With the Carmelo Anthony trade finally going through, ending one of the most annoying ongoing stories since the Brett Farve will he/won’t he retirement talk, it is finally time to see how the trade will impact those involved. Some will gain value. Some won’t.
Winners
The biggest winner is Carmelo Anthony. Not only will he finally be able to focus without having to answer questions regarding his future, he will go to a more wide open offense. And with Amare Stoudamire underneath, opposing defenses will no longer be able to key in on Anthony. Carmelo could be the best pure scorer in the NBA, with Amare on the court with him it could get scary.
The player who should see the most signicifant boost in his numbers is Corey Brewer. He will go from being a secondary player with a weak supporting class to the sixth man in an up-tempo style of play. With virtually no other player in front of Brewer left on the Knick’s bench, his minutes should rise dramatically, making him a solid fantasy contributor. Brewer might finally fulfill some of his potential.
Another player who should gain some fantasy value is Timofey Mozgov, who potentially could be a solid starting center in the NBA. An increase in minutes, which should come with Nene’s inevitable departure, should allow him the chance to put up double digit points and close to double digit rebounds each night. The question of course with Mozgov is whether that will happen this season or the next.
Losers
The biggest loser is Raymon Felton, who finally seemed to have found his niche in Mike D’Antoni’s offense. His numbers should drop considerably without Amare Stoudemire. The Nuggets will rely on him to score more than the Knicks did and he will be forced to do so without a primary scorer to take the pressure off of him a bit. To expect Felton to continue his high assists and point totals in his new setting would be a mistake on your part. I would sell Felton now, before his value plummets.
Ty Lawson may not have been traded, but his stock also took a hit. With Chauncey Billups’ departure being guaranteed in almost every Carmelo offer, Lawson looked to finally get a chance to be the Nuggets’ starting point guard. But, with the Nuggets trading for Felton, he once again will be forced to start the game on the bench.
Other players who could take a hit involve Arron Afflalo, Danillo Gallinari, and Wilson Chandler as these three all will battle for Carmelo’s minutes. One of three should see their minute totals drop as Denver figures out which player will produce the most. It would seem like Gallinari should be the safest pick as he should be slotted into Carmelo Anthony’s starting spot. But, with so many possibilities fantasy owners are forced to wait to see what George Karl does.
Waiver Wire
PG - Jose Juan Barea (DAL) 13.4 PTS 5.0 AST 1.4 3PM .534 FG% in Last 15 days
With San Antonio pretty much already locking up the first spot, Dallas is in a prime spot to take hold of either the second or third seed in the West. With this being the case, Rick Carlisle has started to rest Jason Kidd more and given Barea more time on the court. His increase in minutes has allowed him to up his points, three pointers made, and most importantly his assists. He should see an increased minutes total from here on out as Dallas will continue to give Kidd fewer and fewer minutes so he is as fresh as possible come playoff time. With all the options Barea has to throw the ball to his assists total should stay pretty high, although his shooting percentage may drop as it seems unconceivable for a guy who relies considerably on his jump shot to continue to shoot over 50 percent from the field. Either way, picking up Barea should give you a point guard whose value should increase as the season progresses.
SG - Rudy Fernandez (POR) 15.3 PTS 2.6 REB 1.7 STL 2.6 3PM Last 15 days
Rudy Fernandez is known for two things, slam dunks and 3 pointers. Usually these don’t go together, but we will forget that for now. Fernandez is once again finally getting some solid minutes on the court and is giving fantasy owners a solid amount of points, steals, and threes. The only real problem with grabbing Fernandez is that Nate McMillan seems to fall in love one minute and then never play him the next. He lacks a consistency in his minutes. But. if you are in desperate need of 3 pointers you could not find a better person to put in your lineup then Fernandez.
SF - Sam Young (MEM) 14.1 PTS 3.9 REB 1.4 AST 1.4 STL 36.3 MIN Last 15 Days
With Rudy Gay being out for the next month, Sam Young’s minutes as a starter are all but guaranteed. This means his point production and rebounds should continue to rise. If you look at the his last couple of games, his rebound total has risen to about 6-7 a game, while his steals has risen to closer to 2 a game. He has virtually gone unnoticed by most fantasy owners, which is a huge mistake. Finding a guy who is playing 36.3 minutes game this late in the season is almost impossible.
PF - Brandon Bass (ORL) 10.5 PTS 9.5 REB .5 BLK 1.0 STL Last 15 Days
The Orlando Magic continue to play musical chairs at the four-spot. Bass is finally healthy again and has retaken his spot as Dwight Howard’s sidekick in the paint. This guarantees that he should get a fair amount of rebound chances with opposing teams trying to keep Howard off of the glass. His minutes total should rise back to over 30 minutes a game, virtually making him a guaranteed double-double machine. If you need help in your rebound totals, Bass is the man.
C – Chuck Hayes (HOU) 9.5 PTS 8.3 REB 2.2 AST 1.8 STL 0.7 BLK Last 15 Days
For some weird reason fantasy owners have yet to add Hayes to their lineup. This is plenty peculiar as Hayes has managed to put up good numbers, night-in and night-out, for about a month now. I find it hard to believe that a center that gives you close to 8 rebounds, 2 assists, close to 2 steals, and almost 1 block a game is still sitting in the waiver wire. The bevy of stats that the former Wildcat gives you should provide your fantasy squad with a very nice boost. He is a much better option than almost any center you could add.
By Big John
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