I just picked up this guy Terrence Williams, he is looking sharp and could very well be a starter for the nets this year. Any thoughts on him?
What about Blair. If he can carve minutes in SA F's battle he could be a cheap source of points and rebounds.
Also thinking Pacers Hansbrough, Rockets Andersen...

Look out for Chase budinger in deep leagues. Very little talent in Houston, he could get plenty of minutes.

Brandon Jennings was a high pick

Jonny Flynn should be owned in deep leagues. Even with Sessions, he has to be looked at as the future guard for the Wolves. He will probably be a roller-coaster for the early part of the year.

James Johnson

I'm personally keeping an eye on DeMar DeRozan. He should get his minutes like many of the favorite rookies. If he can somehow excel early, he could grab the majority of the SG minutes in Toronto over Belinelli.

I like Terrence Williams. However, NJ is a mess. if Williams can somehow emerge from the pack...

I think my top 3 rookies are Evans, Flynn and Griffin. With Garcia going down, Evans should play 3 positions, insuring starters minutes. That said, of the 3, he is not only the most athletic, but also the most unpolished. He needs to learn a perimeter game. He won't be able to live around the basket and constantly go to the hoop like in college. Still, with a better jumper, 3pt shot and some FT work, he could be a very good one if Kevin Martin ever lets him take a shot.

I doubt he'll get the playing time behind Tyrus, Deng, Hinrich, Salmons..

Possible value in deeper leagues. There isnt really a clear cut back up at SF and PF positions in Chicago. Johnson could secure 20-25 mins backing up the three and PF position. Chicago as a team doesn't really have too much depth.

If RJ gets injured - DeJuan Blair.

How come no one is talking about Blair? He is putting up some serious numbers in preseason, and the Spurs got an excellent pick so late in the draft. In addition, the numbers he is putting up are coming with under 24 mins of playing team each game. I'd say he has a possibility of playing that much during the regular season and securing some solid numbers. In the event of an injury, he would produce very well. Someone needs to create a thread for this guy, it's ridiculous - I would have expected a thread after he dropped 20 and 19 in the first preseason game...

The guy is playing behind Duncan. I know Duncan is getting up there in age but he's still pretty much in his prime.

they still have that drew gooden character dont they

edit: they do not

Yeah, but Blair can play SF/PF. Papovic already stated he'd limit Duncan's minutes this year. So, if Blair gets 25mins/g he can still be very effective, as proven through his preseason play. However, with a greater opportunity, say an injury or change in rotation, and he was able to obtain about 30mins/g+, he could be a very solid player. I know it's all theory, and it is still preseason, but the stats Blair has put up thus far can't be overlooked.

SF? Seeing him try to guard these nba SF's will not be a pretty sight.
There's a possibility of moving Duncan to Center and Blair to PF when McDyesse is injured.

Blair is not going to play small forward. What NBA SF could he possible guard? He could be a valuable streamer if Pop lets you know what nights Duncan is going to sit. Blair's minutes will be backing up at PF or when SA goes with Duncan at Center. Remember this is a Popovich team and Pop hasn't traditionally given rookies much time.

can't ignore Blair's monster numbers so far. But Pop doesn't seem like the kind of guy that gives rookies tons of minutes.

However, Duncan is always limited in Minutes and there isn't much backing up Mcdyess. So I could see Blair getting 25 per night.

i might be the only one who has faith in Tyler Hansbrough.
sure, he's injured right now. and he's got Troy Murphy ahead of him. and Hibbert seems to be playing well in preseason.
but i predict that Hibbert will be to inconsistent, and Murphy will play the Center spot, while Hansbrough plays PF.

Tyreke Evans! woot! woot!

Nobody on Harden??

One hell of a line from him. Against a full strength Lakers team no less. I'll be keeping my eye on him.

Sorry - I meant semi-full strength Lakers team

yeah, but it's just a preseason game. i wouldn't read into it too much. but it is nice to see from him that he is capable of producing a line like that even if it is just a preseason game. it shows that his potential is there.

when I drafted him a few days ago in my league(in the 11th round), the main factors i considered was that he was already rumored to be the starting Point Guard for the Kings, over Beno Udrih. i know how disappointing Beno was last year for the team, i'm not surprised that the Kings have decided to give up on Beno.
Plus the Kings used their 4th pick in the draft to get this guy(Tyreke Evans), -the first PG selected in the draft- so he must have some talent, and the Kings are very high on him being a star player for their team for years to come.
It's gonna be interesting watching him this season.

