Series Picker: PBA Quarterfinals

Week off from Fantasy blog again. Sorry about that. I'll start forecast for next week, under the radar players are hard to pick now, as some stats are bloated by injuries, and you can't really predict injuries through the stat sheets.

Now, on to the PBA Quarterfinals. Games start tomorrow, with the best-of-three matchups taking place at the Big Dome. Like most basketball lovers who write, I'm going to throw out my own picks for these matchups.

(1) Talk N' Text Tropang Texters vs (8) Air21 Express

Air21 squeaked through the eliminations after a brilliant performance from Nino Canaleta. Not taking away from other players, especially Mike Cortez, who seems to have breathed new life into this team since the trade. Still, the only way that the Tropang Texters will get beaten by this gutsy Express team is if they become so overconfident that they'd just try different combinations of players to check out how they'd look on the floor together. Air 21 may not be the same pushover team that they were last season, but I'd be shocked if they won a game against the Texters at this stage.

Not much to talk about here. As good as Rob Reyes, Mark Isip and James Sena are in the frontcourt, Ranidel De Ocampo will just school those boys. Though Wynne Arboleda is still the one of the best defenders at the backcourt, Jason Castro and Jimmy Alapag could take turns running around the aging veteran. For the life of them, Canaleta, Atkins and Cortez won't be able to defend the likes of Castro and Alapag. Nelbert Omolon and John Wilson may be able defenders, but so are Larry Fonacier and Aaron Aban. Energy guy Harvey Carey and the formidable Ali Peek aren't even in this conversation yet.

Pick: Talk N' Text. Hands down. Outside chance of Air 21 making a game out of this, and TNT will probably win by only 7.

(2) San Mig Coffee Mixers vs (7) Petron Blaze Boosters

Petron is such a loaded team that they were one of the favorites coming in to the season. The acquisition of Marcio Lassiter for serviceable players Rey Guevarra and Rabeh Al-Hussaini made Petron even more dangerous, as they now have a rotation featuring clutch shooting Alex Cabagnot, defensive stalwart Denok Miranda, the high flying Joseph Yeo, the explosive Chris Lutz, and reliable bench guy Jojo Duncil to flank Lassiter on the backcourt and wings. Arwind Santos isn't even mentioned in the previous statement. And Jay Washington. And they got the first pick that turned into "The Kraken" Junemar Fajardo. But early season struggles (probably with the coaching confusion) took them down this low in the standings before a late-season recovery saw them winning enough games to get into the playoff picture.

For SMC, there's James Yap and all that he can do for a team, and Peter June Simon who is a superstar in his own right, playing content with getting to play his game without the spotlight on him as much as Yap. Andy Mark Barroca is earning his stripes, and seems to have benefited the most with the name change; he is now dubbed "The Coffee Prince". Wesley Gonzalez is starting, though playing limited minutes. Yancy De Ocampo has been the Tim Duncan of the Philippines as of late, anchoring the SMC offense with fundamental post up moves. Marc Pingris is doing his thing, as well as Rafi Reavis and Jonas Villanueva. Most overlooked, I think, is the way Joe Devance has been playing point-forward for SMC, doing his best imitation of Magic Johnson with all the fancy passing at his size. He's been hitting at a decent shooting clip, and I think he's one of the unsung heroes of this team's success this season.

Pick: San Mig Coffee. It will definitely be a close first game, with either having a chance to win in the end. If it stretches to two games, SMC will probably not let it go and win by at least 6.

(3) Rain Or Shine Elastopainters vs (6) Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings

This will be an awesome matchup. The Kings also experienced a bit of a slump after winning their first game, but have since figured out how to win games to get to where they are now. Chris Ellis may not be the Chris the Barangay faithful wanted, but he looks to be the Chris they need. He has delivered highlight plays to the delight of the crowd and has proven to be a good spark off the bench. Fellow rookie Keith Jensen also provides a nice energy, though not as much as Air Ellis. Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand have a renewed fire burning, as they have triumphed over injuries that have slowed them down the past several seasons. Billy Mamaril, Rudy Hatfield, Rico Maierhofer and surprisingly, trade acquisitions Elmer Espiritu and Yousif Taha have shown the "Ginebra spirit" with their tenacity. Kerby Raymundo has been reduced to a bench role, but looks like he'll be a factor in the postseason. Allein Maliksi and Rob Labagala have been serviceable when called upon. Oh and LA Tenorio has been quarterbacking well.

For the Elastopainters, they need Jireh Ibanes back in the fold badly. Sure, they have enough talent to compete without him, but he brings so much attitude to the backcourt that only Ryan Arana can match. Paul Lee's back, so that's a huge plus. Chris Tiu's best contribution to the team is his basketball IQ and his fans to complement all the hate the Extra Rice boys are getting. Jervy Cruz has silently had a good season. Gabe Norwood has been up and down, and TY Tang has filled in ably for his injured comrades. Jeff Chan, meanwhile, can't catch a break. He was a shooter, and added slashing to his arsenal. He gets blamed for not taking shots when his team is down, but also gets blamed for taking too many shots when trying to climb out of a hole. I think he's a take charge guy that just can't seem to buy a bucket at the wrong times. If he can add slashing to his game, maybe he can next try to learn proper shot selection. There's always something to improve on.

Pick: Rain or Shine. Bring on all the hate. Honestly, this may be a fan pick. Ginebra won both elimination games against Rain or Shine, the first one being close, and the latest seeing Rain or Shine on the wrong end of a comeback. Still, this will be a different Rain or Shine team when they face off in the quarters as Paul Lee figures to be a problem for the Kings. He won't be the sole factor in the Elastopainters winning, but he gives them another player who can create his own shots, slash, and kick out to teammates. That will be a huge difference maker in the offensive end. Tenorio-Caguioa-Espiritu-Maeirhofer-Mamaril won't do much to defend Lee-Norwood-Chan-Cruz-Quinahan. The crowd will be a huge factor in this series, but ultimately, they're pretty matched up well. I think Rain or Shine will come up with the win on the first game, and have a war on Friday. With Ginebra's back against the wall, they will play all out like they always do on Friday, but Rain or Shine understands that losing on Friday means having to play them again on Sunday, which is not going to be a pleasant experience. Could be 2-0 by Friday, but will not be surprising to see them get it on one more time on a tight Sunday slugfest.

