 ↑ Kendrick Perkins, C – Boston Celtics
Big Perk is back and manning the middle for the Celtics once again. After missing the first half of the season, Perkins has finally returned from his ACL injury. In the first eight games since his return, he has seen his minutes steadily increase to a high of 35 against Charlotte on Feb. 7th.
It took him a total of five games, but Perkins has once again cemented his status as the starter at center for the Celtics. He’s already put up double-digit rebounding totals in three games since his return. And, while Perkins is not known for his offensive prowess, he’s able drop a dozen or so points on any given night. Last season Perkins averages 10.1 PPG in 78 games.
In the ever-shallow pool of available centers, Perkins surely can hold his own. He will contribute in field goal percentage, averaging more than 60 percent twice in his career. Since his return, Perkins is shooting 58.3 percent from the field. And while it’s only eight games into his ’11 season, he is averaging a career-high 8.4 rebounds per game.
With the aging and oft-injured Shaq as the only other capable big man in Beantown, Perkins is sure to receive the lion’s share of playing time at center going forward. Currently, Perkins is owned in about half of all CBS leagues so jump on him now!
↑ Luis Scola, PF – Houston Rockets
Here’s another NBA big man in the spotlight…one who has come up HUGE this season for the Rockets. In what can be deemed a relative bargain by today’s NBA contract standards, Scola is more than earning his $7.75 million this season.
The Argentine has quietly put together a monster season averaging 19.4 PPG, 8.4 rebounds per game along with 2.4 assists and shooting 50 percent from the field. He’s redefining what it means to be a consistent scorer on a nightly basis with double-digit totals in all but two of his team’s games this season.
And speaking of consistency, Scola played 82 games in each of his first three seasons for the Rockets, and is on pace to hit that mark once again. Along with Kevin Martin, he’s kept the Rockets afloat in the post-Yao era which arrived earlier than most expected in Houston.
↓ O.J. Mayo, SG – Memphis Grizzlies
Where has the juice gone from Mayo’s game?? It’s been a rough ride in his third season for the former third overall pick of the Timberwolves. After a stellar couple of seasons, Mayo’s shooting has regressed.
O.J. averaged 18.5 PPG in ‘08-’09 and 17.5 PPG last season. This season, Mayo has seen his scoring average drop by more than five points. In addition, his assists and rebounds are down as is his FG, FT, and 3-PT percentage. Overall, it’s fair to say that it’s been a crummy season for Mayo.
And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Mayo earned himself a ten game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance – dehydroepiandrosterone (a.k.a DHEA). Of course Mayo didn’t knowingly ingest this banned substance. He has a story, claiming claims it came from an energy drink he purchased at a gas station. Regardless, the end result is the same; he’s gone for ten games.
At this point, Mayo has earned a spot on the fantasy pine while riding out his suspension. He’s currently still owned in 76 percent of CBS leagues as owners don’t seem to be in a rush to give up on Mayo, anxiously awaiting a return to prominence. It doesn’t seem likely to happen this season, however, so it may be time to cut your losses.
 This edition of the Stock Watch’s Goat Award goes out to the Brazilian star Tiago Splitter.
In a much ballyhooed arrival from the Euroleague in the offseason, Splitter was thought to be one of the biggest additions by any team in the NBA. It hasn’t exactly worked out as planned for the Spurs and Splitter.
Originally, Splitter was drafted by the Spurs with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2007 draft. He promptly re-upped with Saski Baskonia of the Spanish ACB League on a two-year deal. This contract allowed him to earn eight times more than the NBA rookie scale salary cap would have allowed (makes sense).
After he finished off his 2010 campaign in Spain, Splitter agreed to three year deal worth $11 million to finally come stateside.
His season got off to a rocky start earning the dreaded “DNP - Coach’s Decision” four times in his team’s first 11 games. It hasn’t gotten much better since then as Splitter has racked up 11 DNP’s on the season. Amazingly, playing on a team with a 6’ 7” starting center, the 6’ 11” Splitter cannot seem to find the court.
