Championship week is just about over, and I bet you can name a few players
who played horribly this week and prevented you from winning. Well guess
what? So can I! I don't have any "superstars" this week,
but I do have three guys who normally give you a good performance, and normally
lead their teams to victory. Call it exhaustion at the end of the season
if you want, but these guys just played awful last week. Here is the
final edition of NBA Busts of the Week for the 2007-2008 fantasy season:
Jermaine O'Neal, IND:
I really almost didn't include O'Neal because he's been hurt, but then I
decided to go for it. Indiana
is still in the playoff race, although Atlanta
is in solid control of the eighth spot right now. O'Neal has played six
games since returning from his injury, and unfortunately for fantasy GM’s; he
is nowhere near up to par. Last week he averaged 7.5 points, two assists,
6.7 rebounds, two block and two turnovers in 20 minutes per game. I know
I should cut him some slack because he was injured, but to me, a player
shouldn't return if he can't go 100% and it seems like O'Neal is struggling to
give everything he has. I don't see Indiana
knocking Atlanta out of the
playoffs, but if they do, the Pacers won't go far with this kind of play from
O'Neal.
Carlos Boozer, UTA: Boozer is the one who has
kept the Jazz going all season, and you'd think that would continue since Utah
is safely in the playoffs, but last week was rough for him. He averaged
10 points, 2.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds, two blocks and two turnovers in 35
minutes. The Jazz are going to need Boozer down the stretch, especially
with AK-47 injured so often. I believe that Boozer has only been on this
list once before, so it's likely a fluke and he'll be back to normal next week.
The problem is it will be too late for your championship.
Jason Kidd, DAL: This is Kidd's second appearance
on this list all season, and both instances have been since he was traded to Dallas.
It could be that his role is different there, but Dallas
barely made the playoffs this season and they need more from their veteran
point guard ... especially since they traded for him specifically for this
purpose. Last week he averaged just seven points, eight rebounds, 6.3
rebounds, 1.7 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 turnovers in 33.3 minutes. His
season averages are much better than that, and if Kidd wants the Mavericks to
go far into the post-season, he's going to have to step it up.
That's it for the final edition of NBA Busts of the Week,
now you know who screwed you out of a championship or at least hindered your
progress. Make sure to check out other areas of Screaming Sports for all
of the latest fantasy news!