(4)Meralco Bolts vs (5) Alaska Aces

The battle between hustle rookies Calvin Abueva and Cliff Hodge! If only for that, this will be an awesome matchup. They split their regular season encounters, but the first loss didn't see Abueva on the floor just yet. The first time the Bolts met Abueva, he made sure he'd leave a mark, finishing with a monster fantasy line of 20 points 18 rebounds three assists two steals and a block. If that is any indication of what the quarterfinals will look like, then the Aces look like they're going to win this easy. They have all the tools in place, with Casio running the point, Cyrus Baguio playing well, and Dondon Hontiveros still stroking it. Sonny Thoss is overrated, I have gone on to believe, after seeing Alaska play through him.

Meralco will lean on Sol Mercado's hot streak. If he's on, the Bolts are hard to beat. But he does sometimes tend to do too much. Mac Cardona should be able to pick up the slack, but he hasn't done so this year. Ronjay Buenafe should also rediscover his shooting touch if they want to win.

Pick: Meralco Bolts. I love Calvin Abueva. I truly do. It's not that I don't like him to win this one, but I really do think that Alaska will fall because of Luigi Trillo's location and system. Alaska came back from at least 17 down against Petron because the players were given a chance to play their own game. When they run their sets, they usually use Thoss to anchor the triangle much like Tim Cone is using Yancy De Ocampo in SMC. The difference? YDO can actually use his brain. It's not that I think Ryan Gregorio is a much better coach than Luigi, it's just that he gives his players play their games more rather than sticking to the system that he knows. Alaska players do trust their coach, that's why Thoss still gets his touches, but ultimately, it will doom them. Unless Luigi learned from their latest comeback, they will fall to the Bolts.

Fantasy Picker: Week 6

The Spurs got fined USD 250,000 for "disservice to the fans" by not playing his top four players in Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Danny Green against Miami. In Pop's defense, it was their fourth game in five nights. These decisions are inevitable, and knowing how coaches treat their players and how they shuffle players are going to have to be a factor when deciding who to pick for our Fantasy teams. Pop's teams are always 12-15 deep, so every once in a while there's a Matt Bonner shoot fest or a Patty Mills dime show. However, they're too risky to put in your weekly lineup because the Spurs have so many weapons. Even if the Spurs have a four-game week, their roster is not usually the team you look for to get you immediate help because Pop plays the players who work, and not the players that need to be on the floor.

That said, not all four-game weeks will play to the advantage of players from those teams. Knowing these four-game weeks could probably help if you have bench players from those teams, as they are turned to when coaches decide to rest his starters to limit fatigue.

A lot of yellow highlights there, with the Spurs being the only team in red. Pop usually rests his starters on the back end of back-to-backs, and with pretty easy match ups, it might be safe to look for other options in place of Spurs players in your roster.

Points/Three Point FG

Ben Gordon (SG, CHA)
11-for-18 three point shooting last week, 23% owned

Gordon is a streak shooter. He made a name for himself in fourth quarters back in Chicago, never really took off as much as expected when he left for Detroit, and now he's been up and down in Charlotte. But as a team with no real established superstar, Gordon could step up his game and actually win some playing time. He hit seven three-pointers in their loss to Atlanta, which might be a sign that he's getting his shooting groove back. He can also distribute the ball and grab some boards, so he can help on multiple cats.

Alexey Shved (PG/SG)
40% three point shooting over past couple of weeks, 10% owned

Rubio is still out, but there are other players who can be the reason for fans to be excited to watch the Wolves. Shved is one of them. He can pass the ball, he can grab boards, and hit can hit long bombs. He's the first guard off the bench for the Wolves, much like how Taj Gibson is to rebounds in Chicago.

Rebounds

Taj Gibson (PF, CHI)
4.9rpg 1.3bpg, 10% owned

The main back up for the Chicago froncourt is averaging almost 5 boards per game, and he'll give you blocks when given the chance to play. He could be a supplemental pick, meaning you get him to reinforce you already solid rebounding numbers, but he won't probably be your game-changing pick.

Enes Kanter (C, UTA)
18pts 7rebs at OKC, 2% owned

Al Jeff and Millsap are Utah's starters up front, but Derrick Favors has been playing well this season to warrant significant playing time. Now that Favors is probably out because of injury, Kanter might be an option to backup the bigs of Utah.

Assists

Nate Robinson (PG/SG CHI)
5.5apg when playing over 20mins, 23% owned

While Derrick Rose is out, the point guard duties of Chicago is distributed between Nate Robinson and Kirk Hinrich. Robinson is a crazy-athletic spark off the bench, and he can really get the team going when he plays. With a relatively easy schedule up ahead, going up against the struggling Pacers, the hurting Cavs, and the disappointing Pistons and then facing off with the hot Knicks, the bench will probably get to play a lot. When given the opportunity, Robinson does contribute in the assists, points, and sometimes steals department.

Kirk Hinrich (PG/SG, CHI)
5.6apg 6.2ppg, 31% owned

Captain Kirk is a steadying presence in the Chicago backcourt for the longest time, before being traded away over the past couple of years. He's now back with the Bulls, quarterbacking in the absence of Derrick Rose. If he's available, he could be a nice source of assists, but you can also expect some threes, steals, and rebounds from him. He's a steadier pick than Robinson since he's the starter for the Bulls.

Steals

Jeffrey Taylor (SG/SF/PF, CHA)
2.3spg over last six games, 7% owned

Taylor has seen his playing time increase since leading scorer Gerald Henderson went down. He's now starting alongside young guys like Kemba Walker, MKG, and Byron Mullens. It probably won't be long until their youth movement is complete, with Bismack Biyombo probably edging out starter Brendan Haywood for the Center spot. I haven't seen him play, but considering he's getting more than 20 minutes a game with some 30-minute games, he must be doing something good in there. His numbers look to me like Tony Allen's; he can hit  some threes, but his value actually comes from his knack at picking pockets. Plus he's eligible for three positions, so that could help the flexibility of your team.

Kyle Singler (SG/SF, DET)
1.7spg 12ppg over last four games, 21% owned

The rookie has earned his playing time in Detroit, and is contributing in multiple categories. He's been shooting hot, and as a big guard, he also grabs a number of boards. He can shoot the three as well. He's a pretty intriguing prospect, but he might be of help only in deeper leagues, as Rodney Stuckey and Brandon Knight figure to eat up minutes at both guard spots.

