A source tells ESPN that one of the "primary issues" the Nuggets had with fired coach George Karl was his reluctance to play JaVale McGee.
On the heels of a four-year, $44 million contract, McGee started zero games and played just 18.1 minutes per night. At one point, Karl said "lazy and crazy won't work" when it comes to the insanely athletic 7-footer. Now that Karl is out, McGee's fantasy arrow will be pointing straight up in 2013-14. The new coach will be told to give him true starter's minutes, which makes him a real threat to lead the league in blocks. JaVale averaged a league-leading 3.9 blocks per-36 minutes last season.

The Nuggets front office and George Karl were split on their opinion of JaVale McGee, and that contributed to his dismissal, sources told Fox Sports Florida.
Denver's front office handed McGee a four year deal worth more than $40 million in the offseason, but Karl used him like the Thunder used Hasheem Thabeet instead of starting him. Karl reportedly refused to start McGee and management also blamed him for losing the series against the Warriors. Additionally, management blamed Karl for playing Andre Miller too much and not properly developing Evan Fournier. There are some very real issues in the Denver front office right now.

George Karl confirmed that he may start JaVale McGee at center next season.
McGee started the final two games of the playoffs, averaging 9.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, and it has been reported that Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri felt there was a "lack of attention" given to McGee's development this year. "I know JaVale would like to start," Karl said after Game 6. "We'll push him to work hard this summer and get him to a position where that could be a possibility." Kosta Koufos and Anthony Randolph have guaranteed deals next year, while Timofey Mozgov has a $3.9 million qualifying offer, but McGee seems like the early favorite to start on opening night.

George Karl praised JaVale McGee for his play during Tuesday's Game 5 win over the Warriors.
McGee had 10 points, eight boards, a steal and three blocks in just 20 minutes, but Karl made it clear that "our staters were the key tonight. I liked both JaVale and Kenneth in the first half." It's not clear if McGee will start Game 6, but going into a must-win scenario, it seems likely he will given the team won on Tuesday.

JaVale McGee started at center instead of Kosta Koufos on Tuesday and had 10 points, eight rebounds, a steal and three blocks in 20 minutes.
If McGee could wrangle the starting job from Koufos next season he'd likely be a solid fantasy center. However, we're still not sure George Karl is ready to go there.

George Karl does not expect JaVale McGee's workload to suddenly increase.
"Do I want to take a chance on giving them speed and size because they play small?" George Karl said. "When JaVale comes in the game, a lot of times they do go small. They don't mess with him. And so much of what I want from our bigs is pick-and-roll defense and rebounding. If JaVale gives me that, he'll stay on the court longer. If I think Kenneth (Faried) or Kosta (Koufos) is doing it better, they're going to be on the court. Anthony (Randolph) gets a chance, too." The Nuggets will continue to try and match up with the Warriors small ball lineup.

JaVale McGee double-doubled with 10 points, 17 rebounds and two blocks in 25 minutes off the bench on Monday.
Maybe this is the beginning of George Karl's playoff blueprint from last season, or maybe the explosion will be followed up by yet another disappearing act. Either way, after a line like this McGee is well worth a look if he's floating on your wire.

JaVale McGee scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting with nine rebounds, one steal and four blocks in 28 minutes off the bench in Friday's overtime loss.
We're not going to let one good night overshadow a year's worth of data on McGee, and owners can continue to use him as they were prior to tonight.

JaVale McGee scored eight points on 4-of-7 shooting with four rebounds and one block in 17 minutes off the bench on Friday.
McGee went big with 21 points, 11 boards, two steals and three blocks on Wednesday, but as you can see he didn't complete the breakout. We'll keep an eye on him, but he looks like the disappointing fantasy play he has been all season.

JaVale McGee was outstanding in a loss to the Spurs on Wednesday, shooting 10-of-11 from the field for 21 points with 11 boards, two steals and three blocks in 26 minutes.
It was one of his best offense games all year and a nice cherry on top was that McGee made his only free throw attempt. Although, he played just 14.6 minutes per game in his previous 10 and chances are few of his owners in deep leagues didn't capitalize on the big line with 14 games tonight. They can just chalk that up to one of the most bad news-laden nights of the NBA season.

