The Pulse

Live 2009 NBA Draft Coverage!

2009-06-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

We're doing a live podcast tonight - feel free to call in, chat or just listen! Click here to get to the FantasyBasketball.com show page!

Add and Drop Guys

2009-04-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

Thurs(3)
Carl landry (sac)
Von wafer(sac)
Anthony carter (lal)
Klieza(lal)
Theo Ratliff (Chi)
Speights (chi)
Donte greene (hous) 4 games in 5 days

Sat (7)
Fred jones (por)
Turiaf (Utah)
Ryan Anderson (orl)
Brian skinner (16 and 14) (por)
Carney craign smith telfair (pho)
Charlie bell (OKC)
Batum(clippers)
Shaun Livingston(mil)
Przybilla (LAC)

Sunday 6 games
Ratliff (tor)
Speights
Donte greene (SA)
Farmar (Memphis)
Chalmers (knicks)
Haslem
James jones
D cook
Jared Jefferies
Delonte west (boston)
JJ Barea (NO)

Tues 3 games
Chalmers (atl)
Flip murray(mia)
Haslem(atl)
James jones(atl)
Moon(atl)
Ratliff(boston)
Speights(boston)
Daequancook(atl)
Mikki moore(philly)
Big baby(philly)

Dial It Up From Distance

2009-04-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

All Denver Nuggets' shooting guard J.R. Smith has done over the past 10 games is average 23.1 points while burying an absurd 53.9% of his shots and hitting 43 three-pointers. There isn't a hotter shooter in the NBA right now, and while he's probably not available, he's probably the only Denver candidate outside of Carmelo Anthony that I'd feel comfortable starting in weekly leagues during the team's four-game Championship Week slate.

Smith has been quite a find in fantasy leagues this season, as just last night, he set a career high for three-pointers made in a season (162). As a matter of fact, he's got career highs across the boards - points (15.0), rebounds (3.7), assists, (2.9) and steals (1.0). His increased proficiency combined with a REAL point guard coming to town has given Smith an exciting new ceiling of potential the rest of this season and in the future. Chauncey Billups has really changed the direction of this man's career.

What's more, Smith has been on a gradual incline over the past couple of seasons, getting to the point where we expected something special this year. He disappointed early on, but has since gotten adequate playing time (read: Iverson left town and Coach George Karl saw the light) at 27.9 minutes per game in 2008-09. The increase in three-pointers made hasn't gone unnoticed either: 149 (2006-07), 157 (2007-08) and currently, Smith has 162 threes in 2008-09.

Looks like Smith isn't just a solid option in your fantasy leagues this week... he may be a end-of-the-bench keeper candidate and a top-50 player for 2009-10. He's HOT HOT HOT!

Saved by Zero? Probably not.

2009-03-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

There was a commercial running like crazy a few months ago for Toyota. You might have seen it. If not, check it out really quickly:

The point of this whole exercise is that in this entry, Zero stands for Agent Zero. A lot of people have been asking whether they should pick up Gilbert Arenas, former scoring savant. News has broken that he'll make his 2008-09 season debut Saturday, so here's our take on how to handle the situation.

Here's what we know:

Arenas will not play in back-to-back games - This happens twice the rest of the season. The Wizards play on March 28 & 29, then again on April 1 & 2. From the looks of things, Arenas will play Game 1 of back-to-backs.
Arenas is coming off a series of knee surgeries - Regardless of the health of Arenas' surgically-repaired knee, he'll have to get used to trusting his body in NBA-paced action. Yes, he's practiced plenty and appears ready to perform, but the mental side of his return should not be understated.
Arenas has not played in an NBA game for about year - Borrowing from the previous bullet, we really don't know how quickly Arenas will take to get back to 100 percent. The efficiency of his running, cutting, jumping and simply setting up for jump-shots off the dribble will all be part of the transition back to NBA prominence. Will it happen immediately? Likely not.
Remember, it's late March - Yes, the Wizards want to get Arenas some minutes to help build team chemistry before the end of the year, but how much is Washington willing to risk? They made a huge investment in Arenas, and there's absolutely no way they screw with the future of their franchise.

So, with all of those factors in play, what do you do? Basically, if you have a dead spot on your roster and you play in daily league (12 teams or more), go for it. If you play in a weekly league, he's really not worth your time, as the Wizards have by far the worst playoff schedule the rest of the way (Week 23 - 3 games; Week 24/25 - 4 games).

Garnett Back; The Disappearing Man

2009-03-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

Whether you're a Timberwolves fan, Celtic fan or just a fan of Kevin Garnett, it's always good to see "The Big Ticket" return from injury. The NBA - and your fantasy roster - simply isn't the same without the multi-dimensional, super-intense power forward. He and his 17-point, 8.6 rebound numbers have played a couple of games for Boston this week, notching only 15 and 17 minutes in each. This, of course, isn't enough to count on in the playoffs, but in a four-game week in Week 22, it could be the last time this season you get to place KG in your lineup. The fact of the matter is that Week 23 is the horrid two-game variety for Boston, and you likely won't be able to justify inserting Garnett, no matter how much you want to.

***

Hakim "The Disappearing Man" Warrick has re-surfaced yet again this season, dropping 20 points and six rebounds against Boston on Saturday (3/21). What's more, Warrick is putting up 15.75 points and 4.75 rebounds over the past four games. As usual, you've got to start him with extreme caution, because as we've learned in 2008-09 (and before), Warrick's value never levels off. Expect a dip in production, followed by a nice three-game stretch before the end of the year.

Notes:

In a massive resurgence, Samuel Dalembert went for 15 points and 23 points last night and has had an incredible 10-day stretch of 9.5 points and 14.5 boards with 2.2 blocks. You won't find a much better option at center in the NBA right now.

Monta Ellis has continued his hot streak, putting up 25.1 points per game over the past six... also putting up 4.3 rebounds and 4.6 rebounds over that span. Gotta love it!

March Madness at FantasyBasketball.com!!!

2009-03-17T18:28:00.001-07:00

What's up everyone? The NCAA Tournament is only TWO DAYS away! As you can imagine, most basketball fans are filling out brackets for their office pool or with a group of friends. At FantasyBasketball.com, there's an opportunity for you to do the same thing! As a matter of fact, you can win up to $200 without paying a penny.

It's called March Mayhem, and you can continue to sign up for our bracket until Thursday morning. So get your picks in and try your luck against the hundreds who have already signed up!

Sign up TODAY!!!

Player Report: Larry Hughes

2009-03-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

Larry Hughes was supposed to fade into the sunset, a man completely useless to 12-team fantasy owners for the remainder of his career because of wild shooting and general overpopulation at the guard position on pretty much every team he’s been a part of lately. Granted, the man had a nice start to the year, with 12.2 and 12.8 points per game in November and December, respectively. Then, as usual, injury struck, and Kirk Hinrich returned to the lineup, making Hughes expendable.

The trade deadline came, and he was shipped to New York in what was seemingly another stop on Hughes’ disappointing path. He played his first three games, and as expected, put up horrible numbers (3.3 points, 1 rebound, 0.66 assists and 18% shooting) and looked to be the odd man out, yet again. But when I saw his 2/27/09 line of 25 points, four rebounds, two assists and four steals with three 3s, I made like Janice from the show Friends and freaked out (see below).

Hughes hasn’t looked back from there, posting 22.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.0 steals and three 3s a game over the past three. And he got the blessing of Mike D’Antoni on top of that… Hughes will get the starting nod for the rest of the season in New York. Now that’s something we can use on a fantasy roster.

What does the future hold for Larry? It’s not clear yet, but we’ve got some good news: his production didn’t come as a result of injury or a slumping player, and he’s guaranteed minutes for the rest of the season. So we know one thing… this is the perfect storm for Hughes to be a fantasy contributor the rest of the way. In fact, as a 30-year-old, we may yet see the return of the 2002 or 2003 version of Hughes (NOT 2004... still thought of as an aberration), where he put up near-20 ppg numbers while offering solid peripherals in Washington.

What's more, the Knicks are looking for a scorer now that Jamal Crawford is gone, and Q-Rich couldn't get it done. Really, Hughes completes this team, and that's a very good thing for those of you who rostered him immediately. Good luck as you continue your quest for fantasy basketball glory!

Player Report: Ron Artest

2009-02-27T08:06:00.000-08:00

Ron Artest has been extremely effective over the past seven games, and it’s due almost entirely to Tracy McGrady being out of the lineup. During this wicked seven-game stretch, Artest has torched opponents to the tune of 19.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists while picking up 1.4 steals and burying 2.8 threes per game while shooting 57% 3pt. and 46.8% overall from the field.

Not convinced after a particularly bad/injured stretch? Well here’s more. Aaron Brooks, the Rockets’ new starting point guard, is almost a clone of Rafer Alston, who was dealt last week to the Orlando Magic. Brooks buries three pointers, drops dimes and plays good defense, all things the Rockets need to move forward come playoff time. In addition, his three-point shooting ability keeps defenders honest – no cheating to the wings, where capable long-range gunners Artest, Shane Battier and Von Wafer reside.

And best of all, Ron-Ron plays excellent defense, which has been Houston’s forte for the past few years. If you didn’t catch Cleveland/Houston last night, you missed a defensive clinic, courtesy of the Rockets. They (Artest) held LeBron James to just 21 points, and blanketed other shooters… the result was James’ first game EVER without an assist, which is saying something – the guy averages 7.3 a game!

You've gotta love the fact, too, that Artest has a ridiculously good shot blocker in Yao Ming under the basket, so he can waste less energy following his man to the rim... simply funneling players toward Ming will suffice.

There’s no end in sight for Artest’s production. As long as he stays healthy and level-headed, he’s a perfect fit for the Rockets.

***
New Writers Needed!

Last up, we’re looking for a couple of writers to join our staff for the summer and next basketball season. You’ll have the chance to participate in our Draft Guide and provide content for FantasyBasketball.com, along with opportunities to work on our weekly radio show and our blog, The Pulse. Please send writing examples and a cover letter to me, Jamaal Gilbert, at Jamaal@FantasyBasketball.com. Detail your experience in the industry and why you would be a good fit at FantasyBasketball.com.

Final Trade Analysis... 7:07 AM, Feb. 20

2009-02-20T05:05:00.001-08:00

Here's the last deal we have to analyze... for the other four from previous days, scroll down just a bit!

Rafer Alston has been traded to the Magic in part of a three-team deal. The Rockets will receive point guard Kyle Lowry and PF Brian Cook, while the Grizzlies get a first-round draft pick from Orlando in return.

Wow... this was a late-in-the-day deal that has plenty of fantasy appeal in most leagues... Rafer Alston heads to the Orlando Magic, where he'll immediately be slotted as the starting point guard... effectively ending Anthony Johnson's string of extra minutes. Alston will go back to being the fourth option in an explosive offense, but the good news is that assists should come in bushels now. Unfortunately, you Hedo Turkoglu owners will see his dimes fall a bit. All in all, this deal offers the Magic a rudder to their playoff-contending ship, and they could go a long way with Alston at the helm.

The Rockets receive a new point guard in the deal as well... Kyle Lowry. Unfortunately for Lowry, Houston already has a PG-in-waiting with Aaron Brooks, who's slated to start. Good news for Lowry though - Brooks, while impressive in limited playing time, isn't the highly-touted entity the Mike Conley is/was. There's a chance for playing time here, and you should be monitoring the situation for fluctuation in minutes. For now, stick with Brooks as your pick-up du juor.

Last up, the Grizzlies got three things in this deal.

1) PF Brian Cook, who further muddles the frontcourt situation, but probably won't be much of a factor in Memphis.

2) A first-round pick, which is actually pretty good value for Kyle Lowry, even though it's Orlando's pick (and they're pretty much a lock to be in the bottom six first-rounders).

3) A clear path of playing time for Mike Conley. Ever since Conley started getting big-time minutes, there's been a bit of a shadow cast over his name because of Kyle Lowry's decent play this season. Now that the preverbial "monkey" has been taken off his back, Conley becomes a solid starter in most 12-team leagues for the rest of the year. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading our continued coverage of the NBA Trade Deadline... for more trade analysis from previous deals, scroll down just a bit! Have a great day!

1:50 p.m. Trade Deadline Day

2009-02-19T11:50:00.000-08:00

Alright folks… here are a few deals that went through today, along with our expert analysis.

The Bulls have traded Larry Hughes to the Knicks for Tim Thomas, Anthony Roberson and Jerome James, according to league sources as reported by ESPN.com.

In one of two deals so far today, the Knicks acquired Larry Hughes, who could play a decent role for New York. He won’t get a ton of minutes, but there’s a possibility for court time behind Chris Duhon, Nate Robinson and Quentin Richardson. The Bulls, on the other hand, got Thomas (again) and a couple other players they may never use. Tim Thomas sulked his way out of town last time, but hopefully he’s grown up a bit and can contribute in Chicago’s ever-expanding frontcourt.

Bobby Brown has reportedly been traded to Minnesota along with Shelden Williams in exchange for Rashad McCants and Calvin Booth.

Another small deal here. The main pieces are McCants and Williams, who’ll both remain bench players, but could see court time. Shelden Williams will help short up a decidedly shallow frontcourt in Minnesota, teaming with Kevin Love, Craig Smith and Jason Collins to try and fill Al Jefferson’s enormous shoes. Sacramento receives McCants, who despite his sometimes-explosive array of offensive moves, has been a major disappointment for Minnesota. In an off-the-bench role behind the likes of Kevin Martin and Beno Udrih, McCants could offer some three-point shooting in Sacto.

