Pelicans VS Grizzlies: Davis Drops The Ball

 
After the loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Anthony Davis was frustrated. Mainly at his teammates. Davis told reporters: "We had too many mental breakdowns," Davis said. "We're not talking out there and so, therefore, we have mental breakdowns that gave them easy layups at the basket and open shots." Davis ended by saying, "It's definitely frustrating. We can't get a win, it's frustrating, Whatever we need to do, we need to do it fast."

"Whatever we need to do, we need to do it fast."

Well, Davis called out his teammates and they responded, the very next game. They played a huge role in bringing the game into overtime where they'd eventually lose. Anthony Davis though? He was non-existent. After criticizing his teammates for poor play, he came out the next game completely dropping the ball. His teammates did their part, but he clearly didn't do his. He was 3-13 on the night. He had 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 5 turnovers! You can see Davis's shot chart below.

Anthony Davis - Shot Chart- www.nba.com/stats

 As you can see, Anthony Davis didn't play too well. He only took 4 of his 13 sots in the paint. Only 4! He was settling for far too many jumpshots and when you add the 5 turnovers in there, it just makes matters worse. Marc Gasol and the Memphis Grizzlies made it tough on him, real tough. We've seen them do it to Karl-Anthony Towns twice this season, and now they've done it to Davis.

Defensively, Davis wasn't that great. He wasn't paying that much attention. He had the 3rd worst defensive rating on his team. His teammates were much more active. In overtime is where it fell apart though. Davis clearly wasn't engaged defensively and wasn't trying whatsoever. One possession in OT he left Marc Gasol wide open for a 3 pointer, and gave no effort defensively. This would ultimately lead to the loss in OT. While Davis was clearly a problem, the Pelicans refused to sub him out in OT.

Davis dropped the ball for his team. They did everything he wanted them to do, and he didn't show up. He had 1 point in overtime. Davis didn't come to play. The Grizzlies really got to him.

Now, on to the section where I talk about how much I love the Memphis Grizzlies this season. David Fizdale is amazing. The Grizzlies couldn't have hired a better head coach (other than re-hiring Dave Joerger). He's getting his team to play amazing defense. Not only that, but he's made almost every player on that team a 3-point threat. They are now so tough to guard. Take the Grit and Grind, and give them a 3-point shot, that's what you got.

There are 3 main things in basketball you have to pay attention to. Offense, Defense, and rebounding. While the Grizzlies didn't play great offensively, they did sure did play great in the other categories. The Grizzlies had 52 rebounds on the night.

Defensively, this team was amazing. The team had 12 steals on the night. JaMychal Green had 4 blocks on the night. They were everywhere and they were making Davis's life tough. He wasn't allowed to get a touch in the paint, and that's how they played him all night. This Grizzlies team drew 4 charges in the game. 4 CHARGES! Do you know how tough it is to draw a charge in the NBA? It's tough! And they drew 4! The Memphis Grizzlies won this game by sheer hustle and amazing defense. I am amazed at how great this team played defensively in this game.

Hats off to the Memphis Grizzlies. They won that game, and they clearly didn't want to lose. However, I'm very disappointed in Davis. His teammates were amazing, but he was a -23 in the game. That was worse than any of his teammates. You can't criticize your teammates and then go out and do the things you criticized them on. Hopefully Davis learned from this and can get back to the level he was playing at.

Fantasy Friday (Jan. 21)

And we are back after missing two straight weeks of fantasy posts. I apologize for that, and to make it up for you guys, I will take a look at some injuries that have happened of late, and break them down for you.

Jarrett Jack: This guy is out for the season and there is no chance he will return at the end of the season because the Nets aren't in the playoffs run, he is old, and they don't want to risk to have the injury come back. Sorry if you had him, but you now need to drop him.

Eric Bledsoe: There is no possibility that this guy will come back at the end of the season because the Suns aren't in the playoff race anymore. The last thing the Suns want to happen is to have Bledsoe turn out to be like Derrick Rose and Bledsoe is starting to look like him with the injuries. You just are going to have to drop Bledsoe.

