Tip-In Points: Screwy Louis
Anyone can suggest adds and drops for the NBA fantasy fans out there, but few make those suggestions from the gut. We’ve also sprinkled in tons of helpful stats for all fantasy formats too. Because that’s the kind of fantasy help you deserve.
________________________
Louis Williams, PHI I have no idea what’s going on in Philadelphia. No, Allen Iverson isn’t saving them. No, Elton Brand isn’t saving them. No, none of their young bangers are saving them. No, Eddie Jordan isn’t doing a better job in Philly than he did in Toronto. No, his rotations don’t make sense … What’s that? He’s not really doing rotations anymore? Okay fine. Then, no, his lack of rotations don’t make sense. I get it. The Sixers are a mess.
But what are they doing to Louis Williams? Before he cracked his jaw in mid-November, Williams averaged 17 points, four boards and five assists in nearly 35 minutes a game. Even after his return four weeks later, he remained in the 30-34 minute area. That’s with Iverson. But in eight games since January 1, Lou’s cleared 33 minutes just once. His stats are down across the board and he’s doing all his work in the first quarter.
In yesterday’s game, Williams had 11 points a rebound and no assists after playing the entire first quarter. He ended the game with just four more points and nothing else. He sat out all but 1:47 of the second, the entire fourth quarter and the first minute-and-a-half of overtime. No foul trouble, he was shooting 63 percent from the floor at the end of the third quarter. In the game before that, Williams had two rebounds, three assists and a trio of steals after the first quarter. He also finished the game with that.
That’s stunted growth, man. I dunno if it’s brought on by lingering effects of a broken jaw or a broken franchise or perhaps the Cheez-Whiz Philadelphians put on their steak sandwiches.
Here’s more goings-on during MLK Day:
Randy Foye, WAS Foye’s scored 18+ points in six of his last seven, dished at least five assists in each of those games and has managed to keep his finger guns at home. Three-for-three!
Mike Miller, WAS If anyone profits from Gilbert Arenas’ suspension more than Foye, it’s the newly shorn Miller. Perfect from the field, arc and line with four boards, four dimes and a block on Monday. Get ‘im and stash ‘im if you need a tiny bump in each category.
LaMarcus Aldridge, POR Dropped 22 points and a season-high 15 rebounds. A career-high nine of those rebounds were off the offensive glass, but if your league differentiates between offensive and defensive rebounds there are support groups that can help.
Chris Wilcox, DET Started, but played only eight scoreless minutes and then left with a back thingy. As you were.
Austin Daye, DET The Pistons played during the day on Monday and Daye started instead of Rip Hamilton (out sick). Look for the Jumanji rules to continue on Wednesday where the Pistons play the dick-ish Celtics and will probably start Richard Hamilton.
Nate Robinson, NY You’re always going to get one of two versions of Sugar Nate Robinson. The version that attempts seven threes and misses all of them or the version that attempts seven and makes five. Last night, Nate owners got lucky.
Wilson Chandler, NY I don’t like Chandler’s game but he’s improved it steadily in the last three weeks. He’s upped every counting stat this month, he’s shooting 1 percentage points better from the field and 12 percentage points better from the stripe since last month. Rostering him wouldn’t kill you, but keep giving him the skunk-eye if you do. Just in case.
Kevin Love, MIN He’s got the strep (the strep!). Might still have it on Wednesday. Damien Wilkins is the add until Love returns.
Samuel Dalembert, PHI He’s having the month of the year. That’s right. The month of the year. Don’t question it. He’s shooting 75 percent from the floor in January, 90 percent from the line, averaging over 2.5 bpg, 12 ppg, 13 rbds and he’s flying to Haiti to save his family. If there is a hoops heaven, Dalembert will be going to it one day. Also, Reggie Miller and anyone who’s ever been a Clipper will not be.
Kirk Hinrich, CHI Missed game with flu-like symptoms. SoCo & lime + Yahtzee tournament with frat buds = flu-like symptoms (apparently).
Joakim Noah, CHI Tons of rebounds (16), tons of fouls (5), very few points (4), tons of fun (Joakim!)
Corey Maggette, GSW 17 points in first quarter, 32 by game’s end. Maggette…Set…Go has scored 30 in three of his last four. He’s scored at least 20 in 16 of his last 17. The only others that can say that? LeBron, ‘Melo and Dirk. Eat it with a fork.
