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It's week 18 of the Fantasy Basketball season, which means it's crunch time for owners with teams on the bubble. The NBA trade deadline has come and gone, and Kyle McKeown and have been trying to sort out the mess that some fantasy rosters have become. This question came in, and it's not an easy one to answer, but I'll give it a shot.
Kawhi Leonard is supposedly coming back "soon". What value if any does he have and how can he help a team going forward?
Good question.
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If you are in a dynasty or keeper league, he has great value, and if this is the case, the owner probably didn't drop him, because at some point in the not-too-distant future he's going to be the offensive star of the Spurs. If for some odd reason he's on the waiver wire in your dynasty or keeper league, you might want to pick him up as he has great value in the future.
Leonard is already owned in most standard leagues, but the big question mark seems to be when he will finally take the floor. From what I've been told, this should occur this week, and while he was a solid performer this season, he hasn't exactly set the Fantasy world on fire like most thought he would. He also plays for the Spurs, and you can bet your last nickel that Coach Popovich is going to be very careful with him, as in the real NBA he has GREAT value.
So, how much value does Leonard have? This week he probably doesn't have much, and if you are in a league where you have to finalize your roster on either Sunday or Monday, you might want to hold him out just in case he doesn't play this week. If your league allows you to make daily roster changes, then you can probably look for him to play either Wednesday or Friday, so if you have an open spot in the lineup, go ahead and insert him in there. He definitely won't hurt you.
Here's some available small forward options you might want to consider this week.
Danny Green, SG/SF, Spurs: With the injury to Tony Parker, the man they call "Icy Hot" has been on a bit of a scoring binge. He's knocking down some treys and his shooting percentages are really good right now, plus he's averaging over 30 minutes a game. He's available and a good pickup this week. (Stats)
Shawn Marion, SF/PF Mavericks: Dallas has four games this week, which means Marion will get you rebounds, and he may get a bushel of points, especially Monday night against the Knicks. His play has been spotty, but he averages 30 minutes a game, and he won't hurt you so give him a look this week. (Stats)
Marvin Williams, SF/PF Utah: The Jazz have been playing much better lately, and Williams is one of the reasons why. He'll have nights where he makes an owner smile and others that make owners want to tear their hair out, but the Jazz do play four games this week, and someone has to score, so Marvin might be worth a look this week. (Stats)
On today's show Tom Lewis and I discussed the Danny Granger trade and other Pacers news, Kyle McKeown and I look at the NBA Trade Deadline moves from a Fantasy Basketball perspective, and Joe Mullinax and I talk about the red-hot Memphis Grizzlies. You can listen below or download the program here.
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There were some interesting match-ups and also some close results that weren't decided at press time. It also appears that the top eight teams that will advance to the playoffs are all but decided. You can check out the results as well as what the playoff picture looks like today at the link below. Good luck this week, Fantasy Owners!
http://basketball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/nba/35869