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Horford is the face of stability for the Hawks in 2011-12. (Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)

Derek Fisher was said to have text messaged some of his fellow NBA players last week telling them to be physically ready in case the season starts on time. Whether that’s true or not, the sentiment of that supposed message is one fantasy basketball fans should take to heart. The 2011-12 NBA season might start on time, or it might not. The point is that you don’t want to be the guy scrambling to get his act together in hasty preparation for a fantasy draft that has come quicker than expected. (continue reading…)

Allen was good last night and has been great all season. (Flickr/Keith Allison)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Beast of the Night: Ray Allen posted a smooth line to the tune of 25 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals and five three-pointers. He shot 60 percent (9-15) from the field, 100 percent (2-2) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Allen deserves a lot of credit for turning in a surprising season. He’s improved on every category except for free-throw percentage and blocks from last season’s marks.

Lines for Discussion:
Kris Humphries: 8-15 FG (53%), 0-1 FT (0%), 16 Pts, 15 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO

Deron Williams: 5-14 FG (36%), 2-2 FT (100%), 1 three, 13 Pts, 5 Reb, 18 Ast, 1 Stl, 6 TO (continue reading…)

How 'bout that Chandler. (NBA.com)

You’re finally getting used to typing “2011,” trade rumors are alive and all your fantasy teams are foundering (or, maybe that’s just me) — yep, it’s about the midpoint of the NBA regular season. This is a great opportunity to take a look back and forward, all in one post.

Players will be grouped by position and ranked based on their approximate Yahoo! average-based rankings so far this season. The first letter grade after each player’s name will be based on their performance thus far, in addition to how they’ve fallen short of, met or exceeded expectations; and the second grade will be based on their projected value for the second half of the season.

The full post is over at DimeMag.com, but below is an abridged version of the Fantasy Basketball 2010-11 Midseason Report Card: (continue reading…)

No, really -- Diaw was great yesterday. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Beast of the Night: Boris Diaw paid tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. by putting up 25 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, one steal, two blocks and four threes in an overtime loss.  In addition to his triple-double, he shot 57 percent (8-14) from the field, 83 percent (5-6) from the charity stripe and had just one turnover. Diaw has been a roller coaster all season long but remains capable of filling the stat sheet each night.

Lines for Discussion:
Derrick Rose: 7-20 FG (35%), 7-9 FT (78%), 1 three, 22 Pts, 10 Reb, 12 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO

Andray Blatche: 8-15 FG (53%), 5-7 FT (71%), 21 Pts, 11 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl, 4 Blk, 3 TO (continue reading…)

Chicago is cold, but Rose is still hot. (Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Weekend Wonder: Derrick Rose averaged 31.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 2.5 threes in two games over the weekend. He shot 48 percent from the field, 92 percent from the line and averaged 2.5 turnovers. Rose will have a hard time matching his stellar December, but no one’s complaining.

Lines for Discussion:
Amar’e Stoudemire (1/14): 6-22 FG (27%), 12-14 FT (86%), 1 three, 25 Pts, 13 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 Blk, 3 TO

Kyle Lowry (1/14): 10-20 FG (50%), 6-6 FT (100%), 2 threes, 28 Pts, 6 Reb, 7 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 TO (continue reading…)