Tiago has only five games of double-digit points on the season, with his best game coming on Feb. 4th – 16 points and nine rebounds on 27 minutes played while filling in for the injured Matt Bonner. His season averages are currently at 4.1 PPG and 2.6 rebounds.
He’s currently owned in only 10 percent of CBS leagues and actually being started in 2 percent of those. Tiago Splitter has been a non-factor for the Spurs and in fantasy-land. But hey, it’s hard to complain when the Spurs are sitting pretty in first place with a 42-8 record, best in the league.
Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Basketball Advice, Fantasy Basketball, 2010, NBA, Stock Watch, Rosti Satanovsky, Kendrick Perkins, Boston Celtics, O.J. Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies, Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs, Luis Scola, Houston Rockets
 ↑ Ramon Sessions, PG – Cleveland Cavaliers
In an otherwise lost season for the Cavs, Ramon Sessions is seemingly one of the only bright spots (besides a slightly above average Antawn Jamison). In the midst of a 17 game losing streak, Sessions has stepped in as the starter and is embracing the role.
The former second round pick of the Heat (26th in ’07) has only 11 starts to his credit on the season, but has performed admirably considering the circumstances. As a starter, Sessions has a 12.7 PPG average and 4.4 assists…but wait, it gets better.
In the past six games, Coach Scott has rewarded Sessions with almost 34 minutes per game (besides the 11 minute aberration against Chicago on 1/22). And Sessions is rewarding the Cavs by averaging 19 PPG, 6.6 assists and almost four rebounds in those games.
For the month of January, Sessions averages currently sit at 14 PPG, 5.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds. He has scored in double digits in all but two of his team’s last 14 games. It’s hard to ask for more from an eight-win team at this stage of the game.
Sessions’ ownership rate has taken a remarkable leap to 55 percent and is projected to jump to 74 percent by next week. As impressive as this may be, owners are still hesitant to plug him into their starting lineup, with only 31 percent doing so. While there isn’t much hope for the Cavs this season, Sessions is turning heads and proving to be a vital part of the post-Lebron rebuilding era in Cleveland.
 ↑ Mario Chalmers, PG – Miami Heat
Let’s move on from the point guard who would have been dishing assists to LeBron to the one who actually will, at least going forward. Mario Chalmers has also been anointed as the starting point guard of his NBA squad.
Chalmers has actually been on the receiving end of a decent amount of playing time of late, so this announcement by the Heat is hardly more than a formality. In fact, since the beginning of December, Chalmers has averaged at least 26 minutes per game.
In his two official starts this season, Chalmers has a 12.0 PPG average along with 6.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds. Furthermore, in the Heat’s last five games, Chalmers has averaged 11.2 PPG, 3.8 assists, 3.2 rebounds. In addition, Super Mario has been contributing almost three 3-pointers made per game on 41 percent shooting from downtown.
While Chalmers will not light it up on most nights, he can be a decent contributor across multiple categories at any given time. He’s only owned in 9 percent of CBS leagues with a projected jump to 23 percent next week. That’s still low enough that he will fly under the radar. However, a few stand-out performances and he will surely get noticed quick, especially playing alongside D-Wade, C-Bosh and LeBron.
 ↓ Richard Jefferson, SF – San Antonio Spurs
It’s difficult to find fault with a first place team playing .844-ball and leading the NBA with 38 wins. But, if we had to look somewhere, it’s easy to point to Richard Jefferson and his disappointing play for the Spurs.
In a head-scratcher of a move, San Antonio committed $28 million over three years with an $11 million player option in ’13-’14 to Jefferson. This was his reward for averaging 12.3 PPG (with no significant contribution in any other category) in his first full season for the Spurs .
In return, Jefferson is averaging 12.2 PPG, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists this season. And, there doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel as his numbers continue to slip. R.J. is averaging 8.6 PPG in January on 42 percent shooting. He’s put up eight games of single-digit scoring and even mixed in a goose egg against his old team, Milwaukee on 1/12.
