Too much talent?
by Chad Ford
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Also Below: Looking for an assist from the Franchise | Can the Pacers keep it together? | Will the Lakers make a deal? | The Next Shaq? | Peep Show
NBA Power Outage: On the Rebound
Insider Fantasy File: Dec. 4
Aristotle once wisely advised that there should be moderation in all things. Gluttons and fanatics self-destruct -- just ask Dennis Rodman. The same philosophy generally holds true in basketball. There really can be too much of a good thing.
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
33 17.2 8.0 2.3 .447 .687
The Blazers over the past few years have been the poster child of what happens when you ignore Aristotle's advice. GM Bob Whitsitt, who has a great eye for basketball talent, has shrugged off the notion that a team needs role players and instead filled his roster with All-Star caliber players and blue-chip prospects to create several of the deepest teams in recent NBA history. Of course, the whole notion has been fools gold.
Good players don't want to sit. There are only so many minutes at each position and, invariably, two or three guys are left out. Players start griping, chemistry sours and before you know it, the Blazers are at home watching the second round of the playoffs on their big screens.
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
29 16.5 5.4 2.9 .451 .743
Faced with a rocky start this season, coach Maurice Cheeks threw out the depth charts and 11-man rotations and designated two players -- Rasheed Wallace and Bonzi Wells -- as his go-to guys. The result? The Blazers have won 10 of their last 12 games.
While teams like the Lakers and Nets win games with a couple of stars and a gaggle of role players, several NBA teams are pushing the envelope of gluttony this year. Two young teams in particular, the Pacers and Rockets, are wrestling with the blessings and curses of having a plethora of young talented players on their roster. How they deal with it will likely mean the difference from a rollicking playoff ride to an early first round exit.
Looking for an assist from the Franchise
Steve Francis may be "The Franchise" in Houston, but his ball hogging ways are wearing thin on his teammates. The last couple of years, Francis, along with Cuttino Mobley, was the Rockets' offense. If he didn't have a big night, the Rockets simply could not win.
Steve Francis
Guard
Houston Rockets
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
32 23.2 6.2 6.2 .437 .796
This season it's different. Yao Ming is turning into a beast in the post. Glen Rice is healthy and can knock down 3s. Maurice Taylor is rounding back into playing shape. Eddie Griffin may have more raw talent than anyone on the team. And did we mention that before James Posey was acquired in December, he was the Nuggets' second leading scorer.
Times have changed, but Franics is struggling to cope with it. He likes the weight of the world on his shoulders. But his teammates would love to carry some of the load. The Rockets are loaded with talent. The nights of Francis and Mobley combining for 40 shots a game should be over. Shouldn't they?
Rice finally spoke up after a tough loss to the Warriors on Saturday. The team has lost six of its last eight.
"I'm a strong believer that this team is a much better team," Rice began. "When we play together as a team, moving the ball around and keeping everyone involved, the stats show that we're a much better team, a much more potent team, and we have to do that on a consistent basis.
Glen Rice
Guard-Forward
Houston Rockets
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
28 9.2 3.4 1.4 .409 .740
"There's a spot for everything in this offense we're running. It's a motion offense, and it's just up to us to go out there and keep everyone involved and take advantage of the openings that we have. A lot of times we just concentrate on one or two things too often, and teams now gear up to stop the best players on our team. We need something to fall back on."
Rice didn't name names, but it was clear that his comments were directed at Francis. While Francis bristled at the notion that he must get Rice more shots -- "You can't do that. I have to make sure everybody gets the ball. ... You just have to analyze the situations, the matchups, and take it from there," -- the fans begged to differ.
During one early moment when the Timberwolves took an eight-point lead Tuesday night, a fan could be heard in a quiet Compaq Center pleading with Francis to "pass the ball."
Franics listened and the Rockets rolled. Not one Rockets player took more than 13 shots in Tuesday's win. All but one of the nine Rockets who saw the floor took at least five shots. The only one who didn't was named Steve Francis. Francis took just four shots, the fewest of his career. He finished with 14 points and a season-high 11 assists.
"This is the way you've got to play basketball," Francis said after the game. "If the shots are there, I'm going to take them. If they're not, I can pass the ball."
After the game, Rice just smiled as said, "I told you so."
