In this week's mailbag Dr. A takes a deep dive into the Ja Morant situation, which could result in a 50-game suspension, answers questions about Cam Thomas, John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Immanuel Quickley, and even gets into a question surrounding an incredibly obscure Pavement song.
Is Ja Morant a drop in ROS roto leagues? - Randy Green (@RandyGdeveloper)
Will Ja Morant be out forever? - Penwyn (@penwynp)
Answer: In short, Morant is likely facing a 50-game suspension IF he brought the gun (that he was seen holding on Instagram Live early Saturday morning in Denver) on the team plane with him. And unfortunately, that seems very likely to be the case.
The Grizzlies last played in Memphis on Feb. 28 in a win over the Lakers. They then traveled to Houston for a Wednesday, March 1 win and then went to Denver for a Friday, March 3 loss. Morant's Instagram video happened early Saturday morning after the game so it's easy to surmise that the team was spending that night in Denver and heading out on Saturday, especially since the Colorado police are now involved. The Grizzlies then went to Los Angeles and lost to the Lakers on Sunday, March 5, without Morant, who was suspended.
So, I think there are three possible scenarios here, all of which include him being shirtless and live on Insta flashing a gun in a Denver club in the middle of the night: 1. Morant brought his gun with
In this week's mailbag Dr. A takes a deep dive into the Ja Morant situation, which could result in a 50-game suspension, answers questions about Cam Thomas, John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Immanuel Quickley, and even gets into a question surrounding an incredibly obscure Pavement song.
Is Ja Morant a drop in ROS roto leagues? - Randy Green (@RandyGdeveloper)
Will Ja Morant be out forever? - Penwyn (@penwynp)
Answer: In short, Morant is likely facing a 50-game suspension IF he brought the gun (that he was seen holding on Instagram Live early Saturday morning in Denver) on the team plane with him. And unfortunately, that seems very likely to be the case.
The Grizzlies last played in Memphis on Feb. 28 in a win over the Lakers. They then traveled to Houston for a Wednesday, March 1 win and then went to Denver for a Friday, March 3 loss. Morant's Instagram video happened early Saturday morning after the game so it's easy to surmise that the team was spending that night in Denver and heading out on Saturday, especially since the Colorado police are now involved. The Grizzlies then went to Los Angeles and lost to the Lakers on Sunday, March 5, without Morant, who was suspended.
So, I think there are three possible scenarios here, all of which include him being shirtless and live on Insta flashing a gun in a Denver club in the middle of the night: 1. Morant brought his gun with him on the team plane. 2. Morant borrowed or was holding someone else's gun that night. 3. Morant bought the gun either in Houston or Denver, meaning he may or may not have had it on the team plane.
Unfortunately, option one makes the most sense to me, especially given Morant's other reported recent gun issues. On Feb. 5, Pacers staffers reported feeling threatened after "acquaintances of Morant aggressively confronted members of the Pacers' traveling party near the team's bus in the loading area of FedEx Forum, and later someone in a slow-moving SUV - which Morant was riding in - trained a red laser on them."
And on March 1 of this year the Washington Post obtained police reports stating that Morant was involved in two separate incidents in 2022. One involved him being accused of repeatedly punching a teenager in the head during a pick-up game on Morant's property before he went into the house and came out with a gun. The second involved his mother shopping at a local Finish Line and getting into a shouting match with a store employee before Morant and nine of his friends showed up to heckle and intimidate a security guard, possibly assaulting him.
And then the video of Morant showed up on IG Live on Saturday.
Bringing a gun on a team plane is basically a 50-game suspension in the NBA. Now, given Morant's level of fame and Memphis' strong season, anything is possible here, but I'm guessing Adam Silver is going to bring the hammer down. And then there's the ongoing investigation by the Colorado police into the entire incident, as well as possible legal consequences because he's an out-of-state resident in possession of a gun.
Initially, when news of Morant's two-game ban came down, I didn't think much of it and assumed he'd be back sooner than later. But if he had the gun on the team plane I don't see how Silver doesn't throw the book at him. Especially with the league already well aware of the other incidents.
In a worst-case scenario, Morant misses the remaining 19 games this season and then the first 29 games next year. The Grizzlies' 29th game of this season happened on Dec. 17 so you can basically rule him out until Christmas in this scenario.
If the NBA can't find evidence to put the gun on the team plane, Morant could be back at any time, really. I don't think I'd drop him until we get some sort of answer. Consider this week a washout and then hope that he will be back for the final stretch when Memphis goes 4-4-4-4 in games played per week to finish up the season.
I'm not a cop, lawyer or detective, and while this doesn't look good for Morant, I couldn't live with myself if I told you to drop him and he comes back on Monday. And honestly, I think his future is entirely in the hands of the Commissioner.
The Grizzlies play the Warriors on Thursday, the Mavericks on Saturday and then get the Mavs again in Dallas on Monday. I think the key might be that Monday game at Dallas. If he's out for that one it might be time to cut your losses and move on. But that gives you some time to wait and see what happens between now and then.
Any way you slice it, it stinks. And just in case he's still sitting out there, Tyus Jones should be rostered everywhere and Xavier Tillman and Santi Aldama are worth a look with Brandon Clarke (Achilles) done for the season. The Grizzlies and Kings play more games than any other teams the rest of the way.
Devin Vassell (left knee) has returned from his injury. What's your fantasy outlook on him for this and next season? - Illgobbo (@illgobbo)
Answer: I wasn't expecting a ton from Vassell the rest of this season, although it's possible he could ball out. He's played in two of the Spurs' last three games and started and saw an increase in minutes in the second one. The Spurs have three back-to-backs remaining and have pretty much tanked as hard as they could, meaning that even if they start winning with Vassell, they're still going to be a bottom-three team, which was the goal. I'd just stick with him this season and hope he keeps playing every night.
