By Dan O’Shea
I must have jinxed Chris Paul last week when I said that hopefully the superstar point guard wouldn’t miss anymore games. Turns out Paul will be out a month or more with a knee injury. He joins other big-name PGs Jameer Nelson and Steve Nash on the bench.
The rash of boo-boos at this point make it a good time to go a-trading for a lesser known PG whose stock is on the rise. How about Stephen Curry, PG/SG, Golden State, who has been playing the last month like he wants Rookie of the Year? Curry is not exactly an assists machine (about five per game), but he pours in about 14.2 points per game, is fourth in the league in steals with 87 as of Tuesday night, and is averaging 1.9 three-pointers per game.
Curry’s current owners may be willing to deal because right around the All-Star break is a good time to sell high on rookies who may begin to flag as the season lengthens past what they were used to in college. Yet, Curry was rarely asked to play more than 40 minutes per game until recently, and I like his second-half prospects.
It’s Week 15 of the NBA season. Do you know where your point guards are?
Fantasy Find of the Week: Andrei Kirilenko, SF/PF, Utah. I can’t get him to make a shot on Wii NBA2K10, but he shot at a .667 clip last week in real life, collecting 14.3 PPG and 7.0 RPG. His steals and blocks – 2.3 and 2.7 per game last week respectively – are showing evidence of his old form. Only 78% owned.
Fantasy Stud of the Week: Kevin Durant, SG/SF, OKC. I’ve been tossing accolades his way all season, but he keeps pushing higher: 34.3 PPG and 8.7 RPG last week on .593 shooting – and he’s not shooting from under the basket. I’m starting his MVP campaign.
Fantasy Dud of the Week: Andre Iguodala, SG/SF, Philadelphia. He may be on the trading block, but he really hasn’t been selling it lately. Last week’s 10.3 PPG and 7.0 RPG is a disappointment for a top 25 pick.
Fantasy Match-up of the Week: Troy Murphy, PF/C, Indiana. Just one of the many players auditioning for possible new teams this week, he gets easy duty against Detroit and Milwaukee. Look out, because he’s been averaging a double-double a game over the last month.
Expert Wire
* Matt Buser at NBA Skinny also takes a look at the problems created by hobbled point guards.
* The most recent Big Board from Brandon Funston lists Gerald Wallace, SF/PF, Charlotte, on the rise.
* ESPN.com has the sad story of KG. Kevin Garnett, PF, Boston, still plays like a multi-talented offensive fulcrum when’s he’s healthy, but his playing time is down. Is he a trade bargain? Maybe, but don’t expect him to find his way back to the top 15.
* Yahoo! reports that another Celtic, Paul Pierce, SG/SF, only has a sprain, and not the broken foot many had feared.
* Here’s something fun from SLAM Online: Danilo Gallinari, SF, NY, who leads the league in three-pointers, may or may not be headed to the three-point shooting contest at the NBA All-Star Game, but said he’s going to win it either way. The NBA needs more cocky Italians.
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Dan O’Shea’s Fantasy Fix appears in this space every Wednesday. Comments welcome. You can also read his about his split sports fan personality at SwingsBothWays, which isn’t about what it sounds like it’s about.
Posted on February 3, 2010