I've been wondering the same thing. Despite being drafted 3rd(I think), I never hear anyone talking about him.

I would think he has the starting SG job in OKC. Or will it be Sefolosha?

Any fans of Harden--any projections for him?

How about Marcus Thornton for a rookie sleeper. Should get plenty of immediate opportunity considering he's competing with people like Devon Brown and Morris Peterson for minutes.

"The Hornets’ draft-day trade that brought former LSU star Marcus Thornton back to his home state is looking pretty good.

Thornton scored 19 points, fearlessly driving into the paint to create shots, and New Orleans beat the Indiana Pacers 108-96 in a preseason game Saturday night.

“I’m not scared of anybody. They’re either going to block it or put me to the ground,” Thornton said. “I’m just trying to bring the energy to the team.”

“I am really pleased with how he has been playing,” Hornets coach Byron Scott said. “The good thing about Thornton is that once he realizes he makes a mistake, he fixes it right away. He’s doing a good job so far.”

He did exactly that in Duncan's and Parker's first seasons in San Antonio

Pop has already said that blair will get decent burn. who knows what that means, but i'm guessing 12 mins a night minimum. he's going to want to give duncan as much rest as possible so they're ready for the playoffs. budinger is another good player to look into. and super long shot, but jordan hill.

I think Toney Douglas will be a big time rookie sleeper for the Knicks. Dude was very legit in college and I think he'll flourish under D'Antoni's system. Deep leaguers take note, stash Douglas right now and just wait for him get some PT.

Other sleepers:
Earl Clark: Love his skillset and diverse stat potential (3s, boards, blocks) playing for a team, the Suns, that doesn't stress most of the things rookies are horrible at: Playing NBA caliber D, halfcourt offensive sets, etc. He may start off the year riding pine, but I think he'll have some nice value by the All-Star Break. He's just a far, far more talented player than Jared Dudley or Louis Amundson or any of the other garbage PHX is thinking about bringing off the bench.

Chase Budinger: I feel like Budinger could be a pleasant surprise or ride pine all season, nothing in between. On the plus side, the Rockets are thin and the opportunity will be there. He can hit threes, he has tremendous athletic ability, but his D is beyond bad. That's the one reason I think Adelman might keep him chilling on the bench quite a bit. But if he doesn't, Bud is definitely an NBA caliber talent in a lot of areas.

Jon Brockman/Omri Casspi: Who, the casual basketball fan asks. Let me explain. The Sacramento Kings are a train wreck of a team that also has stunningly thin front court depth. Because they have no depth and will be out of it within 20 games, there will be incentive to play these two rooks. Someone has to play when Thompson and Hawes take a breather, right? Casspi is a big man with a guard's skill set who will work his way into the rotation eventually and Brockman is an undersized bruiser who, mark it down, will be a better pro than Tyler Hansbrough. Don't count on anything spectacular, but as far as rookie sleepers who will simply provide solid value as the season goes on, I think these two fit the bill.

Thorton is a very interesting rookie. I wouldn't be surprise if he ends up starting at some point and put up good numbers. If you are in a deep league, you might want to keep an eye out for him.

Tyreke Evans looks like the man in SAC. He's gonna be amazing.

are you watching this game live? or just going by the boxscore? just wondering..i have him and haven't seen him play a game yet..wondering what i really have here.

yeah..i'd like to know how he's really playing..i'm watching the box score too and he looks like he's going off... i took a flyer on him and the box scores make me feel like like i stole him with my last pick against the starting lineup of phoenix (not like they're playing their benchwarmers either)!!!

DeJuan Blair continues to be impressive for San Antonio Spurs. He will definitely be a starter in the future. He should be able to get decent minutes behind McDyess and Duncan. It's tough not to pick him up and it's more difficult considering that I have McDyess.