ESPN.com is reporting that the Knicks have traded Malik Rose's expiring contract to Oklahoma City for Chris Wilcox and his expiring deal.

There’s no way Wilcox is happier with this deal than the previous one with New Orleans, but at least he’s out of Oklahoma City. This trade has interesting implications with David Lee, Jared Jeffries and Al Harrington around, and they all could lose a little playing time now that Wilcox is around. On the flipside, Malik Rose will continue to have ZERO value for your fantasy team.

Continue to check back for more updates later today, and for our complete analysis of the Drew Gooden/Salmons, etc. deal, look below!

11:17 AM, Trade Deadline Day

2009-02-19T07:17:00.000-08:00

The trade deadline is here! The Pulse is your source for in-depth analysis on each trade, so keep checking back for updates!

First off, let’s talk about the most recent trade: John Salmons and Brad Miller to Chicago for Andres Nocioni and Drew Gooden.

Chicago

The first thing we see in Chicago is another logjam at the center/power forward position, and this time, the center is legit. Brad Miller comes to town and will immediately (when healthy) start for the Bulls. This downgrades Joakim Noah considerably, but probably hurts Tyrus Thomas a bit less. Thomas will still play an athletic “4” spot for Chicago, and being that Miller isn’t a prolific rebounder or shot-blocker, things should be fine. And the fact that Andres Nocioni was shipped out definitely thins the frontcourt depth behind Thomas.

The two players that are likely to see the biggest decrease are John Salmons and Luol Deng, as they both play the small forward position. Salmons will see big minutes off the bench, and we could see coach Vinny Del Negro letting the two battle it out for the starting role. Both players will be fringe starters in 12-team leagues for the time being.

Derrick Rose now has a couple more nice options, so his assists could certainly increase, and because Chicago isn’t completely out of the playoff race, they could be a scary no. 6 seed in the postseason.

Sacramento

I love Sacramento’s side of this trade, if only because it gives some younger players a chance to shine. Immediately, you have to notice Spencer Hawes will hop into the starting lineup full-time now that Miller is gone. Al Horford-like numbers could be on the way… think double-double with two blocks. He’s a huge winner here.

Drew Gooden’s current injury situation will probably allow Jason Thompson some good minutes for the time being, but he’ll share with Andres Nocioni anyway. That, and if Gooden has some sort of miraculous recovery from what’s been called a “sports hernia”, he could slice into Hawes’ minutes, too.

Francisco Garcia wins too – John Salmons was blocking his playing time, and now he’ll get upwards of 30 minutes a night for the rest of the year.

I’m excited for how this baby’ll play out – good things ahead!

Tyson Chandler to Oklahoma City

2009-02-17T14:05:00.000-08:00

Tyson Chandler was traded to the Thunder for Chris Wilcox and Joe Smith, along with the 50th pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. It's a salary-based trade, and here's the fallout:

When it comes to making trades in the NBA, teams are a lot more strange than us Fantasy GMs. They think a lot more about money and long-term advantages than short-term gain (unless, of course, a championship is a possibility). In the case of the recent Tyson Chandler trade, the Hornets didn't feel like they could win a title, and instead got rid of a bit of a cancer on their team.

Hornets

New Orleans loses a great rebounder and alley-oop finisher in Tyson Chandler, but the truth is, he wasn't much of a scorer. In Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox, the team adds valuable frontcourt depth - something that was exposed when Chandler and David West went down before the All-Star Break. Both Smith and Wilcox can score as well, and it's likely Wilcox gets the remaining starts at center this year.

Expect him to contribute around 10-12 points and 6-8 rebounds a night, as long as he stays healthy and starts. Wilcox seems to be the biggest winner in this deal.

Thunder

Oklahoma City has some pretty obvious reasons for landing Chandler - I mean, the guy is a rebounding machine (when healthy), and he's still a young player. As a member of the Thunder, he'll have plenty of rebounding opportunities, but it's likely that with Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant around, the scoring chances will be few and far between.

Good news, though - the blocks should go up, as the perimeter defense will likely filtered to Chandler instead of having opposing point guards systematically locked-down by Chris Paul on most nights.

Chandler could be "the missing piece" in OKC's development puzzle... this team should grow into a contender over the next few years.

Marion and Banks for O'Neal and Moon

2009-02-13T10:55:00.000-08:00

The Miami Heat have agreed to trade Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to the Raptors for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon. The deal that everyone has been talking about has finally happened. It's not exactly an earth-shattering deal with regards to value, but there are a lot of slight increases.

Winners

The Raptors as a whole should see an increase since they will likely push the ball more with Marion in and J.O. out. They'll get more possessions, and more possessions mean more fantasy goodies.

Shawn Marion will get some more value based on the similarities of the Raptors and the Phoenix team he played for last season. Marion isn't great at creating his own shot, so Calderon and Bosh should help him get more space and give him more lanes in which he can cut to the hoop much like Nash and Stoudemire did in previous years. Toronto is 26th in turovers forced, so hopefully Marion can contribute in steals. Marion should also get his old number back, too (Ricky Davis had 31 last year).

Andrea Bargnani will now be the unquestioned center for Toronto. Bargnani posted his largest lines with J.O. out with injury. Andrea should be able to get a slight increase in points, rebounds, field goal percentage, and blocks. He'll likely have to guard a larger opponent which will help him gets some blocked shots while playing weak side D in the post. J.O. out of town also decreases his chances that he falls off the fantasy map like he has so many times.

Michael Beasley will likely slide into the starting small forward spot for the Heat. Beasley didn't really see an increase in production while Marion was out with injury. However, Beasley injured his knee around the same time which could have affected his minutes. Beasley should see more minutes, point, and triples for the rest of the season.

Jermaine O'Neal becomes the only true big man for Miami. O'Neal probably has the best chance of breaking out in this deal considering his lack of competition. He will certainly increase his seven RPG and likely increase his 14.3 PPG. On the other hand, taking on the bulk of the weight down on the blocks only increases the likelihood that his knee injury comes back to bite him.

Marcus Banks gets packaged with Shawn Marion yet again and gets an increase in value. Banks became relevant last year after seemingly the entire Heat team couldn't play due to injury. He goes from finite value to small value because Banks will need Calderon to suffer an injury (likely a hammy), but Roko Ukic looked great Wednesday night against the Spurs. Banks shouldn't be added yet, but you never know.

Other Winners: Joey Graham, Jason Kapono, and Chris Quinn

Losers

Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony, Jamaal Magloire, and Mark Blount will all move down one spot to make room for J.O. Udonis is really the only guy that's owned in most leagues, but he should probably be cut in 10-team leagues.

Jamario Moon could move into a starting role for Miami, but he'll have to compete with Michael Beasley. Beasley should win the job which would relegate Moon to a bench role.

Ball Street Bits

2009-02-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

Let’s hit some of the injury news first:
Jameer Nelson will likely have season-ending surgery on his torn labrum. The rehab should have him ready to rock by the season opener next year. The Magic haven’t made it official yet, so Nelson owners in deeper leagues should wait to cut him until it is certain he is out for the season. Chances are that the Magic will announce it over the break and it shouldn’t hurt to hold Nelson while there are no games being played.

Ray Allen hyperextended his right thumb last night against the Hornets. A hyperextended thumb isn’t that big of a deal for a basketball player and his main problem would be pain with dribbling the ball and catching and deflecting passes. He might sit tonight, but he will probably play in the All-Star Game and next week's game.

Shawn Marion bruised his left eye orbital bone in practice on Wednesday when Michael Beasley accidentally hit him in the eye. Marion is questionable for tonight, and he should be ready for next week since it’s not the type of injury that will cause him to play differently.

Carlos Boozer has yet to begin his running regiment for the Jazz. It was previously stated he was scheduled to come back on February 17 (coincidentally the same date as Gerald Wallace), but that is looking cloudy at best. The bad news on Boozer means good news for Paul Millsap. Millsap has been struggling mightily lately and could be a good buy-low candidate. His stock is in the toilet though, so make sure you don't give up too much.

Chris Kaman is nearing a return from his left foot injury. Obviously if Kaman is on your wire, then you need to scoop him. Kaman’s return would hurt the value of Marcus Camby, Zach Randolph, and Al Thornton on some scale, but the owners of those three shouldn’t try to trade them unless the price is right.

Alright, on to last night’s action:
Raymond Felton (15 points, nine dimes, eight boards, five steals, one three, and one block) and D.J Augustin (24 points, four assists, five rebounds, four threes, and a steal) both had huge lines for the victorious Bobcats. While Raja Bell and Gerald Wallace heal from injuries both Felton and Augustin should flourish. It should be interesting to see if Felton gets dealt which would increase Augustin’s value exponentially.

Hakim Warrick scored 31 points and grabbed eight boards in 43 minutes for Memphis. The 31 points are outstanding, but season-high 43 minutes are what really catches my eye. Warrick also played more minutes in his last two games (37 and 38) than he has all year long. Rudy Gay didn’t play which is the main reason for the explosion, but it looks like it might be time to scoop Warrick for good. The Grizzlies will likely be making a deal at the deadline which could increase Hakim’s value if he stays put.

Nene Hilaro had his fourth below average game in a row with just 12 points and four boards. Nene has been getting into foul trouble which explains the dearth of stats. Over his last four games Nene has scored just 8.3 points and grabbed 6.3 rebounds. Nene’s owners might be a bit worried that Melo has hurt him drastically, but it has been the fouls.

Joe Johnson had his second good game in a row with 27 points, four dimes, and a three on 10-of-16 shooting. That’s also back-to-back games of shooting over 50-percent which hasn’t happened since November 14 and 15. Joe Cool had just one game above 50-percent for January, and these two games have certainly eased the minds of his owners over the break. Johnson should be a top-20 player down the stretch.

Charlie Bell dropped 20 points in 35 minutes for the Bucks. He should be owned in all 14-team leagues at this point. Keith Bogans might factor into the rotation as the season progresses, so don’t expect 20 from the Spartan on a regular basis.

T.J. Ford (14 points and 13 dimes) and Jarrett Jack (21 points, six dimes, two steals, and two threes) both put up big numbers for the Pacers. It seems congratulations are in order if you held onto Ford and he should continue to be a force for the remainder of the season as long as he’s healthy. On the other hand, Jack’s numbered spiked based on Mike Dunleavy struggling with his knee. Jack will have value in 12-team leagues while we wait for the news on Mike D.

The Rockets had a multitude of solid lines against the Kings. Yao Ming (24 points, 18 boards, a steal, and a block), Ron Artest (19 points, three treys, four dimes, and a steal), Luis Scola (19 points, 11 rebounds, and a steal), and Shane Battier (five points, five steals, a block, and a three) all had solid outings. Rafer Alston dropped $1.30 (that’s 13 dimes), but shot just 2-of-10 from the floor for five points. The news on McGrady looks pretty grim, so all the Rockets should see an increase in value. Owners in shallow leagues can probably cut McGrady.

Deron Williams had yet another huge game with 31 points, 11 assists, and a steal on 12-of-17 shooting. Deron is the second best PG in fantasy and should be a top-10 performer for the remainder of the season.

Lamar Odom scored 19,grabbed 19 rebounds, blocked two shots, and stole one in another monstrous game for the Lakers. Hello! L.O. has averaged 18 boards in his last three and could be a top-50 option as long as Andrew Bynum stays on the shelf. Odom owners might want to keep an eye on Bynum’s rehab and try to ship him before your league’s trade deadline.

Nate Robinson had the best inch-for-inch game in the history of fantasy basketball last night against the Clippers (quick, call the hyperbole police on me!). His line was 33 points, 15 dimes, nine rebounds, two threes, and five steals. Nate also only had one turnover, played 52 minutes and chucked up 11 three-point attempts for the Knicks. Nate Rob would become a top-40 option if the MRI on Duhon’s bum ankle comes back with any significant ailment.

Baron Davis scored 13 points, made two triples, grabbed six boards, had 20 assists, blocked one, and stole one last night against the Knicks. He also only shot 5-of-17, but the six-cat line leaves a nice taste in the mouth of Baron’s owners over the break. The Clippers made 15 triples which was the primary factor in Baron’s high dime output. BINGO!!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the All-Star festivities in the Valley of the Sun.

2009-02-11T05:20:00.000-08:00

Kevin Love - Minnesota

Season Stats (January-per game):
16.8 pts, 3.95 reb, 2.95 ast, .68 stl, 0.5 blk. Shooting: 50.7% FG, 88% FT, 1.7 - 3pts made.

Thanks to a torn ACL, Al Jefferson is lost for the season. This is by far the worst injury of the year, and if you had Jefferson then believe me – I feel your pain, and despair for that matter. Dude was a rock, arguably an All-Star, and one of the most consistent players for fantasy owners. Plus he was a center, and we all know that quality centers are becoming more and more scarce these days. Still, there’s no point in mourning the loss for the rest of the season. If you’re in a shallow league, there’s a decent chance that Kevin Love is available on the wire. If you see him, snatch him up fast. If he’s gone, then he’s a good player to make a trade offer for, because his numbers will almost certainly go up. He’s already started the past three games for the T’Wolves, and has been playing at a higher level for the past couple of weeks. His numbers since January 2nd: 12.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, .5 blocks, 53 percent from the field, 81 percent from the line. His numbers should get better as he gets used to playing bigger minutes.

