fBasketballBlog

The Olympics are over, which means we won’t be seeing stuff like this again anytime soon (maybe ever):

Yep, that’s NBA champion LeBron James with a wicked bounce pass to Kevin Durant. Not only is that a sick play — it’s also a smooth transition into the point of this post, because that GIF shows the top two players in the land of fantasy basketball.

The NBA offseason is in a lull, but fantasy basketball owners should never be. But if you’ve allowed yourself to kick back and hop out of the stream of NBA news and moves for a bit, who can blame you? So for those who have to reacquaint themselves with the league, and for those who are already up to speed, I present to you an early iteration of the top 150 fantasy basketball players for the upcoming 2012-13 NBA season. (The rankings assume nine categories and a head-to-head format.)

Here’s a quick peek at the top 25 players: (continue reading…)

So far, that Nets uni has looked pretty good on Crash. (Chris Chambers/Getty Images)

Weekend Wonder: Gerald Wallace averaged 21.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 4.0 steals, 1.0 block and 2.0 threes in two games over the weekend. In this stretch, he shot 54 percent from the floor and 89 percent from the free-throw line, while averaging 2.5 turnovers per game. It’s only been nine games, but Wallace has averaged better all-around numbers (top 20 value) for the Nets than those he was putting up in Portland earlier this season.

Lines for Discussion:
Kevin Garnett (3/30): 12-18 FG (67%), 24 Pts, 10 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Blk, 2 TO; in his 25 starts at center for the Celtics this season, Garnett has averaged 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks, while shooting 54 percent from the floor and 86 percent from the free-throw line

Brandon Jennings (3/31): 9-19 FG (47%), 4-4 FT (100%), 2 threes, 24 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 TO; since Ellis’ arrival in that backcourt, Jennings has averaged 17.3 points, 2.8 boards, 4.9 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.2 threes, while shooting 43 percent from the floor and 84 percent from the free-throw line

Anthony Morrow (3/31): 8-17 FG (47%), 2-3 FT (67%), 6 threes, 24 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Stl; going forward, Morrow should be viewed solely as a three-point specialist (continue reading…)

Illyasova. (See what I did there?) (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Pawel Dwulit)

Weekend Wonder: Ersan Ilyasova makes his debut here after averaging 28.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.5 threes in two games over the weekend. In that stretch, he shot 69 percent from the field, 92 percent from the free-throw line and averaged turned the ball over just once. In his last 13 games, Ilyasova has averaged top five numbers, making him a serious contender for pickup of the year.

Lines for Discussion:
Nikola Pekovic (3/9): 8-14 FG (57%), 9-10 FT (90%), 25 Pts, 13 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl; Pekovic followed this up with a 21/11 line the next night, indicating a return to form

Andrea Bargnani (3/10): 2-8 FG (25%), 4-4 FT (100%), 8 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; he put up 11/8/2 on Sunday, and will require some time to work some rust off

Jared Dudley (3/10): 9-16 FG (56%), 1 three, 19 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 4 TO; so far in March, Dudley is averaging 17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.0 block and 1.3 threes per game, while shooting 53 percent from the field and 63 percent from the free-throw line (continue reading…)

The Rock says, "It doesn't matter if Harden starts or not!" (Elsa/Getty Images)

Beast of the Night: James Harden posted 30 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals, two blocks and four three-pointers last night. He shot 67 percent (8-12) from the field, 91 percent (10-11) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. Harden has been a top 25 fantasy stud so far this season, which is extra impressive given that he’s the non-starter in that bunch.

Lines for Discussion:
Blake Griffin: 9-15 FG (60%), 10-17 FT (59%), 28 Pts, 17 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; after a five-game drought of blocks, Griffin has blocked at least one shot in each of his last four games

John Wall: 1-8 FG (13%), 2-4 FT (50%), 4 Pts, 2 Reb, 9 Ast, 1 Blk, 5 TO; Wall has shown noticeable improvement as the season has worn on and has worked himself back into top 75 shape

DeMar DeRozan: 8-16 FG (50%), 7-8 (88%), 23 Pts, 3 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Stl; DeRozan is on a hot streak, averaging 23.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 0.7 threes in his last three games (continue reading…)

KD was No. 1 this past weekend. (AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson)

Weekend Wonder: Kevin Durant averaged 37.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 steals and 4.0 threes in his two games over the weekend. He shot 67 percent from the floor, 83 percent from the free-throw line and turned the ball over a total of 10 games in this stretch. Durant scored a career-high 51 points Sunday night. For the season, Durant is second only to LeBron James on the fantasy basketball totem pole.

Lines for Discussion:
Rodney Stuckey (2/17): 12-20 FG (60%), 11-12 FT (92%), 1 three, 36 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; Stuckey has been scoring in bunches and has shot well from the field and the free-throw line (84 percent on 7.7 attempts this month) lately

Chris Kaman (2/17): 3-12 FG (25%), 6-6- FT (100%), 12 Pts, 8 Reb, 6 Ast, 2 TO; Kaman’s been solid lately, but his owners should definitely be looking to sell him off sooner than later

Marc Gasol (2/17): 5-11 FG (46%), 6-7 FT (86%), 16 Pts, 14 Reb, 8 Ast, 3 Blk, 7 TO; he continues to be a top 12 stud, but his owners have to wonder what the return of Zach Randolph in early March could mean for the Spaniard’s value (continue reading…)