The Cheat Sheet # 6

By Eric Yearian

Recent News/Revelations: Alright, so it’s time for another Cheat Sheet. So, what’s new in the NBA? Well, it’s January, so it’s a new year, but that’s just about it. The HEAT, Celtics, and Magic have all kept up their winning ways in the East, and New Jersey and Denver continue to talk (but not consummate) a Carmelo Anthony trade. Oh wait; there were a few new things. For one the Spurs (who had lost exactly 4 games at the time) lost back to back games to the Knicks, and then to Boston the next night. The Mavericks lost Caron Butler. The Lakers let a little tidbit of information slip too. Turns out Kobe Bryant only recently started practicing with the team, as they were trying to keep his body from falling apart prior to the playoffs, showing a bit of mortality that Kobe hadn’t previously in his career. Guess the Western conference is simply more exciting these days. Enjoy it while you can though, because here’s a downer:  a lockout looks more likely than ever, just ask Jared Dudley.


Sell High:

Chris Douglas Roberts: Yes, CDR played very well against the HEAT the other night, notching 30 points. He also got 19 shots up, and getting a good amount of shots is huge when it comes to fantasy.  The only problem I have with CDR playing so well against the HEAT is that Miami is susceptible to big performances from opposing shooting guards. Much gets made of their weakness inside the paint, but they have given up some big scoring games to off-guards that aren’t known to be prolific scorers.  Combine that with the fact that CDR is very inconsistent, and he can be a bigger headache in fantasy than his twitter account was to the Nets last season.

CJ Miles:  Sticking with the theme of inconsistent wing players who have been putting up good numbers as of late, Miles is a player that should probably be unloaded to a team needing help at his position. Depending on what fantasy service he may be available at forward, guard, or both. He can help your team one game, but come back and struggle to score and that inconsistency is not what you want from your players. It seems as though the only thing he does on a consistent basis is turn the ball over, but playing for a Utah club that is short on quality wing players he has upside, and that may allow you to make a trade involving him.

Buy Low:
Jodie Meeks
Jodie Meeks: As a Kentucky fan that happens to still be a little bitter that Meeks left school early to be a second round draft pick, it pains me a little to say this, but you need to at least look into acquiring Meeks. He has exploded on to the scene in Philly as Iguodala has been nursing an injury and Evan Turner has been a bust thus far. Meeks won’t keep scoring at the pace he is once AI comes back, but he should still get quality looks and will be the main option for the 76ers when it comes to stretching the floor. If he’s playing so well, why would he be available? The threat of Iggy stealing stats from him is one reason, and he’s had a couple sub-par games recently, but mainly, he’ll be available because he’s not a big name and is still known as a second round pick who hasn’t established himself yet, but he may not be far off from becoming a dangerous scorer in this league.

JR Smith: I’ll admit up front that this is based on a gut feeling, but Smith has a chance to explode if Denver decides to blow their team up. Smith is an explosive scorer that can put up points in a hurry. The only thing holding him back is his decision making. If Denver moves Melo and Chauncey Billups as is being discussed, what better option will coach George Karl have? It’s easy to take the ball out of Smith’s hands when you can put it in the hands of a Billups or Carmelo, but if those  two aren’t there, the points have to come from somewhere, and do you really think they’re coming from Al Harrington? If you acquire Smith, you may have to wait out 23 games (the amount Denver has between now and the trade deadline) but it’s worth it if he becomes the focal point of Denver’s up-tempo offensive attack.

Players you should avoid:

Tracy McGrady: Sure seems like a good idea to pick up Tracy McGrady after he looked like a stud in the starting lineup for the Pistons, doesn’t it. He’s even made a change in that he is now playing the point guard spot. Not so fast. I’m not saying you shouldn’t pick him up if he’s available in your league, what I am saying is that you shouldn’t expect a great deal of production from him. He looked pedestrian after going back to the bench, and he has a history of breaking down physically. By all means, feel free to add him, just make sure you don’t throw away a good player to bring him on because it could come back to haunt you later in the season.

Players you should be looking to pick up:
Kendrick Perkins
Kendrick Perkins: He’s in a crowded front court, but even with the two O’Neal guys lurking around, he is the starter for Boston once he comes back, which he says will be soon. He won’t score much, and his minutes will be limited, but he rebounds and blocks shots at a good enough rate to help you out in what is a weak crop of fantasy centers. You’ll have to be patient with him, but I recommend giving him a look if you were unlucky enough to come away from your draft with a hole at the center spot, or you were planning on relying on Yao Ming this season.

Full Disclosure from last column: How did the players mentioned in the last column fare in the last column?

Sell High: Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu
With the Magic playing well right now, Stan Van Gundy has been reluctant to mess with his rotation, meaning Nelson is still getting the chance to contribute and is taking advantage of it. That being said, you’ll remember that I mentioned it was a long-term concern with Nelson as opposed to short-term. Van Gundy said as much a few days ago when he said that he doesn’t expect much from Arenas right now, but will expect much more from him later in the season, that’s not a good sign for Nelson. I flat out missed on Turkoglu. Dude is lighting it up as if he never missed a beat. He had a triple-double against the Warriors and then a few games later dropped 17 dimes against the Mavericks as the Magic ended the Mavs’ winning streak. Final Verdict: Dead wrong on Hedo, Nelson, well, let’s wait and see

Buy Low: Gerald Wallace
I recommend him; he goes out and gets 20 points and 8 rebounds, then gets hurt and misses 3 games and counting. I still stand by this pick though. Final Verdict: Too small of a sample size to tell

Player you should avoid: Brad Miller
Miller has seen an increase in both scoring and rebounding with Yao out, yet still is far away from being fantasy-relevant. Many picked him up thinking he would flourish without Yao around. I told you not to race out and get him. Final Verdict: Hope you listened, I was correct on this one

Player you should be looking to pick up: Terrence Williams
Williams is seeing inconsistent minutes as the Rockets aren’t conceding the season yet. The second he does, Williams will become a nice asset. This is another long-term move. Much like Ekpe Udoh in the last column, there isn’t much empirical evidence to show that he’ll be able to help your team, but give it time (if you have the roster space) and he’ll pay some dividends for you later. Final Verdict: Wait and see