Andres

Nocioni

He’s expected to return in time for Wednesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Bulls management is hoping the trip home helps him clear his mind and return to the form he showed in the preseason.

He’s slated to start again in the next one, but Thaddeus Young, who played 32 minutes tonight, is a much better fantasy option than Nocioni.

That rules out Brand through the All-Star break. We noted recently that Brand had been struggling in February, and it’s clear that his thumb still isn’t right after previously battling the injury. The Sixers will start seldom-used Andres Nocioni in place of Brand as a result, but both Lavoy Allen and Nikola Vucevic are likely to see an increase in minutes.

Nocioni has appeared in just a handful of games this season and has not played more than 10 minutes in any of them. He’s an extremely poor bet to reach true starter’s minutes Tuesday as the Sixers rely on their “Night Shift” unit of Thaddeus Young and Nikola Vucevic up front.

Battie is starting in place of Elton Brand one night after Andres Nocioni started in his place. Nocioni didn’t do much of anything last night, but we’re not expecting any miracles for Battie, either. Allen, on the other hand, is an interesting fantasy option right now.

The veteran forward played just four minutes in March, and the arrival of Sam Young signaled the end of his usefulness for the Sixers. It’s possible that he’ll latch on to another team’s roster for the rest of the season, but he holds no interest in fantasy leagues.

Nocioni will play for Caja Laboral for the remainder of the year and it is unknown if he will ever make it back to the NBA.

Nocioni’s shoe was off and the trainer was examining the area. Check back for an official diagnosis soon, but he’s got absolutely no fantasy value.

Nocioni said that insurance would have been complicated and very expensive for the team, and he couldn’t wait for that process to unfold. He said, “I love basketball, I need to play.” The Sixers can’t be happy with his decision in case he gets hurt, but he’s not a long-term part of Philadelphia’s plans.

The bloated contracts of Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala both stand out, but Fagan argues “this amnesty clause is there to be used on players producing at very low percentages of their contract value.” Nocioni averaged just 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds in 54 appearances last season, whereas Brand and Iguodala were both productive (and might actually be tradeable). It’s at least interesting to consider while we wait for the new CBA.