Sonstiges » ons for him this season

There wont be a battle in Paris for the world No. 1 ranking between holder Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Andy Murray this weekend. Djokovic all but passed the honor to Murray through intermediary Marin Cilic in the Paris Masters 1000 quarterfinals Friday evening.Cilic made a late-season charge to qualify for the season-ending eight-man ATP World Tour Finals. He has rediscovered the big serve and atomic forehand that earned him the 2014 US Open title. While those tools were unable to earn him a win against Djokovic in 14 previous tries, they were sufficient on this occasion, as Cilic clobbered Djokovic, 6-4, 7-6 (2) on Friday.The feat that left Murray two wins from the No. 1 ranking with Djokovic unable to do anything about it.Murray collected the first of those wins just a few hours after Djokovic flamed out, beating back an early challenge by Tomas Berdych to advance to the semifinals, 7-6 (9), 7-5. Should Murray win his semifinal, he will be the new No. 1 when the rankings are issued Monday, the 26th player to achieve the honor since the computer rankings were introduced in August 1973.Djokovic still leads Murray in their rivalry by a lopsided margin, 24-10. Their struggle has been played out on a smaller canvas, overshadowed by the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal and even the Djokovic-Nadal conflicts. Federer is 35, Nadal 31; Djokovic and Murray are both 29 and were born just weeks apart.Nadals absence (because of a slump combined with injury) has been a key element in Murrays rise. But so has the mysterious, recent decline in Djokovics once ferocious focus, which has come since securing his long-sought career Grand Slam last June at the French Open. Djokovic hasnt been the same player since, so much so that its hard to put it down entirely to a success hangover.Djokovic also admitted after Wimbledon that he was dealing with challenges in his personal life. More and more, Djokovic has relied increasingly on the language found in self-help manuals, and this week he left his coaches behind to show up in Paris with Pepe Imaz, an adviser with the sensibilities and philosophy of a new age Svengali.A few moments in the two matches involving Djokovic and Murray on Friday spoke volumes on the state of their games. In his quarterfinal, Djokovic broke Cilic to take a 5-4 lead and serve for the first set. He promptly gave the break right back with back-to-back double faults -- his first two of the match. The wince-worthy lapse set the stage for his ensuing collapse.By contrast, Murray and No. 7 seed Tomas Berdych both looked sharp in the first set of their match. In the tiebreaker, Berdych lit into Murray and built a 6-1 lead and five consecutive set points. But somehow, Murray -- with a little help from a rattled Berdych -- survived them all, as well as two more later in the 20-point breaker, and went on to win in straight sets, 7-6 (9), 7-5 .All this does not bode well for Djokovic. Perhaps he will decide it was foolish to leave behind his two primary coaches, Marian Vajda and Boris Becker, at such a critical moment. Maybe hell reconsider the impact of his involvement with Imaz and his Amor y Paz (Love and Peace) tennis philosophy.Or maybe hes just tired of it all, burned out after having gorged on Grand Slam titles and establishing himself as one of the all-time greats. He might feel he has earned the right to smell the roses and do a little navel-gazing, contemplating the personal evolution he often has cited.Is it possible that down deep Djokovic didnt really want to get to the Paris final, where hed likely face the snarling Scot whos playing like Braveheart? Djokovic beat Murray like a tom-tom in five Australian Opens, four times in the finals. Payback is a word that can send a chill down anyones spine.Then again, we had a glimpse of the old, self-sabotaging Murray in the Berdych match, after Murrays heroic tiebreaker. He jumped all over Berdych early in the second set and secured a break. But he allowed Berdych to break him back at the witching hour for 5-all. Murray then allowed Berdych to slip out of a 0-40 deficit, and even though Murray did eventually break Berdych, he then failed to hold a 40-love lead when serving for the match and had some anxious moments before he closed it out.Those were mere hiccups compared to Djokovics failure to make it to the semifinals. Djokovic might have left the No. 1 ranking behind. Will Murray have the poise and self-assurance to claim it? Custom Jerseys Nike . 