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I've got Zeller in a keeper league. And I'm trying to figure out if he has any future in the league. I look at your roster and damn. It's like you have zero good options at center. And I have zero idea which one of those bad choices will get run.

One fantasy site I looked at has Hibbert starting. And I don't know that I see that. Hibbert was terrible last year. I guess Hibbert runs hot and cold though, so maybe he will run hot in Charlotte?

Hawes was rumored to be shopped with a 1st for cap space and nobody bought. So, I can't imagine he's the answer unless it's just a showcasing sitation.

That leaves Zeller or Kaminski. Both are young guys, so I could see either getting run. Kaminski seems more like a 4 though, so I would expect he'll be fighting Marvin Williams for time instead. Maybe seeing spot 5 minutes. I can't see Marvin as a long term option for you, so I'm guessing you're hoping Kaminski can push him to the bench.

So. Zeller? I dunno. He doesn't really feel like a long term option either.

I can't really figure it out, do you folks know what is going to happen?

jazzfan1971 wrote:I've got Zeller in a keeper league. And I'm trying to figure out if he has any future in the league. I look at your roster and damn. It's like you have zero good options at center. And I have zero idea which one of those bad choices will get run.

One fantasy site I looked at has Hibbert starting. And I don't know that I see that. Hibbert was terrible last year. I guess Hibbert runs hot and cold though, so maybe he will run hot in Charlotte?

Hawes was rumored to be shopped with a 1st for cap space and nobody bought. So, I can't imagine he's the answer unless it's just a showcasing sitation.

That leaves Zeller or Kaminski. Both are young guys, so I could see either getting run. Kaminski seems more like a 4 though, so I would expect he'll be fighting Marvin Williams for time instead. Maybe seeing spot 5 minutes. I can't see Marvin as a long term option for you, so I'm guessing you're hoping Kaminski can push him to the bench.

So. Zeller? I dunno. He doesn't really feel like a long term option either.

I can't really figure it out, do you folks know what is going to happen?

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Zeller absolutely has a future in the league. He's actually a pretty decent player believe it or not. Good defender and runs the floor really well. The outside shot has become an issue so he isn't a power forward. He's better than you think trust me on that and he will start over Hibbert 100%.

Kaminsky is a 4 - Zeller is a 5. Kam will see more than spot minutes he will have a solid bench role. Zeller is the entrenched starting center on this team imo.

With Zeller you're not going to get great fantasy numbers though. Solid percentages on low volume. Decent rebounding. Low number of blocked shots. His box score statistics do not reflect his value as a player both offensively and defensively but he is set as the starting center on this team. Maybe the shot comes around but i'm becoming more and more skeptical. If setting screens were a fantasy stat Zeller would be a first round pick.

Marvin was awesome for us. He is our first option for the foreseeable future. Clifford has a high level of trust in him and if you earn Clifford's trust he will go down with the ship.

Flip Murray wrote:With Zeller you're not going to get great fantasy numbers though.

I"m in a 5 cat league. Per36 he was
PPG 12.9
RPG 9.2
APG 1.4
SPG 1.2
BPG 1.3

That would be fantastic. If he can start and get something approaching 36 min and keep that level of production I'd be THRILLED. In fact, if he just starts and gets over 30mpg I'll probably be in good shape and have an asset. I'd hope his APG trends up a little towards his career average.

Zeller is much better than his numbers or reputation would indicate. He's a decent starting center and would be a fantastic 3rd big. His problem is that he doesn't have great length or strength vs some of the bigger centers and he can't shoot well enough to be your modern day power forward. But he's one of the better defensive centers in the league when it comes to getting out on the perimeter. He's a solid roll man in the pick and roll and sets good screens.

In before the Zeller haters show up and claim he shouldn't be in the league.

jazzfan1971 wrote:

Flip Murray wrote: If he can start and get something approaching 36 min and keep that level of production I'd be THRILLED. In fact, if he just starts and gets over 30mpg I'll probably be in good shape and have an asset. I'd hope his APG trends up a little towards his career average.

He'll definitely start, but don't expect anything close to 36 mpg. I'd guess something around 28. I think the Hornets will platoon a lot of players at center depending on matchups and gameflow. I could see all of Zeller, Hibbert, Hawes and Frank playing minutes at center in a given game.

fatlever wrote:

jazzfan1971 wrote:

Flip Murray wrote: If he can start and get something approaching 36 min and keep that level of production I'd be THRILLED. In fact, if he just starts and gets over 30mpg I'll probably be in good shape and have an asset. I'd hope his APG trends up a little towards his career average.