Read the rest of Brian Lucero's weekly waiver-wire picks here at Fantasy Basketball.com!

Adam Morrison traded to the Lakers

2009-02-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

So long, Adam.

The Charlotte Bobcats sent Morrison and forward Shannon Brown packing today, and in return received the Lakers' Vladamir Radmanovich.

This trade immediately impacts Charlotte's rotation. The Bobcats' Boris Diaw stands to lose some value with the presence of another smooth-shooting power forward. Expect Radmanovich to average 15-20 minutes per game, which is a larger role than he had with the Lakers.

In Los Angeles, there should be very little impact. The deal simply provides some extra backcourt depth, which is something they already had plenty of.

Look for more trade news and analysis here at The Pulse and on our home web site at FantasyBasketball.com!

Week 16 Fantasy Guide

2009-02-06T06:19:00.000-08:00

Each week, the writers of FantasyBasketball.com offer their thoughts, opinions and statistical research to get your lineup in tip-top shape. Here's an excerpt from our "Starts vs. Sits" section of the Guide...

Riding the Pine

Randy Foye, Minnesota Timberwolves – It’s been a tough stretch for Mr. Foye – he’s shooting 34% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc over the past eight games, which really isn’t helping the Wolves one bit. Yeah, he’s scoring 17.8 points, 5.9 assists and 1.75 threes per game over that stretch, but in a one-game week, your percentages are liable to take a nasty hit. Minnesota’s increased level of competition has found Foye drawing tougher on-ball defenders. Expect him to adjust and start making a higher rate of his shots, but bench him next week.

Get 'em in your lineup

Antonio McDyess, Detroit Pistons – Have the Pistons finally found a center? Antonio McDyess sure looks like a man on a mission lately, putting up 49 rebounds in the past four games (12.25). If Dice keeps cleaning the glass like this, and getting a ton of minutes (32.75, past 4), he’s worth a start/pick-up in 12-team formats. It’d be nice to get some more points, but let’s not get too picky.

Read the rest of the Weekly Guide here!

2009-02-03T08:02:00.001-08:00

Raja Bell - Charlotte

Season Stats (January-per game):
16.8 pts, 3.95 reb, 2.95 ast, .68 stl, 0.5 blk. Shooting: 50.7% FG, 88% FT, 1.7 - 3pts made.

Raja Bell started the season well enough, then seemed to be reverting to the inconsistent player he was last season. Then, of course, he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats and has been flying under the radar ever since. He missed five games at the beginning of January, but since then he has averaged 16.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 three pointers per game over the past three weeks. The biggest difference is that he is playing no less than 34 minutes over the past 10 games and is averaging over 12 shot attempts per game. He’s shooting 51 percent from the field, 36 percent from downtown, and 88 percent from the free-throw line in that span. The injury to Gerald Wallace certainly won’t hurt Bell’s production, but he was playing well and getting plenty of shot attempts even with Wallace in the lineup. That’s encouraging since his value shouldn’t be affected much – if at all – when Wallace does return. If you’re in a 10 or 12-team league, he is well worth adding at this point.

Pick and Roll Radio Show tonight!

2009-01-28T16:37:00.001-08:00

Check us out here! Live from 7:00-8:00 Central time (8:00-9:00 EST).

2009-01-27T22:00:00.000-08:00

Monta Ellis - Golden State

Season Stats (per game):
15 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 0.5 blk, 2 TO. Shooting: 40% FG, 57.1 FT, 2 - 3pts made.

It’s possible that Ellis has been stashed away on someone’s roster all season, but if he’s been left out there on the wire and no one has picked him up yet, pick him up immediately. In his two games back, he’s averaged 15 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one thee-pointer. He’s shooting 40 percent from the field and 57 percent from the free-throw line, but those numbers will improve once he gets a few more games in. He shot 53 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free-throw line last season. There are a ton a players in Golden State that have been getting minutes sporadically all season, but Ellis is sure to be a fixture in the starting lineup from here on out.

Check out the rest of this week's pickups at FantasyBasketball.com!

- FantasyBasketball.com Writer Brian Lucero

Marvelous Monday

2009-01-26T20:54:00.000-08:00

Each day, we're going to try and post SOMETHING on The Pulse. On Mondays, we'll call it "Marvelous Mondays" or something. It's a fluid name right now because I just made it up. Anyway, here are the top three lines from Monday night.

Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets - 27 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists, seven steals, 7-of-13 FG, 12-12 FT.

Um, CP3 just showed everyone why it's important to make him a top 2 pick in EVERY SINGLE LEAGUE for the second half of the season. He and LeBron James are in a class of their own, and it's become apparent that he can pick teams apart whether or not David West is playing. And yes, that's a scary thing.

Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat - 35 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals, 13-of-19 FG, 9-10 FG.

Wade scored 37% of his team's points last night, and continues to keep the Heat afloat while Shawn Marion deals with a tough groin injury. If there's one glaring weakness in his game, it's Wade's inability to hit the three-point shot. Luckily for him, his mid-range game is deadly, so defenders still have to respect any hesitation or ball fake. Another really stellar line from Wade last night.

Amar'e Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns - 22 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, 9-of-13 FG and 4-4 FT.

Not since December 6 has Amar'e tallied 15+ rebounds, so last night's explosion was a welcome sight. Let's hope collectively that Stoudemire can keep his intensity level this high on a more regular basis... our preseason top 5 pick is hovering around #9 at the moment.

And now, the worst line of the night, brought to you by Mike Gallagher's singing voice...

Ron Artest, Houston Rockets - 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists.

When you look at Artest's on-the-surface line, it's not so bad, considering it's his second game back after a seven-game absence. But when you check his shooting numbers, it's enough to make you head to the restroom and toss up your dinner. Artest hung a 4-for-19 (21%) shooting line from the field and a somehow-worse 1-of-10 from three-point range. He did, however, make both of his free-throw attempts. As of press time, there was no apology issued to fantasy owners by Artest or on his behalf.

Code Redd

2009-01-25T12:23:00.000-08:00

An MRI revealed that Michael Redd has torn his ACL and MCL in his left knee. This devastating news will end his season and require surgery. Most ACL surgeries require at least eight months of rehab and Redd could miss the beginning of next year, too.

The Bucks will need to fill a major hole since Redd was playing 38 MPG and averaging 24.2 PPG this calendar year. There's not player that can replace Redd (like Millsap and Boozer), but Milwaukee will look to get more production from their regulars in Charlie Villanueva, Richard Jefferson, Andrew Bogut, and Luke Ridnour. Villanueva stands the most to gain and goes from a sell-high player to a legitimate top-70 player.
Charlie Bell is still recovering from a sprained ankle, but upon his return he should start and get around 27 minutes. Bell is worth an add in 16-team leagues right now. The former Spartan could emerge as a 12-team player since he is capable of scoring 20 on any given night. Ramon Sessions should also see close to 30 minutes and is now worth owning in all 12-team leagues.
Scott Skiles can be unpredictable from time to time, so it wouldn't be impossible for guys like Joe Alexander, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Tyronn Lue, and Malik Allen to gain significant value.

Michael Redd Sustains Knee Injury

2009-01-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

The severity is not yet known, but Michael Redd strained his left knee Saturday night in a win over the Sacramento Kings. Redd said he landed on PG Luke Ridnour's foot after attempting a shot under the basket. According to Madison.com, Redd will undergo an MRI today (Sunday) to see if there's any severe damage. At this point, it's looking like he's day-to-day, but any tearing would keep him out for weeks-to-months. We'll have the latest updates on The Pulse and on tomorrow's Monday M*A*S*H Unit on FantasyBasketball.com.

In addition, it's time to expect more from Ramon Sessions in the coming games while Redd is sidelined. Milwaukee will have to find playmaking and long-range shooting off the bench, and he's the most likely candidate for a bump in minutes.

Updates will follow! Check back later today...

*****
Rapid Fire

New Orleans Hornets center Tyson Chandler looks to be out through the All-Star Break, so don't get your hopes up for an early return... Brandon Roy had a franchise-record 10 steals last night... LeBron James neared a triple-double with 31 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists... Brad Miller did too (14-13-9)... Caron Butler is getting back on track offensively as he put up 31 points last night. Unfortunately, he committed nine turnovers, too... Deron Williams lit up Cleveland for 16 assists Saturday night and is averaging 10.9 apg in January, up from 9.7 in all of 2008.

Saturday Morning Fantasy Basketball Blitz

2009-01-24T06:14:00.000-08:00

What's up everyone - it's the first written Saturday Morning Fantasy Basketball Blitz of the year... we decided that this would be a better way to get everyone the information. So, here goes...

Injuries

Yao Ming - The only injury of note last night... Ming left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury and did not return. X-Rays were negative, and he's day-to-day at this point.

Jamal Crawford - Crawford sustained a minor hamstring injury before the game last night and was ruled out in Monta Ellis' return.

Top Lines of the Night

Eric Gordon buried five three-pointers on the way to a career-high 41 (12-of-19 FG) points with four assists and a couple of rebounds. Kevin Durant busted out for a massive 46 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot. He cashed in from the free-throw line too... 24-of-26 from charity stripe. Gerald Wallace (28 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl, 2 blk) and Boris Diaw (26 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, blk) led the Bobcats to a big-time win over Phoenix last night. Wallace hit all three of his three-point attempts while Diaw canned 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Al Jefferson led the Wolves in rebounds and tied Randy Foye with a game-high 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting. He added two blocks on the night. Chris Paul had a nifty double-double in a losing effort last night, putting up 23 points and 12 dimes while shooting 53 percent from the field on 15 attempts. Teammate James Posey nailed seven three-pointers on 11 attempts (24 points, 4 rebounds) as well. David Lee stretched his double-double streak to six games Friday, contributing 19 points and 14 rebounds (6-of-11 shooting). Jose Calderon made a triumphant return to the starting lineup for Toronto, and helped his team with 23 points (9-for-10 FG) and 10 assists with no turnovers. Impressive. Milwaukee's Charlie Villanueva was the lone bright spot in a lopsided loss to the Hawks, tallying 27 points and seven rebounds... he also his five three-pointers in six attempts. LeBron James netted a game-winning 19-foot jumper on the way to an amazing 32-9-8-3-2 line... James added two three-pointers on the night, as well. Danny Granger (2 blocks/3 steals) paced the... uh... Pacers with 25 points, six boards and five assists last night. He also buried three triples and hit all 12 of his free throws on the night.

Unfortunate Lines of the Night...

Emeka Okafor stunk it up last night, as he was limited by Shaquille O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire. He shot just 2-of-6 from the field for a meager five-point, eight-rebound night. He didn't even register a block... ugly. Rodney Stuckey/Tayshaun Prince/Allen Iverson each struggled mightily in a blowout loss to Dallas, shooting a combined 38%. Prince and Iverson didn't offer any peripherals of note, but Stuckey added three assists with five turnovers for a rancid AST/TO ratio. The Bucks' Richard Jefferson scored just five points on 1-of-6 from the field. He only played 21 minutes in the team's embarrassing 30-point loss.

Thanks for reading today, and be sure to check out the Pulse for FantasyBasketball.com writer opinions and other thoughts during the week! The Blitz will be back next Saturday morning!

Tuesday Night Recap

2009-01-20T22:09:00.000-08:00

Line of the Night
Mike Bibby: 31 points (on 12-21 shooting), six assists, two rebounds, five three-pointers, and five steals.

Atlanta at Chicago
Mike Bibby had his best line of the year with setting a season-high in points and steals. The five steals were the most he had since 2004. Bibby was also the first player this season to drop 30 while making five from distance and stealing five. Bibby’s surprising season is primarily because of his stellar shooting (45.8-percent on the season). However, Bibby has cooled in January with only a 43.6-percent made from the floor. The 43-percent should be what Bibby shoots for the rest of the year and it’s highly unlikely he will continue his hot season. If you can get a top-40 guy for Bibby, then it would be a good idea to move him.
The window on buying low on Josh Smith is starting to close. J-Smoove (17 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists) has posted double-doubles in two straight, and has scored 19.3 PPG this month. Smoove hasn’t delivered his fantasy calling card with defense by only blocking 0.7 shots and stealing 1.3 balls per game this month. J-Smoove owners shouldn't be worried about bringing the D, but just a reminder that he blocked 2.6 shots per game over February and March last season. In previous years the main concern with Smith has been his shooting, and he has made 53-percent of his shots in his last 14 games.
Joe Johnson (16 points, five rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and two triples) continued his shooting struggles against the Bulls by just making 5-of-18 from the floor. Joe cool has failed to make 50-percent of his shots in 12 games straight. He should turn it around, but did have a rough January and February last year before getting hot in March and April. He’ll be fine.
Kirk Hinrich (13 points, eight assists, a steal, and a three) continues to show he will be valuable in the Bulls backcourt. The Bulls front and backcourt rotations are pretty deep and it can feel like a roulette table to try and predict which player will have a good game (better check which uniforms they are wearing before betting on red or black).
Drew Gooden did not play because of a sore groin and Tyrus Thomas (six points, one rebound, and four blocks) salvaged his day by providing four blocks. Tyrus is going to be a headache all year long, but he should provide value for the rest of the season. Joakim Noah (9 points, 11 rebounds, and a block) followed his 18-rebound game on Monday will 11 boards on Tuesday. He should only have short-term value while Gooden heals.
It appears that Larry Hughes will be dealt to the Nets in exchange for Bobby Simmons and Maurice Ager. The remaining Bulls would keep similar value since Simmons should provide the same amount of minutes as Hughes. Hughes would get a slight boost and hurt Keyon Dooling slightly.

