Fantasy Basketball: Second-half preview

This is when you need to make your move in Fantasy. Chris Towers helps by looking at the post-ASB landscape in the NBA.

The first half of the season is over, and there's no point in looking back anymore. What is done is done, and you've got to move forward with your season. No matter how many injuries your squad suffered, or how dominant you were, all that matters is what happens from here on out. The second half is where championships are won or lost, so here's some of my favorite breakout and sell-high candidates looking ahead, plus three rotation situations I hope can be resolved at some point.

Breakout Candidates

Emmanuel Mudiay has not had an ideal rookie season for such a high pick, and in retrospect, his struggles shouldn't have been surprising. I thought perhaps spending a season practicing and playing against grown men in the Chinese Basketball Association would help his development, but he played just eight games and came into the NBA with a lot to learn. His jumper remains an issue, but we're seeing some signs of life lately -- he has 36 assists to just 10 turnovers in five February games heading into play Wednesday. With his playmaking improving, Mudiay is starting to look a lot more viable. With half a season under his belt and things starting to trend in a better direction, we might have a situation where everything clicks in the second half.

The Dennis Schroder Breakout Candidacy is one with a potential expiration date of Feb. 18. If rumors of the Hawks looking to break up their core by moving Jeff Teague -- or Schroder, for that matter -- don't come true, he is stuck in Fantasy purgatory for the rest of the season; too good to cut, not good enough to put into your starting lineup every week. If, however, he does find himself out of a timeshare either in Atlanta or elsewhere, there is obviously a ton of value here. Schroder has become a more confident scorer, and averages 18.3 points and 7.9 assists per-36 minutes. I think he could have a Reggie Jackson-lite type of impact as a starter down the stretch.

If John Henson's back wasn't an issue, we might be starting to see the start of his breakout run now. The Bucks made a change to their starting lineup unexpectedly Tuesday, inserting reserve Miles Plumlee into the starting lineup and bringing Greg Monroe off the bench. It's not hard to see Plumlee's spot in the starting lineup being a temporary one, with a healthy Henson sliding in to give the Bucks that lengthy, athletic frontcourt they've been looking for. Henson could lead the league in blocks in a full-time role, with former teammate Larry Sanders' breakout 2012-13 campaign perhaps providing the blueprint.

Ask any Heat fan, and they'll rave about Justise Winslow's rookie season. The Heat are 5.5 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor this season, and that matches up with any reasonable eye test you want to apply. However, he hasn't managed to make a big impact for Fantasy players, with a shaky jumper and limited role in an offense full of stars. He has a paltry 12.0 percent usage, lower than all but nine players with at least 1,000 minutes played this season. He has backed up both wing spots so far, but could step into a larger role if Luol Deng ends up moved at the deadline, something that certainly seems possible at this point. Winslow would certainly need to show more on offense than he has to justify a breakout, but given his draft pedigree and skill set, I'm interested to see what he could do with a bigger role.

Sell-High Candidates

If you're looking for one player whose value could take a serious hit by a trade, Pau Gasol has to be at the top of that list. The Bulls have continued to rely heavily on him, and he sports a 24.4 percent usage with nearly identical numbers from this year to last. He has held up well to this role, and has a malleable enough skill set that you could expect him to fit in anywhere he goes. But it's hard to imagine a contender trading for Gasol a few months before he can become a free agent and making him the centerpiece of their offense. The Bulls' recent rash of injuries might make it harder for them to justify moving Gasol, but if they do, his value would certainly take a hit.

If we're ever going to see vintage Derrick Rose again, the best chance of it happening is going to be over the next few weeks. When Jimmy Butler isn't on the floor this season, Rose's usage rate balloons to 33.0 percent, a mark that would rank third in the NBA overall. With Butler out 3-4 weeks with a knee injury, Rose is going to get plenty of opportunities to rack up big numbers, and we've seen him averaging 20.8 points and 7.8 assists per game in four February contests. Of course, he also had to sit out a recent game due to "general soreness," and offensive efficiency remains an issue for him in any role, so there's no guarantee this goes well. I would try to sell someone on his increased role and get what I can for him as soon as possible.

This would've been easier to sell a few weeks ago, before Anthony's surgically repaired left knee started barking again. Anthony was willingly taking on a primary playmaking role, and averaged better than five assists per game in both January and February. His shot has gone awry over the last few weeks, coinciding with -- or more likely, caused by -- his ongoing knee issues. Still, you might be able to sell someone on Anthony's improved play of late and wring enough value out of him before the knee becomes a bigger issue. A shutdown for a second year in a row isn't out of the question if the Knicks continue to struggle.

"Please, change my role"

This dead horse has been beaten to a pulp, but we really need the Lakers to just change coaches already. There may be a place for Byron Scott's brand of tough love, but when it leads him to limit the minutes of bright young potential stars, it's hard to make sense of it. Julius Randle's minutes are way up of late, and he is proving why that is a good decision by averaging 14.0 points, 13.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in February, but there's no guarantee the minutes stick for him; Larry Nance could be back in the starting lineup after the All-Star break. And D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson continue to defer to Kobe Bryant too often, a symptom of a larger issue in the Lakers organization where Bryant's farewell tour seems to supercede everything else in priority. That isn't all Scott's fault, but he certainly seems to perpetuate it. Either Scott has to go or Bryant needs to take on an even smaller role down the stretch for Clarkson and Russell to live up to their full potential.

The Rockets need to clear out their frontcourt. They have found something that works of late with Trevor Ariza playing small-ball power forward, which only further clutters things up once Clint Capela, Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas are all healthy. The Rockets have done a good job drafting and developing this trio of big men, all of whom bring unique skill sets to the table. They are all worth playing, but there just isn't enough time for all of them, especially with Josh Smith back in the picture. Daryl Morey is always willing to shake things up, and there are three quality Fantasy contributors wasting away here, waiting to be set free.

We knew when the Suns added Tyson Chandler this offseason, minutes might be tough for Alex Len to come by. Given his history of foot and ankle issues, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing for his long-term progression, especially if the Suns were able to keep both he and Chandler fresh while making a playoff push. This season has been enough of an unmitigated disaster for the Suns that the minutes sacrifice for Len is starting to make little sense; especially after he averaged 11.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in a tantalizing five-game stretch in late January. Unfortunately, his minutes are down to 18.8 in six games since that stretch, as he has been relegated back to a reserve role. Given how good we have seen him be, here's hoping the Suns just let the young guy play, either by trading Chandler or pushing him into a smaller role in a lost season.