JaVale McGee scored seven points with seven rebounds, two steals and four blocks in 23 minutes off the bench on Monday.
Timofey Mozgov played four minutes and Kosta Koufos played 14 minutes, and it's possible we see McGee take that long-awaited step forward as the year closes down. He should be owned in most formats for his current production, but his upside is obviously what owners are chasing.

JaVale McGee gave Denver a nice lift in Saturday's road win, scoring 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting, with six rebounds and three blocks.
He did it all in just 17 minutes, teasing fantasy owners and reinforcing a season-long trend of excellent numbers in limited playing time. Kosta Koufos had eight points, six rebounds, one steal and two blocks in 22 minutes, and the concrete has set around the Nuggets' timeshare at center.

JaVale McGee returned from a leg injury and had 14 points and three rebounds, but zero blocks in 27 minutes on Wednesday.
If McGee's not blocking shots, he has no fantasy value, and is a borderline starter even when he is blocking shots. This was just his eighth game of the season without one, but at least he saw solid minutes off the bench. He's averaging less than 19 minutes per game on the season, and unless that number rises dramatically after the break, he's going to continue to be very frustrating to own.

JaVale McGee will play for the Nuggets on Wednesday despite a leg injury that kept him out of Tuesday's game.
The Nuggets are undermanned without Danilo Gallinari and Andre Iguodala, and McGee's return will probably limit Anthony Randolph, who played well on Tuesday.

JaVale McGee aggravated his left tibia injury in Tuesday's game against the Raptors and he is listed as day-to-day.
He missed three games about two weeks ago with a contusion to his tibia, but X-rays were negative. The Nuggets will likely evaluate him in the coming days and his status for Wednesday's game against the Nets is in doubt. Kosta Koufos could pick up some more playing time along with Timofey Mozgov. McGee finished with two points and one board in Tuesday's contest.

Playing 32 minutes off the bench on Sunday, JaVale McGee scored five points, grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds, and blocked three shots.
As with every performance from this game, it must be noted that there were three overtimes. Still, JaVale got more burn than Kosta Koufos (eight points, two boards in 19 minutes) and he's been very good in limited minutes recently. He's averaging 3.5 blocks in his past four games and remains a tantalizing player to stash at the end of your bench.

JaVale McGee played 18 minutes vs. the Cavaliers but he still racked up 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, four rebounds and four blocks.
If you toss out the games JaVale missed with a shin injury he's been great in his last five, averaging 10.6 points on 71 percent shooting, 3.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks, all in a mere 16.2 minutes per game. Unfortunately, Kosta Koufos also had 10 points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes tonight, and there are no signs that McGee will suddenly win this entrenched position battle.

JaVale McGee scored 10 points with five boards and three blocks in just 14 minutes against the Bulls on Thursday.
He's one of the most exciting players to watch that plays less than 20 minutes per game and tonight was no different with some highlight-reel plays. McGee has also looked good in his two games back from a shin injury with a combined seven blocks. George Karl doesn't seem to be close to turning him loose and he's in a timeshare with Kosta Koufos (four points and seven boards in 21 minutes), so he's not exactly must-own material.

JaVale McGee returned from his shin injury and had eight points, four rebounds and four blocks in 18 minutes of Tuesday's win over the Bucks.
More of the same for McGee, who is good for blocks, but too inconsistent in the rest of his game to be an automatic starter for fantasy owners.

JaVale McGee (shin) will play against the Bucks on Tuesday.
He's missed three games with a bruised shin and it's unclear how many minutes he'll receive in his first game back. McGee has played just 18.7 minutes per game this season and he's clinging to life in standard leagues. Kosta Koufos will continue to start and currently has more value in most formats.

JaVale McGee (shin) is expected to return to action on Tuesday.
"I'm still in shape. I was working on the treadmill, so I'm feeling pretty good," McGee said. McGee's return will push Timofey Mozgov back to the end of the bench and will also mean starter Kosta Koufos plays fewer minutes.

JaVale McGee (shin) will not play in Friday's game against the Hornets.
McGee has essentially been diagnosed with a bad bruise of his tibia, leaving him day-to-day going forward. With JaVale out the last two games, Kosta Koufos has averaged 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

JaVale McGee (shin) is questionable for Friday's game against the Hornets.
McGee has missed the last two games but an MRI revealed no stress fracture in his left tibia. Meanwhile, Kosta Koufos continues to perform well in the full-time center role and is a solid option as long as McGee is sidelined. Owners will want to check back after shootaround Friday for further update on JaVale's status.

