Brandon

Bass

Bass played in 29 games with the Hornets last season and averaged 2.3 PPG and 2.3 RPG in just over nine minutes per game.

O’Neal is out indefinitely, but it doesn’t really matter. Bass appears locked in at the power forward spot permanently. “I actually like this lineup,” Rivers said Wednesday night. “I was thinking about doing it regardless, if you want me to be honest.” In seven starts this year, Bass is averaging 11.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while playing 34.3 minutes.

Brandon Bass will likely get another start alongside Kevin Garnett for the undersized Celtics. J.O. recently saw a specialist and is “trying to avoid surgery” on his wrist, so ignore him until we hear that he’s on the mend.

Starter Brandon Bass had 16 points, seven rebounds and a block, and while Bass looks like the better fantasy option, Wilcox should be on your radar in deep leagues.

O’Neal’s injury is being called a sprain, but that’s an ambiguous diagnosis and it’s worth noting that the oft-injured center has dealt with wrist problems previously. Brandon Bass has been starting in place of O’Neal, while Chris Wilcox has been playing big minutes off the bench. Expect that trend to continue for as long as O’Neal is sidelined.

GM Danny Ainge said O’Neal will need wrist surgery at some point, but he’s gone with a cortisone shot for the time being with the hopes that it alleviates his pain. Surgery is still an option if O’Neal’s cortisone shot doesn’t have its intended effect. The fragile big man is not a fantasy asset, and Brandon Bass is locked into his starting role going forward.

Obviously, this isn’t paying the bills for owners that recently added Bass, but we’d recommend some patience here. He’s locked into a starting job and will have starter’s minutes going forward, which makes him a near-lock for low-end value in 12-team formats.

Bass did not have a steal or block, and fouled out in just under 30 minutes in this slugfest. He is averaging 10.6 points, 5.8 boards, 0.6 blocks, and 0.8 steals over his last five games.

Bass is safe to deploy as you normally would in your Friday lineups.

While the numbers were modest, it’s a good sign that Bass was able to play his full complement of minutes. He should be just fine.