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This has been a really tough year for fantasy basketball so far, at least in terms of the number of injuries hitting our beloved NBA players and the amount of time they have to spend away from the court and consequently our fantasy lineups.
Let's take a quick look at some of the replacements of guys who are expected to miss a considerable amount of time, both in roster starts and in fantasy production.
Anthony Johnson replaces Jameer Nelson - In his first game as a replacement for Jameer Nelson who is out with a busted shoulder, AJ erupted for 25 points in the Orlando Magic's 125-96 "bitch-slapping" win over the sad, sad L.A. Clippers.
25 points?
Wow!
Wait, it gets better.
Along with those 25 points, Johnson sweetened his line with 6-8 shooting from downtown, was 9-11 from the field, grabbed 4 boards, decided to successfully share the ball twice, and got 2 steals; all while not committing any NBA basketball related faux pas that translated into TOs.
Now wasn't that just sweet? - Sure it was.
Is he worth grabbing off the FA pool? - Probably.
Can we expect him do the same thing over and over and over again? - Forget about it.
It was a good game, but AJ's not very consistent. Take it with a grain of salt. I'm still cringing from the time that I grabbed and played him when he first replaced Mikael Pietrus, when MP broke his hand. He had a similarly awesome line shortly after. Remember that 16-point, 3-trey performance against the Pacers back in November? He followed that game up with a string of gut-wrenching disappointments. Courtney Lee stepped up, stole his spot and never looked back.
Replacing Jameer is not exactly the same thing, you might say. AJ's now at point! Well, I would still expect the offense to pass through Hedo Turkoglu's able, dishing hands. Hedo, after all, has a masters degree from the Rick Adelman School of Sharing the Rock. Hedo's dimes should get a marginal bump over the course of the remainder of the season. Pietrus' return should also soften the blow of Jameer's missing point contributions. Johnson is still worth a pick up in my opinion, at least on the merit of a gamble on some upside on his part. Just don't go crazy and start throwing away your Mario Chalmers, Luke Ridnours, and Russel Westbrooks for him. Dropping your Anderson Varejaos or even your Sasha Pavlovics would be the more apt frame of mind.
Lamar Odom replaces Andrew Bynum - Well technically Pau Gasol is replacing AB in the five spot, but it's Lamar's time to shine once more now that he's been reinserted into the starting lineup at the four. While Bynum owners are at home licking their wounds, Odom owners are breathing a small sigh of relief that the guy they sat on for so long will now have a chance to redeem himself with some additional fantasy value.
Both of these guys will effectively be getting some bumps on the fantasy end. Unless of course, Kobe decides to make it a habit of scoring 61 points in Andrew's absence. Speaking of which, in spite of Kobe's fantasy-Godlike performance against the Knicks; Lamar managed to squeak in a decent line of 6 points, 14 boards, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks.
Well tonight was the night that some Spaniard decided to show that he would not be outdone. Pau Gasol threw down the gauntlet with an awe-inspiring, multi-category statline extravaganza of 31 points (12-17 from the field, 7-8 from the line), 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and ZERO turnovers. All of this came in a game where the Toronto Raptors put up a valiant (since they were without Jose Calderon), yet futile (well they lost, duh!) attempt to slow down the NBA monster known as the L.A. Lakers.
Bottom Line, expect a rerun of last season's Lakers. Kobe, Lamar, and Pau will each take turns at the "Good Game Booth." Lamar gets the biggest bump in value because his new opportunities are better relative to his time from when he was playing off the bench.
Ramon Sessions replaces Michael Redd & Dan Gadzuric/Fransisco Elson replaces Andrew Bogut - The Milwuakee Bucks are still woozy from the loss of Michael Redd for the season, when it is confirmed that regular starting center, Andrew Bogut will be out for at least 8 weeks (that's eight h2h matchups!) due to back spasms. Ouch! First Bogut, then Bynum, then Bogut again... what is it with the NBA's big men named "Andrew?"
I guess Scott Skiles must know how a lot of fantasy managers must be feeling right now. You know, losing key guys to injuries and having to find players to pick up the slack...
Ramon Sessions. Ramon Sessions. Ramon Sessions. - Not Charlie Bell nor Joe Alexander - will be the one to step up and try to fill in the shoes of fallen Olympian and Bucks teammate, Michael Redd. Ramon along with the fantasy-rejuvenated, mutli-cat stud, Charlie Villanueva; and the reliable veteran Richard Jefferson will be the main scoring threats for the Milwuakee Bucks. In the 5 games that Sessions has started in Michael's stead, he has been averaging 16.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 1.8 steals. Not bad, not bad at all.
For pretty much most of the season that has passed us by I've been disappointed with the fact that Ramon has been passed over in terms of starting position and playing time by vet PG Luke "the Rankwalker" Ridnour. I'm not a Luke-hater. I was just giddy at the thought of what Ramon is capable of fantasywise, given the right opportunities. Ramon rotted and putrefied for some time on coach Scott Skiles' bench. When rumors circulated that Ramon might go to the Grizzlies for now recently viable PG/SG, Mike Conley; I got giddy all over again and quickly picked him up in the GMTR Reader's league on the eager anticipation of a Sessions-upside explosion, if the deal fell through. Now that he is needed more than ever by the Bucks, I have my doubts that the deal will materialise. Either way, I am one proud Ramon Sessions fantasy owner. I believe in him so much that I traded away my Derrick Rose, yes you read correctly - Derrick Rose, for him in another head to head league. So far, Ramon hasn't disappointed me and I only have a small pimple of regret near my right underarm - it only hurts a bit when click to see good Rose games for the Bulls. What can I say? I needed the extra steals!
Oh I almost forgot about Gadzuric/Elson replacing Bogut... Oh yeah, now I remember... Nevermind. Just pray your Charlie Vs stay healthy so he can take care of duties in the paint, beyond the arc, and pretty much everywhere else on the court.
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