The waiver wire is alive!
by Charles Peach / @Charles_Peach
I always love the trade deadline because it revives the waiver wire. But damn, I never expected this. By my count, 20 of the 30 teams made a trade in the last week. That leaves a lot of stuff to cover, let’s get to it:
PICK THEM UP
Kris Humphries – No more Derrick Favors and Troy Murphy in New Jersey, so no reason for Hump not to be the primary power forward. I expect him to flirt with a double-double average throughout the remainder of the year. In 27 games as a starter this season he’s averaged 8.5 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks.
Kirk Hinrich – His value goes way north with this trade. He’s a very handy fantasy player who contributes threes, assists, and steals at a solid rate. On the other side of that trade, Mike Bibby looks primed to fade into oblivion with the Wizards.
Jason Thompson – Carl Landry was dealt to the Hornets so Thompson has one less guy to fight for playing time. DeMarcus Cousins and Samuel Dalembert are his other competitors but Paul Westphal has been playing one of those guys at center along with Thompson at power forward. He clearly performs well when given a chance. Now that the opportunity is present, I think you can plan to see JT on the floor for about 30 minutes a night.
Gerald Henderson – In Charlotte, it’s on to the next Gerald. Gerald Wallace is gone, so that leaves a void for Henderson to help fill. Even with Wallace around, Henderson has been stepping up lately averaging 18.3 points and five rebounds in his last three. He did that coming off of the bench, playing about 27 minutes per game. I would imagine that Henderson would jump into the starting lineup as shooting guard, sliding Stephen Jackson to small forward. Henderson might benefit more than any other player involved in a deadline trade, especially after Paul Silas declared that he needs him to play big minutes. The only thing that turns me off about Henderson is his lack of three-point shooting from the guard position.
VALUABLE, BUT NOT URGENT
Troy Murphy – Well, for those of you who have stashed Murphy we will soon find out what kind of return that investment will yield. Once he clears waivers, many rumors have him headed to Boston. Wherever he ends up, you can count on him to play far more than he did with the Nets – which was never. He averaged a double-double in each of the past two seasons, so I’d like to see him end up somewhere that he can come close to recreating some of that magic. Yup, I’m one of those who stashed him.
Carl Landry – I think Carl is worth a pickup in deep leagues. He’ll be playing behind David West, but will probably play in the ballpark of 20-25 minutes per night, which is all he needs to get 12 points and seven rebounds. He’s very reliable and will be a valuable component to the contenders in New Orleans.
Toney Douglas – Mike D’Antoni lauded Douglas for his efforts on Wednesday night. He scored 23 points on 10 of 12 shooting. With a little less competition for minutes, it appears Douglas will be able to get some consistent playing time. He could provide help off of the wire to those lacking in threes, points, and steals.
James Johnson – Traded from Chicago, where he rarely removed his warm-ups, to Toronto, where they started him in his first game with the team. Naturally, the Raptors’ opponent was the Bulls and Johnson finished with nine points, five rebounds, and three blocks. He’s definitely worth watching going forward and could be a nice sleeper to finish the season.
Willie Green – He’s started the last six games for the Hornets and averaged 17.3 points and 1.5 threes, while shooting 54.3 percent from the field. Now that Marcus Thornton is gone, his job is much more stable. He won’t give you much in other categories but is definitely a worthy pickup in many formats.
SEE HOW IT PLAYS OUT
Ty Lawson – The Nuggets decided to hang on to Ray Felton at the deadline, so it looks like the worst possible scenario is happening: a timeshare. This renders both players useless. Lawson started last night but played only 24 minutes, while Felton played 28 minutes coming off the bench. If Lawson is available, I wouldn’t be rushing to pick him up after last night’s game. Felton’s owners should either wait it out if you can afford to, or try to get some value for him in a trade.
Marcus Thornton – Dealt to the Kings, but will have some competition at the shooting guard position. For one, Jermaine Taylor started the last three games (@DAL, @MIA, @ORL) and averaged 17 points on 60 percent field goal shooting. I’d resist Thornton until he gives us a reason to pay attention. Even then, Paul Westphal will probably screw it up somehow.
Chase Budinger / Terrence Williams – One of these guys (probably Budinger) should really capitalize on the departure of Shane Battier. The worst thing that could happen is that they both benefit just a little bit. Chase made a case for himself in the last game, sinking four threes on his way to 30 points. TWill is plenty capable of doing the same. Unfortunately, I have a feeling we’ll see a moderate dose of both players, thus making them pretty useless for our fantasy teams.
Semih Erden – He might have an opportunity to start at center for the Cavs. He’s a bit intriguing because I really haven’t seen enough of him to know what he’s capable of producing. I’m inclined to think it isn’t much though since Danny Ainge dealt him, along with Luke Harangody, to Cleveland for a cup of coffee.
ELSEWHERE ON THE WIRE
Tracy McGrady – The Pistons stayed put at the trade deadline, officially making them my least favorite team (Bucks second, Nuggets third). It looks like Richard Hamilton will continue to rot on the bench and Tayshaun Prince will waste the rest of the season with Detroit instead of helping a contender. T-Mac can’t be ignored, as much as we try to pretend he really isn’t producing. We say, “Oh, he had 16 points and 12 assists? Well, he’ll be injured tomorrow anyway.” Actually, he’s appeared in all of the Pistons’ 59 games this season and has started the last 22. In his last five games he’s averaging 14.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.2 rebounds. He’s also been contributing some steals and threes, while keeping his turnovers fairly low.
Greg Monroe – I think he’s a really good option to finish the season (even though I can’t stand the Pistons right now). He’s been ferocious on the glass, averaging 3.3 offensive rebounds in 25 games as a starter. The Pistons are cooked this season, so I can’t see why they would bury this young, promising forward on the bench – which would be the only thing preventing him from producing.
Tyler Hansbrough – Psycho T is earning himself a shot to be a starter. He put together two strong performances and might be finding his groove. One trade that fell through at the deadline was OJ Mayo for Josh McRoberts and a first-rounder. Even though it didn’t happen, it appears the Pacers were prepared to let Hansbrough take over the starting job. Let’s see if he gets it anyway.
Chris Kaman – DeAndre Jordan’s athleticism has been a joy to watch, but Kaman is the better player. If he was dropped in your league, now would be a smart time to scoop him because he should start again once he’s closer to full strength.
Kenyon Martin – He was terrific against the Celtics last night, finishing with 18 points and 10 rebounds. He’ll be essential to the Nuggets playoff push. In each of the last three seasons, he averaged over one steal and one block per game. It’s hard to find help in defensive statistics on the wire, but KMart could be your guy.
Paul George – Mike Dunleavy is out indefinitely and Brandon Rush is Brandon Rush, so the rookie George should receive considerable minutes to finish the season. I think he’s going to turn into a fine player. His stats may be inconsistent but eventually he’ll be a contributor across the board. Don’t rush out to get him now, but if he takes over the starting job you should strongly consider.
Read the SLAMonline Discussion Rules before posting.