Indiana at San Antonio
The Pacers were frigid Tuesday by shooting just 37-percent. Danny Granger’s (17 points, one rebound, one assist, and nothing else) 16-game streak of scoring 20-plus was snapped due to only making 5-of-15 from the floor. Don’t worry, even Batman has some bad showings (especially “Batman Forever”). Not many things positive happened for Indy, but Mike Dunleavy (15 points, three boards, and two threes) looked good, but Marquis Daniels (nothing but a rebound) played only six minutes and should be owned in only very deep leagues.
Tim Duncan (27 points, 10 rebounds, and a block) made 10-of-15 and looked great for the Spurs. Duncan had seven straight games where he didn’t shoot above 50-percent. Timmy dominated the paint and should stay the course for the rest of the year. The icing on the cake of his line was that he also made 7-of-8 from the line.
Manu Ginobili (26 points, eight rebounds, three assists, four treys, two steals and a block) filled the stat sheet and made 8-of-10 from the floor. Manu has been a bit sporadic so far this year, and it appears he might not be the super stud like last year. However, he should be the fourth or fifth best player on most fantasy rosters.
Matt Bonner (two points, seven rebounds, and a block) didn’t do much, but he’s still worth hanging onto in most leagues.

Sacramento at Denver
Just when you thought it was totally safe to play Brad Miller (two point, three assists, three rebounds, and two steals), he stunk it up for the Kings on Tuesday. Miller was coasting by averaging 25 points and 15.5 rebounds over his last two. He should be OK for the remainder of the year, but I don’t think he will drop 30 points again. The Kings let the game get away with horrible D, so a lot of garbage time hurt the Kings’ starters.

Linas Kleiza (27 points and six rebounds) set a season-high with 27 points and J.R. Smith (19 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals) had great games for Denver. J-Ruff (We got a J. Smith as J-Smoove, why not a J.R. as J-Ruff?) scored 15 in the first half and looked like he actually cared about his shot selection. It’s fairly obvious that their value is strictly short-term, and their values should plummet when Melo returns in a couple weeks. It might be a good idea to throw them into a multi-player trade.

Minnesota at Utah
Craig Smith (six points and three rebounds) continued his inconstant ways for Minnesota, and probably should not be owned due to his lack to contribute in categories other than points and rebounds. Rodney Carney didn’t score and can’t really be counted on after back-to-back duds.
On the other hand, Ryan Gomes (19 points, five rebounds, three steals, and three treys) and Sebastian Telfair (17 points, nine dimes, three rebounds, two threes, and a steal) continued to prove they should be owned in 12-team leagues.

Paul Millsap (28 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, and two steals) reminded his owners how beastly he is by making 12-of-20 from the floor. Millsap hadn’t produced much since his knee injury on January 7th, but he should be considered a number one forward until Boozer comes back. Yeah, number one forward as in top-15 player for the next three weeks. As for when Boozer comes back, I really don’t know how much he will hurt Millsap specifically. Boozer won’t be the top-20 player he was predicted to be, but he’ll be fine and should draw minutes from Millsap, Okur, and Kirilenko fairly equally. Furthermore, it’s not a guarantee that Boozer stays healthy for the rest of the year since he couldn’t really stay on the court for Cleveland a few years ago.
Andrei Kirilenko (five points, three rebounds, one steal, and a block) sprained his ankle in the game. Kirilenko wasn’t 100-percent going into the game and it seems certain that he will miss a couple games. C.J. Miles, Kyle Korver, and Ronnie Brewer should get some more minutes while AK47 isn’t loaded into the lineup.

Ball Street Journal, 1/7/2009

2009-01-07T17:13:00.000-08:00

Mike Gallagher's Ball Street Journal is right here! Check it out!

Bullish

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder: KD is starting to make Greg Oden look like Sam Bowie. Durant is the hottest player on the planet by averaging 25.6 points, (50-percent from the floor) 10 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 treys, 1.2 blocks, and one steal. It appears that Durant has finally turned the corner along with his young teammates Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green by his side. Durant mostly likely wonʼt get rid of his field goal percentage bugaboo this year, but he has been more aggressive getting to the basket for high percentage shots and doesnʽt settle for jump shots as much. Heʼll still have his weeks were he shoots below 40-percent, but KD should keep his field goal percentage above 45 for the season (currently at 47.0-percent).

Kevin Martin, Sacramento Kings: Welcome back Kid Mart! Martin returned to the court on December 30th and has been scoring over 20 each night and has averaged 30 since. Martin has looked rejuvenated since his return and has played over 37 minutes in his last three games. Martin is the unquestioned number one scoring option in Sacramento and should continue to fill it up from distance and from the charity stripe.

The downside of Martinʼs return has been the impact on his teammate John Salmons. Salmons has only averaged 12.8 points since Martin returned. Salmons owners shouldnʼt expect the 19.7 PPG he has prior to Martin hitting the hardwood again, but he should be able to put in 16 with other goodies.

Paul Pierce: The Celtics losing has been working wonders for The Truthʼs fantasy value. The Cʼs have lost three of their last four but in those games Pierce has led the team in scoring in each by dropping 28.3 PPG (on 60-percent shooting) and has made 2.5 triples per game. Pierce did have a huge game last Friday against Washington by hitting five triples on 90-percent from the floor, so those numbers are slightly skewed. Boston has a stretch of tough games coming in January and that should help prevent garbage time for the Boston studs. The other encouraging news for owners of Boston players is that Cleveland and Orlando are within striking distance and thus making it less likely that Doc Rivers rests his players down the stretch. Pierce wonʼt continue his recently offensive onslaught and his value couldnʼt get much higher, so shipping him would be advisable.

Andre Iguodala: Where was this all year? Iggy Hop has thrived in Philly since Brand suffered a shoulder injury. AI2 scored just four points in Brandʼs last game, but since he has averaged 22.4 points in those nine games and has shot over 40-percent in each of those contests. Brand will be returning in about two weeks and it remains to be seen if the can coexist. Brandʼs shoulder injury shouldnʼt linger, but thereʼs a possibility he could suffer another injury in his Achilles. Brand has played in 23 games this year and Iggy certainly hasnʼt looked like the top-25 player he was expected to be. When Brand returns Iguodala should be better than he was before the shoulder injury, but donʼt expect these numbers.

Troy Murphy: Troy Murphy has been sick recently! I mean sick as in great and not sick as the flu he has a couple weeks ago. In his last five Murphy has averaged 13.6 points, 14.6 boards, two triples, and 1.8 steals. Coach OʼBrien canʼt seem to find the third piece of the front court puzzle with Murphy and Granger. In the meantime Granger (30.4PPG in his last five) and Murph havenʼt needed any help on the offensive end.

On the other hand, it appears the Mike Dunleavy will be back very soon and some values might changing in Indy. Obviously, Marquis Daniels stands the most to lose and should be cut in shallow leagues. Troy Murphy shouldnʼt be affected much in the rebounding and triples categories, but his scoring average should drop to around 10.5. Grangerʼs numbers arenʼt in danger at all.

Eric Gordon: Gordon has been making a push for Rookie of the Year along with Mayo and Rose recently. Gordon has put up better numbers than any rookie as the Clippers continue to struggle. In his last five he has scored 25.8 PPG. Gordon might have played the full 48 minutes last night in Dallas, but he drew his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter forcing Dunleavy to put him on the bench for a couple minutes. The Clippers are extremely banged up with Baron Davis, Zach Randolph, Chris Kaman, Jason Hart, and Ricky Davis all missing time. The Clippers started Mardy Collins at the point (yes, the same Mardy Collins that couldnʽt find playing time on the short-handed Knicks). There is no way Gordon can score more than 20 each night when Baron, Z-Bo, and Kaman return and Gordonʼs value couldnʼt be higher. Sell!

Bearish

Amare Stoudemire: Standing Tall and Talented (Stat) hasnʼt been putting up many stats for his fantasy team recently and struggled handily in Terryʼs (please donʼt turn that into an acronym) system. The Big Cactus has found the fountain of youth in Phoenix and has played 36 MPG and hasnʼt skipped a game since December 12. Amare looked spectacular once Shaq was brought in last year, but Terry Porter has utilized the Diesel more than anyone could have predicted. Shaq will most likely become worn down by March at this rate, but either way donʼt worry about Amare. Thereʼs no question in my mind that Stoudemire will turn it around and Iʼd rather own him over studs like Yao, Bosh, Al Jefferson, or Tim Duncan.

Lamar Odom: LO hyper extended his knee last night against the Hornet and he is out tonight against Golden State. Odom should be cut in shallow leagues, but deeper leagues should wait for MRI results. Trevor Ariza should get a nice boost while LO is on the mend. These injuries are getting out of control!

Saturday Morning Blitz EXTRA!

2009-01-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

What’s up everyone! I had to cut the show off early today, but wanted to talk about the final four games that I was unable to mention during the short broadcast. First of all, be sure to check out the Weekly Fantasy Guide and Rankings, coming out later today!

****

Charlotte vs. Milwaukee

The Bobcats were horrid last night, shooting just 22% from the three-point line and 37.7% from the field. Emeka Okafor still had a double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blk) and Gerald Wallace picked up 11 points and nine boards in the contest. Boris Diaw made a fantasy-worthy contribution too – 16 points, six assists and three rebounds. DJ Augustin (8 pts, 1 reb, 4 ast) and Raymond Felton (10 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast) were pretty bad though… combined for 6-of-22 shooting. In Milwaukee, Charlie Villanueva decided to play basketball again, and busted out for 27 points and five rebounds… even hit two 3s! Michael Redd followed up his 25/10 outing Wednesday with a nice 31-point outburst (5 reb, three 3s). Andrew Bogut (2 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk) and Luke Ridnour (7 pts, 5 ast) were nowhere to be found, though.

LA Clippers vs. Phoenix

Baron Davis missed the game with a bruised tailbone and Chris Kaman is still out so som e weird players got minutes last night. Anyway, Marcus Camby continued destroying people on the boards to the tune of 23 rebounds with 19 points last night. Only one block though, but I’m sure you’re hardly complaining! Eric Gordon added 21 points, two rebounds and three steals on the night. *Fred Jones Sighting* (16 points, 4 ast, 3 stl.). Oh, and for those of you who thought Paul Davis might break out… two points and two rebounds in just seven minutes. Ugh. In Phoenix, Amare Stoudemire (23 pts, 8 reb.) and Shaquille O’Neal (17 pts, 9 reb.) did some pretty significant damage in the win. Steve Nash still isn’t himself (9 pts, 11 ast.) and Jason Richardson (15 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, two 3s) might be regretting the move to Phoenix, stat-wise.

New Orleans vs. Portland

David West still isn’t producing like we’re accustomed to seeing, but it’s hard to get angry when a guy puts up 25 points and four rebounds with a couple of blocks. Tyson Chandler was ejected from the game after trying to give Joel Przybilla the business. Chris Paul was his normal superhuman self, with 17 points, seven rebounds and 11 dimes in what has become a boring, but still impressive stat line. We want triple-doubles! In Portland, Brandon Roy didn’t play due to a silly hamstring injury; he may not even play Sunday. In his ‘stead, Rudy Fernandez (three 3s) had a solid game with 19 points, four rebounds and two assists. LaMarcus Aldridge managed a double-double (13/10) with five assists, but seriously, there wasn’t anything else to get excited about. Greg Oden, however, was terrible, getting just four points nad four rebounds in 16 minutes of play. Anyone else frustrated with him yet?

Utah vs. LA Lakers

Paul Millsap (16 pts, 17 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk) is back! And that means Mehmet Okur (21 pts, 10 reb, one 3-ball) doesn’t have to do all the dirty work, so his scoring goes up! In a sad turn of events, AK-47 heads back to the brink of relevance (10 pts, 2 reb, 2 stl). Ronnie Brewer broke out with 20 points, but did little else, and Deron Williams posted a double-double despite an atrocious 4-for-18 shooting night. In Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant (40 points, 7 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, two 3s) was king. Pau Gasol neared a triple-double too… 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. And yes, that’s Trevor Ariza (12 pts, 9 reb, 5 stl) and Lamar Odom (14 pts, 7 reb, 2 stl) anchoring the second unit… perhaps they’ve found their niche?

Wow, it's been awhile since we've posted.

2008-12-31T15:53:00.000-08:00

We've been VERY busy with the radio show, articles, web site maintenance and the holiday season, but we resolve that in the New Year, the Pulse will be update much more frequently.

Thanks for visiting, and be assured that more posts are in store shortly!

-FantasyBasketball.com staff

New Radio Broadcast!

2008-11-28T13:01:00.000-08:00

Starting Saturday, November 29, Fantasy Basketball.com will begin a quick 15-minute Friday review radio show called "Saturday Fantasy Hoops Update". We'll give you our reaction to the Friday games and post the show on The Pulse! Enjoy!

Check out FantasyBasketball.com!

2008-11-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

We've got all the latest trade analysis from today's moves up on our site! Click here!

Injuries galore!

2008-11-18T06:18:00.001-08:00

There's some good news and bad news... we'll start with the bad.

Tracy McGrady: After suffering a knee injury last night (yeah, it's his surgically repaired knee), McGrady said he's going to 'shut it down' for awhile. Could be a week... could be a month. Could it be more? Time will tell. I have a friend who just traded T-Mac, and he's thanking his lucky stars. The other guy? Not so much.

