10 Hot Pickups – Feb. 13th

A group of talented young forwards headlines this week’s list of hot pickups…

These guys are starting to get big minutes, so if you need some help at forward, take a flier on one of these guys. Their best days are still ahead of them, but they’ve all shown flashes of their potential and could be key contributors in the 2nd half.

My pickups for the week also features a veteran starting 5 who have had disappointing seasons thus far, but are starting to turn things around. It looks like they are finally ready to contribute, so give them a look if their strengths suit your team’s needs.

Talented Young Forwards

1. Dorell Wright

D-Wright is finally living up to my preseason hype! He’s averaging 16.2 points, 8.2 boards, 2.6 assists, 1.2 steals, .8 blocks, and .6 threes on 57.7% FG and 100% FT (18-18) shooting over his last 5 games. Those are very impressive all-around numbers!

His minutes are up big time thanks to the absence of Udonis Haslem, but he’s playing so well that he’s GOT to stick in the rotation once Haslem comes back. Miami is starting to run more with Marion in town, and that’s a huge benefit for the high-flying youngster. Wright looks great in transition and is really starting to come into his own.

Miami lost by 1 to Denver on Tuesday night, but Dorell played tight D and blocked Iverson’s shot attempt at the end of regulation to send the game into OT. If you need boards and blocks, pick him up NOW!

2. Hakim Warrick

Warrick started just his 2nd game of the season on Tuesday, and responded with 24 points (10-16 FG), 13 boards, and 1 steal in a big win over the Kings. He may have earned big minutes with that performance, so consider picking him up if Wright’s not available.

In the 43 games that Warrick started last year, he averaged 15 points, 6.5 boards, .7 steals, and .4 blocks per game on 51.5% FG and 76.4% FT shooting. Hakim is shooting over 50% from the field yet again this season, and he can help you out a lot in that category if he keeps getting shots. If Memphis deals Mike Miller, that would mean even more minutes and shot attempts for the former Orangeman. Be ready to pounce if he has another big game on Wednesday.

3. Al Thornton

Al Thornton knows how to score. He’s scored 62 points over his last 3 games, and dropped 33 on Atlanta a couple weeks ago. He’s also played big minutes recently because Tim Thomas is suffering from back spasms.

His value will be limited when Thomas comes back, but what incentive do the Clippers have to play Tim Thomas? If I were them, I would give Thornton big minutes after the All-Star break so he can learn and develop. His shooting %’s (42.6% FG and 70.2% FT) are pretty poor, but he could score a lot of points in the 2nd half. And remember, the Clippers still have a lot of games left to play.

4. Thaddeus Young

I picked up Young last week because I wanted a forward with upside and a cool name like Thaddeus. He’s started the last 6 games for Philly (4 wins) and is averaging 30.8 minutes, 11.8 points, 6.3 boards, and .7 steals per game on 59.6% FG shooting. Not bad when you consider he’s still just 19 years old!

The fact that he’s already cracked the starting lineup is a very good sign for his Post All-Star outlook. The kid has a legit NBA body and should continue to develop as the season goes on. Don’t be surprised if he averages 13 points, 7 boards, and 1 steal on 50% FG shooting in the 2nd half. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but Young looks like a solid backup forward right now.

5. Corey Brewer

The rookie is really struggling to score (5.3 ppg on 35.1% FG shooting), but his fantasy potential is high thanks to his other attributes. Brewer’s lengthy wingspan has enabled him to get 11 steals over his last 6 games, and he blocks a shot every now and then as well.

To understand Brewer’s fantasy potential, just look at his Dec. 6th game at Atlanta. He scored just 6 points on a horrendous 3-15 shooting night, but pulled down 18 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and had 4 steals and 1 block. That’s his upside, but Brewer has been very inconsistent this season.

Still, if you’re in a deep league or keeper league, you might want to pick up Brewer for the 2nd half. Minnesota fell out of the playoff race a long time ago, so they may as well play their youngsters even more going forward. Why have Antoine Walker throw up bricks when Corey Brewer can do the same thing?

Bonus Badass = Brandon Bass (See my Jason Kidd post).

Veteran Starting 5

PG – Jameer Nelson

Nelson was chillin’ in Stan Van Gundy’s doghouse for a long time, but it looks like he’s finally ready to come out and play. He’s started their past 2 games and has scored 39 points to go with 13 assists, altho Orlando lost both games. If you need a PG and Nelson is available, now is the time to pick him back up.

The former St. Joseph’s star has been a major disappointment in recent years. After examining his Post All-Star stats from the ‘05-06 season (29.7 minutes, 15.8 points, 5.6 assists, 1 steal, and 1.1 threes on 50% FG and 80% FT shooting), his future seemed very bright. Now he’s 26 years old and should be entering his prime, but instead his career has digressed. And it’s not like he doesn’t have a dominant big man to pass to!

Maybe things are starting to change for Nelson. He got to the line 10 times on Monday, just the 2nd time he’s done that all season. The Magic need him to step up and be more aggressive if they plan on making noise in the playoffs, so we’re going to see what Jameer is made of in the 2nd half.

SG – Larry Hughes

Speaking of disappointments, Larry Hughes has been just that ever since he signed with the Cavs. He’s hit a new low this season, averaging just 11.6 points on 36.7% FG shooting. If anyone has held onto him the entire season, they deserve a cookie!

But if he’s available, now might be the time to pick him up. Larry was on fire on Monday, scoring 40 points on 12-19 FG, 4-5 3P, and 12-13 FT shooting. He also had 6 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals, in a game reminiscent of when he used to be a fantasy stud in Washington.

It helps that Daniel Gibson has missed 3 games in a row, but the Cavs need Hughes to step up NOW! I suggest picking him up in case he’s ready to start contributing, but don’t expect too much or you’ll end up being disappointed.

SF – James Posey

I picked up Posey a couple of weeks ago, and have been pretty pleased with his recent production. Over his last 5 games, he’s averaging just 4.6 points on 29.6% FG shooting, but check out the rest of his numbers: 4.2 boards, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals, .6 blocks, and 1.4 threes per game!

Posey isn’t going to have many monster games, but he’s a very valuable 6th man for Boston and could be a valuable plugin piece for your fantasy squad as well. I definitely suggest going after the young guys like Dorell Wright first, but if you’re in a deep league and need some threes, Posey’s not a bad choice.

PF – Nenad Krstic

It’s been a long road to recovery from last season’s knee injury, but Nenad Krstic is finally starting to contribute. He followed up a 17 minute, 8 point, 8 rebound performance on Sunday with 10 points and 8 boards in just 15 minutes on Tuesday. If you need a big man and Krstic is still available, I highly suggest grabbing him NOW.

The youngsters Josh Boone and Sean Williams have proven to be solid rebounders and defenders, but the Nets have sorely missed Krstic’s scoring touch. His minutes will remain limited for awhile longer, but he could put up some very nice numbers after the All-Star break.

In case you forgot how well he was playing before the injury last season, here are his ‘06-07 numbers:
32.7 minutes, 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, .4 steals, .9 blocks, 52.6% FG, 71.1% FT.

C – Mark Blount

With Shaq now in Phoenix, Blount has taken over the starting center role and is starting to put up some very nice numbers. Over his last 3 games, he’s averaging 18.3 points, 9.3 boards, .7 steals, and .7 blocks on 53.3% FG shooting.

Blount has never been a very good rebounder, so don’t expect a ton of double-doubles (or many blocks), but he’s proven that he can put the ball in the bucket. He’ll continue to put up very good stats until Udonis Haslem returns, and could still have value after that as well. So if you need a center who can score, grab this Blount!

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