Celtics And Co.

Kevin Garnett, touted as one of the top options in fantasy this season (at least leading into the draft), has been in a prolonged slump. He hasn't had double digit rebounds since November 30, and his minutes and points have been decreasing in the wake of numerous blowout wins. While this is good for the Celtics, who get to rest the new heart of their team for an almost-inevitable deep playoff run, I'm worried about the consequences it has for fantasy teams.

If this continues, Garnett's averages may drop to the tune of about 17-9-4, with solid percentages and few TOs - still a solid line, but not the same as the expected 20-12-5 (his season averages are already below this, with 19-10-3.5). It seems that the Celtics' Big Three have been cannibalizing each others' (and their role players') stats. My only hope is that with reduced minutes during the season, Garnett will be able to log minutes in the late stages (i.e. the fantasy playoffs), instead of sitting out games for rest. If this trend doesn't let up, then owners might consider trading him away before crunch time sets in.

Speaking of the Celtics, starting PG Rajon Rondo has also been a draft bust, in terms of projected value. While he has put up excellent rebound and steal numbers, he still hasn't learned to make a jump shot consistently, and his FT% is horrendous (at least he doesn't take too many FTs). Ray Allen has also been in a shooting slump recently, and I hope he turns it around soon, since no one wants to get him away from me in a trade.

At least the bench has been showing signs of life. Coming into the season, one of the knocks on the Celtics was that they were basically a three-man show. And while it seems to be like that for the most part, their role players have been contributing decently. Eddie House and James Posey are worth a look in deep leagues, and Kendrick Perkins and Rondo are decent (although I still regret the mid-round pick I used on Rondo). With Perkins on the shelf temporarily because of injury, Glen "Big Baby" Davis has stepped it up, and with more playing time, might be worth a look.