The Mavericks, Knicks, and Heat played their final game before the All-Star break. All three will have nine days off before their next game. The Pelicans are the only team to play two games the rest of the week, and they've potentially lost one of their key contributors for the rest of the season.
INJURY NOTES
Jimmy Butler will miss 3-4 weeks with a strained left knee. If he comes back in four weeks, he's set to play March 10th, returning right before the standard fantasy playoffs in Week 21. That makes Butler a buy-low option in head-to-head leagues if you've clinched or are on the verge of clinching a playoff berth, especially if you're going to earn a first-round bye. Assuming he adheres to the timeline or exceeds it by a week, you can stick him in your injured reserve slot and bust him out for the Bulls' nine games over the course of Week 22 and 23, which coincides with matchups 21 and 22 due to the merging of Week 16 and 17 into one matchup. After hyperextending his elbow last season, a completely unrelated injury, Butler returned after a three-week absence and was his typical self.
Since the start of January, Derrick Rose has a 36 percent usage rate without Butler on the court. E'Twaun Moore replaced Tony Snell in the starting lineup three weeks ago, and he's averaging 12.4 points, 2.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks, 1.7 three-pointers in 33 minutes per game in seven starts. He's shooting a team-high 44 percent on threes. I prefer him over Donald Sloan, but I've got my eyes set elsewhere if I can wait. I don't want to waste a player add on Moore now in head-to-head leagues over the two-week matchup with the trade deadline approaching, but I also understand the immediacy of his value. You're afforded instant gratification if you add Moore because his role is currently solidified, whereas the trade deadline could derail or alter the trajectory of someone like Dennis Schroder or Brandon Jennings.
I predict Rose will break down at some point in March due to the extra workload and the Bulls playing a league-high 17 games that month. Really, the big winner is Pau Gasol. He's going to be the keystone of the offense, assuming management doesn't trade him. If they opt to reconfigure the roster, Bobby Portis would be the main beneficiary, but he's mainly a points and rebounds specialist who lacks the defensive awareness to accumulate steals and blocks. And don't get me started on his low assist rate.
Marc Gasol is out indefinitely with a broken right foot. There's a chance he misses the rest of the season, and my initial reaction centered on the Grizzlies potentially trading Mike Conley, who's on the last year of his deal. Then I remembered reading John Schuhmann's February breakdown that mentioned the Grizzlies possess the easiest schedule in February. I know that Jeff Green and Courtney Lee are on the trading block, and either could be moved for a backup big man. There's also the specter of Brandan Wright (knee) returning at some point this season. The Grizzlies are fifth in the Western Conference and four games ahead of the eight spot. Until the Grizzlies show their hand, it's difficult to imagine them falling out of the race before April.
Jeff Green started the second half on Monday after Gasol injured his foot, and Matt Barnes played until he fouled out in the overtime loss. Green found his niche off the bench, so I hope coach Joerger keeps him in that role. He averaged 30 minutes per game over the past 12 games as a reserve, second most to Gasol. Over the past three weeks, the wing logjam allowed coach Joerger to ride the hot hand, who was Green on most nights. Now that Zach Randolph likely plays a majority of his minutes at center, Joerger can run a spread offense with Green and Barnes sharing power forward duties. Ryan Hollins will either become the token starting center or he'll play sparingly off the bench. Barnes becomes the guy I want the most out of the Memphis wings. He takes precedent over Green, Lee, and Tony Allen because of his diverse skill set and unique fantasy lines. I also think Green will be swapped to bolster the frontcourt depth.
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Norris Cole requires standard league consideration if he's still available in your league. Cole leads the Pelicans' guards with 31 minutes per game since Tyreke Evans was shut down seven games ago. Bryce DeJean-Jones' second 10-day contract expires Thursday, so we'll find out then if the team plans to keep him the rest of the season. He's not much of a fantasy helper, and he's shooting 47 percent from the line the last seven contests, but the minutes are plentiful, so he's at least a deep league watch list candidate as long as the Pelicans retain him. He was on their summer league roster, but they could decide to churn through more 10-day guys before committing. Eric Gordon (finger) should return later this month, and that's if the Pelicans don't trade him first. Ryan Anderson is also on the block, but I've never fallen for his limited fantasy appeal. Reuniting with coach Stan Van Gundy may wait until the offseason, and it's hard to view the Pelicans as playoff contenders this season. I'm ready for this team to look different by next week, but Cole is the one player I'm acquiring if possible.
TUESDAY NOTES
Danny Green spent three months trying to acclimate to the new Spurs' system predicated on Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge isolations. Without Tim Duncan (knee) over the past nine games, Green's averaging 2.8 three-pointers, 5.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 block in 27.4 minutes per game. The little contributions across the board add up to a rank of 57 in eight-category leagues in that time, mainly aided by his improved shooting. Without Manu Ginobili (groin) for the next month, Green will be required to play more minutes, but once Duncan returns, it's unlikely Green ascends to the 30 minutes a night he's averaging in February. The Spurs began their Rodeo Road Trip last night, an eight-game road trip that spans the rest of the month. Green's graduated beyond a streamer due to his improvement and the Spurs' injuries but don't feel obligated to retain him the rest of the season.
Hassan Whiteside was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 for elbowing Boban Marjanovic in the chin and ejected early in the fourth quarter. A suspension may be in order, but since it was the Heat's final game before the break, disciplinary action won't take effect until next week. Whiteside is still coming off the bench, and there's wind that the Heat are willing to trade him. Since returning from a hip injury, Whiteside's stats in 22 minutes per game ranks him 10th in nine-category leagues. Nailing 67 percent of his free throws and recording a triple-double with blocks over the past four games will vault anyone to the top of the rankings. He defies all logic and should be fine regardless of minutes and team.