I ask you this: Why pay a shooting forward a large chunk of change if he can’t shoot or score?? He’s still owned in 71 percent of CBS leagues but starting in only 24 percent. It’s difficult to imagine that he will have a renaissance this season after seeing him for the last one+ season in San Antonio. Sorry R.J., but you don’t belong on a fantasy roster any longer.
 And the Goat Award goes to...
This edition of the Stock Watch’s Goat Award goes out to the Detroit Pistons, as a whole. This once proud organization, which beat the Lakers convincingly in five games in 2004 to win the NBA championship has officially hit rock bottom.
After coming off a 27-win season, the Pistons currently sit at 17-28, only better than the Cavs in the Central Division. Their two high-priced free agent imports – Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva (signed to a total of $90 million in ’09) are combining for a whopping 24 PPG. The Pistons also added Chris Wilcox and brought back Ben Wallace for another tour of duty in ’09 (more money well spent). In addition, their ’09 first round pick Austin Daye is averaging 6.6 PPG on the season.
There have been persistent trade rumors surrounding Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton, but neither has been moved during this partial rebuilding process.
Management has allowed head coach John Kuester to completely obliterate Hamilton’s value by DNP’ing him for eight straight games. At least Prince has remained in the starting lineup and is averaging nearly 15 PPG, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
The time has come to completely tear the roster apart, trade whatever valuable pieces that remain, and completely rebuild around Greg Monroe and Rodney Stuckey. This is seemingly the only way to win back the fans in Detroit and to restore the franchise to its glory days. Mr. Dumars, I urge you to do this sooner than later.
Written by Rosti Satanovsky exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter@TheSportsFariah
Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Basketball Advice, Fantasy Basketball, 2010, NBA, Stock Watch, Ramon Sessions, Mario Chalmers, Richard Jefferson, Detroit Pistons
 ↑ Greg Monroe, C – Detroit Pistons
This week the spotlight shines bright on a rookie center playing for the lowly Detroit Pistons. Monroe was taking a back seat to the 36-year-old Ben Wallace and his 3.2 points/6.5 rebounds per game average. That is, until Big Ben went down with an ankle injury.
Monroe promptly stepped in and has been taking advantage of the extra playing time with Wallace’s absence. He posted four straight double-doubles highlighted by his 16 point/13 rebound performance versus the Sixers last Saturday.
His FG percentage has been on the rise since December as well as his minutes played. In fact, he’s averaging a season-high 33 minutes/game in January after seeing increases each of the past two months. He’s also almost doubled his scoring and rebounding averages from December to January to a season high of 11.3 PPG and 9.1 rebounds/game this month.
The ex-Hoya had a polished game for a big man which is a major reason Detroit made him their seventh overall pick. After a rocky start to the season, Mr. Monroe is starting to pay dividends for the Pistons. He’s proving to be an integral part of the Pistons upcoming youth movement and rebuilding process.
Last week Monroe was owned in only 20 percent of CBS leagues, but he tops the list of the most added players and his ownership has already risen to 51 percent. By next week, he is projected to be owned by 77 percent. So, strike while the iron is hot because it appears that young Greg Monroe has arrived.
 ↑ Ryan Anderson, PF – Orlando Magic
Ryan Anderson is making it easy for the Magic to forget about Rashard Lewis and his bloated contract which was banished to Washington last month. Since that point, Anderson has become an integral part of Stan Van Gundy’s front court rotation.
In Anderson’s last twelve games, he’s averaged over 20 minutes and has scored in double digits in all but two of them. In the new year, he’s averaging 13 PPG along with 6 rebounds. What’s even more impressive is that he’s shooting 44 percent from three-point range while allowing the Magic to spread the court…similar to how Lewis used to, but for a lot less money. Anderson has also mixed in a handful of assists, steals and blocks making him a contributor across multiple fantasy categories on any given night.
