NBA League Intervention Puts Stars In Limbo & Broadway’s Other Lead
This week the NBA announced plans to take over the fiscally struggling New Orleans Hornets whose financial predicaments have left the league with no choice but to take temporary ownership.
Perhaps such a situation could have been avoided had the team decided to retain a 17-year-old Kobe Bryant draft instead of swapping him on draft day in ‘96 for aging center Vlade Divac. Or perhaps it all went wrong in February of 2005 when the team shipped rising star Baron Davis to Golden State for Long Island’s own Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis.
Regardless, the team is in a state of financial flux following their torrid start but now the franchise sees itself sinking fast in the ultra competitive NBA southwest division.
Like Major League Baseball did when the league assumed ownership of the struggling Expos, many Hornet players could see themselves shipped off at bargain prices in order to cut losses so to make the team more attractive for potential sale to a new owner. Among the list of pricey talent-laden players who will soon be available: Chris Paul.
Paul heads many fantasy leagues as a front-runner for MVP. His 16.2 PPG combined with a stately 10.4 ASG plus a near 5 RPG places the Wake Forest product as not just a candidate as a fantasy MVP but also an NBA MVP. Add to Paul’s totals a 90 percent conversion rate from the charity stripe and the Hornet point guard compels trade suitors to salivate.
The 25 year-old guard is set to make over $15MM in ’10-’11 plus incentives which make Paul an imminent trade candidate looking to shed payroll. A team rumored to be a suitor is the Orlando Magic whose ability to offer young trade pieces like Jameer Nelson and J.J. Reddick make a potential deal viable. The feasibility of Paul teaming up with a hyper-athletic scoring center like Dwight Howard could cause the guard’s peripheral stats to explode.
As the February 24th trade deadline approaches and the league pressure for New Orleans to unload payroll intensifies, Chris Paul’s tenure as a Hornet may be coming to a close.
Wilson Chandler may not be the draw that three-time all-star Chris Paul is, but Chandler’s emergence as the Knicks blossoming star certainly has staked his claim as one of Broadway’s newest draws. Statistically Chandler is a top 20 player who contributes in every statistical category including blocked shots where the 6’8’’ forward blocks nearly two shots per contest.
Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni has pushed to recreate a permutation of the offense he orchestrated in Phoenix which was lauded the moniker of one of the game’s fastest paced offenses ever assembled.
Currently the Knicks rank third in the NBA in points per game totaling just fewer than 108 per contest. Within this offense Chandler has become a consistent number two scoring option behind A’mare Stoudemire but the true signal of Chandler’s success has been his extended workload.
Chandler has been good enough this season to block the progress of young forward Anthony Randolph who was the key piece in last summer’s David Lee trade. Additionally, the former DePaul star has shot the ball efficiently enough to nearly double his 3pt attempts while also sporting an efficient 83 percent from the free throw line.
At only 23, the Knicks recognize that the young forward has plenty of more growing to do but the D’Antoni hasn’t hesitated in praising Chandler’s successes. “He’s a great scorer,” D’Antoni said. “That’s what he does. He’s gotten stronger as the season has worn on.”
Creating a blip on the fantasy basketball radar has been Lakers reserve Shannon Brown who has been one of the league’s most effective reserves. Per 48 minutes Brown is producing at a rate above 23 PPG and nearly 5 RPG. The young swingman’s emergence has come on the heals of the best shooting season of his brief career including a 43 percent conversion rate from three point range, nearly ten points higher than his career average.
The NBA season is a battle of attrition, teams with depth survive the 82 game marathon while those dependent on limited star power often dwindle down the stretch run.
The Lakers have used Brown to spell their two wing stars Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom so look for the former Michigan St. Spartan to see increased action as the Lakers look to rest their stars in preparation for the spring.
Brown isn’t the only young guard in the Western Conference to take the league by surprise. Ever since a mid-November lineup change, Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry has arrived at the forefront of the games most effective point guards. Lowry’s career hit a speed bump after a 2008 trade sent the young guard to the Rockets where the Villanova product found himself buried behind incumbent starter Aaron Brooks.
In Lowry’s last 12 games he’s averaged nearly 8 assists nightly while chipping in on the scoring front with over 11 points per contest. The Rockets still appear to be finding their footing following a slow start but with Lowry playing the role of Houston’s floor general it seems that it’s only a matter of time before Houston returns to the conference’s elite.
In addition to the surfacing of Kyle Lowry, the Rockets owe their battle back to playoff contention to the play of veteran forward Shane Battier. The 32 year-old has never been considered a fantasy worthy player because of his unselfish, team-orientated style of play, but since the injuries to Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks, Battier has stepped up and augmented his contributions.
Since the start of December Battier has averaged just under 14 PPG and a shade below 6 RPG and thus making him a potential option for owners looking to satisfy the need for multi-category production.
