ROTOWIRE.COM NFL MLB / Minors NBA NHL GOLF RACING    COMMUNITY FORUMS PODCASTS MYROTOWIRE ASK AN EXPERT GAMES

Re-working the Wire

Following up on a few stories I covered in Working the Wire this week:

Jeremy Lin continues to impress, even without Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony in the lineup. But he's facing a major upgrade in competition tonight when the Lakers visit Madison Square Garden. I still think Lin will be a good-to-great fantasy play for the rest of this season; don't be discouraged if he has a rough night against Kobe and Andrew Bynum.

Stoudemire is expected to return to the Knicks for Tuesday's game against the Raptors; Lin's ability to run the pick-and-roll should give STAT's stats a major boost, especially with Anthony expected to miss another week or so.

Anthony's absence has also created an opportunity for Steve Novak to get some run, and Novak has made the most of it. He's scored 19 points and hit five threes in each of the Knicks' last two games. He should be a worthwhile play through the weekend at least and possibly until 'Melo returns. Anthony is expected to miss another week, but I wouldn't be shocked if he's out until the all-star break.

I thought the Clippers would have a hard time finding a way to sign JR Smith, but it seems I was a little too optimistic. Based on conversations with one NBA cap guru, I thought the Clips' only real chance to land Smith would be to work a sign-and-trade with the Nuggets. But cap expert Larry Coon has since noted that the new CBA forbids any sign-and-trade deals after the start of the season... so the "Smith for Ryan Gomes" deal I suggested is pretty much out.

Smith has reportedly drawn interest from the Clippers, Knicks, Lakers, Bulls and Thunder. A decision could come soon; his team was just eliminated from playoff contention.

Wilson Chandler has suggested that he intends to sign with Denver when freed from his obligations in the Chinese league. Aaron Brooks' status is less certain; his likeliest destination is still Phoenix, but the Suns are deep at the point and owner Robert Sarver has a reputation for being cost-conscious. Or cheap - whichever you prefer.

Charlotte's Reggie Williams needed a couple of games to get his legs back, but he's scored 21 in each of his last two, and his three hasn't even started falling yet (4-16 in that span). Get him if he hasn't been snapped up already.

Comments

By: seps
On: 2/10/2012 10:01:00 AM		 Channing Frye has put together a few decent games in a row... as long as he gets over 32-33 minutes a game, I'm hoping he can chip in some rebounds, blocks & 3's.
 
By: Charlie Zegers
On: 2/10/2012 10:56:00 AM		 Frye is solid when getting regular play, but I hate counting on any Phoenix Sun aside from Nash or Gortat at this point. Gentry's rotation choices are too hard to predict.
 
By: seps
On: 2/10/2012 7:28:00 PM		 Think Kobe will know about Jeremy Lin now?
 
By: Charlie Zegers
On: 2/10/2012 8:30:00 PM		 Yeah, so much for Kobe and Bynum slowing Lin down.
 
By: jnowak2799
On: 2/11/2012 9:59:00 AM		 Who gets the blame for not realizing in PRACTICE, yes I said practice Allen Iverson that this kid Jeremy Lin is the real deal? Shouldn't someone have noticed this guy earlier?

I am not a big fan of the NBA and very rarily watch any of the games but Linsanity has caught my attention, I am mainly a football guy, and the closest thing I can compare this to is the Tim Tebow situation.

The reason Jeremy Lin was not recognized earlier is probably because of stereotypes, plain and simple. Usually horrible coaches who have no ball$ are usually the ones who miss out on great players and usually side with the safe player, the company player. Here are some examples, Norv Turner couldn't find a way to utilize Darren Sproles? Darren Sproles was rotting away in San Diego, one year later in New Orleans he sets the NFL record for total yards gained in a year. In Denver the brilliant John Fox said Tim Tebow was his 4th string quarterback, after an 0-3 start all Tebow did was save John Fox's job by leading Denver to the playoffs, and a playoff win over Pitsburgh, this despite Denver trading away their best wide receiver Brandon Lloyd. Like I said, I don't know much about basketball, but every time I see a Mike D'Antoni coached team they usually over-perform for him, maybe I'm wrong, but the world is greatful he gave this Lin guy an opportunity, I am coining the name for Jeremy Lin, he shall now be known as the Situ-Asian.
 
By: seps
On: 2/12/2012 4:27:00 PM		 I think Lin is more like Victor Cruz.. Giants didn't know who they had in Cruz until they had so many injuries that they "had" to play him. If Domenik Hixon doesn't blow out his knee, Cruz would still be on the bench.
 
By: nayfel
On: 2/12/2012 6:07:00 PM		 Yeah, coach said he only started playing Lin in the first place because the deadline for guaranteed contracts was this week and he wanted to see if Lin was worth guaranteeing. So, as crazy as it sounds, he wasn't dying to dump Douglas but trying to see if the kid was worth holding as a last guard off the bench.
 
By: Charlie Zegers
On: 2/17/2012 3:32:00 PM		 Everything had to break just right for Lin to get this opportunity. He wouldn't even be on the Knicks if Iman Shumpert hadn't sprained his knee in the season opener...
 

Leave a comment

Commenting is restricted to registered users only. Please register or login now to submit a comment.

Tell Someone

  • Digg it
  • submit to reddit reddit
  • Add to Mixx!

Recent Favorites

How BABIP Affects the Value of Strikeouts and Walks
The league-average batting-average-on-balls-in-play (BABIP) has been on a downward trajectory for the last half decade, something that has implications for the values of different at-bat outcomes. BABIP is down precipitously this season (.289), though it's hard to tell to what extent that's due to all the shifting defenses (better data on where balls are hit have enabled this), or is simply just an April cold-weather/small sample anomaly.
NHL Playoff Observations -- Monday
Just a few things that caught my eye ...
  • Alexander Semin was on the wrong side of the grocery stick most of the night. You know, that spot between the back-up goalie and the rest of the team ... the one where the dead wood goes so it doesn't get in the way of on-the-fly changes.
  • Honey badger don't care. Honey badger doesn't give a $%!&.  T.J. Oshie gave up four inches and 50 pounds to Dustin Penner, but he didn't care. Then again, honey badger didn't care when he hit Rick Nash a few years ago, either. I wonder if the NHL would let me get a Blues #74 jersey with Honey Badger on the back.
Buy Lowest
Every year, we hear advice about how it's time to "buy low" on struggling stars like Albert Pujols, Giancarlo Stanton and Robinson Cano. "Get them now for cheap before they heat up!" Except that the market for superstars - at least in competitive leagues - usually doesn't move much after one bad month. (Whether it should in these cases is another question). It's more likely that the Pujols and Stanton owners are doubling down, figuring that only a hot streak from a player of that caliber can undo the damage that's already been done.

That doesn't mean you can't take advantage of the market's early overreaction, but you'll have to aim a little lower and take on quite a bit more risk. The players listed below are those who should be available at an actual discount.

Fantasy Rookies
Now that the 2012 NFL Draft is complete and rosters look about the way they will when training camps open in late July, it’s time to start the speculation train full steam ahead to fantasy draft days. Many players taken in this class will have a fantasy impact, some immediate, some in small spurts as rookies and some not for years to come.
Cowboys Draft: First Blush Thoughts
My initial reactions to the 2012 Dallas draft crop.

RSS Feeds