Alvin Gentry adjusted his starting five on Wednesday - replacing Channing Frye and Jared Dudley with Markieff Morris and Ronnie Price - in what he described as an effort to get more scoring out of his team's second unit. Morris only last six minutes because of stomach flu but his two-way play to this point of the season means this move clearly can stick. While this should largely remain a timeshare with Frye, a more consistent 25 minutes for Morris will produce good numbers - he's averaged 11.1 points, 1.6 threes, 6.9 boards, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks in the eight games where he's seen at least 25 minutes, and more run with Nash should only help that level of production. Frye can also produce in limited minutes, and has done so previously - he averaged 11.2 points, 2.1 threes, 5.3 boards, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 27 minutes two seasons ago, in large part as a reserve. It's doubtful that his numbers will get worse, considering he's only averaged 23 minutes to this point of the season. Price seems an odd choice at shooting guard and his first start did nothing to change that (15 minutes, 0 points, 0-1 FG). Shannon Brown played a productive 27 minutes (14 points, 2 threes, 2 steals) and seems the more logical fit if Gentry is resigned to Dudley as a reserve, so he should be on radars while this situation sorts itself out. Dudley takes a hit here but can still make an impact with minutes at both shooting guard and small forward, and he could be right back in the starting mix if Gentry is eventually forced to reconsider a struggling Grant Hill's role at small forward.
? Keith Smart foreshadowed lineup changes after the Kings' loss to the Timberwolves on Monday, and Wednesday's starting five featured Jason Thompson at power forward in place of J.J. Hickson. Thompson responded with nine points, 10 boards, and two steals in 26 minutes, but he doesn't look like much more than a placeholder until Chuck Hayes can return in roughly two weeks. Smart didn't demote the struggling John Salmons Wednesday, but he was bad once again (18 minutes, 2-7 FG, -15) and Francisco Garcia was on the court for the final 20 minutes of the game, finishing with 16 points, two threes, two steals, one block, and a +19 in 30 minutes. Nobody should be surprised if Garcia moves ahead of Salmons sooner than later, and a preemptive add here could really pay off in deep leagues (3% owned), given Garcia's potential for combined threes, steals, and blocks with 25-plus minutes.
? DeMar DeRozan's 4-for-16 shooting on Wednesday pushed his season average to 40 percent, a substantial drop-off from the 47 percent we saw last season. The Raptors' offense is sputtering with Andrea Bargnani on the shelf, and DeRozan has really been forcing the issue in recent games. He's missing a lot of jumpshots in Dwane Casey's half-court offense but has also had trouble finishing - he successfully converted just two of his 12 looks at the rim over the past two games. A positive here is that Raptors expect to get Bargnani back this weekend. DeRozan's sophomore season highlighted some real growth potential and showed that he can turn things around pretty quickly after a slow start [splits]. We may have to adjust numbers expectations a bit based on the Raptors' slowed pace, but DeRozan remains a key for this team and his offensive production should only improve moving forward as he grows more comfortable with Casey's offensive gameplan.
? Trevor Ariza returned to the Hornets' lineup Wednesday after missing eight games with a groin injury. He played a somewhat surprising 40 minutes, which we'll have to chalk up to his actually being 100 percent recovered, scoring 18 points and adding five boards, seven assists, four steals, and a block. Ariza deserves near-universal roster consideration for those always-stellar defensive numbers, and anything else (some threes, some assists, improved shooting?) has to be considered gravy.
? The 76ers held Spencer Hawes out of Wednesday's game because of a left Achilles strain, which the team believes occurred because he was overcompensating for the lower back strain he suffered last week. This seems to be a bit more serious than a day-to-day injury and the Sixers are going to exercise caution here, so consider Hawes questionable for the Sixers' upcoming back-to-back (Fri ATL, Sat @MIA). Nikola Vucevic made his first start of the season Wednesday but was limited by foul trouble (12 minutes, 2 points, 3 boards, 2 blocks, 4 fouls).
? Status updates: Rajon Rondo (wrist) appears to have escaped major injury, but he's set for a Thursday MRI and looks doubtful for Friday .. Tom Thibodeau says the Bulls have not considered shutting Derrick Rose (toe) down for an extended period, but he looks looks iffy for the Friday/Saturday back-to-back .. Chris Paul (hamstring) is officially listed as questionable for Friday but looks headed for a game-time decision .. Dirk Nowitzki's inconsistent shooting can be at least partially linked to a balky right knee that he says has been bothering him since the start of the season. There have been no discussions of Dirk missing any games to this point .. Dwyane Wade (ankle) is out again Thursday; LeBron James (flu-like) was sent home from shootaround and will be a game-time decision .. Brook Lopez (foot) has started very light practice work and remains on target to return in two-to-four weeks. Yes, he should be rostered in all formats .. X-Rays on Nicolas Batum's eye were negative and he's day-to-day .. Manu Ginobili (hand) remains about a month away from returning .. For the Jazz on Thursday: Derrick Favors (ankle) will play, Josh Howard (quad) will not.
? Scanning the Buzz Index leaders: It's hard to describe Tayshaun Prince's scoring binge (39 minutes, 23 points, 52% FG, 1.7 threes) as anything other than unsustainable, but he's clearly rosterable in plenty of leagues while he's the hot hand (30% owned). That said, I'd rather roster Evan Turner, who is owned in roughly the same number of leagues (36% owned) .. Kawhi Leonard is among the drop leaders after one bad offensive game? Really? .. Ed Davis has been okay in his starts for Andrea Bargnani (31 minutes, 6 points, 8.8 boards, 1.3 steals, 1.5 blocks), but his shelf life is very limited with Bargnani on the mend and Aaron Gray now in the mix at center .. Now is the time to make a move on Baron Davis if you need him, as he could be joining the Knicks in practice as soon as Monday. Expectations should include sporadic playing time to start and 28-30 minutes as a top-end range - the Knicks will have to exercise caution if they plan on Baron staying healthy .. James Johnson's first start was anything but a success (25 minutes, 1-7 FG, 3 turnovers) but his promotion is a good sign and Bargnani coming back will help everyone on the roster. At least keep him on your Watch List, his per-30 minute averages include 5.4 boards, 1.6 steals, and 1.9 blocks.
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