fBasketballBlog

The one in the front might look awesome in this photo, but he should be sold high; the one in the back should be bought low. (AP Photo/Bahram Mark Sobhani)

We’re going back to the tried-and-true “Buy Low, Sell High” posts for Fridays. Cheers!

Buy Low:
Dirk Nowitzki

Paul Pierce

Serge Ibaka

DeMar DeRozan

Carlos Delfino

Zach Randolph, Marcus Thornton, Jason Kidd and any other productive fantasy players who are injured should be considered buy-low candidates. (continue reading…)

All this fantasy value without a single three-pointer made. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Beast of the Night: LeBron James was big again last night, finishing 33 points, eight rebounds, 13 assists and two steals. He shot 57 percent (12-21) from the floor, 82 percent (9-11) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. The man has yet to make a three-pointer and has only attempted one this season, but that has done nothing to drag down his fantasy value. King James remains far and away the best fantasy basketball player in the land.

Lines for Discussion:
Ryan Anderson: 7-16 FG (44%), 6-6 FT (100%), 3 threes, 23 Pts, 15 Reb; he’s averaging 19.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.6 threes per game, while shooting 48 percent from the field and 94 percent from the free-throw line — top five numbers

DeMar DeRozan: 9-18 FG (50%), 2-2 FT (100%), 5 threes, 25 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 TO; the three-point shooting is key to his otherwise yawn-worthy fantasy value

Boris Diaw: 12-15 FG (80%), 3 threes, 27 Pts, 3 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 5 TO; he remains a must-start player (continue reading…)

Jack is in for big things this season. (Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)

Beast of the Night: Jarrett Jack posted 27 points, five rebounds, 11 assists, a steal, two blocks and a three-pointer last night against the Jazz. He shot 65 percent (11-17) from the field, 100 percent (4-4) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. This was a nice bounce-back game after putting up mediocre lines in his previous two games. Jack remains a strong fantasy starter in most leagues, as he’ll rack up plenty of minutes and numbers for the Hornets this season.

Lines for Discussion:
Jared Dudley: 6-14 FG (43%), 1-2 FT (50%), 2 threes, 15 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 TO; he’s starting to find his way

DeMar DeRozan: 7-13 FG (54%), 5-6 FT (83%), 2 threes, 21 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Ast, 4 TO; reports of an improved three-point shot were no joke

Andray Blatche: 10-20 FG (50%), 8-10 FT (80%), 28 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; inconsistency will plague him (continue reading…)

DeRozan has a shot at returning some solid fantasy value next season -- if his three-point shooting has actually improved. (Flickr/GAMEFACE-PHOTOS)

Depth chart:
PG: Jose Calderon, Jerryd Bayless
SG: DeMar DeRozan, Leandro Barbosa, Sonny Weems**
SF: James Johnson, Linas Kleiza, Julian Wright*
PF: Amir Johnson, Ed Davis, Joey Dorsey*, Reggie Evans*
C: Andrea Bargnani, Solomon Alabi, Alexis Ajinca*

* unrestricted free agent
** restricted free agent (continue reading…)

DeMarcus looks ready to head back to school. Are you? (NBA/Getty Images)

We’re on the cusp of Labor Day weekend, which means students who haven’t already started their new school year are now seeing their summer vacation quickly slipping away. If there’s any solace for students wincing at the thought of going back to school, it’s that they can rest assured that the 2011-12 school year is actually happening. While that may not be much of a comforting thought in and of itself, the start of a school year means graduation is closer than it was yesterday. Imagine if an entire school year were put on hold: While visions of an extended “summer break” are certainly enchanting, it would mean that students would commence their education a year older than they should be, and that graduating and heading off to that coveted next stage of life would be put on a maddening hold. (continue reading…)