Joel

Anthony

Haslem is a forgotten man playing behind Chris Bosh, but got some run with Joel Anthony (ankle) sidelined tonight, with Dexter Pittman starting at center. If the Heat ever chose to start Bosh at center and Haslem at PF, he’d have immediate fantasy value, but it isn’t likely to happen.

“He should be able to go Friday if everything goes fine,” Spoelstra said. The starting center was a late scratch just before Tuesday’s win against the Suns and is averaging 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per night.

Anthony had started all 44 of the Heat’s games this season, providing a defensive presence at 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per night. He sprained his left ankle during Sunday’s win over the Magic. Seldom-used Dexter Pittman will make his first career start, while Udonis Haslem figures to see a little boost in minutes.

Turiaf is worth keeping an eye on for as long as he’s starting over Joel Anthony, but regardless of who is starting, neither big man offers upside in the majority of fantasy formats.

With Turiaf, Udonis Haslem (stomach virus) and Wade (rest) all out, Joel Anthony is getting the start for Miami and is a decent last-minute plug-and-play if you need rebounds in a deeper league.

James and Chris Bosh (18 points, seven boards, three assists, three steals, one block) both played under 30 minutes in this battle of teams from two different planets. Joel Anthony added 10 points, five boards, and four blocks in the win.

We’ll have a timetable for his return once the results are known, but there’s a real chance that Bosh could be sidelined for the rest of the second round. Manu Ginobili missed 15 games with a strained abdomen this season, and they are easy to aggravate, but hopefully Bosh’s isn’t too severe. Ronny Turiaf, Dexter Pittman and Joel Anthony will all play bigger roles until he returns.

The move sends Dexter Pittman back to the bench. Anthony is averaging 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on the season.

Anthony is not known to be injured, so it’s a strange move considering he’s started 50 games for the Heat this season. It’s unclear if this is a permanent move or if coach Erik Spoelstra is just shaking things up with Dwyane Wade (knee) out of the lineup. Turiaf does have elite shot-blocking ability, so extreme deep-leaguers should be monitoring the situation.

Maybe he should get injured more often because this is actually a good night for Anthony. Needless to say, there’s nothing to see here, folks.