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.

Boston Celtics:

• Jeff Green (SF/PF): one year, $9 million
  • He’ll have one year to remind everyone of his ability to play solid basketball, which should motivate him plenty. This, along with the grueling schedule for the veteran Celtics this season, should lead to slightly improved production from last season — but that isn’t saying much. (Update: Green’s mysterious health issue knocks his appeal down until further notice.
• Marquis Daniels (SG/SF): one year, details undisclosed
• Unless injuries ravage that roster, Daniels won’t have value.
• Chris Wilcox (PF/C): one year, veteran’s minimum
• Don’t expect anything worthy of your attention.

Charlotte Bobcats:

• Derrick Brown(SF/PF): one year, details undisclosed
  • Not much to see here, folks.

Chicago Bulls:

• Brian Scalabrine (PF/C): details undisclosed
• Love the guy, but don’t draft him — unless you want to have fun with a last pick.

Cleveland Cavaliers:

• Anthony Parker (SG/SF): one year, $2.25 million
• He’ll be a low-end option if you need threes and steals at the very end of your roster.

Dallas Mavericks:

• Brandan Wright (PF): details undisclosed
  • Don’t expect much of anything this season from Wright.
• Brian Cardinal (SF/PF): details undisclosed
• The Janitor returns. That is all.
• Delonte West (PG/SG): one year, details undisclosed
• No more odd jobs for West. He’ll have marginal value every now and then, but nothing reliably appetizing.

Denver Nuggets:

• Nene (C): five years, $67 million
• Maybe the most-coveted free agent in the market is returning to his old team. With a team deprived of some of its scorers, Nene should improve on his numbers from last season.

Detroit Pistons:

• Jonas Jerebko (SF/PF): four years, $16 million
  • He’s a sleeper. Nab him if you can in the last round or two of your draft.
• Tayshaun Prince (SF/PF): four years, $27 million
  • The aforementioned Jerebko and the emerging Austin Daye will relegate Prince to a background role. He offers fine all-around value, but his ceiling is low this season.
• Damien Wilkins (SG/SF): details undisclosed
• No fantasy value here.

Golden State Warriors:

• Kwame Brown (C): one year, $7 million
• He’ll only have very limited value if Andris Biedrins gets hurt and Ekpe Udoh fails to get in the good graces of coach Mark Jackson. Very. Limited.

Indiana Pacers:

• David West (PF): two years, $20 million
  • He’s coming off knee surgery, but West has the type of game that won’t be affected too much by it, assuming he’s fully recovered. If he can stay on the court, West will remain a solid all-around asset to take in rounds 5-7 of most drafts. His arrival in Indiana puts a dent in the fantasy value of Tyler Hansbrough.
• Jeff Foster (C): details undisclosed
  • Move along.

Los Angeles Clippers:

• Caron Butler (SG/SF): three years, $24 million
  • Butler will probably start at SF for the Clippers, which dents the fantasy values of Al-Farouq Aminu and Ryan Gomes. Still, he won’t be looked upon to do too much on offense for his new team, and his health is a big question mark. Consider him in the last round or two of standard-sized drafts — anything beyond that is too optimistic for my tastes.
• DeAndre Jordan (PF/C): four years, $43 million
• There’s a chance Chris Kaman will be dealt away soon. That would open up the door for Jordan to be a reliable fantasy asset in head-to-head leagues. His free-throw shooting will still be a nightmare though.

Los Angeles Lakers:

• Josh McRoberts (PF/C): two years, $6.1 million
• He’ll get playing time in that thinner post-Lamar Odom frontcourt, so he’ll have some value for fantasy purposes this season. McRoberts won’t have significant value unless either of the Lakers’ big men is dealt away for a non-big. Still, he shoots solid percentages and fills up the stat sheet, albeit in humble portions. He could be a nice guy to round out the end of your bench.
• Jason Kapono (SG/SF): one year, veteran’s minimum
  • Nothing to see here.

