fBasketballBlog

Arenas is blowing up lately and making many owners regret passing on him in their drafts. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

Game watch:
4 games: BOS, CLE, DAL, DET, HOU, MEM, MIA, NJ, NO, OKC, ORL, POR, SA, WAS
3 games: ATL, CHA, CHI, DEN, GS, IND, LAC, LAL, MIL, MIN, NY, PHI, PHO, SAC, TOR, UTA

Waiver-wire watch:

• Matt Barnes: decent source of threes and some other stats in deeper leagues
• Landry Fields: ownership has dropped off a bit, but still worth consideration
• J.J. Redick: he’s worth a look if Vince Carter continues to sit (continue reading…)

With his health back, something of a reemergence isn't out of the question for Garnett this season. (NBA.com)

Depth chart:
PG: Rajon Rondo, Nate Robinson, Delonte West, Avery Bradley, Oliver Lafayette
SG: Ray Allen, Von Wafer
SF: Paul Pierce, Marquis Daniels
PF: Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, Luke Harangody
C: Jermaine O’Neal, Shaquille O’Neal, Semih Erden, Kendrick Perkins

Relevant fantasy players and projected draft positions/per-game stats:
Rajon Rondo – PG (Rd. 2): 15.5 Pts, 4 Reb, 10 Ast, 2.5 Stl
Paul Pierce – G/F (Rd. 3-4): 17.5 Pts, 1.5 threes, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl
Kevin Garnett – PF (Rd. 4-6): 15 Pts, 8 Reb, 2.5 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk
Ray Allen – SG (Rd. 6-7): 15 Pts, 2 threes, 3 Reb, 2.5 Ast, 1 Stl
Jermaine O’Neal – C (Rd. 12+): 9 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 1 Blk
Nate Robinson – G (Rd. 13+):  5 Pts, 1.5 threes, 2 Ast, 1 Stl
Delonte West – G (Rd. 13+): 4 Pts, 2 Ast, 1 Stl
Shaquille O’Neal (Rd. 13+): 8.5 Pts, 5.5 Reb, 1 Blk
Glen Davis – F/C (Rd. 13+): 5 Pts, 3 Reb
Semih Erden – C (Rd. 13+): 4 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Blk (continue reading…)

Durant's been the top fantasy player in the land lately. (NBAE via Getty Images/Layne Murdoch)

Beast of the Night: Kevin Durant rolled right along with 33 points, 11 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 2 turnovers. He hit a three and shot 50 percent (9-18) from the field and 100 percent (14-14) from the line. Some thought using a No. 4 draft pick on him was a bit much, but it’s turning out to be about right.

Noteworthy Lines:
Andrea Bargnani – 14-21 FG (67%), 2-6 FT (33%), 4 3ptm, 34 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Blk, 1 TO

Chris Bosh – 13-22 FG (59%), 9-12 FT (75%), 35 Pts, 15 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk, 3 TO

Roy Hibbert – 7-12 FG (58%), 4-4 FT (100%), 18 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk, 1 TO (continue reading…)

[Read the full, original post at Dimemag.com.]

Boozer could finally be back on track. (Flickr/Sean Davis)

Beast of the Night: Carlos Boozer pummeled the Spurs with 27 points, 14 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. He shot 60 percent (12-20) from the floor and a perfect 3-3 from the line while turning the ball over just once. The opportunity to buy low on Boozer might be gone.

Notable lines:
LeBron James – 9-17 FG (53%), 6-9 FT (67%), 1 3Ptm, 25 Pts, 7 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 3 TO

Anderson Varejao – 5-7 FG (71%), 2-4 FT (50%), 12 Pts, 13 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 TO

Shaquille O’Neal – 7-13 FG (54%), 14 Pts, 10 Reb, 1 ast, 5 Blk, 3 TO

John Salmons – 6-13 FG (46%), 1-1 FT (100%), 1 3Ptm, 14 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk

Wesley Matthews – 5-8 FG (63%), 1-3 FT (33%), 1 3Ptm, 12 Pts, 3 Reb, 2 Stl

Antonio McDyess – 2-5 FG (40%), 2-2 FT (100%), 6 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Blk (continue reading…)

Studs: LeBron James, Mo Williams

Duds: Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Despite the arrival of O'Neal, James is still King of the Cavs. (Flickr/Keith Allison)

The Cavs are definitely sporting a new look this year, thanks mostly to the arrival of Shaquille O’Neal, who will start at center and relegate Ilgauskas to the bench. This is a bit unfortunate for Big Z, since he has somehow managed to remain productive despite being incredibly creaky and slow. Expect him to see about 18-20 minutes a night, which will drastically decrease his production, though a better-rested Ilgauskas could produce decent numbers when O’Neal sits  out of games. (continue reading…)