The Blazers, the Thompson Twins, Duncan Robinson, Jonathan Isaac, Damian Lillard and Domantas Sabonis all made it into the Dr. A Mailbag column this week. Keep the questions coming at @docktora! Let's go.
Which Blazers are roster-able down the stretch? - Illgobbo (@Illgobbo)
Guys like Scoot Henderson, Jabari Walker, Toumani Camara and Duop Reath should all get extended run in the silly season and it's going to start sooner than later in Portland. Unfortunately, veterans like Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton and Matisse Thybulle could be left out in the cold when the fun begins, although I do think Simons has a decent chance to finish out the season. But if you're relying on Grant or Ayton, you might want to think about coming up with a backup plan.
Do you trust Deandre Ayton for the rest of the season? Or is he likely to be shut down at some point? - Rafa Lam (@Skyrocketmamba)
It's kind of funny that these two questions came in on top of each other, even though the topic isn't all that humorous. The Blazers are 15-38 with nothing to play for and somehow, Ayton is averaging a career-low 14.2 points this season. The rest of his numbers are in line with his career averages but it's hard to see this guy having a burning desire to play this thing out until the end, while the Blazers medical staff probably doesn't really want him to, either.
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The Blazers, the Thompson Twins, Duncan Robinson, Jonathan Isaac, Damian Lillard and Domantas Sabonis all made it into the Dr. A Mailbag column this week. Keep the questions coming at @docktora! Let's go.
Which Blazers are roster-able down the stretch? - Illgobbo (@Illgobbo)
Guys like Scoot Henderson, Jabari Walker, Toumani Camara and Duop Reath should all get extended run in the silly season and it's going to start sooner than later in Portland. Unfortunately, veterans like Anfernee Simons, Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton and Matisse Thybulle could be left out in the cold when the fun begins, although I do think Simons has a decent chance to finish out the season. But if you're relying on Grant or Ayton, you might want to think about coming up with a backup plan.
Do you trust Deandre Ayton for the rest of the season? Or is he likely to be shut down at some point? - Rafa Lam (@Skyrocketmamba)
It's kind of funny that these two questions came in on top of each other, even though the topic isn't all that humorous. The Blazers are 15-38 with nothing to play for and somehow, Ayton is averaging a career-low 14.2 points this season. The rest of his numbers are in line with his career averages but it's hard to see this guy having a burning desire to play this thing out until the end, while the Blazers medical staff probably doesn't really want him to, either.
I think he's a shutdown candidate and I'd think about moving him for what you can get as soon as you can do it. And even if you don't get something great back in return, it's not like you're getting rid of an actual game changer. Especially if Portland gets hit with more snow at some point. And if this is the Skyrocket from back in the live chat days, hello!
To Dunc or not to Dunc? Time to pick up Duncan Robinson? - Josh Lee (@Joshlee_1980)
He went off on Tuesday and Wednesday without Jimmy Butler and while Butler should be back right after the break, he could still miss one game a week down the stretch. The ideal time to pick Robinson up was Tuesday morning so you could collect those stats on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, but Robinson is still worth a look. Not only is his shoulder injury behind him, but Josh Richardson and Terry Rozier are likely to miss more time after the break, clearing Robinson for takeoff and more opportunities. As the kids say, or used to say, it's 'Robinson SZN.'
Who gets the Cedi Osman Award for most disappointing/inconsistent streamer this year? - Dr Strangelove (@valar50)
I love the fact you've named this award after our man Cedi. The first thought that comes to my mind is… does Jordan Poole getting cut and then picked up make him qualify for this award? Or is he simply going to be known as the biggest fantasy bust of this season? Either way, he deserves some consideration here. Derrick Jones Jr. teased us a bit, tons of injured guys did the same (Dereck Lively comes to mind), Ausar Thompson was frustrating, but he's not done yet and I think will go off down the stretch, and Bennedict Mathurin's disappearing act after the Buddy Hield trade also jumps out at me.
I'm just going to go ahead and give the Cedi Pill Award to Poole and call it a night. On the flip side, how about Jonathan Kuminga, Jalen Johnson, Vince Williams and Deni Avdija as some of the 'Pickup of the Year' guys? I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
Will Jonathan Isaac get to 23-to-25 minutes per game come fantasy playoffs time? - Dr Strangelove (@valar50)
The fact he's gotten just 15 minutes in each of his last two games doesn't bode well for a sudden late surge and I think the Magic just want to get to the finish line with him in one piece. If he can get to 20 minutes a night I think fantasy managers should consider that a win. Thankfully, I didn't mess with him again this season. Next year may be a different story though, as we could finally get at least a half dose of Isaac for an entire season.
Any strategy on who to sit/start during these sick days when my entire roster has a game? - Good Joe (@Kramermurphy)
This obviously depends on who you have on your roster and it hopefully won't always be an issue once the All-Star break is out of the way, at least on most weeks. But there's usually a late injury scratch that makes your decision for you and if you do have a couple guys you have to bench, you just roll with the hot hands and hope for the best.
But it's never fun to bench a guy who you don't think is going to perform and then he goes off. Donte DiVincenzo's hamstring injury saved me from having to bench Keyonte George on Wednesday night and while George didn't exactly go off, I appreciated his 13 points, five boards, seven dimes and two steals being in my lineup.
Not a lot of Dame Time This season. Am I overreaching by offering up Dame and Miles Bridges for Devin Booker?
Bridges is playing so well that it looks like a lot to give up on paper, so it just depends on who you'd slot into Bridges' spot on your roster if you did that deal. But you're right, Dame Time has been limited this season playing with the Bucks and Booker is a monster, especially now that Bradley Beal is on the shelf again. If you've got depth and can live without Bridges, I have no problem making that deal, although it is a little scary.
Ausar or Amen? Which brother do I take as the last man on my bench? - EJ Torres (@silveserrot)
I trust Amen Thompson more than Ausar Thompson right now but they're both worth rostering everywhere at this point. And I think Ausar is going to go off down the stretch for silly season and the Pistons. If you can get them both, do it. And if you have to pick one, you can basically flip a coin. But I do trust Amen just a bit more than Ausar. They're both going to be fun players to roster next season.
Will the Kings have an advantage as a "chip on their shoulder" team in the playoffs considering De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis didn't make the All-Star team? - Gabe Chavez (@gaaabechavez)
I feel like you read my plea for another question for this column and manufactured a question simply for my benefit, which I appreciate. But the answer is 'no.' I don't think those guys will still be thinking about the snub when they're making their playoff push and I doubt it will be a factor in how they play. But Sabonis is going nuts right now and Fox is having another fun year, and there's little doubt they've both been trying to make statements over the last week or so.
Once the ASG is in the rearview mirror and the Kings are just trying to fight for playoff seeding, those guys are going to do whatever they can do to help their team win. All-Stars or not.