Memphis Grizzlies:

• Marc Gasol (C): four years, $58 million
• His rebounding (7.0 per game) was underwhelming last season, but Gasol offers solid all-around value that’s rare from centers. Look for him to maintain the value he had last season.

Miami Heat:

• Shane Battier (SF): details undisclosed
  • He’ll probably hit some threes and offer his meager portions of points, rebounds, steals and blocks, but Battier’s fantasy value takes a hit with his decision to head to South Beach.
• Mario Chalmers (PG): three years, $12 million
  • The PG spot will be a bit emptier this season for the Heat, if things stand as they are. Regardless, Chalmers remains pretty unappealing. He’s a decent source of threes and steals at the end of your roster, but don’t expect much else. If rookie Norris Cole develops quickly, things get even worse for Chalmers’ already-tepid fantasy appeal.
• James Jones (SG/SF): three years, details undisclosed
  • He’s fine if you need some threes any given week, but Jones remains a waiver-wire yo-yo.
• Eddy Curry (C): one year, veteran’s minimum
  • Stay away.

Milwaukee Bucks:

• Mike Dunleavy (SG/SF): two years, $7.5 million
  • He’ll be playing backup to Stephen Jackson and Carlos Delfino, which will limit his minutes and production, but could benefit his durability. He might be good for a pickup off of waivers if Jackson or Delfino get hurt, but that’s about it.
• Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (SF/PF): four years, $19 million
  • We’ll see if he can grab and hold onto a starting job at PF for the Bucks, but even if he does, he won’t be good for much more than some rebounds and about 1.3 steals a game.

Minnesota Timberwolves:

• J.J. Barea (PG): four years, $19 million
• Have fun trying to figure out how many minutes he’ll get. This is bad news for Ricky Rubio‘s already lukewarm fantasy appeal.

New Jersey Nets:

• Shelden Williams (PF/C): one year, details undisclosed
• No fantasy value here.

New York Knicks:

• Tyson Chandler (C): four years, $56 million
  • With Ronny Turiaf gone as a result of the deal that brought Chandler to the Big Apple, Chandler will get all the minutes his body can handle for the Knicks. His usual mix of solid shooting percentages, rebounds and blocks should be expected. His health remains the ceiling to his value.
• Mike Bibby (PG): one year, $1.4 million
  • He’ll have his work cut out for him if he wants to win over Knicks fans, and fantasy owners for that matter. Hypothetically, Bibby should be able to hit some threes as Toney Douglas‘ backup, but even that doesn’t justify drafting him. Leave him for the waiver wire.
• Jared Jeffries (PF/C): one year, $1.4 million
• Nope.

Oklahoma City Thunder:

• Daequan Cook (SG/SF): two years, $7.5 million
  • Unless you’re really hankering for threes, disregard Cook.

Orlando Magic:

• Glen Davis (PF/C): four years, $26 million
  • Big Baby had a solid year as a Celtic last season, but it’ll be a different story in Orlando, where he’ll have a tough time competing with Ryan Anderson at the PF spot.
• Jason Richardson (SG/SF): four years, $25 million
  • With Dwight Howard wanting out of Orlando, J-Rich’s fantasy value will likely dip. There’s no center who will open up the three-point line like No. 12 did. Side note: this kind of kills the sleeper buzz surrounding J.J. Redick.

Philadelphia 76ers:

• Thaddeus Young (SF/PF): five years, $43 million
  • He averaged just 0.1 threes a game last season, not nearly enough to prop up his otherwise appealing stats. Young’s a reliable source of some points, rebounds and steals.
• Spencer Hawes (C): one year, $4.6 million
  • Expect the same old drab stat lines from Hawes this season.
• Tony Battie (PF/C): one year, details undisclosed
  • Nope.

