FanHouse Chris Quinn

Pat Riley doesn't even have time to coach the Heat these days, but he's making time to respond to some derogatory comments that Shaq made about him and his former Heat teammates. Riley called Shaq's recent criticisms of him and the Heat "sad," and I'd have to agree. Shaq basically blamed Riley for the Heat's current situation, saying he refused to be the scapegoat when Riles was the one with all the power. Shaq then had this to say about his current situation, backhandedly slapping Riley in the process:

"I love playing for this coach and I love playing with these guys," O'Neal told the Globe. "We have professionals who know what to do. No one is asking me to play with Chris Quinn or Ricky Davis. I'm actually on a team again."

It's not surprising that Shaq would bash his former team after he's long gone, because that's what he's done his entire career. He bashed Penny Hardaway after leaving Orlando, bashed Kobe, Phil Jackson, and Jerry Buss after leaving the Lakers, and now he's doing the same to the Heat. So this isn't news, but it is needless. The Heat are the worst team in the league; I don't recall anyone specifically blaming Shaq for it. It was a combination if injuries to him and D. Wade, along with some poor roster moves that left the team in it's current, league-worst situation.

Riley's response, one that questions why Shaq would bother to do this, is a refreshing one.

B-Ball, B-Fast runs weekdaily and covers last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.

Cup of Coffee
And by "high" I mean vertically towards the rim, of course. And when you can jump like Thaddeus Young and you start to get some playing time, there is certainly no reason to be sad. Young scored in double figures for the third time in four games last night, scoring 16 on seven of 11 shooting with four boards, two steals and a block against the Raptors in 28 minutes. He's got sick hops and gobs of potential for fantasy purposes, especially in the defensive categories. Deeper leagues should be pouncing and even 12 teamers want to offer some consideration.

Hot Cakes
Jason Williams did not start for the Heat, but he played 37 minutes. Chris Quinn saw only eight and J-Dub blew up (a relevant phrase for the Miami Heat this year) for 23 points. Again, he's playing for a contract, the Heat do not have many options (relevance again) in terms of offense so he's going to get shots -- if you need threes and dimes he is a very solid buy low coming off of injury.

For the past month, Smush Parker has more or less been completely on his own. He opened the year in Pat Riley's doghouse after reporting to camp out of shape and he's since been banished from playing or even practicing with the Heat after being charged with roughing up a female parking attendant.

But now, following injuries to point guards Jason Williams and Chris Quinn, the Heat may need his services. From Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel:

Heat General Manager Randy Pfund confirmed Thursday that the Heat has summoned banished point guard Smush Parker back to South Florida.

A team spokesman, however, warned that the recall does not mean an imminent return to the active roster.

Even if he doesn't dress for Friday's game, at the very least he's a warm body for the team to use in practice until the team gets everyone back healthy. Plus, it'll be much easier for the team to trade him if they don't have to admit to any prospective suitors (Cleveland, anyone?) that they haven't even seen him in weeks.

B-Ball, B-Fast is a look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.
Cup of Coffee
Yao Ming owners have mixed emotions about Tracy McGrady being injured. On the one hand, you get games from Yao like last night, where he puts up 26 points, 19 rebounds and two blocks. On the other hand, you get games from Yao like last night, where he shoots nine of 22 from the field. (And props to Sarge from First and 10 Inches for noting this in the comments previously.) When you are 7'6", you should not be missing half your shots on a ten foot goal. Under any circumstances. Still, these are the facts. Yao's raw numbers will go up and his percentages will go down for as long as T-Mac is hurt. If you're worried about your percentages and have enough boards and blocks, sell high after his next monster game. If you can take the hit but need the big man cats, hold onto and hope he can figure out how to score more efficiently (it should have happened at this point).

