Day 2: All hail Michael Carter-Williams, our newest fantasy savior

(Allen Iverson showing Ty Lue who's boss. Illustration courtesy of BIIMPROD)

Normally, I'm going to begin these Daily articles with a complete non sequitar. Something about how yogurt isn't as good as it used to be because of all the hormones that have been added to it. Stuff like that. (I honestly haven't eaten yogurt in like a dozen years, although it seems plausible that it's been chemically modified, like every other dairy product out there.) However, Wednesday was the first full night of the NBA season, so it feels right to give the NBA my undivided attention for at least this instance.

The day began with Allen Iverson getting his jersey retired in Philadelphia. (To honor him, this article is emblazoned with the image of him stepping over Tyrone Lue after draining a key shot in Game 1 of the 2001 NBA Finals.) But by the end of the night, I think everyone in Philadelphia had more or less forgotten about A.I., the same way they had more or less forgotten about Jrue Holiday, the guy the Sixers had to deal in order for Michael Carter-Williams to move into the starting lineup.

Facing the defending champion Heat (sans D-Wade), playing in his first ever game of professional basketball, playing in front of Allen Iverson in what was essentially his predecessor's coronation by the Sixers, Carter-Williams (or MCW, as it's much, much easier to type) was transcendentally good, and that's not a word I use lightly (or often). He was amazing: 22 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds and 9 steals -- a rookie record -- on 6-10 shooting with 4 three's.

Normally, I'm Mr. Cautious when it comes to fantasy basketball. Just because someone has a good night statistically doesn't mean he's destined to have a good night every night. But this is the exception. I believe in my heart of hearts that it is IMPOSSIBLE for someone to come within 1 steal and 3 rebounds of a quadruple-double, in his first game, against the Miami Heat of all teams, without them being an absolute phenom. If you own Carter-Williams, just hang on to him, because this kid could be something truly special -- something certainly no fantasy expert could have seen coming, though I at least had the sense to label him as a sleeper. If you don't own Carter-Williams, this may be the time to invest.

Could this be just a crazy flash in the pan? I doubt it, but I will concede that Brandon Jennings, just seven games into his career back in 2009, scored 55 points against the Golden State Warriors. And that is still, four years later, the high point of Jennings' career. So yeah, you have enough ammunition to believe that Carter-Williams will settle in nicely as a decent, mid-round fantasy pick who just happened to have an extraordinary first game. Me personally: I'm more inclined to think of this as a wake-up call to the rest of the NBA that there's a new superstar in town.

In summation for anyone too lazy to actually read the first five paragraphs: Michael Carter-Williams is really, really worth owning.

Other players:

