Fratello’s Fantasy Pick

Toronto Raptors vs Milwaukee BucksJohn Henson of the Milwaukee Bucks heads into his second professional season after an up-and-down rookie year on an up-and-down team.

The talented, 6’11” former Tarheel was taken 14th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft after a superb three years in Chapel Hill. In both his sophomore and junior seasons at North Carolina Henson was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, he was named to the 2011-2012 First Team All-ACC.

With an amazing wingspan of 7’6” Henson is able to alter and block numerous shots from anywhere on the court. He possesses soft hands around the rim and gobbles up rebounds.

When Henson made his pro debut, the Bucks had a logjam of talented big men at frontcourt including then-sophomore Larry Sanders. This proved to be a blessing and a curse for Henson’s development. Though he got to bang with and compete with veterans Mike Dunleavy, Joel Przybilla and Samuel Dalembert in practice, the plethora of bigs limited his rookie minutes.

Henson played in 63 games in the 2012-13 season and averaged 6 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 0.7 bpg in 13.1 mpg. The former McDonald’s All-American put up season-highs of 28 points, 25 boards (!!!), 7 blocks and 3 steals (2X).

Henson’s upside is huge, and his production will surely trend upward this season. So far after three games, Henson has averaged 22.3 mpg and 10.7 ppg. Look for both of these numbers to increase quickly and for this young, athletic big man to have nights where his stat lines boast double-digits.

Czar’s Season Preview

Czar's Preview-Bucks-26OCT2013

Czar’s Playoff Preview

WEB-Playoff-Preview-Heat-Bucks-19APR2013

Fratello’s Fantasy Pick: Samuel Dalembert

The 25-24 Milwaukee Bucks have had an up-and-down season to date. Some nights their backcourt of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis combined with a mix-and-match frontcourt can look and play outstanding basketball. At other times the Bucks seem to lack talent, and their play borders on ineffectual.

On January 8th, in his fifth season at the helm of the team, veteran coach Scott Skiles and Milwaukee management made a mutual decision to part ways. Between December 1st and the time Skiles left, 11th-year, 6’11” C Samuel Dalembert had 16 games where he never touched the court. Under interim coach Jim Boylan, Dalembert has appeared in the last eight contests. And due to an injured Larry Sanders, Dalembert has even started the past two games.

Over this eight game stretch, the 2001 first round pick has averaged 21 minutes, 11.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while shooting 60% from the field and 87% from the line. Dalembert’s numbers have exploded over the last three games – 19.7 ppg, 11.7 rpg and 3.3 bpg in 28.7 mpg.

Dalembert has been around the league and is considered a good clubhouse guy. In fact, in 2010 he won the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his work raising funds and awareness for his homeland of Haiti after the earthquake.

Over four seasons in Philly, from ’06 to ’10, Dalembert played in every single game and started all but two. In the ’07-’08 season he averaged 10.5 ppg, 10.4 rpg and 2.3 bpg in 33.2 mpg. When this veteran gets his run, he has proven that he can produce in all of the big man categories.

For Fantasy GMs looking to bolster their frontcourts, Dalembert’s production appears to be on the rise.

Czar’s Midseason Review

WEB-Midseason Review-Most-Improved-6FEB2013