Like a lot of people, I loved college. I was extremely fortunate to wind up with some awesome roommates and in turn, some incredible friends. I lucked into gigs covering sports for the campus radio station and newspaper and fell in love with both.
My only regret, for a while, was that I hadn’t attended a bigger sports school. Several of my friends were at University of Illinois when the Men’s basketball team was the NCAA Tournament runner up in 2005, and I often thought about how cool it would have been to have attended a Big 10 or ACC school.
Don’t get me wrong, transferring to Illinois State University midway through my freshman year is the best decision I have ever made, and the Missouri Valley Conference is always the most underrated conference in the country, but I always wondered what it would have been like to have attended a real sports powerhouse.
I don’t have to wonder anymore. The Illinois State University Redbirds are in the FCS Championship game Saturday, having gone through an actual postseason tournament and defeating three perennial football powerhouses in the process. They are underdogs against North Dakota State, who probably would have finished third in the Big Ten East this season, but I am still more excited for this game than any since the Blackhawks’ last Stanley Cup run. I wouldn’t trade this Redbirds team for anything. Go Redbirds!
Like my decision to attend ISU, I have also found myself, regretting, at times, many of my fantasy basketball draft picks this season. The truth is, though, I really enjoy the challenge of trying to lift my team out of eighth place in the Fantasy Alarm Champions League. I might be happier if I hadn’t drafted Carmelo Anthony in the first round, but my fantasy team would be boring if I was just riding Stephen Curry’s coattails all season. I much prefer scouring the waiver wire for hidden gems unearthed due to injury, so let us get right to the latest injury news.
LeBron James will likely return Thursday against the Lakers though it is possible he will hold himself out until Friday against the Clippers. J.R. Smith scored 27 points Friday in his second game with Cleveland, and he is a decent fantasy play until LeBron returns.
The reports last week had Carmelo Anthony possibly shutting it down for the season. That is still a possibility, but it does not appear it will happen anytime soon. Carmelo is expected to miss a week as he rests his sore knee. He should be ready to go Thursday in London. Tim Hardaway Jr. is a must-own now that J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert are gone, but he is an even better fantasy play with Anthony out.
Damian Lillard is not expected to miss any time despite suffering a back injury Thursday. Steve Blake and C.J. McCollum would split the point guard duties if Lillard was out. Blake’s upside is limited, while McCollum is unlikely to be consistent enough to be useful for fantasy players.
Kobe Bryant is in danger of becoming the new Dwayne Wade after he sat Friday, contrary to previous reports he would play. At the very least Bryant, is going to sit out one game in back-to-backs, and he could sit even more than that. With Kobe and Wesley Johnson out and Nick Young limited by a knee injury, Jeremy Lin scored 18 points Friday. Lin has at least 10 points in each of his last five games, and at the very least he should be a solid fantasy play when Kobe rests. Wesley Johnson is expected to return Sunday, and while he is okay in every category, he is not good enough at anything to be playable in shallow leagues.
Kawhi Leonard has begun light shooting in the paint, though he is still expected to miss the next two weeks. Manu Ginobili has played well with Leonard out, though Ginobili left Friday’s game with back spasms. Ginobili is droppable when Leonard returns, and considering Ginobili could miss time himself with this latest injury, you can probably go ahead and drop him now.
JaVale McGee is expected to return next week, possibly Wednesday against the Mavericks. Jusuf Nurkic has played well lately, especially following the trade of Timofey Mozgov, but his minutes will go back down when McGee returns. The Nuggets will probably try to move McGee and/or J.J. Hickson, but until they do Kenneth Faried is the only Denver big man who should be started in 12-team leagues.
Danilo Gallinari is targeting a late-January return, though given the nature of his knee injury and his recent injury history, that target should be considered fluid at best. Gallinari is a decent source of threes, and he should play more once Wilson Chandler and/or Aaron Afflalo are traded, but he is nowhere near the player he once was.
Shabazz Muhammad left Friday’s game with a strained stomach and did not play in the fourth quarter. Chase Budinger matched his career high with 28 minutes Friday, and he is worth keeping an eye on if Muhammad is out for any length of time. Muhammad has been great for the last month, and if you own him you have to just stash him on your bench and hope for the best.
Andrew Bogut has eight points and 13 rebounds over his two games since returning from a knee injury. He is averaging 9.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks on the season to go with just 6.9 points. Bogut’s minutes should continue to increase, and he should be just fine eventually, but considering how easy it is to find rebounds and blocks on the waiver wire you might be better off dropping Bogut for somebody with higher upside.
Mike Dunleavy will undergo an MRI Saturday after missing his fourth consecutive game Friday. It seems likely he will miss Saturday’s game as well. There is no real timetable for Dunleavy’s return, though he still figures to beat teammate Doug McDermott back onto the court. McDermott remains a couple of weeks away from returning from his meniscus tear, which is consistent with the initial 6-8 week timetable we were given at the time of the injury. Tony Snell has played more with Dunleavy out, but he has not done enough to warrant fantasy consideration in any sized league.
Shawn Marion did not play Friday due to a hip strain. He should be considered day-to-day going forward, though his days of fantasy relevance are likely numbered with Iman Shumpert due back from a shoulder injury in a few weeks. For now, Marion’s injury means Cavaliers head coach David Blatt is forced to play Mike Miller and James Jones.
The only people crazy enough to start Miller or Jones for fantasy are probably people who share their alma maters. Fortunately, I do not have that problem. The Redbirds do not have any players in the NBA for me to roster even though I know better, the way I did for years with wide receiver Laurent Robinson. I still think Robinson would be a top-30 fantasy receiver if not for his concussion issues, but that is a story for another day.