Catching Up with the 'Cats: Week 12

Randy Foye

The hot shooting marksman out in Denver only participated in two games since our last update. Foye found continued success from distance against the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers; he hit 8-16 shots from three point land to help fill out his average of 18 points for the two games. Despite his frigid start to the season, Foye's three point percentage is now on par with his career average.

Randy sat out Sunday's game against the Phoenix Suns due to a reported stomach virus.

The Nuggets find themselves on the outside looking in for the playoff hunt out West, but not by much; only three games separate them from the eighth seed. Nate Timmons makes the argument that much of Denver's success can be attributed to Foye's offensive prowess. According to Timmons, "Foye has made 50 three-pointers (43.5%) in wins and just 19 in losses. His attempts are drastically down in losses (70 in losses compared to 115 in wins)."

While these statistics are just a small sample of a full season of play, both the magnitude of difference between wins and losses and the importance of the statistical categories, it is tough to dismiss Foye's impact as just an anomaly. Since his reinsertion into the starting lineup, the Nuggets have a winning record that includes victories against some impressive competition (at home against the Thunder and on the road against the Warriors).

Whatever his true impact is, Foye is making Denver's front office look pretty good in the process for their off-season acquisition.

Kyle Lowry

This is getting out of hand. Kyle Lowry is absolutely torching the NBA right now. The Villanova alumnus is playing the best basketball of his career right now, averaging 22 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds in his most recent three games played. For the season, Lowry's averages are 17 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds, all career highs. And his three ball is looking pretty as ever:

Kyle Lowry BEATS' Deep Step-Back Triple | Timberwolves vs Raptors | January 17, 2014 | NBA 2013-14 (via NBAHighlightsDaily)

Kyle Lowry game tying 3 to send game to overtime Bobcats Raptors (via David Back)

This high level of play just might be enough to earn Lowry a trip to the All-Star weekend. Zach Lowe, Grantland's resident basketball junkie, believes that the Raptors point guard is deserving. In his all-star picks, based entirely off of statistics and performance, Lowe slates Lowry as his starting point guard out East. He writes that "Lowry has been the team's best player -- and probably the best all-around point guard in the Eastern Conference this season. He's taken flight offensively since the Rudy Gay deal, and he's found a way to reconcile his havoc-creating gambles on defense with Dwane Casey's larger scheme." If you're garnering praise from Zach Lowe, you know you've made it big time.

Dante Cunningham

Not much has changed since Kevin Love called out Dante Cunningham for reportedly "sulking on the bench during the fourth quarter." In three games played this week, Cunningham posted numbers essentially equivalent to his season averages. His highlighted his week with an 8 points, 4 board performance against Kyle Lowry's Raptors. He also threw this one down:

Dante Cunningham NICE' Putback Dunk | Timberwolves vs Raptors | January 17, 2014 | NBA 2013-14 (via NBAHighlightsDaily)

It seems as if Cunningham has hit his ceiling with the Timberwolves. For whatever reason, coach Rick Adelman refuses to distribute a larger share of minutes to the bench and, consequently, Dante has not found great success this season. While a move is unlikely, perhaps a change of scenery at the trade deadline would be good for Villanova's ex-captain.

Maalik Wayns

Life can be cruel sometimes. Just after making his return to the court after an arduous recovery from an MCL injury, Maalik Wayns was waived by the Los Angeles Clippers in order to make room for veteran Hedo Turkoglu and point guard Darius Morris.

What happens next for Wayns will likely change the path of his career. He can choose to fight it out in the NBA, hoping to impress during a private workout and latch on to a team with more 10 day contracts. But this option in fraught with risk, as the NBA is consistently in surplus of point guards. Wayns could also choose to take his talents overseas, where his elite speed could bring him success in the elite leagues of Europe. Whatever the case is, Maalik will need to put everything he has into the upcoming weeks.

Maurice Sutton

It's pretty much more of the same for Mr. Sutton and his adventures on Route 66 (doesn't that sound like a great TV show to watch?). In two games played for the Tulsa 66ers, Big Mo' averaged 6 points and 5 rebounds in just under 12 minutes played per contest. He did register an attempted three in one game though! Sadly, Sutton couldn't connect from deep. Keep on working Mo'!

Thanks for reading everyone!