Phoenix Suns:

• Grant Hill (SF): one year, $6.5 million
  • He’ll probably start at SF for the Suns and though Vince Carter is gone from the Suns, Jared Dudley will pick up most of the slack left behind. Hill should remain a solid all-around fantasy asset, though a harsh slate of games in any given week could limit his minutes.
• Sebastian Telfair (PG): one year, $1.5 million
  • He could emerge with some value if Steve Nash needs rest or time to heal from injuries. Though Zabian Dowell was waived, Telfair will have to fight for minutes with the next guy.
• Ronnie Price (PG/SG): details undisclosed
• He’ll split backup duties with Telfair.
• Shannon Brown (SG/SF): one year, $3.5 million
  • He’ll probably back up Dudley and could offer value here and there. Don’t consider drafting him until near the end of your drafts. When given enough playing time, Brown has proven himself to be a fantasy asset, so consider him something of a deep sleeper.

Portland Trail Blazers:

• Greg Oden (C): one year, $8.9 million
  • He might have to have surgery again. For the sake of all things good, don’t draft Oden.
• Kurt Thomas (PF/C): two years, details undisclosed
• He could get some run for that fragile center spot in Portland but won’t offer any noteworthy fantasy value.

Sacramento Kings:

• Chuck Hayes (PF/C): four years, $21.3 million
  • Hayes was a beast for the Rockets last season. Coach Paul Westphal has already said Hayes would likely be his starting PF, but with so many big men ready to eat into his court time, Hayes is unlikely to do too much for fantasy owners. His arrival also puts a dent in the values of J.J. Hickson and Jason Thompson. Give Hayes a look near the end of your drafts, but his ceiling is low.
• Marcus Thornton (SG): four years, $31 million
  • The dude put up studly numbers in his 27 games for the Kings last season, but with a healthy Tyreke Evans and rookie Jimmer Fredette to compete with, Thornton’s set for a decline in value. His solid shooting percentages, steals and ability to pour in threes keep him relevant enough to warrant a pick near the middle of standard-sized drafts.

San Antonio Spurs:

• T.J. Ford (PG): one year, veteran’s minimum
  • He’ll be backing up Tony Parker, which means he’ll be worth a look only if Parker gets injured.

Toronto Raptors:

• Jamaal Magloire (C): details undisclosed
  • He’s the team’s first Canadian player in its 16-year history. That’s about as exciting as this gets.
• Aaron Gray (C): one year, details undisclosed
  • Leave him for the waiver wire.
• Gary Forbes (SG/SF): three years, details undisclosed
  • Nothing going on here.
• Rasual Butler (SG/SF): one year, details undisclosed
  • Ditto.
• Anthony Carter (PG): details undisclosed
• Not sure how many other ways there are to say it.

Utah Jazz:

• Earl Watson (PG): details undisclosed
  • He’s fine Devin Harris insurance, but his weak shooting percentages limit his appeal.

Washington Wizards:

• Hamady N’diaye (C): details undisclosed
• Cool name, no fantasy appeal.
• Roger Mason (SG): one year, details undisclosed
  • Looking like no fantasy value. How u

To keep track of the rest of the NBA free-agency activity, check out these resources:

• SI.com’s 2011 NBA Free Agent Tracker
• NBA.com’s 2011 Free Agent Tracker
• HoopsHype.com NBA Market Center
• Basketball-Reference.com’s 2011 Free Agent Tracker

• 

  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.

• Andrew Bynum appears to have improved his game and strengthened his body during the extended offseason: “He lost 10 pounds to take a load off his knees while losing more body fat than Kevin Durant even carries. He strengthened his core and the muscles all around his knees, so critical for him to improve his base and make powerful moves when so weak in those knees. He ditched all the insecurities over sub-par conditioning and poor lateral movement that led him to rush things and get out of sync with his team. He focused on developing quicker moves (drop steps, spin moves, one-dribble jump hooks, even the Dream Shake) and locked in on free throws, too.” Don’t drink the whole cup of Kool-Aid, but this is much better than where he was at the start of last season. (Also, remember that Bynum is suspended for the first five games of the season, thanks to his cheap shot on J.J. Barea in the Lakers’ disgraceful exit from the playoffs last season.)

