There may be a changing of the guard in Toronto, as the Raptors attempt to stop their free-fall in the standings.
• The Raptors have lost five in a row and nine of ten games,
and they now stand at eighth in the Eastern Conference, just one game up
on the struggling Bulls. Jay Triano has promised
to shake things up and will continue to have "a shorter leash" for some
of his starters:
"We’ve got guys who want to come and play and do the right thing,
and if
guys aren’t doing the right thing I told them before the game: ‘I’m
going to pull you. I’ll put you back in but you’re going to come out and
you’re going come out and you’re going to think about it for a bit and
you’re going to give somebody else a chance to go in and do the right
thing.’ And that’s why we were a bit quicker with some of our
substitutions."
Most of the speculation for fantasy purposes centers around Jarrett
Jack(notes) and Jose Calderon(notes). Jack has totaled just 39 minutes over the past
two games (averaging 7 points, 1 three, 4 assists, 1.5 turnovers), with
Calderon coming off the bench in the early-going in both games (averages
of 31 minutes, 17.5 points, 3.5 threes, 9.5 assists, 1.5 turnovers).
While Triano said that Calderon is playing "pretty darn well" and is
clearly unhappy with his team’s performance in general, he’s not yet
indicated specifically that he’ll make a change in the starting five.
• Toney Douglas(notes) has earned his minutes at point guard for Mike D’Antoni and the Knicks and, not surprisingly, will get another start Monday against the 76ers.
• Devin Harris(notes) missed Monday’s practice with an upper respitory infection and is questionable for Tuesday.
• A down game for Delonte West(notes) Sunday (20 minutes, 4 points, 3 boards, 3 assists), but you would hope that his whopping +22 was not lost on the Cavs’ coaching staff.
• Eddie Jordan replaced Willie Green(notes) with Jason Kapono(notes) in the 76ers’ rotation Sunday, and Kapono responded with 17 points and three treys in 25 minutes (Green was a DNP-CD). Deep-leaguers should take note here, but it’s impossible to tell what Jordan will do down the stretch for the monumentally disappointing 76ers.
• Carlos Arroyo(notes) showed some inconsistency Sunday by actually having a productive game for a change (38 minutes, 12 points, 10 assists, 0 turnovers). In 20 starts on the season, he’s averaged 5.8 points on 39-percent shooting, 4.1 assists, and 0.8 turnovers in 27 minutes. I would be careful to not read too much into his double-double against a Philadelphia team that packed it in a while ago – a better read on whether or not he’s actually going to do something down the stretch may be Tuesday’s matchup with the Spurs.
• Mickael Pietrus(notes) has a big game Sunday (42 minutes, 20 points, 5 threes, 5 boards), filling in for the injured Matt Barnes(notes). With Barnes (toe) expected back Wednesday, it’s doubtful that Pietrus will have another such opportunity to produce.
• Hello, Wesley Matthews(notes)! He’s been a reliably low-ceiling fantasy option as a starter (32 games, 29 minutes, 10.5 points, 49% FG, 1 three, 0.7 steals), but exploded for 29 points and six threes on Sunday. Matthews took advantage of Mehmet Okur’s(notes) absence from the lineup (with back spasms, day-to-day) and hit his shots (9 of 11 FG, 6 of 7 3PT, 5 of 6 FT), but this line is the exception and not the rule.
• Andrei Kirilenko(notes) missed Sunday’s game with a left calf strain and will undergo an MRI Monday. For what it’s worth, AK is "optimistic" that he doesn’t have a muscle tear and will miss only two or three days. Paul Millsap(notes) and C.J. Miles(notes) would stand to benefit if Kirilenko’s optimism proves to be… overly-optimistic.
• For some video of Chris Paul(notes) working out before Sunday’s game,
click here.
• Derrick Rose(notes) (wrist) was a limited participant in practice
Monday and "probably"
won’t play Tuesday, according to Vinny Del Negro, although the
coach did add that the final decision will come on gameday. Rose himself
said that he wants to play because it’s in Memphis, but he’ll defer to
the team’s wishes.
• Kevin Love(notes) missed his second consecutive game Sunday due to a
foot sprain. His level of participation in Monday’s practice will
help determine his status for Tuesday.
**For a complete rundown of team schedules moving forward, the best available players in your league, and a complete injury wrap, see the Week 21 Dashboard.
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