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| Brook Lopez led all players in scoring on Saturday, but the Nets fell for the seventh consecutive time this season. Lopez had 23 points and seven rebounds as the Nets lost to the Celtics by ten. |
Our View: Lopez is getting nearly 18 points and eight boards this season, and he has been one of the only reasons for fans to show up to watch this team. With Devin Harris and Chris Douglas-Roberts out, Lopez has even more pressure on his shoulder to get this team a win.
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| Paul Pierce led the Celtics in scoring on Saturday as Boston defeated the Nets 86-76. Pierce had 16 points to go along with his seven assists in the win. |
Our View: Pierce didn't grab a rebound tonight, which is a bit surprising considering he was averaging 5.6 boards per game entering the contest. Boston didn't play well as a team tonight, but they were still good enough to beat the lowly Nets.
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| Rajon Rondo scored 16 points and added four rebounds and three assists in the Celtics' 86-76 win over the Nets on Saturday. Rondo was 8-for-11 shooting from the field. |
Our View: The Celtics' offense wasn't overly impressive tonight, but they picked a good team to struggle against in the Nets. Rondo's assist totals were a bit low tonight, but with all the offensive power in Boston he should have no problem in that category.
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| Updating a previous report, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting that New Jersey Nets' guard Chris Douglas-Roberts has been diagnosed with the swine flu. CDR missed the team's last game Friday with flu-like symptoms. |
Our View: Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for the Nets, one of the only bright spots on the team this season gets hit with the swine flu. The team has taken all precautionary measures to contain the illness, but it looks like he could miss some time.
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| ESPN Chicago is reporting that Bulls' forward Tyrus Thomas underwent successful sugery on his fracured forearm on Saturday. Thomas will be evaluated again on Tuesday, and he is expected to miss four-to-six weeks. |
Our View: Good news here for Thomas, as everything went as expected with the surgery. He is going to miss some significant time, so look for guys like Taj Gibson and James Johnson to get more opportunities while Thomas is out.
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| Kings' rookie Omri Casspi will play in Saturday night's game despite a minor ankle injury, according to beat writer Sam Amick. |
Our View: His left ankle is a little tender, but Casspi will still go tonight. He may be limited a bit, but he should still be fine to employ in your fantasy lineup.
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| According to the Twitter page of basketball writer Marc Spears, Grizzlies' guard Allen Iverson has taken a leave of absence from the team. The leave is not believed to be basketball related, and his return in uncertain. |
Our View: Iverson has not been waived by the team, so it looks like he has just decided he doesn't want to play in Memphis anymore. This can't be viewed as a surprise, as AI has complained constantly since the season started, but we will have to see what happens with this situation going forward. Needless to say, this isn't good for AI in the fantasy world.
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| SI.com is reporting that Pistons' forward Tayshaun Prince will be out indefinitely due to a small rupture of a disk in his lower back. Prince will continue to receive treatment for the injury. |
Our View: Prince has missed a few games already with the injury, but an MRI confirmed the rupture over the weekend. Fantasy owners need to prepare to be without for the near future, and we will update his status when more info becomes available.
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| Devin Brown is taking over for Morris Peterson as the Hornets' starting shooting guard, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. |
Our View: Brown is a journeyman who will not solve the Hornets' two-guard woes, let alone your fantasy team's.
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| Morris Peterson has lost his job as the Hornets' starting shooting guard, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. |
Our View: He is averaging just 6.5 points per game through six games. Devin Brown will take over. In two incredibly short trips off the bench this season, Brown has put up zero points.
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| Updating an earlier item, Ryan Anderson will likely be out on Sunday when the Magic take on the Thunder, according to the Orlando Sentinel. An MRI has revealed, however, that his ankle injury is not particularly serious. |
Our View: With Rashard Lewis due back from suspension in nine games, Anderson's time as a worthwhile fantasy contributor is quickly running out.
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| Ike Diogu (strained left knee) will be out at least another two weeks, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. |
Our View: He could be out a while longer, however. Diogu doesn't look like he's going to be much of a contributor this season.