Derrick Favors: The Jazz don't want to risk anything with him. He has missed over 15 consecutive games now with back spasms. They want him to be healthy for the remainder of the season. However, you would think that the Jazz would like him back as soon as possible considering that they are right on the edge out of the playoffs. Derrick Favors is a buy low guy right now and you should consider trading for him since he will most likely come back soon and bring in big numbers with him.

Anthony Davis: It has been the sum of Davis's career. Very minor injuries seem to get in his way. He has had shoulder issues as well as ankle issues. I expect him to get a couple more injuries this season. Hopefully he won't get an major injuries though.

Blake Griffin: Blake has been know to have injuries that keep him out for a little bit. However, this has been Blake's best season stat-wise. He is a guy that you could buy low into right now and I do suggest you make a trade for him if it is worth it.

Well, there are some injured players that either need to go or you should trade for. Next week, I hope to have the players of the week so stay tuned in for that.

Fantasy Friday (Nov. 6)

So, let me start by saying that this has been a great week for fantasy. I do want to note that lots of people have been playing really good. So let's take a look at the players from this week.

Over-Performers Of The Week

1. Festus Ezeli: Let me tell ya something, Festus is a great player, and I expect him to keep it up, at least until Andrew Bogut comes back. He is also owned by only 13% of fantasy owners so he is also a candidate for pick-ups.
2. Tristan Thompson: He didn't look the best early on but he has definitely turned it around. In the last 7 days he has averaged over 10 points and 10 rebounds along with 1.7 blocks. Great job Tristan!
3. Karl-Anthony Towns: This boy has averaged 15 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks! he is one of the best defensive players and he has been doing it in 27 minutes per game.

Under-Performers Of The Week

1. Anthony Davis: This guy really has shot the best from the field. In fact, it has been horrible. He shot 4-20 one night and 3-12 another. He could really do better because he isn't looking like the best player in fantasy right now.
2. Robert Covington: Come on Covington! He is only averaging 4 points and shooting 11% from the field. People are going to have to drop him soon.
3. Andrew Wiggins: Most people thought that he was going to have a wonderful season, and that could still happen, but it has been disappointing so far. He has only shot 29% from the field and doesn't look the best so far.

Pick-Ups Of The Week 

1. Festus Ezeli: He has played well early on and will continue until Bogut comes back. He is only owned by 13% from Yahoo and 8.4% on ESPN. He is a great player to pick up if you need blocks, rebounds, and some extra points.
2. Rodney Hood: He has looked really good this week as he has averaged 12.8 PPG, 3.2 APG, and 1 steal. He is owned by only 56% on Yahoo and 29.5% on ESPN.
3. T.J. McConnell: A name that you need to know. While he is only averaging 4.8 PPG, he is also 4.8 RPG, 8 APG, and 1.5 steals while shooting over 50% from the field. Only 33% of leagues own him on yahoo and only 13.9% on ESPN.

Well, that is all for now, hope you guys have another great week. See you next time!  

Fantasy Fridays: Rebounders

Rebounders can give you a great amount of points, especially if your league gives you a great amount of points for boards. So why not give you the best rebounders for the 2015-16 season.

10. LaMarcus Aldridge: Last season he averaged 10.2 RPG. Now that he is with the Spurs, I expect that to go up since he doesn't have a great rebounding center like Robin Lopez. Not to mention, LaMarcus is most likely going to be more focused on rebounding and more and not as focused on scoring.

9. Rudy Gobert: The rising increase in popularity for Rudy Gobert isn't for no reason, and he has the numbers to prove it. Last season he averaged 9.5 RPG, but it obviously increased since the second half of the season. Gobert is going to be hard to get though, since he is rated so high on the rankings and I really don't recommend drafting him so high at where he is positioned.

8. Nikola Vucevic: This man is a boss on the boards, and is very underrated. Vucevic will give you boards but I don't expect his numbers to rise. In fact, I expect his numbers to decrease. The reason why is that his team is stacked with developing players that are really athletic and can rebound that basketball. I honestly don't think he will average 10.9 RPG next season.

7. Hassan Whiteside: Trust me, this guy will get a minutes increase. He won't be playing as much as LeBron of course, but he will average more minutes. That means his 10 RPG from last season, will increase. Chris Bosh isn't a rebounder, and Hassan is going to be the Heat's main man for rebounding.

