NBA

Nets’ Jarrett Jack won’t play Wednesday; Shane Larkin will start

Brooklyn Nets guard Jarrett Jack (hamstring) has been ruled out for Brooklyn’s regular-season opener against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.

What It Means:

Nets’ coach Lionel Hollins said it’ll be Shane Larkin stepping into the starting lineup with Jack out. Donald Sloan will also pick up some extended minutes with Jack sidelined, and Joe Johnson will likely spend some more time running the offense.

Jack currently does not have an official timetable to return. When he does get back on the court, he could be in for a productive season. He’ll certainly see his share of minutes. We project Jack to average 13.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists.

Source: Rotoworld.com

NBA 4 hours and 29 minutes

Rudy Gay (personal) questionable for Kings’ opener

Sacramento Kings guard Rudy Gay and his wife had their second child on Tuesday, and it’s currently unclear if he’ll be available for Wednesday’s regular-season opener.

What It Means:

George Karl is hopeful to have Gay available, but he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Gay taking some time to be with his new family member. We’ll likely get another update after Wednesday morning’s shootaround, but if Gay is not with the team, Omri Casspi or Caron Butler would likely slot into the starting lineup.

We have Gay projected as the No. 32 guard on the season. Gay was stud last year in California’s capital, averaging 21.1 points per game, 6 boards, 3.7 dimes and posting a 2.1 nERD. We see him doing similarly this year with averages of 21.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

Source: Rotoworld.com

NBA 4 hours and 47 minutes

Jordan Clarkson (shoulder) on track for Lakers’ opener

Jordan Clarkson (shoulder) is still expected to play on Wednesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

What It Means:

Clarkson was able to practice again on Tuesday, and it sounds like his shoulder is responding well. It’s safe to assume he’ll be in the lineup, although we’ll know for certain tomorrow night.

Clarkson started last season as a bench player, but moved into a starting role about halfway through the season. He finished the season strongly, posting at least 18 points in 11 of the final 13 games, and at least 6 assists 9 times over the same time frame. Our algorithms project him to average 13.5 points and 3.6 assists a game this season. He won’t see nearly as much of the ball with D’Angelo Russell and Kobe Bryant playing this season.

Source: Rotoworld.com

NBA 4 hours and 48 minutes

Detroit’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope starting Tuesday

Detroit Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (foot) will be in the starting lineup on Tuesday versus the Atlanta Hawks.

What It Means:

He will also be joined by Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris, Ersan Ilyasova and Andre Drummond in the first unit. Caldwell-Pope’s foot injury was never considered serious, and he should be fine moving forward.

The young guard played all 82 games last season with averages of 12.7 points, 1.1 steals and 1.9 3-pointers per game. His lack of a jumper leads to some serious inefficiency. He finished 14th on the team with an 11.2 Player Efficiency Rating. He was also among the bottom-half of Pistons with a 101 Offensive Rating and 109 Defensive Rating. He’ll be the starting two guard to open the season, though, and will have plenty of opportunities to build on last year.

Source: Rotoworld.com

NBA 5 hours and 24 minutes

Atlanta’s Tim Hardaway Jr. inactive tonight

Atlanta Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is inactive for Tuesday’s game season opener against the Detroit Pistons.

What It Means:

It isn’t clear if he is dealing with an injury, or it could just be a sign that he won’t immediately be in the rotation. On a side note, the Hawks picked up his team option on Tuesday.

Hardaway can fill it up when he has it going, but there are a plethora of options in Atlanta. In 24 minutes per game last season with the New York Knicks, he averaged 11.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists. We project Hardaway to average 11.6 points per game and hit 35 percent of his 3-pointers while playing 25.3 minutes per game. If there is an injury in the Hawks’ frontcourt, Hardaway would be an intriguing option.

Source: Rotoworld.com

NBA 5 hours and 58 minutes

Bulls to limit Derrick Rose’s minutes in tonight’s opener

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose won’t play long stretches during the Bulls’ regular-season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight, according to Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg.

