At one point my team had a number of players sidelined. Jeff Green, who would've been a beneficiary of Durant's injury, went down with a balky back. Allen Iverson, who was on the verge of dropping out of my lineup anyway, also had an ailing back. Rajon Rondo sprained his ankle, Monta Ellis either left the Warriors to attend to a family emergency or rest his ankle (there were rumors of discontent as well, but such is life at Camp Nellie), and Eric Gordon hurt his shoulder as soon as I acquired him.
In their absence, I picked up a number of players who will help down the stretch. Larry Hughes, Thabo Sefolosha, and even Andres Nocioni - who's receiving lots of minutes with the lowly Kings - chipped in as replacements.
Larry Hughes
Hughes has been starting for my team since March 4. We know a few things about Hughes: he doesn't really help you win in real life (not my concern), he can score (at the expense of your FG%), collect steals and hit 3s. But he's been a pretty good player across the board for the Knicks, getting consistent playing time since his 4th game with the team (February 27). Since then, he's logged between 34 and 42 minutes. My favorite moment of the season was watching Hughes and Nate Robinson - both free agent pickups for my squad - combine for 71 points against the Bucks.
In 6 starts, Hughes has posted the following #s:
120 pts (20 ppg)
13 3s (2.2 3s)
.461 FG%
.781 FT%
22 rebounds (3.7 rebounds)
20 assists (3.3 assists)
13 steals (2.2 steals)
12 turnovers (2.0 TOs)
This is very similar to what Jason Terry has been giving fantasy teams all season. Terry, the 20th ranked player based on season totals, averages 19.9 ppg, 2.2 3s, has a .462 FG%, .886 FT% (the lone difference thus far), 2.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.7 turnovers. That's how good Larry Hughes has been as of late.
I would obviously expect the scoring to tail off - more into the 15-16 range - and the FG% to drop, but Hughes should continue to hit treys and provide steals for owners who need help in those categories.
Thabo Sefolosha
Perhaps he's a beneficiary of the way Yahoo weights categories (high reward for low turnovers ... Yahoo also over-rewards 3s), but there's no denying that Sefolosha has been an asset as of late.
The 42nd best player during the last month (yes, hard to believe), Sefolosha is averaging 11.2 ppg, 0.5 3s, 5.9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2.3 steals, 0.8 blocks, and only 1.2 turnovers. He's shooting .424 from the field with a .824 free throw percentage.
I've only played him twice and the steals (5) and blocks (2) are hard to ignore. Sefolosha has also posted 25 pts and 17 rebounds in those two starts. Since February 27 (same date as Larry Hughes' awakening), Sefolosha has averaged 13.5 ppg, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 1.1 blocks. If you're trying to catch up in blocks, you can play Sefolosha at shooting guard and have an instant advantage vs. the competition -- after Dwayne Wade, Danny Granger, Dominic McGuire and Wilson Chandler, this is as good as it gets at shooting guard in that category. I'd classify McGuire and Chandler as borderline starters, but give Sefolosha the green light. If Kevin Durant's return gives you a moment of pause, don't worry -- Weaver went to the bench last night, not Sefolosha (who will continue to log 30+ minutes).
Andres Nocioni
Maddeningly inconsistent, Nocioni has averaged 13 ppg, 6.3 rebounds, and one 3 in 3 starts for my team (with subpar .441 shooting in those games). However, he is now starting for the Kings and has logged between 38 and 44 minutes the last three games. He has averaged 17 points and 7 rebounds in those games and hit 22 shots out of 43. If he averages 14 shots a game, he is worth a play from here on out. Francisco Garcia came off the bench for the Kings against Cleveland and Oklahoma City, but could still enter the starting lineup if Nocioni falters -- monitor the situation closely.
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