6. Anthony Davis: Some people say Davis is the best fantasy player in the NBA. I say, yeah, he is. And his rebound numbers show why. However, Davis is not the best rebounder, and his rebounding numbers will not go up. The problem is, there is only so much numbers you can put up in a game, and most likely he will be more focused on offense as Asik will be focused on rebounds.

5. Kevin Love: After having a down season, I expect Kevin Love to have a major increase in his numbers, especially in his rebounds category. Love has been a top 5 rebounder and has had amazing rebounding when he was with the Wolves. I don't think his numbers will be back to his Minnesota times, but I think he will average a great amount of points.

4. DeMarcus Cousins: Why isn't he higher? Well, Willey Cauley-Stein is going to take some of his rebounding numbers, it is as simple as that. He is going to be a top rebounder, he just won't do as good.

3. Greg Monroe: You are probably saying, "Aaron, what is wrong with you?" What, you don't believe me? Greg Monroe averaged 10.2 RPG while his teammate averaged 13.5 RPG. Now that he is with the Bucks, he will see a big increase in rebounds. He could average over 14 RPG next season.

2. DeAndre Jordan: 15 RPG last season. What else do I need to say. Not much. He lead the league in rebounding last season, that is all you need to know.

1. Andre Drummond: He averaged 13.5 RPG and that will likely increase. Now that his teammate, Greg Monroe, that averaged 10.2 RPG last season, is now with the Bucks, Drummond is going to be the best rebounder in the NBA. He will be unstoppable on the board and he is an unknown player. Drummond is the best rebounder to get next season.

Fantasy Fridays: Defensive Players

A good fantasy team needs offense. No doubt, but a great fantasy team needs great offensive players that can provide great defense at the same time. That is why we are going to count down the top ten offensive player that play great defense, so you can have a great balance of offense and defense this fantasy season.

10. Stephen Curry: While you are probably like, "this man is a defensive play", take a look at the stats. Stephen Curry lead the league in steals total last year, so if you had him, you were most likely winning the steals column. Stephen Curry won't give you much blocks, but he certainly will give you multiple steals and a lot of offense to back that up.

9. John Wall: This man is a high flying point guard who can block your shot better than any other point guard. Not to mention his intense speed will track down every bad pass. This man averaged 1.7 steals and 0.6 blocks and that will certainly improve going into next season. Expect John Wall to be playing lock down defense and producing a lot on the offensive end.

8. Rudy Gobert: He is a wonderful defensive player. Last season he averaged 2.3 blocks and 0.8 steals. The main problem with Gobert is he doesn't have much offense to back him up. If you pick him up, note that he won't be too productive on the offensive end.

7. Nerlens Noel: 1.9 blocks and 1.8 steals his rookie season. The only problem is, can he still produce those numbers with Jahill Okafor there. I honestly think his offensive numbers will be little and his defensive numbers will be hard for him to top. But I could be wrong.

6. Serge Ibaka: 3rd in the league in steals. This man can put up points and guard multiple positions. Not to mention he only averages 2.1 fouls per game. Serge Ibaka is an underrated defender and has some offense to back him up.

5. DeAndre Jordan: Yeah, grab this man. While he doesn't have a lot of offense, he has a whole lot of other things (free throws not one of them). This man can rebound, but his defense is stupendous. He averaged 2.2 blocks per game and 1 steal per game last season. If this doesn't impress, I honestly don't know what will.

4. Hassan Whiteside: Wait! I know what will impress if DeAndre failed to. Hassan Whiteside. 2 years ago you said, "who the heck is Hakeem Wildseem?" No, Hassan Whiteside. Yeah, nobody knew him really until the Heat played the Bulls and he showed us his Hassan Wildside as he had a triple-double with 12 blocks, on a nationally televised game that night. Geez, talk about a major attention disorder. Okay, yeah, he was 2nd in blocks last year, but when you switch the table from per game to per 36 minutes, who is first? (well actually Sim Bhullar, who averages 13.4 blocks per 36 minutes and 13.4 rebounds and 13.4 points per 36 minutes) But the point is, Whiteside is 4th with 3.9 blocks. And Whiteside will probably get a minutes increase, so expect numbers like that.