Eric Bledsoe (PG/SG, LAC)
1.4spg 9.9ppg, 13% owned

The Clippers bench has got to be the best in the NBA right now. Bledsoe, together with Jamaal Crawford and Matt Barnes lead this bench, and are actually nice fantasy options. Bledsoe, for his part, is scoring almost 10 points per game to go along with his steals numbers (has recorded a steal in all but two games this season), and get this; he's blocked a shot at least once in all but five games he's played in this season. The guy's 6-1. Despite not getting much threes from him, you got to love the fact that you can expect one block from him. He's a risky pick despite the Clippers having a four-game week, considering Chauncey Billups is back in the fold, but if their game against the Kings is any indication of their week ahead (where Bledsoe played 26 minutes and recorded 14 points, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks), he could still be a positive contributions from the waiver wire.

Blocks

Bismack Biyombo (PF/C, CHA)
2.5bpg 7.2rpg over last four games, 14% owned

He missed two games because of a leg injury, but he's really been playing well as of late. Scouting report on him during last year's draft had him as a premiere blocker, and though he showed flashes of brilliance last season, he didn't really dominate as much as he was expected to last year. He's still young, so the Cats do have patience with him. Over his last two games, he's shown that he can hold his own in the paint, and could probably challenge Brendan Haywood's spot in the starting lineup soon.

Larry Sanders (PF/C, MIL)
10pts 12 rebs 10blks at Minnesota, 37% owned

Sanders might be the hottest pickup on fantasy right now after following up his triple double performance with an eye-opening performance of 18 points, 16 boards and five blocks against the Celtics. He's been blocking shots pretty well when he gets the chance to play, but it will be a bit difficult to understand how coach Skiles shuffles his players, so his minutes might not be as consistent. But if his last two games are any indication, he might just win a starting gig with the Bucks.

Jermaine O'Neal (PF/C, PHX)
1.7bpg 5.2rpg, 13% owned

This isn't the first time I mentioned Jermaine O'Neal on this space, but really, he is effective for a couple of blocks per game. With four upcoming games, that's already an expected eight blocks for your team.

Overtime:

- With Mo Williams back in Utah, Jamaal Tinsley goes back to his bench role and non-relevance in Fantasy.

- D.J. Augustine has been a disappointment in Indiana this year. As a key player in Charlotte, he doesn't get as much minutes as he did before, and less minutes usually means less fantasy production.

- Points are pretty spread out in Cleveland, making it difficult to decide who to pick up. Their most consistent players would have to be Anderson Varejao with his monster rebounds, and Alonzo Gee's all-around game. Gee's only owned in 34% of Y!Leagues, so I think he should be grabbed when available.

- The Clippers have spread out their minutes pretty evenly as well, which translates to their wins, but usually doesn't translate well in the Fantasy world. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan remain the best Fantasy options for the Clips, with other players contributing not so amazing but still serviceable stats. Jamaal Crawford remains a solid contributor in assists and three pointers for them as well.

- David West has been performing at peak form in Indiana, can't say the same for Roy Hibbert and Paul George though. Prior to the start of the season, I thought they were supposed to be one of the better teams in the East. They seem to still be, but they're not performing as much as they should.

- I still still am not too sold on DeMar DeRozan. He's able to score points, but he's getting it without threes. I guess his rebounds is a plus, as it always is getting boards from the guard spot. Maybe he can fit a team that's punting threes and is relying on big man categories.

- Speaking of Toronto, the PF/C position should be monitored. Jonas Valanciunas has shown signs that he might be there long term, but foul trouble keeps him out of the floor. At times that he's not troubled by foul trouble, he still sometimes rides the bench in favor of either Ed Davis or Amir Johnson, both of which can be options on rebounds.

- New York is going to play four games in five nights this week, so Coach Mike Woodson might do a Pop and rest some of his players at the back end of those back to backs to limit fatigue of his players. That said, their bench deserves a look, as they might have increased playing time this week. Probably Steve Novak or Rasheed Wallace?

- Chicago has a similar thing going for them, so look for bench production to be up.

Fantasy Picker: Week 4 in Review

Educated guesses are always grounded on something. Dumb luck could also be a factor, but in order to come up with logical or reasonable guesses, one must have taken controlled variables into consideration. This writer, for example, grounds his guesses on past performances compared with historical numbers to weigh in on potential numbers.

For the past week, I've compiled notable stat lines to check out top fantasy performers for the week. The purpose of these past week reviews is to help you determine which players you may consider to trade for if you need help in areas they may be contributing significantly in. I also included matchups, so that you'd see which opponents allowed such big games to happen, just to give you an idea what you'd expect when your players meet these teams. 

Top Weekly Points Total - 37

Awardees: Kevin Durant (at PHI), Carmelo Anthony (vs NOH), Paul George (vs NOH)

Would you look at that, three players reaching the same score in the same week. Durant and Melo have been on a scoring tear this week, and Paul George having a career night against New Orleans.  

Honorable Mentions: Kevin Love (34 vs DEN), Ryan Anderson (34 at PHX), Andrea Bargniani (34 at DET), James Harden (33 at NYK)

Top Weekly Rebounds Total - 19

Awardees: Carlos Boozer (at MIL), Anderson Varejao (vs PHI), David Lee (vs DAL)

Boozer's 19 boards came with 22 points, and that has been the highlight of his week, posting pedestrian numbers for someone of his caliber. Varejao had double digit rebounds in each of his three games this week, which is expected from such a high energy guy like him. Lee seems to be picking up his game, going back to his old double-double self. 

Honorable Mentions: Chris Bosh (18 vs MIL), John Henson (18 at MIA)

Top Weekly Assist Total -16

Awardee: Rajon Rondo (vs OKC and at ORL)

Rondo is on a double-digit assist tear as of late, as he already tied John Stockton for most consecutive games with double digit assists at 17. When his streak looked in peril, he was put in a lost game possibly to pad his stats. It probably isn't a crime to aim for a record, so I think Rondo may be forgiven. It's not as if he's intentionally shooting bricks to rebound the ball to get a triple double. 

Honorable Mention: Greivis Vasquez (14 at PHX)

Top Weekly Steals Total - 7 

Awardee: Chris Paul (at ATL)

If there's one thing to be taken positively out of Atlanta's demolition of the Clippers, it probably is CP3's lineof 19 points five rebounds, seven assists and seven steals. It was a quiet seven steals that the announcers didn't even notice until Paul sat down for good with little time left in the fourth. 

