fBasketballBlog

Brook Lopez is about as exciting as that hat. (David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)

Depth chart:

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

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All hail the king of fantasy basketball. (AP photo/George Frey)

Weekend Wonder: LeBron James averaged 30.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.5 steals, 2.5 blocks and 0.5 threes in two huge games over the weekend. He shot 56 percent from the field, 50 percent from the free-throw line and averaged 1.5 turnovers in that stretch. It’s good to be king.

Lines for Discussion:
Jared Dudley (3/2): 7-14 FG (50%), 5-6 FT (83%), 3 threes, 22 Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk; in his last four games, Dudley is averaging a healthy 16.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.5 blocks and 1.0 three, while shooting 54 percent from the field

Jordan Crawford (3/3): 13-22 FG (59%), 0-1 FT (0%), 5 threes, 31 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 TO; Crawford has been a top 25 stud since Valentine’s Day, but it should be noted that Nick Young sat this game out with a bruised knee

Jarrett Jack (3/3): 6-11 FG (55%), 5-6 FT (83%), 1 three, 18 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO; Jack is back in the starting lineup for the Hornets, but his knee remains a concern (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…)

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…)