B-Ball, B-Fast is a weekdaily look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.Cup of Coffee
Ronald Murray got the starting nod for the Pacers last night. This is not shocking because he's been getting minutes. It is odd though, that a team in Indiana's position would rather give Flip run than let Travis Diener develop further; presumably this could also be a move to let Diener get more comfortable in the role he was used to. Or something. Regardless, Flip certainly has value as someone who will score points and pick up threes while hurting your percentages and not really giving you many assists from the PG position. If that's something you're interested in.
Hot Cakes
Z-Bo represent! Zach Randolph scored 21 points and pulled down 14 boards while starting at center against the Pacers on St. Patty's Day, showing us what he should have been doing all along in the Eastern Conference. Were it not for that stupid Eddy Curry and those meddling kids. Randolph's shooting percentage was looked about as appeasing as a Guinness at 6 a.m., but that should improve some as he takes more shots in the post. Still, he's going to have a nice run to close out the season for fantasy owners.
Josh Powell put up a double-double last night against the defenseless Al Jefferson, going for 10 points, 12 boards and two blocks. Powell is a low end center, obviously, but you could do worse around playoff time. Of course, beware the insanely high rate with which he picks up personal fouls as those aren't always "great" for court time. He should see plenty of run until Chris Kaman returns.
Caron Butler is back, and you're obviously starting him. But it's worth noting that his field goal percentage -- usually stellar -- has not been up to snuff since he returned from injury. Still, the steals and scoring and everything else he does are too valuable to ignore. He looks quite good.
Drew Gooden went dub-dubs (23/12) on the Hornets in a loss and he and Larry Hughes continue to start. I only mention this (again) because it really makes me angry to see Jimmy Boylan treating Tyrus Thomas worse than Scott Skiles did. Is there something we're missing about his play in practice that just makes him such an afterthought? Or is this just a hallmark of the Chicago organization?
Sam Cassell, using his Irish luck, had 17 points of the bench as the C's downed the Spurs by a deuce. This was Cassell's second straight game in double figures and while he's not going to log more than 30 minutes a game down the stretch, his scoring and assist capabilities make him a worth lower end guard.
