Chris

Andersen

He wasn’t able to practice on Tuesday, and it’s unclear when he will suit up again. “Ham was doing more today,” coach Spoelstra said. “But he wasn’t ready for contact.” Owners can safely ignore him in almost all fantasy leagues now that Chris Andersen (ribs) is expected to return on Wednesday.

The Nuggets refused to offer Andersen a guaranteed contract at first, but they’ve backed down on that stance now.

Andersen is close to a lock, while Yarbrough, despite starting 39 games for Denver last year, is most likely to be cut. Earlier this week coach Jeff Bzdelik said he was leaning towards keeping Andersen and Pope because of the inexperience and frailty in the frontcourt.

The move was made to make room for Ryan Bowen to come off the IL in an attempt to strengthen team defense.

Anderson took a couple of nasty falls, one on his shoulder, one on his head, in Friday’s game. He was able to stay in the game both times.

Andersen, who was a restricted free agent, is expected to sign a two-year, $3.36 million contract with the Hornets on Monday.

Andersen would remain a backup in New Orleans.

Starters Kenneth Faried and Timofey Mozgov both played very well, while Kosta Koufos and Al Harrington also had nice lines off the bench. The Nuggets are getting crowded on the front line and it’s only going to get worse when Nene and Danilo Gallinari return from their injuries next week.

Koufos might have some short-term value if Timofey Mozgov’s ankle injury is serious, so keep an eye on him if you need a big man. In that event, it’s likely that Koufos, Kenneth Faried, and Chris Anderson (DNP-CD) all pick up the slack, with matchups and Anderson’s health determining how much each guy plays.

Just when you thought the bottom was going to fall out for Faried with Nene (calf) returning soon, Timofey Mozgov’s ankle injury shed some light. Look for Kosta Koufos to play all the minutes he can handle against bigger opponents, and Chris Anderson to also pick up the slack, but Faried is going to play a nice role until Nene returns and has a chance to earn regular PF minutes going forward.