Week 21 (March 15-21) Teams playing four games: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Golden State, Houston, Indiana, L.A. Lakers, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Utah, Washington Teams playing three games: L.A. Clippers, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Sacramento, Toronto Teams playing two games: Dallas, Orlando, Portland

Toney Douglas (Knicks)- The last time Douglas started was on November 18th. Last Saturday he started and scored 21 points in helping the Knicks defeat the Mavs. He has played in at least 22 minutes the past four games and has 7 three-pointers in this span.

Jannero Pargo (Bulls)- Pargo started his first game of the season due to a wrist injury suffered to Derrick Rose. Pargo, scored a season high 20 points with 4 assists and 2 three-pointers. Rose should return tomorrow vs. the Grizziles.

Johan Petro (Nuggets)- Petro has started four straight games because of the injury to Keynon Martin. He is averaging 5.8 points, 7.8 rebounds .8 blocks as a starter.

Honorable mention: James Johnson (Bulls)

David Lee had 4 points ,2 rebounds and 1 assist in his All-Star debut as the East won 141-139. He only played 12 minutes and had  3 turnovers. Lee replaced Allen Iverson who missed the game due to personal reasons.

Lee was the first Knicks All-Star since 2001 and played in front of 108,713 fans. Lee said he wanted to score a basket and get a win so at least he accomplished both in his debut. Hopefully, Lee and LeBron James can be All-Stars for the Knicks next season.

Fantasy MVP: LeBron James (Cavs)

James is leading the league in points (29,9) and is  6th in assists (8.3). He also is averaging 1.9 threes, 1.6 steals and

1 block per game. He is shooting 50% from the field and is the second best free throw % of his career 77.6

Runner up: Kevin Durant (Thunder)

Least Valuable player: John Salmons (Bulls)

Salmons was traded to the Bulls last season and was expected to carry some of the load this year with Ben Gordon gone. He averaged 18.3 points and 1.9 threes per game while shooting 47% from the field and 81% from the line in 26 games. This season he is averaging 12.8 points, 1.4 threes and is shooting 41% from the field and 78% from the line.

Runner up: Gilbert Arenas (Wizards)

Biggest Fantasy Surprise: Zach Randolph (Grizzles)

Randolph has not missed a game this season playing in all 51 games. He is one of the main reasons Memphis is 26-25 and three games out of the 8th seed. The most games he has played in a season were 81 back in 03-04.

Zebo made his first All-Star team of his career due to averaging 20.5 points and 11.6 rebounds. He is shooting 49.8% from the field (2nd highest of his career) and 79.4% from the line.

Runner up: Rajon Rondo (Celtics), Gerald Wallace (Bobcats), David Lee (Knicks) and Stephen Curry (Warriors), Chris Kaman (Clippers)

Rookie of the Year: Tyreke Evans (Kings)

Evans is on pace to average 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists which only three rookies have done before (LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Oscar Robertson). He also is averaging 1.6 steals, .5 blocks and is shooting 46% from the field and 79% from the line

Runner up: Brandon Jennings (Bucks), Curry, Darren Collison (Hornets)

Fantasy Bust: Jose Calderon (Raptors)

Calderon was drafted in the second round in most snake drafts. Owners expected a high field goal percentage along with a high assist rate. He is playing in just 27 minutes per game and is averaging 5.9 assists. The last two seasons he averaged 8.3 and 8.9 assists. He had some injury concerns in the pre-season but owners expected him to bounce back after he missed 14 games last season. He has missed 12 games so far this season and has not started since December 5th.

Runner up: Hedo Turkoglu (Raptors), Charlie Villanueva (Pistons), Ben Gordon (Pistons), Richard Jefferson (Spurs), Devin Harris (Nets)

Week 15 (Feb. 1-7)

Teams playing four games: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, New Jersey, New Orleans, Portland, Sacramento, Washington
Teams playing three games: Charlotte, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Golden State, Houston, Indiana, L.A. Clippers, New York, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, Toronto, Utah
Teams playing two games: Minnesota

George Hill (Spurs)- Tony Parker is expected to miss several games due to an ankle injury. Hill has averaged 15.6 points and 3.6 assists over his past five games. He also has played in at least 31 minutes in six of his past seven games.

