Day 56: Raymond Felton doesn't like you, so I don't like him

(Illustration courtesy of Hatrobot)

Can you believe it was only a year ago that a surprisingly-large portion of the country was convinced the world was going to explode or something, because the Mayan people decided to stop filling out their stone calendar thousands of years ago? Well, it turns out that that race of people that totally died out and probably should have been able to prevent it if they actually had predictive abilities did not actually predict the end of the world. And so here we are, on the eve of Christmas, about to embark on yet another year. And who knows? Maybe we'll see Greg Oden next year... okay, maybe not. But hey, you never know.

Okay, so here's a super minor site update: I made the comments section spiffier. (Prepare to be geeked out!) Before, the comments section had a really ugly Arial font that didn't look right. But now! Oh, now it has a sexy sexy Serif font that gels beautifully with the Georgia font that's used in these posts. So if you were ever apprehensive about leaving a comment, you should totally leave one now, if only because your message will look better than it would've a day ago.

Also, there are no NBA games tonight. (Thanks a lot, Jesus.) So be sure to spend time with your family, or waste time with Netflix if you happen to hate your family. Either way, enjoy the momentary reprieve of NBA action, because there's five games on tomorrow, and you're going to want to ignore your family to see all of them, no doubt.

Regardless of your religious denomination, I hope y'all have a killer winter holiday! Now, onto da blurbs.

• Raymond Felton returned to the court Monday, but in doing so, he left with a groin injury and later claimed that he heard a "pop," which in basketball terminology translates to: "I'm out for at least the next few weeks, and maybe longer." Felton is having a miserable year and it's hard to justify owning him, especially with the rumors that he could eventually get traded to the Toronto Raptors. He's worth dropping in standard leagues.
• Perhaps hearing my cries of anguish, Terrence Ross was terrific yesterday, posting 23 points on 10-16 shooting to go with 3 three's. As inconsistent and underwhelming as Ross has been so far, he actually hasn't disappointed as far as being a "poor man's Klay Thompson" -- and part of that has to do with the fact that Warriors are healthy now, meaning Thompson is no longer capable of dropping 20 every single night. Beyond that, Ross does appear to be an excellent source of three's, though it's anyone's guess as to if he can become a consistent scoring force or not.
• Marco Belinelli scored just 4 points in 19 minutes yesterday. Belinelli had been gaining some traction as a trendy waiver add, but those good games of his came with Danny Green out. Belinelli could remain the Spurs' starting shooting guard even with Green back, but considering the Spurs have a slew of other wing players to turn to, there are much better players to invest in than Belinelli.
• Tyreke Evans was outstanding yesterday, notching 25 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals in 36 minutes off the bench. After an absolutely atrocious start to the year, Evans is rapidly turning his season around. Given that he has a history of injuries and is relegated to a sixth man role, I don't think it's a terrible idea to sell high on him -- just because those stats might not be there in a few weeks. For now, though, he's outstanding.
• Gerald Green scored 22 points on 6 three's yesterday, giving Green 63 points and 16 three's over his last three games. Green, who wasn't even in the NBA not that long ago, has done a marvelous job resurrecting his career and can safely be seen as a reliable source of three's and points. Even with Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe healthy, Green makes for solid pickup if you need a scoring boost.
• Greivis Vasquez had his second straight rough outing, this time going for 6 points and 3 assists off the bench. Vasquez owners need to be patient, as he's set to see his fantasy value skyrocket if/when Kyle Lowry is dealt out of town.
• Enes Kanter played only 18 minutes yesterday and was insanely awful, scoring no points and going 0-5 from the field to go with a plus-minus of -20. Kanter's season has been mutilated thanks to his bench relegation, and that he was benched for Marvin "I'm not really that good at this basketball thing" Williams is perhaps the most disturbing aspect of all this. Kanter isn't blameless, as he's not exactly making much of a case to earn more minutes. But it can't be understated that the Utah Jazz have gone out of their way to destroy Enes Kanter's fantasy value. And if you ever wondered what kind of decision-making it takes to become the worst team in the Western Conference, look no further.
• Ed Davis was moved back to the bench yesterday, allowing Kosta Koufos to return to the starting lineup. Why Memphis made this sudden change is a mystery, but it's making it very hard to recommend either player right now. Koufos, by virtue of his new-found role, is the better player to own at this very second, though that could challenge incredibly soon, given how weird the Griz have been with their rotations.
• Jeremy Lin returned to the lineup for the Rockets, and as he is wont to do when other players are out, he was fantastic: 20 points on 6-10 shooting. Aaron Brooks, meanwhile, kept up his end of the bargain, scoring 18 points to go with 5 assists, 4 three's and 3 rebounds off the bench. Both guards are excellent fantasy plays so long as James Harden and Patrick Beverley are out.
• Paul Millsap finished the Hawks pre-Christmas slate of games in style yesterday, posting 25 points, 10 rebounds and 7 -- yes, 7 -- three's. Millsap's averages 16.7 points and 8.2 rebounds are nice, but it's his sudden proficiency in shooting three's that's transformed him into a top-15 fantasy stud. Kevin Love is the only other power forward capable of hitting that many three's in a game while also grabbing 10 boards, and unlike Love, Millsap is capable of also adding a few steals and blocks to his statline.
• Mirza Teletovic did indeed start for the Brooklyn Nets yesterday, though he wasn't exactly great: 8 points on 3-10 shooting. With Brook Lopez out, Teletovic has an opportunity to establish himself. But he needs to take advantage of this situation, as the Nets have so many other guys to plug in at power forward and they're so bad in the standings that unless he plays better in his next few outings, his run in the starting lineup could be a brief one.
• J.R. Smith had his best game of the year yesterday, scoring 18 points in 37 minutes off the bench and adding 3 three's, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Smith has been awesome lately and with the Knicks roster devoid of many other scoring options at the guard positions, he should continue to be an awesome scorer from here on out... with the occasional J.R. Smithian awful line now and then, of course.
• With the team facing four days off due to the holidays, Magic coach Jacque Vaughn went crazy with his minute totals, handing his five starters 204 minutes, which is an enormous total. This is good news if you happen to own Jameer Nelson, Tobias Harris, Nikola Vucevic, Glen Davis or Arron Afflalo, and horribly news if you happen to own the Magic guard who was recently displaced from the starting five: Victor Oladipo. Oladipo had a rough night, playing just 16 minutes and scoring a paltry 3 points, but he's bound to be much better in Orlando's next outing.
• John Henson returned to the Bucks' lineup on Monday, posting 14 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks in 35 minutes. Henson is having a magnificent season, though it was worth noting that the team has started Miroslav Raduljica at center recently, in what I can only perceive as an effort to clear the center spot so that Larry Sanders can inherit it when he returns some time in the next few games. Henson's owners may be best served selling high right now. The Bucks are such a team in flux that Henson should still maintain plenty of value even when Sanders and Irsan Ilyasova return, if only because of how good a shot-blocker he is. Nonetheless, it doesn't hurt to be safe.
• Brandon Knight had 26 points, 14 assists and 8 rebounds yesterday. I love you, Brandon Knight.