3. Draymond Green: This is a Hassan Whiteside like player. Nobody knew him, and then, BAM! He is a superstar playing for a championship team. What is so great about Green? Well, he averaged 1.3 blocks and 1.6 steals per game last season. No big deal.Well, guess what Green, that is one big deal. And now fantasy players are going to be all over you for your offense and defense as well as your 8.2 RPG even though you are a 6'7" PF.

2. Kawhi Leonard: It's time to become an all-star for Kawhi Leonard. His offense is great, but we all know that his best strength is defense. What else can I say. This man lead the league in steals and also did a great job in the blocks department. Kawhi is a defensive guy.

1. Anthony Davis: Of course it's Davis. He lead the league in blocks averaging 2.9 per game and also averaged 1.5 steals. Not to mention the man averaged 24.4 PPG and 10.2 RPG (seems a little low in the rebounds for Anthony Davis though) to back up his defensive numbers. What else do you need!

Fantasy Fridays: Power Forwards

Power Forwards will give you rebounding and blocks. The best ones are the ones that will give you multiple 3 pointers. Power Forwards are necessary to having a great fantasy team. If you have ones that are dominant in the post and can stretch the floor, it's very beneficial. So you want some great PF's, well here are the top 10.

10. Thaddeus Young: Now with the Nets, he will have to take on a bigger scoring load. I certainly can see the PF averaging at least 16 PPG. One big thing is that he is a power forward that can steal the ball. He averaged 1.6 steals last season. He will also knock down a couple of 3s from time to time. He knows his role and I expect Thadd to do great next season.

9. Serge Ibaka: Averaging 2.5 blocks per game last season, Serge was doing great. He averaged 14.3 PPG last season, however, with Kanter, Durant, and Westbrook, I fear that could decline. However, that isn't was it is about for Serge because it's the little things that matter for him. Serge averages 7.8 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and shoots a great 37.6% from 3 points range and makes about 1 per game. Serge will get you quite a few things that many PFs will not.

8. Pau Gasol: Pau is going to have his numbers drop this next season no doubt. He really isn't that best fantasy player and struggles with consistency. While he averaged a double-double, that will be most likely not the case next year. I have a strong feeling that he will average around 15 PPG next season and about 8 rebounds, mainly because of Derrick Rose returning, and the rise of Jimmy Butler.

7. Paul Millsap: The Hawks played great last year, and Paul Millsap had a lot to do with that. Millsap last year averaged 16.7 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.1 APG, 0.9 Blocks, and 1.8 steals. No doubt he will continue this next year and could find an increase in points and rebounds. I would assume that Millsap will be a great fantasy player to grab.

6. Dirk Nowitzki: He is a lights out shooter and will be great to have on your fantasy team as always. Dirk is getting old however and his PPG will most likely drop a little. He was never the best rebounder, so don't get him for that reason. But Dirk will shoots lights out from FT, 3, and FG.

5. Kevin Love: Hopefully, he will have a better season than last year. That's what we hope. And if are hopes come true, fantasy owners with him on their team, will be rewarded. Kevin Love used to have 26 PPG and 13 RPG with the Wolves but production sure has slowed down with the Cavs. Hopefully the Cavs will incorporate him into the offense a little more and he will have an increase in stats.

4. Chris Bosh: he averaged over 20 PPG last season, and hopefully he will do the same after his recovery from the blood clots on his lungs. The only problem with Bosh is he isn't the best rebounder and doesn't have much else to offer other than scoring. So that is what I recommend using him for, scoring.

3. LaMarcus Aldridge: He is definitely going to have one of his best seasons yet and I expect his defensive numbers to rise. LaMarcus will no doubt get more rebounds than ever and will be faced with lots more assists and scoing opportunities in the Popovich system. Aldridge is going to be a great fantasy player this year so pick him up if you can.

2. Anthony Davis: 24.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.5 Steals, 2.9 Blocks, 80% FT, and 53.5% FG in his 3rd season. Nuff Said...