• Chris Bosh is “bulkier” and more open to playing center for the Miami Heat this season. He sounds ready to bang the boards more and said “there shouldn’t be a season where I don’t average 10 rebounds.” This sounds great, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Regardless, Bosh remains a helpful fantasy player.

• This is yet another reminder not to draft Wilson Chandler, J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin, Patty Mills or Aaron Brooks this season, unless circumstances change. They’re stuck in China — but they’re trying to get out.

• Roy Hibbert put on 15 pounds of muscle and worked with Tim Duncan during the offseason. Maybe Duncan is the next Hakeem Olajuwon, maybe he’s not. Regardless, this is good news for Hibbert’s fantasy prospects in 2011-12. He started last season strong then faded into maddening inconsistency, but maybe the extra meat on his bones and lessons learned will help him with that. It’s also comforting to know making cameos on “Parks and Recreation” wasn’t the only thing on Hibbert’s offseason to-do list.

• Andray Blatche‘s shoulder still isn’t 100 percent. “Shoulder is about 75, 80 percent. It’s still getting better,” according to Blatche. This is bad news — probably not dire, but definitely not heartening.

• Paul George added 8 pounds of muscle, is focused on defense and was ready to go “at a moment’s notice whenever the lockout ended.” His sleeper status is even more appropriate now.

• 

  Lawson's fantasy value is safe this season. (Flickr/GAMEFACE-PHOTOS)

  Denver Nuggets coach George Karl said Ty Lawson is “ready to be a 30-35 minute player.” In 31 starts last season, Lawson averaged 50.9% FG, 85.1% FT, 1.2 3PTM, 14.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.1 turnovers in 32:06 per game. Fears about Andre Miller‘s impact on Lawson’s potential stud status should be set aside. Karl said he’ll deploy both point guards on the court together at times, so Miller should retain some value.

• Ed Davis gained about 18 pounds of muscle and could find himself playing center for the Raptors this season. James Johnson improved his jumper and is focused on defense. Both players could be huge bargains near the end of your drafts.

• Despite declaring himself 100 percent, Anderson Vaerjao‘s foot still gets sore after a tough workout. He’s still a sleeper, but expect a lot of rust, especially early on.

• For updates on free agents, check out what ESPN and NBA.com have to offer.

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
  
• Tyson Chandler was dealt to the Dallas Mavericks along with Alexis Ajinca in exchange for Erick Dampier(‘s contract), Eduardo Najera and Matt Carroll: Chandler will split time with Brendan Haywood, and we’ll have to see where Dampier ends up
• Quentin Richardson is with the Orlando Magic now, but he won’t be much better than the erratic bunches of threes he hit in Miami last season; he joins Chris Duhon, who can’t fare much worse than he did in New York…can he?
• Antawn Jamison could come off the bench, according to new Cavs coach Byron Scott
• Kyle Korver is on the Chicago Bulls, where he’ll likely come off the bench to hit the occasional three; of course, he joins Carlos Boozer
• Jordan Farmar, Travis Outlaw and Anthony Morrow signed with the Nets
• Luther Head signed with the Hornets, which doesn’t bode well for Marcus Thornton or Darren Collison
• Udonis Haslem re-signed with the Miami Heat, of course
• Ben Wallace is a Piston again
• Matt Bonner is a Spur again
• Timofey Mozgov is officially a Knick
• Steve Blake is a Laker; he’ll split time with Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown
• Tony Allen is on the Memphis Grizzlies
• Jermaine O’Neal joins the senior living center that is the Boston Celtics, where Paul Pierce and Ray Allen re-signed
• Dorrell Wright is on the Golden State Warriors

A glimpse at the possible future:

• Mike Miller, Juwan Howard and Brad Miller to Miami?
• Al Harrington to Dallas?
• Raja Bell to the Lakers?

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.

The unprecedented nature of this move makes it hard to grasp — and has made it hard to grasp and believe for the past couple weeks, despite recent reports asserting that it was, indeed, the real deal.

