Like every single person who was on Twitter Friday night, I was sad to hear Ernie Banks died. No one seemed as alive and full of energy, and it is hard to believe the light that shone so brightly in Chicago has gone out. It seems like every Chicagoan has an Ernie Banks story. This is mine.
I was about 10 years old attending the PGA Tour’s Western Open at Cog Hill Golf and Country Club with my mom. It was early in the tournament, and we were standing behind the ninth green getting autographs as the golfers who began on the back nine finished their rounds. We could just see Payne Stewart’s knickers in the fairway when a kid about my age came running by telling announcing Ernie Banks was in the clubhouse.
My mom and I faced a dilemma. The clubhouse was very close to the ninth green, but if we left our spot we would certainly miss getting Payne Stewart’s autograph. What if the random kid was wrong? What if Ernie wasn’t there, or he was surrounded by 100 people.
I talked my mom into abandoning our spot and going to the clubhouse, where we found Ernie Banks holding court with about six people. He was smiling and laughing, and everyone got a couple of minutes of one-on-one time with Ernie Banks. He was one of the nicest people I have ever met, not just the nicest celebrity. He made you feel like there was nothing he would rather do than hear about your day.
We tend to put our athletes up on a pedestal in this country. We build them up in our minds to heights they cannot possibly live up to. Ernie Banks was one of the rare athletes who actually was larger than life.
There is no good way to transition from death to fantasy basketball injuries. What I will say is fantasy basketball injuries suck. If you own LaMarcus Aldridge, your entire fantasy season may be shot. At the very least, you have some work to do. I’m going to try to approach those and more significant setbacks with the positive energy Ernie Banks brought to everything he did. It is sad that it took his death to remind me of what a great example he is for how to live life. Now let us get to the injuries.
LaMarcus Aldridge is foregoing the thumb surgery that would keep him out six to eight weeks. The injury is on Aldridge’s non-shooting hand, but we still do not know if he can be effective with the injury. If he does not do well in Saturday’s game we could still have the surgery, in which case it would be Thomas Robinson’s time to shine. In four games as a starter, Robinson is averaging 9.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals.
Dwight Howard left the arena in a walking boot Friday after injuring his ankle in the first quarter against the Suns. Consider him day-to-day for now. Josh Smith could be worth playing if Howard is out for any length of time. Donatas Motiejunas has already been very valuable lately, but he could see a slight bump in value as well.
Nicolas Batum is doubtful for Saturday’s game after aggravating his wrist injury Thursday. Batum’s wrist has bothered him all season, leading to the worst field goal percentage of his career. Batum still gets enough rebounds and assists to be useful for fantasy, but he is droppable at this point. It seems unlikely he is going to get over this wrist injury this season, which means his points and field goal percentage are not getting better.
Chris Kaman, on the other hand, is questionable for Saturday with a leg contusion. His value may go up a bit now that Aldridge is out, but Kaman is unlikely to play much more than the 24.1 minutes per game he is averaging in January, and that limits his fantasy value significantly. He does have at least 13 points in each of the last two games, however.
Jrue Holiday is out two to four weeks with a stress reaction in his right lower-leg. Eric Gordon has been good with Jrue Holiday out, just like I predicted. Gordon has at least 12 points in nine consecutive games, including all six Holiday has missed. He is still available in a lot of shallow leagues. Gordon is averaging 16.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists with Holiday out. He should be started in all formats until Holiday returns.
Joakim Noah returned to the court Friday with six points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in 23 minutes. If you held onto him this long you are probably starting him right away, but it is possible the Bulls will keep his minutes down from the 30.2 he is averaging on the season. They certainly have enough depth up front to manage his minutes in an effort to have him healthy for the playoffs.
Ricky Rubio is dealing with some ligament damage near his toes as well as a high ankle sprain, which explains why he has been out so long. He participated in full contact drills Tuesday and appears to be close to returning. Rubio was averaging 10 assists per game when he went down, a feat only John Wall has accomplished to this point in the season. For that reason, Rubio should be owned in all leagues.
Kevin Martin is hoping to return Sunday from his wrist injury. He too should be owned in all formats, at least until Shabazz Muhammad returns from his abdominal injury. Muhammad could return before the All-Star break, but he is probably out at least another couple of weeks. Muhammad played well before he went down, but we really have no idea what his role will be with Rubio and Martin both healthy. He should be dropped in most leagues.
Iman Shumpert made his debut for Cleveland Friday, playing just 10 minutes off the bench. He should eventually take most of his minutes from Shawn Marion, Mike Miller and Matthew Dellavedova though it is possible he could cut into J.R. Smith’s playing time as well. Shumpert is unplayable for fantasy until he starts playing at least 20 minutes per game, while J.R. Smith’s owners might be wise to bench him until we know for sure he will keep playing 30 minutes per game with Shumpert healthy.
Carmelo Anthony is questionable for Saturday with the same knee issues that have bothered him all season. He played 42 minutes Friday night and 40 on Wednesday, so it would make sense for the Knicks to hold him out Saturday. His fantasy owners should already be used to this. Langston Galloway and Tim Hardaway Jr. have both played well lately, and both should get more shots if Anthony is out. Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani have already been ruled out for Saturday though neither injury is thought to be long term.
