Daily Dribble: Pau Returns

November 20, 2009 11:35am CST

Gasol Impresses in Return

While his younger brother Marc has been getting the attention of many fantasy players down in Memphis, Pau Gasol spent the first 11 games of the season on the sideline due to a strained hamstring. His recovery was slow and frustrating, but on Thursday he returned to the Lakers starting lineup and led all scorers with 24 in a 108-93 win over the Bulls. Pau also hauled in 13 rebounds, dished three assists and blocked a shot.

His return was more than welcome for his fantasy owners, but those who invested in Andrew Bynum likely had concerns when they looked at the box score. Bynum scored a season-low 11 points while grabbing just eight rebounds, ending his streak of six straight double-doubles. He also tied his season low with just 12 field goal attempts. This drop in production from Bynum is to be expected with Gasol in the same lineup.

Another thing to be expected is Kobe Bryant's assist totals to climb. Although he hit just 7-of-21 shots, Kobe had season-highs of eight assists and nine rebounds. Some more good news came in Ron Artest's performance. The Bulls routinely left Ron-Ron open while tending to the Lakers twin towers and he finished with 15 points on 13 shots. It was his second most shooting attempts of the last six games. Lamar Odom also returned to his sixth-man role. In 26 minutes, Mr. Kardashian logged 11 points and eight rebounds.

Pau is one of the elite fantasy players in the game. The only seven-footers to out-perform him last season in eight-category formats were Dirk Nowitzki and Yao Ming. While he did appear winded at times, he had no complications with his hamstring. Expect a top 20 performer the rest of the way.

Iverson Clears Waivers; Awaits Offer
Thursday was the final day Allen Iverson was on waivers and when it was over, no one had claimed him. There was a lot of speculation that the Knicks would make him an offer for the veteran's minimum once he became a free agent, and Iverson went as far as saying he was prepared to sign with Mike D'Antoni's team.

But this morning we learned that the Knicks do not intend on making him an offer. After extensively weighing the pros and cons of adding The Answer, Knicks management concluded that he was too great a risk given his problematic history. Of course, Iverson left the Grizzlies earlier this season after complaining about coming off of the bench and less than a week later he was waived by the team.

The Knicks seemed to be a good fit for A.I. Chris Duhon has played poorly and wouldn't start on any other team in the league. Also, there are more than enough shots in D'Antoni's offense to accommodate a scorer of Iverson's caliber. The Knicks could still change their minds. They are just 2-9 on the season and if they continue to underachieve at such a rate, they'll likely revisit the scenario. In the meantime, The Answer will wait for offers. However, Iverson could remain a free agent until a serious injury strikes a team's backcourt.

Fastbreak
Peja Stojakovic caught fire against the Suns on Thursday, leading the Hornets to a 110-103 win. He started for the sixth time this season and logged a season-high 35 minutes while hitting 7-of-11 three-pointers. He finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds. On the season, the 32-year-old is averaging only11.2 points and 3.8 rebounds, but he has exceeded expectations in his last three games. New coach Jeff Bower has clearly given him the green light as he has attempted 27 threes in those games. He's hit 12 of them and is averaging 21.7 points and 7.3 rebounds while playing 31.7 minutes per night. Judging by his recent play, he's roster worthy, yet concerns over his balky back remain.

Rookie Marcus Thornton had 19 points in 20 minutes off of the bench for the Hornets while David West finished with just six points and four rebounds in the win. Amar'e Stoudemire led the way for the Suns with 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting. He continues to come up short on the boards as he only had five last night.

The Jazz got double-doubles from both Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer to go with 20 points off the bench from Paul Millsap en route to a 90-83 win in San Antonio. Manu Ginobili (groin) and Tony Parker (ankle) both missed the game for the Spurs.

Derrick Rose scored 20 points in 38 minutes last night, but said yesterday that his sprained ankle from the preseason has yet to fully heal. Rose has not dunked this season.

Stars in Suits
Andrew Bynum left last night's game in the third quarter with a sprained ankle. He will try to practice on Friday and is considered day-to-day.

Andrew Bogut could miss up to four weeks with a bruised left leg. The Bucks are considering starting Hakim Warrick in the middle.

Tracy McGrady is reportedly growing impatient with his stint on the sidelines. "I'm dying," said McGrady. "Just sitting there is tough. Now, after putting in all the work this summer, I'm so eager to get back out there. I'm hungry. I'm so ready to play, man, it's not even funny. It's tearing me apart to sit here and watch my guys go out and playing and I can't do anything but watch." He will practice on Monday and then have an MRI on his surgically repaired knee.

Udonis Haslem (shoulder) and Quentin Richardson (back) are both questionable for the Heat's game against the Raptors on Friday. Haslem also missed the Heat's last game.

Devin Harris tweeted that he will return on Saturday but will be coming off of the bench. He has only played two games this season due to a strained groin.

Manu Ginobili is expected to miss the next week to 10 days with a strained groin. Keith Bogans will likely see a boost in playing time as a result.

Shaquille O'Neal will not play on Friday against Indiana because of a strained shoulder. He has not played all week. Anderson Varejao remains questionable due to a sore hip.

Eric Gordon is targeting a return early next week from his groin injury.