Saturday NBA Grind

With only four games on tap I wanted to highlight a few players that should be on most rosters today. The catch is that everyone will come with a DraftStreet price tag of under $10,000. To put it simply any of the below players will cost you less than 10% of your total budget. This should free up the necessary cash to activate Blake Griffin, Josh Smith, etc. The most important this to do today is not to miss the obvious “super-value-play” while identifying potential bust players that will be at least 50% owned today. By safely avoiding just one bust play you mind yourself in the money. Yes there is that much margin for error today:

Ekpe Udoh F Golden State $6,291: Mark Jackson has been trying to get the former lottery confidence by giving him unconditional minutes. Odoh has been looked into a 20 minute roll, and he lets him athleticism do the talking on the court. His ability to block shots in bunches could be helpful with a weak(er) player pool today.

Shelden Williams F New Jersey $7,141: Better known for being Candice Parker’s husband (aka the brother-in-law to three point sensation Anthony Parker) the former Dukie has shown some serious life his past two. I bet you failed to notice him going 25+ on back to back games. I think you can safely plug him in and expect 18, which should be more than enough should you carefully select your other seven players.

Marreese Speights F Memphis $9,773: I have been waiting for this for what seems like months (or at least since Zach Randolph went down) and it looks like Speights is finally feeling comfortable with his new zip code since moving from Philly earlier this year. He has the game to be drop a double double any night, but with 46, 28 DraftStreet points in his last two you can do far worse filling the end of your roster.

Wesley Matthews G Portland $9,358: Wes should be on your radar deployed depending on the status of LaMarcus Aldridge. Matthews was actually demoted out of the starting lineup last year, only to be forced back into action three minutes in when LMA rolled his ankle. Matthews is a capable scorer with plenty of upside in a high tempo showdown with the Golden State Warriors.

Nate Robinson G Golden State $8,006: As you may know by now Monta Ellis left last night’s game with a hyperextended knee leaving him very iffy for today. Nate is usually the obvious fill in when Steph Curry goes down (it’s kinda like a formality at this point) but I expect him to be a beneficiary of Monta’s latest injury. Nate was almost a lock for 20 DS points when given 30 minutes so don’t be shy, Nate doesn’t bite.

Klay Thompson G Golden State $7,627: Think nasty Nate with better range and worse distribution. Gun to my head i’ll take the Nate over Klay, but in the event you just can’t afford the extra $400 today Klay is a very serviceable replacement handcuff.

Dorell Wright F Golden State $9,250: Last year’s darling is quickly becoming this years bust of the draft. People fell in love with the 1 block, 1 steal, 2 three per game potential Dorell displayed last year. Because he has struggled this year he is be dropped in most season long leagues, and dismissed in our daily game. Don’t be afraid to use him today, especially with a few shots freed up if Monta Ellis can’t play. Monitor that news closely and expect 25 DS points from DWizzle today.

The center position is actually quite plump considering there are only eight teams playing. The two options at center that I liked for under $10,000 were the Brazilian Tiago Splitter from San Antonio and Zaza Pachullia of the Atlanta Hawks. Tiago would become a must play in the event Tim Duncan can’t play (which is sadly always possible).

Hopefully I’ll see you on the circuit soon.

As always happy grinding!

The Crow