Hey guys, welcome back to the NBA Roundtable! Every year there are several teams who drive us crazy from a fantasy standpoint, so I got the Rotoworld hoops crew together to talk about our three least favorite teams this season. I’ll start us off…
Jonas Nader (@JonasNader)
Lakers: By now I’m sure you’re all aware that I’m a Lakers fan, so this one should be a given. Look, I get that the Lakers want to keep their lottery pick (it’s top-3 protected this season), but benching two future building blocks of the organization in D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle is not a good look at all. Both players were pretty upset with coach Byron Scott’s decision, and the timing is very odd too because both players appeared to be getting a lot more comfortable.
Maybe the Lakers are keeping Scott around because they know he gives them their best chance to lose, and it seems like his top priority is just to give Kobe Bryant the best farewell tour possible by allowing him to shoot 50 times per game. Sadly, I don’t think this situation is going to be any easier to watch in the near future. At least guys like Marcelo Huertas, Robert Sacre and Metta World Peace are still getting minutes, right? Get a clue, Scott.
Magic: While Byron Scott is easily the worst coach in the NBA, Orlando coach Scott Skiles is the most annoying in fantasy. First off, why in the world are guys like Jason Smith, Channing Frye and Shabazz Napier getting minutes with talented young players such as Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja waiting in the wings. I get that the Magic are tired of tanking and they’re actually doing pretty well in the East with a 12-9 record, but the fact that Gordon is averaging just 19.0 minutes per game for a coach that loves defense is a crime. I won’t even mention Skiles’ love affair with Evan Fournier, and his decision to bench Nikola Vucevic and Victor Oladipo for a couple games was odd enough, but I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Pelicans: I never predicted the Pelicans to make the playoffs, but I didn’t expect them to be this bad either. First off, they have one of the worst front offices in the NBA, and if you don’t believe me then just look at Omer Asik’s contract and their free agent signings. They’ve basically set up Anthony Davis to fail, and now there are reports that they are looking to deal Ryan Anderson for Markieff Morris which would be one of the strangest decisions of the season.
After watching Davis literally get carried off the court in a game against the Clippers last month with a simple knee bruise, I’m also convinced that he’s made of glass. The Pelicans are 5-16 in the West and could very well decide to tank, so I think Davis will be a shut-down candidate down the stretch. I could make a case that Ish Smith deserves more minutes too, but I’m not even going to go there.
Michael Gallagher (@MiKeSGallagher)
Bucks: The shadiness of Jason Kidd puts him at No. 1 for me and it’s not close. All the time he just rests players because he wants to play other guys. No logic, no notice, he just does it.
Magic: Scott Skiles is another guy with a very quick hook at times. A guy could be on a roll for 10 games, but one really bad half can change his rotation in the second half.
Lakers: What is he doing? Why would pull his rookies from the starting lineup and play them less minutes? I don’t think his rotations are as bad as the two teams above because at least he gives us notice, but sudden changes make it a lot more work for us.
Ethan Norof (@Ethan_Norof)
Denver Nuggets: I expected a lot of experimentation when Mike Malone took over the controls, but the mad scientist has taken it to the next level. Joffrey Lauvergne‘s back injury pushed him out of the rotation, shortly after Nikola Jokic ‘earned’ the starting center job it was yanked away from him and after letting Emmanuel Mudiay play through almost anything to begin the season, Jameer Nelson is beginning to eat into the rookie point guard’s minutes.
Houston Rockets: Earth to Houston: Can the Rockets please give Terrence Jones the minutes that he deserves? Clint Capela can’t provide the spacing that Dwight Howard needs to operate down low, Donatas Motiejunas is going to take some time working his way from back surgery and TJ is finally coming on after battling early injury issues. There are a lot of problems that the Rockets have yet to figure out, but Jones’ value to the team should be obvious.
Milwaukee Bucks: Everyone with Michael Carter-Williams would like to ask Jason Kidd what is going on, but those questions are best directed at the underachieving point guard. John Henson should be playing more minutes, the Bucks should be utilizing Khris Middleton differently and Giannis Antetokounmpo needs to be a focal point regardless of the competition.