Ron Artest: We know how nasty ankle sprains can be at times [see: Williams, Deron and Redd, Michael], and Artest had a not-so-good sprain last night. The severity is not yet known, but we know this much: he's not playing his next game. Stinks for all those owners who thought it'd be a good idea to play him on a four-game week. What were they thinking?

Yao Ming: We'll finish with some better news - Yao Ming suffered a minor foot injury, but it looks like he'll be all good for the next game.

In all this mess, it's easy to get pissed and stop thinking, but Carl Landry, Luis Scola and Shane Battier become much better fantasy options. Scola even had 23 points, nine rebounds last night. Make the most of a bad situation!

In addition, Charlie Villanueva declared that he will NOT play tonight or tomorrow, which opens the door for Luc Richard Mbah a Moute to continue piling up points and rebounds... Last, Mikki Moore had an ankle sprain Sunday night and will miss the team's next two games. Time to get Spencer Hawes and Jason Thompson active!

Check out the hottest waiver-wire pickups at FantasyBasketball.com!

Rise of Ronnie; Whoops

2008-11-12T04:56:00.001-08:00

So we thought that 12-point, 7-assist, 7-steal line on November 9 was a D'Antoni-fueled fluke, and that we'd never see anything like that from Ronnie Brewer again. Turns out this guy has some talent, and he's ready to break out. Last night, Brewer brushed off the return of "savior" Deron Williams and busted out a 16-6-9-4 stl. line to the chagrin of C.J. Miles (15 minutes). Utah is now a fantasy basketball hotbed.

A second Utah thought: One would think that AK47 might get a little less time now that Deron Williams is starting, but remember that Mehmet Okur remains out of the lineup, and that means Kirilenko, Millsap and even Kosta Koufos are getting decent burn. Tack on Carlos Boozer's 19-point, 16-rebound effort and you've got a club Brigham Young himself would be proud of.

***

Last, we'd like to take the opportunity to apologize for NOT updating the early report that Corey Maggette would play last night. The report was rescinded at 6:30 p.m. EST and hopefully you were able to catch an update before the Minnesota/Golden State game last evening. Sorry for the inconvenience.

On that note, be sure to catch our second EVER broadcast of Pick and Roll tonight on Blogtalkradio.com OR simply listen to the archive here at The Pulse!

Corey Maggette to play tonight

2008-11-11T10:07:00.000-08:00

In a time of the season where it seems like EVERYONE is getting hurt (Marion, Harris, Smith, etc.), it seems like one guy is finally getting healthy. Corey Maggette, out with a hamstring strain (he tore it last year), is set to return tonight versus none other than the Minnesota Timberwolves. Maybe it's the prospect of facing a soft perimeter, interior and team defense that has him ready test out his leg. Either way, I'm looking forward to placing him in my lineup - every game sans Monta Ellis is golden.

In other news, we've got some great waiver-wire pickups on the fantasybasketball.com web site today (written by Brian Lucero), and the Pick and Roll radio show is back on the air tomorrow night from 7:00-8:00 p.m. (8:00-9:00 EST). We'll have Brian on tomorrow as well if you have any questions. You can reach the show at jamaal@fantasybasketball.com (anytime) or call at 1-646-378-1138.

Thursday Night Recap

2008-11-07T11:30:00.000-08:00

Houston at Portland
It’s too bad buzzer-beaters aren’t a fantasy category for Brandon Roy. Roy hit a shot with 1.9 left, then Yao took the lead back when Roy fouled him to convert a three-point play, and Roy finished the game with a 30-foot catch-and-shoot jumper at the buzzer to win the game. Roy has also hit some buzzer-beaters at the end of quarters throughout the season, too. Roy saved his game in the last few seconds, and finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, five turnovers, and a steal. Roy should be top-30 in eight and nine-category leagues.
The main fantasy player for the Blazers was Lamarcus Aldridge. He had 27 points, nine rebounds, three blocks. Oden coming back could warrant a sell-high scenario for Lamarcus, but he should be just outside of top-50 production.
Nicolas Batum got the start at the three for the Blazers and played 19 minutes. Le Frenchman scored just six, but he will do better and should be owned in deep leagues until Martell Webster returns. Travis Outlaw had a triumphant return to the bench with 14 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks, two threes, and a steal in 34 minutes. This will probably be the only time someone says, “triumphant return to the bench” for the entire season, but he should stay in that role and will produce at least until the aforementioned Webster returns. Rudy Fernandez had 15 points and knocked down three from far away. Can anyone argue that Portland isn’t the deepest team in the league?

Tracy McGrady had his best game of the season with 30 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, two steals, and one block. This was the first game that T-Mac didn’t look like he was in pain at all. Personally, I think if you can get a top-30 player for him you’d have to pull the trigger. Conversely, Yao Ming has had a terrible two-game stretch. He has only averaged 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks. Yao will definitely turn it around, so owners should be patient. Aaron Brooks continued to look solid with 14 points and two shots from distance. Brooks should be owned in 14-team leagues at this point.

Philadelphia at Orlando
Jameer Nelson had his best game of the season with 16 points, nine assists, four rebounds, two steals, and a three. When Carlos Arroyo bolted to Tel Aviv it provided Jameer with basically no competition at the one. Anthony Johnson, his backup, had no points in 12 minutes. Nelson should be owned in all leagues.
Dwight Howard had his worst game of the season for the Magic by only scoring 14 points, grabbing eight boards, and blocking three shots in his first game that wasn't a double-double. Howard got into foul trouble which affected his playing time by only getting 29 minutes (10 minutes below his average). Howard also only made just two-of-eight from the charity stripe. Most people that drafted Dwight knew that Howard was going to be bad considering he was a 59-percent shooter last year, but this year he has only made 44-percent this season. Ouch! Howard owners in roto leagues will be last the whole year, and head-to-head owners will lose that cat regardless of how many great free-throw shooters are on the team. On the other hand, Howard has blocked over four shots per night in the first five games this year.
Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis have lived up to their draft position and both scored 20 points. There was some slight concern with Turkoglu having a let down after a breakout year. Even though his scoring numbers are down, he has been getting more minutes and grabbing more rebounds.

Thaddeus Young led the Sixers in scoring with 19 points. Surprisingly, Young leads the team in scoring this season by scoring 16.5 per game. That number doubles his average last year (8.2), and is even higher than his 14.4 average at Georgia Tech (learn something new everyday). I was pretty high on Young, but he is a sell-high candidate thus far. Elton Brand only scored six points on three-of-eight shooting. It was clearly Brand’s worst game of the year, and if there’s a way to pry him from an owner in panic, go for it!! Yes, the two exclamation points are necessary.
Andre Iguodala had his best game this season by barely missing a trip-dub with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Iggy has started very slow and has only made 38-percent of his field goals (47-percent last year). There was some concern about how Brand might hurt Iggy, but I’m still not buying it. Iggy is another buy-low guy.

Second-String Substitutions
Friday (13 game so you probably shouldn’t need these guys)
Marquis Daniels (pts, rbs, asts)
Boris Diaw (rbs, pts, asts)
Ramon Sessions (pts, asts)
DJ Augustin (asts, 3pm)
Robin Lopez (blks, rbs)
Brandan Wright (pts, rbs, FG%)
Bobby Brown (asts, pts)

Saturday (6 games)
Marquis Daniels (double dipper)
Corey Brewer (stls, pts)
Nick Young (pts, stls)
Sebastian Telfair (asts, pts)
Jeff Foster (rbs)
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (stls, blks, pts)
Nicolas Batum (stls, blks, 3pm)
Daequan Cook (3pm, pts)

Sunday (8 games)
Kyle Lowry(pts, stls, FT%)
Chris Wilcox (pts, rbs)
Paul Millsap (pts, rbs)
Trevor Ariza (stls, blks, 3pm)
Aaron Brooks (pts, asts, 3pm)
Dahntay Jones (pts)

Fantasy NBA Chat #3 with Jamaal Gilbert

2008-11-06T10:31:00.000-08:00

Join us Thursday, November 6 for a Live NBA Chat! Set up an email reminder below!

Guards Kept Down Wednesday

2008-11-05T12:46:00.000-08:00

It appears that Deron Williams, Chauncey Billups, and Allen Iverson will miss their games tonight. The NBA has 13 games on the docket, so there are probably some decent options on your bench to plug in for these studs. Rodney Stuckey will get one more chance to shine after his weak nine-point performance on Monday night, so make sure he's in your lineup tonight. Rip Hamilton also has a great chance to lead the team in scoring without The Answer, too. If there's time, scooping Anthony Carter for tonight could provide some short-term dividends. If you're really desperate in a very deep league Ronnie Price could contribute in Deron's absence.

Allen Iverson to Detroit; Billups to Denver!

2008-11-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

We'll have more "update-related" material later today, but here's the latest news: Allen Iverson was traded to Detroit today for Antonio McDyess and Chauncey Billups. The deal is all but done, and none of the players involved in these trades were at their respective teams' practice. Let's take a look:

DETROIT

A lot of people think Rodney Stuckey is going to start now... that's not really how I feel. Richard Hamilton and Allen Iverson are the logical starters here, and it's quite possible that their value goes down instead of up. We all know Iverson likes to shoot, and that's exactly what should worry Hamilton and Stuckey owners. For the players involved, the best case scenario is to put Iverson at SG, Stuckey at PG and to bring Hamilton off the bench. That way, We'll see Hamilton get his shots on the second team without having to fight Iverson all the time. Any way you slice it, Allen Iverson is going to steal production from Stuckey/Hamilton because of his "scoring point guard" mentality. Billups simply was not the threat that Iverson is.

In the frontcourt, we'll see a lot of more of Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell, and it's probably time to pick both of them up, because with Iverson chucking up shots all game long, there are certain to be more rebound opportunities. Johnson still looks like the better option of the two, though, and will see a slight bump in production with increased minutes.

DENVER

The Nuggets struck gold in this trade, as they've been looking for a point guard since Andre Miller left two years back. Former Colorado Buffalo Chauncey Billups comes full circle in his career, and is an adequate scorer and solid distributor, as we know. What he does for Denver is provide J.R. Smith with a more solidified role in the offense while have the size and strength to match up with some of the bigger Western Conference guards. Don't expect a large statistical change in Denver, other than a few more assist opportunities.

As far as McDyess is concerned, his role is the same: provide big-man depth. And it should be mentioned that he returns to the place where he became a star in the NBA... unfortunately his body betrayed him and he was relegated to a largely below-the-rim repertoire.

Pick and Roll Radio Show!

2008-11-01T07:18:00.001-07:00

Like FantasyFootball.com, FantasyBaseball.com and FantasyHockey.com before it, FantasyBasketball.com will be debuting a weekly hour-long radio show this Wednesday (Nov. 5) and every Wednesday during the NBA season from 8:00-9:00 p.m. EST. Hosted by FantasyBasketball.com content manager Jamaal Gilbert and co-hosted by various staff writers, Pick and Roll will bring you the latest player updates, injury news, and player usage discussion while answering your emails, phone calls and even text messages during the show! Get ready for our top waiver pickups, expert trade advice, lineup discussions and featured segments as we move forward!

You’ll be able to access our show 100% FREE right here on the web site, and our archives will be stored here all season long for accountability and posterity. Simply click on the radio show link on the left side of your browser and get a weekly download of top-quality fantasy advice!

Thanks for choosing FantasyBasketball.com, where we work hard to bring you the best fantasy basketball information in a variety of formats. Enjoy the show!

Thursday Night Recap

2008-10-31T02:17:00.000-07:00

Check out the Week 2 Fantasy Guide at FantasyBasketball.com!

Line of the Night: Yao Ming had 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting and 8-of-8 from the line, 13 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.

Charlotte at Cleveland

Lebron James continued to fill up the stat sheet by just missing a triple-double with 22 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and a block. The King was able to pull those stats in only 30 minutes, but it comes with a small grain of salt since he only made eight of his 12 free-throws. As for the other Cavs, Daniel Gibson started hot with a 20-point first half and finished with 25 points with four triples. Ben Wallace had line reminiscence of three years ago with 10 rebounds, five blocks, and a steal. Ben will be fighting with Anderson Varejao for minutes, and even though Varejao helped the team, his line was lackluster (two points, three boards, and two assists in 21 minutes). It appears at this point that both should be owned in 12-team leagues. Mo Williams had a solid line of 17 points, seven assists, a three, and a steal. Mo went from Rajon Rondo to Raymond Felton and DJ Augustin sticking him, so his numbers should fall between his two games thus far.

Jason Richardson picked up where he left off last year with 24 points, four assists, four rebounds, two three-pointers, a steal, and a block for the Larry Brown led Bobcats. DJ Augustin had a decent debut with 12 points, two assists, and four turnovers in 25 minutes. Raymond Felton, the incumbent point guard, had a terrible line of five points and five assists on one-for-10 shooting. It seems that only Richardson, Gerald Wallace (13 points, five rebounds, and two steals), and Emeka Okafor (seven ponts, 12 rebounds, and a block) will be the only Bobcats that start every game for most fantasy leagues. It ended in a blowout but don’t let the final score fool you, this game didn’t really get out of hand until halfway through the fourth quarter. At least they made their free-throws, the Bobcats made 84-percent of them for the game (71-percent last year).

