FANTASY FURNACE

We have given you this year’s sleepers and breakout candidates and now we have listed seven potential busts that you should avoid drafting in place of other options. It’s not that they won’t perform well at all, it’s that they more than likely won’t perform well enough! Here are our seven players to be mindful of…

Channing Frye-F-Suns- Last season Frye’s numbers dropped off in points, rebounds, and threes and we don’t think now that Steve Nash has bolted for the Lakers that the going will get any easier for the 7 footer.  Goran Dragic is a solid PG but admittedly he’s no Nash. (Not many are..) The Suns picked up Louis Scola in the off-seasn and he will cut into Frye’s minutes which won’t help his numbers either.

Jose Calderon-G-Raptors- Don’t be swayed by his assist totals (8.8) or his points (10.5) from last season as the 31 year old entering his sixth season with Toronto will move to a back-up role as newly acquired Kyle Lowry will be taking over as the starting PG. His minutes will take a hit plummeting from 34 last year down to around 25. Calderon won’t get you many threes or steals so you’re left pretty much with 7-8 points and assists per game. He is someone that can still be serviceable in later rounds and in deeper leagues but expect a significant drop-off for this guard who is also a defensive liability.

#8 Jose Calderon will see his minutes and productivity decrease with the arrival of Kyle Lowry. Photo: guney.com

DeJuan Blair-C/F-Spurs- The main reason that we think Blair should be avoided at all costs will be his lack of playing time. Once again you shouldn’t expect much more than around 20 minutes a game for the small defender who will play more when the match-ups are more favorable. You can probably see close to 9 points and 6 boards for the fourth year player out of Pittsburgh and when you couple those numbers with his poor FT% and  virtually no blocks, there is no reason to draft him. He could be of use in deeper leagues almost like a streamer in baseball and only when he goes up against an opponent friendly player; more towards his size.

#45 DeJuan Blair is under-sized and a defensive liability against most opposing players. He will  play around 20 minutes per game and thus not be a fantasy factor. Photo: mysanantonio.com

Amar’e Stoudemire-F-Knicks- Over the past four years Amar’e has missed almost 70 games due to assorted injuries; back, groin, knees, etc.. Turning 31 next month, the veteran had some good seasons under D’Antoni’s system but will continue to not find it easy to thrive  along side Mr. ISO, Carmelo Anthony. We are not saying that he shouldn’t be drafted because when healthy he’ll still get you around 17 points and 7 boards and a block or two, but temper your expectations, be aware of his health issues, and check his center eligiblility in your leagues.

Ryan Anderson-F-Hornets- This three point specialist is another Forward who will go off the boards in early rounds in draft rooms everywhere, but he will be a bit too risky to snatch up that early. He’ll have less of a facilitator in Eric Gordon at the point then he had in Jameer Nelson in Orlando for starters and won’t have Dwight Howard around grabbing all of the attention of opposing defenses. When Howard was out towards the end of last season, Anderson did not shoot the ball well at all which gave us our first ‘danger’ sign. Just look back to the Magic’s playoff series against the Pacers (without Dwight) when Anderson shot only 34% and averaged 9.6 points a game. He’ll be a gamble at best and therefore other options might be more appealing to you in the early rounds.

Raymond Felton-G-Knicks-Like Stoudemire, Felton thrived under Mike D’Antoni’s run and gun style of play but current coach, Mike Woodson, has shyed away from that as well as the pick and roll which played right into Felton’s strength. With newly acquired veteran Jason Kidd on board, his presence and savvy could and probably will eat into Felton’s minutes making him even less relevant as a starting PG. He can still give you the occasional three and steal but he’ll score not much more than 10 points and might play around 25-27 minutes per game, his career low. Proceed with caution. There are better options out there late in the draft.

#2 Raymond Felton will see some of his minutes eaten up by Jason Kidd. There will not be the pick & rolls that Felton thrived on under D’Antoni. Photo: zimbio.com

DeAndre Jordan-C-Clippers- Two of the six off-season pickups made by the Clippers will have a positive impact on the team this season; Jamal Crawford and Lamar Odom. However it could be Odom, (who’s pinching himself for the opportunity to get back to playing in L.A.), that might cut into Jordan’s minutes and productivity. It’s well documented how much of a defensive liability Jordan can be and if Odom is coming to the Clippers and can be the Odom of old and not the debacle that we saw in Dallas, then you can just expect Jordan to be useful for his blocks and boards. You’ll probably see more of Blake Griffin and Lamar Odom in the frontcourt also which means 22-25 minutes for Jordan at best.