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      2009 NBA Preview: 10 Breakout Candidates

      October 23, 2009 /

      What constitutes a “breakout” season? To me, it’s a talented player who has been in the league at least one year who is about to see a big increase in minutes. Here is a list of 10 players (in no particular order) who I think will have career seasons in 2009-10.

      1. Tyrus Thomas, Bulls
      The 23 year-old is entering his fourth season and will probably be the Bulls’ starter at power forward. He averaged 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds in 27.5 minutes last season, and an increase in minutes would enhance those numbers. Now that he has an effective mid-range jump shot, he can use that and his athleticism to get to the basket.

      2. Anthony Randolph, Warriors
      Randolph is a popular breakout pick this season after a great summer league and flashes of brilliance in his rookie year. He only played about 18 minutes per game last season, and is playing almost 28 minutes in the preseason, starting every game in which he’s appeared. Don Nelson may not start him during the regular season since he’s been battling some injuries, but expect him to get plenty of run this year.

      3. Anthony Morrow, Warriors
      Let’s stay in Oakland, shall we? Not to read too much into preseason stats, but through eight games, the second-year Morrow is averaging 22.0 points on 58% shooting (52% from 3PT). He’s going to come off the bench, but that might not last for long if Stephen Jackson eventually gets traded. Morrow is one of the league’s best shooters, nailing almost 47% of his threes a year ago.

      4. Aaron Brooks, Rockets
      With Yao Ming out and Tracy McGrady hobbled, the Rockets don’t have a whole lot of offensive options and Brooks is one of the best shooters the team has. He averaged 11.2 points in 25 minutes per game last season. If he gets 32-35 minutes per game, he should average somewhere in the 14-16 ppg range.

      5. Louis Williams, 76ers
      He’s a very different player than Andre Miller, the guy he’s being asked to replace. He isn’t going to drop a lot of dimes, but the guy can score, and if he gets starter’s minutes his averages are going to jump. In the preseason, he’s averaging 14.9 ppg in 27 minutes of PT.

      6. Courtney Lee / Chris Douglas-Roberts, Nets
      I’m listing them both because it’s not clear which will be the Nets’ starting shooting guard on opening day. It may not matter because the other might be the starting small forward. In the preseason, CDM and Lee are averaging 18.5 ppg and 17.0 ppg, respectively. While Devin Harris and Brook Lopez are likely to lead the Nets in scoring, Lee and Douglas-Roberts could both average 12-14 ppg.

      7. J.R. Smith, Nuggets
      Smith has already had a breakout year (in his first season with the Nuggets), but the departure of Dahntay Jones gives Smith the chance to start. George Karl started Jones last season because of his commitment to defense, so it’s just as likely that he finds another defensive-oriented off guard to fill that vacated role. Smith has the talent to start, but can he keep his head on straight and play enough defense to keep Karl happy? (By the way, he’s suspended for the first seven games.)

      8. Channing Frye, Suns
      After a nice rookie season (12p/6r) in New York, Frye wasn’t as good in his second season and landed in Portland where he didn’t get much run. Now he’s the starting center in Phoenix and is averaging 12.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 26.8 minutes of playing time. The Suns are awfully thin on the front line, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Frye ends up playing 30-35 minutes a game.

      9. Julian Wright, Hornets
      While he isn’t shooting particularly well (41%) in the preseason, it appears that Byron Scott has finally given up on Peja Stojakovic and is ready to hand over the keys to Wright, who has started all six preseason games in which he has appeared. He’s a great athlete and versatile player, but the big mystery with Wright is his three-point shooting. He hit 10-24 attempts in his rookie season, but just 2-21 in his second year. The Hornets need shooters for Chris Paul to pass to, so if Wright doesn’t start knocking down shots, Scott might go back to Peja.

      10. Hakim Warrick, Bucks
      Warrick is leading the Bucks in preseason scoring with 14.4 ppg. He’ll battle with Luc Mbah a Moute, Carlos Delfino, Ersan Ilyasova and Joe Alexander for minutes. Scott Skiles will likely start Mbah a Moute at one forward spot because he’s a great defender, but the other is up for grabs. Regardless, Warrick should get plenty of minutes and is on a one-year contract, so he’s very motivated.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Could Florida be in trouble on Saturday?

      October 23, 2009 /

      Considering No. 1 Florida opened as a 24-point favorite, one would assume that they won’t face much of a challenge this Saturday night. Mississippi State is just 3-4 on the year and has lost three of their last four games. Their most significant win came on the road against a Vanderbilt team that is just 2-5 on the year.

      But there are several factors that should concern the Gators as they get ready to do battle with the Bulldogs on Saturday night:

      – The Gators haven’t won in Starkville since 1985. They were defeated on Mississippi State’s home turf in 1992, 2000 and most recently in 2004.

      – Florida could be down three defensive starters, including linebacker Brandon Spikes, and defensive tackles Jaye Howard and Lawrence Marsh. Spikes re-injured his left groin last week and missed most of Florida’s win over Arkansas. With him on the sidelines, the Razorbacks rushed for 133 yards and finished with 357 yards of total offense.

      – Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen severed as Florida’s quarterback coach and offensive coordinator from 2005 to 2008. If anyone knows how to exploit Tim Tebow and the rest of the Gators’ offense, it would be Mullen.