The former first round pick of the New Jersey Nets was sent packing to Orlando in the Vince Carter dump, err trade in ‘09. Ironically, since that trade, the Nets have searched high and low for a quality PF. Meanwhile, Orlando was thought to have a glut of front court players, until their recent roster makeover when they traded Marcin Gortat and Lewis, leaving them with little front-court depth.
Anderson has quietly been making his case to wrestle the starting PF spot from Brandon Bass. And at this point, even though Bass still is the starter, the minutes are being split almost 50-50. It makes sense to jump on the Anderson bandwagon now while he’s owned in only 15 percent of CBS leagues.
 ↓ Jonny Flynn, PG – Minnesota Timberwolves
To say that Jonny Flynn has struggled in his sophomore season would be a tremendous understatement of his on-court performance to date. After missing the first 24 games of the season, he has returned to very little fanfare in Minnesota.
Jonny has played in only 16 games and eclipsed twenty minutes a whopping two times. He’s scored in single-digits in every game except for two. In January he has scored 23 points TOTAL for a 3.3 PPG average on 23.5 percent shooting. There really are no significant contributions from Flynn to be found, fantasy or reality.
The 2009 first round pick (6th) is still being shown some respect by fantasy owners with 51 percent holding onto him in CBS leagues. The flipside of that is he’s only being started by 4 percent, for obvious reasons. It’s best to avoid the ugly situation in the land of 10,000 guards.
 ↓ Kenyon Martin, PF – Denver Nuggets
What can be said about Kenyon and the albatross known as his contract which pays him $16 MM in its final year? After a promising start to his career, Martin has been besieged by injuries during his tenure in Denver.
This season, of course has been no different. After missing the first 26 games of the season, K-Mart suited up for only ten of the next 14 games. He’s averaging 5.9 PPG and 4.4 rebounds and playing only 18.4 minutes per game. If you’re looking for any silver lining in his stats, I guess you can point to his 51.9 percent shooting from the field.
It’s very unfortunate when a player is robbed of his athleticism and his career is derailed by injury after injury. But, there is no doubt that Denver’s front office will be very pleased to see Martin ride off into the sunset and clear his contract off the books once the season is over.
 And the Goat Award goes to...
This edition of the Stock Watch’s Goat Award goes out to the Zen Master himself, Phil Jackson. Yes, I know he is the second Laker to receive this prestigious award. But I can promise you, I’m not picking on them just because I’m a Celtics fan.
I’ve followed the career of Mr. Jackson for many years and have seen him amass every one of his championship rings with the Bulls and Lakers. I have nothing but the utmost respect for him as a coach.
However, it seems this year Jackson is coming off as a grumpy old man. He has a certain aura of negativity surrounding him, whether it’s feuding through the media, with Ron Artest or Mark Cuban; or losing games to teams they should beat handily.
They’ve already had two bad losses (Memphis, LAC) sandwiching a seven game winning streak, and that’s just in 2011. For the elite team they’re supposed to still be, they also lost to Milwaukee and Miami at home (by 19 and 16 respectively) and then to San Antonio by 15 in December.
I know, I know, the Lakers are still in first and do have 30-12 record on the season, tied for 3rd best overall in the NBA. It’s just that we’re not seeing the same swagger from Phil Jax and the Lakers we’re used to seeing. Maybe it has to do with him finally being fed up by dealing with the likes of Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum??
Written by Rosti Satanovsky exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter@TheSportsFariah
Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Basketball Advice, Fantasy Basketball, 2010, NBA, Stock Watch, Greg Monroe, Ryan Anderson, Jonny Flynn, Kenyon Martin, Phil Jackson
 ↑ Blake Griffin, PF – LAC
Well it’s another week and another Clippers player is in the spotlight. While it may be obvious to most fans and insiders that Mr. Griffin is off to a superb start to his career, it’s important to understand the merits of his accomplishments.
Griffin is averaging a double-double on the season with 21.8 PPG and 12.6 rebounds. He’s tallied 23 consecutive double-doubles. In addition, Blake is mixing in 3.3 assists and is shooting 51.8 percent from the field. He’s even had a block in five straight games.
