QUESTION OF THE WEEK: J.R. Smith/Wilson Chandler

Fantasy Basketball QUESTION OF THE WEEK: J.R. Smith/Wilson Chandler

Thomas asks.

“When is it a good time to try to jump on players like J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin or Wilson Chandler?”

By: Muntradamus

Kenyon Martin (F) Clippers

Let me first by saying you do not need to pick up Kenyon Martin in any fantasy basketball league unless an injury occurred to Blake Griffin.  He only averaged 14 Points and 7 Rebounds in China, which is pretty pathetic.  The days of K-Mart are so far behind him, he may have lost his nickname to Kevin Martin of the Rockets.

J.R. Smith (G) FA

J.R. averaged over 30 Points a game in China.  Everyone in the NBA already knew he was a prolific scorer.  But to average over 30 a game will bring him amazing confidence when he comes back to the NBA which is sooner than most people think.  His team was mathematically eliminated from the playoffs which means his season in China ends NEXT WEEK.

From there he will come back to the NBA, probably sign with whatever team will give him a nice 1 year deal to come off the bench.  Lakers would be a great fit.  He will rack up about 2-3 3PTM per game, to go along with excellent steal numbers, and most importantly…The chance for 20 Points off the bench.

There are not many players in the NBA who score like this guy, and if you want him in your fantasy league you should probably get that waiver claim ready now.  He is a difference maker, and if lack in the 3PTM or scoring department.  You might as well pick him up now instead of watching another team snag him away.  He will probably be playing in a NBA game by the end of the month.

Wilson Chandler (G) FA (Denver)

Unlike J.R. Smith, Wilson Chandler is a better team player got his CBA team in the playoffs.  That hurts his fantasy basketball value as his season now goes into possibly mid-March.  The good news for Chandler is, the Nuggets and Chandler are both committed to each other.  So when his season ends in China it will start right away with Denver.  He already knows the system, and George Karl likes Wilson Chandler a lot as a player.

Chandler can fill up the stat sheet like Luol Deng.  Chandler may come off the bench if Danilo is healthy by the time he returns.  That does not mean he will not get 30+ Minutes off the bench and should be ready to impact fantasy teams right away.

In Daily leagues, I would wait to pick him up until we have a better deadline of when he comes back.  If you are in weekly league, you should look to target him around the end of this month.  You can even grab him now if you have a player like Tyler Hansbrough sitting on your bench.

Bonus:

Aaron Brooks (G) FA

Brooks has his CBA team in 1^st place.  That means his CBA season could go into mid-march, and will most likely come back to the NBA with no team that needs his services.  The Lakers would make an interesting one year home for Aaron, but that is all speculation.  For now let Aaron sit on the waiver wire as there is no guarantee he even plays in the NBA this season.   It would be wise on his part to wait for a multi-year deal in the off-season.