Both players have an ADP of the third-fourth round

The case for KG: Garnett underwent knee surgery in the off-season and could be a great buy-low candidate. He says his knee is pain free and feels more flexible since the surgery. With the addition of PF/C Rasheed Wallace,  it will take pressure off him in the front court. KG  is a year removed from 18.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 1.3 block, 54% from the field and 80% from the foul line. Before last season he played in 71 or more games in nine straight seasons. Owners could be scared to draft the 12 time All-Time All-Star which means you could be getting a steal in the early rounds.

The case against KG: Due to a knee injury he missed 25 games last season which was the most since the 98-99 season. He averaged 15.2 points the second lowest amount in his 14-year career. Also his 31.1 minutes per game was the lowest since his rookie season. He is entering his 15th season in the league and his 20-10 days …

Chauncey Billups- Unlike Detroit, where Billups played essentially 45 minutes a game and was considered the second or 1st scoring option with RIP,  he is getting older and there are many capable scorers in Denver like Melo and J.R. His FT%, 3PTM, and Pt’s are all solid, but most pG’s are good from the stripe, and he only had 506 assists and 93 steals last year. In comparison, Ray Felton had 553 assists and 126 steals, and Rajon Rondo had 659 assists and 149 steals. He’s a good value late in the 2nd round, but don’t spend too much for him if youre looking to solidify the main PG categories. There are cheaper options.

Kevin Garnett- Defense wins championships, but it doesn’t win fantasy basketball leagues. Garnett’s #’s have gown down across the board, and a bum knee is a concern for all prospective owners. The arrival of Rasheed Wallace and depth at PF in Boston’s lineup means youre paying for a 2nd round name and getting a late 3rd round value

Kevin Martin- SG, Sac. Yes, …

Kevin Love will be this year’s version of David Lee: Love almost averaged a double-double in his rookie season (11 points and 9 rebounds). In the last 15 games of the season he averaged 14.4 points, 10 rebounds  and shot 80% from the foul line. For the second year player to get on Lee’s level he needs to record more steals and shoot a higher field goal percentage. The injury to Al Jefferson allowed Love to pick up center eligibility for this upcoming season. A healthy The ex -Bruin averaged 9.5 boards in December andJanuary before Jefferson’s injury. Love also led the league in offensive rebound rate and finished second only to C Dwight Howard in total rebound rate.

Carmelo Anthony will be a top 5 scorer: This is not a bold statement but he should be back on track this season. Danny Granger finished 5th in scorting at 25.8 but that could come down with Mike Dunleavy coming back. Melo elevated his game in the playoffs averaging 30 points in the semis and 27.5 in the …

Andris Biedrins (Warriors)- Among centers last season Biedrins finished second in rebounding (11.2). He also blocked 1.5 shots a game, recorded one steal and shot 57% from the field. The Latvian big missed 20 games last season but did not a miss game in 06-07 and missed six in 07-08. Despite being injured last year he set career highs in points (11.9), assists (2.0) and minutes per game (30). The 23-year old does not have much competition at the center position with Mikki Moore and Ronnie Turiaf on the roster.

Andre Miller (Blazers)- Miller is a steady point guard that seems to put up solid numbers every year. He has not missed a regular season game for the 76ers the past two seasons and averaged 16.7 points, 6.7 assists, 1.3 steals. Even though he does not shoot that many threes he posts solid percentages. Miller is good for at least 35 minutes per game and should be motivated to keep PG Steve Blake on the bench.

John Salmons (Bulls)- Salmons had a breakout season last year averaging 18.3 points in 56 …

Derrick Rose (Bulls)- Rose elevated his game in the playoffs averaging 19.7 points, 6.4 assists, 6.3 assists and shot 49% from the field. During the regular season he finished 17thin assists (6.3) along with .2 threes per game and .8 steals per game. He is a dynamicpoint guard withgreat speed and strength but did not have a great fantasy season. For him to jump into the elite PG tier he needs to increase his threes, steals and free throw %.  Owners may by into his hype and draft him in rounds 3-4. Remember while he should improve this year he ranked 91st on the ESPN fantasy player rater.

David Lee (Knicks)- Lee set career highs in points (16.0), rebounds (11.7), steals (1.0), minutes (34.9) last season. The restricted free agent is expected to sign a one year with the Knickssoon. While he led the NBA with 65 double-doubles he finished third in rebounding. Troy Murphy finished ahead of Lee in bounds and is the better fantasy option. Even though he averaged less points and shot worse from …

RB Mike Bell (Saints)- RB Pierre Thomas is expected to sit this week against the Lions. Thomas is suffering from a MCL sprain and a minor laceration on the same knee. He did not practice yesterday and the Saints should not play him to risk further injury. Last season  Bell scored his lone TD vs. the Lions.  He rushed for 115 yards on 15 carries during the preseason and makes a strong flex play this week.

RB James Davis- Jamal Lewis barely broke 1,000 yards last season and averaged 3.6 yards per carry. He is now 30 years old and his load could be decreased. Davis, was selected in the sixth round (same round as  RB Terrell Davis) out of Clemson.  He has  has good size 5′11″ 218 pounds and could eventually take over the starting job. The rookie ran for 186 yards on 24 carries, averaging  to 7.8 yards per carry.