Houston at Dallas

Ron Artest had his first big game as a Rocket by posting 29 points, seven rebounds, three triples, and a steal in 39 minutes. Artest seems to be meshing with the Rockets first team and his value would only increase should Tracy McGrady (16 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two steals) miss time with his two bad knees. Aaron Brooks looked phenomenal for the Rockets in the fourth quarter and had the line to show it with 14 points, five assists, and two threes. Brooks was suppose to miss time with an ankle injury, and his role could further increase when he becomes 100-percent. Brooks should be picked up in 14-team leagues for now.

Dirk Nowitzki put himself in the lead for the scoring crown by scoring 36 points for Dallas. He shot 10-for-22 from the floor and made all 14 free-throws and even blocked two shots on the defensive end. Josh Howard got off to a smoking start (28 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and a block) as well. Antonie Wright got the start for the Mavs, but only scored two points.

New Orleans at Phoenix

Tyson Chandler missed the game with a sprained ankle injury and his minutes were distributed throughout the team. David West played a team-high 41 minutes (18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals). Chris Paul just missed a triple-double with 20 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, three steals, and a three. Surprisingly, Morris Peterson led the team with 21 points and hit four from downtown. Peja Stojakovic injured his ankle and could miss some time. If that happens, Mo Pete, James Posey, and Rasual Butler will see a temporary spike in fantasy production.

One thing I had my eye on this week was whether or not Phoenix was going to defend this year with new coach Terry Porter. It looks like that question is answered by giving up 98 to the Spurs Wednesday and 108 to New Orleans Thursday. The Suns are the best team for your fantasy point guard to face thanks to Steve Nash’s D. On the other hand, the Phoenix offense is still going to be one of the best for fantasy purposes. Steve Nash had a good line of 24 points, nine assists, and two threes. Amare Stoudemire had a nice double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Matt Barnes (eight points and two threes) and Grant Hill (six points and two steals) combined to play exactly 48 minutes, and it looks like standard leagues should act quickly on other options. Deep leagues will have a tough time adding someone with the upside of Barnes, so be patient for another week or so before you cut him.

Second-String Substitutions

Second-String Substitutions will help owners in daily leagues looking for a some guys to add-drop to get an edge towards the end of the scoring period. They are arranged for standard to deep league adds, and categories of strength are in parenthesis. You should make sure your league doesn’t have roster limits. You don’t want to lose a start from LeBron James because you played Chris Andersen.

Friday
Tim Thomas (3pm, rbs, pts)
Lou Williams (ast, 3pm, pts)
Michael Finley (pts, 3pt, FT%)
Jason Thompson (FG%, Rbs, pts)
Kurt Thomas (pts, rbs)
Chris Andersen (pts, rbs, blks, birdcalls)
Matt Bonner (pts, rbs, 3pm)

Saturday
Morris Peterson (pts, 3pm)
Russell Westbrook (pts, asts, stls, 3pm)
Trevor Ariza (3pm, stls)
Tim Thomas (3pm, rbs, pts)
Jason Kapono (3pm, pts)
Etan Thomas (rbs, blks, FG%)
Ronnie Price (asts, stls)

Sunday
Nate Robinson (pts, stls, 3pm)
Luke Ridnour (asts, 3pm, FT%)
Russell Westbrook (pts, asts, stls, 3pm)
Ryan Gomes (pts, FT%)
Quentin Richardson (pts, 3pm)
Johan Petro (rbs, blks)
Luc Mbah a Moute (stls, blks, rbs)

Fantasy NBA Chat #2 with Jamaal Gilbert

2008-10-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

Join us tomorrow for Jamaal Gilbert's second FantasyBasketball.com NBA chat of the year!

Ushering in 2008-09

2008-10-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Contributed By: Jim Johnson

Beavers basketball coach Bobby Finstock kept things pretty simple in the 1985 classic Teen Wolf:

“There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours of sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese.”

It’s safe to say coach Finstock was a terrible fantasy basketball owner.

No one has time to decipher between the NBA’s Smiths (Craig, J.R., JaJuan, Jason, Joe and Josh), Johnsons (Amir, Anthony, DerMarr, Joe, Linton and Trey) and Wrights (Antoine, Brandan, Dorell, Julian and Lorenzen) after spending at least 12 hours in bed, no one knows anyone named after a city (without Googleling it) and pretty much everyone in the NBA has a tattoo, making Finstock’s starting lineup a joke, starring Brent Barry.

When the NBA fantasy season opens Tuesday, owners will need nothing but extra time to bolster lineups in a transitional year. Gone out of the top tier in drafts are former stalwarts Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion, and in are Chris Paul, Amare Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard (trust me on Superman).

The Kobe and LeBron shows are still drawing hot tickets, Dirk is still a first-rounder and even Elton Brand is reappearing early, but this season’s script will be written by up-and-coming stars who were attending prom when Shaq was averaging 30 points, 14 boards, four assists and three blocks a game, while shooting at a 57 percent clip in Hollywood.

Owners on the turn — 12th and 13th picks in standard 12-team leagues — are bragging about Deron Williams and Chris Bosh combinations, and the bad high school products are starting to frustrate less, because they are less (See Eddy Curry, Kwame Brown, Darius Miles). Turns out a year in college helps fantasy owners’ stress levels, too.

How good will Greg Oden be, along with the rest of the disappointing 2007 draft class (sans Durant and Horford)?

Will Mike D’Antoni’s departure from Phoenix have as much of an effect as his arrival in New York?

Will drafting Amare over LeBron at No. 2 come back to haunt me?

And can I just start the entire team that’s playing against the Golden State Warriors on any given night?

Fantasy drafts are complete, and preseason NBA trips to China, Spain and Bismarck, ND, are becoming distant memories.

It’s time to start up the message board ribbing and question owners in your league who name their teams “Testiculus Coconutus” or “70s bball shorts.”

Have an owner offer you a Joel Przybilla for Andrew Bogut trade offer because you went to the University of Minnesota and you hate Fosters beer? Feel free to bury them on the message board and offer back Daniel Gibson for Tyson Chandler, because “three points is better than two.”

Enjoy the season, because it should be filled with pleasant — and highly skilled — surprises by players not named Shaq and Hill.

And hold the cream cheese. I’ll stick with 12 or less hours of sleep, playing cards with normal people and getting involved with tattooless woman, while housing my fantasy league.

Jim Johnson is a contributor to fantasybasketball.com

Preseason Points

2008-10-24T03:08:00.000-07:00

It was preseason finale eve and some interesting happenings occurred. So let’s unwrap some fantasy presence:

Line of the night:
Spencer Hawes had a monster line of 25 points on 12-for-19 shooting, 16 rebounds, three assists, and a three. Hawes just got an extension and it didn’t take long to show there’s some potential with the Kings' new investment. Brad Miller will be suspended for the first five games and Hawes might be worth a start for the first week regardless of league depth. He may have already taken the Spence out of suspense for those waiting to see if he is a capable NBA player for Sacramento.

Atlanta at Detroit
Maurice Evans stepped into the starting role for Joe Johnson and Maurice didn’t post big numbers. Evans played 41 minutes scored 14 points on five-for-13 shooting and missed all seven attempts from three. Evans didn’t contribute much else. On the other hand, Flip Murray had a solid line consisting of 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists, a three-pointer, a steal, and a block. Evans and Murray are both expected spell the backcourt with regularity along with Acie Law (six points, three assists, two rebounds, and a three). Moreover, Evans was brought in to fill the void of Josh Childress, and he’s not off to a good start. J-Chill shot 57-percent from the floor last year, and Evans has only shot 38.5-percent in his last five preseason games. Evans did shoot 49-percent last year for Orlando, but Orlando is a better team and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say Evans might lose his sixth manhood to Law or Murray.
Most important point: Stats aside, Law, Murray, and Evans have looked pretty good, but for my money I’m taking Acie Law be-IV(four) any other ATL reserve.

There are a lot of breakout candidates on the Pistons this year. The cat is outta the bag on Rodney Stuckey being the sixth man for the aging Pistons. Stuckey really shined last year once the Pistons were set with the two seed in the east and averaged 14 points and four assist in 27 minutes for April. Stuckey did get 22 minutes in the playoffs, so he has certainly proven he has a role with everyone active. Stuckey has looked great this season, but he had his worst showing in the preseason Thursday night by missing all nine of his shots in the first half and finishing three-for-18 from the floor. Stuckey is still worthy of a pick near 100.
Rasheed Wallace didn’t play and Antonio McDyess got the start, but Detroit gave Jason Maxiell a long look. Max played 36 minutes and scored 13 with eight boards. Max will be competing with Amir Johnson for minutes and Amir wasn’t amazing. Johnson fouled out in only 15 minutes on the court. This is the second time he has fouled out this preseason, and he also had five fouls in 18 minutes in another game. It’s pretty easy to draw comparisons to Andray Blatche considering Amir is a solid shot blocker and has been fouling a ton.
Most important point: Amir has certainly looked like he can add some blocks and boards to your fantasy team, and he has received moreminutes than Max, too. However, his propensity to hack will curtail his progress. Furthermore, with so many guys with upside and a new coach in Detroit, fantasy owners will want to keep a watchful eye on which players get minutes (or at least check back with us here even though I can't keep my most important point to one point).

Milwaukee at Minnesota
Luke Ridnour has apparently pulled away from Ramon Sessions for the starting point guard spot. Luke had 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds, two threes, and a steal in 27.5 minutes. Sessions only scored two and added zero dimes in nine minutes. Luke has been getting a lot more run for the last few games and it appears he will be able to get 30 minutes each night. Andrew Bogut missed the game with his ankle injury, but he should be ok for the opener and shouldn’t be dropped on cheat sheets more than a few spots. Charlie Villanueva got a light night of work after his stellar preseason which is likely a sign he has a secure role even with the addition of Richard Jefferson.
Most important pointS:Luke has the job, but he does have knee issues, so deep league owners should hold onto Sessions in case of an injury. Luke should be drafted in standard leagues now, too. The Bucks appear to be fairly relevant with all five starters being fairly fantasy friendly for the foreseeable future (say that three times fast).

Al Jefferson was very efficient by making seven-of-eight from the floor and making all five of his free-throws for 19 points in 25 minutes. Big Al was not quite outdone by Kevin Love who scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in only 21.6 minutes. Love also added a three-pointer, which was his first made in five attempts this preseason. The fact that Love is shooting from deep will hurt his field goal percentage much like Josh Smith. Rashad McCants has also performed quite well off the bench, and might even have more value than Manu Ginobili for the whole season (having a two month head-start certainly helps)
Most important point: If you’re the patient type, Kevin Love should be a legit pick around 100.

Indiana at Dallas
There doesn’t appear to be too much in question within Indiana. Marquis Daniels certainly helped himself with a nice 22 and nine line while filling in for Mike Dunleavy. Brandon Rush had some strong showings early, but finished on a down note with only two points on 12.5-percent shooting. TJ Ford nearly got a triple-double with 19 points, nine dimes, and seven assist. Danny Granger scored 24 with a couple threes and making all 12 of his free-throws.
Most important point: TJ Ford is the real deal. If he can stay healthy he should have no problem being a starting PG for many fantasy teams.

The Dallas is pretty much set with their rotation as well. Antoine Wright looks like he’ll be starting at the two, but despite his team and potential, he will likely be irrelevant in standard leagues. Wright scored four points in 14.8 minutes. Jason Kidd could only add three points, however he added six assists and eight boards.
Most important point: Jason Kidd is going to kill your fantasy team’s field goal percentage regardless of the team. It looked like he was going to be better once the trade happened when he shot 50-percent in his first six games, but then he shot only 40.6-percent in the remaining 23 games last season.

Miami at New Orleans
Dorell Wright returned to action and scored nine and joins several Heat players that mattered in fantasy last year, and won’t matter this year. On that note, Chris Quinn made two of his four free-throws and missed all three shots from the floor. For the guys that matter, Beasley scored 14 and has continued to look like he is the favorite for Rookie of the Year. Udonis Haslem had his most inefficient line by only scoring four and pulling down seven boards in 27.3 minutes. Erik Spoelstra gave Mario Chalmers another long look with 10 points, five boards, and zero assists in 26 minutes. Marcus Banks added nine with a three and a steal in 21 minutes.
Most important point: Mario Chalmers has been better as the preseason has progressed and should probably be the first Miami point guard taken after pick 175.

The beat goes on for New Orleans as CP3 had 13 dimes, Chandler grabbed 10 boards, and David West scored 22.
Most important point: CP3=PN1 (pick number one)

Oklahoma City at Phoenix
Russell Westbrook had a very nice eight-cat line with 22 points on seven-for-13 shooting, he made all six from the line, had four assists, six rebounds, a steal, and two threes. However, he had eight turnovers in the loss. Kevin Durant played 36 minutes and scored 19, and Jeff Green looks like a legit pick after 100 as he 12-point and seven-rebound line.
Most important point: Earl Watson didn’t play and should Watson get hurt or be traded Westbrook will be a serviceable fantasy starter.

Amare Stoudemire dislocated his left pinkie after scoring 17 in the contest. Amare should be fine considering it is only his pinkie and it is on his non-shooting hand. If Kobe can play with torn ligaments in his pinkie, Amare will be fine. Don’t worry. Anyway, Matt Barnes returned to the starting squad and had a solid line of 12 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and two threes. Barnes is going to get minutes and there might not be a better option for points with a late pick.
Most important point: Amare shouldn’t go past fourth in your drafts this weekend.

