Welcome back for another trip to the waiver wire, which is the second-best way to improve your team during the season. The best way, is pulling off that dastardly two-for-one trade that instantly makes you the team to beat.
Morphing two solids into one stud is a tried-and-true method for winning fantasy championships. These one-sided trades (which merely appear to help both teams) will tick off your competition, but their jealousy should not be your priority. Your goal is to get the best player in the trade, period.
As long as you aren’t offering Aaron Gray and Ish Smith for Kyrie Irving, you’ll be in the neighborhood of fair (wink-wink). You should be thinking along the lines of Paul George and Serge Ibaka for Dwyane Wade. Cash in some of your depth for a better starting lineup, and kindly turn your attention to the following waiver advice…
Jeremy Lin
Just in case you’re still on the fence, allow me to clear it up for you: Jeremy Lin is 100 percent FOR REAL. Just because 29 general managers swung and missed on him doesn’t mean he can’t play — it means he was slept on.
It’s one thing to get an opportunity and hold your own, but quite another to explode for 109 points in your first four starts — most since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77. It’s one thing to give your team a lift, but quite another to lead them to five straight wins — earning Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors. From the stats to the intangibles — and everything in between — Lin has “IT”.
Knicks’ coach Mike D’Antoni is famous for taking point guards to the next level. To wit, there’s Steve Nash (two All-Stars withDallas, two MVPs with D’Antoni inPhoenix), Chris Duhon (12.5 points and 8.0 assists, pre-All-Star in 2008-09), and Raymond Felton (17 and 9 last year before the Carmelo trade). All three PGs played the best ball of their lives in D’Antoni’s pick-n-roll heavy, point-guard friendly system, so it’s no coincidence that Lin is thriving.
I was fortunate enough to pick up Lin in the NBA TV fantasy league (20-team, 8-cat, head-to-head). After his first two breakout games against New Jerseyand Utah, I put Lin on the trading block because I have been desperately searching for a 2 all season.
My starting 5 is C Marc Gasol, PF Greg Monroe, SF Danny Granger, SG du jour, and PG John Wall. That lineup has me in first place, but because I’m always looking to upgrade my starting lineup, I offered up Lin for Ray Allen, Joe Johnson, and Jason Terry…and heard nothing but crickets. I kept the trade offers active until Friday night, when Lin outscored Kobe 38-34—at which point I realized those trades were no longer in my favor.
I am now at the point where I have benched Wall for Lin this week because the Knicks have four games to the Wizards’ three. I would probably still favor Wall over Lin with the same games, but the fact we’re even debating between Wall (first overall pick) and Lin (undrafted player), should tell you all you need to know about the later.
MarShon Brooks
The fantasy world turned it’s collective back on the Nets’ talented rookie when he missed nine of 10 games with Achilles and toe injuries. But Brooks has been back for two games, and while the numbers haven’t been great (7 points, 3.5 rebounds in 20.5 minutes), he has regained his job asNew Jersey’s starting shooting guard.
In 10 starts this season, Brooks is averaging 15.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.3 threes and 1.0 steals with 45-35-73 on the percentages. As you can see, it’s time for the fantasy world to wake up and pick up Brooks, who appears ready for takeoff after a couple of tune-up games.
Derrick Williams
As excited as I am for my Wolves’ resurgence this season, I remain disappointed and baffled by Rick Adelman’s deployment of the second overall pick. In two starts last week for the suspended Kevin Love, Williams showed you why he was drafted that high, averaging 13.5 points (11-of-23 from the field), 8.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals in 28 minutes.
I figured those promising performances, which included a game-winning 3 against the Kings, would propel Williams into a more prominent role in Adelman’s rotation. However, Williams averaged just 20 minutes over the last three games, dropping his points and rebounds to 6 and 5, which is obviously useless in any fantasy format.
I’m sorry, but Williams should not be taking a backseat to Wes Johnson, who is averaging 5.6 points in 21.8 minutes because he’s shooting 37-23-56 from the field, three, and line, respectively. Johnson, the fourth overall pick last season, is struggling so mightily that he has me pondering the “B” word already. It’s time for Johnson to hit the bench and watch for a while, which would create more playing time for Williams and the under-utilized Michael Beasley.
Moral to the story: If you already own Williams, then hang onto him; and if he’s chillin’ on waivers, then pick him up and stash him because the minutes simply HAVE to come…don’t they?
Randy Foye
With Chauncey Billups out for the season, Foye is the new starting 2 for the Clippers. However, I am recommending that you do NOT pick up Foye, who has averaged just 10 points in 27 minutes in four starts since Chauncey went down. Foye’s three-cat line of 10-2-3 is not exactly the spike in production I was expecting, and I don’t see a consistent hot streak coming anytime soon.
Trevor Booker
Andray Blatche’s calf injury has opened up Washington’s starting power forward job for the second-year banger out of Clemson, who is averaging 11.9 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, and 1.3 steals in 33.4 minutes in seven games this month. Those numbers are viable regardless of league size or format, so I am green-lighting Booker as a fantasy pickup/emergency starter.
Thing is, I’m not so sure he’ll keep playing 30+ minutes after Blatche returns. Also, keep in mind the fact that rookie forwards Chris Singleton and Jan Vesely, as well as veteran forward Rashard Lewis, could all eventually eat into Booker’s playing time.
See ya next week…for All-Star!
Lin for Billups ! Olympic Roster
I think he’s American Citizen right ?
i think he was born in LA
I´m sure…Lakers, Boston and Spurs fans end up cheering for Jeremy Lin right now and could be riding for NY bandwagon this year..they know there teams are going nowhere..
why would us true lakers fans bandwagon obviously your joining it since your talking about it
Since Jeremy Lin already beat the Lakers… Wait till he beats the Boston and Spurs. The only teams I’m not sure Knicks could beat(with the complete lineup of Stoudamire, Anthony and Lin) would be Chicago and Heat. I didn’t include Thunders since there is still some chance that Knicks can beat them. Remember, Rockets def Thunders (96-95)
And the last game of Kings vs Thunders, the Thunders fought very hard but still losses to the Kings last Feb 9. Kings def Thunders(106-101)
Trade Ray Allen And Kevin Garnett To The Miami Heat You Can Trade Dwyane Wade And Chris Bosh To The Boston Celtics You Get Great Money And For A Great Value Price You Can Get Two Great Players On Your Team For The Boston Celtics Team You Can Go For Dwyane Wade And Chris Bosh On The Boston Celtics
Why would they trade two young Allstars (Wade and Bosh) for two old, slow, past their prime, former Allstars? Garnett and Wade are on their last couple seasons. Garnetts knees are shot. That is a terribly blind suggestion.