Evil’s Outlook: Week 12

Am I actually suggesting to start Zaza Pachulia this week?

Evil’s Outlook goes around the league and examines which players are hot and cold and which players you should keep an eye on.

Listed first are the # of games played for each team, followed by 5 teams with poor and favorable schedules. After that are my 8 Top Pickups for normal-sized to deep leagues.

Unfortunately, no team-by-team analysis this week.

4 games: CHI, DET, MIA, MIL, NJ, NOR, NY, OKC, PHO, POR, TOR, UTA
3 games: ATL, BOS, CLE, DAL, DEN, IND, LAL, ORL, PHI, SAC, SA, WAS
2 games: CHA, GS, HOU, LAC, MEM, MIN

5 Poor Schedules

1. Memphis Grizzlies (2 games – Cleveland, Utah)
2. Charlotte Bobcats (2 games – @Detroit, Portland)
3. Los Angeles Lakers (3 games – @Houston, @San Antonio, Orlando)
4. Dallas Mavericks (3 games – @Denver, New Orleans, Utah)
5. Indiana Pacers (3 games – @Utah, Detroit, Toronto)

5 Favorable Schedules

1. Utah Jazz (4 games – Indiana, @Oklahoma City, @Memphis, @Dallas)
2. Milwaukee Bucks (4 games – @Washington, Miami, @Sacramento, @LA Clippers)
3. New York Knicks (4 games – @New Orleans, Washington, @Washington, Philadelphia)
4. Atlanta Hawks (3 games – @Phoenix, @LA Clippers, @Golden State)
5. Washington Wizards (3 games – Milwaukee, @New York, New York)

Top 8 Pickups & Fill-Ins

I’m having a hard time rankings these guys this week, so instead I’ll just list them in alphabetical order by team.

Hawks: Zaza Pachulia

Pachulia returned from the flu on Sunday to start at center in place of Al Horford. Big Al is going to be out a minimum of 3 games and possibly more due to a sore knee, so consider picking up Zaza if you need another big man. He won’t block many shots, but he’s a solid rebounder (11.7 per 36 minutes) and efficient scorer. I like him as a starter this week because if he can get by Shaq & Amare on Tuesday, he’ll be rewarded with games against the Clippers and Warriors.

Hornets: Rasual Butler

I mentioned Rasual as a potential pickup earlier this season and he did absolutely nothing, but he showed what he’s capable of on Friday, when he scored 21 points and made 6 treys in 33 minutes. He’s very unreliable, but he’s getting steady minutes and the Hornets play a maximum # of games in 6 of the next 7 weeks. If you’re in a deep league and you need threes, he’s worth a look.

Nets: Bobby Simmons & Ryan Anderson

Just when Yi Jianlian was starting to play well with some consistency, he went down with a broken pinkie finger on Friday. He’s going to be out for 3-4 weeks, so the Nets will need other forwards to step up in his absence. In his last 5 games, Bobby Simmons is averaging 13.2 points and 2.8 threes in 32.6 minutes, and he should get more shot attempts with Yi out of the lineup. He’s shooting 42.7% from beyond the arc for the season, so he’s a nice pickup if you need threes.

If Simmons is gone, consider picking up the rookie Ryan Anderson. He hasn’t even played in 5 of the Nets last 6 games, but supposedly he’s going to replace Yi in the starting lineup because Lawrence Frank prefers Eduardo Najera’s energy off the bench. In the 4 games where Anderson has gotten 24+ minutes this season, he’s averaged 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.5 threes (in 28 minutes), so he could be a solid producer if he gets enough playing time. Yes, he shot just 32% from the floor in December, but he was bothered by a bad back that he says has healed. In case you’re not familiar with the rookie, Anderson led the Pac-10 in scoring last season with 21.1 points per game (beating out OJ Mayo, Brook Lopez, Kevin Love, and Russell Westbrook). Most people wait for players to have big games before picking them up, but I quietly added the former Cal star in 3 of my 5 leagues on Sunday.

Nuggets: Linas Kleiza

Kleiza is now starting in place of the injured Carmelo Anthony, so he’s a nice short-term pickup. Last Wednesday he scored 21 points, grabbed 7 boards, and made 4 threes, but he followed that up with just 1 point in 34 minutes on Friday. The latter game was against a tough Detroit team, so if you’re in a daily league and can play the matchups, that makes him a much safer option. Either way, Linas is going to have some nice games with Melo out.

Rockets: Shane Battier & Von Wafer

It’s been a tough year for Battier. He missed the first 15 games of the season with a foot injury, shot under 40% from the field in December, then missed 6 more games recently due to soreness in the same foot. Well, he finally returned on Saturday and scored 9 points, pulled 9 boards, blocked 3 shots, grabbed 1 steal, and made 1 three in just 26 minutes. He doesn’t score a ton of points, but his ability to contribute in every category is what makes him a solid fantasy player. And if Battier’s foot can handle more minutes, he’s probably going to get them, because Ron Artest’s ankle injury is really bothering him and Tracy McGrady continues to miss games.

Von Wafer is only 23 years old, but he’s already played for 5 NBA teams. However, the Rockets are the first team to give him big minutes and he’s made the most of it. In his last 5 games, Wafer is averaging 14.4 points, 2.2 threes, and 1.4 steals on 50% FG shooting. I’m kind of surprised it’s taken him this long to stick with a team, because he has good size for a shooting guard, is a solid outside shooter (42% 3P for the season), and is fairly athletic. With T-Mac & Artest ailing, Wafer is a nice replacement for someone like Marquis Daniels.

Thunder: Nenad Krstic

Nenad Krstic is back in the NBA, and he’s played fairly well thus far. In 3 games, he’s totaled 24 points, 10 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 9 fouls in just 52 minutes. I don’t suggest starting him yet, but he’s a nice pickup for several reasons. For starters, the Thunder appear to be very active in trade talks. They already shipped out center Johan Petro, and Nick Collison & Chris Wilcox are also on the block. If either big man gets traded, that will mean more minutes for Krstic. And according to this article in the Oklahoman, Nenad is expected to join the starting lineup later this month. Don’t expect wonders, but this is the same guy who averaged 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and .9 blocks on 52.6% FG shooting in ‘06-07, so his upside is fairly high.

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