fBasketballBlog

A.I. returns Monday. You know you're intrigued. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

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

Waiver wire watch:

• Joel Przybilla: Oden’s absence means significant minutes for The Vanilla Gorilla
• C.J. Watson: despite crowded, talented backcourt, he’s earning his minutes and contributing
• Ryan Gomes: on a roll, despite Kevin Love’s return
• Luke Ridnour: inconsistent, but good lines outweigh the bad ones lately (continue reading…)

Stoudemire is ramping up his production, but will he be the best fantasy comeback player of the season? (Flickr/Keith Allison)

The road back to fantasy relevance after suffering a major injury is always a delicate one, but there are some players who are finding some success so far.

There are a handful of major fantasy players who have already made their comebacks this season, including Amar’e Stoudemire, Al Jefferson and Gilbert Arenas, while more are on the way. The question is, which one will finish the season with the best fantasy value?

Let us know what you think by voting below and feel free to voice your opinions in the comments section. (continue reading…)

T-Mac's returning again, but how successful will he be? (Flickr/Keith Allison)

The 2009-10 NBA season has already had its share of injuries and consequent headaches in fantasy land.

Injured players make for interesting trade bait and trade targets, and with a few relevant players set to resurface in the near future, owners should consider how valuable they’ll be once they return to the court.

Antawn Jamison is set to return tonight and Pau Gasol looks ready to return Thursday, but there are a handful other players looking to make their comebacks soon enough.

Let us know who you think will have the most surprisingly successful transition from injury to fantasy value for the remainder of the season by voting in the poll below. Also, feel free to express your thought process in the comments section. (continue reading…)

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  Check out these Links. (thinkdocreate.com)

  If you’re looking for good daily fantasy recaps (besides the ones I post here and on Dimemag.com), check out these sites:

  • Give Me The Rock – these guys never disappoint; check out today’s recap here
  • FourPointPlay – good stuff; check out today’s recap here
  • Fantasy Basketball Daily – thorough overviews of each game; read today’s box score review here
  • Rotoworld – last but definitely not least; read today’s Daily Dose here
• FourPointPlay, The Fantasy Lounge and Give Me The Rock recently posted their takes on what to do with certain players who are struggling or surging.
• Brian McKitish at ESPN.com posted his rankings of the top 130 players and discusses the scarceness of blocks and steals.
• Matt Buser at Yahoo! Sports writes about T-Mac, Iverson, Don Nelson and more in his NBA Skinny.

• Michael Redd is out two weeks with a strained knee – yes, the same one that was surgically repaired last season. For fantasy owners who drafted him, you had to know Redd was at risk at sitting out chunks of games at a time so this shouldn’t be too big of a surprise. Charlie Bell seems to be the most obvious beneficiary from this situation. He started last night and finished with 11 points, 5 boards, 3 assists, a steal and a three in 34:11. Brandon Jennings, who is off to a great start, will also benefit from more looks. He hoisted 23 shots last night, compared to the 15.5 he was averaging in the two games before, and finished with 25 points. Andrew Bogut also saw more shots and minutes and finished with his best game of the season, notching 16 points, 13 rebounds, a steal and 3 blocks. Hakim Warrick moved into the starting five last night and will be worthy of a starting fantasy spot in most leagues so long as Redd is out. Carlos Delfino will also benefit from more minutes and shots, though his numbers will only be appealing in deeper leagues.
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  Yi is hurt and so are his owners. (Flickr/NBANets)

  Yi Jianlian could miss up to six weeks with a sprained right knee, which is a huge bummer for owners hoping for a breakout year for the frustrating forward. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Terrence Williams are the clear winners here, as both should be good for a solid mix of points, boards, threes and steals, though CDR does shoot better percentages. Bobby Simmons could also be worthy of some monitoring, though his value should be appealing only to those in deeper leagues. (continue reading…)