1. Blake Griffin: "What, this can't be right, Blake Griffin in front of Anthony Davis! How can this be!" Yeah, well guess what. The 2015 playoffs were unlike anything we have ever seen from Blake Griffin and I personally think that Blake is about to enter Stardom. In 14 games in the playoffs, Blake averaged 25.5 PPG, 12.7 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1 Steal per game, and 1 block per game. I figure that this will continue into the 2015-16 season and it will also improve. I have a feeling that Blake will be doing some stuff that we have never seen from anyone before and I think Blake will be the ultimate fantasy player to get. With Chris Paul slowly decreasing on the scoring side, I expect Blake to take on an even bigger scoring load.

Well, there you have it. The Power Forwards will most likely be the best fantasy position this year. There is so much talent so make sure you stock up on some great PFs.

Warriors VS Pelicans (game 2)

Final Score: Warriors win 97-87



Warriors lead series 2-0

Great game with a great comeback from the Warriors. This was a game where great shots were made and great offense was executed. Let's take a look at the Warriors to start.

The Warriors were great. They struggled in the first half but eventually caught up and won the game. It all came down to the 4th where the Pelicans were outscored 26-16. A great player on the floor for this Warriors team is Draymond Green. He had 1 Block and 3 steals to go along with 14 points and 12 rebounds. The best thing about Green was his +/-. His plus minus was a total of 24. He lead the team in that stat. The Splash Brothers just need to keep doing their thing. If they can keep Draymond Green playing great, this team is pretty much assured to move on.

The Pelicans did great and then lost it. I just have to say, Monty Williams is stupid. He came out and asked for the Warriors crowd to quiet down. Of course the Warriors crowd did the opposite, they got louder. Let's take a look at Anthony Davis. He had 2 blocks and 2 steals. That's okay, but he is having trouble defending because the Warriors are a perimeter team. I honestly think that Davis needs to start at center and have Asik back him up. Start Anderson or Cunningham. They are more apt to defend against a perimeter team. It's going to be tough. Hopefully they can pull off a win. Can they? What do you guys think? Will this series be a sweep for the Warriors? Comment below. 

Warriors VS Pelicans (game 1)

Final score: Warriors win 106-99



Warriors lead 1-0

The Warriors were harsh on this Pelicans team. They showed no mercy. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry had a combined total of 55 points. If the Pelicans are to win even one game, they have to force Klay and Curry to pass the ball to other teammates. The other thing the Pelicans need to do is protect the paint. They were so focused on Curry and Klay, they didn't notice other players cutting, leaving the paint unprotected.

It seems like Asik and Davis can't keep up in trasition and they just need to ignore trying to get second chance points and get back on defense. Those two need be the line of defense for transition. Cunningham and Pondexter can't even try to grab rebounds. They need to get back as soon as their team shoots.

Anthony Davis had a great night with 35 points but he needs other help if they are to win a game. You can't have two of your starters combining for 3 points. The Warriors are going to make Davis pass at some point, and the Pelicans need to know how to respond to that.

I would like to see more of Livingston. He was great last year with the Nets in the playoffs. I think the Warriors should play him more in this series before they play against more tough teams to get him going. He only played about 13 minutes in this game.

Well, I would like to see the Pelicans come out with a win in the series. They obviously won't win the series (however, the Pelicans have proved me wrong before.)

Why are the Pelicans not in the playoffs

The Pelicans have one of the most talented teams in the NBA. They have all-star Anthony Davis, Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon, Jrue Holiday, and Omir Asik. That is a great starting five, but they are not in the playoff picture. Why? First off, injuries. This team has been hit hard with injuries. Anthony Davis has been out for about half the season. Jrue Holiday has also had injuries. Those are just the main ones. This team is great with their play running. However, if you are going to win games people have to hit shots. Tyreke Evans is a player who has failed to hit shots when their main players have been out with injury. Of of the main reasons though, is that they are in the western conference. If they were in the east, they would be in the 6th seed, not to mention they would have more games against teams like the 76ers and the Knicks. That's tough luck though, because your in the West and there is nothing you can do about that. This team has a record of 39-34 so they should be a playoff team. What do they need to do to get to the playoffs? All they can do. Win as many games as they can, and hope the Thunder loose some key games. Other than that, you can't do much in the West. I feel bad for this talented team as they have been struck by injury and are stuck in such a talented conference. I wish good luck to the Pelicans in their playoff hunt. One of these years, they will get it. They will make the playoffs.