Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.The biggest story to come out of the NBA last evening was without a doubt the news out of Sacramento, as we learned that Kevin Martin may miss the next six-to-eight weeks with a broken wrist. A tough break, considering that Martin was ranked third overall in standard, eight-category leagues.
There have been some reports that Martin might try and play through the injury, but we need to assess the situation in Sacramento from a fantasy perspective should the Kings be without Kevin Martin. You can disregard Desmond Mason now that he is longer a King, and with Andres Nocioni facing a possible suspension after being arrested for driving under the influence his role might redefined.
The rest of the team? Go young or go home.
Tyreke Evans is now given the reins in Sacramento and I expect him to step up and lead his team in scoring while Kevin Martin suits up in street clothes. Evans' game is still raw and he needs to continue to grow on both ends of the court, but it makes more sense moving him off the ball and putting it in, dare I say, Beno Udrih's hands. Evans will have his fair share of 'off' nights, but don't shy away from picking him up. With or without Martin in the lineup Evans is a universal add.
Omri Casspi has long been mentioned around these parts as a deep league add. It might be time to upgrade him to a standard league add. His per-36 numbers stack up well -- 16.7 points, 1.5 threes, 3.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks. Pretty lofty for a rookie, but a better prospect at the 'three' than the newly acquired Ime Udoka, who has little to no fantasy value. He can factor in with Martin out and Mason no longer on the team. Someone worth considering should the cards fall in his favor.
Aside from a possible two game suspension, Andres Nocioni should see a nice uptick in production. He's the kind of guy you add to round-out your lineup -- shoots threes, can score, pick up hustle stats, and rebounds fairly well. At this point, he might just be the safest pick of the bunch. Not the one with the most upside -- that would be Ty Evans -- but one who is less likely to throw up a complete stinker.
Also In the Headlines
• Devin Harris is likely out for at least a month. He could return in two weeks, but it doesn't sound like he's in any rush to get back on the court. Rafer Alston is going to start at the point. His FG% might be tough to live with, but he does have some value elsewhere -- assists and threes. I'm not excited about Alston, but it's your call. Not many starting point guards out there, as I mentioned earlier, so you take what you can get sometimes. • Derrick Rose looks like he might be close to 100-percent. He posted his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 assists. He only turned the ball over twice, and as a team the Bulls committed just six turnovers. A nice game for Chicago as a whole, who eked out a one-point victory against the Cavs.
• Carlos Boozer had a statement game last night -- 27 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Cue the collective sigh of relief coming from his owners.
Lost and Found
• Shaquille O'Neal blocked five shots against the Bulls, nearly doubling his season total. He still knows how to turn it on.
• Ronnie Brewer is starting to get back on track with his two steals last night and one block. I was expecting Brewer to post two steals per game, and this is just the first time this season in which he posted more than one in a single game.
Classified Adds
• Tyrus Thomas returned to the lineup to play just 12 minutes, scoring six points, pulling down one rebound and blocking just one shot. I know there are a lot of 'behind the scenes' talk in Chicago in regards to Ty Thomas, but I'm actually buying low on Double-T. Something has to give. I'm not buying that Taj Gibson is going to start at power forward for the Bulls going forward. Thomas may have been dropped in your league, or he may be on the trading block. I would go get him with a low-ball offer, if you can pull it off. Thomas will be back in the starting lineup, or better yet he'll be playing elsewhere -- pure speculation on my part, but an interesting idea.
• DeJuan Blair had a nice game last night -- 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting and nine rebounds. He's still a bit unreliable
, but I just picked him up in a league where I desperately needed a rebounder -- if that helps ease your mind any, which I highly doubt.• And out of nowhere comes Wesley Matthews. The rookie ended up with 12 points, three rebounds, two steals and a three-pointer. If you're wondering, Matthews got scooped up last night in my 30-team league before the game even ended. That's an acceptable move, I suppose. Any league with less than 16-teams, however, should probably hold off before they go and make a move for Matthews.
Lotto Line
0-1-1-7-11
• Taj Gibson started his second straight game last night posting 11 points, seven rebounds, zero assists, one steal and one block. I said it earlier in my Tyrus Thomas blurb, but I can't foresee him starting many more games going forward. Gibson had a nice career game, so he'll get some respect from me, but he's not the tempo player I envision running alongside Derrick Rose in the open court. Tyrus Thomas is that guy. Then again, I have no say as to who is on the court and who isn't.
