It’s that time of year, sports fans. Now that the Super Bowl is past and we’ve answered the question of whether a city as small as Sochi can effectively host an event as large as the Olympics (answer: definitely not), it’s time for some serious basketball coverage. Those who have only been keeping an eye on the NBA as the football season comes to a close can now throw themselves headfirst into analysis of the league, and, of course, their fantasy teams.
Here is who's currently trending incredibly upward or downward…
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
Fantasy Basketball Who's Up Down
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Blake Griffin PF – Los Angeles Clippers
Griffin makes this list mostly due to news that had nothing to do with him; the Clippers announced Saturday that star guard Chris Paul planned on playing in Sunday’s game against the 76ers. This means that Griffin, who has been on an absolute tear on his own lately averaging 33.4 PPG in his last five, can look forward to once again playing with the world’s best point guard (he is, sorry Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook fans).
Paul’s return means that the entire Clippers team is actually trending upward, but Griffin should be particularly assisted (see what I did there?). With Paul out, Griffin has had to assume a starring role, which, despite his recent outstanding play, he probably isn’t quite ready for yet. Paul’s return means that Griffin will get far more easy looks at the basket as teams won’t be able to focus on the big man nearly as much. Look for his field goal percentage to rise from its already stellar 54.9 percent. Smart fantasy players will look to buy low on Griffin (although low here is a relative term) if he and Paul show signs of struggling chemistry-wise in the point guard’s first few games back. They’ll figure it out and when they do Griffin will be even more destructive than he already is.
Arrow Pointing: UP
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Goran Dragic PG – Phoenix
As a Bulls fan, I never thought Dragic would be known as anything other than the victim of the greatest poster of Derrick Rose’s career. This year, however, the Yugoslavian guard has made a name for himself as an elite PG in the West, averaging 20 points and six assists on 51 percent shooting. Lately, Dragic has been on an even greater tear. Over a recent eight-game stretch in which the surprising Suns went 6-2, the 27-year old has put up 25 points per game while hitting 56 percent of his shots.
The quality of competition he’s faced in that stretch seems to indicate that the hot streak is no fluke. Last week, he dropped 28 points on the Pacers' top-ranked defense and led his team to a win. Arguably his best game of the season came on Saturday as he scored 34 points (on a scorching 10-for-13 from the field), dropped 10 dimes and generally outplayed Steph Curry to help the Suns beat the Warriors. As long as running mate Eric Bledsoe is out (almost certainly until after the All-Star Break and possibly longer), Dragic will be counted on to carry the Suns. If you have an opportunity, pick him up-quickly.
Arrow Pointing: UP
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Greg Monroe PF – Detroit
On the surface, Monroe’s numbers aren’t awful; he’s averaged 14.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season. However, as the season has gone on, it has become increasingly clear that the ultra-big Monroe-Josh Smith-Andre Drummond lineup that Detroit had hoped would terrorize a small-ball league has not been effective, especially on the defensive end. The Pistons have begun to split that lineup apart, playing the three together sparingly and Monroe seems to be the odd man out much of the time.
The third-year big man averaged 33.9 minutes per game in November, but that number slipped to 31.9 in December and to just 27.8 in January. Consequently, Monroe’s statistical performance saw some drop-off. His output fell from 14 points and nine boards per game in December to 13 and eight in January. Monroe’s future became even more uncertain Sunday after Detroit fired head coach Maurice Cheeks. I would try to sell high on the former Georgetown standout now. The Pistons seem to value Drummond above him and no fantasy player wants to end up with a guy who doesn’t see much floor time.
Arrow Pointing: DOWN
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Jimmy Butler SG – Chicago
It’s fitting that at least one Bull makes this list since they’ve been impressively able to keep heads above water after trading all-star Luol Deng last month. With Deng out of the picture, Butler has been able to grow as one of the primary scoring options for the depleted Bulls. He’s a bit of a bricklayer, shooting just 37 percent from the field, but he’s a high-usage player who has averaged 43 minutes per game in February. The Marquette product is a box-score stuffer, providing value in multiple categories with 16 points, five rebounds, two steals and two assists per game over his last five. He’s also averaging just 1.2 turnovers over that stretch, as well, a miniscule number for a guard that plays as much as Jimmy Buckets does. He’s close to a must-start and will continue to improve as he further adjusts to a leading role.
Arrow Pointing: UP
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Randy Foye SG – Denver
Foye isn’t on this list not as a result of his buzzer-beating triple against the Clippers last week -- although the shot was spectacular. The former Villanova star makes the cut thanks to his overall recent performance, which has been stellar. Foye has averaged 18 points, five rebounds and four dimes in February. In addition, he’s knocked down nearly four shots from beyond the arc per game in that time, including five in a 25-point performance Saturday against Detroit.
The 30-year old Foye is averaging nearly 37 minutes per game this month, compared to 27 for the season as a whole. With Nate Robinson’s ACL putting him on the shelf for the duration of the year, Andre Miller going AWOL and Ty Lawson’s questionable health, the Nuggets are very thin at guard right now, so Foye should have plenty of opportunities to produce in the near future.
Arrow Pointing: UP
