**I am happy to announce that this write-up has made it on to a main stream sports website!
The NBA season finally got underway and some surprising players are already putting up monster stats. Scroll down for Week 2 pickups.
While LeBron, Kobe, Dirk are putting up top 15 stats, there are some other real surprises.
Stars with an awesome week
Carmelo Anthony, F, Denver
You probably saw Melo shoot the lights out in all three games so far. He shot 54 percent from the floor, 88 percent on free throws and 37 PPG will get it done. He's also getting good rebound and assist numbers against just six turnovers.
Rajon Rondo, PG, Boston
He has 47 assists plus 10 steals in four games. Add 56 percent field goals and 20 rebounds to that and Rondo is really rewarding those who drafted him early.
Andrea Bargnani, F/C, Toronto
Thus far, he's putting up 22 PPG, more than two threes, with awesome efficiency numbers. Look for this to continue all season. Capable of being a top-30 fantasy player.
Shooting Stars
Channing Frye, F, Phoenix
Ridiculous shooting numbers so far, going 6-for-10 in threes in one game. You definitely want him on your team, and he's only owned in 57 percent of Yahoo! leagues. He can single-handedly carry your team's three-point need all season and add in some decent rebounding numbers. Think last season's Troy Murphy with more threes, but half the rebounds.
Danilo Gallinari, G/F, New York
Even more threes than Frye, yet only 70 percent owned so far. He should be owned in all leagues simply because the volume of threes he'll be taking (and making). Definitely capable of shooting 42 percent from long range, but he's one-dimensional and won't contribute elsewhere. His shooting percentage is bad for a forward.
Andray Blatche, F, Washington
Draining mid-range jumpers at a 72 percent clip. That'll definitely slide, but he should be a good source of blocks and rebounds as long as either Caron Butler or Antawn Jamison aren't in the lineup.
Monster Numbers
Marc Gasol, C, Memphis
Only 80 percent owned? Pick him up NOW! RIGHT NOW! There were concerns about Gasol getting enough touches with all the newcomers on the Memphis squad, but he's put up 20 PPG plus 11 RPG in three games. He'll shoot an awesome percentage from the stripe, and the field goal percentage is likely to be 55 percent-plus. He'll provide double-digit scoring and rebounding in addition to the great percentages. Turnovers might be a concern, but it should be less than three per game.
Chris Kaman, C, L.A. Clippers
Perhaps getting overshadowed by other top performers this week. He has 22 PPG, 10 RPG, 1.8 BPG with career averages of 50 percent field goals and 74 percent free throws. He's certainly capable of 15 and 12 with two blocks as seen in 2007-08 season. It's just a matter of if he's interested in basketball. Right now, the answer is yes.
Marcus Camby, C, L.A. Clippers
Puts up some gaudy scoring numbers with his usual boards and blocks. Sell high soon, as come December he won't be getting the same playing time.
Youngsters taking flight
Louis Williams, G, Philadelphia
Not getting the same attention as Frye or Danilo, but he put up big scoring numbers with just two turnovers in three games. He won't continue to shoot 63 percent, but 17 PPG-plus and 1.5-plus steals can be had. Check if he's still available!
Aaron Brooks, PG, Houston
Shouldering the scoring load for Houston, he has 22 PPG and eight APG so far. We should expect 18 PPG, 6.5 APG this season. Look for his shooting average to be closer to 43 percent than the current 49, though. He'll be a great source of threes and steals all season, but you have to take his turnovers too, which will hover over three.
Worthy mentions of non-superstars
Al Horford, C, Atlanta
Brook Lopez, C, New Jersey
Grant Hill, F, Phoenix
Marreese Speights, C, Philadelphia
Gilbert Arenas, PG, Washington
Trevor Ariza, G/F, Houston
Andrew Bynum, C, L.A. Lakers
Ryan Anderson, F, Orlando
Mario Chalmers, PG, Miami
The Poopy List (Disappointing Stars)
Jose Calderon, PG, Toronto
Monta Ellis, G, Golden State
Stephen Jackson, G, Golden State
Anthony Randolph, F, Golden State
Derrick Rose, PG, Chicago
Charlie Villanueva, F, Detroit
Baron Davis, PG, L.A. Clippers
Fallen Stars (Injured)
Pau Gasol, F/C, L.A. Lakers
Antawn Jamison, F, Washington
Devin Harris, PG, New Jersey
Mehmet Okur, C, Utah
Nate Robinson, G, New York
Caron Butler, G, Washington
Josh Howard, F, Dallas
Richard Hamilton, G, Detroit
Vince Carter, G, Orlando
Solid Pickups
Ryan Gomes, F, Minnesota
Very solid for points, rebounds and threes. Won't hurt your team in the shooting categories. Definitely deserves a spot in any standard 12-team roto league.
