Centres

Chris Wilcox, New York Knicks: After originally being included in the deal for New Orleans’ Tyson Chandler, Wilcox eventually ended up in the Big Apple. It’s debatable if Wilcox would’ve been better off on the receiving end of pick and rolls from Chris Paul rather than playing in Mike D’Antoni’s offense from a fantasy perspective, but his potential is interesting at the very least. Those in deep leagues need to add him right away while those in shallower formats should put him on their watch lists.

Best of the Rest

With Greg Oden banged up, Joel Przybilla has been a monster on the glass, hauling in 44 rebounds in his last four games. However, outside of some sporadic blocks, he won’t be much of a help elsewhere…Andray Blatche is back after a nine-game absence, though his minutes have been fairly low in three games since returning. He really looked like he was piecing things together before the injury and would be worth a flier in deeper leagues.

Forwards

Antonio McDyess, Detroit Pistons: Things may be coming apart at the seams in the Motor City, but that certainly isn’t the fault of McDyess, who is playing some inspired basketball. The veteran moved into the starting lineup two games ago and has responded with 37 points and 27 rebounds in that time. His work on the boards should be enough to earn him a spot in most leagues, and his solid scoring and 52.7 per cent shooting from the field is just icing on the cake.

Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia 76ers: Inexplicably, Young remains available in numerous leagues despite averaging 13.6 points and 5.0 boards per night this season. He’s a capable three-point shooter and has an impressive 16 thefts in eight games this month. Young is worth owning in all leagues.

Vladimir Radmanovic, Charlotte Bobcats: Things continue to go pretty smoothly for Radmanovic in Charlotte as the 6-foot-10 perimeter threat has racked up 66 points (including 13 three-pointers) in five games since joining the Bobcats. His rebounding numbers have even bordered on respectable – well, at least for a featherweight on the glass like Vlad. Take a chance on him if you’re looking for a bump in scoring.

Best of the Rest

Ricky Davis has started the Clippers’ last three games and even though the results haven’t been jaw dropping (26 points, 12 assists combined in the three contests) his scoring acumen is well known. View him as a flier in deeper leagues…In Boston’s first game without Kevin Garnett it was Brian Scalabrine that got the starting nod, logging 37 minutes and dropping 14 points on the Suns. He could have some short-term value for clubs desperate for scoring help…He’s still hit or miss at this point, but Marreese Speights has authored five double-digit scoring performances in his last seven games. The downside is he failed to score in the other two…Shane Battier’s minutes should be secure now that Tracy McGrady is unlikely to return in 2009, which is the good news. The bad news is that Battier is only averaging 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in seven February games despite logging nearly 33 minutes a night. He’s only an option in deep leagues…Could the words Thabo Sefolosha and fantasy basketball actually be uttered in the same sentence following his trade to Oklahoma City? Stay tuned.

Guards

Aaron Brooks, Houston Rockets: Houston’s decision to ship “Skip to my Lou” off to Orlando moves Brooks into the starting lineup for the rest of the season. The diminutive point guard celebrated with a 19-point, eight-assist and six-rebound effort in his first start of the post-Rafer Alston era on Friday. He has flashed some serious potential at times this year and now with steady run in his future he should be acquired in all formats.

Roger Mason, San Antonio Spurs: The frailty of Manu Ginobili should provide a windfall of fantasy value for Mason, who averaged 15.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in November when Ginobili played in only four games. Mason has dropped 20 or more in two of the three games since Manu went down, and he is an absolute beast from beyond the arc. He should be a great temporary add in most leagues.

Best of the Rest

We at The Troll have been high on Francisco Garcia for some time now, but the dealing of John Salmons should open up more playing time for Garcia and give him additional value. Act now before a rival owner scoops up the 27-year-old swingman…The Kings also tried to move Beno Udrih but were unsuccessful; perhaps that was a blessing in disguise as he has reached double figures in six consecutive games. Consistency and Udrih don’t go hand in hand, so only make a move if you’re looking for short-term assistance…Marquis Daniels dropped 24 points on the T-Wolves in his first start since Januar 5. He’s a legitimate option with both Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy Jr. out of action…Larry Hughes’ absurd contract (along with Hughes himself) was shipped to New York before the trade deadline. Now normally this would be a non-issue, but with D’Antoni calling the shots up there anything is possible, even a Hughes renaissance…On the injury front, Luke Ridnour and Steve Blake both returned to action this past week. Owners should take note…Mike Miller has started Minnesota’s last four games, amassing 55 points, 28 rebounds and 25 assists during that stretch. Optimistic owners can act now, others can wait and see if Miller can sustain his strong play – just don’t wait too long…One last name to consider: Jarrett Jack. He has 69 points in his last four games and has been playing a ton of minutes recently with Indy missing three starters.

