fBasketballBlog

Curry was a beast -- a beast who reinjured a bothersome ankle. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Beast of the Night: Stephen Curry followed up his forgettable opening night with 21 points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, six steals and a three-pointer. He shot 58 percent (7-12) from the field, 86 percent (6-7) from the free-throw line and had four turnovers. Sadly, Curry’s big night ended on a sour note when the guard landed on Kyle Korver’s foot and reinjured that balky right ankle. Keep an eye on his status.

Lines for Discussion:
Jose Calderon: 5-9 FG (56%), 2-2 FT (100%), 3 threes, 15 Pts, 6 Reb, 11 Ast, 1 TO; vintage Calderon, probably not a trend

Roy Hibbert: 6-11 FG (55%), 4-5 FT (80%), 16 Pts, 14 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Blk, 1 TO; great start, but is another burnout season in the cards?

Tyler Hansbrough: 6-14 FG (43%), 3-4 FT (75%), 15 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Stl; probably not the norm for him this season (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…)

Get ready to know this kid better next season. (Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

Depth chart:
PG: Darren Collison, George Hill, A.J. Price, Lance Stephenson, T.J. Ford*
SG: Paul George, Mike Dunleavy*
SF: Danny Granger, Brandon Rush, Dahntay Jones, James Posey
PF: Tyler Hansbrough, Josh McRoberts*
C: Roy Hibbert, Jeff Foster*, Solomon Jones*

* unrestricted free agent (continue reading…)

The man with the most uninteresting name in the NBA had the best line last night. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Beast of the Night: Joe Johnson busted out of his slump in a big way last night, posting 36 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block and six three-pointers. He shot 68 percent (13-19) from the field, 100 percent (4-4) from the charity stripe and had two turnovers. Johnson nearly matched his total points scored in his previous three games with last night’s line. Johnson’s fallen out of elite fantasy basketball status this season, but is still a solid guy to own in most leagues.

Lines for Discussion:
Landry Fields: 5-10 FG (50%), 4-6 FT (67%), 3 threes, 17 Pts, 3 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 TO

Darren Collison: 9-13 FG (69%), 5-5 FT (100%), 1 three, 24 Pts, 3 Reb, 9 Ast, 4 TO (continue reading…)

That pose should say it all. (Flickr/Keith Allison)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Buy Low:
Joakim Noah

Luol Deng

Roy Hibbert

Raymond Felton

David West (continue reading…)