FanHouse Kelenna Azubuike

The NBA FanHouse team has been posting previews of all 30 teams prior to the start of the 2009-10 season. Along with each preview they examine a player to watch. In the case of the Golden State Warriors, Matt Moore examined Anthony Randolph. In keeping with the theme I decided to highlight a bench player on the Warriors who might turn into an impact fantasy player this season.

These are the kind of numbers that fantasy ballers just love to see: 108.2 points per game (2nd of 30) and a 98.2 Pace Factor (1st of 30). The Warriors ran wild last season, focusing solely on trying to outscore their opponents. Their defense, on the other hand, was one of the worst in the league. They allowed 112.3 points per game (30th of 30) and had a defensive rating of 113.3 (28th of 30) -- meaning they allowed 113.3 points per 100 possessions. The Warriors not only became a fantasy goldmine on offense, but they were one of a handful of teams that you circled on the schedule hoping to exploit the defensive matchup.

PHOENIX, Ariz -- Kelenna Azubuike is a young, athletic, and potentially explosive offensive player for the Golden State Warriors. But his up and down play this season has made him somewhat of an enigma to his coach, Don Nelson.

Azubuike scored 25 points and made four of his six three-point attempts during the Warriors' win over the Suns earlier in the week, but completely disappeared in the rematch on Friday. After playing 27 minutes in the first meeting, he managed to stick around for just 15 minutes in the second, and finished with just five rebounds and three personal fouls -- but zero points.

When the game was over, I asked Nelson what he was seeing with Azubuike, considering the extreme change from game to game in his performances. With an unopened Bud Light in his right hand (hey, technically it wasn't a press conference), I got a sarcastic yet classic response from the veteran NBA head coach.

Check out FanHouse's NBA Preview.

A season ago, the Pacific Division was able to send just two of its teams to the playoffs, but one of them went all the way to the Finals. And while that's not likely to change this season -- at least the part about the two playoff teams -- each club definitely has its share of intriguing story lines.

Let's start off in Los Angeles, where the Lakers' playoff run last season took place with one of the team's key components on the sidelines. There are always many stories in Laker-land, but a lot of the team's fans seem to be most interested in this one: With the return of Andrew Bynum, do the Lakers have a shot to win 70 games?

Despite the recent flood of positive Andrew Bynum stories hitting the L.A. papers lately (seriously, his P.R. machine is working overtime), I'm not convinced that his addition to the lineup automatically makes the Lakers unstoppable. There's the whole thing about figuring out how to co-exist with Pau Gasol, and how Lamar Odom will perform (likely) playing further away from the basket. When you add in the fact that even if the team was capable of winning 70 games, there's really no motivation to do so, unless someone else is on the same ridiculous pace and it would mean home court advantage.

The Clippers have apparently decided that the rest of their cap space would be best spent on the Warriors' restricted free agent Kelenna Azubuike. L.A. made a play for their second player from the Bay area this summer by offering Azubuike a three year deal worth $9M.

The Warriors are loaded at Azubuike's position (he can really play the two or the three), and with guys like Stephen Jackson, Monta Ellis, and Corey Maggette all likely to be ahead of him in the rotation, I'd say that there's a pretty good chance of the Clippers getting their man here.

As a side note, the fact that Azubuike had his best game of the season against the Clippers probably helped him out a little at the negotiating table. Kelenna poured in 33 points on 12-17 shooting in his team's second game of the season, punctuated by this highlight-reel-dunk on Chris Kaman.

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Cup of Coffee
You don't need me to tell you that Baron Davis is a "good start", especially on nights when he scores 34 with 14 assists. Which was the case on a slooooow night (number of games and surprising stat-wise, despite the fact that over 400 points were scored between just 4 teams) for the NBA. But this is the "L" we're talking about; there's always news.

Kelenna Azubuike scored more than Al Harrington last night. Does that say something about Harrington's season? Um, yes. Harrington's averaging almost 15 points a game but his overall numbers, treys excepted, are way off from previous years. Consider him a nice buy low at this point, especially considering the fickle nature with which Don Nelson tweaks his rotation. Azubuike is in the same boat -- behind Baron Davis (fragile?) and Stephen Jackson (crazy?) -- he could be in line for starter's minutes at the turn of a knee start of a lapdance drop of a hat.

Hot Cakes/Broken Eggs

Luke Ridnour is out indefinitely according to news sources out (and north) west. He's been dealing with a quad injury and has missed more practice and there are rumblings his days in Seattle (or wheva') could be over. Earl Watson is the best pure passer between he and Delonte West and should be grabbed if he's available in any leagues.

Quentin Richardson is headed to the bench, although Isiah Thomas says it's because of injury and not his stellar play, which means it's Jared Jeffries Time! For those of you that don't know, Jeffries is lengthy wingspanned defensive specialist who averages 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks per 40 minutes for his career. Which is what we in the biz call a "liability". Don't waste your time.

Randy Foye on the other hand, is an offensive bonus at point guard and he's now been cleared to practice. If he's somehow still available in your league, get your snatch on. If he's already owned, take one last stab at buying low. Sebastian Telfair and Marko Jaric have filled in admirably while he's been hurt, but it's Foye's team.

This play was NBA.com's "Dunk of the Night," and with good reason. The Warriors' Kelenna Azubuike goes baseline here for a vicious dunk on the Clippers' Chris Kaman. Adding injury to insult was the fact that Azubuike's elbow caught Kaman in the head, requiring him to get three stitches to close the wound.

Kaman returned after getting patched up, and finished with a career high 26 points and 18 boards. Azubuike wasn't sweating it either, as he ended up having a monster night as well: 33 points on 12-18 shooting, albeit in a losing effort.