Welcome to the Part Two of the Hidden Truth: FG Percentage, where today we take a look at FG percentage at the forward position. Thanks to some “helpful” advice, these rankings, unlike those for the guards, incorporate field goals percentage while examining how many shots a game the player takes. Shown in each ranking is field goal percentage, field goals attempted per game, and their scoring average per game. This is relevant because a guy who shoots more will have a greater effect on your team percentage.

Remember, FG percentage is no more important than any other Roto category, but it is something to look at while drafting, trading, and picking up free agents.

1. David Lee, New York Knicks (56.4%, 11.7 FGA, 16.4 PPG): Lee plays within five feet of the basket with great success.

2. Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics (52.5%, 13.6 FGA, 16.4 PPG): KG, the heart and soul of the Celtics, is a consistent jump shooter, but can also throw it down in the paint.

3. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs (52.2%, 15.6 FGA, 20.8 PPG): The Big Fundamental is always solid in this category and it’s very nice to see him bounce back after a somewhat down season in 2007-08 in which he shot under 50 per cent.

4. Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors (49.6%, 15.9 FGA, 22.8 PPG): Bosh is a great fantasy player who helps in many categories, but let’s hope his knee is okay after taking two weeks off.

5. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (49.1%, 20.3 FGA, 28.5 PPG): King James takes over 20 shots a game and he is shooting nearly 50 per cent, which is obviously great news for your Roto squad.

6. LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers (48.9%, 15.1 FGA, 17.6 PPG): The former Longhorn standout is having a very nice year. He takes about 15 shots a game and makes them at a 49 per cent clip, providing a nice scoring option.

7. Paul Millsap, Utah Jazz (54.8%, 10.6 FGA, 14 PPG): Millsap has been an excellent stopgap for Carlos Boozer, but his production may be headed downhill with Boozer supposedly very close to returning.

8. Luis Scola, Houston Rockets (52.7%, 9.5 FGA, 12.4 PPG): Scola is never flashy, but he plays hard and gets the job done.

9. Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns (52.5%, 8.3 FGA, 11.1 PPG): If he were still drinking Sprite, maybe he would shoot the ball more. Hill gets limited minutes but shoots at a solid percentage; in fact, he’s on pace for a career best in this category.

10. Kenyon Martin, Denver Nuggets (50.6%, 10.6 FGA, 12.9 PPG): K-Mart has been shopping for easy buckets all year long.

11. Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks (48.6%, 12.6 FGA, 15.7 PPG): The athletic Hawk forward provides an explosive presence on the court. He is also not too bad on paper.

12. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks (47.4%, 20 FGA, 25.9 PPG): – For such a high volume jump shooter, his percentage is right where you want it.

13. Zach Randolph, Los Angeles Clippers (47.5%, 18.1 FGA, 22 PPG): Besides being a punkass, Randolph shoots well in the paint.

14. Boris Diaw, Charlotte Bobcats (49.4%, 10 FGA, 11.8 PPG): Diaw has a chance to establish his game in a new city, and so far, the results have been excellent.

15. Udonis Haslem, Miami Heat (51.4%, 8.8 FGA, 10.8 PPG): Not a go-to guy, but Haslem throws up nearly nine shots a game at over 50 per cent success rate.

16. Jason Thompson, Sacramento Kings (50%, 8.3 FGA, 10.4 PPG): The Kings rookie has been up and down all season, but has good numbers for a freshman.

17. Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers (49.2%, 8.1 FGA, 10.3 PPG): Odom has been getting way more looks with Andrew Bynum going down for an extended period.

