Fantasy NBA: Forget About Sam

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Throughout his season with the Los Angeles Clippers, Sam Cassell hasn't really done much to help his fantasy owners statistically, only averaging 12.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. These are pretty average stats for a starter, that is if the player in question had any real consistency to games played. Unfortunately for the Clippers, Cassell missed too many games this season to be called a really significant contributor, missing twelve games in a row at one point. I'm positive many fantasy owners dropped him during that stretch and it wouldn't surprise me if they had gone shopping and picked up an Earl Watson or a Bobby Simmons instead. No, the soon-to-be Boston Celtic shouldn't really be considered for a return to fantasy lineups on his entry into the Eastern Conference, mainly because he'll be backing up young point guard Rajon Rondo instead of starting the way he did with the Clippers. He'll be contributing more to Rondo's development than on the court with consistent statistics, the only thing that really matters in fantasy games. I'm not saying Cassell's going to be irrelevant for the Celtics this season. Well, he is, really, but only from a purely fantasy-oriented viewpoint. But on all other accounts, he's quite the opposite: in joining the Celtics, he has the chance to be relevant again, to contribute to a high-profile team again. He has the chance to salvage a couple more years from his career playing alongside Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and the rest of the Boston roster who are not really in need of a leader but will have a lot of use for a vastly experienced veteran at the point such as Cassell. It's going to be fun to watch for Celtics and other NBA fans alike, but it doesn't really matter to fantasy NBA players.