fBasketballBlog

KD does it again. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Beast of the Night: Kevin Durant finished the first half of the season to the tune of 33 points, four rebounds, six assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers. He shot 55 percent (12-22) from the field, 100 percent (7-7) from the charity stripe and had two turnovers. Durant has been a stud, as expected, so far this season. He’s improved his field-goal percentage, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks from their marks in his 2010-11 campaign.

Lines for Discussion:
Jeremy Lin: 1-11 FG (9%), 6-6 FT (100%), 8 Pts, 6 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Stl, 8 TO; the All-Star break should do him good, and Lin’s owners should hope coach Mike D’Antoni limits his point guard’s minutes to a sustainable level going forward

Andre Miller: 7-10 FG (70%), 5-6 FT (83%), 1 three, 20 Pts, 1 Reb, 7 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; Miller has been unsteady this month but remains a guy worth having on your bench in most leagues

Serge Ibaka: 5-10 FG (50%), 1-2 FT (50%), 11 Pts, 13 Reb, 3 Blk; he’s averaging 9.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.4 blocks in 14 games this month (continue reading…)

Thank God the season wasn't killed. (Flickr/ShuttrKing|KT)

Beast of the Night: Kevin Durant was big again Monday night, finishing with 31 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block and three three-pointers. He shot 53 percent (10-19) from the floor, 89 percent (8-9) from the free-throw line and had just one turnover. Durant is averaging a sick 29.3 points, 8.7 boards, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.8 threes in 12 games so far this month, making him the runaway No. 1 fantasy player in February.

Lines for Discussion:
Derrick Rose: 8-18 FG (44%), 5-9 FT (56%), 2 threes, 23 Pts, 5 Reb, 6 Ast, 4 TO; the All-Star break should give his body even more time to fully heal, so even if his owners missed out on him this week, they have good reason to be excited for his second half of the season

Deron Williams: 10-22 FG (46%), 10-12 FT (83%), 8 threes, 38 Pts, 4 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO; since Feb. 11, Williams has been a top 10 fantasy beast

Jeremy Lin: 7-18 FG (39%), 5-6 FT (83%), 2 threes, 21 Pts, 7 Reb, 9 Ast, 4 Stl, 3 TO; the stat line was impressive, but if you watched the game you know Lin didn’t have that same quickness and pop in his step; Lin’s owners should hope Baron Davis stays healthy enough to give Lin ample time each game for rest going forward (continue reading…)

George has fulfilled and maybe even exceeded the sleeper tag many put on him heading into the 2011-12 NBA season. (AP Photo/Tom Strickland)

Beast of the Night: Paul George finished with 24 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals, a block and four threes last night against the Nets. He shot 73 percent (8-11) from the field, 100 percent (4-4) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. George has had clunkers every now and then this season but has still managed to average top 60 numbers. He’s an all-around producer who doesn’t drag any category down for his owners, making him a sleeper-turned-stud.

Lines for Discussion:
Anthony Morrow: 10-17 FG (59%), 3-3 FT (100%), 5 threes, 28 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 TO; with MarShon Brooks out with a bum toe, Morrow’s value looks like it will remain intact for a while longerr

Danny Granger: 6-15 FG (40%), 9-9 FT (100%), 21 Pts, 7 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl, 3 TO; Granger appears to have found a groove since the middle of January, scoring 21+ points in six of his last eight games

Anderson Varejao: 10-17 FG (59%), 20 Pts, 20 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Sideshow Bob is averaging 10.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks for the season, good for top 60 value (continue reading…)

Ellis was a professional thief last night. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Beast of the Night: Monta Ellis put up 30 points, one rebound, five assists, six steals and a block, and hit two three-pointers last night against the Nets. He shot 55 percent (11-20) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Ellis is having a solid season for the most part, especially if your league doesn’t count field-goal percentage (41 percent) and turnovers (3.9 per game). Even when Stephen Curry returns, Ellis’ value should remain intact.

Lines for Discussion:
Dwight Howard: 9-15 FG (60%), 6-10 FT (60%), 24 Pts, 25 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 2 TO; his fantasy value is improved from last season, mostly thanks to more assists (2.4 per game versus 1.4 last season) and fewer turnovers (3.3 per game versus 3.6 last season)

Andre Miller: 12-20 FG (60%), 1-2 FT (50%), 3 threes, 28 Pts, 8 Reb, 10 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; he’s averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 ‘bounds, 6.4 dimes, 1.3 thefts and 0.5 treys

Serge Ibaka: 3-5 FG (60%), 6 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO;this was Ibaka’s first time grabbing double-digit rebounds this season (continue reading…)

That about sums up Diaw's monstrous start to the 2011-12 NBA season. (Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)

This will be a new weekly series of posts that differs from the “Buy Low, Sell High” posts from last season. The “buy, sell, hold” ratings should be approximately interpreted as follows:

• Buy: the player is a solid trade target because his value is underappreciated yet reliable, or because he’s in a slump
• Hold: if you own the player, try to hold onto him, either because he’ll maintain solid value or to see how his value stabilizes before dealing him away; if you don’t own the player, wait until his stock drops a bit or until his uncertain value is clearer before trying to get him in a trade
• Sell: don’t believe the player’s recent production and sell high if you own him

With that, here’s the stock watch for Week 1: (continue reading…)