Nicolas Batum (Blazers)- Batum has played in at least 26 minutes in his past three games. He is coming back from a shoulder injury that has sidelined him for most of the season.

Antoine Wright (Raptors)- Wright has 28 points, 11 rebounds and 6 three-pointers over his past two games. He has received more playing time due to injuries in the rotation.

Ryan Hollins (Timberwolves)- Hollins has started the past two games and has 35 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals. He played 29 and 30 minutes in these games and could remain in the startling lineup for a little bit longer.

Honorable mention: Jarvis Hayes (Nets)

1. Kevin Love and Chris Paul are back: Love made his first appearance of the season last Friday and has double-doubles in both games he has played. Last season as a rookie in 81 games he made 2 three-pointers. He already has four three-pointers and is becoming a very versatile player.

CP3 returned with a bang with 15 points, 15 assists, 8 steals, 6 rebounds, one three and one block in 38 minutes last Friday. He should resume his excellent play and the 8 steals was a great sign for the rest of the season.

2. Al Harrington is on fire: Al has scored 26, 27, 14 and 22 over his past four games with 7 three-pointers. He pulled down a season high 14 rebounds today and is having a solid all-around fantasy season.

3.Kevin Durant is having a fantasy MVP season: The third year forward is averaging 28.1 points, 7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals, 1.2 threes and .8 blocks per game. He has scored at least 33 points in three of his past four games and is the third ranked fantasy player in a 8 category league.

4. Greg Oden is hurt again: Oden was having a solid season until he fractured his knee yesterday and will be out for the season.

5. The Nets finally win a game and have viable fantasy options: Courtney Lee scored a season high 27 points last Friday when the team beat the Bobcats. Chris Douglas-Roberts had another solid game today scoring 26 points with 3 steals vs. the Knicks today. Brook Lopez has established himself as a elite fantasy big and Devin Harris has been playing better.

Week 7 (Dec. 7-13)

Teams playing four games: Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Golden State, Minnesota, New Jersey, Portland, San Antonio, Toronto, Utah
Teams playing three games: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento
Teams playing two games: L.A. Clippers, Miami, New York, Washington

Guards

Chucky Atkins (Pistons)- Atkins scored a season high10 points vs. the Bucks last Friday. He has 4 three-pointers in seven games and has started four straight games.

Jordan Farmar (Lakers)- Farmar has scored in double-figures in three of his past four games. He has 17 three-pointers on the season and played a season high 24 minutes last Tuesday.

Honorable mention: Wayne Ellington (Timberwolves)

Forwards

Kevin Love (Timberwolves)- Love returned from injury last Friday and has a double-double and 4 three-pointers in the two games he has played. Last season in  his rookie year he made 2 three-pointers in 81 games.

Sam Young (Grizzles)- Young has scored 34 points over his last three games and has 4 steals over his last four games. The rookie plays inconsistent minutes but has the potential to contribute across the board.

Honorable mention: James Johnson (Bulls)

Centers

Nick Collison (Thunder)-After a four game absence Collison scored a season high 18 points last Wednesday. He has a t least one block in each of his past two games and is also a good source for FG %.

Jared Jeffries (Knicks)- Jeffries blocked a season high four shots last Tuesday and recorded three steals today. He continues to play about 20 minutes in the rotation which helps him contribute in the defensive areas.

Honorable mention: Kwame Brown (Pistons)

1. Lou Williams and Trevor Ariza are overachieving: Williams scored a season high 30 points last Friday against the the Grizzles. On the season he is averaging 16.7 points, 5.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds. More importantly he is shooting 48% from the field. Ariza has scored at least 15 points in every game but one this season. On the season he is averaging 18.3 points per game but needs to increase his FG% if he wants reach to elite status. Ariza also has at least one steal in every game but one.

