fBasketballBlog

What else can J-Smoove do to convince you that he's back? (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Weekend Wonder: Josh Smith averaged 24.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.5 steals, 4.0 blocks and 0.5 threes in two games over the weekend. In that stretch, he shot 63 percent from the field, 60 percent from the free-throw line and turned the ball over twice a game. After a slow start to the season, J-Smoove has really found his groove lately. In his last four games, Smith is averaging 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.8 blocks.

Lines for Discussion:
Ray Allen (1/6): 7-11 FG (64%), 5-6 FT (83%), 4 threes, 23 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 TO; Mr. Shuttlesworth is averaging 20.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 3.7 threes per game, while shooting 58 percent from the field and 86 percent from the charity stripe

D.J. Augustin (1/6): 8-16 FG (50%), 3-4 FT (75%), 2 threes, 21 Pts, 2 Reb, 12 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; his poor shooting from the field holds him back from being a truly elite fantasy player

Chris Kaman (1/6): 3-9 FT (33%), 6 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 4 TO; he has started the past two games at PF (continue reading…)

That anonymous hand on the right represents the hand of all Lowry's owners this season. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Beast of the Night: Kyle Lowry lit up the Lakers for 22 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists, two steals and four three-pointers. He shot 42 percent (8-19) from the field, 100 percent from the free-throw line (2-2) and turned the ball over twice. Believe it or not, Lowry is putting up top three overall averages so far this NBA season.

Lines for Discussion:
D.J. Augustin: 10-18 FG (56%), 2-2 FT (100%), 4 threes, 26 Pts, 4 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; so far, he’s putting up better numbers than he did last season

Boris Diaw: 0-5 FG (0%), 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk; scorching start was unsustainable, but he’ll get back on track

Kyrie Irving: 8-10 FG (80%), 2-2 FT (100%), 2 threes, 20 Pts, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Blk; he’s averaging 14.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.8 steals, a block and 1.2 threes through the first five games of his NBA career (continue reading…)

Can Tyrus the Tease finally become a reliable fantasy beast? (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Depth chart:
PG: D.J. Augustin, Kemba Walker
SG: Gerald Henderson, Matt Carroll, Garrett Temple*^
SF: Corey Maggette, Dante Cunningham**, Dominic McGuire*
PF: Boris Diaw, Tyrus Thomas, Bismack Biyombo, D.J. White, Eduardo Najera
C: Kwame Brown*, Joel Przybilla*, DeSagana Diop

* unrestricted free agent
** restricted free agent
^ locked into overseas contract with no opt-out clause (continue reading…)

If it weren't for that tooth... (Flickr/Keith Allison)

Beast of the Night: David Lee posted 29 points, 20 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block last night. He shot 77 percent (13-17) from the field, 100 percent (3-3) from the foul line and had four turnovers. This was the kind of line many fantasy owners expected to see from Lee this season, but he fell short of expectations, thanks in part to Wilson Chandler’s tooth. In the past month, however, Lee has averaged top-12 numbers. He shouldn’t be forgotten on draft day next fall.

Lines for Discussion:
D.J. Augustin: 7-20 FG (35%), 6-7 FT (86%), 2 threes, 22 Pts, 1 Reb, 8 Ast, 5 Stl, 2 TO

Greg Monroe: 7-13 FG (54%), 8-10 FT (80%), 22 Pts, 14 Reb, 4 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO (continue reading…)

Jennings had quite a game last night, despite the continually lacking aim from the field. (NBA.com)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Beast of the Night: Brandon Jennings finished with 27 points, three rebounds, seven assists, three steals, two blocks and two three-pointers last night. He shot 41 percent (7-17) from the field, 92 percent (11-12) from the free-throw line and had just one turnover. Jennings has been pretty solid for much of this month so far, but his Achilles heel continues to be his poor shooting from the field. This isn’t going to change anytime soon.

Lines for Discussion:
D.J. Augustin: 8-15 FG (53%), 5-5 FT (100%), 2 threes, 23 Pts, 1 Reb, 8 Ast

Aaron Brooks: 2-9 FG (22%), 4-4 FT (100%), 1 three, 9 Pts, 4 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO (continue reading…)