Hot Cakes
While we're on the Rockets, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that Luther Head got the starting nod and 45 minutes of playing time last night. Bonzi Wells, the usual favorite ride in Adelman-land, saw 30 coming off the bench. I'm chalking it up to the Allen Iverson-at-the-two matchup that Houston was dealing with; Head is better equipped to defend the speedy Iverson there than Wells. Don't go dropping Bonzi but definitely add Head if he's available and your league is deep enough -- his three point shooting prowess alone makes him valuable if he's getting PT. T-Mac is still "questionable" or "day-to-day" for Saturday, depending on who you listen to, so both are decent to strong plays.

Kind of like my boy Josh Boone. Boone got another start at center for the Nets, and I'm going to call 11 points, eight boards and two blocks in 33 minutes against Shaquille O'Neal a pretty nice outing, regardless of how old he is. If you're just "keeping an eye on" Boone, you're probably not doing enough.

Just like Dywane Wade. What does he think? That a 41/5/6/3/3 line is enough to get a team a win? Come on! Just plain lazy. Don't be surprised to see Miami try and make a move on the trading market soon -- he needs some help, badly. Especially when his starting point guard, Chris Quinn, goes down. 13 minutes, three dimes and no points wasn't a result of Jason Williams being young and pressing him for time. The roles will be funky all season long based on whose healthy and getting White Chocolate some rest, but J-Dub should still see the lion's share of minutes and stats.

Spicy little dub-dub for Anderson Varejao, picking up 11 points and 15 boards in 30 plus minutes. Zydrunas Ilgauskas got a shade under 30 and did much less, only recording five boards. Varejao is younger and Big Z was worn down last year so there could be a shift in the minutes coming. Or the Cavs could just go big when they face teams that are stronger in the paint. Either way, Varejao should be rostered in deeper leagues and at least considered in shallow ones.

B-Ball, B-Fast is a rundown of last night's NBA action from a fantasy basketball perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.
Cup of Coffee
So you know, the third leading scorer in the National Basketball Association was Chris Quinn. And so you know that I know, yes the headline has probably already been used once or twice. But whatevah. Quinn's 22 points off the bench -- the return of Jason Williams prompted his removal from the starting lineup -- are fairly interesting. For one, the Heat suck. Shaquille O'Neal got dominated by Brendan Haywood. (Roll that one around in your brain this morning. It hurts.) So they need scoring. Quinn connected on six of 10 three's against the Wizards, and with Dorell Wright playing the Jekyll-Hyde role (his box scores are like roller coasters), one has to wonder how long Pat Riley is going to let this squad stay on the floor without a true perimeter gunner in the mold of Jason Kapono from last season. In admittedly little time, Quinn's hit 35 percent from beyond the arc since coming into the NBA, so don't be surprised if he gets more run as Riles tries to rest J-Dub and find another source for scoring.

Hot Cakes
I suppose I really shouldn't make fun of Haywood -- he is having a career season so far in 2007-08. Last night marked his ninth double-double of the season, and with Etan Thomas out of DC, he's finally getting the run he needed to actually gain some legitimate fantasy value. Yes, he's always been proficient at picking up blocks, but it seems like his one-trick pony show could be a thing of the past. 10 points and seven boards aren't exactly Chamberlinian numbers or anything, but they're a vast improvement from the Brendan of old. Just another reason to hate Carolina. Don't be afraid of picking up on the chance these numbers bottom out.

Tony Parker, who, um, has some other things going on right now, missed last night's game. With Tim Duncan already on the shelf, things got ugly for the Spurs. First of all, Jacque Vaughn ran the point. Into the ground. For about 20 minutes. Vaughn will get some assist numbers but unless Parker misses more time than Timmy, he's not going to be worth much in fantasy. Deeper leagues certainly want to make the add though, as the Spurs have indicated Parker could miss more than one game.

The bigger concern though, is Manu's play. He's been superb this year and that won't quit ... providing he's not the number one (and only) option for offense on his team. If he's forced into ball handling duties, has to become the primary offense threat and play 40 minutes a night, things are going to get ugly for fantasy owners and the defending champs. Yes, the points will (maybe) rise, but so will the turnovers, while the percentages plummet. If you're treading the line there, now's a nice time to sell Manu with his value so high.