fBasketballBlog

Do you see it? (Flickr/Dave Gillem)

The 2011 NBA Finals are over, the ring has been kept from Gollum’s grasp and we’re all waking up to our miserable lives again. Now what? It’s time to shake off the cobwebs, take a deep breath and start mentally preparing for the 2011-12 fantasy basketball season — whenever that will start.

Too soon, you say? Well, if there’s anything we should’ve learned from this year’s Finals, it’s that it’s never too soon to start anything. That feeble attempt at a joke brings us to the whole point of this post: What lessons can we take from the 2011 NBA Finals for fantasy basketball purposes? Here are five that I could think of. (continue reading…)

No one's shedding any tears for Wade or his fantasy owners this season. (NBA.com)

Beast of the Night: Dwyane Wade finished with 38 points, six rebounds, five assists, one steal, two blocks and two three-pointers in a losing cause. He shot 57 percent (12-21) from the field, 92 percent (12-13) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Wade has been a top-25 player this season, which is a far cry (pun intended) from his top-eight pick position in many drafts last fall.

Lines for Discussion:
Brandon Jennings: 10-20 FG (50%), 3 threes, 23 Pts, 5 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 TO

Andrew Bogut: 7-13 FG (54%), 0-2 FG (0%), 14 Pts, 9 Reb, 7 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 TO (continue reading…)

That just about says it all. (NBA.com)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Beast of the Night: Channing Frye posted 31 points, 11 rebounds, one assist, one steal and hit six three-pointers last night. He shot 75 percent (12-16) from the field, 50 percent (1-2) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Through seven games in February, Frye is averaging 16.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.1 threes and 1.1 blocks per game. The rebounds and threes will come down a bit before the end of the month, but there’s no denying Frye’s turnaround from his struggles earlier this season.

Lines for Discussion:
Dwyane Wade: 16-29 FG (55%), 8-10 FT (80%), 1 three, 41 Pts, 12 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO

DeMarcus Cousins: 7-14 FG (50%), 7-9 FT (78%), 21 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 5 TO (continue reading…)

Brand was a mad man this past weekend. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Weekend Wonder: Elton Brand posted averages of 30.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, one assist and two steals and two blocks in two games over the weekend. He shot 65 percent from the field, 87 percent from the charity stripe and one turnover during that stretch. Brand is off to a great start in February and has been a top-30 surprise so far this season. He’s quietly fulfilling the “comeback” tags many placed on him heading into 2010-11.

Lines for Discussion:
Dwyane Wade (2/4): 8-20 FG (40%), 5-7 FT (71%), 1 three, 22 Pts, 12 Reb, 10 Ast, 4 TO

Amir Johnson (2/4): 8-10 FG (80%), 3-3 FT (100%), 19 Pts, 12 Reb, 6 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 Blk (continue reading…)

It was a good night for Amar'e. (NBA.com)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Beast of the Night: Amar’e Stoudemire showed that he really wasn’t afraid of the Heat by putting up 24 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block and a three-pointer. He shot 59 percent (10-17) from the field and 75 percent (3-4) from the free-throw line. In the battle of the goggles, Stoudemire won.

Lines for Discussion:
Dwyane Wade: 14-22 FG (64%), 6-14 FT (43%), 34 Pts, 16 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 6 TO

LeBron James: 7-24 FG (29%), 10-12 FT (83%), 24 Pts, 11 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk, 4 TO (continue reading…)