 14 team league. I can’t blame him for reaching since Chandler really played well last year.

Nothing left here to say about him only that if his play improves I’m sure that the Hornets will find some consistency and not alternate wins and losses and fantasy owners will be very much pleased. This is a great time for him to shine as this is where some fantasy teams pull away. Hope he’s on your team as Tyson Chandler returns to his old self (not the Bulls days).

The title could have been “Call it sophomore slump?” but it would be unfair to the players that I will be listing down since some of the players’ numbers are actually up. What this list shows is that with so much talent that these sophomores have and with so much promise in their rookie year, they’re not making that much noise or impact in the fantasy world this year.

Yes, the 2007-2008 rookie class wasn’t that strong if you take a look at it especially with the number one overall pick, Greg Oden, being sidelined for his whole rookie year. And impact rookies drafted in that class like Marc Gasol and Rudy Fernandez have opted to play this year, which makes this their rookie season. Last year we still had Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, who have been great lately and Al Horford who has been showing signs that he will be a very consistent NBA player. Don’t forget Rodney Stuckey who has been a beast since being inserted in the starting lineup. But where are the rest? Maybe they’re really in a slump. (more…)

Rookie Rankings 1-10 | 11-20 | 21-30

Almost a third of the 2008-2009 NBA season is gone and by now we should be able to find out how our fantasy NBA teams will do come playoff time – if it ever makes it. If your team isn’t doing so well because of injuries to your top players or unproductive role players or maybe drafting big name rookies too high in the draft. One big reason that many teams struggle is because of their rookies on their teams. Some just go by name and don’t really know if they ever produce numbers that justify their fantasy draft positions.

I must admit that I’ve never been a big fan of having rookies in my fantasy basketball teams but I gambled on some even on Greg Oden. I’ve been happy with everyone I’ve picked except for him. The other rookies have really impressed me and have helped some of my teams so far. These rookies have given great value so let’s take a look at my top 10 rookies for this season: (more…)

Boris Diaw looked like a rising star in the 2005-2006 season – the season where Amar’e was out because of a knee injury. He had averages of 13.3 points, 6.2 assists, 6.9 rebounds to go along with percentages and a block a game. This led to the Suns extending his contract for 5 years worth $45 million. The summer after that he got fat and Amar’e came back full force and he played a lesser role in the offense. (more…)