18. Shawn Marion, Toronto Raptors (48.2%, 10.6 FGA, 12 PPG): It will be interesting to see how he fits in Toronto playing next to Bosh, but don’t be surprised to see his skill reemerge now that he’s out of Miami.

Top 10 Clankers

1. Ron Artest, Houston Rockets (38.8%, 13.9 FGA, 15.8 PPG): Overrated. Overrated. Overrated. Yeah, I said it.

2. Stephen Jackson, Golden State Warriors (40.5%, 16.7 FGA, 20.5 PPG): S-Jax scores a lot, but he also misses quite a bit.

3. Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic (40.1%, 13.9 FGA, 17 PPG) – His name on this list was a surprise to me, as anytime I see the Magic play, he seems to hit a lot of shots.

4. Al HarringtonNew York Knicks (42.3%, 17.5 FGA, 20.2 PPG): Maybe if the shoes he wore were not sold exclusively at K-Mart, he would shoot better.

5. Peja Stojakovic, New Orleans Hornets (41.1%, 12.4 FGA, 14.4 PPG): Stojakovic is a long range specialist who shoots two-pointers at an only slightly higher percentage as he does three-pointers.

6. Richard Jefferson, Milwaukee Bucks (43.2%, 13.8 FGA, 17.7 PPG): It has got to suck to be stuck in Milwaukee, especially given that half the team is hurt.

7. Wilson Chandler, New York Knicks (42.6%, 12.4 FGA, 13.7 PPG) – I am surprised that Chandler has gotten the ball enough to shoot over 12 times a game. I guess in Mike D’Antoni’s system, everyone gets looks.

8. Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers (43.5%, 19 FGA, 25.4 PPG): It is a shame he has bad knees, because Granger could be a special player. He may force it at times, but his team needs him to shoot the rock.

9. Andres Nocioni, Chicago Bulls (41.4%, 8.5 FGA, 10.4 PPG): This year has been a struggle for the native of Argentina.

10. Matt Barnes, Phoenix Suns (40.9%, 8.3 FGA, 9.3 PPG): Barnes was on plenty of sleeper lists heading into this season, but despite seeing more minutes than usual, his fantasy relevance has almost completely vanished, in no small part because his shooting continues to suffer.

On Friday, we will take a look at the big dudes and see how they stack up.

Welcome to the first edition of The Hidden Truth, a new NBA fantasy column in which I will be focusing on exposing the stats and players that win fantasy leagues. For instance, everyone knows Allen Iverson can hoop, but what are the consequences of starting him in your fantasy league? Does he shoot a high percentage? For those Roto-lovers out there, all categories are equal. First place in steals is the same as first place in points. So let’s dive in!

The first edition of this column will focus on field goal percentage. It is evident that if you take more shots farther from the rim, your shooting percentage is usually lower, so you have to take these rankings with a grain of salt. Just because Chauncey Billups shoots a low percentage does not make him a worse fantasy player than Ronnie Brewer, who is in the top 10 in FG percentage. To build a championship fantasy hoops squad, you must be balanced, but it does help to have guys with high field goal percentages at all positions.

Today we will look at the guards.

Top 10 High Percentage Finishers

1. Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics (50.3%): The Celtic point guard is a solid fantasy player as he puts up decent points, assists, rebounds, and steals, but he shines in the field goal percentage category. This is a product of taking good shots in a good system, but man has he ever come a long way from his rookie season when his shooting was considered a major weakness.

2. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets (49.6%): Mr. Do-it-all also does not miss too often.

3. Ronnie Brewer, Utah Jazz (49.5%): Jerry Sloan likes this slasher because he gets good shots. People may see him as a role player, but he is averaging over 13 PPG this season.

4. Jose Calderon, Toronto Raptors (49.4%): Calderon does it a little differently — even though he is more of an outside shooter than Rondo or Tony Parker, he will help you in FG percentage just as much.

5. Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs (49.4%): The Frenchman has perfected his 15-to-18 foot jumper from dead-on. This compliments his drives to the basket which create high percentage layups.

6. Ray Allen, Boston Celtics (49.1%): For a guy who chucks up threes at an alarming rate, it is a surprise that Ray-Ray clocks in at sixth on the list. I think people discount all of the layups he gets on baseline drives after doing a pump fake.