Furthermore, Griffin has scored 20+ points in 23 games and 30+ in four games on the season. And, the last time he failed to reach at least 10 rebounds in a game was way back on Nov. 18 when he had eight against Indiana. As if that’s not impressive enough, Griffin has grabbed 14+ rebounds in 16 of his team’s games this season.
Need more proof of Griffin’s greatness? Griffin ranks in the top 10 in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage (12.5), defensive rebound percentage (27.4) and total rebound percentage (20). This translates to one out of every five rebounds by the Clippers winding up in his hands. Impressed yet? If you’re looking for a flaw in his game, look no further than his 60 percent shooting from the charity stripe. Other than that, Blake Griffin certainly is taking the NBA by storm.
 ↑ DeMar DeRozan, SG – TOR
Way up north of the border, there’s a second year player who’s starting to make some noise for a down-trodden Raptors franchise. Mr. DeRozan has played some very solid basketball thus far, and especially as of late.
DeDe averaging 23.8 points, 3.67 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game over his last six games. He recently went off for 37 points against Houston (12/31), two nights later he tallied 27 against my beloved Celtics and last night against the Kings racked up another 28. In fact, DeRozan has scored in double-digits in all but two games since the beginning of December.
The former first round pick (9th in 2009) is only being started in 47 percent of CBS leagues. Considering his solid starting spot for the Raptors, his scoring ability and his knack to grab a few boards, DeRozan should be on your radar.
 ↓ Mike Miller, SF – MIA
Miller has recently rejoined the Three Amigos in South Beach, but has yet to get on-track. Since his activation in December, he has two DNP’s and a combined 50 minutes of game action in eight games.
Miller was supposed to be the beneficiary of many open looks from the perimeter with Wade, LeBron and Bosh garnering most of the attention from opposing defenses. However, that hasn’t panned out as of yet.
Coach Spolestra is finding it difficult to get Miller the minutes he needs to get going, and isn’t tempted to mess with the Heat’s successful formula. This would explain the three points TOTAL Miller has scored to date. Until Miller gets some quality court time, he should be nowhere near a fantasy roster.
 ↓ Channing Frye, C – PHO
Frye has suddenly found himself as part of a front-court experiment. Since the trade with Orlando, Gentry has been trying to find the best combination to use in the starting lineup.
Unfortunately for Frye, that combination has not included him in the Suns’ starting lineup for four of the last five games.
In the past six games Frye has totaled 19 field goals for 48 points, averaging a measly 8 points per game in that span. Two nights ago he was reinserted into the starting lineup and played 42 minutes scoring 16 points. However, in the previous five games hadn’t played more than 28 minutes.
It still remains to be seen how exactly Gentry will mix and match his personnel. In the meantime, the Suns have faded very quickly in the West and it may be best to avoid Frye and Co. until things settle down.
 And the Goat Award goes to...
This edition of the Stock Watch’s Goat Award goes out to Masai Ujiri and the entire Denver Nuggets front office. They have fumbled their way through the Carmelo Anthony trade drama and do not seem equipped to deal with the situation.
The most recent proposal being bandied about involves three to four teams, as many as 17 players, and numerous first round draft picks changing hands. However, Denver is still not satisfied by the proposed haul as they look to try and unload Al Harrington’s remaining four years and $28 million (good luck!).
In either event, it’s difficult to understand why Denver hasn’t traded Anthony yet. The Nets seem to be their only logical trade partner regardless of their bluff to deal Anthony to the Knicks instead. And, one must assume that Carmelo had given his blessing to discuss trades with the Nets since every proposal involves him going to Newark.
One thing is for sure, every day they wait to trade him, is a day closer to Anthony walking out of Denver and the Nuggets winding up with zero compensation.
Written by Rosti Satanovsky exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter@TheSportsFariah
Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Basketball Advice, Fantasy Basketball, 2010, NBA, Stock Watch, Blake Griffen, DeMar DeRozan, Mike Miller, Channing Frye, Carmelo Anthony
 ↑ DeAndre Jordan, C – Los Angeles Clippers
L.A.’s “other” team is finally starting to develop some young, noteworthy talent that may move them from the back pages. One of the players in this youth movement is DeAndre Jordan (not to be confused with His Airness).
