RADIO
There are three repeat performers on the waiver wire list this week. They have been here before because they showed flashes of having a potentially sustained stretch of productive basketball. All three have continued to perform and are back because they just can't be ignored anymore. The final waiver wire candidate is a rookie that might start getting a lot more time, as he's outplaying the other big men on his team.
Be sure to check out RotoBaller's other Week 9 NBA coverage, including our Week 9 Waiver Wire Guards and Week 9 Waiver Wire Forwards.
Position Eligibility & Ownership Rate Based on Yahoo! Fantasy Basketball Player List
NBA Centers: Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups & Sleepers
Jordan Hill (IND, PF/C) - 25% Owned
Hill continues to have a strong season. He is one rebound shy of having a double double in four of his last five games. Right now he's averaging a shade under 10 points and 8 rebounds a game on the season. Despite Hill's consistent play , the percentage of people that own him has barely gone up over the past few weeks. He doesn't offer anything in terms of blocks or three pointers made, but he shows up and plays hard every night. Hill also provides pretty solid percentages both from the field and at the free throw line. Last year Hill was a decent player on a very bad Lakers team. His deal in Indiana was meant to be as a role player that came off the bench and gave them good minutes. Instead he has continued to look like the good player from the Lakers but now on a good team.
Joffrey Lauvergne (DEN, PF/C) - 13% Owned
Lauvergne started the season incredibly hot but cooled down because of back issues. He originally won the starting center job over Jusuf Nurkic but has lost some time with all of the games he's missed. Now that Lauvergne looks healthy again, he has been looking like the guy that won the job in November. Over the last two weeks he's averaging 10 points and 7 rebounds with a one three and one block added in as well. During that stretch he's also shooting close to 50% both on the court and from three. When Lauvergne is healthy, he is one of the most underrated big men in the league. Assuming he stays healthy then he should be worth considering in all leagues.
Festus Ezeli (GSW, C) - 18% Owned
The Warriors are ever so slowly transitioning from Andrew Bogut to Festus Ezeli. Because they offer slightly different approaches to the game, Luke Walton has seen fit to split up minutes pretty evenly between the two. In the mean time, Ezeli has done very well the opportunities he's had. Ezeli is averaging 9 points 7 rebounds and 1.3 blocke per game this season.These numbers are a result of him mainly playing off the bench and behind Bogut. Over the last two weeks while Ezeli has seen some spot starts because of a back issue with Bogut, Ezeli has had double digit point totals in five of six games. While Bogut is still the starter on the team, Ezeli is worth considering in much deeper leagues. But if Bogut gets hurt for an extended period of time (he always seems to get hurt), then Ezeli is a must pick up big man.
Bobby Portis (CHI, PF/C) - 21% Owned
The Bulls are having trouble getting a cohesive unit together. Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol, and Nikola Mirotic just haven't gelled well together on the court in Fred Hoiberg's new offense. Most of the Bulls' positive lineups include the rookie Bobby Portis. While advanced stats show that he has been one of their better players this season when on the court, it is obvious that his raw athelticism and talent is something Chicago's front court desperately needs. Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah just don't offer much of what they used to and it seems that everyone in Chicago is clamoring for more playing time for Portis. Also, trade rumors for one of Chicago's big men not named Portis are consistently floating around. One way or another, the rookie out of Arkansas will get more playing time. When he does, he should be on your roster.