7. Andre Miller, Philadelphia 76ers (47.9%): The steady point guard always finds a way to take good shots.

8. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat (47.8%): Flash is back and he is doing his thing.

9. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers (47.5%): Kobe makes more difficult shots than anyone in the league.

10. Brandon Roy, Portland Trail Blazers (47.4%): Roy has a nice jumper, but he also can finish near the rim, as we saw on his dramatic game-winning bucket against the Knicks recently.

Honourable mention: Derrick Rose (47.3%), Leandro Barbosa (47.2%), Mike Miller (47.2%), Deron Williams (47.2%), Steve Nash (46.8%), Mo Williams (46.8%)

Note: Jameer Nelson was shooting over 50 per cent from the field, but he is now out for the season, so he was not included on this list.

Top 10 Clankers

1. Baron Davis, Los Angeles Clippers (35.2%): Too many bad shots coupled with injury problems has left B-Diddy as a bust this season.

2. Tracy McGrady (38.8%), Houston Rockets: T-Mac loves to shoot and can be very streaky. Now, he’s on the shelf.

3. Raymond Felton, Charlotte Bobcats (39.4%): Will learn to take better shots.

4. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder (40.7%): The former UCLA guard will get better with time as he works off Durant.

5. Randy Foye, Minnesota Timberwolves (40.9%): Nobody in American has seen all of the misses. Have the Timberwolves ever played on national TV?

6. Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets (41.6%): Mr. Big Shot is also Mr. Big Miss, but in fairness, he shoots a lot of three balls, and that hurts his percentage.

7. Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks (41.6%): His jumper is as ugly as his kid.

8. Jamal Crawford, Golden State Warriors (41.7%): This baller could drop 30 points or shoot under 30 per cent on any given night.

9. Kevin Martin, Sacramento Kings (41.9%): He forces it a lot, but then again the Kings do suck, so who else is going to chuck it up?

10. Allen Iverson, Detroit Pistons (42.1%): AI has always been a “volume” shooter…everywhere he goes.

Dishonourable mention: Mike Conley (42.4%), Chris Duhon (42.4%), Derek Fisher (42.4%), Mario Chalmers (42.6%), Roger Mason (42.7%), Joe Johnson (43.3%), Nate Robinson (43.8%), Vince Carter (43.9%).

As mentioned before, this list does not determine a player’s overall worth. It is just one factor you should consider when building your fantasy lineup. Also, bear in mind that I tried to focus on fantasy relevant players. I am not going to argue if you say Daniel “Booby” Gibson should be on the list because his percentage is lower than Billups. However, in my mind, anyone named Booby should be a fantasy free agent.

Next: On Wednesday, we’ll take a look at the top-shooting and worst-shooting Forwards.

No one is going to try to tell you that the New Orleans Hornets aren’t a great team, one capable of challenging for the Western Conference title this spring. However, despite the team’s success – they have won five of their past six (and six of eight), have a chance to finish a perfect 3-0 on their current home stand with a win over the pathetic Warriors on Friday, and are likely headed for a second straight 55-win season – the Hornets are not nearly the powerhouse they were in 2007-08, at least offensively.

Last season, the team had a top 10 offense and top five defense, but can make only one of those claims this season. While the defense is even better this year – only Cleveland and Boston are giving up less points per game – the Hornet offense is now among the league’s worst with just over 96 PPG. While the addition of James Posey has helped, none of the team’s big four – Chris Paul, David West, Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler – are doing better this season, and in the case of the latter two, are actually doing much worse offensively.

Despite the offensive struggles, the Hornets sit just one game out in the Southwest Division, with a huge game in San Antonio on Saturday for division supremacy.

We suggested considering Devin Brown back in November, for he had been promised extra minutes. Sure enough, he got them, averaging over 20 MPG in December, but Brown failed to impress and he’s barely played so far in 2009. In fact, he had taken three straight DNP-CDs before an injury to Morris Peterson in the first half Wednesday opened up a chance for Brown. And take advantage he did, to the tune of a season-high 18 points with three treys and a steal. Everything he heaved up was falling (6-for-7), so don’t expect that to happen very often. Brown hasn’t had the opportunities to earn starts and play significant minutes this season like he did last year with Cleveland, but that could change. Put him back on your watch list and see how things play out.

