Expert Fantasy » jason maxiell

Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups Trade

Stephen Kersey — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:45:05 +0000

The fantasy basketball impact of the Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups trade is difficult to piece together. It’s such a drastic difference for both teams that it may take a few months to sort out. The trade, which was completed earlier in the week, sends Allen Iverson to Detroit for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheick Samb.

First of all for the Nuggets, they finally have a star point guard to build around. Every since trading away Andre Miller, Denver has struggled to find a floor general. Although Billups isn’t as good as he was a couple seasons ago, he’s still an elite point guard. Expect his fantasy basketball numbers to remain relatively the same in Denver.

The biggest winner on the Nuggets roster is Carmelo Anthony. He’ll get a lot more shots now that he doesn’t have to share with Iverson. Anthony should once again challenge for the league lead in points per game. His percentages should also improve now that he has a player to set him up. The other big winner on the Nuggets is JR Smith. He should see way more time at shooting guard and could blossom into a big time scorer who could lead the league in three-pointers made. The big loser on the Nuggets is obviously Anthony Carter, who will go from starter to limited bench player.

For the Pistons, things aren’t nearly as cut and dry. Iverson likely will first begin as the team’s point guard. But throughout his career, Iverson has struggled running the show. With so many different pieces to feed, it’s questionable whether he’ll be able to be a full-time point guard. If he can’t survive at point guard, that opens the door for Rodney Stuckey to play even more. There’s even a chance that the Pistons could opt to start Stuckey and Iverson in the backcourt and then bring Richard Hamilton off the bench. Another option is for Tayshaun Prince to become a pseudo point guard and let Iverson play off the ball.

Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell should also see the fantasy stocks rise due to taking up more of McDyess’ minutes. However, rumor has it that McDyess may return to Detroit after a buyout – a la Brent Barry and the San Antonio Spurs last season.

Photo credit: Newscom

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Power Forward Busts – Fantasy Basketball

Stephen Kersey — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 03:36:09 +0000

Shawn Marion, Miami Heat
Although Shawn Marion is usually one of the safer bets in all of fantasy basketball, his situation just isn’t as great as usual this year. He no longer has Steve Nash helping him out and is instead in a lame duck type situation with the Heat due to his expiring contract. Not only that, the Heat have a lot of players that could get time at the forward positions including Michael Beasley, Udonis Haslem, James Jones, Dorell Wright and Yakhouba Diawara.

Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
Before you look at his stats and conclude that he had a good season last year, don’t forget to look at his playoff statistics. With the Jazz trying to make a run in the Western Conference, Boozer was oftentimes the team’s weakest link. He’ll likely bounce back but he showed a lot of vulnerability during the 2008 playoffs.

Antawn Jamison, Washington Wizards
Early in preseason play Antawn Jamison went down with a knee injury. While he should be okay for the regular season opener, he’ll likely be slowed for a few more weeks. Additionally, Jamison is getting to the age where his stats should start to decline. Some of his stats from last year, such as his rebounding numbers, will likely be on the decline this year.

Rasheed Wallace, Detroit Pistons
Rasheed Wallace has a lot of minor aspects that could make him a fantasy basketball bust in 2008. First of all, the newly 34-year-old Wallace should start to see some of his physical skills decline soon. The Pistons are also interested in playing some of their young bigmen more such as Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell. Plus don’t forget that Joe Dumars is said to be thinking about breaking up the nucleus of the Pistons, which would most likely have a negative effect on Rasheed.

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Pistons Fire Flip Saunders – Fantasy Impact

Stephen Kersey — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:58:08 +0000

Flip Saunders was let go as the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. Saunders, who led the team to three straight appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals, couldn’t get over the hump and was let go by Joe Dumars, the president of basketball operations for the Pistons.

Saunders had actually coached a good season, by all account. He was able to finish with the second best record in the NBA, while at the same time giving minutes to young players like Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell.

While there wasn’t an immediate announcement regarding the new Pistons head coach, sources are pointing toward Michael Curry as the likely replacement. Curry, an ex-Piston, has only one year as an assistant coach under his belt. It’s difficult to project how he’ll coach with no information on him.

After getting eliminated, many expect the Pistons to receive a makeover this summer. Dumars will be busy and a number of big names could be headed out of town, including Rasheed Wallace.

Will Michael Curry be the new Pistons coach?

Photo: Newscom

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Jason Maxiell Blocks Kevin Garnett Video

Stephen Kersey — Tue, 27 May 2008 10:12:01 +0000

Check out this video of Jason Maxiell blocking Kevin Garnett during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Garnett was alone on a fast break until Maxiell caught up and blocked him from behind. Maxiell’s block seemed to set the tone as the Detroit Pistons whipped the Boston Celtics by a final score of 94-75.

While obviously Garnett is a very good fantasy basketball player, Maxiell is starting to come into his own as a decent fantasy option. During the regular season, Maxiell averaged 7.9 points and 5.3 rebounds, while shooting 53.8% from the field. He also blocks more than one shot per game and does a good job taking care of the ball.

With the series tied at 2, critical Game 5 will take place in Boston on Wednesday. The Celtics have only lost one game at home in the playoffs – which happened to be Game 2 against the Pistons.

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