NBA News/NBA Fantasy News 2007/2008

[Hache Man]

The Good, Bad and Ugly
Thursday offered a taste of the good, bad and ugly in the NBA on a three-game night.

The Good

Kevin Durant, Tracy McGrady and Tayshaun Prince were all brilliant on Thursday, with Durant and Prince notching career highs and McGrady torching the Jazz for 47 points on 17-of-27 shooting.

Durant looks like the real deal and once he puts some more weight on his frame, he's going to develop quickly into one of the best scorers in the league. It's important to remember that his 27 points came against the Suns, who aren't exactly dialed in on the defensive end of things.

As for Prince, he was helped by the absence of Richard Hamilton, who missed the opener due to the birth of his daughter. Prince finished with 34 points and 12 boards in a win over the Heat.

Carlos Boozer had 32 points and 16 boards for the Jazz, while teammate Deron Williams added 18 points and 13 dimes in the loss to the Rockets. Mehmet Okur bounced back from a poor opening game with 16 points, 10 boards and three treys in the loss.

Steve Nash had 18 points, seven boards and 12 assists in the Suns win over the Sonics, but also committed seven turnovers on the night. Amare Stoudemire, Grant Hill and Boris Diaw also played well in the win.

Chris Wilcox was the other bright spot for the Sonics, finishing with 23 points, 11 boards and three steals, and appears primed for a huge season.

Ricky Davis had 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting in the Heat's loss, but also failed to hand out an assist. Jason Williams was encouraging, finishing with 11 points, seven boards, nine assists, two threes and a steal. Udonis Haslem also looked solid against the Pistons, finishing with 14 points, 10 boards and a block.

The Bad

Yao Ming struggled on Thursday, hitting just 5-of-14 shots for 11 points. He did have five blocks and two steals, but grabbed just seven boards in a tough win over the Jazz.

Leandro Barbosa, playing through a rib injury, finished with just nine points on 3-of-7 shooting but did have a three and five assists. He could struggle to get enough touches with Hill (13 points, six boards, five assists) around, but he is still a guy you'll want to hold onto.

Andrei Kirilenko was in foul trouble, partly because of his attempts to stop McGrady, and struggled. He finished with just five points, but still stuffed the stat sheet with six boards, four assists and two blocks.

The Ugly

Raja Bell played through a sprained ankle, but hit just 2-of-9 shots for six points in the Suns' win. The good news is that both of his makes were threes. The Suns are so deep this year that the fantasy goodies are going to be spread thin at times, which was the case last night. If you have to cut Bell to pick up a hot free agent, I think it's doable. Diaw was effective last night, going for seven points, four boards, six assists and two steals.

Shaquille O'Neal attempted just six shots in the Heat's loss, finishing with four points, six boards and no blocks. Add in the fact that he hit just 1-of-4 free throws and Shaq's opener has to be considered a borderline disaster, but at least he's still healthy.

Wally Szczerbiak and Luke Ridnour are struggling for minutes under P.J. Carlesimo and will be dropped in many fantasy leagues. Wally played just eight minutes for six points, while Ridnour played seven minutes and failed to score. He did hand out three assists, but Earl Watson is the starter here. He struggled with his shot, but had seven points, six boards, eight assists, a steal and a three in the loss. Szczerbiak and Ridnour are still going to be worth owning at some point this season.

Rafer Alston's hold on the starting point guard job in Houston could be slipping away after last night's eight-point, one-assist effort. Mike James had 15 points and seven dimes off the bench, and while the starting job is probably still Alston's to lose, he might be in the process of doing just that.

News and Notes

Yao was playing through an elbow injury, which may have been the cause of his poor shooting. The good news is that he is playing through the discomfort and should continue to be started.

Jermaine O'Neal will start for the Pacers tonight after missing the opener with a knee injury, so get him into your lineup in daily leagues.

Gilbert Arenas reported no soreness in his surgically repaired knee after Game 1 and should be ready to go tonight in Boston. He's been talking smack about the C's in his blog, and it will be interesting to see if he can back it up tonight. The Celtics will debut the 'New Big 3' tonight and Kevin Garnett owners are anxious to see him get going.

The Cavaliers signed Sasha Pavlovic on Friday to a multi-year deal. I think he's a worthy pickup in deeper leagues, but it's unknown if he'll play tonight against the Knicks.

Tyrus Thomas will continue to start at PF for the Bulls, which is great news for his owners. He should be better on most nights than he was in the opener and will be looking for a better game against the Sixers tonight. Samuel Dalembert said his foot felt better after yesterday's practice, so expect him to go again. Andre Iguodala is suffering from a bruised quad (and ego after not getting a contract extension done), but should be ready for tonight's game in Chicago.