For those of us who doubted that this could happen, we should’ve allowed ourselves to read more freely into the tea leaves the trio has scattered along the way. James saying, “It will be fun to get all the free agents together and, you know, figure out a way how we can make the league better,” in his interview with Larry King was one big hint. So were the apparent rumors of a secret pact being formed by these guys (along with Chris Paul — another story for another day) during the 2008 Summer Olympics to eventually join forces.

In the end, the moral of the story that the trio seems to be weaving is this: friendships and championships are more important than shots and dollars. Yes, there were a lot of things to shake your head at here — particularly concerning how James handled his departure from Cleveland, how he might have lost out on a better chance to win championships in Chicago, and how James and Wade could be seen as shirking the challenge of following in the tracks of the relentless Kobe Bryant and being balls-out, unquestioned leaders of successful teams — but there are some intriguing, admirable things going on here that shouldn’t be lost in the smoke rising from burning No. 23 jerseys in Ohio tonight.

Is Michael Wilbon right? Did the Boston Celtics set a new trend of “big threes”? If so, is it a good trend? Should we admire or frown on friendships overshadowing hate-fueled competition? Is Kobe the last of a dying, eff-you-I’m-better-than-all-of-you breed? Are the Heat contenders this season, or are they just paper tigers? What if these guys don’t end up winning any titles? Is James completely out of the running for being the all-time greatest? Is he now the most-hated player in the NBA? Should all of James’ suitors have spent more energy on getting the ear of Gloria James?

The list of questions we can ask tonight abound, along with the list of ways we can tear this decision apart.

While there are plenty of negative sentiments about all this churning in my head, for the next few days I’ll choose to sit back and enjoy all the reactions while basking in this unusual afterglow, which will take weeks, if not months, to sink in. I’ll also choose to look at the brighter side of this occasion.

We are all witnesses — to unselfishness trumping pride, visions of rings outshining dollars, the idea of “team” towering over the notion of “me.”

I’m really looking forward to the 2010-11 NBA season, and I’m very excited to see the 2010-11 Miami Heat in action.

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.” But part of me feels like I did during the hours leading up to the series finale of “Lost” — sad that all the anticipation is building up to what’s sure to be a disappointing end, but relieved to know that all the madness will soon be over.

My prediction? LeBron will reveal that he’s been dead the whole time.

All fantasy ramifications aside (for now), let us know which team you think LBJ will name during his televised decision tonight. Vote in the poll below and voice your thoughts in the comments section.

Wade is staying in Miami and he'll have a very capable sidekick in Bosh. Will the duo become a trio by Thursday evening? (Keith Allison/Flickr)

Two-thirds of the dream trio that has been the recipient of so much attention this summer have finally decided on their future.

Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh announced today that they plan to sign with the Miami Heat.

From a fantasy standpoint, it’s not all that exciting — yet. It’s too early to jump to concrete conclusions on Wade and Bosh’s values next season, since we don’t know who else will (or will not) sign with their squad. As it stands, the Heat only have Wade, Bosh, Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley on its payroll. If they fill out that roster with a bunch of minor role players, Wade and Bosh remain fantasy studs, though their stats might take a slight baby step back.

If, however, Wade and Bosh are joined by LeBron James, all three dudes will see their values take a material hit.

Andrea Bargnani immediately becomes more appealing, but owners shouldn’t let their expectations go too wild. He’s shown himself to be inconsistent at best and will probably miss Bosh’s presence on most nights, as defenses will be able to focus more of their efforts on shutting the Italian down. Ed Davis and Amir Johnson also become a bit more appealing, but again, expectations should be kept in check.

The other big news today is Carlos Boozer‘s agreement to sign a five-year deal for $80 million with the Chicago Bulls. He’s a double-double machine when healthy, but Joakim Noah is a much better rebounder than Mehmet Okur was, so expect Boozer’s rebounding to slip a bit on some nights. Also, without an expert distributor like Deron Williams to run pick-and-rolls with, Boozer might have a tougher time scoring. Noah was never much of an offensive threat but with Boozer on board, he’ll see even fewer shots and will have another hungry rebounder to mesh with.