Monta Ellis, GSW He played another full 48 minutes. I’m ready to start calling him “The 48 Special.” Do we like that? He also shot the ball 39 times which is not good when you consider he only made 14 of those attempts. That creaking sound you hear is the other blue, gold and orange shoe about to drop in the second half of this season.
Andris Biedrins, GWS Woulda had a triple-double if he could shoot free throws, or could have blocked two more shots. Heck, since we’re wishin’ for stuff, he coulda had a quadriple-double if he’d have passed it nine more times. He’s 1-for-14 (.071) from the line this season. That’s almost as baffling as his hair style.
Josh Smith, ATL J-Smoove was in a bit of a funk in the first half of this month (a Smoove-funk), but looks to be kicking out of it in his last two games. Thirty-eight points, 28 rebounds, seven blocks. He’s even shooting 80 percent from the line.
Raymond Felton, CHA 17 pts/9 rbds/10 asts. Now you’re going to plug him into your lineup assuming something like this will happen in his next game. Sorry suckaface, this won’t happen again for another 15 games.
Andrew Bogut, MIL 16pts/16 rbds/5 blks. Nothing to add except that I’m convinced he’s just as surprised he speaks with an Australian accent as I am.
Luis Scola, HOU A season-high 27 points. It mixed with that humid Houston air and felt like 29.
Aaron Brooks, HOU Double-doubled. Fourteen points, 10 assists and two steals, which is pretty darn impressi- HOLY Hell! He shot the ball 21 times?!? Why didn’t someone stop him from doing that? 1-for-7 from behind the arc? Couldn’t Shane Battier have given him a stern look or something?
Richard Jefferson, SA DNP. Bad back. If I hadn’t said anything, you wouldn’t have noticed.
Chris Kaman, LAC Back! This is different from last week’s “Back.” You’ll notice the difference in punctuation. The first meant to signify something noteworthy. In this case, that Kaman has returned from injury on Monday and scored 22 points. The second was a simple statement noting nothing out of the ordinary. In this case, that his back had gone out and none of us should be surprised.
Marcus Camby, LAC Seventeen points (huzzah!), 14 rebounds, four dimes, two steals, three blocks. An argument can be made that he deserves the Line of the Night. Still not givin’ it to him. Nothing’s easy for Clippers.
Craig Smith, LAC 18 points in under 19 minutes. Quietly, he’s averaged 17 points and five rebounds in each of his last three games. Go figure. Or go grab him. One of the two.
Devin Harris, NJ A lot of you held on to this guy as a keeper or drafted him in the 4-6 rounds and have been down on him since. After his first 29 games of the season he’s averaging 15.9 ppg/ 6.0 asts/ 1.6 stls. After his first 29 games last season he was averaging 23.6 ppg/ 6.4 asts/ 1.6 stls. Really, his scoring is the only thing demonstrably off. He’s missing a lot more shots. So, how fully recovered is Harris from that preseason injury?
Robin Lopez, PHO First career start and first career 19-point game. After feeling within himself everything his twin brother Brook has gone through (the way twins are known to do), Robin too now knows what it’s like to be a starter on a team that loses in an embarrassing fashion.
Leandro Barbosa, PHO Not quite there yet in the rotation. 2-for-10 from the arc.
Rasheed Wallace, BOS He shot 5-of-13 from the floor including missing all four trey attempts. He also went 1-for-3 from the line. ‘Sheed’s gone scruffy again. Growin’ the hair out a bit more. Growin’ the beard out a bit more. I’m starting to think one can guage the quality of his play according to his level of grooming opposite the way one guages the quality of a Robin Williams movie: “If there’s a beard, you’re in the clear. If he’s shorn, you’ll be forlorn.”
Shannon Brown, LAL Career-high 22 points. Earning that dunk contest spot.
Kobe Bryant, LAL Bean shot 4-for-19 (21 percent) from the floor. Don’t worry too much – this was just the 15th career game he’s shot that poorly. But do worry a little – he’s shot that poorly twice this month.
L I N E O F T H E N I G H T
41 mins. / 65 FG% / 73 FT% / 34 pts. / 4 rbds. / 7 asts. / 2 stls. / 3 blks. / 3 tos.
Tyreke Evans, SAC Scored his points and all of Kevin Martin’s points too. Call me crazy but it looked as if Kevin Martin was aging while Evans was growing younger. Best game of his career.
________________________
Photos courtesy of Yahoo! Sports via Getty Images
Comments are closed
