Wizards forward Antawn Jamison hasn't been able to help his team on the court after suffering an exhibition schedule shoulder separation. But he's trying to inspire his mates in the locker room. Friday night, that meant the post-game gastronomy in Indianapolis had to suffer.
Washington fell to a rather miserable Indiana team by 16 points. According to the Washington Post's Michael Lee, Jamison gave the business to his teammates in the locker room after the final buzzer. Lee reports that a tray of snacks had been "tossed into a corner, shattered to pieces, with fruit and candy scattered everywhere." Quelle horreur!
Welcome to the first edition of Home Delivery, your comprehensive roundup of last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Read along each morning as we bring the headline news to you in a format your grandpa would appreciate -- wait, what's a newspaper?
Man Ditches Agent Zero and Gets With Agent Hero
Gilbert Arenas returned to action Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks. As an Arenas owner, I'm a bit giddy over his performance -- 29 points, nine assists, 10-of-21 shooting from the floor and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. It's easy to look at his performance and state that he's "officially back," but we need to contain ourselves and play it cool. At least for one day.
Get used to seeing Blake Griffin on the bench for the next six weeks. Those of us on the East Coast woke up this morning to the news of Griffin's stress fracture in his left kneecap, while those out West -- notably in Los Angeles -- probably didn't get much sleep at all.
It's frustrating, no matter where your NBA allegiance lies, when a talent like Griffin goes down before we even get to see him lace up for the Clippers in a meaningful game. It wasn't that long ago that we lost the 2007 No.1 draft pick, Greg Oden, before the start of the '07-'08 season. Let's hope it doesn't take Griffin as long as it took Oden to return to action.
From a fantasy perspective it's hard to speculate who could "replace" Blake Griffin on your lineup since we actually don't even know who he is as a fantasy baller. But, I'll do my best to identify a few guys who are widely available in FleaFlicker and Yahoo! leagues.
It's becoming more and more frustrating as the list of "questionable" players for opening night continues to grow. The case has been made that maybe the preseason is too long -- about four games too long.
Who would have thought that of the past three No. 1 overall draft picks only Greg Oden will start the 2009-10 season with a clean bill of health. Blake Griffin is reportedly sidelined for up to six weeks with a stress fracture in his left knee, while Derrick Rose is questionable after injuring his ankle early on in the preseason. Rose is likely to play on opening night, but his action could be limited as he nurses his ankle back to health. In other news, future No. 1 pick John Wall is not serving much better. Advantage, Oden.
With less than 24 hours to go before your lineups are required to be set in stone for the week, it's only right that we discuss a few of the "questionable" lineup decisions you might need to make based on injuries and matchups.
You kids and your Twitter. There's something about 140 characters to get your point across that just seems to make sense. The whole idea got me thinking that instead of dragging out some fantasy basketball column that you'll likely just skim over, what do you say I give you 50 fantasy basketball tips and observations in 140 characters or less. You have no vote in this matter, so you're getting them anyway.
These tips are not only designed for those of you who have yet to draft your fantasy teams, but they're also for those who are looking to improve on their post-draft squads. Hopefully this is a helpful way to get out as much information as possible while keepin' it mainstream.
Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.
Many people consider the NCAA Tournament to be the biggest sporting event of the year, and that includes NBA players. In this hilarious video we catch up with Wizards star Caron Butler (UConn) as he has a very funny exchange with teammate Nick Young (USC) over their alma maters' chances. But just because you are a basketball player does not mean you are into the tournament, as Andray Blatche admits he is not into "Match Mardness." Also in this video we find out which Wizards player looks like President Obama and which one does not.
Considering it's almost February and the Wizards still haven't cracked double-digit wins, it's tough to call today's news about Andray Blatche a disappointment.
With this team, good news sticks out like a sore thumb; learning that a key contributor (and occasional starter) will miss the next two to four weeks with a strained knee? That's simply the status quo.
Blatche suffered the injury in Monday's loss to the Suns when he collided with Shaquille O'Neal. Don't feel bad, Andray; you're not the first man to take on Mt. Shaq and fail, and you won't be the last.
Carmelo Anthony was absolutely on fire Friday night, starting off 11-12 from the field and then torching the Wizards for a career-best 49 points in an easy win for the Nuggets. Even though the Wizards got killed in this game from the start, they did show some pride at the end. Check out the crazy double-team from Andray Blatche and Antawn Jamison in the closing seconds (about 1:07 into the clip), preventing 'Melo from getting his 50.
I'm sure 'Melo couldn't have been too upset by this, considering his team was up big and he shouldn't have even been in the game. Plus, he probably mentioned that had they bothered to double-team him like that earlier in the contest, the Wizards might have actually had a shot.
According to the Washington Post, Blatche is doing his best to force the issue:
During a training camp scrimmage yesterday morning, he was the most impressive player on the court, blocking shots, making passes and even making a 15-foot jumper off the glass like his idol, Kevin Garnett.
"I have an opportunity ahead of me and I'm not going to give it up," said Blatche ... "I'm going to go ahead, work hard and try to take advantage."
No one really knows what kind of player Blatche is going to be, or should try to be. At the time of the 2005 draft, he was billed as Garnett-ish freak. So it's unlikely he'll ever turn into a workmanlike big, a la Thomas or Brendan Haywood. Then again, the Wizards would do well to put a more versatile, rangy dude in the middle, and use him as an excuse to make the offense faster and more fluid. I doubt we're looking at a budding star, but Blatche might end up being much more than just a stopgap solution. He might even end up justifying that stealth lotto-signee theory.
Sadly, there's now a new reason: Thomas is sidelined indefinitely with a heart condition. According to the Washington Times, two league sources with knowledge of the situations admit that it could be a career-threatening ailment:
"It was a tough thing," said Haywood, with whom Thomas has scuffled at least three times in the last two seasons. "You hate to see someone at that age with a heart problem. It seems unreal. But at the same time, we wish him the best. Right now, he should just forget about basketball. Right now, it's about his health and trying to live a regular and healthy life."
By default, Haywood moves into the starting lineup, though it's certainly not the way he wanted it to happen. The team has precious little depth behind him, namely the green (and undersized) Andray Blatche and 40-year-old Tony Massenburg. Here's to hoping Thomas, one of the NBA's most thoughtful and interesting players, makes a complete recovery.
Wizards forward Antawn Jamison hasn't been able to help his team on the court after suffering an exhibition schedule shoulder separation. But he's trying to inspire his mates in the locker room. Friday night, that meant the post-game gastronomy in Indianapolis had to suffer.
Welcome to the first edition of Home Delivery, your comprehensive roundup of last night's 
Get used to seeing 
It's becoming more and more frustrating as the list of "questionable" players for opening night continues to grow. The case has been made that maybe the 
Many people consider the NCAA Tournament to be the biggest sporting event of the year, and that includes NBA players. In this hilarious video we catch up with Wizards star 
Considering it's almost February and the Wizards still haven't cracked double-digit wins, it's tough to call today's news about 
The Wizards' 
Earlier this week, 