Steve Alexander (@Docktora)
Jason Kidd‘s Bucks are near the top of my list. John Henson has never caught a break, Jerryd Bayless went from the penthouse to the outhouse in order for Kidd to play a point guard nobody has heard of (Tyler Ennis) and then Bayless got hurt, and Michael Carter-Williams still can’t enjoy life. And when Giannis Antetokounmpo recently scored 7, 8 and 9 points in three straight games, it’s a safe bet that Kidd played a big hand in it.
Scott Skiles’ Magic are interesting, as well. Skiles has benched Victor Oladipo, refuses to start Andrew Nicholson, or ANYONE else besides Channing Frye at power forward, will not turn Aaron Gordon loose, and then teases us all by making Evan Fournier a fantasy dynamo for three weeks and then pulling the plug. Oh, and there was also time Skiles benched all his starters ‘just because,’ and we’re only a quarter of the way through the season.
Rockets’ coach J.B. Bickerstaff is riling some feathers with his use, or should I say misuse, of Terrence Jones, you couldn’t trade Ty Lawson for a six-pack of Natty Light right now and James Harden‘s shooting has been a nightmare for much of the season. The Rockets aren’t as good as they should be, Clint Capela‘s 10-day hot run ended as quickly as it started, and Trevor Ariza, Corey Brewer and Marcus Thornton have either been hit or miss, or simply disappointing this season. And while I’m kind of excited to see what Thornton and Brewer will be able to do if Ariza misses a week or two, I’m also scared to death to mess with either of them.
Jared Johnson (@JaredJ831)
Oh man do I hate J.B. Bickerstaff right now. Like seriously, I am the exact opposite of a Bickerstaff fan.... he’s the worst. Do not like. Essentially Bickerstaff must truly believe we’re still living in the 1980s with the lineups he rolls out there. Clint Capela should not be starting next to Dwight Howard in 2015. Period. It makes zero sense. The Rockets are barely winning the games they’ve won, and their offense of handing James Harden the rock and staring is not something that’s fun to watch. Unfortunately Terrence Jones has earned 30+ minutes just twice under Bickerstaff, and I don’t see that changing any time soon. I’m not sure I can blame Ty Lawson on Bickerstaff, but JBB hasn’t really shown me that he’s capable of bringing out the best in his players.
Scott Skiles has the Magic in the playoff hunt with Orlando off to a 12-9 start, so it’s hard to criticize his coaching, but aside from Victor Oladipo, I’m not all that interested in owning anyone in Orlando. Skiles won’t hesitate to yank a guy if he sees something he doesn’t like (regardless of pay grade), and Stephen Jackson summed him up best saying he’s “more of a college coach.”
Jason Kidd is another coach that will constantly fiddle with his rotations, which is why I don’t own any Bucks in any of my leagues. There’s just way too much depth on that team.
Matt Stroup (@MattStroup)
Jason Kidd and the Bucks are a big one for me, primarily because of the lack of progress we’ve seen from Michael Carter-Williams. And while I realize that some (and maybe a lot) of this is on MCW, we’re complaining here, so I’m going to assign some blame to Kidd as well. After all, he’s one of the most dynamic stat-collecting PGs in NBA history, who traded for Carter-Williams – but apparently doesn’t know how to put him in a position to collect those numbers. Most of MCW’s stats are down from what he did last year in Philly and Milwaukee, and even though he’s been a bit better lately coming off the bench (last six games: 11.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 6.8 apg, 1.0 spg, 0.7 bpg), Kidd’s point guard, of all positions, should not be struggling to figure things out. Harrumph.
Secondly, I’ll mention Scott Skiles and the Magic, and again, my focus is on one player here: Victor Oladipo. I realize that Oladipo has been pretty good coming off the bench (17.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.4 bpg, 1.0 3s), but this isn’t a case where the bench is making him better. Oladipo would be pretty good in any role, and could be putting up much bigger numbers if Skiles wasn’t limiting his run. In eight games coming off the bench, Oladipo has been held under 30 minutes five times.
Lastly, Jeff Hornacek and the Suns. Too many guys in the rotation, too much unpredictability. Recent example: T.J. Warren has a four-game stretch that sees him average 19.3 ppg in 30 minutes per game. Then, over Phoenix’s last six games, he drops to 7.0 ppg in 19 minutes per game. I hope that Hornacek doesn’t now bury Jon Leuer just as quickly as he’s made him relevant (last five games: 14.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 0.8 spg, 1.2 bpg, 0.8 3s), but unfortunately I won’t be shocked if Leuer suddenly loses his momentum as well.
