Hardwood Recap "Curry is hot and I'm not talkin about the food"

Iverson has played his last game with the 76ers, but where is he going? He's obviously not going to Minnesota. I honestly have no idea. I'll tell you one thing, I would want him on my team. He scores almost 30 a night and brings thousands of fans to the arena. In the games last night, Paul Pierce had some late game heroics and Al Jefferson proved he can play center in this league.





New York Knicks
I remember watching the 2001 NBA draft, there was hype about a high school player whose nickname was Baby Shaq. That was Eddy Curry. For the past 5 years, Curry has been one of the biggest jokes in the NBA, constantly being criticized about his weight, stamina, skills, passion, and inability to live up to his potential. The bulls pulled off a miracle when the Knicks took Curry off their hands in exchange for 2 first round picks. But……it seems like Baby Shaq is starting to live up to that nickname. He has been a monster, scoring at least 20 in his last 9 games including 36 on 17-24 shooting last night. He also emphatically stuffed Andrew Bogut on a dunk attempt and If Curry keeps playing with passion, he could be dominant. In this 9 game span, Curry has also averaged 9 reb. Marbury was terrible scoring only 2 points, and Nate Robinson continues to make a case for the starting PG job. He scored 22 on 8-14 shooting last night including two 3’s. David Lee has been a nice surprise for the Knicks and for fantasy owners as he averages basically a double double.

Milwaukee Bucks
Villanueva proved that he has gotten past his injury going for 24 and 8 in just 25 minutes off the bench. Mo Williams went off for 33 points and he has become an integral part of this team’s game plan. Williams is contributing in all facets of the game averaging 16 pts, 5 reb, and 6 ast. Last night was no different as Mo chipped in with 6 reb and 9 ast, as he also hit 4 3’s. Redd had a low scoring game for his standards putting up just 22.

New Jersey Nets
The Nets started off the game 18-0 and somehow allowed the Celtics to come back and eventually win the game on a Paul Pierce buzzer beater. Jason Kidd shot just 1-11 but had 9 reb and 6 ast. Vince Carter has been showing that he can rebound as well as just score pulling down 9 boards. Kristic has returned from an injury and showed he can be a serviceable center in the NBA scoring 20 and grabbing 8 reb while blocking 2 shots.

Boston Celtics
The Celtics gave the nets their 2nd tough loss in a short amount of time. After losing a double OT game to the Suns, the Nets blew an 18-0 lead to the Celtics and allowed Paul Pierce to win the game on a buzzer beater at the end of regulation. Other than that shot, Pierce did not shoot well going just 4-18 from the field. The real story of this game was Al Jefferson does not want to lose his job at starting C and he will keep it for at least 3 weeks until Kendrick Perkins comes back from injury. Against the Nets, Jefferson put up 29 points and 14 rebounds. Jefferson should no longer be available in your league but if you are playing with a bunch of special ed students, then make sure you go pick him up.

Washington Wizards
Gilbert Arenas has taken over as the #1 ranked player in Yahoo! Leagues. Last night, Arenas scored 41 including 7 3’s and dished out 7 ast, but it was not enough to defeat Yao and the Rockets. The 7 3pm brings Arenas’ total to 17 in his past 3 games. Jamison also played well scoring 27 and snatching 11 reb.


Houston Rockets
Tracy McGrady scored 28 points but left with back spasms, and owners should be very worried. With McGrady’s history of not only injuries but especially back problems, I wouldn’t be surprised if he will need surgery on his back even as soon as this season. Yao put the team on his back scoring 38 points on 13-19 shooting. He also had 11 reb, 6 blks, and shot 12-14 from the charity stripe. The reason I think Yao is so valuable in fantasy hoops is because he is one of the rare Centers that maintains a high FT%. A guy like Ben Wallace or even Dwight Howard can really drag down your team with their FT shooting. Yao, however, probably shoots a better % than you PG.

Philadelphia 76ers
Well Kevin Ollie is back in the starting lineup now that Iverson is gone but I cant say that I’m sure why. He scored 4 points in 38 minutes. The Rookie Rodney Carney started again but had his worst start yet logging just 2 points in 19 minutes. What I don’t understand is….why don’t the 76ers start Korver over either Ollie or Carney. Anywho, Webber has been healthy lately and he has been productive. Last night he scored 19 with 11 reb and 8 ast.

Orlando Magic
Grant Hill scored 23 and added 7 reb, but Dwight Howard continues to be the leader of this team. Howard should be an allstar this year and (Write this down) I guarantee that he will lead the league in rebounding barring injury.

Indiana Pacers
Danny Granger has been very inconsistent this season. Last night he had one of his good games going for 12 and 9. Foster only had 4 points but did chip in with 10 reb. The rest of the Pacers played poorly with Jermaine O’Neal out of the lineup. Their leading scorer, Darrel Armstrong, had just 13 pts.

Cleveland Cavaliers
Labron didn’t surprise anyone with 27, 7 reb, and 6 ast. Damon Jones did what he does hitting three 3’s. Larry Hughes got some action but I’d wait a few more games before inserting him back into your lineup. Donyell Marshall had an outstanding game finishing with 11 points and 17 rebounds.

Los Angeles Clippers
Elton Brand has found his shooting touch going for 26 last night, but only managed to pull down 5 reb. Sam Cassel played well and now that he’s healthy, he could take the starting job back from Shaun Livingston.

Memphis Grizzlies
Damon Stoudamire got a surprise start over Chucky Atkins, so monitor this situation. Mike Miller played well hitting a pair of 3’s as usual, but he also pulled down 13 rebounds and went 7-7 from the free-throw line.


Minnesota Timberwolves
Mike James had an off night shooting, but he is clearly out of his slump and I’d say he’s safe to throw into your starting lineup.

Dallas Mavericks
Diop played as many minutes as Dampier but that’s only because Damp was in foul trouble. Don’t worry; he is still the clear starter. Josh Howard has been on a tear since returning from his injury and if you were able to buy low on him while he was injured then I congratulate you. Last night Howard had 30 points with 11 rebounds and 2 blocks……and you can play this guy at SG!!!