2. Drew Gooden is a must start: Gooden has started the past four games with Erick Dampier out and has 14.8 points, 13 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game. He is shooting 50% from the field and 81% from the line in 36 minutes.

3. Peja Stojakovic has become important again: Peja has scored at least 25 times in two of his past five games. He made a season high 7 three-pointers and pulled down 13 rebounds vs. the Suns last week. He has made 20 three-pointers over his past five games.

4. Has Elton Brand turned his play around?: Brand has played much better over his past three games averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3.3 blocked shots and 2.6 steals.

5. Chris Douglas-Roberts is a scoring machine: CDR scored a career high 31 points last week vs. the Bucks. On the season he is averaging 18 points and shooting 88% from the foul line. Over his past three games he has attempted 64 shots and looks like his scoring will continue with Devin Haris back.

Honorable mention: Magic and Hawks lead the East with 11 wins each, Suns lead the West with 11 wins, Nets are still win-less, Melo leads the league in scoring (30.5),

Who to draft: Jason Kidd vs. Devin Harris

The case for Kidd: In his first full year with the Mavericks, Kidd averaged 9 points, 8.7 assists (5th in the NBA), 6.2 rebounds 2 steals (3rd in the NBA) and 1.6 threes per game. On any given night Kidd has a solid chance of recording a triple-double. Dallas signed F Shawn Marion who was Kidd’s former teammate with the Phoenix Suns. Baring injury Kidd is a safe third round pick because of his contributions in assists, rebounds, and threes. The formet Net also turned the ball over just 2.28 times per game which was his lowest total since 96-97. He shot 46% from the field and averaged 11.4 points per game in 10 playoff games last season.

The case against Kidd: Since being traded to Dallas during the 07-08 season he has averaged 9.5 points during that span. He also has not shot over 44% from the field since the 98-99 season. Kidd is now 36 years old and the upside is very limited. He also rarely goes to the foul line attempting just 1.3 per game last season.

The case for Harris: Harris had a breakout year for the Nets last season averaging 21.3 points, 6.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. During November he averaged 26.3  and 25.7 points per game during February which shows his upside. The potential to score even more is high with the departure of Vince Carter. Harris averaged 8.8 free throws attempted per game which was 5th in the league.

The case against Harris: He missed 13 games last season due to different injuries and has already injured his groin and ankle during the preseason. He also made just .9 threes per game and averaged 3.1 turnovers. The Nets landed PG Rafer Alston in the  Carter trade who could push him for some minutes. The departure of VC could mean less assists. and durability of Harris is very questionable.

It’s so funny to me how reluctant the average fantasy basketball player is to accept change in fantasy standings, but also how quickly someone’s opinion will change based on something they hear or perceive. For example, let’s take the case of Kevin Durant. Long slated to be a mega-stud in the NBA, KD broke out on a torrent last year. Let’s take a look at his beastly totals from last year:

.476/.863 FG/FT%    452FTM, 97  Tre’s,     1871 Pts,  482 REB,  205AST, 96st,  53blocks

Averaging 25.3 ppg, Durant was a gem. He’s young, incredibly athletic, and the precision outside shooting from a 6′9 G/F makes him almost unstoppable when he’s hot.

