Tip-In Points: The Nuggets Continue Running With A Kenyon
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.
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Kenyon Martin, DEN K-Mart earned his fourth double-double in five games last night and he’s been absolutely nails for the Nuggs. How nails? Pretty darn nails. Also, am I using “nails” correctly here?
Doesn’t matter, I’m moving on as is.
Martin’s been nails enough to help keep this bruised Denver team among the cream of the Western Conference crop. Sure Billups and Anthony have had some say in that. They’ve all also had injuries. Ty Lawson? The kid can play. The kid has played. He’s also gone in long stretches of five minutes here and five minutes there. Nene? Afflalo? Earl? Yes, yes. Martin ain’t an island. But he has been a rock. He’s averaging 12 pts/ 9 rbds on the season – a killer season. Not LeBron James-killer. Or 2007 Elton Brand. Or vintage Garnett. But vintage Martin?
Yeah. Yeah, I think maybe so.
This year’s stats show a sturdy Martin, a surprising Martin considering he went undrafted in over half the ESPN and Yahoo! fantasy leagues, but not a 2002-04 Martin. He hasn’t been that good.
Except, of course, that he has.
In 2010, Martin is averaging 15.4 pts/ 11.2 rbds/ 2.4 asts., something he’s only done in one previous month in his career (January 2003). Matter fact, this is only the second time in he’s averaged over 11 rebounds in one month (and Kenyon’s maintained it through two February games to boot).
It isn’t that the former No. 1 draft pick is better than he’s ever been, it’s that right now he’s playing at a level we haven’t seen from him in a long time. That makes him either an unknown quantity, an x-factor or a huge feather in the caps of the Nuggets and fantasy managers alike. Or all of it at once.
More words for your eyes starting in about 1.5 centimeters.
Joe Johnson, ATL Johnson had 34 points, two rebounds, four dimes and a pair of steals; also known as the Rip Hamilton Deluxe.
Josh Smith, ATL 15 pts/ 10 rbds/ 6 asts/ 2 stls/ 2 blks. You know what’s more fun than having Josh Smith on your fantasy team? Pronouncing it “Jorsh Smith” like a toothless elderly chap (while also still having Smith on your fantasy team).
Joakim Noah, CHI In his second game back from a foot deal-y, Choke’im played only 27 minutes and grabbed eight boards. He’s moving ever so gingerly – and for once that’s not a dig at Brian Scalabrine.
Luol Deng, CHI Numero nueve has scored at least 17 points, grabbed at least seven boards, sank at least one three and stolen at least one ball in each of his last three games. That’s the most at-leasts of a Bull in weeks.
Allen Iverson, PHI DNP. Somehow the team managed without him.
Jrue Holiday, PHI Two points, two rebounds, one assist in 31 minutes of play last night. Expect me to lambaste him in tomorrow’s Rookie Rundown™. Don’t worry. He’s had this comin’.
Antawn Jamison, WAS Eleven points on 40 percent shooting. Not turrible, but not adurrable either, especially on the heels of Monday’s 2-for-17 affair. BTW, come see my band play this Saturday. We call ourselves the “Two-For-Seventeen Affair.”
Brendan Haywood, WAS Saturday? No blocks. Monday? No blocks. Wednesday? Four blocks. Pepsi! Disco! Alpha! Charlie! Haywood! Hey, would you stick around and do a little more of Wednesday and a little less of Saturday and Monday?
Caron Butler, WAS Out. Too much cuddlin’.
Al Harringon, NY Back. Missed the cuddlin’.
Nate Robinson, NY 23pts/ 7 rbds/ 8 asts from the bench. He won’t be “from the bench” after tonight. One day you’re in, the next day you’re Duhon. Auf wiedersehen.
Russell Westbrook, OKC 26 pts/ 8 rbds/ 10 asts. He’s had 13 games this season of 10+ assists in 49 games. He did that nine times in 82 games last season. Progress!
Kevin Durant, OKC Thirty points for the fourth straight game, but also eight turnovers. Considering the average player on a 10-league, 12-man roster scores 16.9 points and commits 2.5 turnovers (think: Eric Gordon), it’s not off base to say that Durantula more than offset his 30 points by committing so many turnovers. It would have taken Durant a 54-point night to counterbalance (in the fantasy points category) the damage eight turnovers from one player does (in the turnovers category). And since he only scored 30, it’s bad. Just bad. Bad KD.