• Lance Stephenson had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, following up on a similarly impressive 19-7-5 line from Tuesday. Even though he's likely to lose some minutes when Danny Granger returns from an injury, Stephenson has firmly entrenched himself as a consistent contributor in Indy. And considering Granger's propensity to procure an injury seemingly out of thin air, no one should reservations about owning Stephenson.
• So remember how I pegged Roy Hibbert as an inconsistent player the other day? Well, here's how Hibbert followed up on his 16-rebound, 7 block night: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 5 blocks. The saving grace is that he's a shot-blocking machine at the moment, but the rest of his numbers are likely to wobble on a night-to-night basis, as they have throughout his career. But hey, there aren't five better centers in all of basketball right now, so inconsistency or not, he's still a fantastic fantasy option.
• Andrew Bynum got off the bench for 8 minutes in Cleveland, tallying 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals a block. That's actually a very impressive line considering how little he played, and that it had been 18 months since he got in a game. Right now, he simply can't be much of a fantasy option given how few minutes he's going to receive, though it's certainly possible he could move into Cleveland's starting rotation in a few weeks or months.
• Okay, so I didn't exactly foresee that Michael Carter-Williams fantasy bullet train. But you know who I can take credit for? Dwight Howard, who in my season preview I labeled "the absolute biggest sleeper of the 2013-14 season." And how did Howard respond in his debut with the Houston Rockets? 17 points, 26 rebounds and 2 blocks. So there.
• Evan Turner quietly had an awesome night, tallying 26 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Even if Carter-Williams is a force to be reckoned with in Philaelphia, there's so little talent on that team that Turner is still in great condition to have the best season of his career.
• Jeff Green had 25 points, 5 rebounds, a steal, a block and 2 three's for Boston. He should flirt with a 20-point scoring average this season.
• Ryan Anderson is out 1-3 weeks with a chip fracture in one of his toes, which is quite the bummer. It's always sucky to have a player suffer an injury so early in the season, so I personally hope no one reading this owns him (partially because I wasn't that big on him anyway).
• Brandon Knight, who I actually was excited to own prior to the season, went down with a strained hamstring early against the Knicks and did not return. Luckily, a strain isn't the worst diagnosis in the world, since hamstring injuries tend to linger. If you're desperate for assists, Knight could probably be attained for fifty cents on the dollar right now.
• Trevor Ariza was sensational against Detroit, getting 28 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 6 three's. Ariza has often been a competent fantasy option during his career, and with the Wizards' rise towards respectability, Ariza could be a useful waiver wire addition this year, though this particular scoring and rebounding outburst isn't to be taken all that seriously.
• Will Bynum had 19 points and 5 assists, playing 38 minutes for the Pistons. With Brandon Jennings out, Bynum got a gargantuan run at point guard, and with Jennings likely to stay on the bench for at least three more weeks, Bynum is worthy of your consideration -- for those three weeks, anyway.
• Nikola Vucevic had 22 points, 16 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks and 3 assists versus the Timberwolves. Vucevic is a monster right now, and while I wasn't a big fan of him coming into the season (mainly because I hated how highly he was ranked compared to guys like Howard, Lee, Noah, Hibbert, Cousins and Griffin), I can't dispute how consistent he's been for over a year now.
• Kevin Martin had 23 points in 43 minutes for Minnesota. I honestly thought he was going to have a weak year, since he gets hurt all the time and is just a role player at this point. But I'm willing to admit I might be totally, totally wrong about him... maybe. I'm still betting on him getting hurt at some point.
• Ricky Rubio had 13 points, 11 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. He's my upset pick to lead the NBA in assists this season.
• Monta Ellis was fantastic in his Mavs debut, producing 32 points on 11-17 shooting with 2 three's, 8 assists and 2 steals. If he can manage his shot selection, he's honest to god capable of shooting over 50%. I need more proof from him, however, that he can maintain such restraint for a full 82-game season.
• Tim Duncan was pretty horrible out of the gate, getting just 3 points, 2 assists and 6 rebounds on 1-6 shooting. But hey, the season's still young.
• Kevin Durant was superb against Utah: 42 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals on 22-24 shooting from the foul line. The dude is poised to be a scoring menace for however long Russell Westbrook is out, which might only be a couple weeks, if the latest news reports are to be believed.
• Alec Burks was awesome off the bench for the Jazz, getting 24 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. He's playing behind John Lucas III at the moment, but it's clear which point guard is worth owning while Trey Burke recovers from an injury.
• Miles Plumlee validated his starting spot on Wednesday, notching 18 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks while Alex Len produced only 2 points and 2 rebounds in 8 minutes off the bench. Plumlee looks like a fantastic speculative add right now, while Len owners might be best served looking for an alternative.
• Channing Frye's statline of 7 points and 3 rebounds doesn't jump off the page. But the fact that he was starting for such a weak, weak Phoenix team means that you need to pay very close attention to Frye, who's capable of being a fantasy beast at any given moment.
• Both Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe had over 20 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists for the Phoenix Suns. Small sample size but hugely encouraging.
• Klay Thompson was spooky good against the Lakers, tallying 38 points on a ridiculous 15-19 shooting with 5 three's. Even when Harrison Barnes returns from an injury, Thompson should still have plenty of value coming off the bench for the Warriors.
• The Lakers, meanwhile, showed their true colors tonight. As cute as their opening night win over the Clippers was, they're still absolutely horrific on defense, now more than ever without Howard in the middle. This team quite frankly can't stop anybody, and with Kobe unlikely to suit up for them any time soon, it's hard to see them as one of the eight best teams in the Western Conference. Translation: no postseason.