fBasketballBlog

Taj Gibson has a chance to do big things this season, and without Mr. Rose around, he’s the most exciting part of the Bulls in 2012-13. (Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)

Depth chart:

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

Here's one player-coach pairing that doesn't have drama. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Beast of the Night: Luol Deng finished his big night with 26 points, six rebounds, three assists, four steals and one block. He shot 43 percent (9-21) from the floor and 100 percent (8-8) from the free-throw line, and had one turnover. For the season, Deng has admirably produced top 50 averages for his fantasy basketball owners. His production shouldn’t be too damaged once Derrick Rose returns this weekend.

Lines for Discussion:
Dwight Howard: 4-8 FG (50%), 8 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk, 5 TO; Howard, who missed his two games before this one, is crumbling at the worst possible time for his owners

John Wall: 8-18 FG (44%), 12-15 FT (80%), 28 Pts, 4 Reb, 10 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; in non-keeper, nine-category leagues, owners would be bold to take Wall anywhere north of the fifth round in 2012-13

DeAndre Jordan: 2-3 FG (67%), 4 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 1 TO; His 11 points, 13 rebounds, one steal and four blocks the night before was obviously not the start of a hot streak for Jordan (continue reading…)

Yes, let Deng bring those unwise buyers here. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Buy Low:
Stephen Curry

Stephen Jackson

Manu Ginobili

Kevin Martin

Joe Johnson

Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, LaMarcus Aldridge and any other productive fantasy players who are injured should be considered buy-low candidates. (continue reading…)

Granger's ankle seems to be fine. (Elsa/Getty Images)

Beast of the Night: Danny Granger returned from a one-game absence with a bum ankle to put up 32 points, five rebounds, an assist, a steal, a block and four made three-pointers last night against the Nets. He shot 50 percent (10-20) from the field, 89 percent (8-9) from the floor and had two turnovers. Granger is having a great month, averaging 20.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.7 threes through nine games. He’s pulled his value up into the realm of the top 35.

Lines for Discussion:
Paul George: 4-8 FG (50%), 2-2 FT (100%), 1 three, 11 Pts, 5 Reb, 5 Ast, 4 Stl, 2 Blk, 2 TO; he’s struggling with his shooting percentages in February, connecting on just 41 percent of his attempts from the field and 68 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe

Carlos Boozer: 11-15 FG (73%), 1-3 FT (33%), 23 Pts, 15 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 TO; he’s averaging top 50 numbers this season, partly thanks to his 1.6 turnovers per game, his best mark since his 1.3 average in his rookie season

Luol Deng: 7-15 FG (47%), 3-4 FT (75%), 6 threes, 23 Pts, 4 Reb, 10 Ast, 1 Blk, 4 TO; Deng has dished out 21 assists in his last two games and is clearly picking up the slack in ball distribution in Derrick Rose’s absence (continue reading…)

Young went nuts from beyond the arc last night. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Beast of the Night: Nick Young makes an unexpected appearance here thanks to his 35 points, three rebounds, two steals and seven three-pointers last night. He shot 71 percent (12-17) from the field, 100 percent (4-4) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. After starting the season on the bench, Young has managed to give his owners reliable value as a scorer and three-point maker. So far in February, he’s averaging top 25 numbers.

Lines for Discussion:
Jeremy Lin: 9-20 FG (45%), 7-11 FT (64%), 2 threes, 27 Pts, 2 Reb, 11 Ast, 1 Stl, 8 TO; he’s officially the pickup of the year, partly for fantasy reasons, mostly for non-fantasy reasons

Amar’e Stoudemire: 8-22 FG (36%), 5-5 FT (100%), 21 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast; fantasy owners can expect his fantasy value to see a bit of a resurrection thanks to Lin’s command of the point guard spot

Jose Calderon: 11-17 FG (65%), 3 threes, 25 Pts, 7 Reb, 9 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO; he’s on a nice roll right now but will probably hit another rough patch soon enough (continue reading…)