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| After missing two games with a back injury, Troy Murphy is doubtful for the Pacers' next game on Wednesday, according to the Indianapolis Star. |
Our View: Murphy is off to a slow, injury-plagued start this season, averaging just 8.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in three games. After appearing in at least 73 games both of the past two seasons, Murphy looks like he could be returning to his injury-ravaged ways.
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| Nate Robinson will likely miss his fourth straight game on Saturday, according to the New York Times. |
Our View: Robinson is averaging just 8.7 points per game this season, and seems to be coming back down to earth as a player. Don't expect another 17-point average from the diminutive guard this season.
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| Quinton Ross (back) will be available on Saturday after sitting out on Wednesday, according to the Dallas Morning News. |
Our View: Ross is just a role player, and has no fantasy value.
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| After missing the first five games of the season as he recovered from offseason ankle surgery, Josh Howard is expected to make his season debut on Saturday, according to the Dallas Morning News. |
Our View: Don't expect any quick miracles from Howard, and you may want to wait a week before starting him in weekly leagues. He'll likely play somewhere around 20 minutes tonight.
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| Rasual Butler has supplanted Al Thornton as the Clippers' starting small forward, according to the Los Angeles Times. |
Our View: Butler averaged a career-best 11.2 points per game for the Hornets a season ago, but he's not much of a fantasy option in a time-share with Thornton. His stay in the starting lineup doesn't seem likely to be a permanent thing, either.
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| Al Thornton is no longer in the Clippers' starting lineup, according to the Los Angeles Times. |
Our View: For now, Rasual Butler is ahead of him on the depth chart at small forward. Thornton believes the reason behind his slow start is that he has been pressing. After averaging 16.8 points per game a season ago, it's hard to imagine he'll be out of the lineup very long.
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| Yahoo! Sports reports that the Lakers and Kobe Bryant are continuing to work on a contract extension. |
Our View: Kobe can opt out of the final year of his deal and became a free agent next summer - quite a good time to be on the open market in case you had not heard. That being said, both sides sound committed to hammering out an extension, and the chances of Kobe leaving the Lakers next summer appear to be somewhere near non-existent.
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| Anthony Johnson missed the Magic's game on Friday for "personal reasons," according to the Orlando Sentinel. |
Our View: There hasn't been any indication that he will be out Sunday. That being said, Johnson is a role player with no fantasy value.
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| After missing three of the Magic's past four games with an ankle injury, Vince Carter will try to play on Sunday, according to the Orlando Sentinel. |
Our View: The Magic are 3-0 in those games, and understandably not anxious to rush back one of their key players too early. If he doesn't play on Sunday, expect him to play on Tuesday.
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| Courtney Lee could miss a few games as he battles a groin injury, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. |
Our View: Lee is averaging 11.8 points per game through six games for his new team this season. He is a very fringe fantasy option.
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| Ryan Anderson is set to undergo an MRI on Saturday morning after severely spraining his ankle on Friday night, according to the Orlando Sentinel. |
Our View: He went down in the third quarter of Orlando's win over the Pistons. The team knows for sure that the ankle is just sprained, and not broken, but the MRI will determine the severity. He almost certainly will not play in the team's next game on Sunday. Anderson is averaging 15 points and five rebounds per game so far this season filling in for the suspended Rashard Lewis.
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| Kobe Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history on Friday to score 24,000 points, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: The player he surpassed, Wilt Chamberlain, was only one of the greatest basketball players of all time - just like Kobe.
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| After missing the Pacers' first four games with a shin injury, Tyler Hansbrough made his NBA debut on Friday, scoring 13 points in just under 14 minutes of play. The Pacers beat the Wizards 102-86. |
Our View: He added five rebounds and one assist. He had zero turnovers. It was a great debut for a player a lot of people are unsure what to expect from in the NBA.
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| Tony Parker is expected to miss a week after injuring his ankle on Friday, according to the San Antonio Express-News. |
Our View: Parker has a history of ankle problems, but says his latest sprain is not serious. He scored just four points in only 12 minutes of play on Friday night. Stay tuned.
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