JaVale McGee (shin) will not play against the Rockets on Wednesday.
Starter Kosta Koufos played 36 minutes in the Nuggets last game, totalling nine points, 11 rebounds and three blocks in extended action. He's a solid option again vs. the Rockets for those in need of a big man with McGee sidelined.

An MRI on JaVale McGee's left tibia revealed no stress fracture.
McGee is officially listed as questionable for Wednesday's game against the Rockets. Even if he does play, he'll be a shaky fantasy start at less than 100 percent. McGee is averaging just 17.7 minutes per game over his last 13 outings.

The Nuggets are still awaiting the results of JaVale McGee's shin MRI.
McGee may have beginnings of a stress fracture. The treatment for that condition is usually rest, so owners need to be prepared to hunt for other short-term shot-blocking specialists. If McGee does end up missing time, Kosta Koufos is to push for 32-35 minutes nighty.

JaVale McGee (shin) underwent a CT scan recently "to determine whether a stress fracture was the source of the problem," but results were inconclusive.
McGee will have an MRI on Tuesday and doctors will review both exams before formulating a diagnosis. If McGee is sidelined for an extended period of time, Kosta Koufos would see more minutes in his starting role while Timofey Mozgov would suddenly become very important off of Denver's bench.

JaVale McGee (tibia) will not play on Monday against the Pacers.
It's being called "left tibia irritation" and he will get an MRI on Tuesday. Look for Kosta Koufos to get all the minutes he can handle and Timofey Mozgov to step into the backup minutes. Koufos should be owned in most standard formats.

Coach George Karl recently said he'd "like" to get JaVale McGee to be a 25-minute per-game player.
McGee's playing time has actually been decreasing lately, not increasing. Over his last seven games, he's getting just 17.1 minutes a night. "He's got to understand that lazy and crazy isn't going to make it work," Karl said. "We want solid and we want fundamental, and we want spectacular but only when it happens, not forcing the action where sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't." McGee still has a little fantasy value thanks to his 1.9 blocks per game, but owners expecting a sudden bump in playing time have another thing coming. He doesn't sound close to that 25-minute goal Karl has set -- especially with Kosta Koufos continuing to play well.

JaVale McGee scored 15 points with four rebounds and three blocks in 20 minutes against the Thunder on Wednesday.
Amazingly, he made all five of his free throws and also shot 5-of-6 from the field. McGee is playing better these days, but Kosta Koufos turning some heads, he's staring at a timeshare. He's more of a stash and he'll have his flashes here and there, too.

JaVale McGee missed all four of his field goal attempts and hit 2-of-4 free throws to finish with two points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in 12 minutes.
It's been an ugly season and it's fair to call him a bust so far, though he has been blocking shots and holding low-end value in his miniscule role off the bench. His scoring was down tonight as you can see, but his overall value to owners as a stash hasn't changed at all.

JaVale McGee gave the Lakers flashbacks to last year's playoffs on Sunday, scoring 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting, with six rebounds, three steals and two blocks.
George Karl still only played him 26 minutes, less than starter Kosta Koufos (seven points, seven rebounds in 28 minutes), and for every nice game this season McGee has had two clunkers. His 3-of-7 FT shooting on Sunday was a nice reminder of his sweet-and-sour fantasy appeal.

JaVale McGee had a bad game on Thursday, shooting 1-of-7 from the field for two points with four boards and two blocks in 13 minutes.
Just when it looked like he was getting ready to turn the corner, he comes out with arguably his worst game of the year. McGee is on the short list of most annoying players to own, but the upside is the primary reason why we'd try to stick with him in standard leagues.

JaVale McGee hit the first 3-pointer of his career to go with 11 points, seven boards, three assists and one block in 17 minutes against the Clippers on Tuesday.
It's his second nice game in a row, coming off a 12-point, six-block game on Saturday. McGee hasn't been much fun to own since he's playing just 19.1 minutes per game, but the upside is there and he's blocking enough shots to be owned in most formats.