fBasketballBlog

Patty Mills was the "Beast of the Night." Yep, it was the last night of a lockout-shortened NBA season. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Beast of the Night: Patty Mills finishes the wild 2011-12 NBA regular season with this honor, thanks to his 34 points, five boards, 12 dimes, one steal, one block and four three-pointers. He shot 56 percent (14-25) from the floor and 100 percent (2-2) from the free-throw line, and turned the ball over four times. It’d be a huge surprise to see him here ever again, but good for him and however many of his owners last night.

Lines for Discussion:
DeMarcus Cousins: 9-19 FG (47%), 5-7 FT (71%), 23 Pts, 19 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 TO; Cousins aggressively put his stamp on the 2011-12 NBA season, finishing with top 60 value

Ed Davis: 10-15 FG (67%), 4-5 FT (80%), 24 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; in nine games as a starter this season, Davis averaged 8.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.6 blocks in 33.5 minutes

Enes Kanter: 4-8 FG (50%), 4-7 FT (57%), 12 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 1 TO; Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors are all on Utah’s payroll next season, which means Kanter’s fantasy appeal will be limited to deep leagues (continue reading…)

The quickly approaching Dec. 25 start to the somewhat unexpected 2011-12 NBA season means fantasy owners are like students cramming for a big exam. Here are a few tidbits to help you ace your drafts:

• 

  Love will have to lift less weight off the ground when grabbing 'bounds this season. (Flickr/Keith Allison)

  Kevin Love is reportedly “25 pounds lighter than when he left following last season.” This bodes well for his ability to maintain, if not exceed, his stellar fantasy value from last season. I can’t see any reason why Love would fall out of the top five spots in any fantasy basketball draft this season.

• Vince Carter is expected to be waived by the Phoenix Suns, which opens up the door (as expected) for Jared Dudley to step in and start. In 15 starts last season, Dudley averaged 51.8% FG, 77% FT, 1.7 3PTM, 16.3 Pts, 5.9 Reb, 2.2 Ast, 2.1 Stl, 0.5 Blk, 1.2 TO. In the 65 games he played (15 of which he started, 50 of which he came off the bench) from Dec. 2, 2010, through the end of last season, Dudley put up top 80 value. Call him a sleeper if you want, but Dudley should’ve already been on your radars. He’ll be a bargain if he falls into the last quarter of your draft. Carter, meanwhile, could land on a team in need of a SG, but don’t be fooled — his days of being a reliably productive fantasy asset are over. (continue reading…)