John Wall and Bradley Beal, who rejoined the starting lineup in place of Garrett Temple, torched the Knicks' backcourt, a recurring theme this season. They combined for 54 points, and Wall tied his career-high with 17 assists. When your opposition is Jose Calderon, 17 assists might be considered a mediocre day. Jared Dudley recorded all of his stats in the first half before going 0-of-3 in 14 second-half minutes and contributing nothing else to the box score. He's been involved in trade rumors, but he's been too vital to the Wizards that it would probably require a change in coach and offensive system before management decides to move Dudley.
Kurt Rambis coached his first game with the Knicks. It was their last game heading into the All-Star break, so it's difficult to know if we can expect similar rotation management on the other side of the break. Kyle O'Quinn and Jerian Grant were DNP-CDs. Carmelo Anthony played the first 16 minutes before subbing out and led the team with 39 minutes, a terrible sign for a player battling lingering knee soreness. Former coach Mike Woodson played Anthony the most minutes per game one season, and Anthony still hasn't recovered from being overtaxed. Arron Afflalo played 38 minutes and provided 11 points and two rebounds, a typical Afflalo line. Sasha Vujacic played 14 minutes. Derrick Williams, a player who as no idea what he's doing in the triangle, was limited to nine minutes. I would expect his minutes to be muted until Anthony shuts it down if Rambis is set on adhering to the triangle offense. Jose Calderon and Langston Galloway both played 28 minutes, and it was Galloway's best performance with Calderon in the lineup in some time. I know Phil Jackson wants to trade Calderon, so keep an eye on Galloway next week and when Anthony eventually takes the rest of the season off.
Isaiah Thomas recorded two assists against the Bucks. In his first meeting, he contributed a season-low one assist. Clearly, Thomas doesn't perform well against the length of Michael-Carter Williams and Co. Evan Turner picked up the slack with 10 assists, proving his steadiness as a fantasy commodity and second-unit distributor. Avery Bradley continued his hot shooting by nailing four three-pointers, pushing his total in the last three games to 14 makes. And since returning from his bruised left hip on January 10th, he leads the Celtics with 36 minutes per game while shooting 44 percent from the field and 35 percent on three-pointers, in case you were on the fence.
Jason Kidd started O.J. Mayo and Miles Plumlee over Michael Carter-Williams and Greg Monroe. Reasons: unknown. Monroe scored a season-high 29 points and Carter-Williams had a solid line in 26 minutes. As mentioned many times by me on this platform and in Category Strategy, Jerryd Bayless is going to get minutes at the expense of Carter-Williams whether he starts or comes off the bench. I'm not concerned about Mayo long-term because this was his first game since January 13th.
Khris Middleton supplied 20 points and five assists, but his splits under Kidd and interim coach Joe Prunty are jarring. In the seven games since Kidd's return, Middleton is shooting 33 percent and 29 percent on threes. Prior to Kidd's surgery, Middleton was shooting 40 percent. In his 17 games with Prunty, Middleton was the secondary playmaker averaging 5.0 assists and shooting 50 percent from the field and 42 percent on threes. I'm not calling Kidd an incompetent coach. I'm just providing a dash of reality.
Rodney Hood blossomed into a stellar playmaking shooter since the beginning of January and provided top-50 nine-category value. Since January 1st, Hood's averaging 19.2 points and 2.8 three-pointers on 45 percent shooting, 43 percent accuracy from beyond the arc, and an 89-percent mark from the free-throw line. He's kept up the production with Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors returning to the lineup. The last hurdle will be reintegrating Alec Burks (ankle) and Trey Burke (illness) into the rotation, both of whom should theoretically cut into Hood's playing time.
In an overtime loss, all five Mavericks' starters played at least 36 minutes and three of them registered over 41 minutes. As mentioned in the lead, it was their final game before the All-Star break, so don't read too much into the elevated playing time. Wesley Matthews' 16 points were his most since January 5th. In the 17 games in between, he averaged 9.7 points on 35 percent shooting and 28 percent accuracy from deep in a team-high 34.6 minutes per game. The Mavericks played a league-high 18 games in January, but once we reach the other side of the All-Star break, the Mavs play the fewest games and only play three back-to-back sets. If you're looking for a potential reason for Matthews to regain his previous form, the break combined with the abundance of off days down the stretch may help.
James Harden scored 37 points, Dwight Howard grabbed 15 rebounds, Trevor Ariza made four three-pointers, and Patrick Beverley lead the team with seven assists. The Rockets were within five points early in the fourth quarter, but lost by 13 and Marcus Thornton was the only factor off the bench, scoring 15 points in 25 minutes.
Stephen Curry scored 19 of his 35 points in the first quarter. Klay Thompson scored 10 of his 13 points in the first quarter and shot 5-of-19 and missed all seven three-point attempts. Marreese Speights contributed 15 points in 12 minutes, and he'll be asked to play more with Festus Ezeli (knee) set to be reevaluated in six weeks following knee surgery.
Andrew Bogut put forth one of his best efforts this season with a season-high six blocks and his third double-double, registering 13 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes, his most since January 13th. The Warriors play tonight against the Suns. I have an inclination coach Steve Kerr doesn't play or severely limits Bogut's minutes, as well as the rest of the starters in their final game before the All-Star break.