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Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. We fantasy pundits always preach early in the season to not overreact to hot or cold starts. Even the best players have a bad week or two, and some of the worst players will get hot for a fortnight on occasion.That having been said, after speculating and hypothesizing all summer, its not necessarily too soon to draw some conclusions about players now that we have actually seen them in action this fall.Joel Embiid looks every bit like a superstar, but will that continue? Serge Ibaka and Nikola Jokic have looked like busts. Will they turn it around? Who has played well enough to be snagged off your waiver wire? How about expectations for a player we havent seen ball this season: Darren Collison?Dont worry; we have the answers for you.At the start of each week this season, Ill tip things off by posing and seeking answers to five key questions, thus The Starting Five.This weeks contributors are ESPN Fantasys?John Cregan, Jim McCormick and Joe Kaiser.Four games into his NBA career, Joel Embiid is averaging a stunning 18.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.0 BPG, 48.0 FG% and 80.0 FT% in just 22 MPG. Of course, he missed the past two seasons due to injuries, so the risk in owning him is obvious. Where do you put his statistical ceiling for 2016-17?Cregan:?It all depends on his minutes cap and his status for back-to-backs. In terms of a ceiling, for now, youre probably looking at it. His usage rate (35.8) and PER (25.39) are so high that he simply has nowhere else to go. The latest reports have the Sixers reviewing Embiids restrictions in six weeks. So theres a chance he gets ramped up come early 2017.McCormick:?Embiids ceiling is cathedral high, when we consider hes already second in the league in blocks per game and third in usage rate. Blocks prove truly rare and scarce, while the usage rate indicates Embiid is an integral offensive weapon whenever hes on the court. Currently on a minutes restriction hovering around 25 minutes per game, reports suggest increased exposure could begin after Christmas. As a big who doesnt hurt investors in free throws and offers help in points and blocks, Embiid could truly break out as a top-five fantasy center in the second half (hes currently 11th on the Player Rater at the position).Kaiser:?At this point, the only thing Im worried about with Embiid is injury. Hes looked so good throughout the preseason and early part of the regular season that I think the 76ers realize that theyll need to unload Nerlens Noel and/or Jahlil Okafor in the near future, as Embiids minutes restriction disappears. As far as his ceiling goes, I dont think hell put up the numbers Karl-Anthony Towns had as a rookie last season, but I think he has a chance to be a notch under that, as long as he can stay healthy. Remember, Towns played all 82 games as a rookie.After seeing Serge Ibakas block production dwindle each season from his career-high mark of 3.7 BPG in 2011-12 to 1.9 BPG last season, there was hope that we would see a spike in that department after joining the Orlando Magic over the summer. Instead, he is averaging a career-low 0.8 BPG. Is he a buy-low candidate for blocks or are his days of being Serge IBlocka over?Cregan:?It wasnt me! I had no hope for Ibakas block production! Dont put that hope on me! Block production tends to taper off the deeper a player descends into ones career path. There arent many cases of players suddenly rediscovering ones Year 2 block mojo. One and a half to two blocks per game would be a minor statistical miracle.McCormick:?Im not sure of the exact value of this correlation, but Ibakas block rate began to descend when he made a sudden and dramatic surge in 3-point attempts in 2014-15. As hes become a stretch forward, his defensive metrics have suffered. Its disconcerting to see Ibakas block rate take another dip, but Im just as concerned with his deflated minutes, as hes playing the lowest rate in five seasons. With Jeff Green and Aaron Gordon fulfilling similar roles, Im not sure hes going to vault above 30 MPG for a deep frontcourt rotation. I dont find Ibaka as a buy-low candidate and, instead, would seek to market him based on the value his past production might garner.Kaiser:?Every now and then, a player seems to age more rapidly than normal. I think about Martell Webster when I think of players like this. And I think Ibaka is similar in that, even at age 27, he isnt as bouncy as he once was in his earlier years with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Add to the fact that his game has moved more to the perimeter, and hes a player who is suffering not only in terms of blocks but also rebounds (5.2 RPG this season). If hes averaging on 14 points, 5 rebounds and leess than a block a game, hes not a top 80 player.ddddddddddddIts been a bumpy start for a player many people expected to break out this season: Nikola Jokic. How concerned are you?Cregan:?On a scale of 1-10, Im around a 6. Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone has yet to figure out how to mesh Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic together in a way thats mutually statistically beneficial. Of the two, Jokic will struggle more in a timeshare due to his unselfish style of play.McCormick:?Im quite concerned, since, like Ibaka, Jokics minutes have been compromised so far. Unlike Ibaka, we dont have an elite sample of fantasy production for Jokic, but rather the speculation and upside his talent suggests. With just 9.2 shots and 23 minutes per game, thanks to rating sixth on the Nuggets in minutes, wed likely need to see a Kenneth Faried trade or injury to facilitate the breakout his offseason hype demanded. The talent is undeniable, but the opportunity might just not be there this season. The real breakout for the Nuggets might just come from Jusuf Nurkic.Kaiser:?I think you have to remain patient with Jokic. Hes a second-year player who doesnt turn 22 until late February, so any inconsistency he has this season -- particularly in the early going -- is to be expected. You can sell low if you want to, but Id caution against it when you have someone who put up 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal and 0.4 threes per game in less than 22 minutes per contest as a 20 year old last season.Name a player owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues who you recommend adding to fantasy rosters.Cregan:?I like what both Louis Williams and and Sean Kilpatrick have done in limited roles in low-expectation situations. Theyre both worth rostering in deeper leagues as is. Both have plenty of room to grow in terms of minutes, so theres plenty of upside with both.McCormick:?The Hornets Michael Kidd-Gilchrist ranks among the leagues trees -- as in the big men -- when it comes to rebounding opportunities. MKG has enjoyed 18.8 rebounding chances per game, defined as being within 3.5 feet of an available board, which ranks eighth in the NBA. We also find the versatile forward providing well over a block and steal per game, which adds to his immense and emergent value, despite the lack of appreciation from the fantasy marketplace so far.Kaiser:?ESPN.coms Zach Lowe reported on Nov. 3 that the Pelicans are hopeful that Jrue Holiday can return to the team by mid-November. The talented point guard missed training camp and the early part of the season to support his wife Lauren Holiday, who recently gave birth to their first child and underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor. Our thoughts continue to be with Lauren in her recovery. Basketball pales in comparison to something as serious as that, but if Holiday is in fact back on the court in the coming weeks, hes immediately a must-own player. Currently, he is owned in only 34.6 percent of ESPN leagues. Pick him up now if you can -- the 26-year-old averaged 16.8 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.3 threes per game for the Pelicans last season.Having served his eight-game suspension, Darren Collison (61.2 ownership in ESPN leagues) is slated to make his season debut Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors. What are your expectations for him this season?Cregan:?Around 16 points, 5.5 assists, 1-to-1.5 3-pointers and steals, plus dynamite percentages and a subtly high (for a point guard) rebound rate. He has top-50 upside, but I think he tops out around sixth-to-seventh-round value.McCormick:?Since Ty Lawson has averaged nearly 32 minutes in place of Collison to start the season, we can liberally apply Collisons per-36 rates from last season to approximate his potential for this season: 16.8 PPG, 5.2 APG, 1.4 3-PPGand 1.2 SPG. These are really helpful numbers, and even if they prove a bit generous in some categories, Collisons assist rate should climb north of six per game.Kaiser:?Ty Lawson has played well enough to at least deserve a 50-50 split of the minutes at point guard in Sacramento, but its impossible to know how first-year Kings coach Dave Joerger is going to dole out the playing time. Collison averaged 14 PPG, 4.3 SPG and 1 SPG in 30 MPG last season under George Karl, and that was with Rajon Rondo on the roster, but I dont see his stats going up on a Kings team thats taken on a much slower-paced approach under Joerger. In fact, the Kings enter Monday ranked 29th in the league in pace, ahead of only Utah, which means fewer opportunities for Collison. ' ' '