First of all, let me apologize for not coming through with any fantasy advice for last week. Being a one-man blogging crew I am often forced to prioritize, and last Monday I simply felt that there were more important posts which needed to be made. I won’t let you down this week, though! Oh, and there’s more to this little article than Kevin Love. I just felt the need to emphasize his dominance in the title.
Kevin Love, MIN: If you are/were involved in a tight playoff race and happen to own Kevin Love… congratulations, you’ve probably qualified. Love’s ridonkulous 51-point, 14-rebound effort in Oklahoma City really bolstered his statistics as he had an even crazier week than usual. He averaged 33.5 points, 15.8 rebounds, and a pair of assists whilst shooting 55% from the floor and 76% from the stripe. He threw in three triples a game for good measure, and hardly turned the ball over at all. With K-Love… it’s gotten to the point where I’m not even surprised when he goes for 30/20. I almost expect it. For example, my dad asked me how Kevin Love played yesterday afternoon. I was like “meh, he was Kevin Love.” Later on, after checking the box score, my dad comes up to me again all like “Christ, Stephen, he had 30 points and 21 rebounds!” I’m sitting there thinking “well, I told you… he was Kevin Love.”
Nikola Pekovic, MIN: While Kevin Love tears the NBA apart, the other half of the Timberwolf frontcourt has been forced to miss the last three games due to ankle problems. He’s been bothered by a pair of bad wheels all month long, but he may be set to make a return to action this Friday against the Celtics. He’s considering surgery, but not until after the season is over. He’s a pretty tough dude, and I presume he’ll be back for the stretch run. If Minnesota falls way out of contention I could see him being shut down, though. Certainly a dangerous fantasy situation here.
Gerald Green, NJN: Green continues to contribute off the bench for the Nets, but now that Gerald Wallace has come to town he’s no longer any sort of fantasy factor. If you still have him on your roster hoping for more 26-point explosions… unfortunately, it’s time to give up. He’s only reached double figures twice in the five games that have passed since Crash made his arrival.
Gordon Hayward, UTA: The Utah Jazz are hitting their stride at the right time, and young Gordon Hayward has been a big part of that. Last week he was the 9th-best player in fantasy basketball with averages of 16, 7, and 5 over four games. He got you 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks as well. Aside from some shaky shooting from the floor, dude was like a poor man’s LeBron out there filling up the stat sheet.
Charles Jenkins, GSW: The rookie from Hofstra came out of nowhere and attempted 22 shots in a loss to Portland on Sunday evening. He made 13 of them for a career-high 27 points. Minutes were available due to Nate Robinson’s hamstring injury, which is said to be minor. However, hamstrings can be nagging, and the Dubs have no reason to play anyone who isn’t 100%. Keep an eye on Charles Jenkins… he could be the second coming of Ramon Sessions if Mark Jackson elects to rest other guys and run him 35 or 40 minutes a night down the stretch (I’m not saying this is likely, just that it’s a possibility).
Jarrett Jack, NOH: One of the few things I did right this season was draft Jarrett Jack. He went through that short stretch where he was injured, but other than that he’s been excellent, despite the Hornets’ poor record. Last week he averaged 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists on 55% from the floor. He even threw in a triple-double against the Warriors. Jack is a gamer, so he’ll be bringing it right through the latter stages of April.
Javale McGee, DEN: This comes as a bit of a surprise to me, but Javale McGee has basically kept Timofey Mozgov on the bench since making his debut in Denver. He hasn’t taken the starting role, but if he continues to play within himself and produce like he did last week (13/8/2 BLK in about 25 MPG) he could do it by season’s end.
Mo Williams, LAC: It looks like Mo Gotti is going to miss at least a few games with a sprained big toe. Vinny Del Negro has elected to bring Nick Young off the bench in his absence, making Randy Foye a starter again. Foye may be worth re-adding in deeper leagues, but don’t bother hanging onto him once Mo comes back. Foye scored 18 points as the Clippers beat the Grizzlies without the help of Williams.
Ben Gordon, DET: Gordon exploded for 45 points in a loss to the Nuggets on Wednesday… then went 4-10 in a loss to Miami on Friday… then dropped 20 in a loss to the Knicks on Saturday. As you can see, the only thing he has been able to do consistently is participate in Piston losses. His up-and-down week came out looking great–he averaged 25 a game–but Rodney Stuckey is supposed to be back tonight, making the odds of another BG breakout rather slim.
Zaza Pachulia, ATL: Zaza Pachulia was the 20th-ranked player across nine categories last week based on averages. He missed one of Atlanta’s five games, but in the four he played he averaged better than 14 points and 11 boards. Pachulia actually had 10 double-digit games on the glass in the month of March. That’s double the amount he had in February. I’d say he’s stepping his game up.
