Preseason Notes Farewell Edition
The time for fantasy basketball drafts has passed. Teams have been drafted, and now you have to start managing your rosters. That means you better take a fine-toothed comb and slick back the free agent list.
Watch list building is the first step to getting the free agents pool organized. Populating a watch list means flagging any players that fall under one of the following situations:
Players that should already be on a team but weren't drafted
These guys should have been drafted, but, for some reason, your buddy Tommy insists on wasting a roster spot by drafting Allen Iverson and Adam Morrison every year.
Linas Kleiza, SF, TOR – Kleiza's the starting small forward for the Raptors. He'll play over 30 minutes per game this season, and he could end up averaging almost 20 points per game. (68 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Raja Bell, SG, UT – Bell was announced as the starting shooting guard Monday. He's 34 years old, but he can contribute in scoring, threes, assists and steals. (7 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Toney Douglas, PG/SG, NY – Douglas is in the running to start at shooting guard for the Knicks. If he gets the job, he should be owned in all but the shallowest of leagues. If he doesn't get the job, then this post is irrelevant. (10 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Luke Ridnour, PG, MIN – Ridnour is starting at point guard for as long as Jonny Flynn remains out. He's a cheap rental player. (51 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)
J.J. Hickson, PF, CLE – Hickson is starting over Antawn Jamison for the Artist Formerly Known as the Cleveland LeBrons. (79 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Marco Belinelli, SG, NO - Belinelli is starting at shooting guard for the Hornets. He's a three-point specialist, and he was chucking them up all preseason. (18 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Breakout candidates
These guys have the potential to be good and are in good situations, but they still have to show that they can live up to their potential and role.
Timofey Mozgov, C, NY – The Russian rookie is starting at center for the Knicks. (8 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)
DeMar DeRozan, SG, TOR – He's the starting shooting guard for the Raptors, and he'll be their second or third option in the offense. (50 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)
Austin Daye, SF/PF, DET - He earned his spot as the Pistons' starting power forward by having a great preseason. Daye can contribute in points, rebounds, threes, steals, and blocks. (31 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)
What if such and such happens to so and so
These guys could have huge seasons if the guy ahead of them on the depth chart gets traded, injured, or brings a bag full of guns into the locker room.
Ty Lawson, PG, DEN (17 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)... Grab him if… Chauncey Billups gets traded or injured.
Kirk Hinrich, PG/SG, WAS (32 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)... Grab him if… Gilbert Arenas gets traded or injured or… if John Wall gets injured.
Rudy Fernandez, SG, POR (10 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)... Grab him if… Brandon Roy gets injured.
Wesley Matthews, SG, POR (8 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)... Grab him if… Andre Miller gets traded or injured.
Goran Dragic, PG, PHO (12 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)... Grab him if… Steve Nash gets traded or injured.
Serge Ibaka, C, OKC (51 percent owned in Yahoo! leagues)... Grab him if… Nenad Krstic gets traded or injured or… if the team commits to play him in the starting lineup.
There are a lot more guys out there depending on the depth of your league and the league settings. Take a thorough look in the next day or two, and watch the RotoWire breaking news feed Wednesday to find out who snuck into the starting lineup at the last minute. Players like Boris Diaw made their name in fantasy by being unexpected breakout players the first few weeks of the season. Be diligent. Check the box scores, and check the news feed. If you're unhappy with some of your picks, there will be opportunities to fix your roster in the coming weeks, but you'll need to be on top of the news to take advantage of it.
Quick Hits
Andre Iguodala is iffy for opening night.
Keith Bogans is starting at shooting guard for the Bulls.
Mike Bibby will start at point guard for the Hawks, not Jeff Teague.
Marc Gasol doesn't think he'll be able to play in the Grizzlies' opener.
Tyler Hansbrough isn't expected to play much at the beginning of the season.
Josh Childress will be a game-time decision Tuesday.
Fabricio Oberto was signed by the Trail Blazers.
Leandro Barbosa sat out practice Monday and is scheduled to see a doctor about his sore right wrist. He was in and out of the lineup all last season with a wrist injury. This is not good news for Barbosa, but it is good news for DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems, and Jarrett Jack.
Austin Daye is the Pistons' starting power forward. I'm predicting he'll win the MVP this year. I'm serious, in the way that a Pistons' fan that had to watch the last two seasons would be serious.
Gilbert Arenas missed a second straight day of practice and is questionable for the team's opener.
Carlos Arroyo is the Heat's starting point guard.
Martell Webster underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in his back and will miss four to six weeks. Wesley Johnson and Wayne Ellington should see a bump in minutes.
Tiago Splitter expects to play in the Spurs' season opener.
Good luck this season. Enjoy the games.