Like most nerds, the highlight of my Friday morning was the release of the new Star Wars: Episode VII trailer. I feel like my reaction was pretty typical. Overall I think it looks great, and I have every intention of seeing the movie opening weekend. I think the X-Wings and Millenium Falcon look amazing, and it is nice to know there are more than three black people in the entire Star Wars universe.
That being said, there are a couple of things I could do without. I do not think the soccer ball droid is cute, and I hope it either serves a purpose or is not a big part of the movie. The trailer also raised the question of why everyone insists upon messing with the lightsabers? Lightsabers are awesome, there is no need to try to make them more awesome. George Lucas actually succeeded with Darth Maul's lightsaber, but it should have ended there. We do not need a lightsaber that looks like a medieval broadsword. We just don’t.
Of course, like anything else, you have to take the good with the bad. The same is true of fantasy basketball injuries. Nothing can derail your fantasy season like injuries, but at the same time, those injuries present an opportunity to find value where it did not exist before. If you have one of the following players, you have to set aside the disappointment and try to find value elsewhere.
Taj Gibson has been home in Chicago receiving treatment on his sprained ankle while the Bulls continue their annual circus trip. Chicago’s next home game is Tuesday against the Nets, and that would appear to be Gibson’s first reasonable chance to play. The Bulls remain tight-lipped as usual regarding injuries, but it does not seem particularly likely Gibson will play Tuesday. Nikola Mirotic has played well with Gibson out. Gibson is droppable in shallow leagues.
Derrick Rose makes his weekly appearance in this article, though right now it appears he is actually healthy. Rose left Tuesday’s game with a hamstring injury, but returned Friday to score 21 points in 28 minutes. The Bulls will likely continue to be extremely cautious with Rose, at least until after the all-star break. They have not been afraid to sit him at the slightest sign of injury.
Carmelo Anthony said 80 percent of his back spasms are gone. He probably will not play Sunday, but his fantasy owners should consider him day-to-day after that. Amare Stoudemire is averaging 15 points and 8.5 rebounds over the two games Anthony has missed; he is a nice play in daily games while Anthony remains out.
Kevin Durant is questionable to return Tuesday from the foot injury that has kept him out all season. With Russell Westbrook's return Friday, the Thunder will soon be back to full strength. Durant, Westbrook, Reggie Jackson and Serge Ibaka are the only Oklahoma City players who should be owned in 12-team leagues.
Nikola Pekovic’s sprained right wrist will be evaluated next week, at which point he will hopefully be cleared to practice. Timberwolves head coach Flip Saunders says Pekovic will need at least a week of practice before he is ready to play in a game. Anthony Bennett has seen his minutes—and points—increase with Pekovic out, though his abysmal rebounding makes it difficult to play Bennett outside of deep leagues.
Kevin Martin will be out about six weeks after having surgery on his fractured wrist. Mo Williams, Corey Brewer and Andrew Wiggins have all played better with Martin out, and all three should be owned in all leagues. Rookie Zach LaVine torched the Lakers for 28 points Friday, and he could be worth a pickup based purely on upside. Martin’s absence has highlighted Minnesota’s backcourt logjam, and you would have to think the Timberwolves will make some moves sooner or later to free up more opportunities for their young players.
DeMar DeRozan left Friday’s game with a groin strain. He is flying with the team to Los Angeles, but at this point it is unknown if he will play against the Lakers Sunday. This does not appear to be a long term injury, though Terrence Ross and Lou Williams should see more playing time while DeRozan is out.
Tony Wroten is out until at least December 5, when his sprained knee will be reevaluated. K.J. McDaniels played 33 minutes Wednesday thanks in part to Wroten’s injury, and he had season-highs with 18 points and six rebounds. McDaniels is worth a pickup in most leagues, though I would not drop Wroten for McDaniels.
Dwayne Wade appears close to returning from the hamstring injury that has kept him out the last seven games. Wade has participated fully in the Heat’s last two practices, and if he does not return Sunday at the Knicks it should not be much longer after that. The Heat were playing Wade in back-to-backs this season after keeping him out of those games a year ago. Miami is on the road Sunday and Monday, and if Wade does return Sunday, it will be interesting to see if he plays Monday as well. Obviously if he is active, he has to be in your fantasy lineup.
Roy Hibbert was a game-time decision Saturday but missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained ankle. Hibbert has actually been dropped in a few leagues, but he needs to be picked up immediately. His points, rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and free thrown percentage are all up from a season ago. Hibbert has also avoided the foul trouble that has plagued him at times. He should return soon, even if he misses Indiana’s next game Tuesday.
George Hill, it was revealed yesterday, has been dealing with a quad tear in addition to the knee injury that has kept him from making his season debut. Hill is still expected back in about two weeks. He will be a must-add at that time, though Hill is worth stashing now if you have a bench spot to spare.
By the time Hill returns, we should be about a year away from Star Wars: Episode VII’s December 18, 2015 release date. While you may not agree with my assessment of the trailer, there is one thing we can all agree on: Episode VII will almost certainly be better than Episode I.