Sidelined for the previous 47 games with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, Chris Kaman made his return Tuesday night versus the Cavaliers, starting and logging 29 minutes. It was nice to see him suit up despite his team being well out of the playoff picture, and it was a nice surprise to see him immediately return to the starting lineup. His rust showed, with five fouls and four turnovers to just six points on 3-of-11 shooting and four rebounds, but that was to be expected. Before his injury, though, Kaman was off to a great start, averaging 13.9 points on 57.1 percent shooting, with 9.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.
His arrival does create a logjam in the frontcourt, as Marcus Camby also returned from dealing with migraines and an earache that resulted in a loss of balance. Kaman and Camby, along with Zach Randolph and Al Thornton, give the Clippers four big men for three spots. Randolph is their most consistent offensive force, so you have to figure his role is safe, but Camby -- when healthy -- has been a beast, while Thornton can get most of his minutes as a 3.
Camby's skill set probably is the one most suited to coming off the bench, so his owners are holding their collective breath. While Kaman won't be able to average the 35-37 minutes he averaged over the past couple of seasons, he still can be of value in fantasy leagues with his rebounding and shot blocking. Those in deep leagues should run to pick him up, but shallow-leaguers can hold off and wait to see how things shake out or utilize him as a streamer for the stretch run. Another factor to weigh: With Kaman and Camby patrolling the middle for the entire game, the Clippers' woeful defense definitely should improve. They did manage to hold the Cavs to 87 points on 39 percent shooting, leading much of the game before a fourth-quarter collapse. With all their regular contributors healthy and back on the court, the Clips should play the spoiler down the stretch against unsuspecting teams.
Under the Boards
Andres Nocioni made his second consecutive start for the Kings, logging a team-high 43 minutes despite five fouls. He scored 16 points on 17 shots, and he definitely is getting an extended look as coach Kenny Natt shakes up the lineup. Despite being pushed to the bench, Francisco Garcia scored 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field, including four 3-pointers, and chipped in his customary two blocks and one steal in 30 minutes. Nocioni has solidified himself as a solid short-term pickup, but as long as Garcia is hovering around 30 minutes per game, he will continue to contribute to your fantasy team, too. … Spencer Hawes has seen his value shoot up in recent games; with 20 points in 40 minutes versus the Thunder, he now is averaging 19.6 points and 39.4 minutes in his past three games. Like Nocioni, he had five fouls Tuesday -- and had nine combined fouls in his previous two games -- so the reins definitely have been let loose. He's shooting better than 51 percent from the field since the All-Star break, so this might be the beginning of quite a tear. … The Mavericks had a big win over the Suns, stretching their lead for the final playoff spot to five games, and Jose Juan Barea was a big factor. He got the start at shooting guard and scored 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting as Antoine Wright was pushed to small forward in place of Josh Howard. This allowed Jason Terry to flourish off the bench, adding 25 points. It will be interesting to see whether the moves become permanent. Barea normally is quite productive when he receives minutes, and there is a lot of uncertainty about the severity of Howard's ankle injury, so keep a close eye on the Mavs in the coming days. … It doesn't look like Paul Millsap is devoid of value quite yet, as he continues to flourish in a bench role, with 22 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes Tuesday. Carlos Boozer returned from a sprained ankle but struggled again with 11 points on 4-of-13 shooting and four fouls in 28 minutes. His minutes might continue to be limited by fouls -- he's had at least four fouls in five of his seven games since returning from his knee injury -- and the Jazz really have no reason to force the issue with Millsap playing so well. … Chris Duhon had another stinker of a game, with as many turnovers as points, while Nate Robinson (32 points) and Larry Hughes (39 points) continue to play extremely well. While not ideal, both can take over most of the ballhandling duties, and now Duhon is seeing his playing time cut. You have to be happy about getting three months of fabulous production out of him, but he's wearing down and now's the time to cut him if you haven't done so already.
Adam Madison is a fantasy basketball analyst for ESPN.com.