Honorable Mention: Byron Mullens (6 vs ATL) 

Top Weekly Blocks Total - 11

Awardee: Roy Hibbert (vs NOH)

This was Roy Hibbert's triple-double game, as he finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds as well. This was after blocking four shots the previous game against Washington. He's a good source of blocks, but he's doing it against weaker teams. At least he's not that foul prone anymore. 

Honorable Mentions: Mike Dunleavy (4 at CHA), Dwight Howard (4 vs BKN), Robin Lope (4 at IND and DEN), Josh Smith (4 vs WAS), David West (4 vs WAS), Deron Williams (4 vs POR)

Top Weekly Three Points Made - 9

Awardee: Paul George (vs NOH)

Paul George makes his second appearance in this week's highlights, as he torched the Hornets on his way to a career-high 37 points. Needless to say, this was his highlight for the week. We expect more from George especially with Danny Granger still sidelined. 

Honorable Mentions: Ryan Anderson (8 of 13 at PHX), Carmelo Anthony (7 of 12 in HOU)

Fantasy Line of the Week

Kevin Durant

37 pts 8 rebs 5 asts 4 stls 3blks 2 tos 10-for-22 FG 2-for-6 three pointers 15-for-17 free throws in PHI

No one in the NBA filled the stat sheet better than Durant in that game against Philly. He did pretty much everything while shooting almost 50% from the field, and committing only two turnovers. He also had a pretty good week in the scoring department, and he's increased his three point shooting attempts, after taking less of it to start the year. I don't imagine owners letting him go, so this highlight does nothing more to us non-owners but salivate at his fantasy production. 

That's It? Line of the Week

Elton Brand

0 pts 4 rebs 1ast 1 blk 1 to vs LAL

Brand must have had the worst fantasy week for a marquee name. His line against the Lakers was his worst for the week, and the others weren't that much better. For a guy you expect to carry a huge responsibility with Dirk Nowitzki out, Brand has been a disappointment to the point that owners might even consider dropping him. Brand owners shouldn't be offended if they are given low ball offers for him, because he's not helping himself out. 

Redemption Player of the Week

James Harden

6 pts 2 rebs 3ast 1-for-6 FG 1 three pointer at UTA

since: 30.5 pts 4.0 rebs 6.0 asts 3.5 stls 0.5 blks 52% FG, 6 for 12 three pointers, vs NYK and CHI

Harden was a hot fantasy player starting the season off with a bang. He slowed down for a bit, and had his worst outing in a regular season game for Houston in Utah as he had his dud line. However, he bounced back nicely in their wins against New York and Chicago to defend their homecourt. 

Weekly Notables:

- Gerald Wallace had 7 points 5 rebounds 2 assists 5 steals and 3 rebounds against the Lakers. These aren't eye-popping stats, but he filled out the stat sheet nicely. Nice glue guy to have on the team.

- Speaking of non-eye popping stats, how about Jason Kidd making 17 points by shooting 5 threes, grabbing 6 boards, dishing 5 assists, and having 5 steals in his homecoming in Dallas? He's been pretty consistent, with across the board stats in limited minutes. 

- On the consistency note, Metta World Peace is holding his own in that loaded Lakers lineup. He's shooting the ball well, is making a lot of threes, and has scored in double digits in every game except his first this season. 

- David West is stepping up for the under-performing Roy Hibbert and Paul George, going for 30 points, 8 rebound, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 4 blocks against Washington. You know he can score and probably grab some boards, so the blocks turned out to be bonuses for owners. He was also 10-for-10 at the line, which you love for a big man.

- Anderson Varejao is doing to rebounds what Kevin Durant is doing in the points category. He had 19, 17 and 15 last week, which he does almost all the time that you're just used to seeing him grab double digit rebounds every game.

- For assists, Rajon Rondo is doing that thing Varejao and Durant are doing. He's now had 37 consecutive games with at least 10 assists.  

- Zaza Pachulia had a big game against the Clippers, with 19 points on 7-for-9 shooting with 12 rebounds. With the lineup of Zaza in the middle, Horford at PF and Josh Smith at SF working so well against the Clippers, maybe they'd try that combination more often. If that's the case, Zaza could be a nice addition to your roster in need of rebounds. 

- Rookie Jonas Valanciunas of Toronto had a pretty solid week, grabbing boards, blocking shots, and shooting the ball well. If he keeps this up, he just might hold off Amir Johnson and Ed Davis for the starting gig. He needs to stay off foul trouble though.

- Deron Williams had four blocks in Dallas. I don't think it'll be a norm though. 

- Ditto John Henson's 18 rebounds. As a fellow fantasy player said, "nobody understands Milwaukee's rotation". 

- Chandler Parsons had a pretty nice week, playing James Harden's sidekick in Houston. His best effort came at the expense of the Knicks as he finished with 31 points, 5 rebounds 4 assists, 4 steals, one block, 13-for-17 from the field and 4-of-7 from three. All these happening while "Linsanity" is riding the bench in 4th quarters for Houston.

- Byron Mullens was like a diesel engine last week, starting off a bit slow the first two games (but grabbing 9 and 8 rebounds) before taking six steals in their game against Atlanta, and going for 27 points on 5-for-10 three point shooting with 8 rebounds in a double OT game against Toronto.

- Kevin Love is the anti-Mullens for the week. He had a big comeback performance going 34 and 14 (2 threes) against Denver, 24-13 (3 steals) in Portland, and 15 and 15 in Golden State. Moving forward, there's the hope that he doesn't continue this "downward" trend. 

- Luis Scola is riding the Phoenix bench in favor of Markieff Morris. Needless to say, he had a pretty bad fantasy week. Hopefully, he picks up his game this week.

- Ersan Ilyasova is struggling as a starter. A move back to the bench might be helpful for him. If today's game is any indication, the second statement might be accurate, as he led the Bucks' second unit to a victory in arguably his best game of the season. 

- Andrea Bargniani had a pretty nice scoring week, until the Spurs visited and held him to four points on 2-of-19 shooting.

- Jose Calderon's numbers are fluctuating. But that was an expected risk when the Raptors acquired Kyle Lowry in the offseason. Owners could only wish Lowry gets shelved again.

- How badly does teamwork need to work for Cleveland without their franchise player? Eight of nine players fielded by Cleveland scored at least 10 points to almost win the game against Miami. That's why they're a good team to look at when acquiring under-the-radar players.

