Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: NBA DraftKings Ideal Lineup for May 12
Quick poll before we jump into today's DraftKings ideal lineup:
Which of these things would you rather do than watch DeAndre Jordan shoot 28 first-half free throws?
a) Listen to an entire regular-season NHL game on a fuzzy radio station.
b) Watch your younger sibling flirt with your best friend.
c) Watch this puking scene from Pitch Perfect 100 times in a row. (Warning: Video contains NSFW content.)
d) None of the above—I kind of like watching the train wreck.
OK, I guess I'd watch the free throws too, but I bet you paused to think about it for a second. DeAndre Jordan is terrible from the line. Sometimes I even feel sorry for the guy with insane athleticism who makes an eight-figure salary. Wait, um...never mind, he should learn to shoot a 15-foot standing shot with no defender.
OK. On to the lineup!
| Position | Player | Opponent | Price |
| Point Guard | Derrick Rose | @ Cle | $8,500 |
| Shooting Guard | Jason Terry | vs. LAC | $4,000 |
| Small Forward | LeBron James | vs. Chi | $11,400 |
| Power Forward | Taj Gibson | @ Cle | $4,600 |
| Center | Joakim Noah | @Cle | $8,000 |
| Guard | Jamal Crawford | @ Hou | $5,400 |
| Forward | Mike Dunleavy | @ Cle | $4,800 |
| Utility | Tristan Thompson | vs. Chi | $5,200 |
Beware of Pau
This lineup is built around the assumption that Pau Gasol is not playing. The Spaniard missed Sunday's game with a sore hamstring and did not practice yesterday. He's listed as questionable. Monitor this situation near tip-off.
According to draftkings.com, Derrick Rose scored 31 points on 23 field-goal attempts last game. Believe it or not, it was three quarters of an attempt less than his game average for this series. The point is, Rose is getting up a ton of shots. The career 45 percent shooter has already missed 58 shots so far this series—more than 14 per game. That's a ton of offensive rebound and putback opportunities for Gibson and Noah.
The two combined for over 70 minutes and 23 rebounds in the Game 4 loss. With Pau out, they'll both be involved on the offensive glass.
Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers' best rebounder all season, should also continue to be effective in extended minutes. He has played at least 30 minutes in every game this series.
Return of the King
Statistically, LeBron James had a bad game on Sunday. He shot just 10-of-30 from the floor and turned the ball over eight times. He also very nearly gave the game away with a late travel.
But then he did this!
And with that, all was forgiven.
He also scored more than 55 fantasy points for the sixth straight game. Now the Cavs face a near-must-win scenario at home. According to whowins.com, NBA teams that take a 3-2 lead into Game 6 win the series 80 percent of the time.
Kevin Love is out, Kyrie doesn't look healthy and the rest of the team is comprised of role players. Look for LeBron to take it upon himself again to vanquish the Bulls in Game 5.
He's picked up some of Love's slack on the boards. King James is averaging more than 11 rebounds per game this series. LeBron is also averaging nine assists per game in this series. Doesn't a triple-double seem imminent? Just sayin'.
Oldies, but Goodies
I chose to employ three cheap-ish longtime NBA veterans who are still relevant players in the second round of the playoffs in 2015.
After a terrible first round, Jamal Crawford has been excellent in the first four games against the Rockets. Per statmuse.com, the streaky shooter is averaging 31.2 fantasy points per game in the second round. Shockingly, Crawford has done it without lighting up the opposition from downtown. He's filled up the stat sheet, posting five boards in one game and six steals in another.
Also according to statmuse.com, Mike Dunleavy has shot over 55 percent on threes in 12 career road playoff games. He's averaged 22.1 fantasy points in those games—not great, but serviceable. He's playing a ton of minutes for the Bulls right now and usually grabs around five boards and gets a steal.
Jason Terry, at 37, is starting for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. He hasn't lit the world on fire (none of the Rockets have), but he's been a proficient scorer as an oxymoronic non-ball-handling point guard. He's provided a baseline of 16 fantasy points and a ceiling of around 23 fantasy points this series. I'll take that in this tough two-game slate.
