B-Ball, B-Fast is a rundown of last night's NBA action from a fantasy basketball perspective. Bookmark it and visit often. Cup of Coffee
So you know, the third leading scorer in the National Basketball Association was Chris Quinn. And so you know that I know, yes the headline has probably already been used once or twice. But whatevah. Quinn's 22 points off the bench -- the return of Jason Williams prompted his removal from the starting lineup -- are fairly interesting. For one, the Heat suck. Shaquille O'Neal got dominated by Brendan Haywood. (Roll that one around in your brain this morning. It hurts.) So they need scoring. Quinn connected on six of 10 three's against the Wizards, and with Dorell Wright playing the Jekyll-Hyde role (his box scores are like roller coasters), one has to wonder how long Pat Riley is going to let this squad stay on the floor without a true perimeter gunner in the mold of Jason Kapono from last season. In admittedly little time, Quinn's hit 35 percent from beyond the arc since coming into the NBA, so don't be surprised if he gets more run as Riles tries to rest J-Dub and find another source for scoring.
Hot Cakes
I suppose I really shouldn't make fun of Haywood -- he is having a career season so far in 2007-08. Last night marked his ninth double-double of the season, and with Etan Thomas out of DC, he's finally getting the run he needed to actually gain some legitimate fantasy value. Yes, he's always been proficient at picking up blocks, but it seems like his one-trick pony show could be a thing of the past. 10 points and seven boards aren't exactly Chamberlinian numbers or anything, but they're a vast improvement from the Brendan of old.
Tony Parker, who, um, has some other things going on right now, missed last night's game. With Tim Duncan already on the shelf, things got ugly for the Spurs. First of all, Jacque Vaughn ran the point. Into the ground. For about 20 minutes. Vaughn will get some assist numbers but unless Parker misses more time than Timmy, he's not going to be worth much in fantasy. Deeper leagues certainly want to make the add though, as the Spurs have indicated Parker could miss more than one game.
The bigger concern though, is Manu's play. He's been superb this year and that won't quit ... providing he's not the number one (and only) option for offense on his team. If he's forced into ball handling duties, has to become the primary offense threat and play 40 minutes a night, things are going to get ugly for fantasy owners and the defending champs. Yes, the points will (maybe) rise, but so will the turnovers, while the percentages plummet. If you're treading the line there, now's a nice time to sell Manu with his value so high.
