Shocker!-A sports journalist defends Yao Ming

http://www.nba.com/fantasy_games/kamla_050211.html


Stoud-a-mire or Stoud-e-mire? Kamla checks who's rollin' now
Living the Fantasy: Bringin' the "A" Game
By NBA TV's Rick Kamla

If I asked you to name the best Stoud(e/a)mire over the past month, you'd probably blurt out the name Amaré. And I wouldn't be mad at you because the dude dunks on monsters and rejects All-Stars to win games.

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However, as awesome as Amaré has been, he ranks 17th among 8-cat players over the past month. Surprisingly, that's 12 spots lower than Damon, who has been the top point guard in fantasy hoops over the past four weeks.

Damon's amazing run got me thinking about the players who have really picked up their play in recent weeks and those who have underachieved over the same stretch.

But before I detail the 10 players moving in opposite directions as we approach the All-Star break, I have a couple bones to pick.

First of all, when you're flying, don't get up and crowd the aisle the second the plane lands. How annoying are these rubes who feel the need to shave 15 seconds off their time at the airport?

Also, I'm tired of all this hating on Yao Ming.

In case you're wondering, hating on Yao is the quickest way to reveal the fact you know nothing about the league. Nothing.

In his third season -- I repeat, third season -- Yao is averaging 18.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and .537 percent from the field.

What's to hate about that?

Freaks, publicly hating on Yao doesn't make you cool or hard or different -- it makes you look stupid…and ethnocentric. It's akin to breaking the ice with a beautiful woman by asking if she wants a drink…or a dance. How lame is that?

Stop hatin' on Yao.

Now, back to our story…

In the Groove

Damon Stoudamire, Trail Blazers: Over the past month, Damon has been the fifth-best 8-cat player, ranking ahead of superstars like Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett. He's averaging 25.6 points, 6.4 assists, 1.4 steals, 4.0 threes, 4.1 rebounds, .444 percent from the field, and 98 percent from the line. His season averages rank him 42nd in 8-cat leagues, but over the past month he's up 10 points and 1.8 threes per game.

Jason Kidd, Nets: Hey, this is what happens when you either record of flirt with a triple-double every night. Kidd is ranked No. 23 among 8-cat players for the season, but he's No. 8 over the past month thanks to 18.0 points, 9.4 assists, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 threes, and 1.8 steals. For the season, Kidd is averaging 14.2 points, 7.7 assists, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 threes, and 1.6 steals, so you can see how hot he has been since the calendar change.

Vince Carter, Nets: How fitting that Kidd and Carter would be No. 8 and 9, respectively, over the past month? Their chemistry borders on the sublime and it should get better in the second half. Carter, who ranks 35th for the year, is up in every cat over the past month, most notably points (21.2 to 27.6), rebounds (4.8 to 6.0), assists (4.2 to 6.1), threes (1.3 to 1.7), blocks (0.8 to 1.2), and field-goal percentage (.439 to .455).

Paul Pierce, Celtics: Believe it or not, lots and lots of people have a problem with Pierce's inclusion on the All-Star team, but his numbers over the past month validate his invitation. In ranking 10th in 8-cat leagues over the last four weeks (16th overall), Pierce is averaging 23.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.9 steals, and .463 percent from the field. Now that's the Pierce who was taken in first rounds last September.

Brad Miller, Kings: Miller has been quietly solid all season, ranking 21st in 8-cat methods, but only 12 players have been better over the past month. His points are up from 15.6 to 18.3 and his field-goal percentage is up from .537 to .592. Miller's late push for a second-straight All-Star appearance came up short, but his fantasy owners are not complaining.

Outta Tune

Steve Francis, Magic: For the year, Francis is the 25th best 8-cat player, but he has slumped to 57th over the past month. I thought Francis should have been named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team, but the following numbers lend credence to his exclusion. Over the past month, Francis is averaging only 0.6 threes, 0.5 steals, and .408 percent from the field. His points, rebounds, and assists have hovered around 22-6-7 all season, but where have the threes and steals gone? Franchise is a monster in 3-cat leagues, but his value drops with each additional category.

Corey Maggette, Clippers: I realize Corey's been banged up over the past month, and I have high hopes for the second half, but the past four weeks have been brutal on fantasy owners. Due to injuries and the emergence of Bobby Simmons, Maggette has dropped from 46th for the season to 67th over the past month. His rebounds, assists, steals, and threes have remained consistent, but Corey's scoring is down from 21.2 to 18.4 and his field-goal percentage is down from .416 to .386.

Rashard Lewis, SuperSonics: I love what Lewis did for himself, the Sonics, and fantasy owners in the first half, but he should not have made the Western Conference All-Star team over Chris Webber. I'm sorry, but C-Webb got the shaft. Lewis ranks 28th in 8-cat leagues for the season, but his ranking has slipped to 87th over the past month. Like Maggette, Lewis hasn't always been 100 percent, but the statistical drop-off has been somewhat dramatic. His scoring is down from 20.3 to 17.1, rebounds are down from 5.4 to 4.2, steals are down from 1.2 to 0.6, field-goal shooting is down from .464 to .418, and free-throw shooting is down from 84 to 77 percent. About a month ago I declined an offer to trade Shawn Marion for Rashard and Jason Richardson -- and I do not regret my decision.

Michael Finley, Mavericks: Finley has been pretty good over the entire season, ranking 66th in 8-cat leagues. However, thanks to 15.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and .385 percent from the floor over the past month, Finley has ranked 113th among 8-cat players during that stretch. How ordinary are those numbers? People like to talk about the rookie wall (which is a myth at this point of the evolution of the modern basketball player), but you rarely hear anything about the 31-year-old wall.

Gary Payton, Celtics: The point is somewhat moot here, as Payton ranks 88th for the season and 115th over the past month. That said, for the sake of trading Payton before your league's trade deadline, maybe it'll help to see his averages of 11.1 points, 6.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and .414 percent from the field over the last month. The guy's a future Hall of Famer, but at 36, he is no longer a go-to fantasy guy.

Rick Kamla can be seen every night, seven nights a week at 1 a.m. ET throughout the season on NBA Fantasy Hoops on NBA TV dispensing fantasy advice and commentary. Send Rick your fantasy questions and comments to nbatalk@nba.com.