With just two games on the schedule last night, Home Delivery might have to start jinxing a can down the street. I suppose it's helpful to get out of the house every once in a while. And On the Third Day, D. Rose
Derrick Rose returned to action after missing most of the preseason due to a sore ankle. At times, on Thursday, he played as if he was at or near 100-percent. Rose logged 33 minutes scoring 13 points and picking up seven rebounds and seven assists, along with one steal and just one turnover. This is good news for Rose owners, especially since he's not 100-percent as of yet. Things should only get better from here.
Luol Deng looked "Deng good" as he led the Bulls with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting and nine rebounds. He's starting to look like a nice value pick for a 10th-rounder. Hopefully he can continue to improve and stay healthy this season. John Salmons had an 'off' night shooting 3-of-15 from the field and just 1-of 9 from beyond the arc. He scored just 10 points, but made his performance a little easier to swallow with his three steals.
The young Chicago bigs, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas, looked impressive against the San Antonio front-line. Noah logged a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, adding two blocked shots in 26 minutes. Thomas was as, if not more impressive with his 13 points, six rebounds, and three blocks, which is what you like to see as a fantasy owner. Both big men look like they could easily outperform their average draft position (ADP) this season.
On the other side of the ball it was a one-man show. Tim Duncan was dominant, looking like an absolute steal in the third round -- 28 points on 13-of-19 shooting, 16 rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks. Manu Ginobili was the only other Spur to chip in with a double-digit scoring performance posting 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting.
Tony Parker struggled, scoring just eight points and adding three assists. I 'd be less worried about Parker and more worried about Richard Jefferson, who turned in his second straight stinker. It's too early to start panic and cut-bait on Jefferson, but I could easily see you sitting him next week, especially since San Antonio is the only team who plays just two games.
Also in the Headlines
Carmelo Anthony Scores Points the Easy Way
Once again Melo proved that he could be well on his way toward posting a career-year. Making all but one of is 19 free-throw attempts, Anthony scored 41 points, adding six rebounds and one three-pointer. Anyone who drafted him in the third round or later has to be excited about the early value he's returning.
Chauncey Billups chipped in with 22 points and six assists, and rookie point guard Ty Lawson cooled off a little with just seven points, one assists, one rebound, and two steals in 17 minutes. As I mentioned yesterday it's a little premature to start picking up Lawson in 12-team leagues. He has value in deep leagues, though once J.R. Smith returns from suspension Lawson might not see significant playing time on a regular basis.
For the Trail Blazers it was Brandon Roy who once again led the way with 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Portland big LaMarcus Aldridge had another sub-par game with just nine points and seven rebounds on 4-of-15 shooting. A little concerning, especially after he just signed a $64 million contract extension. I would just be patient with Aldridge. It'll be a matter of time before he shakes these two performances off and starts posting 17 and 8 on a nightly basis.Martell Webster got the bulk of the minutes at small forward even after he was out-played by Travis Outlaw on opening night. Webster proved to be the more consistent baller scoring 10 points and picking up four rebounds, one three-pointer, one steal, and two blocked shots. Outlaw had a poor shooting night going just 1-of-8 from the field, which was mainly why he found himself on the bench for most of the game.
The hottest player off the bench was Rudy Fernandez. He scored 22 points in 22 minutes, hitting all eight of his free-throw attempts while shooting 6-of-9 from the field. It's hard to imagine that we might see many nights like this from Rudy on a consistent basis. I'm just not sure where he finds more than 22 minutes per game, and I don't suspect he'll score a point per minute each night. I would take a flier on him in deep leagues, and maybe in 12-team leagues if I was truly desperate. But just three nights into the season I can't imagine there are many desperate owners out there just yet.
Lost and Found
Tim Duncan posted three blocks and two steals. The blocks don't come as a surprise, but the steals are a welcome addition. He's got three on the year, giving him an average of 1.5 per game. But I'm sure many Duncan owners would gladly take one per game and call it a night.
Kirk Hinrich blocked two shots last night. His career average is 0.3 per game. Just to put that into perspective for you.
Greg Oden had two blocks and a steal against the Nuggets. That gives him seven blocks in the first two games. It seems like he's got that part of his game figured out.
Classified Adds
DeJuan Blair cooled off a little last night playing just 12 minutes, scoring six points and pulling down four rebounds. I still would keep an eye on Blair. As a rookie he'll have nights like this, but I wouldn't let this discourage you from taking a flier on this rebounding machine.
Lotto Line
1-2-5-6-12
Joel Przybilla picked up five fouls in just twelve minutes of action last night. He finished the night with two points and six rebounds, making just 1-of-2 field goal attempts. If Przybilla keeps fouling at such a high rate he may never be worth a flier, which is unfortunate because he rebounds at a high rate.
