Fantasy Basketball News: Yao, Knicks & Bobcats
First of all, if you were holding out hope that Yao Ming would be able to at least give you a couple good months at the end of the year, you can get on with your life. He’s not going to play this year. He has grown weary of his recurring foot injuries so he is going to take the time to allow it to fully heal.
If you were planning on holding on to him in a keeper league, it’s past the time to have cut him lose, but if you have been holding on to him like the note from your first girlfriend, it’s time to move on. Even if he comes back for the 2010-11 season, he’ll bring an enormous injury risk with him. He also could have a limited role going forward to assure that he stays healthy. Much like Bill Walton saw reduced minutes at the end of his career, Yao could be on some sort of a pitch count, which would reduce his fantasy value.
Luis Scola, on the other hand, gets a major bump in fantasy value. He will be more of a focal point of their offense. Look for a dramatic increase in his scoring and a slight bump in his rebounding.
In other news, the Knicks have agreed to one-year deals with David Lee and Nate Robinson. The duo couldn’t have landed in a more fantasy-friendly environment. They both thrived in Mike D’Antoni’s system last year. Lee averaged career highs of 16.0 ppg and 11.8 rpg. Robinson averaged career highs of 17.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, and 4.1 apg. I would expect both to see a dip in production, but they should remain relevant fantasy basketball options.
In other news Raymond Felton and Flip Murray signed with the Charlotte Bobcats. Felton remains a nice fantasy option, but Murray is a fill-in player at best.
