fBasketballBlog

You're not one of those people who still drafts Kobe in the first round, are you? (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

It’s time to get grinchy, which is a good thing.

We need some salt to cut through all the sweetness of discussions about sleepers, up-and-comers and late-round steals. So, to that end, below is a quick list of the five NBA players most likely to fall short of meeting their expected values heading into this season, the inherent value of their name or whatever residual impressions of value they’ve carried over from last season in some owners’ minds.

You can read the full article about the top five underperformers over at DimeMag.com. Below is just a list of the names with brief explanations — along with five bonus names, just for this blog’s readers.

See, even the Grinch values its audience. (continue reading…)

Chris Paul + Blake Griffin = alley-oop heaven

It finally happened: Chris Paul is traded away from the Hornets.

The Los Angeles Clippers have agreed in principle to a deal with the New Orleans Hornets. Here’s the breakdown:

Los Angeles Clippers get: CP3, two future second-round picks

New Orleans Hornets get: Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota’s unprotected 2012 first-round draft pick

Here’s a quick list of fantasy implications:

• This is good news for Paul. Sure, he was a surefire top four pick before the trade, but CP3 is going from playing point guard for a hollow Hornets squad that lost David West to passing and lobbing it to Blake Griffin, who isn’t a bad finisher at the rim. I’d still take CP3 at No. 3 or 4 overall, but this trade is good for him, mentally and for — wait for it — basketball reasons. Griffin should benefit a bit from having Paul feed him the rock, but it’s not a significant bump to his fantasy value. (continue reading…)

The Griffin will take flight -- again, and again, and again. (Flickr/Keith Allison)

Depth chart:
PG: Mo Williams, Eric Bledsoe
SG: Eric Gordon, Randy Foye, Willie Warren, Travis Leslie
SF: Al-Farouq Aminu, Ryan Gomes, Jamario Moon*
PF: Blake Griffin, Craig Smith*, Trey Thompkins, Ike Diogu, Brian Cook
C: Chris Kaman, DeAndre Jordan**

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

'Melo is hitting more threes with the Knicks. It must be the glasses. (AP Photo/Boostmobile, Stephen Chernin)

Beast of the Night: Carmelo Anthony finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and five three-pointers last night. He shot 52 percent (12-23) from the field, 67 percent (2-3) from the free-throw line and had no turnovers. Anthony’s fantasy value has taken a step in the right direction since landing with the Knicks, thanks mostly to his 1.8 threes per game – one whole three-pointer more per game than his career average.

Lines for Discussion:
Gilbert Arenas: 9-14 FG (64%), 1-2 FT (50%), 6 threes, 25 Pts, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 5 TO

Jordan Crawford: 9-23 FG (39%), 10-10 FT (100%), 1 three, 29 Pts, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO (continue reading…)

What can he say? Lowry's just that damned good. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Weekend Wonder: Kyle Lowry averaged 24 points, seven rebounds, 9.5 assists, two steals and 3.5 threes in two games over the weekend. One of those was his first career triple-double. Lowry’s been a beast since the trade deadline and should be on every owner’s radar in the earlier rounds of fantasy basketball drafts next fall.

Lines for Discussion:
Tyler Hansbrough (3/18): 12-19 FG (63%), 5-5 FT (100%), 29 Pts, 12 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl

Blake Griffin (3/19): 12-21 FG (57%), 6-6 FT (100%), 30 Pts, 8 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 TO (continue reading…)