Jose Calderon

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NBA 2014: Our six-pack of Sleepers for Draft Day

Posted by fantasyfurnace on October 13, 2014
Posted in: NBA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 5 Comments

A new season is on the horizon with pre-season games already underway. Whistles will be blowing, technicals will be handed out (right? Joey Crawford)?, and buzzer beaters will be dropping. We have selected six potential sleepers for this season in this, the most popular and read of all our Basketball articles. Enjoy the 2014-’15 season and good luck in your leagues!

1. DeMarre Carroll-Forward-Hawks- This likely mid-round candidate, will continue to help your team in multiple categories such as points, steals, 3PT, FG%, and FT%, plus Carroll has committed himself to the 3-pointer as he had his best year in this category in 2013-’14. We see him knocking down around 2 shots from downtown per game while averaging around the same amount of steals. Throw in a half-dozen REB and you’ve got yourself a nice all around player who should be available at around pick 60.

2. Marcus Smart-Point Guard-Celtics- Smart, the sixth overall pick in the draft, will make for a good news-bad news scenario… He won’t start in Boston unless Rajon Rondo is traded or injured, and as we went to post, rumors regarding possible destinations for Rondo still abound. The good news is that should the 20 year old lottery pick actually get the start, his owners will garner a ton of assists and steals. His aggressiveness was obvious playing for Oklahoma St. where last season, averaging just under 33 MPG, Smart tallied 18 PTS, 5.9 REB, 4.8 AST, 1.58 3PM, 2.87 STL, and even managed a little over 0.50 BLK per game.

#36 Oklahoma St. star and Celtic lottery pick Marcus Smart has the recipe for a huge sleeper season should the Rajon Rondo rumors of a trade come to fruiyion. Photo: Fernando Medina/Getty Images

#36 Oklahoma St. star and Celtic lottery pick Marcus Smart has the recipe to be a huge sleeper season should the rumors surrounding the possible trading of Rajon Rondo come to fruition. Photo: Fernando Medina/Getty Images

3. Larry Sanders-Foward/Center-Bucks- Sanders, often misused under last year’s head coach Larry Drew, will have an ideal opportunity to exell under new coach and avid big-time fan of Sanders, Jason Kidd. Kidd if you’ll remember, tried his best to secure Sanders’ services last year when he was with the Nets, so you can be sure that the 6′ 11″ center will have the chance to become a top-5 roto center this season. We are projecting that Sanders will put up 10 PTS, 10 REB, and around 2.90 BLK per game.

4. Markieff Morris-Forward/Center-Suns- The 25 year old has seen his minutes rise every year over his three years in the league and this season will be no different due to the departure of Channing Frye. Already having had a mini-breakout season last year, this sixth-man-of-the-year candidate last season, could help your team in five categories. Our projections of 16 PTS, 7 REB, 1 STL, .472 FG%, & .790 FT%  are all completely attainable making Morris a top roto option.

#11 Markieff Morris climbes over Blake Griffith for the basket. The Furnace says that Morris' minutes will be increased with the absence of Channing Frye, making the 25 yr. old a sleeper Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images.

#11 Markieff Morris, shown here, climbs over Blake Griffith for the stuff. The Furnace says that Morris’ minutes will be increased with the absence of Channing Frye, making the 25 yr. old a sleeper candidate this season. Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images.

 

5. Jose Calderon-Point Guard-Knicks- It has been a while since New York has had a true all around point guard and they now have a very talented one in Jose Calderon. He had to share the ball all too often with Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis with the Mavericks last year, but will be afforded more minutes and have more success in the Knicks’ triangle offense. Calderon’s assists dropped off from almost 9 per game while in Toronto to 4.7 last season with the Mavs so his potential for amassing dimes is well known. An excellent FT shooter (.852% for his career),  Calderon, who will see his touches increased, is projected to heave up over two 3 pointers and 1 steal per game.

6.Gorgui Dieng-Center-Timberwolves- At some point in his career, the multi-talented Dieng will become a top 10 roto center in this league. Minnesota still has Nikola Pekovic but any injury or fall-off in production would foster a move towards inserting Dieng who, in fifteen starts last year, averaged 12.2PPG, 12.0 RPG, to go along with 1.7 BPG. There is no question that Dieng is destined to becoming one of the best defensive big men in the NBA. If you are in a deep enough league, preferably with two starting centers, Dieng is well worth a stash as he is just too good for the Timberwolves to keep off the court.

