FanHouse Mark Blount

In my beloved state of California, the government is broke. Back in July, out of cash, the state began paying its bills with IOUs: here's a certificate saying we owe you X dollars plus X% interest. But the vendors and whatnot didn't just hang on to the IOUs -- they needed cash! Yet national interest rates are so low that the IOUs actually became a decent investment vehicle, so some parties in California actually sought out the IOUs, and many banks, credit unions and even businesses accept them as readily as they would dollar bills. In a way, the IOUs have become a new form of currency.

Quentin Richardson has now been traded four times in seven weeks, the latest to Miami in exchange for Mark Blount. We definitely have a handle on Q's value -- no player has ever had their worth marked so finely. If you wanted to, you could figure out just how many DeSagana Diops or Etan Thomases you could for your Q. In a way, Quentin Richardson has become a new form of currency.

Alternate title: "Where Chris Quinn playing 48 minutes happens."

Technically speaking, the Raptors 96-54 win over the Heat last night will go down as an official NBA game, but there should be some kind of star next to it in the history books. Let's face it, the Heat aren't even trying to field a competitive team anymore. Pat Riley had just seven players dressed last night, including maybe two (Ricky Davis and Mark Blount) who even hard-core NBA fans could reasonably be expected to pick out of a lineup.

And guess what? It's only going to get worse: Udonis Haslem will undergo season-ending ankle surgery this Friday. Starting in his place last night was Earl Barron, who shot 1-10 from the field in 34 minutes. Replacing Dwyane Wade, who's already been pardoned from participating in this train wreck the rest of the year was Daequan Cook, who shot just 3-19. Not surprisingly, the team's 54 points on Wednesday marked a franchise low, as did their .256 field-goal percentage.

Shawn Marion ("sore back") and Jason Williams ("jammed thumb") also sat out with minor ailments -- what's the over/under on them being ruled out for the year? I'm going with five games.

The "good" news is that the NBA has awarded the Heat a waiver to sign a 16th player, which only means they'll be giving one more unrecognizable face a 10-day contract. That might make practice more competitive, but it'll do nothing for the actual game.

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

Cup of Coffee
Missed in all of this Jermaine O'Neal going somewhere else stuff floating around the NBA is that Danny Granger's having a pretty darn good season. His field goal percentage is down a little bit, but his averages across the board are all up (he's pulling in a block and a steal per game along with 18 points, six boards and two assists, roughly) yet he recorded only his third double double of the season, with 18 points and 10 rebounds. But here's the thing -- he's improving in the new year, averaging over 20 points per game with slightly increased numbers elsewhere. And he's still young too, folks, which means a big second half bump could be coming up soon. Trade for him now.

Hot Cakes
Al Horford went for another big dub-dub against the Pistons last night with 12 points and 16 boards, plus a block, and is in line for a largo second half. Rookies can hit the wall, etc., but generally it's nicer to own young guys in the second half of the season. I think Horford ends up with a 10/10 average on the season, personally.

Mark Blount will absolutely not quit. He went for 22 in the last game and now 18 and 13 against Marcus Camby. W.T.F. He doesn't have a contract coming up, but he suddenly has a legit starting job, and odds are pretty good he wants to keep it. Continue starting him, but if you get a good offer, no reason not to sell.

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

Cup of Coffee
One would think that if Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng were missing from the lineup, the Bulls would not beat the Warriors (much less anyone). Of course, one would also think that Chris Duhon would not score 34 points. He, in fact, did. He also, in fact, added nine assists. Oh, and three steals. The last two parts are totally legit, assuming Hinrich remains out and Duhon gets the PT (he will). The points though, are a career high and an abnormality likely based on facing off against the Warriors. Hinrich has missed three games with bruised ribs now and probably won't be rushed back immediately, but you want to be selling on Duhon regardless. If you can't find a buyer (which wouldn't be totally shocking) then certainly play him until Kirk returns.

Hot Cakes
Dorrell Wright will not go quietly into the night. Presumably, he will lose run once Shawn Marion suits up and Udonis Haslem returns from his ankle issues. However, that's three straight games with double digit points (16 and 10 boards last night) and what do the Heat have to lose this season? Take a flier if he's out there.

Just a couple of ago, it seemed as if the only way the Heat could turn around their fortunes would be if they could somehow convince Shaquille O'Neal to retire, relieving them of the burden of paying him $40 million over the next two years and freeing up precious salary cap space. And yet, in the blink of an eye, Pat Riley was somehow able to convince Steve Kerr to roll the dice and take a shot.

Nobody could have predicted that, right? Actually, maybe we just weren't paying close attention. Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel points out Riley has been pulling tricks like this for a few years now:

He made Brian Grant's contract disappear, when it appeared an impossible dream.

He made Eddie Jones' money vanish, when that appeared unfathomable.

He unloaded Antoine Walker the day after an NBA scout said no one could unload Walker. ... [In] his role as Heat president, he has made more money disappear than Enron.

To refresh your memory, Grant was was making about $13 million a year when he was traded to LA to get Shaq; Jones was making over $14 million a year when he was traded to the Grizzlies for James Posey and Jason Williams, key pieces in the Heat's 2006 title run; and Walker was making over $8.5 million when he was dumped to the Timberwolves in a package for Ricky Davis, who's filled in when Wade has been hurt, and Mark Blount, the new starting center.

Yes, Riley makes mistakes (he's the one who gave Grant, Walker and Shaq their huge contracts) but he's cleans up his messes better than anyone in the league.

(via CSTB)

Marc Stein of ESPN is reporting (and Ira Winderman of the Miami Sun-Sentinel confirms) that the Miami Heat are on the verge of re-vamping their roster by sending Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac and Wayne Simien and possibly a future draft pick to the Timberwolves in exchange for Ricky Davis and Mark Blount.

If Pat Riley pulls this off, he'll immediately salvage what had been an extremely disappointing offseason. For a guy set to make almost $19 million over this year and next (with team options totaling $20 million plus the next two years), Walker is a huge disappointment -- in addition to being expensive, he's aging and fat, the latter of which has landed him in Riley's doghouse on multiple occasions.

Walker's attitude is also a bit questionable, though it was kept in check on a roster that included Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. But on a young team like Minnesota? Yikes. You have to hope Kevin McHale rounds up the troops before Walker arrives and warns everyone not to pay any attention to him. Doleac and Simien are useful depth, I suppose, but their greatest value is the fact that their contracts expire after this year.