LestersLegends.com

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Are you lacking in the rebounding department? I’m sure you’re not alone. Have no fear, Udonis Haslem is here.
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Haslem may not be part of Miami’s big three, but he gives them toughness, and can still be of major help to a fantasy team in need of a boost in boards.
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Haslem is averaging a career high 10.2 rebounds per game and has been remarkably consistent. He has reached double-digit rebounds in eight of his twelve games, and has had at least eight boards in all but one game (six on December 28th against Charlotte).
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Haslem isn’t a guy that you have to worry about suddenly dropping off the map. He has averaged between 7.9 and 9.1 rebounds over the past seven seasons.
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He’s never been much of a scorer so don’t expect much more than his 8.1 ppg average, especially when Dwyane Wade returns. That isn’t what he brings to the table. Don’t look for a lot of assists, blocks, or steals either. Again, that’s not his game.
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I do expect his poor shooting to come around. He’s at a career low 40.2 percent, which is significantly lower than even his rookie season mark of 45.9 percent. Throughout his career he’s made roughly half of his shots. Maybe he’s suffering because he missed most of last season with a foot injury and didn’t have the normal offseason to get up to speed. Regardless, given his track record I expect improvement.
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He’s also a solid free-throw shooter with a lifetime 76.5 percent mark.
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Haslem is owned in 56.0 percent of Yahoo! and 46.6 percent of ESPN leagues. He’s more valuable in Yahoo! leagues because he has Center eligibility along with the Forward eligibility that he has in ESPN leagues.
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Is Haslem the answer to all of your needs? Of course not. If he was he’d be owned in more than half of all fantasy leagues. He can give you a nice boost to your rebounding category, and I anticipate he’ll eventually benefit your field goal percentage without jeopardizing you free-throw percentage. There is definitely value there.
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Also check out:

• Byron Mullens Scoring Big
• Leandro Barbosa Heating Up
• Need Steals? Look to Tony Allen – Need Points? Pass the Mayo
• Maybe Zaza?
• Can Taj Gibson Host Your Block Party?

Well, the decision has come down. Like Stephen A. Smith and others suspected, LeBron is joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. They have to be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. Time will tell if this power trio will be enough to dethrone the Lakers.

From a fantasy perspective, I’m afraid all three will take a hit to their production. It would be hard not to take LeBron with the number one pick in fantasy drafts, but there has to be a case for Kevin Durant.

Image courtesy of ESPN

Image courtesy of Icon SMI

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Miami Heath Forward Michael Beasley has checked into a rehab for treatment for depression and possibly some sort of substance abuse.  He reached out for help with some bizarre tweets on his Twitter page, such as “Y do I feel like the whole world is against me…I can’t win for losin” and “Feelin like it’s not worth livin!!!!!!! I’m done.”  The situation seemed to spiral out of control following a picture on his Twitter page of his new tattoo.  Apparently you could see plastic baggies in the background, that were led to speculation of the contents.  Hopefully, he can control the demons and begin focusing on basketball again. 

With this development, Michael Beasley’s fantasy stock takes a hit.  If you were planning on keeping the second-year player, you may want to re-evaluate your options.

 
Images courtesy of Icon SMI

Marvin Williams missed the past three games against Miami with a sprained wrist.  Al Horford suffered an ankle injury in last night’s Game 5 victory.  Horford was limited to just 12 minutes in that game.  It appears if Atlanta is going to close out this physical series, they will have to do it without both frontcourt players.  Maurice Evans and Zaza Pachulia will be asked to pick up more minutes in their absence.  Josh Smith will have to stay out of foul trouble because while Pachulia is a capable rebounder, he doesn’t have nearly the presence that Horford did on defense.  The series continues tomorrow night in Miami.  Game 7, if necessary, will be on Sunday in Atlanta.

Shawn Marion once again finds him dealt to an inferior team.  Last year it was for Shaq.  This year he’s being moved along with Marcus Banks to Toronto for Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon.

The biggest winners in this trade is the Matrix.  With Marion leaving Dwyane Wade’s side he’ll likely get more than the 10.6 field goal attempts he averaged with the Heat.  He’ll be playing with a Point Guard (Jose Calderon) that more closely matches Steve Nash’s skill set, which should see his 12.0 points per game go on the incline.  Michael Beasley is playing just 24.3 minutes per game. 

At first glance I thought that Michael Beasley would see a bump in production, but the Heat are adding two guys who should see extended minutes.  Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon will likely play around 25 minutes for the Heat.  JO’s scoring won’t change, but he should see a little increase in rebounding.  Instead of sharing the post with Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani he’ll be sharing it with Beasley and Udonis Haslem.  Jamario Moon will get some run, but I don’t see him being a fantasy factor any more barring injury.

The biggest losers in the trade are probably Andrea Bargnani and Udonis Haslem.  Shawn Marion is playing for a payday, and after his slow first half with Miami, he’s going to want to showcase his skills to the rest of the league.  Chris Bosh is going to get his so someone is going to take the hit. To me that guy is Bargnani.  Udonis Haslem will see his minutes diminish as the heat work JO and Moon into the mix.  Plus, JO’s presence will take away some of his rebounding prowess.