With only one year of college under his belt (Texas A&M) and one year of professional ball, Jordan is certainly making his mark as the starting center. In his most recent game versus the Jazz, he had seven blocks to go along with 14 points.
For the month of December, Jordan averaged almost 8 PPG/8 rebounds/2 steals on 71.4 percent shooting from the field. He’s only owned in 36 percent of CBS leagues so get on board before it’s too late.
There’s always a dearth of quality big men in the NBA and Jordan is doing a decent job of filling out the statistical categories.
 ↑ Nick Young, SG – Washington Wizards
Mr. Young, in his third year, became the forgotten guard in Washington. Between Agent Zero’s off-court issues and subsequent trade, and the Wiz drafting John Wall, Young was lost in the shuffle until recently.
Wall’s struggles have found him a spot on the bench and Young moved into a starting role after the Arenas trade.
In thirteen December contests, Young has scored in double digits in all but two of them with a high of 30 points twice for a 19.1 PPG average. He can shoot the ‘three’, dish out a few assists and even grab a couple rebounds.
Young may not be a starter for long, but he’s a key contributor in an unstable backcourt for a Washington squad in transition.
 ↓ Hakim Warrick, PF – Phoenix Suns
To say that it’s been a roller coaster of a season for Hakim Warrick would be a gross understatement. Warrick went from being a spark plug off the bench to starter to fantasy irrelevance all in a matter of weeks.
He’s put up a meager 24 points and 10 rebounds TOTAL over the last six games. To put this into perspective, Warrick’s averages in October and November were 10.0 PPG/5.7 rebounds and 13.4 PPG/4.6 rebounds, respectively.
Until Alvin figures out a rotation with his newly acquired players, it’s best to keep away from Warrick.
 ↓ Brendan Haywood, C – Dallas Mavericks
Mr. Haywood is lucky that Mark Cuban doesn’t have him arrested for stealing $40 million. This is the amount of money that Dallas is on the hook for through the ‘14-‘15 season after Haywood re-upped with Big D.
I’m sure everyone can agree that this is a preposterous contract for a backup center, which is what Haywood has become. He’s taken a back seat to Tyson Chandler and has contributed little to nothing in terms of fantasy (or real) value.
He has one game where he posted double-digit points (ten on 10/31 vs. the Clippers) and three games of double-digit rebounds on the season.
His averages sit at 3.8 PPG and 5.0 RPG. At this rate, he has about as much chance of reaching his $10 million ’15 – ’16 team option as Cuban does buying another sports franchise.
 And the Goat Award goes to...
This edition of the Stock Watch’s Goat award goes out to someone you may recognize as a once up-and-coming big man – Mr. Hasheem Thabeet!
You may have forgotten that Thabeet is even in the NBA at this point. The 2009 second overall pick of the Grizzlies was supposed to anchor the middle and be a mainstay in Memphis for years to come. Instead, there are rumblings that the Grizz are ready to move on from this draft debacle. Even if they are able to unload Thabeet, they will not get much of a return on this investment.
Thabeet is averaging 1.3 PPG/3.0 rebounds/1.1 blocks this season. As bad as that may sound, his stats are actually down from his rookie campaign when he averaged 3.1 PPG/3.6 rebounds/1.3 blocks. It’s difficult to imagine that he could have regressed from last season, but that certainly does appear to be the case.
At this point Michael Heisey and Co. are stuck with a wasted top draft pick, something that takes years to recover from.
Good luck in your future travels Mr. Thabeet, as I’m sure there will be quite a few GM’s willing to take on a low-risk 7’ 3” reclamation project.
