Buyer Beware Fantasy Report

We have all been there … a solid veteran is still on the draft board who has put in major fantasy work over the years – a potential steal, a guy that could lead your team to the title. So you select him and during the course of the season you find out why the other owners passed him up. The player’s skills, in reality, can still lead their team to contention but in the world of fantasy they’re no longer dominant.

Here is my list of guys that are more than capable of contributing to your team this year, but please do not waste a selection if you’re expecting them to be the main cog in your fantasy quest.

Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics, Power Forward

The Big Ticket will turn 34 this year and gone are the days of routine 20-10-5 stat lines. Besides age, KG is showing signs of wear and tear missing 35 games over the past two seasons. He averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 2009, but he’s coming back from a major knee injury and the Celtics added Rasheed Wallace with the hope of alleviating some of the daily grind.

If that’s not enough to keep you away from KG as a main option on your fantasy team – consider that his shot attempts, points, rebounds, blocks and assists have all declined since arriving in Boston two years ago. And even if he improves over last year’s production, the Celtics don’t need him to average anywhere close to 20/10. They’re a veteran squad just trying to get into the postseason healthy and in rhythm.


Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz, Power Forward

Despite Boozer clearly establishing himself as one of the best power forward in the game, there are numerous reasons to avoid him as your main option.

The first being Boozer’s inability to stay healthy and on the court. In three of his five seasons in Utah, Boozer has played in less than 52 games.

The second bit of evidence is the team’s investment in Paul Millsap over the summer. Since Boozer is in the final year of his contract, he may also be subject to a midseason trade. The trade would allow Utah to add some value instead of just letting him walk via free agency in 2010 for nothing.

Health, possibly splitting time and potentially being traded and having to adjust to a new team are all reasons to avoid Boozer early in your draft.


Josh Howard, Dallas Mavericks, Small Forward

Howard is coming off a down year statistically and there are no indications he’s going to bounce back in a huge way. Howard missed 29 games last season with a variety of ankle and wrist injuries, so the Mavericks acquired Shawn Marion during the offseason as insurance.

Marion’s presence at small forward will cut into Howard’s production.


Hedo Turkoglu, Toronto Raptors, Small Forward

Turkoglu is leaving a situation where he could become a fourth option on offense if he was having an off night (behind Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson). That security blanket, even though Turk rarely used it, is now gone in Toronto. He’ll be asked to do more offensively and create scoring opportunities for his teammates using his versatility.
But remember, the Magic played inside out utilizing the dominance of Howard in the post, which allowed plenty of open space for Turk on the wing.

Toronto also has a dynamic big man in Chris Bosh but he’s not a low post banger and therefore some of the open 3-point looks will dry up. It’s also worth mentioning that Turk’s shooting has been sporadic, clutch shots aside.

Lang
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