- There was a Lamar Odom sighting for the Clippers against Oklahoma. Odom finished with four points and eight rebounds in 14 minutes of play. Maybe he's earning a spot in the rotation? With Matt Barnes and Caron Butler alternating at the SF spot, he'd only get increased playing time if Blake Griffin learns how to defend better. Otherwise, DeAndre Jordan needs to stay on the floor to anchor the defense. 

- The backcourt rotation of Ramon Sessions, Kemba Walker, and Jeff Taylor have been a productive bunch for Charlotte, similar to Festus Ezeli and Carl Landry holding their own down low while Andrew Bogut is still out. 

- David Lee is returning to double-double machine form. It'll be interesting to see if he could keep it up when Bogut returns. 

Fantasy Picker: Fantasy Week 5

The thing about Fantasy ball is that you usually know who you want to get, who you need to get, but can't because they're usually in someone else's roster. And lineups are usually grounded on right gambles. For example, who among Kevin Love owners actually had Kevin Love in their lineup for this week? Heck, even T-Wolves fans in attendance were surprised when Love was a game time decision.

Same principle applies to waiver wire pick ups and patience. Do you bank on potential breakout over struggling superstar? I have Josh Smith on my team now and I get the craziest offers for him, because he's been on a downward spiral and a great buy low option especially if his owner's team is struggling, as in my case. For temporary respite, I'd probably consider trading for him now, so that I can use the replacement next week, when the Hawks play just two games. If I can't let go of him by Saturday, I guess I'd just hold on to him and hope for the best for my team.

While Fantasy Guru Rick Kamla and other fantasy writers may give you advise on who to pick up, who to drop, who to play, and who to bench, it really is up to owners if they'd gamble on our educated guesses.

So, on to Week 5 schedule:

*Highlighted in Yellow are teams playing the most games this week.

*Highlighted in Red are teams playing the least games this week

How crappy is it that Miami is playing just two games for the second straight week? Atlanta and Golden State also have only two games this week, so you should plan accordingly on who to sit. With relatively easy schedules on the road for Atlanta, the troika of Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Jeff Teague should be worth a roster spot if you don't have better alternative options. Same goes for LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and a now healthy Dwayne Wade who'll figure to have plenty of minutes against Brooklyn and San Antonio. For Golden State, it seems like David Lee is getting his groove back, Steph Curry is balling and the verdict is out on who will get more shots up; emerging rookie Harrison Barnes or sweet-shooting sophomore Klay Thompson.

Points/Three Point FG

Jason Kidd (PG/SG, NYK)

19-for-36 3pts 8.3ppg

Watching Jason Kidd orchestrate for the Nets back then was fun to watch. You'd think he'd be boring to see considering his physique, but his passes were mind-boggling. He wasn't that great of a shooter, though, and that is why Jason Kidd is one of the truly great ball players I've watched. He is almost exclusively a three point specialist now, transforming his game so that he can still be effective despite his age. The old guy's shooting 50% from three, and through 10 games, he's got just six turnovers against 33 assists. He's still almost 39% available in Y!Fantasy leagues, so if you're in need of consistent numbers with some threes and Kidd's available, he shouldn't be. 

Rasheed Wallace (PF/C, BKN)9-for-32 3pts 4.4 rpg 4% owned

I am buying in to the 'Sheed hype. It looked like he was going to be a joke in New York after his poor performance in Boston last season, but he's really working hard for his minutes now with the Knicks. The Knicks rely on their threes as much as they do on second half defense to win games, and 'Sheed contributes to both. He could anchor a small lineup of Kidd, Raymond Felton, J.R. Smith, and Carmelo Anthony for an offense-heavy lineup. I think he's a better pick than the struggling Steve Novak just because he gives more rebounds and adds swag to the team on the floor. With a pretty easy schedule towards the end of the week, he could get some bigger floor time. 

Gary Neal (PG/SG, SAS)

9.9ppg 8-for-23 3pts 5% owned

This is a risky pick, but if you're in desperate need of three point shooters in a deep league, Gary Neal should be worth a look. He's a fairly good shooter, and he should figure to have minutes off the bench with both Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson out for a while. He should split limited minutes with Patty Mills spelling for Tony Parker at the point, or have Danny Green and Manu play the SF position to get Neal the SG spot. Pop is known to shuffle his bench to distribute minutes, and with four games in the upcoming week, Neal should get around 20mins per game.

Rebounds

Andray Blatche (PF/C, BKN)
5.3rpg 8.9ppg 6% owned

While Reggie Evans made an appearance on this part last week, Blatche may also be worth a look. He's a better scorer than Evans (heck Enrico Villanueva is a better scorer than Evans), and he gets a decent amount of rebounds off the bench. He's a bit of a risky pick with Brook Lopez actually working on the glass now, and Kris Humphries doing his thing, so he could get minutes if he plays well enough. He doesn't shoot a lot of threes, but he's got a pretty decent FG% and should be a nice complement in a team with these stats already (points, rebounds, FG%, FT%)

Tiago Splitter (PF/C, SAS)
3.5rpg 8.1ppg, 4% owned

With Tim Duncan playing like it's 2001 or something, Splitter hasn't had enough time to run the floor. Still, he's the future for the Spurs, and they wouldn't let him rot in the bench while waiting for Duncan to finally call it quits. When he's on the floor, he's been a pretty potent scorer, and he chooses his shots well, so you shouldn't worry about FG%. There's a back to back on the road in Florida as they play Orlando and Miami. If Pop still doesn't let Timmy play back to backs, Splitter just may be able to get majority of the minutes in the Orlando game where he'll be matched up with Big Baby instead of Dwight.

Markieff Morris (PF, PHX)
4.8rpg 8.6ppg, 6% owned

Morris got the starting gig from Scola after an impressive showing in the Suns loss to Miami. If he stays in the starting lineup, he'd give points and boards, but not much else. Their three of their four upcoming games are against teams with energy guys up front, so it might pose a challenge for the sophomore forward.

Tristan Thompson (PF/C, CLE)
8.7rpg 9.2ppg, 31% owned

Anderson Varejao's energy seems to have rubbed off on the sophomore. Thompson has grabbed double digit rebounds in each of his last three games and has been scoring pretty well.