Honorable mention: Glenn Coffee (49ers)

Terrell Owens (Bills)-  Owens missed three weeks of practice time with a sprained toe. TO is coming off one of his least productive seasons of his career catching 69 balls for 1,052 yards and 10 scores. His numbers suffered with team injuries including one to QB Tony Romo. With Brad Johnson throwing to him in weeks 7-9, Owens averaged just four catches for 33 yards. To go along with Owens history of drops , an unproven QB (Trent Edwards) and incliment weather games he is a risky pick in the third round.

Clinton Portis (Redskins)- Last season Portis had a case to be named the first half fantasy MVP. However from Weeks 10-17 he only had one rushing TD and one 100 yard ground game. Compared to seven TDs and five 100 yard ground games in the first half. Even though he is entering his prime (28 years old) he is fifth among active RB’s in carries. Ladell Betts will be used more on third down and Marcus Masoncould steal some goal line carries. He has not missed …

Willie Parker (Steelers)-  Accoring to Parker’s average draft position (ADP) he is the 29th running back being selected. From 05-07 he missed two regular season games and averaged 1337 rushing yards and six TDs on the ground. Last year he missed five games and averaged a career low 3.8 yards per carry. However, he was healthy for the playoffs as he received 70 carries in three games and gained 146 yards vs. the Chargers  in the Divisional round. The Steelers plan on using Parker at the goal-line and would make a formiadble RB3 in the sixth round.

Eddie Royal (Broncos)- Royal has been creeping up the draft boards with the absence of WR Brandon Marshall. As a rookie last season he caught 91 passes for 980 yards and five scores. Even though he has a new coach (Josh McDaniels-OC with the Pats) and QB (Kyle Orton), the system fits him perfectly. The Broncos plan to run a lot of short timing routes which the role West Welker has with the Patriots. In points per reception (PPR) leagues Welker is going in the third-fourth …

Here are a couple things to consider heading into next season:

1. Point guard is the most valuable position

2. Finding cheap rebounds and blocks is easy

3. Don’t be afraid to draft rookies

First Round

1. Chris Paul (Hornets)- During the regular season CP3 led the NBA in steals and assists. He also averaged a career high 22.8 points and 5.5 rebounds. He shot 50% from the field and 87% from the foul line. Paul can carry your team in assists and steals which are very important fantasy categories.

2. Lebron James (Cavs)-  Entering his sixth season LBJ had a typical year averaging 28.4 points (second in the NBA), pulling down 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. However, his fg% (49) , ft% (78) and three-pointers made (132) were career highs.

3. Dwayne Wade (Heat)- Wade posted a league high 30.2 points last season. After missing 60 games the past two seasons he missed just three last season. He posted career highs in steals (2.2) and blocks (1.3) per game. DWade became the …

With the season around the corner, here are some guys who would have helped you win 37 dollars in your 4 team 12×12.

Ivan Rodriguez (C) 1999- .332     116R   35hr    113rbi   25sb.

This is was pretty easy. a 35-25 catcher who bats .332. Did I mention he’s a catcher? And an MVP, too.

Ty Cobb (OF) 1911-   .420     147 r  8 hr  127 rbi     87sb.

No better way to offset Adam Dunn’s poor batting average than with Ty Cobb in your next fantasy draft. He must have been smoking something to bat .420 (Ha ha, I am so funny…). He also  had 24 triples, for those of you in triples leagues.

Jimmie Foxx (1B) 1932-    .364    151 r 58 hr   169 rbi 3sb.

It’s safe to say that not many guys are gonna put up 150-50-150 in your upcoming draft.

And, officially, my pick for the GREATEST FANTASY BASEBALL SEASON OF ALL TIME.

George Herman “Babe” Ruth (OF) NNY 1921:       .378    177 r   59hr    171 rbi    17 sb
All hail the king.

Since it’s way too easy to just throw out basement picks and hoping for a long shot, let’s talk about 2 guys who should be considered 1st or 2nd rd talent but are going outside the top 2 rd’s.

1-Chase Utley, 2b. (PHI): Utley has been THE premier 2B in baseball for the last 4 years. A couple of injuries set him back in the 2nd half of last year, but he is back in top form to start the 2009 season. Utley is 30 years old and in his prime. Anybody who gets utley outside the top 15 should be licking their chops. A 2b with 100-30-100  .300 power is self explanatory.

2. Carl Crawford, LF (Tam): Carl Crawford was another victim of the injury bug last year, and a bad hamstring is the achilles heel of the base stealer. From 2003-2007, Crawf put up a .300 batting average and stole over 50 bags per season. He only played 109 games last year. Crawford says he feels “Great” and is ready to terrorize the basepaths. If …

Teams with five games: Utah

Teams with four games: Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Golden State, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Sacramento

Guards

Brandon Rush (Pacers)- Rush has scored in double-figures in five straight games and has started the past four. He has scored 29 points in each of his last two games while making five three-pointers. As a starter he also has averaged seven rebounds and shot 51% from the field. G Marquis Daniels could miss the rest of the season with an injured wrist.

Anthony Morrow (Warriors)- Morrow has scored 23.5 points and made seven three pointers his past two games. He is shooting a league best 49.6% from behind the arc and has made at least one three pointer in 14 his last 17 games. G Stephen Jackson is expected to miss the team’s final nine games with an injured toe.

Honorable mention: Gilbert Arenas (Wizards)…Not playing back to back games or away games

Forwards

Rodney Carney (Timberwolves)- Carney has scored in …