fBasketballBlog

Granger was No. 1 last night. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Beast of the Night: Danny Granger notched 29 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block and four three-pointers last night. He shot 35 percent (7-20) from the floor and 100 percent (11-11) from the free-throw line, and had one turnover. For the season, Granger has pretty much fulfilled expectations by putting up top 30 numbers. So far in April, he’s averaging 23.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks and 2.9 threes per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 96 percent from the free-throw line.

Lines for Discussion:
Nikola Pekovic: 10-17 FG (59%), 3-6 FT (50%), 23 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk; Pekovic has been one of the most pleasant surprises this season, and he has the potential to be Marcin Gortat-esque next season

Eric Gordon: 9-18 FG (50%), 8-10 FT (80%), 1 three, 27 Pts, 4 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; in his eight games this season, Gordon has put up top 30 stats, but health concerns will justifiably drag down his value in next season’s drafts

Steve Nash: 4-6 FG (67%), 3-4 FT (755), 2 threes, 13 Pts, 2 Reb, 6 Ast, 6 TO; that’s 25 points, three three-pointers, three rebounds, 11 assists and 11 turnovers in his last two games (continue reading…)

Yep, KD is No. 1. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Weekend Wonder: Kevin Durant averaged 33.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal, 2.0 blocks and 3.5 threes in two games over the weekend. He shot 58 percent from the field and 89 percent from the free-throw line, and averaged 2.5 turnovers per game in that stretch. He continues to hold onto that crown as the most valuable fantasy basketball player of the 2011-12 NBA season.

Lines for Discussion:
Raymond Felton (4/6): 12-18 FG (67%), 1-1 FT (100%), 5 threes, 30 Pts, 7 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO: through the first five games of April, Felton is averaging 13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.8 threes

Goran Dragic (4/6): 8-19 FG (42%), 7-8 FT (88%), 3 threes, 28 Pts, 4 Reb, 11 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 TO; in 17 games as a starter for the Rockets this season, Dragic is averaging 18.1 points, 3.5 boards, 8.8 assist, 1.9 steals and 1.9 threes, while shooting 52 percent from the field and 82 percent from the free-throw line

Eric Gordon (4/7): 3-12 FG (25%), 3-5 FT (60%), 1 three, 10 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; Gordon’s fantasy value next season is a bit of a question mark, but it’d be a surprise to see him drop below the third round (continue reading…)

LeBron's back at that No. 1 spot. (P Photo/J Pat Carter)

Beast of the Night: LeBron James owned the Thunder with his 34 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, four steals, one block and three three-pointers last night. He shot 50 percent (10-20) from the field and 85 percent (11-13) from the free-throw line, and had two turnovers. This followed his 41/6/4 line against the Sixers the previous night. Believe it or not, last night’s monster line helped James reclaim the No. 1 spot over Kevin Durant again.

Lines for Discussion:
Darren Collison: 7-8 FG (88%), 3-3 FT (100%), 17 Pts, 3 Reb, 11 Ast, 1 TO; this has been an underwhelming season for Collison, to say the least

Jordan Crawford: 11-22 FG (50%), 1-1 FT (100%), 5 threes, 28 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 TO; he will be one of the most appealing players to consider in next year’s drafts

Andrea Bargnani: 8-15 FG (53%), 5-5 FT (100%), 3 threes, 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 TO; in his last five games, Bargnani has averaged 25.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.4 blocks and 2.0 threes, while shooting 51 percent from the field and 94 percent from the free-throw line (continue reading…)

You're not one of those people who still drafts Kobe in the first round, are you? (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

It’s time to get grinchy, which is a good thing.

We need some salt to cut through all the sweetness of discussions about sleepers, up-and-comers and late-round steals. So, to that end, below is a quick list of the five NBA players most likely to fall short of meeting their expected values heading into this season, the inherent value of their name or whatever residual impressions of value they’ve carried over from last season in some owners’ minds.

You can read the full article about the top five underperformers over at DimeMag.com. Below is just a list of the names with brief explanations — along with five bonus names, just for this blog’s readers.

See, even the Grinch values its audience. (continue reading…)

Chris Paul + Blake Griffin = alley-oop heaven

It finally happened: Chris Paul is traded away from the Hornets.

The Los Angeles Clippers have agreed in principle to a deal with the New Orleans Hornets. Here’s the breakdown:

Los Angeles Clippers get: CP3, two future second-round picks

New Orleans Hornets get: Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota’s unprotected 2012 first-round draft pick

Here’s a quick list of fantasy implications:

• This is good news for Paul. Sure, he was a surefire top four pick before the trade, but CP3 is going from playing point guard for a hollow Hornets squad that lost David West to passing and lobbing it to Blake Griffin, who isn’t a bad finisher at the rim. I’d still take CP3 at No. 3 or 4 overall, but this trade is good for him, mentally and for — wait for it — basketball reasons. Griffin should benefit a bit from having Paul feed him the rock, but it’s not a significant bump to his fantasy value. (continue reading…)