Assists

Jeremy Pargo (PG, CLE)
4ast 28pts 5rebs 4-for-8 3pts, 19% owned vs PHI

It might be a bit rash to add him immediately after a big game, but that big game just earned him valuable minutes from Coach Byron Scott. Even as a backup, he'd be able to distribute the ball to teammates, especially if defenses collapse on him after his impressive offensive showing against Philly. If you're not buying in to the buzz Pargo created against Philly, Donald Sloan and Daniel Gibson should be possible picks for Cleveland's four game trip. Coach Scott will have to shuffle his guards, as they will go up against defensive specialists in Mike Conley (MEM) and Jeff Teague (ATL) and possible defensive nightmares Goran Dragic (PHX) and Damian Lillard (POR).

Jamaal Tinsley (PG, UTA)
5.3apg 1.6rpg, 1% owned

There's a reason why he's just 1% owned, and that's because he can't do much else other than pass the ball. And he's playing for playing time against Randy Foye and Mo Williams, and with weapons like Derrick Favors, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson up front, he really just needs to put the ball in their hands wherever they're comfortable. This is another specialty pick, for teams in desperate need for assists and has other cats won.

Steals/Blocks

Alonzo Gee (SF/SF, CLE)
1.9spg 0.6bpg, 30% owned

Gee's one of those truly under the radar players that could be a great glue guy to your team. He has the consistent minutes, and he can fill out the stat sheets on any given night. With the Cavs needing contributions wherever they can, Gee should see a bump up in scoring. If the last three games are any indication of things to come for him, he should be a hot waiver wire pick up soon.

Jermaine O'Neal (C, PHX)
1.5bpg 4.3 rpg, 3% owned

Speaking of big men trying to make a comeback after a failed campaign in Celtic green, O'Neal's playing pretty well as of late, scoring in double digits in each of the last three games. He's also grabbed at least 4 rebounds in all the games that he's played this season, and he still has those defensive instincts to make him block shots on a regular basis despite the reduced minutes and playing behind emerging big man Marcin Gortat.

Tony Allen (SG/SF, MEM)
1.8spg 0.6bpg,37% owned

Allen's more of a specialty pick. He won't give you much, but you're sure to get some steals from him every game. He's not the best shooter, but he can slash to score. He'll help in defensive cats, give rebounds, and occasionally score points.

Overtime:

- The list looks like it has a too much Cleveland players. I guess it can't be helped. Anytime you lose your franchise player, the team's tendency is to look for production elsewhere.

- Detroit's lineup is a mess. The only sure thing for the Pistons is that Greg Monroe will get rebounds. Their guards are rotating, with Kyle Singler actually emerging to compete for minutes against Rodney Stuckey, Brandon Knight, and the seemingly lost in rotation Will Bynum. Andre Drummond and Jason Maxiell have their moments, but their performances fluctuate as often as a politician's lie detector test.

- Brooklyn plays their starters pretty heavily. Pretty difficult to gamble on their bench players to drastically improve your team, but they would make nice complementary players for an already steady lineup.

- Ditto Portland. Their starters could play 30+ minutes per game each.

- Oklahoma has a 6-man rotation going on, with Kevin Martin being the only guy off the bench who can get enough playing time to be a factor. Kendrick Perkins gets significant playing time, but doesn't contribute enough to warrant fantasy consideration. Too bad scowls don't count in the stat sheets.

- How fun is it to be a Durant owner right now? He got his first career triple double because he's getting more assists this year. He's shooting less threes, but at least he's getting nice FG%.

- Speaking of old guys trying to make a comeback after an unsuccessful run in a Boston uniform, Jermaine O'Neal is doing pretty well. He's scored double digit points over the last three games, and has grabbed at least four rebounds in all the games he's played this season. He's also blocking some shots in a reserve role.

- Roy Hibbert got his first career triple double by blocking 11 shots. 11 blocks!

Fantasy Picker: Picking the Week

I feel bad about missing my daily fantasy watch, and writing about it now won't make the stuff that happened new. Still, this fantasy picker has not taken time off from looking at fantasy numbers. The eight Kemba Walker steals, the seven Marcin Gortat and Serge Ibaka blocks (for Serge, he followed that up with six the next game), the Greg Monroe triple double, and O.J. Mayo's three-point shooting spree have not been lost to this writer. 

With three weeks in to the fantasy season, rosters have already been set, with teams either looking for minimal tweaks on their lineup to stay on top, or looking to build teams through waivers and trades. For aggressive managers, looking at the weekly schedule may help to pick up possible players on the waiver wire  that may have more games than other teams. Here's a look at the upcoming week schedule:

Looking at the upcoming week's schedule, Chicago, Memphis, and Miami all have just two games coming up. For Miami, you'd want to have LeBron James or Chris Bosh in the lineup if you have a rather shallow bench. Same goes for Rudy Gay, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Marc Gasol for Memphis. For Chicago, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and (the under-performing) Luol Deng should warrant a roster spot despite the lack of games. Other than the said players, you may want to check out waiver pick ups or your bench players. 

Points/ Three-Point FG

Kyle Korver (SG/SF, ATL, 22% owned in Y!Fantasy)
9.3 ppg 15-for-38 three-point shooting

Korver started the year slow, and has been inconsistent at best. He's still playing ahead of reigning sixth man of the year Lou Williams and former all-star Devin Harris. With Harris out, Korver has slowly become a sneaky pick to supplement threes, with at least one game. He can also help you out with steals as he is averaging 1.1 steals per game. 

Stephen Jackson (SG/SF, SAS, 5% owned in Y!Fantasy)

8.3ppg 15-for-22 three-point shooting 

Pop knows how to shuffle his bench, which makes his team really frustrating to read in fantasy ball. Kawhi Leonard is a do-it-all kind of player, but he doesn't usually get his minutes. Boris Diaw started the season as the starting center for the team, and now is playing minimal minutes off the bench. Now, Captain Jack is actually quite effective in his limited minutes off the bench, and when he's hot, he really lights up the scoreboard. He may be a risk to pick up, as they have three road games, which means more minutes need to be distributed evenly. At about 24 minutes per game, he'll give you threes when he's hot, some rebounds when possible, and some steals if his head's into the game. 

Metta World Peace (SF/PF, LAL, 34% owned in Y!Fantasy)

11.8ppg 15-for-48 three-point shooting

MWP may look like a filler for a team with four all-stars, but he's holding his own, averaging in double-digit points so far this season. He seems to have a green light on three-pointers, hitting at least one a game, and throwing a lot of shots up. If he gets to keep it up, those shots might fall eventually. He's no slouch on rebounds either. Still, those numbers are from the Mike Brown system. The D'Antoni system might bloat this or completely render this useless.

