James Singleton(notes) could be headed for the starting five in the wake of his monster Wednesday line.
• Flip Saunders said he’ll probably
have to start James Singleton after his 19 points and 21 boards in
35 minutes on Wednesday.
"The only bright spot we had [Wednesday] was James. He was unbelievable. We probably have to start him. He’s playing too good.
We’ve been in a situation here, where you’re trying to evaluate players.
But at some point, you have to still evaluate, but you have to reward
the guys that are doing things and producing in a limited time and give
them the minutes."
The obvious candidate for the bench is JaVale
McGee(notes), since Andray Blatche(notes) apparently can
do no wrong. In the 10 games where he’s seen at least 25 minutes of
playing time with the Wizards, Singleton has averaged 8.8 points, 9.5
boards, and 1.6 blocks. He certainly becomes a player of interest in all
formats as a starter – his career per-36s include 10.6 points, 0.4 threes, 10.1 boards, 1.1 steals, and 1.4 blocks. McGee’s inconsistent fantasy contributions don’t
figure to improve in a reserve role, and he’s largely expendable at this
point.
• Andrew Bynum(notes) (Achilles) is apparently feeling better but it still appears that he’s going to be out another week or so. Phil Jackson was fairly non-committal when it came to projecting an early return to the active roster.
• Dwyane Wade(notes) (quad), Jermaine O’Neal(notes) (ankle), and Udonis Haslem(notes) (ankle) all were at least partial participants in the Heat’s Wednesday practice and expect to be active on Thursday.
• Andrei Kirilenko(notes) (calf) played it safe Wednesday but expects to be back in the lineup on Friday. We won’t know for sure until game-time, however.
• Tyreke Evans(notes) (concussion) will practice with the Kings Thursday and, if all goes well, he’s expected to be active on Friday. The final decision will be left up to team doctors.
• Roy Hibbert(notes) missed Wednesday’s game with a sprained jaw but is expected to be in the lineup Friday. Josh McRoberts(notes) filled in admirably at center against the Wizards, collecting 14 points, 12 boards, one steal, and two blocks in 20 minutes.
• Tony Parker’s(notes) broken shooting hand is healing more quickly than expected, but a best-case scenario still remains returning for just a few regular season games.
• Zydrunas Ilgauskas(notes) will not replace J.J. Hickson(notes) as the Cavs’ starting center, and Mike Brown’s goal for Big Z is to get him around 20 minutes per game as a reserve. That means his season averages (20 minutes, 7.4 points, 5.3 boards, 0.7 blocks) aren’t likely to change for the better during the fantasy stretch run. In his first game back, Ilgauskas played 17 minutes (1 point, 3 boards) while Hickson played 26 (20 points, 9 boards).
• Marc Gasol(notes) (neck) is targeting Sunday for his return.
• Terrence Williams(notes) hopes to play Friday but he’s due for more tests on his foot and ankle Thursday:
"The MRI said I need a CAT scan. A little piece fell off in my foot but I
could have played [Wednesday]."I was running in my house [so I]
hopefully try to play [Friday]."
I have no idea what the phrase "a little piece fell off in my foot" means, but he certainly doesn’t sound concerned with the extent of the injury.
• Hedo Turkoglu(notes) played just 19 minutes Wednesday because of a stomach illness and is day-to-day.
• There’s nothing to read into the Bucks’ minutes distribution Wednesday – like Andrew Bogut(notes) only getting 20 – other than it was a bad night for the team all around. They were down to the 76ers by five after one quarter, by 13 after two, and by 18 after three.
• James Harden(notes) was big in his first game back from a hamstring injury (26 minutes, 23 points, 3 treys, 2 steals, 1 block) but it was a blowout win and the Rockets went small, perfect conditions for his sixth man role. My opinion hasn’t changed much: I really like him as a player, but he’s too inconsistent off the bench and Thabo Sefolosha’s(notes) defense means his role isn’t going to change this season.
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