He'll definitely start, but don't expect anything close to 36 mpg. I'd guess something around 28. I think the Hornets will platoon a lot of players at center depending on matchups and gameflow. I could see all of Zeller, Hibbert, Hawes and Frank playing minutes at center in a given game.

It wouldnt' surprise me either. My hope is that he demands more minutes with his play, or maybe the other options are just so bad he gets them by default.

If I was coaching I'd be inclined to give the young guy the minutes if the production was similar with the older vets. Maybe your coach likes vets though, some do.

Cody is our starter day one and I don't think we are in a hurry to upgrade him, but I don't think Cody will have a ton of value in a fantasy league. Most around here would be very surprised if he's playing over 30 MPG. Up until last season he had never played C for us at all, he'd always played next to Al or Biz. When Al and Hawes missed time this season was the first time we played him at C, and he stayed in our starting lineup at C since then.

jazzfan1971 wrote:

Flip Murray wrote:With Zeller you're not going to get great fantasy numbers though.

I"m in a 5 cat league. Per36 he was
PPG 12.9
RPG 9.2
APG 1.4
SPG 1.2
BPG 1.3

That would be fantastic. If he can start and get something approaching 36 min and keep that level of production I'd be THRILLED. In fact, if he just starts and gets over 30mpg I'll probably be in good shape and have an asset. I'd hope his APG trends up a little towards his career average.

Yeah he won't play 36 and that's going to be your biggest problem. In regards to fantasy Zeller isn't going to help you that much. I'm really not sure how the Hibbert-Jefferson switch will impact his minutes. Hell they could rise if Hibbert really is a scrub at this point in his career. Its probably worth holding on to him for a little while just to see what the rotation looks like but like fat said I think its very likely he ends up around 28 mpg.

Watch though the second I say that he is entrenched as the starter we will trade for Greg Monroe.

I expect Cody's boards to actually go down with MKG in the starting lineup. We will have exceptional rebounders at the SG and SF spots, and we already have a system that encourages pack rebounding rather than clearing out for a big. Big Al posted career lows per 36 in rebounding 2 of the 3 years that he was in CHA.

I don't nkow. His per36 numbers have been rock steady all 3 years. I suspect his per36 numbers will continue to flatline. It's just a minutes thing with him for me. He gets 28mpg he's not going to have much value. He gets 36 he will be quite good.

Echoing what Fats said I'd be very surprised if Cody played 36 minutes a game. He would only do so if there were injuries to both Hibbert and Hawes.

jazzfan1971 wrote:

Flip Murray wrote:With Zeller you're not going to get great fantasy numbers though.

I"m in a 5 cat league. Per36 he was
PPG 12.9
RPG 9.2
APG 1.4
SPG 1.2
BPG 1.3

That would be fantastic. If he can start and get something approaching 36 min and keep that level of production I'd be THRILLED. In fact, if he just starts and gets over 30mpg I'll probably be in good shape and have an asset. I'd hope his APG trends up a little towards his career average.

Cody is a legitimate starter and a 1st training camp at C will make him better overall but I wouldn't expect a big jump in fantasy #'s even though Jefferson is gone. In fact, the loss of Jefferson combined with the additions of Kidd-Gilchrist and Hibbert may artificially cap Cody's minutes esp if Hawes misses the rotation.

Thanks guys. I feel like I have a handle on him now.

Cody isn't a big stats guy. I'd be pretty ecstatic if he put up 11/8/1/1/1 next season in about 30 minutes, but really all I want to see from him is more physicality inside and a better jumper. He'll most likely start over Hibbert, though you never know with Clifford lol, he loves his vets.

He gets the job done, as a defensive hustle guy and low usage athletic center, but down the line, I really hope Zeller is our backup 5/4. Unless he really improves his jumper and finishing ability, I can't see him becoming a top 20 C.

His per 36 numbers may be similar but he's become a better every year he has been in the league. Hopefully that trend will continuse since he's still pretty young and bigs tend to develop slower.

Cody isn't going to play 36 mpg, at least not for very long. He falls down at least 3 times a game due to being a pantywaist and will get hurt eventually, even in today's soft serve NBA.