The Cheat Sheet: Kris Humprhies a Fantasy Basketball difference maker?

By Eric Yearian

Recent News/Revelations: The trade deadline has come and gone, along with the deadline for players to be bought out and eligible for the post season with another team.  It had been a quiet trade season as almost everybody in the league waited for a resolution to the Melo situation. How has that deal worked out for Denver and New York? Knicks beat writer Frank Isola said it best on his twitter account on March 4th, “Knicks 3-3 since trade, Denver 5-1, but that’s really not fair since Nuggets didn’t have to play Cleveland twice.” That clever wit by Isola shows just how up and down the Knicks are, as they have beat teams like New Orleans and Miami, while losing twice to the lowly Cavaliers. So, quiet trade deadline after Melo, right? Nope, the league went crazy. Deron Williams was surprisingly shipped to New Jersey for a package including Devin Harris and Derrick Favors.  If you want to know all the deals that went down, Google it, because there are simply too many to list here. All in all, the guys being traded combined for 16 all star appearances,  1 Finals MVP,  4 All NBA Second Teams, 6 All NBA Third Teams, 1 All NBA Defensive First Team,  5 All NBA Defensive Second Teams, 1 Most Improved Player Award, 3 Dunk Contest Championships, and 3 NBA Championships. The big names were obviously, Melo, Williams, Billups, Perkins, Gerald Wallace, Baron Davis (he still qualifies as a big name, right?), and Aaron Brooks. Today, let’s check out how this rash of moves impacts your fantasy fate.  This is the perfect time to make your move as well, because fantasy basketball players are obviously basketball fans, meaning most of them are focused on the NCAA tournament right now, so you might be able to catch some fantasy owners off guard and either distance yourself from your competition or make up some late-season ground.

Sell High:
Anthony Randolph: If you remember, a couple of weeks ago I advised you to pick up Anthony Randolph, he just got moved to Minnesota where he is now getting playing time and he’s producing. Now, many leagues have had their trade deadline, but if yours hasn’t and you were smart enough and lucky enough to grab Randolph, here’s where you may be able to use him to fill a need on your team. In his last two games he’s been getting an average of 26 minutes a game and has scored in double digits and also showed an ability to rebound, block shots, and pass. He won’t wow you with his numbers, but he’s probably going to be a number 3 or 4 forward in most leagues. With him finding success in Minnesota early, there may be somebody in your league who sees his potential and you may be able to get a small fortune for him. If you can’t find a taker for him, don’t be afraid to keep him, as Minnesota figures to give him plenty of minutes and even more opportunity to show what he can do so he should be an asset moving forward.

Buy Low: Mo Williams
Mo Williams: what’s the difference between J.J. Hickson and Blake Griffin?  Pretty much everything, but the key is that Hickson can put up some decent numbers without making anyone around him better. Griffin on the other hand puts up impressive numbers but his biggest advantage is that he is the rare big man that makes people around him better, especially guards. Mo Williams will now have a player that he can play a little two man game with and rack up some nice assist totals with Griffin and Eric Gordon on the receiving end of his passes. Williams battled injuries and a roster of young guys and average players in Cleveland. In L.A., he has a solid group of young guys that have learned how to play together and Williams will have a chance to come in and fit in immediately. Need proof? In his game against Houston the other night he shot poorly and still finished with 17 points and 11 assists.

Player you should avoid:
Mike Bibby: Mike Bibby was traded from the Hawks to the Wizards. Going from starter in Atlanta to being John Wall’s backup would have killed what little fantasy value Bibby had. Instead, Bibby gave up all of his next season’s salary in order to become a free agent and join a certain south Beach team in need of a point guard. However, don’t think that makes him worth picking up though, because even with LeBron and D-Wade on the team with him, he still won’t get enough assists to make up for his lack of scoring. Miami’s dynamic duo gets a lot of their points by way of the dribble drive, not from assists. Even when they score off of assists, it’s not often from the point guard position, as Bibby will spend most of his time on the court as a shooter to stretch the court.

Player you should be looking to pick up:
Kris Humphries: Yeah, I know, Kris Humphries didn’t get moved during all of this trade deadline madness, but he may have been the biggest winner of all. Deron Williams, since joining the Nets, has shown why many consider him the premier point guard in the league. He has instantly made their offense much more effective than it had been since the Kidd, Carter, RJ, Kenyon Martin days, and he’s done it on the fly and dealing with the jet lag that comes with travelling from the United States to London to play two games. Since joining the Nets, Williams has averaged over 15 assists per game. As someone who owns Williams in his league I was worried about how he’d respond but I couldn’t be happier unless I was Kris Humphries, who has looked like a totally new player since getting D-Will to pass him the ball and run the offense. How good has he been? In the last two games, games against Toronto back to back days in London, he has scored 18 points and 17 rebounds, followed a day later by 20 points and 17 rebounds. If he’s available, pick him up before somebody else does.

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

Sell High: David Lee:  Lee has played well lately, although he’s been inconsistent in everything except fantasy scoring. One night he scores but doesn’t rebound well. The next night he may rebound well but not score well. All in all, he’s a serviceable center for fantasy, but you could certainly improve upon him and might be able to move him for something better, but by holding on to him you certainly aren’t hurting yourself. Final Verdict: Push

Buy Low: JaVale McGee:  McGee puts up enough numbers to be a number two center. He has been rebounding well, but the scoring isn’t there reliably. He did, however, recently have an 18 point, 17 rebound outburst, but that’s far from the norm. He is only a backup or stop gap measure based on matchups, but he can help some teams out there that are thin at center. Final Verdict: He’s disappointing, but serviceable, so you decide.

Player you should avoid: Peja Stojakovic: It really wouldn’t even matter if he were playing well or putting up numbers for Dallas. With the Mavs picking up the recently bought out Corey Brewer, who happens to be much better defensively and much younger, it will be difficult to find him minutes. Final Verdict: 100% correct

Player you should be looking to pick up: Michael Redd: Redd still hasn’t played, and that was expected. He’s going to be nothing more than a flier option that you hope you get lucky with. Only pick him up if you have a roster spot to burn. Final Verdict: To be determined