fBasketballBlog

Harden can flick anything he wants after last night's huge performance. (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas)

Beast of the Night: James Harden ruined the Suns last night, dropping a line of 40 points, seven rebounds, three assists, four steals and five treys. He shot 71 percent (12-17) from the floor and 100 percent (11-11) from the free-throw line, and turned the ball over three times. For the season, Harden has been a top 30 asset, which is in line with rosier expectations heading into the season. Coming off the bench or not, Harden is a fantasy basketball stud.

Lines for Discussion:
Nene: 7-12 FG (58%), 0-1 FT (0%), 14 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Blk; as a Wizard, Nene is averaging 14.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.9 steals and a block per game, while shooting 55 percent from the field — the problem is that Nene has only played in seven games since joining the Wizards

Glen Davis: 12-16 FG (75%), 3-6 FT (50%), 27 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; in April, Davis is averaging 18.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.4 steals per game — top 50 numbers

Paul Pierce: 9-14 FG (64%), 11-12 FT (92%), 29 Pts, 5 Reb, 14 Ast, 2 Stl, 3 TO; Pierce has been an adept distributor whenever Rajon Rondo has missed time this season (continue reading…)

Last night's line was for you. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Beast of the Night: LeBron James put up 41 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, a block and a three-pointer last night in a start at shooting guard for the Heat. He shot 60 percent (15-25) from the floor and 77 percent (10-13) from the free-throw line, and had four turnovers. James’ recent slip in production dropped him to No. 2 overall in fantasy basketball, but he’s still a monster.

Lines for Discussion:
Carmelo Anthony: 17-31 FG (55%), 4-5 FT (80%), 1 three, 39 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO; though he’ll finish the season strong, 2011-12 was a huge disappointment for his fantasy owners

Steve Nash: 7-12 FG (58%), 2-2 FT (100%), 2 threes, 18 Pts, 6 Reb, 12 Ast, 1 TO; he’s maintained top 60 value throughout the season and is a dependable double-double machine, albeit one with a worrisome back

DeMarcus Cousins: 16-25 FG (64%), 9-14 FT (64%), 41 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk, 2 TO; Cousins has worked himself into a near-top 50 fantasy basketball player this season, which is how he should be viewed heading into next season’s drafts (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…)

This pretty much tells the tale. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Beast of the Night: LeBron James posted 31 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, four steals, three blocks and two three-pointers last night against the Lakers. He shot 44 percent (12-27) from the field, 71 percent (5-7) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Maybe it wasn’t as momentous as MJ’s “flu game,” but this was a huge line from a guy who was questionable with the flu-like symptoms until about an hour before the start of the game. LeBron has hit nine three-pointers in his last three games, which is noteworthy because he hit zero threes in the 10 games before that. He remains the unquestioned king of fantasy basketball.

Lines for Discussion:
Kobe Bryant: 8-21 FG (38%), 5-5 FT (100%), 24 Pts, 3 threes, 5 Reb, 7 Ast, 3 Stl, 2 TO; he’s shooting a combined 15-of-43 (35 percent) from the floor in his last two games

Pau Gasol: 11-19 FG (58%), 3-3 FT (100%), 1 three, 26 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO; he has top 20 value so far in the 2011-12 NBA season, but that’s disappointing for a guy who was drafted in the top 10 of most leagues

Al Jefferson: 8-18 FG (44%), 6-8 FT (75%), 22 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl; Jefferson is putting up top 15 averages and is keeping in tip-top shape (continue reading…)

Yep, this will be fun. (Noah Graham/NBAE/Getty Images)

The 2011-12 NBA season is finally within reach, ready to be ripped open by the childishly eager fingers of ravenous fans. For fantasy basketball owners, the joy comes with a bit of business. Once they cut through the excitement of seeing the first tip-off of the season, they’ll immediately wonder how their draft picks will pay off, what clues they can pick up in the early going and which players sitting in the free-agent pool might be worth a pickup.

While making heavy-handed conclusions after just the first day of games isn’t recommended, it doesn’t hurt to have a list of things to watch and hope for during the first official day of this unique NBA season. Below is a Christmas Day wish list for fantasy basketball owners who have players participating in the first day’s games. (continue reading…)