All of a sudden, people are saying that Durant is better than Lebron James. Folks, these types of statements are absurd. Let’s break this down for a second. Lebron plays on a team with Mo Williams, Delonte West, Zydryunas IlGauskas……..all guys who can put the ball in the basket. Durant played with Russell Westbrook ( shot only 39% from the field) ,  Jeff Green (noted for his defensive skills), and other noted incapables such as Robert Swift, Malik Rose,  D.J. White, and Etan Thomas. This year, with the addition of James Harden who is not only a capable scorer but someone who can create for himself, as well as useful contributors such as Desmond Mason and Shaun Livingston, don’t expect Durant’s scoring to go up. In fact, expect it to go down. Durant is not a “slasher”; he is a smart player who uses screens and exploits the match-ups that are available, but his strength lies in the mid and long-range shooting. With Harden holding down the SG spot, Durant will not be able to exploit match-ups against notably smaller opponents. Without another notable dominant category under his belt other than PTS, it is going to be hard to build your team around a SG outside of the top 5 in scoring, especially when you’re spending a high pick on him. Let’s take a look at another guy, who although might not be young, he is a superstar  that can be drafted 20+ picks later and provide you with comparable  stats. First let’s revisit Durant:

KD: .476/.863 FG/FT%    452FTM, 97  Tre’s,     1871 Pts,  482 REB,  205AST, 96st,  53blocks

XX:  .457/.830                    459 FTM,  119 Tre’s,    1658 pts, 457 Reb,  294 Ast,  80 st, 27blocks

While the stats are not exact, and the %’s and extra blocks would probably reinforce the fact that Durant should be drafted higher, Paul Pierce has been one of the most consistent fantasy performers of the last decade. Granted, nay-sayers will point to his fade down the playoff stretch last year, but let’s be serious: Pierce carried that team for most of the regular season and is the reason Boston was even able to make it out of the 1st round of the playoffs. Their strong regular season record ensured  a 1st round match-up against a weaker opponent, one who the Celtics could barely manage to scrape by.  Any higher  seeded team surely would have knocked Boston out in the 1st round. Also, just a reminder, NBA playoffs have nothing to do with Fantasy Playoffs.

Pierce is still a stud. He won’t score 25 ppg anymore, but his stats across the board still mean he’s worthy of a top 25 pick. With KG back, Pierce’s scoring numbers might take a small hit, but 19-20ppg is a solid number. In 2007-2008, with a healthy Garnett on the court, Pierce scored 1570 pts but added a very impressive 143 – 3’s ,    363 Assists,   and 101 steals. Expect a similar season in 09-10.Also,  Pierce has played in 79+ games a season 9 out of the last 10 years. Reliability is my favorite attribute.

So folks, if you’re playing Rotisserie Basketball, don’t overpay for points with a top 5 pick. This is a stats game, and points are readily available everywhere. It’s the more important categories like assists, steals and blocks that need to be addressed. To shine a light on it: 20 players averaged 20ppg or more last year; only 10 players averaged 7+ assists, and only 9 players averaged 9+ rebounds. There are needs to fill with every pick, so choose wisely.

Gerald Wallace vs. Andre Iguodala

The case for Wallace: Wallace averaged a career high 7.8 rebounds to go along with 1.7 steals, .9 blocks, shot 48% from the field and 80% from the foul line. However, his fantasy potential should be based on the 14 games he in March where he averaged 19.5 points, 9 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.4 blocks and .9 threes per game. He also shot 58% from the field which is outstanding for a small forward. He cut down his turnovers from the previous season from 2.9 to 2.1.

The case against Wallace: His scoring dipped last year (down to 16.7 from 19.4) and has missed 43 regular season games the past three seasons due to injury. Head Coach Larry Brown might consider playing Wallace at the 4 which would hurt his fantasy value. He needs to raise his assists (2.7) if he wants to go ahead of Igudola.

The case for Igudola: Iggy has missed just six games in five seasons and has played in all 82 in four of them. Last season he averaged 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.6 steals, shot 47% from the field and 72% from the line. He stepped up on the offense side with Elton Brand missing 53 games due to injury averaging at least 20 points in January, March and April. He has been working out at shooting guard which should rise his threes. He also logs big minutes as he averaged at least 39 minutes per game the past three seasons.

The case against Igudola: He struggled to start the season averaging just 13 points in November with a healthy Brand playing. However, the team is running a Princeton offense under new Coach Eddie Jordan,  which Iggy should thrive in. However, he shot a career low 72% from the line last season and needs to cut down his turnovers.