Highlight Performances:
Andre Iguodala, PHI– On a budding 76ers team, Iggy is the veteran leader that this team leans on in crunch time. Monday night was a perfect example of that, as he made some very clutch shots to put the Pacers away in a game that was relatively close. His final stat line consisted of 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists, but he played even better then his numbers
Iguodala is the veteran of a young 76ers squad.
showed. Although his numbers may disappoint many owners, it is only the result of an improved team with other scoring threats, and Iggy will still post some solid numbers as the leader of this team.
Amir Johnson, TOR– The starting center for the Toronto Raptors had a huge night, posting 19 points and 11 rebounds, but the staggering number is that 8 of those rebounds were offensive. Johnson is a threat to post a double-double on any given night, and his upside is quite nice. The problem all season long, just like Joakim Noah, has been consistent foul trouble due to his reckless play-style. If Johnson can commit a few less fouls early, the potential is there for some good numbers this season.
Performances to Forget:
The Knicks Bench, NYK– Mike D’Antoni is clearly content with this starting lineup, and he has no problems leaving them in all game long. All 5 starters eclipsed at least 34 minutes, and only 3 points were scored off the bench. The two things I take from this are that a.) Iman Shumpert is the new Point Guard in New York, as he scored 16 points along with 3 steals and b.) this only confirmed what I wrote a few days ago about Toney Douglas. His value is shot, and he should be dropped in any league that is not 12-teams or less. One other thing, boost the value of the starting 5, because they are going to play a heavy amount of minutes from here on out.
Players to Watch:
Vladimir Radmanovic, ATL– Following the sprained ankle of Marvin Williams, the Yugoslavian sharpshooter played 39 minutes and shot 11 shots from long range (his only shots of the night). If your an owner in need of some 3’s, Radmanovic is in for a heavy dose of playing time as long as Marvin Williams sits, and he is well worth a short term investment if you can afford it. He scored 14 points along with 6 boards Monday Night, which is about what you can expect from the time being.
Chris Kaman, NO– If Kaman is still floating around on the waiver wire in your league, then you have already read too far into this sentence. Go grab him. He recently stole the starting job over Carl Landry, and the 7-footer has some serious upside if you can find a spot for him. He scored 20 points tonight along with 7 boards, and with Eric Gordon out and Emeka Okafor continuing to be a non-factor on offense, Kaman could easily post around 13 points and 8 boards a game the rest of the way.
Injuries:
Marquis Daniels, BOS– Flu, Day-to-day
Ty Lawson, DEN– Foot, Probable for Wednesday
Kevin Martin, HOU– Flu, Day-to-day
Tyler Hansbrough, IND– Eye, Day-to-day
George Hill, IND– Back, Day-to-day
Danny Granger, IND– Unknown, Day-to-day
Mario Chalmers, MIA– Shoulder, Probable for Tuesday
DeShawn Stevenson, NJ– Knee, Day-to-day
Jarrett Jack, NO– Foot, Probable for Wednesday
Mike Bibby, NYK– Ankle, Questionable for Wednesday
I agree, he looks very improved this season. However, numbers are numbers, an he is still losing minutes due to foul trouble. But, as you say, if he did cut down, he may posts some strong numbers all season long.
as someone who’s watched amir for the last few seasons, let’s clarify something: yes, he gets a lot of fouls called against him…but a good number of them are simply reputation fouls. you can count on at least one or two fouls called against him every game to be of the total BS variety, calls made simply because the ref is expecting him to foul, and because he’s AMIR JOHNSON, FOUL MACHINE. he’s actually cut down his over-aggresiveness a great deal.