Luol Deng and Taj Gibson will also see their fantasy stocks drop. This is especially a shame for Gibson, who was a surprisingly productive rookie last season.

Derrick Rose will have another offensive option to pass the ball to, which should help his assists. Also, pick-and-rolls will be a lot more appealing with Boozer around, which could open things up offensively for Rose. His scoring should remain steady, but we all know that Rose’s Achilles’ heel in fantasy world is his subpar three-point shooting.

In Utah, Paul Millsap immediately sees a bump in value and is probably in for something of a breakout season. However, as with Bargnani, too much of an improvement shouldn’t be expected from Millsap, who will see tougher defenses more often as a consistent starter. Many fantasy owners will likely overrate his draft position, but readers of this blog would be wise to ignore the excessive hype to come.

Okur’s value is a wash. He’ll get more looks, but he’ll miss how much Boozer spread the floor for him. Andrei Kirilenko should also see more consistent minutes, but his health and inconsistency will weigh his fantasy value down.

That’s it for now. More in-depth analysis and perspectives will be posted once things are made official and rosters are more finalized in the days to come. In the meantime, enjoy the polarizing madness that is LeBron, and don’t be afraid to share your thoughts and questions in the comments section below, or via Twitter: @fbasketballblog

Stoudemire's wallet is now this big -- but his fantasy value has shrunk. (AP Photo/ Louis Lanzano)

Amar’e Stoudemire is (almost officially) a New York Knick. The coveted big man is ready to put his signature on a five-year contract that will net him nearly $100 million. This clearly has implications for his fantasy value, which surged in the latter part of last season. While his wallet might have gotten a lot fatter, his fantasy value has done the opposite.

More in-depth analysis of this and other big free agency signings will come once contracts are made official after Thursday, but for now, here’s a quick rundown of why STAT will have a down fantasy season, with the current Knicks roster:

• he won’t have a point guard who plays anywhere near the level of Steve Nash
• he’ll have to adjust to playing with another point guard
• defenses will be able to hone in on shutting him down on a thinner team than his former Suns
• the clock continues to tick until his next serious injury
• the looming threat of post-contract blues

What do you think? Is Stoudemire guaranteed to take a step back for fantasy owners this season, or is he set to finally take off in an offense that’s more centered around him? Let us know in the poll below.

Or you can click on this cute button:

Or you can just shift your eyes to the right and click on the Twitter panel in the right sidebar.

I’ll be tweeting and re-tweeting about the latest happenings and non-happenings. If anything big happens, I’ll flesh it out here on the site — with a fantasy perspective, of course.

Also, here’s a quick poll for you to kill some time as we wait upon the chips to start falling into place:

It's almost the hour that LeBron's been dreaming of for years. New York: get ready to be disappointed! (Flickr/david_shankbone)

It’s almost here. No, not Justin Bieber’s 18th birthday – the official start of this summer’s NBA free agency season, of course.

While many of us are probably ready to just get it all over with already, if you’re a fantasy addict you’re already thinking about how decisions made in the next few days will affect their draft positions in the fall.

Here’s a quick look at this blog’s very first and very own “Volatility Index.” Taking into account factors like probability of landing with certain teams and potential teammates next season, this is a list of projections about how volatile each of these key fantasy players are on the eve of free agency, along with a quick and dirty prediction of where each player will actually land. We’ll use a scale of 0 (fantasy value totally stable) to 10 (fantasy value totally unpredictable).