"You can see how easy it was, until the fourth quarter when we fell asleep. It was great to see. It was great to be a part of that. We're learning. We have to continue to look at the games we have gone out and moved the ball around. I just can't stress how important that is for guys. The fourth quarter we were not moving the ball, not getting it inside. That right there will tell the story."
Sharing can be fun
John Lopez / Houston Chronicle
Rockets hold on despite fourth-quarter collapse
Jonathan Feigen / Houston Chronicle
Rice wants Rockets to spread out shots
Michael Murphy / Houston Chronicle
Can the Pacers keep it together?
The Pacers have the most talented roster in the Eastern Conference; they have the third best record in the NBA; and they're getting better. So why exactly, is just about everyone writing them off?
The team is young. Their coach, Isiah Thomas, isn't going to win any popularity contests. And some wonder who their go-to guy will be once the real NBA season gets under way.
The Pacers aren't blinking. "Every night you go into a game and look for mismatches," Thomas told the Indianapolis Star. "The next night it could be totally different."
Al Harrington
Power Forward
Indiana Pacers
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
34 12.9 5.4 1.4 .474 .765
Thomas has refused to designate one or two players as the guys on offense. Reggie Miller has the experience and the track record. Jermaine O'Neal is the All-Star. Brad Miller has the consistency. Ron Artest has the tenacity. And lately, Al Harrington has been lighting it up. It's all great now. But will the Pacers be so willing to share in April?
Too much of a good thing? The Pacers are one of eight teams that have five or more players with double-figure scoring averages. Their fifth-leading scorer, Al Harrington, averages 12.9 points. Among fifth-leading scorers throughout the league, only the Clippers' Michael Olowokandi, also at 12.9 points, averages as much.
The Pacers have eight players who have scored more than 20 points in a game this season. They have a couple of others -- Austin Croshere and Jonathan Bender -- who can also go for 20 if given the minutes. Depth is great, but what happens when a young player, subbing for an injured starter, gets a taste of the high life.
No player represents this dilemma better than Harrington, who can go from zero to 40 in three games flat. His point totals, starting 10 games ago, have been 0, 19, 18, 40, 23, 8, 2, 9, 33, 28.
Starting five games in place of the injured O'Neal in late December, Harrington averaged 21.8 points. Starting again Monday at Philadelphia, in place of the suspended Artest, he scored 28 before fouling out with 4:06 left in regulation. How will he respond, however, when both O'Neal and Artest are back playing 30 to 35 minutes a game?
For now, winning is overshadowing personal agendas. "Our chemistry is excellent," Thomas said. "For a team like this with a lot of young players trying to carve their niche in the league, it's very admirable."
So is the way everyone is stepping up at the same time.
"You expect Reggie to make shots and you expect Jermaine O'Neal to make shots," Philadelphia coach Larry Brown lamented after the Pacers beat them on Monday. "But everybody was making shots."
No go-to guy? Pacers keep foes guessing
Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star
Victories bring Pacers closer together
Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star
Will the Lakers make a deal?
I hate it when this happens. A week and a half after writing that Phil Jackson basically was employing a maritime barricade on the Lakers front office, GM Mitch Kupchak is sounding like Monte Hall.
Over the past few seasons, the Lakers have been stubborn when it comes to trade talk. They listen politely and then, after consulting with Jackson, they say "Thanks, but no thanks." Kupchak says things may change this year.
"That's not the case this year," Kupchak told the L.A. Times. "You have to do your job."
Kupchak would not say he is shopping players, only that he is listening and mulling the possibilities. He said Tuesday he had received no serious offers, and neither had he made one.
"But, yes, there have been conversations regarding personnel," he said. "As we get closer to the February deadline, there will be more. It's our hope these guys pull together and win games. But we cannot assume that. It's unlikely anything's going to happen, because of the way it is to make a trade in this league. But, it's possible."
Robert Horry
Power Forward
Los Angeles Lakers
Profile
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
33 7.3 6.7 2.8 .393 .708
Despite all the commentary to the contrary, the Lakers do have assets that could land them a decent player. Robert Horry is basically in the last year of his contract because of a team option on his final season. Samaki Walker, Tracy Murray and Mark Madsen are also in the last year of their deals. In the NBA, there is no better currency. Combine their salaries and the Lakers have $11.3 million in very marketable assets.