As for MoPete, his injury won’t exactly send any owners scurrying to the waiver wire. Jeez, has he ever fallen off the map — Peterson hasn’t even played as many as 10 minutes in over three weeks. While he’s getting into more games this month, he’s so low down in the rotation that it doesn’t matter at all. And the fact that Peterson hasn’t been as aggressive this season – and hence has not been able to take advantage of his solid FT shooting when he does play – has only helped exacerbate the fact that he’s never been more irrelevant.

The hallmark of any great team is its ability to dominate at home. Well, after a rough start (splitting its first six games), New Orleans has been virtually untouchable at the refreshingly corporate-name-free, yet-screaming-for-some-marketing-touch-to-its-moniker New Orleans Arena, winning 13 of 15 since, including the past four after taking out Denver Wednesday night.

How good has Paul been? Can you believe this dude has dropped at least 10 dimes in 30 of 40 games this year? Sick. Fantasy MVP? Me thinks so, despite King James’ exploits.

New Orleans can definitely thank the second unit for this latest win. While Denver’s starters were outscoring the Hornet front five by 14, the battle of the benches was a completely different story, as the Hornets won this by a whopping 29 points, 42-13. And that was despite the fact that sixth man Posey absolutely stunk the joint up (1-for-13, six points). Brown’s huge night and continued solid work from Sean Marks (six points, seven boards and a block) made the difference on this night.

The incredibly frustrating year continues for Chandler and his owners as he missed his fourth straight game Wednesday because of an ankle injury. We mentioned above that his offense had taken a beating this year, but if his fall were limited to scoring, it would be only half bad. Heading into the season, we had Chandler pegged a shade below top 10 centre status, but thanks to injuries and ineffectiveness, he’s barely in the top 50 now, and to wit, has been winding up on the waiver wire in smaller leagues. Chandler had been shooting well recently before getting hurt, but he gets so few touches per game, that it’s hardly noticeable. The bottom line here is that with his no-longer dominating rebounding totals, Chandler contributes in far too few categories. His FG percentage has dropped significantly this season, he’s never sunk a three-pointer in his entire career, he’s a lousy FT shooter who has gotten worse this year, he’s scoring three less points per game, and his assists have been cut in half. Damn, the only thing Chandler’s doing better this year is blocking shots. He’s swatting 1.4 per game, up from just 1.1 BPG last season, but still down from his career-best 1.8 BPG which he matched in his first season in The Big Easy. He’s supposed to be back before the All-Star Game, so no point in cutting him yet, but if I owned him, I’d wait for him to post a double-double or two, then I’d shop him like mad.

Also MIA for the Hornets lately is West, out the past five games because of back spasms. We ranked West as a top 20 forward this season, but he has not quite been able to build on his career year in 2007-08. The timing of West’s injury was particularly lousy, as he had been putting up his best numbers of the season in January, averaging almost 22 PPG. While West’s TOs have dropped this year, unfortunately so have all the rest of his numbers. At this point, he’s day-to-day, but despite his decreased output this season, West remains a must-own player.

Best sign of the night for the Hornets: they shot 48.6 per cent from the field even though Paul had a crappy 3-for-12 game. Despite their less than impressive offensive numbers, the Hornets haven’t been a bad shooting team (46.01 per cent, good for 11th in the NBA), but to have a night like this against a tough Denver defense (the Nuggets are fourth best in the NBA at limiting opponents’ FG shooting) when Paul struggled with his shot definitely bodes well.

As if things aren’t going swimmingly enough for the Los Angeles Lakers, owners of a two-game winning streak and the best record in the NBA, they begin a three-game homestand Thursday evening against the worst team in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Wizards. This has all the hallmarks of a true classic – the best in the West vs. the worst the East has to offer. You may want to keep young children away from the television screen this evening.

The Lakers have ridden the NBA’s best offense and an improved defense to the top of the standings. But they will get tested Sunday, when blazing San Antonio pays them a visit and attempts to make a statement about Western Conference supremacy. LA’s homestand finishes with a game against Charlotte, also playing very well lately, but the owner of a mere five road wins.

