Expert Fantasy » brad miller

Miller and Salmons traded for Nocioni and Gooden

Stephen Kersey — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 03:55:34 +0000

In a big five-player deal, the Chicago Bulls acquired Brad Miller and John Salmons from the Sacramento Kings for Drew Gooden, Andres Nocioni, Michael Ruffin and Cedric Simmons. The Kings then traded Ruffin to the Portland Trail Blazers for Ike Diogu.

How does this impact the fantasy worth of these players? Let’s take a look:

Brad Miller
The Bulls have been looking for a legit center and may have found a solution in Miller. If he starts, his passing ability would be a great asset next to the athletes on the roster. His points and rebounding should stay about the same.

John Salmons
With Salmons, it’s all about whether or not he starts. In the last few seasons, Salmons has been very good as a starter. Off the bench, he hasn’t been nearly as impressive. Keep an eye on what Vinny Del Negro decides to do with him but he’ll probably start.

Andres Nocioni
The Kings could use a player like Nocioni. After losing Artest, the Kings were missing a physical player on the perimeter who isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Nocioni should see plenty of time in Sacramento and his stats should increase.

Drew Gooden
Gooden is another player who will live or die depending on if he’s starting. Things for Gooden might be a bit dicey because the Kings have a lot of young bigs plus Gooden is gimpy right now. But if he can get healthy, he could give the Kings somewhat of a post presence.

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Center Fantasy Basketball Busts in 2008

Stephen Kersey — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 03:09:33 +0000

Marcus Camby, Los Angeles Clippers
Although Marcus Camby has been a very good fantasy basketball player the last few years, look for his reign of dominance to come to an end. First of all, Camby is always an injury risk and he’s dodged quite a few bullets the last couple of years. Second of all, the Clippers will play at a much slower pace than the Nuggets. That in itself will lower his stats across the board. There is also some question regarding how well he will mesh on the court next to Chris Kaman.

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
Pau Gasol is a very good NBA player but he may take a hit in the fantasy world this year. With Andrew Bynum next to him, he’ll likely have to forgo some of the touches downlow that he got all of last season. Additionally, Bynum will likely take away some of the rebounds and blocks that Gasol was getting. His shooting percentages should go up but that in itself won’t make up for the loss of production elsewhere.

Brad Miller, Sacramento Kings
The first strike against Brad Miller is the fact that he’s suspended to start the season. More importantly, he doesn’t quite fit the Kings any longer. The Kings are rebuilding for the future while Miller is already in his prime. In order to take a look at young players, don’t be surprised if Miller sees his minutes limited and other bigs on the roster such as Jason Thompson, Shelden Williams and Spencer Hawes get their opportunities in the sun.

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Shareef Abdur-Rahim Retires – Fantasy Impact

Stephen Kersey — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:54:02 +0000

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who in his heyday was a very good fantasy basketball player, retired from the Sacramento Kings on Monday. Abdur-Rahim retired due to a chronically injured knee.

Although not much was planned for Abdur-Rahim during the 2008-09 season, his retirement may open up more of an opportunity for the younger bigmen on the Kings. Justin Thompson, the 2008 first round draft pick for Sacramento, has a chance to start at power forward this year. During summer league, Thompson should a varied game that even allowed him to play minutes a small forward.

The Kings may also decide to play more of Brad Miller and Spencer Hawes together. While these two players are similar, they both have a perimeter game that allows them to play off the block. Mikki Moore should get plenty of minutes and Sheldon Williams will be given a chance to shine.

Here is a Shareef Abdur-Rahim highlight video that helps us remember how good he used to be:

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