Catching Up

Weekend Move Update

In an effort to save time and effort, I'm going to look at the moves made since last Thursday in a sole post. We've seen nearly all the players before, so extensive explanations seem unnecessary.

Mongoose replaces Watson with Posey

E-Wat's been supplanted in the OKC starting 5 by up and coming rookie Russell Westbrook (though R-West was apparently benched last night for sucking). He's reached 10 points just once since November 12, and though he's had a few 10 AST games, he shoots terribly, and almost never rebounds or gets to the line. If 'Brook goes into a slump or hits the 'Rookie Wall', E-Wat's worth a look. Posey was playing rather poorly, but his acquisition by Mongoose led to a Sunday explosion - 20/10 with 6 3 pointers. These were season-highs in PTs and REBs, so we won't expect a repeat, but it's good to see.

Judgment: We like the move - Posey's 3/Reb combo is a nice one, and he shoots good Pcts.

Thenopp retires Mobley, acquires Dixon

Cuttino Mobley retired due to a heart condition, and thenopp (finally) dropped him, picking up Juan Dixon, who's starting again since A-Dan was shipped to NO. Dixon has hit double digit points in 3 straight, and has averaged almost 2 3s and 6 AST in that stretch.

Judgment: Obviously the Cat is not going to contribute, and Juan's a nice source of 3s, if he continues to get minutes. Nice move, though a little late in coming.

Les Digits drops Speights for McGee

The Hosens and Les Digits have been seeking out young big men like Tim Gunn on a trip to Norway. Marreese has been particularly inconsistent, with MPG anywhere from 22 to 2 in the his last 5 games. Monitor his PT with a new coach going forward, however - word is REvans and Donyell will not be in the new rotation. He's not producing much in the minutes he gets - he's blocked just 1 shot in December, and has only exceeded 5 rebounds twice.

JaVale is still starting, but disturbingly, he's gotten pulled before playing 10 minutes in 3 of his last 5 games. On the other hand, in the one game in which he played 25+ minutes, he put up a nice 11/6 line with 3 BLK. It should be noted that this was a complete blowout against BOS, which might explain why he was left in the game.

Judgment: We suspect that neither McGee or Speights are ready to contribute at the NBA level, at least consistently, against starters. Les Digits (below) dropped McGee rather quickly, which we think was wise.

Mongoose drops M. Webster for R. Mason JR.

Webster briefly returned from injury, then went down 'indefinitely' with an injury to the same foot that's kept him out all season. His role upon return (4 weeks) is unclear, due to the depth of the Blazers.

Mason, dropped by the Spoonful, has retained his place in the starting lineup, though his role in the offense has diminished slightly with the returns of Manu/T-Park. He's still getting double digit points, and a couple 3s per game.

Judgment: We're thrilled to see Mongoose making moves, and think this is a strong acquisition. Keep an eye on Martell in January, as he's quite talented.

Digits cut McGee, pick up DarKO

After recently cutting Speights for the almost equally unproductive McGee, Les Digits realized that Darko was actually getting more minutes (and stats) than the two of them combined.

Judgment: Excellent work - Les D. was rewarded w/Darko's 13 PT, 5 BLK line on Sunday.

Digits swap Wafer for Kapono

Kapono's moved into the TOR starting lineup, and, while his shot hasn't been dropping, he can be a deadly 3-point force. With T-Mac back (for now), Von Wafer returns to obscurity.

Judgment: We love this move for Les Digits. There's no reason to think Kapono can't hold off Anthony Parker indefinitely.

Odensque acquires Simmons for Quinn

In a flurry of moves, odensque began to cut the dead weight out of their lineup - Chris Quinn was the first to go. B-Simm's been playing well lately (5 straight double digit games, with good 3s and REBs). Quinn, on the other hand, has been marginalized.

Judgment: Great move - B-Simm's a quiet, low-neg multi-cat threat, and may at last be (a) recovered from injury, (b) in shape, (c) comfortable in the NJ offense. Quinn's not useful.

Odensque drops Marshall for Rob Kurz

In an attempt to rectify the misguided Donyell pickup, odensque has thrown his hat in with Nellie's latest 'find', 3-Ballin' white big man Rob Kurz. Is Kurz the next T-Murph?  His 20/7, 3 3, 2 STL, 2 BLK perfromance on Sunday was certainly eye-opening. However, Kurz is subject to Nellie's whims, and Turiaf and B-Wright were sidelined. Donyell is reportedly out of the post-Cheeks rotation in PHI.

Judgment: We don't love Kurz, but he's a decent speculative gamble, especially as losing Donyell is not going to hurt.