LA has taken out Washington four straight times, and in case you had any doubts about this streak hitting five, consider that Washington has only won three of 20 games on the road this season, while the Lakers have only lost three of 24 home games. Oh, you can throw in the fact that in those four wins over Washington, Los Angeles has averaged 113.3 PPG. Ugly. I’d suggest you bring out your marginal Lakers Wednesday: guys like Trevor Ariza, Vladimir Radmanovic and even Sasha Vujacic could prove useful in this game.

We had Andrew Bynum pegged as a top 10 centre this season, but so far, he’s barely cracked the top 20. That may be changing, however. The big kid has really picked up his offensive game of late, punctuated by a serious explosion Wednesday night to the tune of a career-high 42 points on 17-of-24 shooting with 15 rebounds and three blocks. Bynum has been getting more touches as the season has progressed and it’s really beginning to pay off in his offensive totals. Unfortunately, his blocks and boards haven’t seen the same increase; in fact, his numbers in both these areas have been a disappointment so far this season, even though he’s finally remained healthy and has been given more PT. Obviously his huge game Wednesday provided a glimpse of what Bynum is capable of, so I’d suggest that the opportunity to buy low may close soon as I expect him to be one of the most valuable fantasy centres in the second half.

Amazingly, Bynum is the first Laker not named Kobe Bryant to score at least 40 points in a game since Shaquille O’Neal did it on March 21, 2003. Is Bynum ready to give the Lakers a legitimate third scoring option behind Kobe and Pau Gasol? Given his 16.4 PPG in January, the answer appears to be yes.

Speaking of Gasol, he’s been a bit inconsistent lately. For instance, on Monday he turned in his 15th double-double of the season, but with Bynum going off Wednesday, Gasol was limited to 10 points and six boards. I wouldn’t worry too much about the occasional off game; Gasol’s PT has risen steadily as the season has gone on and he’s getting as many touches now as he’s had all year. Gasol has stayed healthy this year, and while his overall touches are down from last year, he’s enjoying one of the best rebounding seasons of his career and his value has nearly matched what he accomplished in an injury-plagued 2007-08.

Derek Fisher, who has been getting monster minutes with LA’s backcourt depth currently challenged, has been slumping recently, and his mild groin strain Wednesday definitely was a warning shot that his 34-year-old body is screaming for some downtime. He’s been a popular waiver wire pick in recent weeks, but the fact that he’s settling for jumpers too often and not driving to the basket and drawing fouls is another sign that the PT is wearing on this veteran. Fisher has been a very durable player in recent years, but this trend of getting to the line less and less has really held back his offensive potential, especially since he’s such an excellent FT shooter. If Fisher drove more and hoisted a bit less, he could be a 14-15 PPG man. At any rate, I’d say his run is nearing an end with Jordan Farmar (knee) possibly returning this weekend. Sell high while you can.

Much has been made of the Lakers’ scoring depth this season, with a half dozen players averaging at least 9 PPG, and how that takes some of the pressure off Bryant to do it all himself. However, I’d say the team actually had more depth last season. Yes, they only had Gasol down the stretch and Bynum missed over the half the season, but the 2007-08 Lakers had eight players who averaged at least 8.4 PPG. In fact, despite them leading the NBA in scoring this year, they are averaging one point less per game than they put up last season.

So this is the second of a back-to-back games for the Lakers, and the first was on the road. But given those circumstances, this is about as easy as back-to-backs go: Wednesday’s game was at the Staples Center against the Clippers, who were technically the home team, but come on. Also, the combined record of these two opponents is 18-64.

By the way, how much does Bynum love playing the Clips? Wednesday, as mentioned, he had a career night offensively. Back on November 5, he pulled down a career-best 17 rebounds against them. Circle April 5 on your calendar as the next time Bynum gets to go hog wild on the Clippers. How about a new career best eight blocks this time?

The Lakers have done an excellent job on the offensive glass this season, pulling down an average of 12.3 offensive rebounds per game, good for a share of sixth place in the NBA. So it was no surprise that on Wednesday, going up against a Clipper team that has struggled to keep opponents from pulling down boards under their own basket, the Lakers went wild with 17 offensive boards, eight of them by Bynum alone. That directly led to 34 points.