If Kupchak can convince owner Jerry Buss to spend the money, and if he can talk Jackson into shaking up the roster, the Lakers can be players. How great would Brian Grant look in Laker gold? Or what about Tim Thomas? Or a combination of Toni Kukoc and Anthony Mason? The Pacers would part with Austin Croshere and Ron Mercer. The Nuggets are clearing cap and would probably part with Marcus Camby for a draft pick or two. The T-Wolves are ready to part with Joe Smith. And some combination of Stromile Swift and Lorenzen Wright may fit the bill in Memphis as Jerry West tries to get his team under the cap.
The Lakers can be players, folks. They just need Phil to give them the word.
Still, Kupchak knows that in the end, the Lakers future rests on Shaq. "This team is only going to be as good as he carries us," Kupchak said. "I don't think that's a secret. If he can play like he has played since he's been here, we're going to win games. If Shaquille had been healthy from the beginning, there's no doubt in my mind our record would be substantially better than it is now."
This Is the Year Kupchak Probably Will Take Call
Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times
The Next Shaq?
You know Shaq. The Shaq of the MAC, Gary Trent. And even 17-year-old Greek center Sofaklis Schortsianides, nicknamed "Baby Shaq." But none of them, not even Shaq himself, have anything on Auri Allen.
What's the big deal? Allen, a seventh-grader at St. Vincent De Paul School in Tennessee, is a 12-year-old, 6-foot-8, 280 pound dunking machine. Shaq, by way of comparison, stood 6-5 and weighed 220 pounds when he was 14 years old.
Allen will be featured on an episode of Ripley's Believe it or Not tonight at 8 p.m. ET on TBS. About an hour after the shoot, one of the cameramen asked, "Who's your favorite basketball player, Auri?" Auri said it was the Lakers' O'Neal. Just then, O'Neal came up behind Allen and put him in a bear-hug.
"I couldn't believe it," Auri told the Tennesean. "I was speechless."
Now here's where it gets fun. Shaq then played a friendly game of one-on-one with Allen and one of his friends. After the game, Shaq took Allen out to lunch, let Auri talk on his cell phone with Halle Berry and J-Lo, and then brought Allen with him to the Lakers game at the Staples Center.
Just before they all said their goodbyes after the game, and just before Shaq gave Auri his cell phone number, Shaq punched two keys on his cell and asked for Bruce Teilhaber, the owner of Freidman's Shoes in Atlanta.
"Shaq told him that his cousin was coming to Atlanta soon to buy 10 pairs of shoes and to put them on his bill," Auri said, pointing to a pair of size 18 Timberlands on his feet. "That was really nice of him. My mom has a hard time finding shoes for me."
While we can now all ponder whether the David Stern will swoop in and fine the Lakers for wooing Allen, Auri still can't get over the most important part of the day.
"J-Lo," said Auri, shaking his head again. "I'll remember that for a long time, too."
Believe it or not, Allen visits with Shaq
Bryan Mullen / The Tennessean
Peep Show
2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
35 11.0 5.1 4.3 .434 .811
Phoenix Suns: Penny Hardaway is still adjusting to his new supporting role. "Since his [Amare Stoudemire's] emergence on the inside, I've definitely taken a step back," Hardaway told the Arizona Republic. "Shawn [Marion] and Steph [Marbury] can't, so I'm trying to be a team player, because we need to get him the ball as much as we can. We want to get him going, because when he gets it going it's going to make things easier for all of us."
Sacramento Kings: Chris Webber tried out his bruised knee Tuesday night and put up 18 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in 33 minutes. Webber said the true test comes today. "I feel good right now," he told the Sacramento Bee. "It wasn't the most serious injury, and we knew there wasn't anything broken or torn. But it was scary because it hurt and I didn't have my movement."
Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki is crossing his fingers that the Mavs lock up French superstar Antoine Rigaudeau. "He's the man in Europe, that's for sure," Nowitzki, who played against Rigaudeau before coming to the NBA more than four years ago, told the Fort Worth Star Telegram. "He's a great shooter for his size. ... He can put it on the floor, and he's a very good player. I don't know if that means he can help us right away. We'll see." The Mavs waived rookie guard Adam Harrington to make room for Rigaudeau.