Buzzer Beaters:Not much happened in the other two games (besides Hawes), but it is worth mentioning that Tracy McGrady was grimacing due to pain, and Yao Ming had to leave the game with an apparent ankle injury. They both were fine, but don’t underestimate the fragility of Yao and T-Mac. I must also remind you that it's only preseason, so don't read too much into the trends.

Larry Hughes Out 6-8 Weeks, Kobe OK?

2008-10-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

Larry Hughes wasted no time this season getting himself injured. The brittle shooting guard dislocated his right shoulder while going after a loose ball during yesterday's game against Minnesota. This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone since history has shown us that it's not a matter of "if" Hughes will get injured, but "when" and "how". There is a silver lining, however, in that the Bulls backcourt is a little less crowded now. This is potentially good news for those who draft Ben Gordon or Derrick Rose. Ok, maybe even Kirk Hinrich.

Kobe Bryant gave us all a scare Tuesday when he hyperextended his knee. He claims that the injury is not serious and he doesn't expect to miss any games. He didn't even have an MRI. I'd keep an eye on the situation, but it seems to be a false alarm at this point.

The Ball Street Journal

2008-10-22T21:13:00.000-07:00

Bullish
OJ Mayo: Mayo has been very impressive thus far in the preseason. He hit six triples in one game which indicates he will be given plenty of opportunities to make shots from distance. This goes without saying, but Mayo chucking triples will hurt his field goal percentage so if you‘re going to draft guys like Bibby, Kidd, Crawford, Alston, or Carter you might want to steer clear (unless you‘re punting). Mayo got to the rack at will as a Trojan, so he should be able to keep his percentage in the neighborhood of 45-percent.
Mayo continued his torrid preseason Tuesday night with a 28-5-5 line with two steals and two triples. He also shot the ball eight times from distance and was still able to manage a 12-for-22 shooting night. Mayo is among one of the best young one-two-three combos in the league with Rudy Gay and Mike Conley Jr, so he would be an excellent keeper selection. He will have to compete with Marko Jaric and Kyle Lowry in the backcourt this season, but once he grasps the offense he should be able to get 15 PPG in about 30 minutes. Please note that I didn’t make a Mayo joke, but I’m sure you’ll hear them all by season’s end.

Kevin Martin: It is kind of difficult for a number one scoring option to gain value in the preseason, but Kid Mart has looked fantastic in October. Martin was involved enough last season with Ron Artest and Mike Bibby on the team and their departure could lead to Martin having the ball in his hands comparable to Kobe Bryant. Martin scored 27 points in the first half of last Wednesday night’s affair.
While the Kings were missing Artest and Bibby in the beginning of the last season, Martin was a top-20 option for eight category leagues for a long stretch. Brad Miller and John Salmons are pretty much the only other offensive options in Sacramento and Kid Mart should be among league leaders for scoring. Don’t let the low-top sneakers fool you, Kevin brings a big fantasy game.

Kenyon Martin: The Blue Light Special is apparently powder blue this year. Kenyon Martin has looked solid for the Nuggets this month. Martin has exhibited plenty of hustle this preseason, and with the Camby giveaway he has ample opportunity to get on the court and fill several categories for your fantasy team. Unfortunately, Martin hasn’t been the healthiest of Bearcats lately, but neither has Nene and chances are whichever player goes down the other’s stock should increase exponentially.

Brook Lopez: Lopez slipped in the draft to 10th, and probably couldn’t have gone to a worse team for fantasy purposes. The Nets are loaded in the frontcourt and Lopez will need to fight with Yi Jianlian, Sean Williams, and Josh Boone for significant minutes. Fortunately, he is the best rebounding big of the bunch, but he will need to work on his offensive game to contribute on a regular basis. If you need boards and blocks dipping into the well (or Brook) late in the draft might not be too crazy.

Thaddeus Young: The Sixers made one of the biggest splashes this year in adding Elton Brand. You’d think that Brand would hurt Young’s value, but the opposite might be true. Young will be playing the three and having AI2 and Andre Miller at the guard positions should create some spacing for him to get easy shots. The Sixers have Brand and Dalembert down low which will help Young on both ends. He will be able to take more chances on D, and he will have more open looks from deep due to the doubles that Brand will be attracting from the opposition.

Andrea Bargnani: I know you’ve heard this song and dance before, but once again he looks like a bargain-ani late in drafts. He scored 19 points, grabbed seven boards, and even blocked three shots in the Nugget game on Tuesday. The blocks are likely an aberration since he blocked three shots in only three games last year. He is going to need a lot of minutes in that offense to be productive. His minutes went down from 25.1 in his rookie campaign to 23.9 last year. He has been scoring throughout the preseason and expecting 15 points with some triples and boards wouldn’t be too lofty. Some players have taken three years to emerge though. He drew comparisons to Dirk when he was drafted, and Dirk took three years to hit the 20 PPG mark. Toronto is very deep, but there’s a good chance that Bargnani, a former number one overall pick, will get more PT than Jamario Moon or Anthony Parker. Furthermore, If Jermaine O’Neal can’t stay healthy Bargnani could get 30-plus minutes at the four.

Udonis Haslem: Jamaal Magloire’s injury has really given Haslem a chance to contribute for the Heat once again. Haslem scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in 38 minutes in Tuesday's game. Haslem also added a 16-11 line in 34 minutes on Saturday, too. He won’t get a chance to start from his natural position at the four, but he has been playing the five alongside of Marion and Beasley. Marion might also get traded and Haslem will have more opportunities to get more fantasy stats. You could certainly do worse after pick 100.

Bearish

Steve Nash: Nash sprained his ankle in his last Wednesday night's contest. The sprain is not considered to be serious, but that’s just one of the concerns for Nash this year. There has been talk that the Canadian’s minutes might fly south for the winter to make sure he‘s ready for the playoffs. Head Coach Terry Porter would like to limit him since there was some concern that he wore down towards the end of the season. Nash had 19.6 PPG in November and only 11.9 in April with every other month‘s total falling in between.
The Seven Second Offense is longer under the hot Phoenix sun. However, don’t be overly concerned since Nash was productive in other offenses with a 15-point, nine-dime line in his last year with Dallas. Phoenix added another player that can keep up with Nash’s pace in Matt Barnes, too. Nash has plenty of talent around him, and shallow depth at his position in the league, therefore he’s still worth a pick in the 15-20 range for most formats.

Lamar Odom: Odom is currently struggling for the starting nod with Trevor Ariza and Vladimir Radmanovic at the three. It seems fairly certain that he will be the sixth man for Los Angeles, but starting isn’t as important these days (consider Manu). There is cause for concern with all the talent in the frontcourt for the Lakers since Pau Gasol and Bynum weren‘t on the court at the same time. Recently, Odom’s pathetic 3-1-3 line in 20 minutes on Tuesday night won‘t help his case. Scoring isn’t everything, but Ariza has also outscored Odom in every preseason game this season. Odom will need to be traded to be the fantasy stud we've all known and loved, but drafting a player in hopes that he gets traded doesn’t make sense.

Trying to figure out the Knicks’ backcourt: Mike D’Antoni seems to like the Duhon-Marbury combo in the backcourt and that doesn’t bode well for Jamal Crawford. Crawford is the most talented guard on the team, and he will be a solid option regardless of his role. It wouldn’t be totally crazy if Marbury started though. One major indication is the +/- stat. Marbury’s this preseason is +39, and Crawford’s is -52. Yikes! It's not time to totally disregard Jamal, but he's certainly not someone to target in a draft this weekend.
Nate Robinson also seems to be on the cusp of emerging this year. Nate scored more than 25 in back-to-back games, and there’s a chance that Nate could be used similar to Barbosa off the bench. Nate isn’t a great three-point shooter, but he has been much better this preseason (12-for-26 from deep in his last four preseason games). The only thing certain about the Knicks’ backcourt is that nothing is certain, so draft with caution.

Live Fantasy NBA Chat #1 with Jamaal Gilbert

2008-10-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

Check out Wednesday's Live Chat with Jamaal Gilbert!

Baron Davis to Miss 4-6 Weeks?

2008-10-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

Clippers Point Guard Baron Davis is already returning to his injury-plagued ways before the first regular season tipoff. Turns out Davis, a top 5 point guard in most drafts, sustained an injury to his right ring finger that is likely to require surgery. Drop him down your rankings to around #'s 8-10, but don't forget about him in your drafts. Expect Eric Gordon and Ricky Davis to pick up the scoring slack in his absence. The official diagnosis/timetable will come out later this week.

UPDATE: Davis will only miss ONE week of play... surgery was not needed.

Ankle Sprains Slow Top PGs

2008-10-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

Both Deron Williams (tonight, 10/18) and Steve Nash sustained sprained ankles over the past few days, sparking the question, "Just who in the world is taping the ankles of the NBA's top point guards?".

I'm sure it's a coincidence, but if Chris Paul and Baron Davis go down with dinged-up ankles, I'm grabbing a bag of athletic tape, pre-wrap and ankle braces and catching the first flight to New Jersey. Devin Harris shall not suffer the same fate.

Haywood Possibly Out For Season, James Jones Out 3 Months

2008-10-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

The Wizards really can't catch a break lately. Brendan Haywood, who sustained a torn ligament in his right wrist during training camp, is expected to be out from 4-6 months after having surgery to repair the damage. This should increase the value of Etan Thomas and Andray Blatche, although just how much remains to be seen.

The Heat, already without newly aquired free agent Jamaal Magloire for about two months, are now facing life without free agent signing James Jones for up to three months. Jones has a ruptured tendon in his right wrist and will have surgery Saturday. That's 2-for-3 on injuries to free agents signed by Miami this season. Let's hope Livingston makes it - dude's been through enough after last season's knee injury.

Big Time Draft Tonight!!!

2008-10-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

FantasyBasketball.com has been invited to play in an industry league run by RotoExperts.com, and I - Jamaal Gilbert - will be representing our site in the draft tonight. We'll be facing the likes of ESPN.com, Rotoworld.com, Yahoo.com, Rotowire.com and more!

Here's the link where you can follow along with our draft LIVE! Results will be linked to this post as well.

Rookies to Watch

2008-10-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Owners will probably need to have a solid draft to compete, but making sure your watch list is loaded with the right players could give you an extra day to make major scoops off the waiver wire. Al Thornton, Sean Williams, Thaddeus Young, Rodney Stuckey, and Ramon Sessions weren’t picked in the top 10 in the draft last year, but they all made contributions to many fantasy teams. This year will likely be no different, so get your binoculars out, because here’s a list of guys to keep your eye on this season:

Jarryd Bayless: If you’re going to start with outside of the top ten, why not start with 11? Bayless got a major opening with the injury to Martell Webster’s foot. Bayless is going to have to play behind Steve Blake, but he has a much better ability to get to the hoop and is a better defender than the former Terp. Blake is certainly a better passer, but with Brandon Roy already on the court the Blazers don’t necessarily need another distributor. J.B. was also an 84-percent free-throw shooter last year, so should he get hacked in the lane he’ll likely lift your fantasy team’s average. He was also 41-percent from behind the college arc, and he has made two of his four attempts so far this preseason. Bayless is the only person on this list that should be drafted in standard leagues, but temper your expectations since he was a freshman when he came out, and he won’t be earning many dimes.

Brandon Rush: Yet another great college player that succumbed to injury a year prior, and that allowed him to slip all the way to 13th. Rush has great athleticism and enough experience to give him a chance to emerge in his rookie season. He’ll have to play behind Mike Dunleavy, but beyond Dunleavy there’s not much, so he has a solid chance to get 20 minutes each night. Mike Dunleavy is struggling with knee tendonitis and Rush should be able to spell him should he miss time. Another scenario would be if Troy Murphy missed time with his ailing Achilles. Should Murphy miss time Danny Granger could move from the three to the four and Rush has enough size to play the three. The Pacers don’t quite get enough respect in fantasy circles, but they led the Eastern Conference in scoring and TJ Ford will only accelerate their offense. If Rush can somehow get 30 minutes he will certainly he worth a roster spot.

Courtney Lee: Lee looked great last year in The Big Dance and slipped a lot further than he probably should have in the draft. The Magic have four sure-fire starters in Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and Jameer Nelson but the shooting guard positions is up for grabs. It appears that Jonathan Clay Redick is the frontrunner for the starting gig over Keith Bogans and Lee. Lee did play all four years at Western Kentucky and could probably contribute a lot more on a cellar-dweller than on the contending Magic. Nevertheless, Lee did average almost two steals per game, scored 20.4 PPG, and he has range even though he missed his only shot from long distance in the preseason opener.

Chris Douglas-Roberts: CDR was just as important to the Memphis Tigers as Derrick Rose last year, but his draft status wouldn’t indicate that at all. Douglas-Roberts slipped all the way to 40 in the draft and the Nets had no choice but to take him given there recent trade. The Nets shipped Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee which left a huge opening at small forward. Bobby Simmons was acquired in return and should likely get the start for New Jersey. Simmons along with Vince Carter do have durability issues and should either go down CDR will be competing with only Trenton Hassell and Jarvis Hayes. CDR has an exceptional ability to get to the hole and knows what to do when he gets there. He shot above 54-percent the last two seasons at Memphis and scored 18.1 PPG. He’s eligible at PG and SG and can certainly help in the offensive categories.