Caron Butler (SF, LAC, 25% owned in Y!Fantasy)

16.1ppg 14-for-28 three-point shooting

What Butler brings to the table, you can get from a bunch of other players. He's a starter, but only plays about 20 minutes a game. If he plays a little more defense, maybe he'd be given more of the minutes allocated for Matt Barnes. Still, he's hitting his threes, and if you need help in that area, Butler should be worth a roster spot.  

Rebounds

Reggie Evans (PF, BKN, 1% owned in Y!Fantasy)

7.1rpg 66% FG 

This is more of a specialty pick. If your team is in desperate need for rebounds, Evans could be a great help for your cause. He doesn't do much of anything, but he won't hurt your field goal percentage. 

Amir Johnson (PF/C, TOR, 7% owned in Y!Fantasy)

6.8rpg 1.2spg

Rookie Jonas Valanciunas is the team's starter, but foul trouble seems to be keeping him at limited minutes. Not to mention he's competing with Ed Davis and the man on the topic, Amir Johnson. Davis can't seem to get his break, and is playing the serviceable 3rd Center role, while Amir is playing with a lot of energy off the bench, much like he did last year. He's grabbing a lot of boards, and the 14 he grabbed in the triple overtime loss to the Jazz could be a season high so far, but he's capable of going for nights like that. 

Assists 

Ramon Sessions (PG/SG, CHA, 48% owned in Y!Fantasy)

4.6apg 16ppg

It might be a stretch if he's still available in deep leagues, but he's the steadying factor in the Charlotte backcourt. Though the team seems to have given the keys to the franchise to young guys like Kemba Walker and Micheal Kidd-Gilchrist, Sessions is getting major floor time because of his veteran smarts. Expect assists and points from him. 

Blocks

Robin Lopez (C, NOH, 38% owned in Y!Fantasy)

2.0bpg 5.8rpg

His playing time is dipping, with Ryan Anderson finally emerging and Anthony Davis being given the heavy minutes, but he's effective when he's on the floor. He's blocking at least one shot per game and is the better rebounding twin. It must be the 'fro.

Kosta Koufos (C, DEN, 12% owned in Y!Fantasy) 

1.8bpg 5.7rpg

He's still the starting center in Denver as long as JaVale McGee isn't mature enough in George Karl's mind. That means he'll be starting Center for quite a while longer. Koufos is the reverse Omer Asik from his days in Chicago; he'll go hard every single time for those blocks because there's always McGee who can come in if he gets into early foul trouble. 

Steals

Eric Bledsoe (PG/SG, LAC, 12% owned in Y!Fantasy)

1.5spg 10.6ppg

The Clippers bench is deep, and though most of the guys are playing just around 20 minutes per game, everyone is producing. Bledsoe may be one of them, as he's been picking pockets every game this season, and you know he can score. He may defer to Jamaal Crawford in the scoring department, but those are only more chances for assists. 

Overtime

- Looking at matchups could also help in choosing players you'd want to put in your lineup. If matchups are relatively easy, bench players may get more minutes than usual. Still, it's hard to risk, as you'll never know when shots will go in for the "easy" opponents. 

- After a slow start, Ryan Anderson has finally found his stroke, and has been shooting pretty well the past few games. 

- Demar DeRozan may look like he's having a great year in terms of scoring, but he's still not doing much of anything else to merit serious fantasy consideration. He scored 37 points on that triple OT loss, but scored just one three-pointer.

- Kyle Singler is emerging as a solid guard in Detroit. He's playing in a backcourt with Will Bynum, Brandon Knight and Rodney Stuckey. After spending some time doing a Brandon Jennings in Europe, he's finally earned a roster spot in the NBA and he's showing what he can do. 

- If you picked Joe Johnson in the draft, you might want to hang on to him. He'll get his shots to go in eventually.

- The biggest flaw in Brook Lopez's game is that he doesn't give much big man stats like blocks or rebounds.  This year, he's been blocking shots and rebounding a little better. 

- I may be a little high on Byron Mullens right now, but just because he's in Charlotte, it looks to me that he could provide Channing Frye or Ryan Anderson type of numbers as a three-point shooting big. 

- A little disappointed by Luol Deng  right now, as he's not scoring as much as I want to, and he's not shooting the threes I expected from him. He's supposed to be the alpha while Derrick Rose is out, and he's not giving the production I expected from my third overall pick. 

Fantasy Picker: Got to Believe in Magic

Fantasy Highlights

Nikola Vucevic (PF/C, ORL)
16pts 10rebs 2blks 1stl 6-7 FT 42mins

Vucevic is coming to his own in the middle for Orlando. Despite big men Glen Davis, energy guys Josh McRoberts and Gustavo Ayon, and young blood Andrew Nicholson as options down low, Vucevic was able to play the most minutes for any of the Magic players. Minutes usually mean production, and he did not disappoint. 6-7 free throw shooting for a C should make you feel happy. 

Aaron Afflalo (SG/SF, ORL)

28pts 5rebs 5asts 1stl 1blk 3-7 three point shooting

These numbers are somewhat promising for Afflalo, and not really that surprising if you've seen him play in not so heavy minutes back in Denver. The question is if he can sustain this kind of production for a team with ready guards and a less talented clone of his in Dahntay Jones. Can he be "the man" for a seemingly faceless Magic team?

Greg Monroe (C, DET)

27pts 10rebs 2asts 1stls 3blks

Huge game for the big man in Detroit. The sophomore forward has cemented his place in as the man in the middle for the Pistons, and these should be the numbers expected from him.

Joakim Noah (C, CHI)

20pts 9rebs 4asts 5blks

You've got to love Noah when he's healthy. He's got a tireless motor that you can probably see as a better version of similarly unique-haired Anderson Varejao.  He'll always give you boards and his points usually come from offensive putbacks, so you don't have to worry about your filed goal percentage taking a hit. He's also an active defender, so you do expect at least a block from him every game. 

Andre Iguodala (SG/SF, DEN)

17pts 10rebs 4asts 1stl 1blk 3-6 three pointers

Iggy had an all-around night to lead the Nuggets past the Pistons. He's a triple double waiting to happen, but with Ty Lawson and Andre Miller getting most of the assists, he usually gets to shoot threes. As a facilitator last year for the Sixers, he shot less from threes, but had all-around games. He still has the skills, it's a matter of how he'd use them. 

