Bobman's NBA Compendium: Week 10

The holidays make everything complicated.

Family events, holiday parties, that pending drug charge.

The routine got thrown off here for a bit, but the compendium is back with a vengeance.

Some key injuries have changed the landscape, some intriguing players have emerged.

Let's begin.

Intrigued:

John Henson, MIL, PF/C

I have been a huge John Henson fan for awhile. Even had him listed in my initial top 100 going into the season. While Henson lost all his minutes to Larry Sanders this year, and then had weeks and weeks of injury, Henson has recently been showing why fantasy writers like myself have been so high on him.

It's Larry Sanders' turn to be absent, and Henson is taking advantage.

First, you should know that Henson's block % is 8.7, and for those of you who don't know what that means, it means John Henson (on a per-minute basis) is the BEST SHOT BLOCKER IN THE NBA. From an efficiency standpoint, nobody else is even close. Dude is getting 1.5 blocks/game playing 14 MINUTES A GAME. That's just insane.

He's also shooting a career best 57.1% from the field, and 69.6% from the line. His true shooting % of .597 puts him top 20 in the NBA.

The problem here obviously is minutes.

On Dec 27 & 29, Henson played 20 minutes each game. And got 5 blocks each game. FIVE. BLOCKS.

In dynasty leagues, he's a MUST-OWN. (I own this kid everywhere.) In 1-year leagues, it's hard to say. Even with Larry Sanders not in the lineup, he's only playing 20 minutes/game. You'd think he'd get into the 30s with his greatest competition on the roster not being a factor. When Larry Sanders does come back - and Sanders' return is quite ambiguous - it will be even harder to find quality minutes for John Henson.

But as a 24-year old kid leading the entire NBA in block percentage, find a spot on your bench for him. While I wouldn't purge a productive player for Henson, he could be a valuable stash if you need help in the blocks department... He could win you that cat by himself every week if given the appropriate minutes...

Injured:

Alec Burks

Alec Burks is out for the year, and that's good news for Trey Burke owners.

With Burks now out of the lineup, Burke's usage is going through the roof. In the last 3 games, Trey has has been playing 38 minutes a game, scoring over 20 PPG, just under 6 assists/game and boosting his counting stats all across the board...

Alec's unfortunate injury also opens the door for Dante Exum to come back from the dead. While Dante has been a major disappointment this season, the #5 overall pick in this year's draft scored a career high 13 points against the Hawks last week. Exum has no value in standard leagues, but he's a Watch List candidate in deep leagues. Burks was a big usage guy, and Utah is thin in the backcourt...

Al Jefferson

Also on the buzzkill front, Al Jeff is out for 4 weeks.

If you're a Jefferson owner, you're basically screwed for the next month. You can't replace this guy, and you're gonna have to hold a dead spot on your roster for at least 4 more weeks... As one of the best players in Fantasy Basketball, not too many replacements come to mind. Pretty sure Rudy Gobert is gone in every league of any significance, and does anyone else REALLY think Cody Zeller can step up in a major way this season?

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist becomes intriguing for the next month, and it's possible he's kicking around in your FA pool - as he's only 17% owned in Yahoo leagues...

Drop:

Donatas Motiejunas, HOU, PF/C

While Donatas is still producing, Josh Smith has made his life more complicated. He was benefiting greatly from Terrence Jones' lingering injury, but DM's minutes have taken a hit.

He's clearly a hold in dynasty leagues, but he can be safely dropped in 1-year leagues.

Keep him on your Watch List though. He still does a little bit of everything, and I'm not sold that the Josh Smith acquisition was a GOOD thing for Houston. Motiejunas will get minutes, and if J-Smoove ultimately fails, DM could get his usage...

Conflicted:

Mason Plumlee, BRK, PF/C

I hyped up Mason Plumlee big time at the beginning of the season. He had some of the best advanced stats in the NBA last year.

Then I told you to drop him - as he basically wasn't playing at all.

Then I told you to add him - as he was an absolute beast.

Now, I don't what the hell to tell you...???

Brook Lopez is back, and he's playing well. Plumlee is still very productive, but not getting the minutes/usage he did when B-Lopez was injured. Plumlee is the future of this team, but Lopez is only 26 years old.

There are so many Brook Lopez trade rumours, that it's hard not to think there's something there. But it's not a guarantee. Lopez is still productive, young and has a VERY difficult contract to move

While I foolishly cut Mason Plumlee in 2 dynasty leagues this year, make sure you don't make the same mistake. Mason is a future Fantasy stud, and we've all seen what he can do when he gets minutes & touches.

Still, for 1-year leagues, I'm on the fence. He may/may not get the opportunity he deserves this season, and the Brooklyn roster situation is ambiguous at best. Plumlee could be yoyo-ing all season, so he could end up being a perpetual add/drop for the rest of the year...

First place for Bobman:

I'm back on top in the Yahoo friends and family league.

I had dropped down to 3rd, but with a roster that is FINALLY healthy (for the most part anyway), I'm starting to realize my potential. With that said, my competition are the best Fantasy Basketball writers in the world. So even making the playoffs is far from a guarantee.

Still, halfway through the season, I'm 15 games over .500 - and firmly holding the #1 seed. I'm obviously happy with that...

In summation, the holidays made my publishing schedule somewhat erratic.

But I didn't forget about you.

With that smile?

C'mon, girl. Give me more credit than that.

Back to twice a week, and we're gonna sneak you into the playoffs this season.

Oh, and I give you 3 days before you bail on all your New Year's resolutions.

Yeah, I'm THAT guy.

Bobman