      – Despite their losing record, the Bulldogs have the 13th best rushing offense in the nation and are averaging 219 yards per game on the ground this season. Senior Anthony Dixon has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his last five games, including a 138 and a 139-yard effort in his last two outings.

      At the end of the day, Florida will have the better team on Saturday night. Even without Spikes, Howard and Marsh, they have enough depth defensively to limit how effective Mississippi State’s offense can be. But there are more than enough factors that should have Urban Meyer concerned about a potential upset, none bigger than the Gators’ poor showings in previous trips to Starkville.

      Will Mississippi State shock the college football word this weekend and knock off the No. 1 team in the nation?

      Will Mississpi State pull off the upset?
      View Results

      College Football

      Fantasy Quick-Hitters: Boldin, Gonzalez, Morris, Jennings, Cotchery and Roy Williams

      October 23, 2009 /

      Things are looking up for Anquan Boldin. We’ll see if he practices today (Friday), but he went through a tough workout with the trainer and reportedly looked a lot better than he did on Wednesday. If he’s able to go, it’s a hit to Steve Breaston, who would be a nice play if Q sits.

      HC Caldwell: A. Gonzalez “feeling really good.” Finally, there’s some sort of update on his status. The Colts’ coach was still pretty vague, not setting a timeline for Gonzalez’s return. Rotoworld suggests that Gonzalez would start on the outside with Austin Collie in the slot, so Pierre Garcon’s value would take the biggest hit. But Collie and Gonzalez are pretty similar players, so the Colts are more likely to rotate Collie and Garcon depending on the situation. Garcon is a deep threat while Collie is a possession receiver.

      Sammy Morris won’t play in Week 7. He apparently wasn’t on the flight to London. What’s funny is that if this were a home game, the Patriots would be playing coy all the way up until kickoff. As it stands, Laurence Maroney has a very nice matchup against the Bucs. He looks like a solid RB2/flex play this week.

      Greg Jennings practices and is expected to play. The Browns give up a ton of big plays, so Jennings is a nice start this week. In other news, James Jones is the full-time WR3, so if Jennings or Donald Driver were to miss anytime, his stock would likely jump the most. He’s worth rostering in deep leagues.

      Jerricho Cotchery ruled out for Week 7. He wasn’t a particularly good start to begin with. His role opposite Braylon Edwards isn’t defined and the Jets face a tough Oakland pass defense. I’d avoid Edwards as well, though he should see enough targets to make him startable in bigger leagues.

      Roy Williams might sit out Week 7. HC Wade Phillips says that Williams is in pain when he catches the ball, but that it has gotten better through the week. Miles Austin is a nice start even if Williams plays, but if he sits out, Patrick Crayton becomes pretty startable against the Falcons. (Austin usurped Crayton as the starter opposite Williams during the Cowboys’ bye week.)

      Fantasy Football, News, NFL, Rumors & Gossip

      Brett Myers gets denied!

      October 23, 2009 /

      Hey, we’ve all been there. We go in for a kiss with that special someone who wasn’t expecting it and all of a sudden they pull away as if you have a combination of tuna fish and dirty diaper on your breath.

      But in most cases, your failed smooch doesn’t occur after you won a game to get you back into the World Series, nor does it happen on national television.

      Unless of course, you’re Phillies pitcher Brett Myers.

      Seeing as how he was accused of punching his wife in 2006, Myers deserved every bit of that humiliation.

      MLB, Video

      Former GM’s wife rips Titans’ Jeff Fisher

      October 23, 2009 /

      The wife of former Titans GM Floyd Reese ripped into head coach Jeff Fisher on WGFX-FM 140.5 The Zone on Thursday, indicating that her husband is the only reason Fisher still has a job.

      From the Nashville City Paper:

      Sally Reese, who alleged that her husband saved Fisher from being fired twice in his tenure, indicated that she was happy that the Patriots routed the Titans in the fashion they did and hoped it would be worse than the final score.

      “He kept Jeff from getting fired two times. So if he’d let him get fired, he’d still be there. Hello? That’s hindsight.” Reese said. “But you know paybacks — can I say bitch? — payback’s a bitch. Sunday I was hoping they’d run it to 100. And I love Tennessee. All you Tennessee people, my dad’s from Tennessee, but when you get sucker punched, you want to sucker punch back. My husband said it would be very uncool. He said, ‘We have to play them again.’ I said I only hope.”

      Sally Reese also refuted that Fisher did not have input into the draft process while Floyd Reese was GM.

      “Floyd had Devin Hester on the phone. He was going to the Titans. And Jeff wanted LenDale White. So Floyd backed it up, and you guys got LenDale. The Chicago Bears got [Hester], and that would have been the fourth Rookie of the Year my husband would have had. Not too shabby,” Reese said. “I just wanted to set the record straight, because sometimes when I hear what John has to say, I have to say B.S. to it. So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”

      Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

      During Reese’s time in Tennessee, the Titans won 106 regular season games, three division titles and nearly won Super Bowl XXXIV. I don’t know if the intimate details that his wife shared are true, but Reese definitely knows what it takes to build a football team.

      That said, this sounds like someone who couldn’t wait to kick a team while its down and Sally took advantage of the opportunity after the Patriots (her husband’s new team) dismantled the Titans last Sunday. Either way, Fisher’s time in Tennessee seems to be running out. His team gave up on him two weeks ago.

      NFL

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