Emeka Okafor, NO Fourteen points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, shiniest NBA forehead ever.
David West, NO Ten points in the first quarter, foul trouble in the next three. Fifteen points in 29 minutes.
Dwyane Wade, MIA Thirty points. Six turnovers. See: Durant, Kevin (about three inches above).
Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, BOS Shuttlesworth scored 23 while Da-Doo-Ron-Rondo scored 22 without Pierce in the lineup. This is an important distinction because without Pierce, Allen averages four more points a game. Rondo averages almost seven. Not like you were gonna bench either of these guys anyway, but now you have an additional feather in your cap. Can’t have too many feathers.
Monta Ellis, GS Forty-six points in 40 minutes. Enough with the “Monta’s stats are inflated because of the minutes he plays.” It’s true, but his stats are still outstanding. As long as the mule plows, crops be growing. I don’t know what that means.
Corey Maggette, GS Returned uninjured. Stayed uninjured.
Amar’e Stoudemire, PHO Twenty points and 17 rebounds. I take back all the bad stuff I’ve ever said about him. Except for that one thing about his grandma. That was justified.
Chauncey Billups, DEN Eleven points and four assists. Billups has scored fewer than a dozen points and dished fewer than five assists only once before. He had 6 pts/ 2 asts in Miami on November 6. That said, Billups played four fewer minutes in that game. Don’t panic. I suspect Billups will bounce back. But even if he doesn’t – even if there are spiders and snakes involved – don’t panic. Don’t ever panic.
Nazr Mohammed, CHA Twenty-three points and 19 rebounds in 40 minutes. Nazr. The newest Motorola cell phone or Charlotte’s second-half weapon?
Stephen Jackson, CHA 45 min/30 pts/ 63% FG/ 2 3ptm/ 100% FT/ 7 rbds/ 4 asts/ 2 stls/ 2 tos. He’s scored 30 points in three of his last five games (25.6 ppg). This is the second hottest five-game stretch of his season. The first was a month ago when he averaged 27.6 points from December 30 – January 7. Look for February 26 – March 5 to be off the hook!
Kobe Bryant, LAL Time to play “Whoa, Kobe Bryant! That’s Awful!” Bean shot the ball only a dozen times and made two of them. He missed both of his free throw attempts and scored a season-low five points. Whoa, Kobe Bryant! That’s awful! And we’ll see you next time.
Devin Harris, NJ Devin’s back! Hooray! He shot 24 percent from the floor. Boo! But he doled out eight assists! Hooray! He had 36 minutes and he didn’t do much else. Boo! It’s a draw.
Brook Lopez, NJ 12 pts/ 3 rbds. He’s clearly suffering from a Yi-infection. Yuck. Sourdough.
Sonny Weems, TOR Legendary delta bluesman Clarence “Sonny” Weems earned his first double-double (14/ 11) of the season. Then some hellhounds came a-snapping at his feet.
Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur, Paul Millsap, UTA Went a combined 22-for-30 (73 percent) from the floor, 15-for-16 (94 percent) from the line, grabbed at least six rebounds each, blocked at least one shot and turned the ball over no more than twice. RUN ON JAZZ PLAYERS! GET ‘EM WHILE THEY’RE HOT!
And before we get to tonight’s LotN … this. Jus’ cuz.
L I N E O F T H E N I G H T
39 min/ 61% FG/ 78% FT/ 3 3ptm/ 32 pts/ 7 rbds/ 8 asts/ 2 stls/ 1 blk/ 4 tos
Tyreke Evans, SAC Lemme guess. With about 1:40 left to go in the fourth quarter you were all, “Dang cous,’ Evans only has 20 points and five assists? I need him to do more than that. I need more than one trey on 46 percent shootin’. He’s my third-tier keeper next year. Can’t be havin’ the third-tier gettin’ all Rodney Stuckey before the All-Star break.” That’s how you were, amiright? I’m right.
First off, way to be statistically articulate in the closing seconds of a basketball game.
Second off, KABLAM! 5-for-5/ 2 3ptm/ 12 pts/ 3 asts in the final 93 seconds of last night’s loss to the Spurs.
Tyreke Evans? Try “Freak” Evans.
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Photos courtesy of Yahoo! Sports via Getty Images
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