Brendan Haywood, C, Washington
Should be owned already. Playing the Pacers and Suns back-to-bacl late in the week. Should definitely be a good play for those two.
Ben Wallace, C, Detroit
Getting lots of playing time. The steals, blocks and rebounds are there. The free throws ... well ... have never been there.
Cory Brewer, G/F, Minnesota
Managers looking for steals and blocks should take a look at Brewer. He'll even throw in a few threes to help.
Good Luck and beat your friends or win money(or both)!
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Rating: +2 (from 2 votes)
3 Lamar Odom re-signs with the Los Angeles Lakers (4-yrs, $33m)
Resigning Odom is a very big deal for the Lakers, especially at less than 9 million per year. Odom had the second highest roland rating(see glossary for explanation) on the Lakers behind Kobe. He has led the team in on court +/-. Odom’s presence makes the Lakers super versatile and hard to match up. Los Angeles can play big or small, fast or slow with no problems. I think it would be very interesting to see Odom play some point forward with Kobe, Artest, Gasol, and Bynum against oppositions with slower point guards. Odom can matchup against the opposite 3. I doubt this will ever happen but it would be very intriguing to watch.
Grade: A+ (Los Angeles Lakers)
2 Milwaukee Bucks traded Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs for Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto, Kurt Thomas
The Spurs made a
trade to upgrade their starting lineup in acquiring Richard Jefferson. They really did not give up much. Bruce Bowen is basically a corpse on the court and they signed McDyess in place of Kurt Thomas. Jefferson shot 39% from 3s last season and as long as he can keep it at that range, the Spurs will be hard to defend. Jefferson is a very good defender and an established scorer. He fits into the mold of Popovich’s Spurs. The Spurs gave up 3 old, crippled guys for a former all-star who will buy into Popovich’s system. Although this may or may not bring them back to championship level, it is still a very good acquisition.
Grade: A (San Antonio Spurs)
1 Orlando Magic traded Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, Tony Battie to the New Jersey Nets for Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson
However much I despise Vince Carter for being the biggest waste of talent ever, he is still a much better player than Turkoglu. If you thought Vince settled for too many 3s(29% of his shot attempts) then consider Turkoglu. A whopping 36% of his shot attempts are 3s. That is a lot for someone who is initiating the offense and someone who only makes 35% of his 3s. Carter shot 38.5%. So the Magic upgraded their SG/SF position while adding Ryan Anderson. They did have to give up Courtney Lee who was really coming into his own at the end
of last season. Ryan Anderson should add to their three-point attack and Battie wasn’t going to see any playing time behind D. Ho and Gortat. It is impossible to know if the loss of Turkoglu going to affect their chemistry. If Vince wants to be remembered for something other than his dunks, he would savor this opportunity.
The Nets weren’t really going anywhere with Vince. They dumped his contract for the young Lee and Alston’s expiring contract. Lee should be a solid player along side Devin Harris and Brook Lopez.
Grade: B+ (Orlando Magic), A (New Jersey Nets)
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3 Lamar Odom re-signs with the Los Angeles Lakers (4-yrs, $33m)
trade to upgrade their starting lineup in acquiring Richard Jefferson. They really did not give up much. Bruce Bowen is basically a corpse on the court and they signed McDyess in place of Kurt Thomas. Jefferson shot 39% from 3s last season and as long as he can keep it at that range, the Spurs will be hard to defend. Jefferson is a very good defender and an established scorer. He fits into the mold of Popovich’s Spurs. The Spurs gave up 3 old, crippled guys for a former all-star who will buy into Popovich’s system. Although this may or may not bring them back to championship level, it is still a very good acquisition.
of last season. Ryan Anderson should add to their three-point attack and Battie wasn’t going to see any playing time behind D. Ho and Gortat. It is impossible to know if the loss of Turkoglu going to affect their chemistry. If Vince wants to be remembered for something other than his dunks, he would savor this opportunity.