Players to Consider

Kirk Hinrich (PG/SG, CHI)

8pts 5rebs 5asts 2stls 2-2 three point shooting, 40% owned in Y!Fantasy

Captain Kirk is holding down the fort for the Bulls. He's been a pretty solid starter, and though he does share minutes with Nate Robinson (26 minutes played today), he remains the starter for the team because of his steadying presence on both ends of the court. He won't give you eye-popping stats, but you've got to love his across the board contribution. 

Andrea Bargnani (PF/C, TOR)

16pts 6rebs 3-6 three-pointers

Under the Radar Picks

E'Twaun Moore (PG/SG, ORL)

17pts 5rebs 2asts 3-4 three point shooting, 21% owned in Y!Fantasy

With Jameer Nelson out, you'd expect JJ Redick to pick up some time at the PG spot and produce for Orlando. He did, Moore had a slightly better outing, depending on where you'd want to look at it. Moore had one more three and a better shooting clip, but Redick did have the better assist total with seven to Moore's two. Dahntay Jones looks to be the odd man out because of them, and the fact that Aaron Afflalo is turning out to be the better than him.

Jonas Jerebko

11pts 6rebs 3stls 1-2 three pointers, 4% owned in Y!Fantasy

This isn't the first time Jerebko has been written in this section. He's still not a solid contributor, but he should contribute to in deep leagues. He's a big man with range, and he's not much of a slouch rebounding as well. Detroit may have a huge frontcourt, but apart from the fact that Jerebko has skills,

Overtime:

1. Luol Deng had a big night with 23pts 8rebs 4asts, but you do expect some threes from him. Maybe he's being more aggressive attacking the basket without Rose? He did have a 9-16 shooting clip and just one turnover.

2. Kyle Lowry sprained his ankle early in the game, and the Thunder exploited the Raptors for a blowout win. Sad day for Lowry owners, as he was having a great start for the season.

3. With the injury, Jose Calderon's value just shot up. If Lowry misses a lot of time, Calderon could be a great option at point for threes and assists.

4. Danny Granger's out for three months. Do you pick Gerald Green up, or do you gamble with someone else in Indiana? My money's on gambling. If he's not performing as a starter, he could get moved to the bench, and that could be a fresh start for him

Fantasy Picker: Vintage AK-47

Fantasy Highlights

Andrei Kirilenko (SF/PF, MIN)
16pts 10rebs 6asts 4blks 1stl 2 TOs

Another vintage performance from AK-47 as the Wolves come back from down big in Brooklyn. Kirilenko has always been a fantasy stud, but hasn't been for some years now, after having forgettable seasons nagged by injuries, and playing in Russia during the lockout. But here he is again, posting monster numbers and filling out the box scores. He also had one three pointer, shooting with a respectable 7-for-11 from the field.

Marc Gasol (C, MEM)
22pts 8 rebs 8asts 3blks

Gasol showed how he can be one of the better passing big men in the league with his performance in their win against Utah. He's a solid big who'll provide rebounds, but you do get to expect assists from him from time to time. Plus, he was 10-for-10 from the line, which is quite nice for someone at the C spot.

O.J. Mayo (PG/SG, DAL)
32pts 2stls 1blk 6/8 three point shooting

Mayo lit it up in Dallas to shoot his team to win. He may not have contributed to other cats, but six three-pointers is not an easy feat. Though he didn't have assists you'd want from a guard, he did have a couple of steals and a block.

DeMarcus Cousins (PF/C, DAL)
23pts 15rebs 2stls 2blks

This is probably Cousins' first strong outing for the Kings, and incidentally, they got the win. He shot 10-for-16 from the field, which is also a pretty nice shooting clip. Owners would hope that this is a sign of things to come. If not, he can be a sell-high option.

Kyrie Irving (PG, CLE)
24pts 10asts  4/8 three point shooting

Uncle Drew went young blood on the Clips, as he led his team to a victory on the road. He did miss a lot of shots, but you've got to love his overall output. Plus he only had three turnovers, which hurts a bit, but not that bad considering he's playing point for 37 minutes and is matched up with Chris Paul.

Dion Waiters (SG, CLE)
28pts 7/11 three point shooting

Sure he may just be a one-dimensional contributor, but his performance deserves a highlight. Waiters had a great shooting night, shooting seven three pointers and shooting 10-of-17 overall. He has the green light to shoot, and in a team that desperately needs those points outside of Irving, Waiters should see these minutes and looks in Cleveland.

Players to Consider

Zach Randolph (PF/C, MEM)
16pts 18rebs

Big rebounding night from Z-Bo as he picks up 18 boards in their win. Should be a good source of rebounds if you're in need of it. He was 8-19 from the field, and he does play big, so he shouldn't hurt FG%.

Tony Allen (SG/SF, MEM)
8pts 2rebs 2asts 2blks 3stls

Allen has always been a complementary player to a fantasy team with steals and blocks as strong points. Can't pay too much for him though, but if you're in need of hustle stats and is pretty abundant on other cats, he might be worth trading for.

Derrick Favors
14pts 8rebs 1ast 3stls 1blk 2TOs

Favors played just 25 minutes, but had another efficient outing for Utah. He might eat up more minutes from Millsap or Jefferson, or they could try to play big, with Favors at the SF spot. But he's definitely stepped up his game this year, and should be worth considering as either a trade bait.

Under the Radar Picks

Marvin Williams 
6pts 5rebs 2stls 2blks, 26% owned in Y!Fantasy

With a logjam at the PF and C spot, the SF spot is actually available, with Williams being the first option. He could be worth an add for deep leagues, considering he plays considerable minutes. He may be a source for hustle stats and threes when available.

Overtime:

1. Paul Millsap had two 3-pointers in three attempts. Is he expanding his range, or were those just lucky shots?

2. The Pacers couldn't get anything going for them. You know a team plays bad when you can't even see a bright individual performance.

3. The Kings have Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Thornton, Tyreke Evans, Jimmer Fredette, Francisco Garcia, and Aaron Brooks in their backcourt. Whoever starts for their team should always be on the lookout, as they might be replaced anytime by any of the players from the bench. That's a shoutout to Tyreke's terrible 1-for-9 night and Aaron Brooks' 20 minutes played, the most he's had in a Kings uniform in the regular season.