Odensque cuts Knight, signs Morrow

Anthony Morrow has benefited some from the injury to C-Maggs (and nagging injuries to Captain Jack and JamsCraw). He's actually gotten 23+ minutes in 5 straight games. His shot hasn't been falling, but he's gotten to double digits in 3 of those games. He doesn't do much except score, but Brevin Knight doesn't do much, period.

Judgment: We like this move - C-Maggs' 'strings are quite a source of trouble, and S-Jax's finger is really giving him shooting trouble. The double dose of Nellie will be hard to handle, but if A-Mor gets starts shooting straight, he can put up points on an odensque team that needs them.

Rasho-mine!

Spoonful drops Posey for Rasho

 

Not much to say here: Posey (recently discussed here), performed as advertised in a week of games for the Spoonful, some 3s, some DREBs, that's about it.

Rasho, just dropped by the Hosens, had a nice game (despite a DISQ) on Sunday (14/4/3) against the Celtics. Despite rumors that Hibbert might get some starts going forward, Rasho is still a decent, if inconsistent, source of REBs, FG%, and maybe even BLK.

Judgment: Just a trade of 3s/STL for some OREBs/AST/BLK, along with some extra PFs and some DISQ-risk. With the decline of Mason and the disappearance of Morrow, competing in 3s seems unlikely, so this kind of fine-tuning to shore up some weaknesses is a wise, if unexciting, move.

Newsflash: Nellie is a gouty sack of poo

Spoonful drop Wright, pick up Posey

Don Nelson's inexplicable and ineffective lineup changes are, of course, extremely frustrating, and that his gimmicky bullshit passes for 'good coaching' explains a lot about why NBA basketball is so terribly unpleasant to watch. We realize he's won 1200 games in his 'illustrious career', and that he 'revolutionized the game' (meaning endless barrages of ill-considered 3 pointers, and lugubrious intentional fouling techniques), but, at least since his heyday in Milwaukee (in the mid 80s), his record is unimpressive, getting to the Conference finals just once in the last twenty years, with an underperforming Dallas team that featured two MVPs (Dirk and Nash) and Finley in his prime. After running his best players out of town (again), and getting 'his ass handed to him' by a terrible Knicks team last night, who knows what crap he'll pull out of his addled brain next? Unfortunately for Warriors fans and Anthony Morrow owners, because he went to the same rehab clinic as Warriors GM Chris Mullin, Nellie's job is apparently quite safe.

 

In any event, as his ego outstrips his will to win, and his gout flares up with more frequency, he continues to squander an abundance of talent in Golden State, and Brandan Wright, previously discussed here, is, unfortunately, one of the many victims, like Chris Webber and Terry Cummings before him.

James Posey was also discussed recently, and his circumstances have not changed much.

Judgment: The Spoonful are hoping that Posey is closer to 11/5 than 9/3, but are not terribly optimistic. Nonetheless, Posey offers more consistent production, if fewer BLK and less upside, than Wright at this point, and we commend the Spoonful for not dropping Carl Landry.

My$hkin acquires 'Can't Jam'

My$hkin drops Posey for C j Miles

James 'HighSocks' Posey, despite his (real NBA) post-season heroics, has never quite been an elite fantasy producer (though he has the skills). In some ways, he's morphing from 'Little Lamar Odom' into 'Big Bruce Bowen' before our eyes. His 9 PTS/2 3's and sterling defensive reputation sure seem Bowen-esque. He gets 4 rebounds (all DREBs), and maybe an assist or steal per game. His 'veteran leadership' and good D does mean that, unlike most bench players, his minutes (28, at present) are consistent. He's oddly unable to garner a starting gig, even with MoPeet hurt and The Juices in the doghouse, and is now playing behind Roswell 'The New Alien' Butler, for some reason. If Posey were still 14/5 with 2 3's, he'd be a clear 'add', but at 9 PPG, he's only super useful in 3s.

C.J. "Can't Jam" Miles (again - not to be confused with the 'sexy filipina model of the same name - especially when seeking pictures of the former) was discussed here; and remains the starting SF in Utah. That may continue, as it seems like J-Sloan is happier having AK-47 relieve at PF. He's continues to be fairly productive - mostly points - it will be interesting to see if his touches decrease when the Jazz get back to full strength (if).

Judgment: When we saw this on the wire, we were frankly a bit surprised, as Posey has an 'all-round contributor' reputation, and Miles has no reputation at all. The numbers, though, are less clear. My$hkin will gain in PTS, FGM, FG%, FTM, AST, but lose in STL, DREB, and 3s. My$hkin is relatively strong in 3s and DREB, so we approve, tentatively.