fBasketballBlog

The Manimal will be the Nugget to watch this season. (Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

Depth chart:

Relevant fantasy players and their projected draft round (PDR) and per-game stats:

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…)

By now you’ve surely heard or read that the NBA lockout is all but over. This is, of course, fantastic news.

Now the question is: What does this mean for fantasy basketball this season? (Boy, does it feel good to be able to write “this season” without a cynical smirk plastered on my face and a bitter tear in my eye.) We’ll delve deeper into the fallout through the coming weeks, but here’s a quick rundown of some of the important things to keep in mind for now: (continue reading…)

This would've been a fun group to watch, but only two of these dudes are definitely returning for whatever is left of 2011-12. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Depth chart:
PG: Ty Lawson, Andre Miller
SG: Arron Afflalo**, J.R. Smith*^
SF: Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler**^, Gary Forbes**, Jordan Hamilton
PF: Kenyon Martin*^, Al Harrington, Kenneth Faried, Melvin Ely*
C: Nene*, Timofey Mozgov, Chris Andersen, Kosta Koufos

* unrestricted free agent
** restricted free agent
^ locked into overseas contract with no opt-out clause (continue reading…)

Get out of his way. (Flickr/Keith Allison)

[Read the full post at DimeMag.com]

Beast of the Night: LeBron James showed Chicago the talents he took elsewhere by posting 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block.  He shot 57 percent (12-21) from the field, 83 percent (5-6) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Despite what the real-life MVP race (and Chris Bosh) says, James was the best fantasy player for at least one night.

Lines for Discussion:
Luol Deng: 7-12 FG (58%), 5-5 FT (100%), 1 three, 20 Pts, 10 Reb, 5 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk, 4 TO

Derrick Rose: 9-24 FG (38%), 7-8 FT (88%), 1 three, 26 Pts, 5 Reb, 6 Ast, 4 TO (continue reading…)