fBasketballBlog

Williams and Lopez carry the weight of the Nets' fantasy appeal, which may or may not be a good thing. (D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images)

Depth chart:
PG: Deron Williams, Jordan Farmar, Sundiata Gaines
SG: Anthony Morrow, Marshon Brooks, Stephen Graham, Sasha Vujacic*, Ben Uzoh*, Mario West*
SF: Damion James, Travis Outlaw
PF: Kris Humphries*, Brandan Wright*, Jordan Williams
C: Brook Lopez, Johan Petro, Dan Gadzuric*^

* unrestricted free agent
^ locked into overseas contract with no opt-out clause (continue reading…)

In "2011-12" we might witness fantasy basketball in its truest form.

The NBA lockout has been about as horrifying as sitting in between two of your friends who spontaneously decide to make out with each other in public. Of course, if those two friends were the NBA Players Association and the NBA owners, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

Before you start thinking too much about James Dolan getting intimate with Derek Fisher, let’s move on to the point of this post.

Fantasy basketball is, thankfully, immune to such silly things as lockouts. But what the NBA lockout does mean is that any projections made for what we call “2011-12″ are made for a season that might not happen. In other words, we’re making forecasts about fantasy basketball for a season that might not even exist — a season that may be, in fact, a fantasy.

A fantasy within a fantasy — fantasy basketball in the truest sense.

Without further ado, here are my early rankings for the top 150 fantasy basketball players in “2011-12.” (continue reading…)

If it weren't for that tooth... (Flickr/Keith Allison)

Beast of the Night: David Lee posted 29 points, 20 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block last night. He shot 77 percent (13-17) from the field, 100 percent (3-3) from the foul line and had four turnovers. This was the kind of line many fantasy owners expected to see from Lee this season, but he fell short of expectations, thanks in part to Wilson Chandler’s tooth. In the past month, however, Lee has averaged top-12 numbers. He shouldn’t be forgotten on draft day next fall.

Lines for Discussion:
D.J. Augustin: 7-20 FG (35%), 6-7 FT (86%), 2 threes, 22 Pts, 1 Reb, 8 Ast, 5 Stl, 2 TO

Greg Monroe: 7-13 FG (54%), 8-10 FT (80%), 22 Pts, 14 Reb, 4 Ast, 4 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO (continue reading…)

James shot 58 percent from the field in March. (NBA.com)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Beast of the Night: LeBron James put up 35 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals last night. He hit 75 percent (12-16) of his shots from the field, 77 percent (10-13) of his attempts from the free-throw line, hit a three-pointer and had five turnovers. James shot 58 percent from the field in March, easily his best monthly mark of the season.

Lines for Discussion:
Andray Blatche: 6-15 FG (40%), 2-4 FT (50%), 14 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO

Deron Williams: 7-19 FG (39%), 6-6 FT (100%), 2 threes, 22 Pts, 8 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 TO (continue reading…)

Here's to you, Crash. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Beast of the Night: Gerald Wallace posted 17 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals in his second consecutive start for the Blazers. He shot 57 percent (8-14) from the floor, 100 percent (1-1) from the free-throw line and had no turnovers. Wallace looks like he’ll have a starting job the rest of the way, giving him a solid shot at consistency once again.

Lines for Discussion:
Kris Humphries: 5-12 FG (42%), 3-6 FT (50%), 13 Pts, 16 Reb, 1 Ast, 5 Blk, 2 TO

Deron Williams: 1-12 FG (8%), 3-3 FT (100%), 5 Pts, 4 Reb, 11 Ast, 1 Stl, 4 TO (continue reading…)