LeBron James: 7.0
Let’s face it: King James is the biggest fish about to be unleashed into the magical waters of NBA free agency in a few hours. He was also arguably the best fantasy stud in the land in 2009-10. So to think that there’s a very good chance that James will depart a predictable situation in Cleveland for a situation that might be drastically different — most likely in a way that negatively impacts his fantasy value. If he heads to Chicago, he has a capable ballhandler in Derrick Rose, which will drastically cut down LBJ’s time with the ball and, potentially, his assists. If Chris Bosh heads there with him, Bosh and Joakim Noah will cut into James’ rebounds. If King James joins forces with Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami, his overall value will definitely shrink. The best shot James has of maintaining his elite fantasy worth lies with him heading to New York or staying in Cleveland. While there’s no way he falls out of the top 10 in next year’s drafts, there’s a very good chance he drops outside of the top two. PREDICTION: CHICAGO

Dwyane Wade: 4.5
There’s almost no way Wade leaves Miami, so the threat to his fantasy value isn’t that. The reason why there’s pretty good reason to believe Wade’s value might take a slight step back in 2010-11 is the chance that he’ll have at least one big-time teammate next season, and very possibly two. PREDICTION: MIAMI

Chris Bosh: 6.5
Chances are he plays alongside either LBJ or Wade next season, which is a huge upgrade from any of his former sidekicks in past seasons. That means fewer shots for Bosh, and if he ends up in Chicago playing in the same frontcourt as Joakim Noah, he’ll have a much tougher time notching double-doubles on a nightly basis. Add to this Bosh’s historically shaky health and it’s obvious that owners should probably plan on knocking him down in their draft lists. PREDICTION: CHICAGO

Joe Johnson: 1.5
Johnson hasn’t made the wisest free agency decisions in the past and has shown that money probably means a lot to him. However, after reports that Atlanta is ready to offer him a max six-year deal worth $119, staying with the Hawks is more of a possibility than ever. But it’s also tough seeing Johnson turning down the glitz and glamour of New York, a city that would give him the attention that he seems to think he’s always deserved. Johnson’s as steady as they come, so whether he stays in Atlanta with his old squad or tries to succeed in New York with a newly formed team, he’s probably going to produce numbers fairly similar to last season’s. PREDICTION: NEW YORK

Dirk Nowitzki: 0.5
Diggler is almost certainly staying in Dallas, and unless they manage to nab a big-name free agent, he’ll remain the top dog there and should continue to put up top-six numbers. PREDICTION: DALLAS

Amar’e Stoudemire: 2.5
He’s not the most humble of players, which makes it easy to imagine him leaving Phoenix to pursue big bucks and more media attention. Stoudemire is always keen on the offensive end, but remains a weak rebounder and defender, which should mean that his fantasy value will remain pretty steady wherever he lands. PREDICTION: MIAMI

Carlos Boozer: 5.5
Boozer’s about to find out what life is like without an elite point guard. He’s a rebounding machine, but his offense will probably dip a bit with whatever team he ends up with, whether it’s because of a dominant teammate or a better-rounded frontcourt. PREDICTION: NEW YORK

Paul Pierce: 0.0
He’ll stay in Boston and lead a team in a fashion similar to 2009-10. This one’s easy. PREDICTION: BOSTON

David Lee: 4.0
He was a fantasy beast on the Knicks, a team with a thin frontcourt and a very friendly offensive scheme for a player like Lee. Unless he ends up in Phoenix, he’ll find it quite difficult to replicate his stellar 2009-10 campaign. PREDICTION: NEW JERSEY

Ray Allen: 3.5
He’s a veteran who’s seeing his window for another championship close very quickly. While Allen’s still a deadly shooter, he’s about as consistent as the last season of “Lost” was. His fantasy value is threatened more by his age than where he lands. PREDICTION: BOSTON

Rudy Gay: 3.0
He’s a restricted free agent, but Memphis is probably unlikely to match exorbitant offers. Gay is pretty versatile, so expect him to be productive even if he lands on a team with offensive firepower. PREDICTION: LA CLIPPERS

Will he bring back the cornrows? (Flickr/ebot)

Allen Iverson is back in Philadelphia after a quick stint in “retirement.”

With a starting point guard job in hand and a supportive city behind him again, Iverson quickly becomes very relevant to all fantasy leagues.

Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and the injured Lou Williams will likely have their fantasy values diminished to different degrees, while Jrue Holiday and Willie Green can safely be thrown back to most waiver wires.

Head on over to Dimemag.com to find out the fantasy consequences of Iverson’s return to his beloved city.