In any event, Monroe’s aggressive defensive style should continue to produce plenty of steals, which a rare thing indeed from a big man. Right now, Monroe looks like a nice grab in deeper formats, but he has the upside to become a viable option in standard leagues if he continues his fine play.

Kaman has not played since Dec. 5, and has made only two appearances since Nov. 9 – and a return does not seem imminent. That’s good news for Jordan, who has averaged 10.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.5 blocks over his past six outings. Those block numbers are deceptively low, however, as he has swatted a ridiculous 19 balls in his past three contests. If you need big-man stats, and don’t mind an occasional clunker, Jordan makes a great fill-in until Mountain Man Kaman is ready to return.

I’m also planning to join you all in watching college football – though I’ll only glance at the undercard until the Only Game That Really Matters is played next Monday. Great system this BCS thing, huh? Have you guys/computers ever considered taking the top four teams – as determined by your Precious Microchips – and matching them up (1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3) in, say, the (insert corporate sponsor here) Rose Bowl and (insert corporate sponsor here) Sugar Bowl this year, then alternating the major bowls as “semi-final” matchups in each succeeding year? You add only one more game to the schedule, and three bowl games actually mean something instead of only one. I think NCAA football and synchronized swimming are the only sports without a playoff system, and I can say that this is one sports fan that’s college football fan-dom has gone right down the tubes since the idiotic BCS system came into force.

Through eight games in December, Cousins is averaging 13.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He still needs to improve his shooting touch, and we’d love to see him blocking more than 0.5 shots per night, but keep in mind that he swatted 1.8 per outing at Kentucky. Patience, Grasshopper.