With a few days off from games that count, the Daily Dose offers you a treat for the unofficial midpoint of the season, recapping the fantasy studs and duds on each club. Note that plenty of players who deserve to be studs are currently injured in this, the year of the fallen star. We include those separately as "injured studs." Enjoy your All-Star break, and don't forget to check out our new Forums!
Atlanta Hawks
Stud: Josh Smith just keeps getting better all the time. Providing his owners with a rare combination of blocks and steals, J-Smooth's return from hernia surgery has got the Hawks playing much better of late. Honorable mention: Joe Johnson
Dud: Speedy Claxton was supposed to be the answer at point guard for Atlanta, but he's struggled to stay healthy and his percentages are woeful across the board.
Boston Celtics
Stud: Paul Pierce burned a lot of owners when a seemingly minor injury stretched into weeks, but he's back and looks ready to help with your stretch drive. The Truth is draining treys like never before.
Dud: Last year, Wally Szczerbiak had ongoing problems with his knees; this season, it's the ankles. Judging by his massively declined percentage from the floor, it's negatively affecting his shot. Wally World enjoyed one of his finest seasons offensively last year, but he hasn't come close to duplicating it.
Charlotte Bobcats
Stud: Emeka Okafor isn't getting as many touches, but he's making the most of his chances, draining 54 percent from the field. Throw in his perpetual block party, 11.5 RPG and the fact that he's stayed healthy this year and you've got a keeper. Honorable mention: Raymond Felton.
Dud: Brevin Knight has dealt with even more health issues than usual, limited to a mere 21 games so far. He's shot well, but is far off last year's pace in steals, assists and points, rendering Knight a big disappointment relative to his draft position.
Chicago Bulls
Stud: Kirk Hinrich's numbers have been amazingly consistent since he came out of Kansas, but the one stat that keeps improving is his FG percentage and Captain Kirk has been shooting the lights out at a clip of better than 45 percent this year. Honorable mention: Ben Gordon, who's right there with Hinrich, except in assists and steals.
Dud: Ben Wallace's rebounding is down for a fourth straight year, and his 41 percent FT shooting would make Shaq blush.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Stud: Okay, he's not providing you the value you expected with the No. 1 overall pick, but who else would you rather have on the Cavs than LeBron James? Signs of life? His blocks and rebounds are up slightly this month. Sure, we're reaching. But, everything is relative and James is still one of the best, toe woe notwithstanding.
Dud: The rebounding numbers are nice, but Zydrunas Ilgauskas' PT has dropped and he's averaging almost four points per game less than last year. The proliferation of small ball is limiting the effectiveness of true centers like Big Z.
Dallas Mavericks
Stud: It doesn't seem possible, but Dirk Nowitzki's shooting keeps improving. He's now better than a 50 percent shooter from the field, including 42.5 percent from beyond the arc. Honorable mention: Josh Howard.
Dud: Jason Terry's numbers haven't been all bad, certainly, but he hasn't been able to come close to duplicating last season's shooting performance, and his steals have dropped for a fifth straight year, so he's a tough choice on a Mavericks' squad that has been almost without flaw.
Denver Nuggets
Stud: Carmelo Anthony's shooting has slipped slightly, but he's developing his outside game, continues to improve as a FT shooter, and…oh yeah…he's averaging almost 31 PPG. Honorable mention: Marcus Camby.
Dud: We all knew what an injury risk Kenyon Martin was, but two games into the season and he's done? That settles it: He must now cede the K-Mart handle to Kevin Martin.
Injured stud: Allen Iverson (ankle) was logging heavier minutes than usual since arriving in Denver while shooting better than at any time in his career except for his second NBA season. He should return right after the break.
Detroit Pistons
Stud: Chauncey Billups has experienced a reduction in some of his numbers, particularly in his outside game, but he's logging heavier minutes than ever before and has compensated by developing a more aggressive approach which has seen him get to the foul line a career-high 6.5 times per game. Honorable mention: Richard Hamilton.
Dud: No, Nazr Mohammed wasn't going to become the next Ben Wallace, but surely you expected more than this. Since C-Webb's arrival, Mohammed's value has been snuffed out as he's been stapled to the bench.
Golden St. Warriors
Stud: Twenty-year-old Latvian Andris Biedrins has surged forward this year, turning into a major force on the glass with 9.5 RPG. Man, this kid has a chance to be something really special.
Dud: Yes, the off-season knee surgery has really cut into his value, but didn't you believe that Jason Richardson would be back to his usual self by December at the latest? In the limited action he's seen, J-Rich has been just a shell of the player who enjoyed a career year last season. In fact, he's barely averaging half the points he had in 2005-06.
Injured stud: You knew the risks when you drafted Baron Davis. He's given you a superb performance so far, but knee surgery has him out for a couple of weeks, or maybe longer. After all, what's the B. Diddy conversion rate for those two weeks?
Houston Rockets
Stud: In a lot of ways, Tracy McGrady has been a huge disappointment this year. He's taking less shots, his FT trips are down and his percentage at the charity stripe has never been lower while his turnovers have never been higher. But with Yao out, T-Mac has been able to nearly duplicate his production and he's stepped up with a career high in assists.
Dud: Oh man, the honeymoon was over before it even started for Bonzi Wells in Houston. He's battled injuries and a freeze-out with Coach Van Gundy, and despite the fact that earlier this season I figured he'd work his way into the starting five, he has yet to make a single start. When he plays, Wells gets more blocks than most guards, but he has yet to sink a 3-pointer this season and his 54 percent mark from the line is well below his career mark of 70.6 percent.
Injured stud: Despite the fact that his rebounds had dropped, Yao Ming was enjoying a career year before he busted his leg just before Christmas. He'll have to wear a brace when he returns next month, so let's hope he can come close to what he was doing earlier this season.
Indiana Pacers
Stud: Jermaine O'Neal is enjoying a fantastic season in which he's getting more touches, shooting a career best 76 percent from the line and recording three blocks per game. He takes his rightful place in tomorrow's All-Star contest, but keep an eye on that knee down the stretch.
Dud: Marquis Daniels has not adapted well with the move to Indy, managing just 6.5 PPG, by far the worst he's ever done.
Los Angeles Clippers
Stud: With Elton Brand sidelined, the nod has to go to Sam Cassell on the disappointing Los Angeles Clippers. Sam-I-Am seems to be wearing down with a painful foot injury, but he's still capable of dominating a game when he's feeling it.
Dud: Chris Kaman is looking better of late (especially in the wake of his haircut), but despite his improved shot blocking this season, he's dealt with injuries and hasn't been able to build on a breakout season.
Injured stud: Elton Brand's back woes are reportedly not serious, but anything back-related has the potential to be tricky. Elton Brand hasn't duplicated his career season, but he's been improving as the year has progressed and was pulling down over 11 boards per game this month before his back acted up.
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