Earlier this week I railed against the upcoming All-Star break and make no mistake, I still am not looking forward to a week without fantasy basketball. The worst part is we get a week off from basketball for an All-Star weekend that is truly terrible. The All-Star game itself is unwatchable. The only good thing I can say about it is you see better dunks in the game than you do in the dunk contest. Here is a fun exercise: Name any of the winners of the dunk contest in the last 20 years. I got Vince Carter, Nate Robinson, Dwight Howard and Blake Griffin. I have no idea who else won, and I am a bit embarrassed I even know those guys.
I usually enjoy the rookie/sophomore game, or whatever they are calling it these days, but the last two rookie classes have been so underwhelming the only players in that game worth watching are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Andrew Wiggins. I seriously cannot think of anyone else.
I actually intended the tone of the first two paragraphs to be far more upbeat because there is one part of All-Star weekend I actually am looking forward to, the 3-point contest. I actually have fond memories of the 3-point contest. My cousin’s birthday is February 12, and for years his birthday party would always be the same night as the dunk contest and 3-point contest. As a Bulls fan, it was especially exciting to see Craig Hodges three-peat and Steve Kerr win in 1997.
This year’s 3-point shootout is loaded, as Marco Belinelli will try to defend his title against James Harden, former winner Kyrie Irving, JJ Redick, Wesley Matthews, Kyle Korver and the Splash Brothers. I will definitely watch the 3-point shootout—I have nothing else to do on Valentine’s Day—but I would gladly give it up if it meant the NBA didn’t have to take a week off in the middle of the season.
Injuries of course never take any time off, and neither does this article. Fortunately there have not been any catastrophic injuries in the last week, but as always there are plenty of injured players to discuss, starting with the best player in the NBA.
Kevin Durant returned Friday to score 27 points though he needed 26 shots to do it. Until this point, Durant’s numbers had been in line with what he has done throughout his career, so this is likely just one bad night and not the start of a trend. Durant should obviously be in your lineup whenever he is active, and it is not yet time to think about trading him.
The Timberwolves should finally have everyone back healthy Monday with Shabazz Muhammad expected to play. Muhammad was playing great before going down with an oblique injury. Fantasy owners should wait to see how he does Monday before adding him, however. With Kevin Martin and Ricky Rubio back in the fold there do not appear to be many minutes or shots available for Muhammad. He would likely be useful with heavy minutes, but he may not get that chance barring an injury or trade.
Don’t worry, though, the Minnesota will continue to be unnecessarily aggravating for fantasy players even with everyone healthy amid reports Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic will likely sit out one of the Timberwolves back-to-back games Sunday and Monday. Rubio and Pekovic have both missed the majority of the season with ankle injuries, so they will get a bit of rest this week. This could be a one-time rest though it is certainly possible the Timberwolves will take advantage of their depth to rest both players on back-to-backs for the rest of the season. Gorgui Dieng and Mo Williams are good fantasy plays when Rubio and Pekovic sit. If you can get full value for Rubio and Pekovic, you probably should. If they wind up missing a handful of games throughout the rest of the season you will be happy you did.
Ersan Ilyasova is questionable Saturday after returning from a groin injury to play 16 minutes Friday. The Bucks obviously want to ease Ilyasova back into things after he missed four games, but with Zaza Pachulia also questionable and Kenyon Martin doubtful, they may not have much choice.
Alex Len is likely out until at least the All-Star break after spraining his ankle Thursday. Marcus Morris played his most minutes in nearly two months Friday and had the game of his life with 34 points and 12 rebounds. He may never match that performance in his entire career, but he should continue to see increased playing time while Len is out. Len is droppable in 12 and even 14-team leagues while fantasy players should just keep an eye on Marcus Morris for right now.
J.J. Redick is doubtful for Sunday’s game after missing Thursday and Friday with back spasms. Austin Rivers averaged 11 points, 3.5 assists and three steals in the two games Redick missed, and he is a decent play in deep leagues and daily games until Redick returns. Rivers started Friday with Jamal Crawford coming off the bench, but both players should play heavy minutes regardless of who starts.
Bradley Beal will be a game-time decision Saturday after missing morning shootaround with a sprained toe. Beal sprained the toe in January and re-aggravated it Wednesday. He left Thursday’s game in the first quarter. Otto Porter is an interesting fantasy play if Bradley Beal is out though Rasual Butler and Garrett Temple would likely see increased minutes as well.
Hassan Whiteside did not play Friday due to a sprained ankle. Justin Hamilton came off the bench to play 28 minutes but had just two points and five rebounds. Whiteside may be out for a while, but the Heat have just two games remaining before the All-Star break. Anyone who was fortunate enough to pick up Whiteside this season should hold onto him.
Rajon Rondo is out until at least the All-Star break after suffering an orbital fracture and broken nose last Saturday. J.J. Barea has scored at least 10 points in four consecutive games, averaging six assists in the three games Rondo has missed. Barea’s scoring upside is limited, but he should be a great source of assists at least until the All-Star break.
Darren Collison will not play Saturday against the Jazz. Ramon Sessions should start in his place, with Ray McCollum getting some minutes off the bench. Sessions has averaged 13.7 ppg in three starts this season, and he is a nice fantasy play with Collison out.
Ian Mahinmi and Lavoy Allen are both out Sunday against the Hornets. Neither injury is thought to be particularly serious, but Luis Scola should see plenty of playing time with Mahinmi and Allen out.
The Indiana Pacers never actually ruled Paul George out for the season, which is why it was not all that surprising when Larry Bird said “I think it’s important if he can play, he should be out there.” The Pacers are only three games out of eighth place in the East, but George could play late in the season even if they are eliminated from the playoff race. George was actually added in some leagues following this news, but that seems like a waste unless you are guaranteed a playoff spot or have a ridiculously deep bench. Even if George does return he will almost certainly not be the same player he was last season, at least not right away. This is a nice story, and George is worth keeping an eye on, but there is no reason to add him yet.
Paul George is a two-time All-Star, and one of the biggest storylines of next season will be his quest to get back to playing at an All-Star level. Maybe he can participate in next year’s 3-point contest. After all, he made 182 threes last season. I would definitely watch that.