Written by Rosti Satanovsky exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter@TheSportsFariah Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Basketball Advice, Fantasy Basketball, 2010, NBA, Stock Watch, DeAndre Johnson, Hakim Warrick, Nick Young, Brendan Haywood, Hasheem Thabeet
 Amar'e Stoudemire Amar’e Stoudemire, PF – NYK
Mr. Stoudemire has simply been ‘en fuego’ this season. He has elevated his scoring average to 26.2 PPG, trailing only Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. It was hard to imagine Stoudemire would have this sort of impact on the lowly Knicks franchise. Many questioned whether he could carry the load without Steve Nash by his side, and he’s certainly proved his detractors wrong.
During his impressive ’10-‘11 campaign thus far, Stoudemire has put up extraordinary numbers across the board, with a 53.3 FG%, 9.1 RPG and 2.0 BPG…now that’s Amar’e. So either Raymon Felton is as good of a PG as Nash or Stoudemire is simply the goods. It looks like the Knicks may have finally turned the corner and are ready to move forward with a young supporting cast surrounding Stoudemire.
Andrew Bogut, C – MIL
Is this the same Andrew Bogut who was the first overall pick way back when in 2005? Why yes, it is the one and only Mr. Bogut who is putting together the best season of his career and has been on quite a tear in December. Bogut has posted double-digit points, with a high of 31 in a win against Orlando on the 4th. He’s also posted double-digit rebounding totals in every game this month, with a high of 22 for another Bucks victory (coincidence?), this time against the Rockets.
His season averages currently sit at 14 PPG, 12.3 RPG - good for second amongst NBA centers, and a league-leading three blocks per game. Bogut has been slowly improving every year in the league and has started to blossom into the player the Bucks hoped they had drafted five years ago.
J.J. Hickson, PF – CLE
It was thought that Mr. Hickson would have an expanded role in the Byron Scott post-Lebron era in Cleveland. And it certainly started out that way as Hickson scored in double-digits in eight of his team’s first nine games, with a high of 31 points on Nov. 2nd. However, he was recently replaced in the starting lineup by Antawn Jamison and started to lose valuable playing time. He’s only averaging 7.8 PPG and 3.2 RPG over his last five games and has only twice scored in double-digits in his last fifteen contests.
Hickson is doing some serious damage to his fantasy value and even more damage to the teams who are still carrying him. It’s too early to give up on the raw Hickson, but as long as he’s coming off Cleveland’s bench, he should be on your bench as well.
Evan Turner, SG – PHI
Mr. Turner, where oh where is your game?? I’m sure everyone in NBA-land from coast to coast is wondering the same thing about the No. 2 selection in the 2010 draft. Turner’s minutes and points have dwindled to the point where he’s sunk to fantasy irrelevance. Look no further than the goose egg he’s put up in four of his last nine games, with only one double-digit performance mixed in.
One would assume that a struggling Sixers franchise looking to rebuild would give minutes to the future cornerstone, but that hasn’t been the case. The SG is still owned in 65% of CBS leagues but starting in only 12%, so owners have not give up on him just yet. However, to instill faith in his owners, Turner will need to produce and that hinges directly on Doug Collins.
 Artest the Goat This edition of the Stock Watch’s Goat award goes out to you Mr. Ron Artest. While there are a multitude of reasons you qualify for this distinction, the topper has to be your recent words of infinite wisdom: “I can’t really understand the triangle…” Here’s a bit of career advice – study harder. Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Fisher et al have no issue understanding. Phil Jackson must know a thing or two about basketball considering he has a ring for every finger, even if he had as many fingers as Antonio Alfonseca. Maybe a little after school tutoring from the Zen Master is necessary?
