On Friday in part 1 of our Tanking Casualties and Solutions series, we highlighted the Miami Heat and placed Dwayne Wade as the #1 shutdown candidate on the Heat roster. In the post we said this of D-Wade:
"He (Wade) has enjoyed another solid season averaging around 24 points and 7 assists a night and has repeatedly said he will not shut down his season early. I give it two weeks before Riley has him in street clothes and bling on the bench."
Today, Pat Riley announced that Wade will miss the remainder of the season to undergo treatment on his knee. This move is hardly surprsing as it is foolish for the Heat to continue to run a less than 100% Wade out there on a nightly basis with nothing to play for. At 11-50 Miami currently holds the NBA's worst record and the best odds at the #1 pick in June's draft by 3 games over the Minnesota Timberwolves. With Wade shutdown, Miami is in the driver seat to snag the 25% odds in the lottery. Your move Minnesota!
Fantasy Impact
Remember in season 4 of The Wire when in an effort to shutdown Major Crimes, Rawls enlists his "Trojan Horse" Charlie Marimow to destroy the unit's effectiveness? Well in terms of tanking in the NBA, no single player fits the Trojan Horse description better than Mr. Ricky Davis.
Who can forget his pivotal role in leading Cleveland to 17 wins in 2002-03 and the best lottery odds in arguably the finest draft in the last 20 years. Cavs fans will always owe Davis a debt of gratitude for bringing King James to Cleveland. The Trojan Horse was back at again last year when he played a big role in sinking the ship in Minnesota (although it can be argued McHale had a bigger hand in that disaster) and this year, not suprisingly, he is the main cog in Miami's hopes of obtaining the coveted 25% lottery odds.
You can bet Pat Riley will unleash Davis in the final 21 games and allow him to sink the team to the promised land. Davis is a solid producer in points and three pointers and can contribute a bit in rebounds and assists as well. He is a fine pickup going forward.
In addition, fantasy owners can also get some value out of the Heat's new three-headed monster at point guard featuring Jason Williams, Marcus Banks and Chris Quinn. Williams and Banks can score in bunches and are a decent source of assists while Chris Quinn is more of a three point specialist who can put up decent assist totals from time to time.
Keep an eye on how the minutes are distributed in Miami's backcourt over the next few games to see who has the most value. Lately, J-Will has been in Riley's doghouse giving Banks and Quinn additional minutes. With Williams being the best point guard of the three and an expiring contract who wont be back next season, I wouldn't be surprised if Banks and Quinn see the most burn down the stretch. Rookie Daequan Cook may also get a look and could be a stopgap guard option late in the season.
1 comment:
Marcus Banks could be out for two weeks with a hamstring injury. So crazy as it may seem, Daequan Cook might have some fantasy value.
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