| A NEW BATCH of stars will be hatched in the aftermath of
NBA's in-season
deals that beat the trade deadline.
The first such player shuffle took place when the Trail Blazers
sent Rasheed Wallace to Atlanta for Shareef Abdur-Rahim. But
there was more to the transaction than just those two guys
and a closer examination of the teams' new looks reveals a
potential fantasy standout well worth a waiver-wire claim.
Let's break this down piece by piece:
Rasheed Wallace. In the final year of his contract,
Wallace had a chance to post some cheap numbers in Atlanta.
But the subsequent trade to Detroit kills that thought and
actually hurts his fantasy value in the long run.
Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The Trail Blazers expect the
former Cal star to be a team player, so he's not likely to
produce the types of numbers with which we've become accustomed.
I suggest trading him before the 20-percent drop in his stats
are seen as anything but a transitional adjustment.
Stephen Jackson. The Hawks now field the worst team
in the league, but as the old saying goes: Somebody has to
score the points. Jackson will do a lot of shooting -- and
thus a lot of scoring the rest of the way. He also rebounds
well for a midsized guy as well. Grab him if you still can.
I've identified 10 other guys worth acquiring before the rest
of the fantasy
world catches on:
Mark Blount, Celtics. Coaching changes create fantasy
opportunities. Here's a case in point. Blount became the Celtics'
starting center in January, a month in which he shot 57.1
percent and averaged 11.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Did anyone notice?
Jeff McInnis, Eric Williams, Cavaliers. Everything
revolves around LeBron James in Cleveland, which is perfect
for role players like McInnis and Williams. McInnis will get
his assists, Williams his rebounds and both should shoot well
with James creating great opportunities.
James Posey, Grizzlies. Hubie Brown's playoff push
has meant more playing time for Posey, who had a 31-point
explosion and a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double in consecutive
games recently.
Hedo Turkoglu, Spurs. Quietly, the former King has
moved into San Antonio's starting lineup, which has turned
up his numbers a notch. Need 3-point shooting? Here's your
guy.
Antonio Daniels, SuperSonics. He'll be Seattle's chief
ball distributor with Brent Barry out of action. He'll get
his fair share of shots, too, in Nate McMillan's perimeter-oriented
attack.
Gilbert Arenas, Wizards. As he proved as a Warrior,
there's no such thing as a meaningless game to this guy when
shots are out there to be had. If healthy, he could post some
monster numbers the rest of the way.
Joe Johnson, Suns. You're probably too late to the
party in regards to this up-and-comer, but you never know.
It just takes a second -- see if he's available.
Speedy Claxton, Warriors. The young point guard is
a proven commodity as a starter, which has become his fulltime
status now that Nick Van Exel has been demoted. He could be
the most productive Warrior the rest of the way.
Wally Szczerbiak, Timberwolves. People wonder where
he'll fit in. In a complementary role, Szczerbiak should give
you a little of everything and some high-percentage shooting.
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