Artest is averaging a robust 7.6 PPG and a less than inspiring 3.2 RPG, by far his career lows. Furthermore, his shooting percentage is an abysmal 37.3 and he’s averaging only 1.9 assists along with 1.6 steals. I challenge anyone to find a reason in support of keeping Artest on their team. At this rate, Artest will be trying out for the NFL much sooner than expected. And for these reasons only, Ron Artest has earned the honorable distinction of being this edition’s goat.Written by Rosti Satanovsky exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter@TheSportsFariah
 Roy Hibbert ↑ Roy Hibbert, C – Indiana Pacers
Mr. Hibbert is putting together quite the rookie campaign thus far. He’s almost averaging a double-double on the season (16.1 PPG and 9.6 REB) along with three assists per game. Hibbert has put up double-digit points in all but three games. He is proving to be a capable NBA big man with a solid all-around game and a nice shooting touch – 48% FG / 80% FT. Seemingly the only thing that can slow Hibbert down is the infamous “sophomore wall”.
↑Derrick Rose, PG – Chicago Bulls
Mr. Rose has simply been lights out throughout the first month of the season. He has picked up the scoring slack while the Bulls eagerly await the debut of their high-priced free agent addition, Carlos Boozer. Rose is second in the league in scoring, 26.6 PPG trailing only wunderkind Kevin Durant by less than one PPG. Rose is also averaging almost five REB/G and 8.2 assists/game. He’s done everything to prove that he’s risen to elite status not only amongst NBA point guards, but all players. When Boozer returns to the lineup, he should open up the court even more for Rose by attracting attention in the low-post.
↑Kevin Love, PF – Minnesota Timberwolves
Gentlemen, Mr. Love has arrived. While he’s still only 22 years old, Love is displaying the front-court prowess of a season veteran and has given T-wolves fans hope of a brighter future. Love is averaging 19.0 PPG and a league-leading 14.9 REB/G. He’s posted eight games of 15+ rebounds including back-to-back games of 22 rebounds. But let’s not forget, Love has skills on offense as well. He’s scored double-digits in all but two games this season and has scored 20+ points in ten of his team’s 17 games thus far on the season. For the lowly T-wolves franchise, things can only get better with Love and Darko anchoring the front line.
 Tyreke Evans ↓ Tyreke Evans, PG - Sacramento Kings
It appears that the myriad of injuries (plantar fasciitis, ankle sprains, mysterious other illness) is taking its toll on the 2009 Rookie of the Year. His shooting is suffering and has gotten to the point that fantasy owners either have to trade or bench Evans. Evans’ FG% is a paltry 40.1, and what’s even uglier is his 20% 3-PT FG% (45.8 and 25.5 respectively in 2009). In his last five games he’s shooting 28.4% from the field and averaging 12.2 PPG. If there’s a silver lining to Evans’ 2010 season, it’s that his assists and rebounds are virtually on the same level as last season.
↓ Lou Williams, G – Philadelphia 76ers
Mr. Williams happens to have fallen into the same class as Mr. Evans. After a solid campaign in 2009 that saw Williams put up a career high 14.0 PPG on 47% shooting from the field, his numbers are down to 11.8 PPG with an atrocious 35.1 FG%. Ironically, both his 3-PT% and FT% are up slightly from last year. However, his rebounding, assists and steals are all down as well which can be a direct result of the decrease in his playing time (29.9 MPG in ’09 and 38 starts versus 22.4 MPG this season and zero starts). Williams is the Sixers 6th man so here’s to hoping he either regains his shooting touch or is traded somewhere he can start.
 Lebron the Goat GOAT OF THE 2010 SEASON:This prestigious mention goes out to none other than Mr. Lebron James. For all the talking, promising, complaining (and bumping) he’s done, the Heat have only a 10-8 record to show for it. In case you’re wondering, the Cavaliers have only three less W’s than the over-hyped Heat.
King’s scoring is down by 6 PPG, which was to be expected, however his FG% is down, along with his 3-PT%, rebounding and assists. The only meaningful statistic that’s higher this year is his turnovers. Therefore, Mr. James, you are presented with my first Goat of the 2010 Season award. Written by Rosti Satanovsky exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter@TheSportsFariah
Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Basketball Advice, Fantasy Basketball, 2010, NBA, Stock Watch, Lebron James, Miami Heat, King James, Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings, Lou Williams, Philadelphia 76ers, Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves, Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls, Roy Hibbert, Indiana Pacers
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