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Chandler gives the Knicks what they've lacked for a long time: a legitimate center. His fantasy value remains tied to his ability to stay healthy. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)

It’s been a crazy week for the NBA. David Stern’s c-blocking aside, fantasy owners have had a lot to pay attention to — maybe too much. I know for me, my real-life work (you know, the stuff that pays the bills and gets in the way of this penurious passion) has gotten in the way of keeping up with all the chaos, but I finally got a chance to sit down and process the madness a bit.

Though trade rumors are all fine and dandy, we have a long list of free-agent signings to examine. Below is a quick rundown of the signings so far, broken down by team:

Atlanta Hawks:

• Tracy McGrady (PG/SG): one year, veteran’s minimum
  • If (and probably when) Jamal Crawford leaves town, T-Mac could have inconsistent value here and there. Don’t expect him to get the 25-30 minutes he notched for a few months last season with the Pistons.
• Vladimir Radmanovic (SF/PF): details undisclosed
  • You know the deal with Radmanovic: If he somehow gets minutes, he’ll hit some threes and get nearly a steal a game, but that’s a big “if.” He’s worthless for the time being. (continue reading…)

The quickly approaching Dec. 25 start to the somewhat unexpected 2011-12 NBA season means fantasy owners are like students cramming for a big exam. Here are a few tidbits to help you ace your drafts:

• 

  Love will have to lift less weight off the ground when grabbing 'bounds this season. (Flickr/Keith Allison)

  Kevin Love is reportedly “25 pounds lighter than when he left following last season.” This bodes well for his ability to maintain, if not exceed, his stellar fantasy value from last season. I can’t see any reason why Love would fall out of the top five spots in any fantasy basketball draft this season.

• Vince Carter is expected to be waived by the Phoenix Suns, which opens up the door (as expected) for Jared Dudley to step in and start. In 15 starts last season, Dudley averaged 51.8% FG, 77% FT, 1.7 3PTM, 16.3 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 2.2 Ast, 2.1 Stl, 0.5 Blk, 1.2 TO. In the 65 games he played (15 of which he started, 50 of which he came off the bench) from Dec. 2, 2010, through the end of last season, Dudley put up top 80 value. Call him a sleeper if you want, but Dudley should’ve already been on your radars. He’ll be a bargain if he falls into the last quarter of your draft. Carter, meanwhile, could land on a team in need of a SG, but don’t be fooled — his days of being a reliably productive fantasy asset are over. (continue reading…)

Childress is back in the NBA. Let's hope the hair and badass scar come back with him. (Aitor Arrizabalaga/Flickr)

A ton has happened so far this summer, which could go down as one of the most active and significant ever. For solid overviews of all that’s happened recently, check out Fantasy Basketball Daily and RotoWorld.

Here’s a quick take on some of the major moves that have taken place in the past few days (using our blog’s trademark color system):

• Al Jefferson dealt to the Utah Jazz: he’ll finally get to play with an elite point guard in Deron Williams, and could move Mehmet Okur to the bench while popping much of the juicy potential Paul Millsap had; Kevin Love now has command over the Timberwolves’ frontcourt
• Josh Childress will make his NBA comeback in Phoenix, which is where Hedo Turkoglu was traded to: this certainly puts a damper on Hakim Warrick’s value heading into the season, Turkoglu immediately becomes an appealing fantasy option again and Leandro Barbosa might be set to bounce back in Toronto (continue reading…)

Love it or hate it, the King has made his decision -- and it's a doozy. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Estabrook Group)

Unless you’ve locked yourself in a soundproof vault in Stan Van Gundy’s basement, you know by now that LeBron James just announced his decision on ESPN: he’s joining the Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

First off: wow.

This is a potentially epic, landscape-shifting decision that has so many threads to follow. Among them are: the foundation for a possible long-term powerhouse in the NBA; the against-the-grain, true-to-their-word decisions made by James/Wade/Bosh to turn their backs on big dollars in favor of something more; the shattered hearts in New York, Chicago and, most of all, Cleveland; and the exponentially hotter spotlight that is immediately drawn to Miami. (continue reading…)

Will we be seeing a lot more of this in 2010-11? (The Canadian Press)

With “sources” pointing to the Miami Heat as the favorite to land LeBron James, and “sources” saying the King will celebrate his decision in South Beach this weekend, it seems all but official that James will join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Florida next season.

But we have already bitten on media-driven head fakes many times this summer, and it wouldn’t be surprising to find out that this is yet another one.

I, for one, am quite excited for the announcement tonight — in a shameful way. A giddiness is building up in me, akin to what I’ve felt for past season finales of guilty pleasures like “American Idol.” (continue reading…)