What It Means:

Owners shouldn’t expect Rose to exceed the 20-minute mark tonight, so he’s not a strong guy to target in DFS. Look for Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Brooks to pick up some additional minutes as Rose is eased back into the flow of things.

Rose is looking to rebound from a difficult season, which may have been influenced by lingering concerns with his knees. He finished 127th in nERD at -5.0 while logging an Offensive Rating of 97, his lowest in any season in which he has played at least 20 games. Our projections Rose shooting 40.5 percent from the floor this year on his way to 18.0 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Source: Rotoworld.com

NBA 6 hours and 2 minutes

Magic’s Elfrid Payton ready to go for Wednesday

Orlando Magic point guard Elfrid Payton (hamstring) is “ready to go” for Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Washington Wizards, coach Scott Skiles said.

What It Means:

Payton’s hamstring injury was never believed to be serious, and after going through two full practices, he’ll be good to go for Orlando’s season opener. He will have a chance to produce right away in what should be an uptempo contest.

Our projections have Payton picking up where he left off in his progressions after the All-Star break last year. He’s slated for 11.1 points, 7.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. The one thing that did not increase in the second half of last year was his usage rate, which stayed almost the same at 18.2 percent. If that increases with his increased offensive efficiency, Payton’s fantasy stock will rise quickly.

Source: Rotoworld.com

NBA 6 hours and 20 minutes

Kings’ Kosta Koufos likely to start over Willie Cauley-Stein on Wednesday

Sacramento Kings center Kosta Koufos will likely start on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, Kings head coach George Karl said Tuesday.

What It Means:

“I don’t think Willie Cauley-Stein should be indoctrinated into the NBA by covering Blake Griffin,” Karl said. It sounds like Karl’s lineups could change depending on the matchups, but Cauley-Stein should still see minutes in the low 20s Wednesday if everything goes to plan. As for Koufos, he could end up splitting time with Cauley-Stein and doesn’t have much upside.

Cauley-Stein averaged 11.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game in only 20.0 minutes per game in four preseason contests. Cauley-Stein led Kentucky with 3.4 Defensive Win Shares last season. He should be able to provide a much needed defensive boost for a Kings team that ranked 27th in defensive efficiency last season. Koufos posted an average 1.2 nERD with 5.2 points and 5.3 rebounds backing up Marc Gasol in Memphis last season.

Source: Rotoworld.com

NBA 7 hours and 2 minutes

Knicks’ Arron Afflalo (hamstring) doubtful for opener

New York Knicks guard Arron Afflalo (left hamstring) is being listed as doubtful for Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Milwaukee Bucks.

What It Means:

Afflalo could very well be sidelined until November 8 as he looks to fully recover from his hamstring injury, and it’ll be Jerian Grant, Sasha Vujacic and Langston Galloway picking up some extra playing time in his absence, with Vujacic the likely starter. However, none of those guys make for very appealing options in standard leagues.

Afflalo had a rough year in 2014-15, ranking 129th with a -5.2 nERD. Our projections aren’t optimistic about a major bounce back this year, seeing him average 14.61 points, 3.41 rebounds, and 2.31 assists per game. His usage rate should go up with the Knicks, but Afflalo’s best years appear to be past him. He would, however, see a big jump in value if Carmelo Anthony missed any time this season.

Source: Rotoworld.com

NBA 7 hours and 28 minutes

Gerald Henderson (hip) out Wednesday for Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers forward Gerald Henderson (hip) has been ruled out for Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans.

What It Means:

Henderson is still recovering from a left hip debridement arthroscopy in July. Al-Farouq Aminu is expected to start at small forward on Wednesday.

Henderson started 72 games for the Charlotte Hornets last season, averaging 12.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.6 points per game. Our algorithms project him to average 14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, although we only have him playing 55 games.

Source: Rotoworld.com

NBA 7 hours and 34 minutes

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