#5 Gorgui Dieng blocks Nets' Tyshawn Taylor from making an easy layup. Dieng could see extended playing time as Nikola Pekovic has had ankle issues in the past says the Furnace. Photo: AP

#5 Gorgui Dieng blocks Nets’ Tyshawn Taylor from making an easy layup. Dieng could see extended playing time as Nikola Pekovic has had ankle issues in the past says the Furnace. Photo: AP

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Fantasy Basketball: This week’s Waiver Wire Pickups

Posted by fantasyfurnace on January 30, 2013
Posted in: NBA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , . 7 Comments

There are still some bargains out on the waiver wire both short term and long. Here are our pickups for this week along with our ‘Must Add’ player of the week…

Carlos Delfino-SG/SF- Rockets- If your roster is in need of points and threes primarily, then Delfino’s your guy. Although he tends to be a bit streaky, he has scored in double-digits in his last seven straight; not scoring under 14 points in any of them! He also has dropped 24 three-pointers over those seven games. More fringy stats that he can offer you are one steal and 3 boards a game, on average. Available in 2/3 of leagues.

#10 Carlos Delfino should be rostered on teams where points & treys are needed. 14+ points in 7 straight! Photo: mysanantonio.com

#10 Carlos Delfino should be rostered on teams where points & treys are lacking. 14+ points in 7 straight! Photo: mysanantonio.com

Ed Davis-PF/C-Grizzlies- Here is another player that’s been red hot! He has double-digit scoring in his last 11 games! Now that Davis has been traded in the 6-player deal for Rudy Gay, he’ll serve mainly as a backup to Zach Randolph so check out the kind of minutes he gets before making this move.In leagues where you have two starting centers, Davis is ideal. Over his last four games he’s averaging 13.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks while on the floor 32 MPG. Currently owned in about 40% of leagues, Davis should be watched in deeper leagues until it’s clear how much of a role he’ll play in Memphis.

Jerryd Bayless-PG/SG- Grizzlies- Just when Bayless was going to see a rise in his minutes at shooting guard, starting PG Mike Conley goes down with an ankle injury. It’s not yet known how long Conley will stay be but based on Bayless’ averages over his last four games; 14.0 points, 5.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and just under 31 MPG, we are making him out ‘Must Add’ this week. Barely owned in 10% of Yahoo! leagues, if you’re in need of someone that can stuff a stat sheet consider Bayless before he’s gone…

#7, former Raptors Guard Jerryd Bayless is our 'Must Add' this week with 14 PPG and 5.8 assists over the past four. AP Photo/Daniel Johnston

#7, Former Raptors Guard Jerryd Bayless is our ‘Must Add’ this week with 14 PPG and 5.8 assists over the past four. AP Photo/Daniel Johnston

Amir Johnson- PF/C-Raptors- More of a fill-in in deeper leagues and as a perminent part in others, Johnson has had a productive January for himself and his owners while Jonas Valanciunas has been out. His monthly averages are 13.7 points with 8.0 rebounds. However, even after Valanciuna’s return, if your’e in deeper leagues and a 10 PPG and 6 RPG season average will help you than try to see if he’s available. Chances are, as he’s owned in 45% of most leagues, he might not be- but he’s definitely worth a look.

Nate Robinson-PG/SG-Bulls- Nate ‘The Great’, the former exciting Knick guard has been turning it on lately but beware as he can have an off-night or two frequently. For now though, the little guy has poured in double-digit points over his last seven straight games and his averaged, over his last four,  16.8 points, 3.5 boards, 4.8 assists, 1.8 threes, and 1 steal. Playing about 25 minutes per game he can be of help to those in 12+ leagues or deeper roto leagues and is widely available in approximately 3/4 of  most leagues.

NBA Draft: 7 Players to Avoid Drafting…

Posted by fantasyfurnace on October 23, 2012
Posted in: NBA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

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.