Mario Chalmers: It'd be hard to argue that Chalmers' best years are ahead of him after hitting one of the most clutch shots ever in NCAA history. Chalmers slipped into the second-round and came into a very fortunate situation. Miami does have some competition at the point this year amongst Chalmers, Marcus Banks, Chris Quinn, and Shaun Livingston. Chalmers isn’t exactly the quintessential point guard for an NBA team. He only had a 1.4:1 assist: turnover ratio last year, and only averaged 3.3 dimes per contest. However, Dwyane Wade runs the offense and assists won’t be paramount for the Miami starting PG. Chalmers didn’t show great man-to-man defense in summer leagues, so he has his work cut out for him. However, he has a strong opportunity and could emerge much like Chris Quinn did last year. Definitely rock, chalk him up to your watch list.

Robin Lopez: The second Lopez, the one with the crazy hair, went to Phoenix with the first pick outside of the lottery. Lopez is a great defensive presence and might be right up new Head Coach Terry Porter’s alley. Lopez won’t have much competition behind Shaq for minutes, but The Diesel is as reliable as he used to be, no thanks to E-85 Ethanol. Robin Lopez exhibited his ability to block shots in the outdoor game by blocking seven shots in under nine minutes of playing time. On the other hand, he did miss all four of his free-throws, but in his defense free-throws aren’t free when you’re playing at an outdoor tennis facility. If you failed to draft blocks and Shaq is unavailable for Phoenix keep a close eye on Lopez.

Bill Walker: Walker was suppose to be a lottery pick two years ago, but those hopes were dashed by an ACL tear and he didn‘t get selected until pick 47 . Walker is extremely athletic, explosive, always seems to be around the ball, and has size at 6‘6“ and 235 pounds. Walker has quickly become a crowd favorite in Boston, and he should be able to make the team. It is highly unlikely that Walker has much value until the end of the year, but if he can get double-digit minutes Walker might be able to get some serious playing time once the Celtics clinch their playoff spot, so he will probably be all on your watch list rather than your roster all year.

So what about the top 10 picks? Well here’s how I have them based on overall fantasy value:

1. Michael Beasley
2. OJ Mayo
3. Kevin Love
4. Russell Westbrook
5. Derrick Rose
6. DJ Augustin
7. Brook Lopez
8. Joe Alexander
9. Eric Gordon
10. Danilo Gallinari

Thanks for reading!

Magloire Injured, Ellis Suspended

2008-10-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Miami Heat's Jamaal Magloire has a broken left hand and is expected to miss up to eight weeks. The injury may require surgery, which would mean that he'll miss even more time than that. It's hard to imagine anyone needing to overhaul their pre-ranks over this development, but we thought you should know just in case.

In other news, Golden State's Monta Ellis has been suspended for 30 games over his moped debacle. The bad news, for him anyway, is that he won't be getting paid to sit on the bench in a suit. The good news for us is that we know he will be out until at least December 17th.

Antawn Jamison injured

2008-10-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

If you saw the Wizards' preseason game last night or saw an update on one of many news services, you know Antawn Jamison suffered an awkward-looking knee injury last night. He was playing some defense, but his knee didn't move with him as he tried to cutoff a baseline dribble-drive, and he went down clutching his knee. Didn't look like fun.

Team officials are calling it a knee strain, and he had an x-ray today that showed no structural damage. Chaos averted. No timetable has been set for his return, but he'll take it easy and get ready for the start of the NBA season.

On a worse note, it looks as though Brendan Haywood will miss a large chunk of the year after injuring his wrist. He'll require surgery, and Etan Thomas/Andre Blatche will receive increased minutes. Stay tuned for an update today after Haywood sees a hand specialist.

10/9 Update: Jamison was diagnosed with a knee contusion, an injury that has been known to keep players out for up to two months. Jamison, however, said he'll be ready for the regular season. Drop him down in your rankings, but keep tabs on this situation... he could surprise us and end up being ready!

And while you're at it, check out Brian Lucero's first article of the preseason!

Lots of Rankings Available!

2008-10-02T17:32:00.000-07:00

Three of our FantasyBasketball.com experts came together to update our Draft Guide rankings... check 'em out here!

Among this group of experts was Mike Gallagher, who actually put together his top 300 players for 2008-09. We'll post his personal ranks right here at The Pulse as soon as they're formatted correctly.

You should also know that Live Advice could soon be available as a "stand alone" product for FantasyBasketball.com. More on this later...

Last, we'll be starting our preseason article series on Monday.

Here's the itinerary for next week:

Monday, October 6 - Impact Player Report by Brian Lucero
Thursday, October 9 - Position Battles by Mike Gallagher
Friday, October 10 - Impact Player Report by Jamaal Gilbert

The full preseason itinerary will be posted on the fantasybasketball.com home site this weekend.

NBA News: Ben Gordon signed a one-year deal with the Bulls Thursday... think there's any chance he re-signs next year? Yeah, we don't think so either.

Live Advice Starts Today!

2008-10-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

For everyone who purchased the Live Advice/Draft Guide combo, you'll be able to use Live Advice today for the first time!

The current schedule is here!

And I'll be available today starting at 3:00 p.m. CST till about 4:30 CST before Mike Gallagher starts his first shift tonight.

If you'd like more inforamtion about Live Advice, or would like to purchase the service (along with the draft guide), you can do so here!

Please post any questions or comments about this service here!

TMac Jacked Up

2008-09-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

That's right folks, your favorite perpetually-injured stud shooting guard is ALREADY talking doom & gloom for 2008-09. A quote from McGrady:

"It's not anything that is going to keep me out of games, but it's going to bother me," he said. "I played through it last year. I didn't realize how bad it was."

The silver lining is that Ron Artest and the return of Yao Ming was going to limit his potential anyway, and he'll certainly be forced to carry the load a lot less than before. Not a good sign if you were counting on T-Mac for major production this year, though.

He may be a candidate for 20-5-5, but he might also only play 36 games. Keep it real and let someone else own this "Walking Headache".

Carl Landry to the Bobcats?

2008-09-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

First of all, I absolutely love the idea of Landry going to Charlotte. He fits this team in a way Sean May probably never could, and is extremely efficient in the paint. For a player his size (6'7", 250 lbs.), Landry is an excellent rebounder, high-percentage scorer and energetic, explosive athlete with a high ceiling.

Consider his #18 finish in John Hollinger's PER scale (in-depth statistical measure that shows player value)... you've got to remember that his pedestrian 8.1 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game are coming in less than 20 minutes a night. Given starter's minutes, Landry could blow up this year. Same with Leon Powe from Boston.

Standing in Landry's way is Emeka Okafor - who's likely to slide over to the "5" - and Sean May, who's coming off major surgery. Also in the rotation is Nazr Mohammed, probably the biggest threat to Landry's potential production. If the team decides to go "big", Landry won't play nearly as much as he would against teams like Golden State and New York.

Should be fun to see how this shakes out, but Landry is definitely worth a look in the late rounds of your draft this year. Regardless, he's worth more to you in Charlotte than in Houston, with Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes and Yao Ming patrolling the lane.

Mock Draft Tonight!

2008-09-23T06:18:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! It's a big day! FantasyBasketball.com is hosting it's first mock draft of the season this evening at 7:30 p.m., and has representatives from TalkHoops.net, Rotoworld.com, Yahoo!, and more! The mock draft results will be posted as part of our draft guide, which will also have new Top 30 positional and Top 150 overall rankings by this weekend! Be sure to check out the updated depth charts as well!

NBA News: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, 31, has decided to retire after 12 years in the NBA... The Washington Wizards signed DerMarr Johnson, Linton Johnson and Taj McCullough to their preseason roster... The Phoenix Suns signed Slovenian guard Goran Dragic. He's slated to take over for Steve Nash when Steve Nash is no longer Steve Nash. Get it?

Update: Stephon Marbury may be let go by the end of the week... Zach Randolph is likely to stay a Knick... Andrew Bogut's ankle is looking good for training camp...

Thanks for reading!

New Rankings, Live Advice Schedule Coming Soon!

2008-09-22T09:24:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon! We've got some good news today - our first Draft Guide updates are coming through at the end of the week! Rankings will be updated by the weekend, and the Live Advice schedule will be up tomorrow, or Wednesday at the latest. By the way, for all you subscribers, Live Advice starts next week!

And if you're not sure about "Live Advice", or don't know what it is... here's a quick explanation:

Live Advice is a way for you to get answers NOW! Simply click the live advice link during a scheduled time, and one of our fantasy experts will be standing by to give you the latest information on injuries, player info, etc. Best of all, you get expert opinions on your trades, lineup moves and waiver-wire pickups!
Live Advice comes with your subscription to the FantasyBasketball.com draft guide! In addition, you can purchase "LA" all season long!

NBA Notes: This is slightly old news, but new Celtic Darius Miles was suspended the first 10 games of the season for violating league drug policy. It's easy to forget that Miles is just 26 years old, and could be a major factor this year if his health doesn't betray him... that's pretty much all for today!

Al Jefferson Sprains MCL

2008-09-18T10:30:00.000-07:00

A guy I've touted pretty highly this offseason, Minnesota's Al Jefferson, sprained his MCL and won't be a part of the action for 2-3 weeks. There's no reason to panic at this point, but keep an eye on any developments on this issue. The team expects him to make a full, speedy recovery, and to be ready for the season. Chances are he'll play very little in the NBA preseason.

In other news, adding on to Brian's Gilbert Arenas entry yesterday morning, it seems Wizards' team president Ernie Grunfeld doesn't believe Arenas will be back in December. In fact, he called the estimation "generous". Uh oh. More on this later...

Thanks for checking out The Pulse!

Gilbert Arenas Has Surgery Yet Again

2008-09-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

In yet another setback, Agent Zero had surgery this morning on the same knee that's been bothering him the past two seasons. He is expected to be out until December, but after three surgeries it's a little bit difficult to put too much stock in that timetable. This is not the most encouraging news for Arenas fans, but it's nice to know well ahead of draft time. If you were thinking of drafting him early on, think again. This is good news, however, for folks who manage to land Caron Butler or Antawn Jamison in this year's drafts.

Draft Guide Available NOW!!!

2008-09-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

It's the most exciting time of the year... Fantasy Basketball Season is nearly upon us! And FantasyBasketball.com's Draft Guide is available NOW!!! This year, we've got tons of sweet features, including updated rankings, player capsules, strategy articles and best of all, LIVE ADVICE! The Live Advice feature allows you to log in and get one-on-one expert help!

Trust us, this is a service you don't want to miss out on!

Free FantasyBasketball.com Leagues!

2008-09-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

We're opening up a couple of leagues ... you pay nothing... $50 prize! Click here for more information!

Also, the DRAFT GUIDE is coming this week!

**********

NBA Newswire - Lorenzen Wright signed with the Cavs to provide more front court depth. When will Cleveland figure out that it's not depth, but talent that wins games?

A Thunderous Opening

2008-09-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official, even if we already knew. Instead of the Seattle Supersonics, we'll have the Oklahoma Thunder this season. A moment of silence, please...

Here's the new logo... pretty swank, if you ask me. Looks sorta like the Cleveland Cavs tag.

No real news today... Manu Ginobili did have surgery, however, and will be on crutches/splint for three weeks, after which a true timetable will be set... In addition, both Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur got caught with pot and were sent home from the rookie program. Suspensions, fines and a repeat of the Rookie Program are a likely aftermath.

Manu Ginobili down, etc.

2008-09-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

So this is the first-ever post on "The Pulse", and I'm happy/excited to get going. You'll find our writers posting every so often about the craziness of working at fantasybasketball.com, or simply some stats they found intriguing. Before I start up, I should mention that our draft guide will be available VERY soon! September 1 was the original release date, but now it's looking like later this week is more realistic. You probably know about Manu Ginobili's Olympic-sized ankle injury/surgery, but we're going to cover it in greater detail today.

He's been diagnosed with a posterior impingement in his left ankle, and is scheduled

to undergo arthroscopic surgery this week. From what I've read on this injury, it's caused by numerous ankle sprains that eventually lead to a "blocking" feeling when you try to flex your foot. Things like jumping and cutting are the most affected activities. Running, I'm sure, is the same way - especially the start/stop sprinting that happens in the NBA.

The Spurs will set a timetable for his return after a (hopefully) successful surgery, but the normal recovery time is four-to-six weeks in most athletes. It'd be smart not to expect Ginobili to play at 100% until mid-to-late November, which doesn't destroy his draft position despite an obvious deflation. Drop Ginobili to a late-fifth/sixth-round pick if you're a risk taker.

The guy to target in his wake:

Ime Udoka: As a decent three-point shooter and solid defender, Udoka is sure to see extended playing time through the first few weeks of the season. Michael Finley will cut into his ceiling stats, but if Udoka produces, the feeling here is that the team would be fine with letting Finley ride the pine.

In other news... The Heat gave Jamaal Magloire new life in Miami. I like him because of his name, but I have no idea how he convinced Pat Riley to sign him. Blackmail? I say yes... Donyell Marshall signed with the 76ers, which solidifies their no. 6 forward spot... Russia trying to poach Ben Gordon? More on this tomorrow.

The Pulse

2008-08-23T23:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to FantasyBasketball.com's Blog Home! This season, we'll be writing nearly every day about the happenings in the NBA and also at our web site. We'll feature each and every one of our fantasy basketball experts on this page to give them a break from the daily grind.

In addition, it seems like folly not to mention that we're going to have a draft guide available as of September 1, so be sure to check that out once it's available. Our preseason content will begin on October 1, and regular posting on The Pulse will ensue shortly thereafter.

Thanks for checking out our blog, and we'll do our best to keep you happy! Send us suggestions if you have any!

Be sure to check out FantasyBasketball.com for all your draft needs!