Toronto Raptors: One day after releasing Greg Foster and Jermaine Jackson, the Raptors moved quickly to replace them with two veterans. The Raptors are set to sign playground legend Rafer Alston and big man Art Long today, according to the Toronto Star. Alston, the star of several AND-1 videos, had some success in Milwaukee last season. However, he left the team for the Warriors this summer, only to be cut for financial reason just before the season started. Long, who gained notoriety for once being charged with punching a mounted policeman's horse (an incident he denies ever took place), began the season with the 76ers, was traded to the Nuggets and then released. Both players will be signed to 10-day contracts.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Talk about your pains in the butt. T-wolves backup point guard Rod Strickland stayed at the team hotel for Tuesday's game against the Rockets because of a deep bruise on his right buttock that might have become infected. "It's hurt him as far as being energetic," coach Flip Saunders said of Strickland's performance over the past two weeks. "It's like getting kneed back there, and you have it all the time. It's like a cramp that's always in there."
Hardaway adjusts to support role
Bob Young / Arizona Republic
Webber says true test will be today
Martin McNeal / Sacramento Bee
Deal for guard is probable
Art Garcia / Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Grunwald fiddles while Raptors burn
Doug Smith / Toronto Star
Wolves guard out with bruise
Robbi Pickeral / St. Paul Pioneer Press
NBA Power Outage: On the Rebound
By Terry Brown
Wednesday, January 8 Updated 12:03 PM EST
Who knows if the Raptors are really the worst defensive rebounding team in the league. They do average a league low 27.7 per game but at the same time, their opponents shoot a league high 47 percent against them.
Less misses means less rebounding opportunities.
The Indiana Pacers may grab a league-high 32.8 defensive rebounds per game, but they also give up 12.7 offensive boards to their opponents. The San Antonio Spurs hold their opponents to a league low 41.1 percent from the field but still give up 12.9 offensive boards a game.
The Raptors only allow 11.8 offensive rebounds per game.
Which brings us back to the fact that Antonio Davis has spent almost as many games on injured reserve than at center for Toronto and a heck of a lot less at power forward where he should be playing in the first place. Which means Greg Foster and Jelani McCoy, a combined 13 teams in 18 seasons, have often started in his place.
Only one of the 14 players on the Toronto Raptor roster has played in every single game while 11 different players have started in their 35 contests.
Ben Wallace, by himself, averages 11.4 defensive rebounds per game for the Pistons to lead the league again. Minnesota's Kevin Garnett is right behind him at 10.4.
But Wallace is the seventh leading scorer on his team at 6.8 per game. Garnett leads his team in points at 21.8 as well as assists, steals, blocks and minutes.
Yet each is arguably considered the best at what he does despite the fact that there are no official categories in basketball for a left-handed short reliever or nickleback for third and long. However, a perfectly balanced basketball team hardly means eight guys averaging 12.5 points per game each.
We do know, or are taught anyways, that the proper defensive position will lead to the proper rebounding position which will lead to more offensive opportunities and so on. We can break it down into fractions and decimal points or use brush strokes and meter to describe the fact that Elton Brand leads the league in offensive rebounds at 4.5 per game.
But when do we mention the fact that Brand is, for the first time in his professional career, playing beside a legitimate center fully stretched out and aware of his surroundings thereby allowing the so-called undersized power forward to, well, play a legitimate power forward.
Add up the Clippers defensive rebounds then figure out the number of offensive rebounds their opponents grab, add the two and find out how many defensive rebounding opportunities there have been. Take the Clippers' defensive rebounding number and divide it by the total number of opportunities to figure out the percentage of defensive boards that they get.
With Brand and Michael Olowokandi and a host of other well-known players, the Clippers grab exactly 70.0 percent of their defensive rebound opportunities.
Without a true center or power forward who has been injured and a cast you couldn't pick out with all the scouting reports in the world, the Raptors grab exactly 70.1 percent of their defensive rebound opportunities.
Somehow, someway, one thing always leads to the next in the game of basketball and is completely dependent on the things that happened before it. Or didn't happen.