Kelly Olynyk has been ruled out at least through the weekend after injuring his ankle Thursday. Brandon Bass had 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals and a block in 35 minutes with Olynyk out Friday. That is likely Bass’s best game of the season, but he should be useful for fantasy for as long as Olynyk is out.
Mirza Teletovic is out for the season with blood clots in his lungs, a condition that could end his career. His injury could pave the way for Mason Plumlee to finally get the playing time he has earned. Plumlee scored 16 points in 25 minutes Thursday and should be picked up in most leagues.
I am holding onto Kobe Bryant until we know for sure he is out for the season. He will be examined again on Monday before he decides if he will shut it down. Who are you picking up that is so good you cannot wait a few more days? Exactly. Wayne Ellington will continue to start with Kobe out. As a starter, this season Ellington is averaging 10.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 made threes. Those are not eye-popping numbers, but they are useful in deeper leagues.
George Hill returned after an 11-game absence to score 13 points in 20 minutes Friday. He is a nice add if he is available, especially after C.J. Miles left Friday’s game with a groin injury. Hill is Indiana’s best backcourt option for fantasy right now, but so many guys have been in and out of the lineup it is hard to know what to expect until we see this group actually play together a bit.
I am extremely fortunate to get to write about fantasy basketball twice a week for FantasyAlarm. When I keep that in mind, navigating through Carmelo Anthony’s various injury issues does not seem quite so bad. Ernie Banks was one of the best at always realized how fortunate he was to play baseball for the Chicago Cubs. I hope I can do a better job of following that example in the future.
Player News
Kristaps Porzingis (illness) said after Wednesday’s Game 2 loss to the Knicks that his current stamina issues may be related to the problem that sidelined him for eight games late in the regular season.
After an illness limited him to 13 first-half minutes in Boston’s series-opening defeat on Monday, Porzingis came off the bench in Game 2. Unfortunately, he could only give the Celtics 14 minutes. Following the game, Porzingis said his current problem may be related to the upper respiratory ailment that sidelined him for eight games late in the regular season. “Probably, probably,” Porzingis said. “I’ve had like ups and downs throughout until this point. Just now, had a big crash. Now, my energy, my everything, hasn’t been good, but who cares? Have to move forward and it will get better from this point.” While Boston’s shot selection was the focus following its two home defeats, Porzingis’ limited availability has also been a factor. He’ll hope to return to full health in time for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon.
Nikola Jokic finished with 17 points (6-of-16 FGs), eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block, two three-pointers and six turnovers in Game 2 against the Thunder on Wednesday.
This was Jokic’s worst performance of the postseason, and it came to an end in the third quarter. He fouled out with 1:17 left in the third, which brought his night to a close after he played 32 minutes. OKC was up 41 points when Jokic fouled out, so his night may have been close to over anyway. Jokic dominated Game 1, and the Thunder adjusted. Denver will need other players to step up if they want to have a chance of winning this series, but Jokic will also need to be better than he was in this game.
Michael Porter Jr. struggled on Wednesday and finished with just eight points (2-of-10 FGs), five rebounds, one steal and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Thunder.
MPJ was slightly better in the second half, as all eight of his points came in the third quarter. However, the game was already out of hand at that point after a terrible first half for both Porter Jr. and the Nuggets. MPJ shot 1-of-8 in Game 1, and they’ll need him to be much better moving forward. The series will now shift back to Denver, and MPJ will look to get back on track during the two home games before the series heads back to Oklahoma City.
Russell Westbrook provided a boost off the bench with 19 points (5-of-11 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs), one rebound, five assists and one three-pointer in a 149-106 loss to the Thunder in Game 2 on Wednesday.
Despite an ugly first half for Denver, Westbrook was productive and entered the break with 15 points. He didn’t add much in the second half, though he sat the entire fourth quarter, still it was enough to lead the Nuggets in scoring. Russ has been awesome over Denver’s last five games, and his continued success will be key to the Nuggets winning this series. Though this game was ugly, they still have homecourt advantage in this series. They’ll look to keep it in Game 3 on Friday.
Chet Holmgren recorded a double-double on Wednesday with 15 points (3-of-8 FGs, 7-of-7 FTs), 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals, two blocks and two three-pointers in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
After struggling in Game 1, Holmgren bounced back and recorded the fourth postseason triple-double of his career, with three of those coming this season. Aside from Game 3 against Memphis, Holmgren has swatted at least two shots in every game during these playoffs, which was a trend that continued in this game despite him only playing 26 minutes. Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein (14/8/5/1/1) will look to continue to limit Nikola Jokic (17 points) in Game 3 on Friday.
Jalen Williams bounced back on Wednesday with 17 points (6-of-11 FGs), four rebounds, seven assists and two blocks in Game 2 against the Nuggets.
Williams was criticized for his poor performance in the Thunder’s Game 1 loss, but he responded well in OKC’s blowout victory. He was on pace for a bigger night, but he only played 26 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter due to the lopsided score. He shot the ball much better after shooting 5-of-20 in Game 1, and he’ll need that success to carry over into Game 3 in Denver on Friday.