Bang the Eardrum

While the apparent demise of the Phoenix Suns with or without Terry Porter could have soured me on the NBA tonight, I simply couldn't wait until the end of the Clippers-Cavs slap-fest to express just how warm and fuzzy Marcus Camby's return makes me feel.  It's not every day a multimillionaire athlete finds himself the butt of the cliche "In one ear and out the other."

For those unaware, Marcus Camby has been suffering from an inner ear infection that has partially ruptured his eardrum, and has been causing dizziness and migraine headaches.  For those who like to poke fun at potentially bad situations (raises hand), I found myself developing a mental picture of looking directly through the head of one of the NBA's best defensive big men.  It's been a long hard road for Marcus, and from all of us here at FS,OD we wish you a hearty "Get Well Soon," and may you never find your head imploding again.

Last remark before we leap headfirst into the pickup barrel o' fun.  I know it's easy to find yourself less than inclined to explore the entirety of danbesbris.blogspot.com, but there are constantly new items to find.  Believe me, I do try to keep the widgets to a minimum, and those that I do choose to add I feel are explicitly necessary.  So, take a moment to scroll down the right sidebar and observe the new Live Player Updates java.  It won't completely nullify the use of juggernauts like Rotowire and Rotoworld, but it should provide this website a little more in the way of important real and fantasy announcements.

How 'bout them daily wagers today, eh?  Soy campeon.  Now the picks, and while I'm feeling my oats, it's blackjack time!

21!!!

• Ronnie Brewer - 5 more steals, 100% FT's, 63% shooting tonight, 0 turnovers.  This hand pays 3-to-2.
• Jarrett Jack - Over 20 points again.  Pays 6-to-5.
• Larry Hughes - I assume he's been picked up in just about every league now, but leaving Lurry-Time off this list would be a travesty.
• Spencer Hawes - It was mentioned to me that I was commonly leaving out players I believed to be long since acquired.  This is another.

19!

• Ramon Sessions - Still good, still available in a lot of leagues.  Do yourself a favor and at least play the hand (see if he's available).  Bit of a metaphorical stretch, but bear with me.  As most guards do, blasted the Knicks for a monster game, but worth grabbing and starting against the leagues 15 worst defenses.
• Al Thornton - Back in the mid-tier slammer, Thornton still appears to be getting his shots despite the Clippers return to full strength, which is, roughly speaking, the combined power of a pack of sleepy 3rd graders.  Al will shoot close to 50%, score a few points, and generally nets a block or two as well.
• Matt Barnes/Leandro Barbosa - Still getting the minutes and the stats while Grant Hill plays facilitator.
• Roger Mason - Another repeat offender in the middle tier.  You'll get sub-.500 shooting, some points, a few threes, and not much else.  A role player in real life and in fantasy sports.

17.

• Drew Gooden - Expected to play in a week for San Antonio, and should see a fair number of minutes at the 4 and 5.  I'm just not sold on him yet, but if you're looking to stash a potential rebounder for the playoffs, Drew could be something of a short-sighted sleeper.
• J.J. Barea - Rick "Fletcher Reede" Carlisle has opted to start Barea with Josh Howard out, and the stocky product of Northeastern should have a few decent scoring outbursts.  I'm less than thrilled by his potential.
• Thabo Sefolosha & Nenad Krstic - Thunderwatch continues! Jeff Green came back tonight, and Nenabo Sefolorstic still put up decent numbers.  Clinging to relevance, since word is Kevin Durant will play this weekend.
  

16...

• Paul Millsap - Carlos Boozer is tending to a sore ankle, so this is a two game spike for Bruisin' Paul Millie Millsap.  Make no mistake, this is not 8-8, this is 10-6.  Avoid.