Week 11 Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire: NBA Centers

January 5, 2015

In his week 11 NBA Waiver Wire column, Trevor Crippen focuses on a few centers that could deserve some attention in your Fantasy Basketball league.

Starting off the year 2015, the waiver wire has taken its typical place in the weekly/daily routine of fantasy basketball managers. The following centers, whether of the “sleeper” variety or just cashing in temporarily on an unforeseen opportunity, almost certainly deserve attention across the various formats during Week 11 of the campaign.

Position Eligibility & Ownership Rate Based on Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Player List

Waiver Wire Centers for Right Now

Rudy Gobert (UTA, C) – 38% Owned

If Gobert is still available in your league, this is my weekly reminder that he is still the best option of any center with below 50% ownership in Yahoo leagues. In a back-to-back against the Hawks and Timberwolves on the 2^nd and 3^rd, Gobert combined for 14 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 blocks. He is a top-75 player no matter what at this point, but I consider him top-50 in the near term, while starting center Enes Kanter is out with an ankle injury.

Cole Aldrich (NYK, C) – 23% Owned

If Gobert is unavailable, I would consider the next best option right now to be Aldrich. I mentioned him as a “blocks specialist” in my recent NBA Category Specialists column for Rotoballer, but with the way he is playing, I think his all-around contribution elevates him above mere specialist or streamer status. In his first nine games since being named starter, Aldrich has averaged 11.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks. His efficiency rates in that same span – a .549 FG%, .692 FT%, and 1.4 turnovers per game. Those are all either about average or above average numbers for a starting center in eight of the nine standard roto categories.

Given that Carmelo Anthony may decide to sit out the rest of the season, Amar'e Stoudemire is hurt and surrounded by trade rumors, and Samuel Dalembert reportedly could be waived in coming days, I believe Aldrich will continue to get big minutes in the Knicks front court so long as he remains healthy. He needs to be added in all formats.

Waiver Wire Centers in Deep Leagues

Jusuf Nurkic (C, DEN) – 12% Owned

I wanted to celebrate calling out Nurkic in my last column while he was still only 1% owned. He is up to 12% owned now after a run of three games between 12/30 and 1/3 where he averaged 12.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 3.3 blocks on a .500 FG% and .750 FT%. True deep leaguers reading this column have probably already missed the boat, but there is still a chance to grab him in moderately deep leagues. And with numbers like those, it is now time for standard league managers to learn his name and keep an eye on him.

Chris Kaman (POR, PF/C) – 13% Owned

Portland coach Terry Stotts has been pretty insistent about keeping Kaman in a reserve role despite the absence of starting center Robin Lopez, who is not expected to return until late January at the earliest. However, with the latest news that Joel Freeland is expected to miss at least two weeks with a shoulder injury, the Trailblazers are running out of options to turn to at the five. Besides Kaman, the main options for the Blazers are to play small lineups featuring Dorell Wright, or to give more playing time to the wildly inconsistent Thomas Robinson and Meyers Leonard.

I expect to see a bit more of all these things, but hope springs eternal that Kaman can start seeing close to 25 minutes. He has proven over the course of his career that he can be a fantasy factor given playing time, as a double-double threat with decent blocks and good percentages.

Hassan Whiteside (C, MIA) – 1% Owned

Much like Nurkic a week ago, Hassan Whiteside is a young center who is starting to earn the praise of his coach, Erik Spoelstra, in recent games thanks to a good work ethic and some nice on the court performances in limited opportunities. In the Heat’s recent 4 game losing streak between 12/27 and 1/3, Whiteside has been a highlight off the bench. He has averaged 7.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 1.8 blocks in only 18.5 minutes per game. While his poor free throw shooting (.400 FT%) will cap his upside, Whiteside is someone to keep an eye on in deep leagues to see if his opportunities continue to grow.  He could turn into a nice source of blocks and boards in deep leagues.