fBasketballBlog

Howard got the best of James (and everyone else) last night. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Beast of the Night: Dwight Howard posted 25 points, 24 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks last night, his sixth 20/20 game of the season. He shot 64 percent (9-14) from the field, 70 percent (7-10) from the free-throw line and had three turnovers. Howard’s averaging 25.4 points, 16.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.4 steals and 2.8 blocks in his five games so far this month.

Lines for Discussion:
Ryan Anderson: 8-19 FG (42%), 6-9 FT (67%), 5 threes, 27 Pts, 11 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 TO; he still leads the NBA with 3.0 three-pointers made per game

Carlos Delfino: 7-12 FG (58%), 5-6 FT (83%), 6 threes, 25 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Ast, 4 Stl, 3 TO; this was easily his best game of the season, so maybe coach Scott Skiles will be inclined to give him more minutes going forward

DeMar DeRozan: 9-18 FG (50%), 3-3 FT (100%), 4 threes, 25 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 TO; to put things into perspective, DeRozan connected on only three three-pointers in the 20 games before last night (continue reading…)

Being a sell-high guy must be contagious. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Buy Low:
Wesley Matthews

Dirk Nowitzki

Josh Smith

Kyle Lowry

Channing Frye

Brook Lopez, Manu Ginobili, Luol Deng and any other productive fantasy players who are injured should be considered buy-low candidates. (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…)

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…)

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…)