The Wire Troll: Markieff Morris Rising in Phoenix
When he’s not getting humped by middle-aged white dudes, P.J. Tucker is playing big minutes.
Welcome back to another week of NBA waiver wire recommendations, featuring only players with a maximum ownership of 50 per cent.
With the regular season ending Wednesday, this marks the final installment of The Wire Troll for the season. We hope that our weekly picks have helped you achieve Fantasy glory. Having said that, this is your final chance to make up ground, so don’t pack it in just yet. Work that wire one final time.
Let’s get to this week’s recommendations…
GUARDS
Thabo Sefolosha, SG/SF, Oklahoma City Thunder: Back in mid-February, we gave Sefolosha some love and it was a decent call as he hoisted plenty of treys that month and, while his touches were down in March, he’s shooting very well so far in April, making him worth another look. His PT is actually down a tad lately, yet he’s racked up three straight double-digit scoring efforts, adding his usual solid steal totals and a nice amount of boards for a dude that qualifies at the two. We all know Sefolosha is a defensive stalwart, but that doesn’t mean he’s not immune to getting posterized every now and then.
P.J. Tucker, SG/SF/PF, Phoenix Suns: Tucker caught our eye back in February and although he didn’t get to the line much that month, and he didn’t jack up as many treys in March, he’s playing big minutes now, making him worth another look. He’s earning minutes because of his defensive prowess, but he flashed a little something something offensively on Wednesday as well, dropping 17 points with 10 boards for his third double-double of the season as the Suns ended Dallas’ streak of 12 straight playoff appearances. Tucker is showing a nice shooting touch lately and he even canned three treys in his last game — a real rarity from him, but something worth rolling the dice on for the final week.
Others to Consider
Jared Dudley, SG/SF, Phoenix Suns: Dudley is jacking up plenty of shots from downtown lately and has taken on more of a leadership role on the rebuilding Suns.
Brian Roberts, PG/SG, New Orleans Hornets: With Greivis Vasquez out, Roberts is shining.
FORWARDS
Markieff Morris, PF, Phoenix Suns: We gave a nod to Morris last month, yet despite his improved play in March — and even better performance so far in April — he remains widely available. He snapped a scoring slump last weekend and has averaged nearly 14 PPG over the past three (canning seven treys over this stretch), has pulled down at least five boards in every game this month and has five blocks in the past four games. Young bigs are always going to be inconsistent, but since Markieff has been reunited with his twin Marcus, he’s been a much better player.
Carl Landry, PF, Golden State Warriors: We also recommended Landry last month, and while his FT shooting slipped in March, he’s justified our faith with a solid showing so far in April. Okay, so he missed the potential game-winning shot Friday, but he did manage 11 points, a block and an assist and he’s been getting more touches lately, making him worth a second look. Landry is getting more burn with Andrew Bogut out, so if you need some help at forward, give him some consideration.
Others to Consider
Harrison Barnes, SF, Golden State Warriors: Barnes may not have been the stud rookie we expected, but he’s shooting really well from downtown lately. And he’ll always have this early season dunk to fall back on.
John Henson, PF, Milwaukee Bucks: Henson exploded Wednesday (17 points, 25 rebounds, seven blocks) and on Friday — starting for the injured Larry Sanders — he flirted with another double-double while adding two more blocks.
CENTRES
Robin Lopez, New Orleans Hornets: We suggested you give Lopez a look last month as his touches had been up. We hope you listened, because he played a big role in March and is seeing his most PT of the season in April. When Lopez and Anthony Davis both play well, the Hornets have a frontcourt that can play with anyone. Yes, Lopez’s production and PT have been kind of all over the map this year, but he’s getting it done right now. In 38 minutes Friday, he went off for 19 points and 12 boards for his seventh double-double of the season. Lopez keeps getting more touches as the Hornets feed him the pumpkin more frequently and it’s clear that getting dealt out of Phoenix has really sparked his career as he’s enjoyed a major breakthrough this season.
Greg Stiemsma, Minnesota Timberwolves: Stiemsma is another big we recommended last month and it’s been a decent call. He earned his most PT of the season in March and while his shooting touch hasn’t been as sharp this month, he’s racking up more boards and blocks. With Nikola Pekovic out, Stiemsma is getting to start and in a whopping 41 minutes of action Friday, he scored 10 points with seven boards, three steals, two blocks and an assist. Pekovic is likely to miss more time, so if you are digging dip for centre help, Stiemsma is worth taking a flier on.
Others to Consider
Nazr Mohammed, Chicago Bulls: With Taj Gibson out, Mohammed responded with a double-double, so consider him a decent short-term flier.
Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs: Splitter went off for a double-double Friday and he’s going to get extra burn with Boris Diaw undergoing surgery.