BEST DEFENSIVE REBOUNDERS
1. Miami Heat
Numbers: 75% (30.7 def. rpg to opp. 10.2 off. rpg)
Comment: They shoot bad, pass even worse and you couldn't guess their second leading scorer if I gave you three guesses, two lifelines and a clue. But the reason that this 12-22 team that happens to shoot 41 percent from the field has won even that many games is because they're holding their opponents to only 42 percent shooting (sixth best in the NBA) while allowing them the lowest percentage of offensive rebounds in the league. Frontline players Brian Grant (11.3 rpg), Vladimir Stepania (7.4) and Malik Allen (5.5 rpg) are putting up career and a half numbers. Now, if only they knew what to do with the ball once they get it . . .
2. Washington Wizards
Numbers: 74.3% (30.1 def. rpg to opp. 10.4 off. rpg)
Comment: The Wizards don't have a leading rebounder. They've got four guys who average more than 5 a game (but not one more than 6) and ten of them who have led them in rebounding in 34 games (but no dominant presence in the paint to point a finger at). The amazing thing is that four of those aforementioned players, some from one category and some from the other, are guards. But we'll have to get back to you on whether that 4 or 10 or other 4 are good things or bad. They've either got a lot of guys who can board or a lot of guys who can't. I think you already know the answer. But for now, they're 17-17 blissful playoff contenders.
3. Denver Nuggets
Numbers: 74% (28.2 def. rpg to opp. 9.9 off. rpg)
Comment: The good news is that no team in the entire NBA allows fewer second chance opportunities. The Denver Nuggets, yes, those Denver Nuggets, give up a league-low 9.9 offensive rebounds per game. The bad news is that most of the time, it only takes one shot per possession to beat them since they score only 80.5 points per game on 39 percent shooting. Nonetheless, it is our duty to report that rookie big man Nene Hilario, the one with a scowl on his face and first-and-ten arm span, has led the team in rebounding a total of 8 times this season so far. But the last five have come in their latest eight games.
4. Detroit Pistons
Numbers: 73.9% (29.8 def. rpg to opp. 10.5 off. rpg)
Comment: Ben Wallace. The whole Ben Wallace. And nothing but Ben Wallace.
5. Los Angeles Lakers
Numbers: 73.2% (32.1 def. rpg to opp. 11.7 off. rpg)
Comment: We can scatter palm leaves and rose petals at his feet as Kobe Bryant, the second most prolific scorer in the NBA who also leads his team in assists, and grabs an eye-popping 7.7 rebounds per game, but the fact remains that in November, Shaquille O'Neal averaged 9.6 rebounds per game. In December, he averaged 11.6. In January, he's averaged 12.5. In February, by no coincidence, the team hopes to reach .500.
WORST DEFENSIVE REBOUNERS
25. Seattle Sonics
Numbers: 69.5% (29.2 def. rpg to opp. 12.8 off. rpg)
Comment: Seven-footer Vladimir Radmanovic has grabbed 107 defensive rebounds so far this season while attempting 115 three-pointers. That is all you will ever need to know about Sonic basketball as it is played today.
26. Milwaukee Bucks
Numbers: 69.4% (30.2 def. rpg to opp. 13.3 off. rpg)
Comment: Between an agitated Dan Gadzuric at center, barnacled Anthony Mason at power forward and doubting Tim Thomas at small forward, George Karl doesn't have enough duct tape and chicken wire to keep this front line from falling apart in the paint. They are outrebounded on the offensive glass, outrebounded on the defensive glass and outrebounded overall by a whopping 4.4. The fact that 7-foot-1 Joel Pryzbilla and 6-foot-11 veteran Ervin Johnson can't crack the starting line up should answer any outstanding questions that you might have about this team's constitution or lack thereof.
27. Chicago Bulls
Numbers: 69.2% (30.4 def. rpg to opp. 13.5 off. rpg)
Comment: One day, Tyson Chandler is going to get himself into the right position under the basket without starring into the camera to improve his rather paltry 5.1 rpg numbers. One day, Eddy Curry is going to get down the court in time to come within reaching distance of his man to maybe even box him out occasionally and improve upon his wretched 3.5 rpg numbers. One day, Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry may be playing against the Bulls by the time any of this happens.
28. Golden State Warriors
Numbers: 68.2% (31 def. rpg to opp. 14.4 off rpg)
Comment: The Golden State Warriors are a scant 42 points spread out over 33 games from statistically being a .500 ball club. That's less than one basket per game. And that's how close coach Eric Musselman has gotten them to respectability. Well, at least a 14-19 record. But the fact that they give up a league worse 14.4 offensive rebounds a contest tells you how far he still has to get them. Well, they were 21-61 last season. But, then again, that's why Troy Murphy (eighth best rebounder in the game at 9.7 per game) has gone from playing 17.7 mpg last season to 32.5 this year.
