With the influx of Canadian talent in the NBA over the last couple of seasons, it was only a matter of time before the Toronto Raptors found a way to add some of it to their roster. While he may not be the former No. 1 pick they want the most, they did improve their team with the addition of the homegrown Anthony Bennett. The Raptors weren’t the only team that made headlines this week. Here is a quick recap of the most interesting news and notes from around the NBA this past week as related to fantasy.
Raptors Sign Anthony Bennett
Bennett is a Toronto native and while he will be called a bust as a former first overall pick that was traded by one team and cut by another, he will get a fresh start with a Raptors’ team that will do everything they can to put him in a position to succeed. Toronto’s management team has undoubtedly realized the potential leverage they could gain bringing in homegrown talent and Bennett could be the first piece as they look to reload as a legitimate contender over the next few years. Bennett still has plenty of talent and the desire to get his career on the right track. We saw him be fairly effective in the Pan Am games, so that talent is still there.
On top of that, the Raptors have an opening at power forward where he can slot it. With all due respect to Patrick Patterson and Luis Scola, their ceilings are much lower. It might only be a matter of time before he breaks through with the Raptors as a low-risk option that could yield substantial rewards down the line. Fantasy players will want to take a flier with him late in drafts and probably avoid Scola and Patterson now.
76ers Waive Gerald Wallace
The Philadelphia 76ers continued to shed themselves of talented veterans that might help them win games now but won’t help them in the long-term. Next up was small forward Gerald Wallace, who was waived this week. Wallace, who was acquired from the Golden State Warriors in exchange for forward Jason Thompson, should end up signing with another NBA team before the season begins but the 76ers are committed to rebuilding from the absolutely bottom with young talent. In terms of fantasy, this clears some openings for players to soak up some minutes. Previously, some had wondered if Wallace would get some burn similar to how Jason Richardson was used by the 76ers last year.
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Dunleavy Will Miss 8-12 Weeks
The Chicago Bulls will be without small forward Mike Dunleavy for at least two months after he underwent surgery on his back this week. The Bulls wanted to wait as long as possible and try every option they had before resorting to surgery, but after the other things they tried didn’t work, they had their hand forced with the procedure. The timing couldn’t be worse after Chicago signed Dunleavy to a three-year, $14 million deal in the offseason but they have some options on the roster. The silver lining could be a bigger role for second-year player Doug McDermott as a potential replacement for Dunleavy. The hope was that McDermott could handle the role in the long term so we’ll get to see what that future looks like early in the season. Dunleavy has said he isn’t optimistic about the 8-10 week timetable they have put on his recovery and it will be interesting to see if it takes substantially longer for him to recover. This means he’s going to slide down draft boards fairly significantly.
Hornets Search For PF Continues
The Charlotte Hornets have made it clear that the starting power forward spot in their lineup is still up for grabs. They still haven’t made a decision on who should start with a couple of decent options that they can go with. The consensus among a handful of NBA experts is that Marvin Williams is the best bet but that’s in a smaller lineup. More traditionally, they would use him on the wing with Cody Zeller, Frank Kaminsky and even Tyler Hansbrough on the depth chart at the four spot. However, the majority of fantasy draftniks are going to be eyeing Kaminsky to take the role. Remember, the Hornets passed on three first round picks in order to take Kaminsky, so why wouldn’t he get the main role? Well, it’s Charlotte, so you never know. Zeller is an option but hasn’t developed as some had hoped but he’s still young. At any rate, keep an eye on this training camp battle as one of these guys will be an important fantasy power forward early in the season.