As for next year, Vassell is basically returning sixth-round fantasy value this season and I love his game. I wouldn't hesitate to take him with a fourth- or fifth-round pick next year, as he is potentially the best player on the team. If he can stay healthy, he should be a fantasy beast.
Is Cam Thomas finished being good anymore? - Sca11 (@sorinsca)
Answer: This was a timely question from my son after Thomas played zero minutes on Tuesday night, which is infuriating. After filling in admirably after Kyrie Irving quit on the Nets and putting up ridiculous numbers, Thomas has played 24, 7, 7 and 0 minutes in his last four games. If I was Cam, I'd be furious and it simply looks like he's out of the rotation. And because the Nets are somehow still the No. 6 seed in the East, it might take an injury to a teammate to get him back in the mix. Brooklyn plays three times next week and I'd be looking to drop Thomas for a hot four-game option. And that makes me sad.
Do you think Isaiah Livers can be a silly-season hero? - Kevin Villanueva (@thekidvillain)
Answer: Livers scored a team-high 17 points 39 minutes on Monday and looks like a top candidate to be a silly-season hero. Ride him until the wheels fall off at this point, but keep in mind the Pistons play just two games after next week's four-game slate. I'd grab a hot free agent for four-games after next week.
How would you handle Bogdan Bogdanovic and John Collins? Are you holding both, one or neither? - FlybyFantasyNBA (@FlybyNBA)
Answer: Man, how frustrating have these guys been? Basically, just as frustrating as the Hawks' team in general. I had hopes that Quin Snyder was going to get Collins motivated and going off, but he scored six points on March 3, three points on March 4 and had 17 points in just 20 minutes on Monday. Bogdanovic has scored 7, 13 and 12 points in those games, averaging about 25 minutes.
The Hawks play three games next week and I don't think I'd hesitate to drop either of them for a hot four-game option if you've got one or two on the waiver wire. The Hawks go 3-4-3-4 to finish the season, while the Rockets, Grizzlies and Kings all have better remaining schedules.
Dennis Smith Jr. or Immanuel Quickley for the rest of the year? - Looselips67 (@Looselips671)
Answer: Quickley cooled off on Tuesday with 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting but was averaging 24.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 4.0 three-pointers in his previous three games. DSJ had just three points in 24 minutes on Tuesday and was averaging 11 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks and 0.3 triples in his previous three games.
The Hornets and Knicks each have just two games next week, so I don't know if you want either one of them with so many four-game options available. After the two games next week the Hornets go 4-3-3 and the Knicks go 3-4-3. Flip a coin, but I'd rather roll with Quickley the rest of the way.
What is your fantasy ranking of this year's rookie class? Which of those could get more fantasy relevance next season? - Illgobbo (@illgobbo)
Answer: 1. Paolo Banchero, 2. Bennedict Mathurin, 3. Jalen Williams, 4. Walker Kessler, 5. Keegan Murray.
I'm expecting big things from all of them next season and my guess is Murray takes a big step and gets more into the mix of things with a year under his belt. But Banchero, Mathurin, Williams and Kessler were all very good this season and are only going to get better. OKC may have too many mouths to feed next year, limiting Williams' potential, but I really like all five of these guys ahead of next year's drafts.
Is there any hope for Nerlens Noel being fantasy relevant in deep leagues? - Raji von Arx (@kemosabe73)
Answer: No. Can I stop there? I'm going to stop there. OK, no I'm not. He played 18 minutes on Tuesday and had two points, three rebounds and five fouls against an inept Houston team. He's 28 years old, has been irrelevant since 2016-17 and hasn't averaged more than 5.1 points and 6.4 rebounds in six of his last seven seasons. Surely, you can find someone else to roll with?
If you were to compare NBA players to Pavement songs who would be your 'My Radio'? - Neil (@N_Raeside)
Answer: Bless you, Neil. It just so happens I'm recording an appearance on the Pavement Conundrum Podcast on Wednesday night to unveil my Top 10 Pavement songs of all time and I was a little sad not to see 'My Radio' as an option.
If you're unfamiliar with one of the more obscure songs from my all-time favorite band (and why wouldn't you be?), 'My Radio' is a hiss-filled, 1:22 minute song about a guy singing about his radio not working due to it being 'shot up' with burned wires after "someone yanked it just a little too hard." And now he can't work. Most of us who know it have a love-hate relationship with the song and it reminds me of an NBA player who hasn't been able to work for some time now. Ben Simmons is the 'My Radio' of the NBA.
Who are some players on back-to-backs during the fantasy playoffs that can limit your games played during the matchup, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? - CerebralAssassin71 (@PGalasik)
Answer: As I told the so-called Cerebral Assassin on Twitter, I don't really have time to claw through every remaining schedule and find all of the back-to-backs and then link players who might be sitting in those games. But the Nuggets are probably going to be resting guys down the stretch with an insurmountable lead in the West, especially on back-to-backs. And guys like Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are also likely to get a night or two off when back-to-backs roll around between now and the end of the season.
In short, you'll want to examine your team's schedules closely and plan in advance for a possible missed game in a B2B. As a general rule, players under 28 years old are probably safe, and players older than that are at risk for sitting out. But it also depends on injuries and standings, among other things.
When I told Cerebral I probably wouldn't be able to fully answer his question, he threw this one at me: OK, how about what to do with a wife that is getting on my nerves? Dude, the answer is obvious. If she likes dogs, get her a puppy. If she likes cats, get her a kitten. And if she likes kids, get her a baby. Problem solved.
