Are You For Real?

Andrew Bynum, are you for real?



During the off season, Kobe Bryant made no secret of his displeasure with his young, 7-foot teammate. Last season, Andrew Bynum showed us flashes of what he could do, but his raw talent seemed to be offset by a poor work ethic.

This season, Bynum has taken the Black Mamba's advice to heart, and seems to be a whole new player. He is averaging 12.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game this season, along with .625 FG%, offset only by a mediocre .691 FT% (he doesn't take that many FT shots though) and negligible steals numbers.

If you weren't a believer in him, you better be. If you're in need of good big man numbers, try to make a trade for him, as even though he's not as popular as other players, he certainly delivers. He looks to be determined to maintain his production throughout the season, so if you own him, don't react to Kwame "The Bust" Brown's returning from injury - Bynum is for real, and he's the big man of LA.

*****

Manu is back!

With Manu Ginobili back from injury, it's no surprise that Michael Finley and Matt Bonner, who had filled in nicely with solid offensive contributions, have experienced a huge drop in their fantasy value. In today's game, Finley scored just 3 points on 1-10 shootin, but logged 36 minutes; Bonner added 4 points and 4 rebounds in 19 minutes. Ginobili was being worked back, and played 29 minutes, scoring 23 points (5-12 shooting).

Even though they play different positions, these two basically provide some offense for the Spurs, and Bonner will be the one most likely to lose his value. Finley still logs decent consistent minutes, so even though he'll see a drop in production, he might be useful as a specialist in deeper leagues.

So, if you're in a not-so-deep league and own Finley and/or Bonner, it might be time to let go of the mirage. They're not for real.

*****

Cast-away


28 points, 13 rebounds, 1 block. Pau Gasol. Pau Gasol?!

Throughout the season, Gasol has been a shadow of his former self, and has simply not lived up to his preseason rank (top 15). However, the Bearded Spaniard has been steadily improving, and might be averaging 20-10-4-2 before long. For Gasol owners, hold on to him if no one's offering you consistent, top 15 value. Gasol is for real, and even if he is traded (say, to Chicago?), his fantasy value won't take a hit (in fact, I believe it'll spike, as will the value of the other Bulls with an excellent post option).

*****

Marko Jaric may be the next Tony Parker.


Wolves guard Marko Jaric certainly has something to cheer about. Unfortunately, it's not his team's recent play.

But not in terms of fantasy value, no - it just so happens that Jaric is dating Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima.

And while he did put up good games recently, he's also played badly in some. As a starter for the T-wolves, Jaric is putting up decent numbers, but be careful - when Foye returns, Jaric will lose some value, unless they are played together. He may be of some value in deeper leagues, so be sure to watch him.

*****

Larry Hughes: Kidnapped by Aliens?

Not really. I was just checking his game log, and after that two game outburst (22 and 36 points respectively, on a combined 19-34 or .558 FG) he's put up more than a half-dozen horrendous games.

In his last six (when he's returned to the starting lineup), he's scored 4, 17, 2, 14, 4, and in today's game, 14 (combined 23-64 or only .359 FG over that span). He seems to be alternating good games with bad, and it does not bode well for owners. If there are more consistent options on the waiver wire, you might be better off with them, especially if you don't have a high FG player to compensate for Hughes off nights. He's shot 18-37 (.486) on those double digit nights, but a terrifying 5-27 (.185) on those off nights. Verdict: For real - that he's going to absolutely kill your FG with the number of shots he's taking. With his horrendous contract, I'm not sure how Cleveland can move him.

Hughes is so inconsistent, even Cavs fans are hating. Check out this site - Hey Larry Hughes, Please Stop Taking So Many Bad Shots.


Larry Hughes would do well to keep this in mind. Photo courtesy of heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com .

Other photos courtesy of Yahoo! Sports/AP.