Gerald Henderson. Raja Bell has a torn wrist ligament, may need surgery, and is 33. The Bobcats can only play Felton and Augustin together for so long, and it leaves them easily exploitable defensively.

David Andersen. While Landry will certainly get PT, the Rockets will still need Andersen's height at times defensively, and his midrange shooting touch may fill Yao's shoes better than the more inside-oriented games of Landry, Hayes, Dorsey, etc.




I think he should start. He's certainly the highest Thornton on my draft board, though that's not saying much.

I like Henderson, but I think Flip Murray is going to receive most of Bell's minutes at SG.

Felton will slide to the 2 and DJ to the PG position. That trend was established last year when Bell missed significant time with that groin injury....

Bell missed 5 games from 12/27/08 - 1/9/09. Matt Carroll started all 5 at SG, with Felton at PG and Augustin on the bench. The problem was that Matt Carroll stunk.

Bell missed 3 games from 2/6/09 - 2/17/09. Felton and Augustin started in the backcourt. Note: by that time Carroll had been traded to Dallas, and CHA's backup SG was Cartier Martin.

Bell missed 6 games from 4/3/09 - 4/15/09. Martin started 1, Radmanovic started 2 (at forward, with Wallace sliding to SG), and Augustin started the final 3.

The Bobcats were reluctant to go with the Felton-Augustin backcourt, it was pretty much done out of necessity. Nothing against Martin or Carroll, but they're both undrafted D-Leaguers - Martin in fact was added following an injury to Wallace, he's naturally a Rasual Butler-esque SF. Charlotte invested a lottery pick in Henderson.


Flip has the same problem Felton does but to a lesser extent, in that he's undersized when defending SGs. More importantly, he's currently injured with "the beginning of a stress fracture", whatever that means.


Actually, this seems like a perfect time for CHA to inquire as to the services of one Rip Hamilton, but that's another topic.

i went to the suns game lastnight and saw him play. he is pretty tough, and looks good. he was constantly trying to post nash up. his shot is a little funky tho. i think he should have a pretty solid year, considering who his competition for minutes is

No one has mentioned either of these two:

Jeff Teague: He has been having a great preseason for the Hawks and should be the backup for Mike Bibby. He really should be the point guard, but Joe Johnson's back-up is Jamal Crawford. Depending on his playtime, if any, he should get decent amount of assists, points, a few treys and a steal. That's what I'm hoping for in my deep league.

Taj Gibson: He is also having a great preseason. Looks like a solid defender, so should be a good source of rebounds, fg%, and blocks if he gets any playing time. I hope he becomes the backup to Tyrus Thomas. James Johnson is another one on the same team to be looked at, but the backcourt is already crowded as it is.

And yea.. preseason is preseason.

Jennings - seems like he won the battle for starting PG in Milwalkee

yeah i found this on youtube..its funky but it seems to work for him...everything looks funky till the release though..very nice snap of the wrist and release..nice looking touch..just takes FOREVER to get it off..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaptU2Ezh2g

Yowzaa, kid is a terrible FT shooter. That fact somehow escaped me.

He was in very early foul trouble (I believe 2 in 2 minutes) but ended up with a line of:

11 points (4/8 FG, 2/2 FT), 5 rebounds, 1 3PT, and 1 assist in 19 minutes.

Kinda surprised there's been no mention of DeJuan Blair tonight.

True - and Terrence Williams. Also double doubled off the bench. 31 mins, 15 & 10 (5 TOs though). Still....

But onley because CDR was in Foul Trouble nearly the full 4th Quarter CDR was on the Field and Williams on the bench. Many minutes that Williams got sould have been for CDR i guess.

Tyrus has the flu, so Gibson might get the start tonight. I've very interested to see what Gibson can do w/ starter minutes.

You and me both. Definitely a situation to keep an eye on.

i read earlier that Gibson is starting regardless. Ty's "flu" has him coming of the bench as a best case scenario. according to the article i read, the "flu" might be hard feelings stemming from not getting an extension and Del Negro benching him during crunch-time.

if you want Gibson, now is the time to scoop him.

Well so much for that. I guess I overlooked the basketball juggernaut that is Stephen Graham (?!).