Perhaps such a situation could have been avoided had the team decided to retain a 17-year-old Kobe Bryant draft instead of swapping him on draft day in ‘96 for aging center Vlade Divac. Or perhaps it all went wrong in February of 2005 when the team shipped rising star Baron Davis to Golden State for Long Island’s own Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis.
Regardless, the team is in a state of financial flux following their torrid start but now the franchise sees itself sinking fast in the ultra competitive NBA southwest division.
Like Major League Baseball did when the league assumed ownership of the struggling Expos, many Hornet players could see themselves shipped off at bargain prices in order to cut losses so to make the team more attractive for potential sale to a new owner. Among the list of pricey talent-laden players who will soon be available: Chris Paul.
Paul heads many fantasy leagues as a front-runner for MVP. His 16.2 PPG combined with a stately 10.4 ASG plus a near 5 RPG places the Wake Forest product as not just a candidate as a fantasy MVP but also an NBA MVP. Add to Paul’s totals a 90 percent conversion rate from the charity stripe and the Hornet point guard compels trade suitors to salivate.
The 25 year-old guard is set to make over $15MM in ’10-’11 plus incentives which make Paul an imminent trade candidate looking to shed payroll. A team rumored to be a suitor is the Orlando Magic whose ability to offer young trade pieces like Jameer Nelson and J.J. Reddick make a potential deal viable. The feasibility of Paul teaming up with a hyper-athletic scoring center like Dwight Howard could cause the guard’s peripheral stats to explode.
As the February 24th trade deadline approaches and the league pressure for New Orleans to unload payroll intensifies, Chris Paul’s tenure as a Hornet may be coming to a close.
Wilson Chandler may not be the draw that three-time all-star Chris Paul is, but Chandler’s emergence as the Knicks blossoming star certainly has staked his claim as one of Broadway’s newest draws. Statistically Chandler is a top 20 player who contributes in every statistical category including blocked shots where the 6’8’’ forward blocks nearly two shots per contest.
Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni has pushed to recreate a permutation of the offense he orchestrated in Phoenix which was lauded the moniker of one of the game’s fastest paced offenses ever assembled.
Currently the Knicks rank third in the NBA in points per game totaling just fewer than 108 per contest. Within this offense Chandler has become a consistent number two scoring option behind A’mare Stoudemire but the true signal of Chandler’s success has been his extended workload.
Chandler has been good enough this season to block the progress of young forward Anthony Randolph who was the key piece in last summer’s David Lee trade. Additionally, the former DePaul star has shot the ball efficiently enough to nearly double his 3pt attempts while also sporting an efficient 83 percent from the free throw line.
At only 23, the Knicks recognize that the young forward has plenty of more growing to do but the D’Antoni hasn’t hesitated in praising Chandler’s successes. “He’s a great scorer,” D’Antoni said. “That’s what he does. He’s gotten stronger as the season has worn on.”
Creating a blip on the fantasy basketball radar has been Lakers reserve Shannon Brown who has been one of the league’s most effective reserves. Per 48 minutes Brown is producing at a rate above 23 PPG and nearly 5 RPG. The young swingman’s emergence has come on the heals of the best shooting season of his brief career including a 43 percent conversion rate from three point range, nearly ten points higher than his career average.
The NBA season is a battle of attrition, teams with depth survive the 82 game marathon while those dependent on limited star power often dwindle down the stretch run.
The Lakers have used Brown to spell their two wing stars Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom so look for the former Michigan St. Spartan to see increased action as the Lakers look to rest their stars in preparation for the spring.
Brown isn’t the only young guard in the Western Conference to take the league by surprise. Ever since a mid-November lineup change, Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry has arrived at the forefront of the games most effective point guards. Lowry’s career hit a speed bump after a 2008 trade sent the young guard to the Rockets where the Villanova product found himself buried behind incumbent starter Aaron Brooks.
In Lowry’s last 12 games he’s averaged nearly 8 assists nightly while chipping in on the scoring front with over 11 points per contest. The Rockets still appear to be finding their footing following a slow start but with Lowry playing the role of Houston’s floor general it seems that it’s only a matter of time before Houston returns to the conference’s elite.
In addition to the surfacing of Kyle Lowry, the Rockets owe their battle back to playoff contention to the play of veteran forward Shane Battier. The 32 year-old has never been considered a fantasy worthy player because of his unselfish, team-orientated style of play, but since the injuries to Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks, Battier has stepped up and augmented his contributions.
Since the start of December Battier has averaged just under 14 PPG and a shade below 6 RPG and thus making him a potential option for owners looking to satisfy the need for multi-category production.
Written by Conor Gereg exclusively for www.thefantasyfix.com.
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Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, New Orleans Hornets, Kobe Bryant, Vlade Divac, Speedy Claxton, Baron Davis, Chris Paul, J.J. Reddick, Jameer Nelson, Dwight Howard, Wilson Chandler, A’mare Stoudemire, Anthony Randolph, Kyle Lowry, Shane Battier
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