29. Memphis Grizzlies
Numbers: 67.8% (29.8 def. rpg to opp. 14.1 off. rpg)
Comment: I am not afraid of Pau Gasol. I think Drew Gooden and I could be good friends. I'd like to play chess against Shane Battier, compare medical charts with Lorenzen Wright using as many big words with latin suffixes and prefixes as possible and join a book club with Cezary Trebansky. Admit it. You can hardly say Stromile Swift without smiling. Oops. Almost forgot we were in the middle of a contact sport.
Insider Fantasy File
Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
Wednesday, December 4, 2002
NBA Championships aren't won in November. Neither are fantasy leagues.
Over the last few weeks, fantasy owners have kicked several promising young players to the curb after slow starts to the season. Yes, Tim Thomas has been awful. Eddie Griffin can't hit a shot. Chauncey Billups looks like a Rick Pitino refugee. And Vladmir Radmanovic makes Toni Kukoc look like Ron Artest.
You may be willing to go your separate ways, claiming you'll be all right without them. But come January, they'll be making you pay. So, be good to yourself and keep these kids around. Good things come to those who wait. Tim Thomas
Small Forward
Milwaukee Bucks
Tim Thomas, Bucks (available in 33 percent of leagues) I'm not a fan, but with the injury to Toni Kukoc, Thomas has to produce. He has the talent, he just lacks the confidence and definition in his game to dominate. He's traditionally a slow starter and has shown signs of life the last week. He's capable of 18 points, 8 boards and two threes a game.
Eddie Griffin, Rockets (available in 43 percent of leagues) He's got to stop shooting all of those threes and start taking the ball into the paint. Griffin has the potential to be a fantasy monster. He blocks shots, rebounds, can score in bunches and, on occasion, he'll even get hot from beyond the arc. He's struggling (along with the rest of the Rockets) to find an identity with this team. But coach Rudy Tomjanovich has resisted the urge to bury him behind Kenny Thomas and Maurice Taylor. That can only lead to good things.
Chauncey Billups, Pistons (available in 64 percent of leagues) What happened to the guy who became a fantasy staple late last season? Billups began the season trying to fit in. He set out to prove he's a pass first point guard and tried to impress coach Rick Carlisle with his tough defense. But with the Pistons offense stalling, expect Billups to start to fire it up with abandon when he returns from his ankle injury on Wednesday.
Vladimir Radmanovic, Sonics (available in 71 percent of leagues) His defense has him stuck in Nate McMillan's doghouse right now. But privately the Sonics still maintain that he may be the most talented Euro this side of Dirk Nowitizki. Radmanovic, like Thomas, has struggled to define his game. He's more comfortable on the perimeter right now, but he's warming to playing in the post. The Sonics really need someone to step up and man the paint. Sooner or later, that guy is going to be Radmanovic.
Only the Young:
Marko Jaric, Clippers (available in 86 percent of leagues) With Andre Miller, Corey Maggette and Lamar Odom all nursing injuries, Jaric has finally gotten the opportunity to spread his wings. The points, assists and threes will help. But also check out Jaric's steals. He's tenacity on the defensive end resembles a European Ron Artest. Once everyone gets healthy, Jaric may not be the best play, but he should continue producing big time throughout the month of December.
Gerald Wallace, Kings (available in 88 percent of leagues) Injuries to Predrag Stojakovic and Hidayet Turkoglu have given Wallace a chance to shine. He's making the most of his opportunity. He shoots a high percentage from the field, is capable of putting up 20 points a night and is a great rebounder for a two guard.
Carlos Boozer, Cavs (available in 83 percent of leagues) Boozer is getting more opportunities with Chris Mihm out and Tyrone Hill hurting. He's responded with five double-doubles in his last eight games. Boozer slipped in last summer's draft after teams questioned whether he had the athleticism to play the four in the pros. Early on he's showing that he has savvy around the basket that few players his age can match.
Chad Ford is the NBA Insider for ESPN.com. Check out his frequent work on ESPN Insider .