Rip is expected to start for the Pistons tonight in Orlando. Dwight Howard says he wants to "destroy" the Pistons tonight after Detroit went 8-0 vs. the Magic last year. We'll see.

Look for a big game from Andrew Bogut tonight, as he typically plays very well against the Bobcats.

Stephon Marbury says he wants to shoot more this season and he'll get his chance to show his stuff tonight against the Cavaliers in New York. Meanwhile, look for a LeBron James explosion tonight after the worst game of his career in the opener.

Several teams make their season debut tonight, including the Hawks Celtics, Knicks, Bobcats, Timberwolves and Clippers. The Hawks are expected to start Anthony Johnson at point guard, but look for Acie Law to log more minutes tonight as they face the Mavericks. Al Horford should start at center over injured Zaza Pachulia.

The Wolves host the Nuggets tonight as Al Jefferson will make his debut for Minnesota. Look for Sebastian Telfair to start at point guard with Randy Foye shelved with a knee injury.

The Kings signed point guard Beno Udrih to help fill in for Mike Bibby, but he could miss a week with a finger injury and won't play tonight against the Spurs.

There are plenty of suspended players out there (Ron Artest, Josh Howard, Stephen Jackson, J.R. Smith, Shawne Williams, James Posey), so make sure none of them are in your lineup.

We've been fortunate to not see any major injuries since the season kicked off on Tuesday, but with a full slate of 13 games tonight, we may not be able to say the same thing tomorrow morning.

[Hache Man]

Bench Stackhouse
Week Two is the first full slate of NBA action, with 12 teams playing four games each, compared to only one four-game team in Week 1. Position battles, minute-shares and injuries are still dominating coaches' minds and wreaking havoc on fantasy lineups. If your team is languishing near the bottom of a roto-league, or if you are stinging from a razor-thin margin of defeat in a head-to-head league, don't worry: more games means more opportunities for your team to prove its worth (of course, if you drafted poorly it could be worth very little, in which case you'd better hit the waiver wire and start barking about trades on your league message board). Check the lists below to see how many games your players have this upcoming week, then read on for specific advice about who it would be smart to Start, and who should be entrenched on your Bench.

TWO games: Warriors, Lakers

THREE games: Celtics, Bulls, Mavericks, Pistons, Pacers, Grizzlies, Heat, Timberwolves, Bucks, Nets, Knicks, 76ers, Trailblazers, Kings, Jazz, Wizards

FOUR games: Hawks, Bobcats, Cavaliers, Nuggets, Rockets, Clippers, Hornets, Magic, Suns, Spurs, Sonics, Raptors

START

Peja Stojakovic: That's right. Last week Peja was featured in this column as a Bench candidate, because of the extremely high risk associated with his back injury. Would the Hornets' take Peja along slowly, unwilling to risk aggravating the injury? Or would they give him significant minutes, allowing him to rack up threes, points, and just enough rebounds to keep owners grumbling but contented? It appears the latter option is winning out, as Peja logged 31 minutes in his first game of the season and finished with 19 points, including four threes. He was also solid again on Friday night. In a four-game week, he should have plenty of opportunities to reclaim the form (more specifically, the shooting stroke) that made him an All-Star in the past. Now that we know Peja will be getting plenty of minutes, you might as well use him before he re-injures himself and ends up 'back' on the bench. Get used to the bad puns, they just keep coming.

Two-Game Studs: This week, the Lakers and Warriors each play two games, which means that owners of Kobe Bryant, Baron Davis and Monta Ellis have a choice to make; to start them, despite their weak schedules, or to bench them. Playing anyone with a two-game schedule is inherently risky, since one lousy performance could ruin their fantasy value. But in the case of star players, guys guaranteed to get tons of minutes and opportunities, the gamble is high-percentage. The Lakers have two home games, against the Hornets and the Timberwolves, and Kobe should easily convince Lakers' fans to drop the 'B'; that is, turn their booing into oohing. Baron Davis leads the Warriors against the Cavaliers and Mavericks in two home contests, and should dominate weaker point guards in both matchups. The catch here is the number of teams with four-game schedules. Can Kobe double Matt Carroll's or Damien Wilkens' per-game output? Possibly. Can Baron Davis double Raymond Felton's or Jameer Nelson's per-game output? Probably not. In other words, although Kobe and Baron are both safe starts this week, they may not be your best options if your team is loaded with four-game players.

John Salmons: Last week I recommended that you plug Francisco Garcia into your lineups, and he remains a solid fill-in. John Salmons, however…well, if he is still available in your league, please stop reading, go pick him up, then post a gloating (if belated) message to your sloppy league of underachieving owners (Such anger! On opening day I dropped Salmons in two leagues in favor of Jason Williams…what can I say? I get impetuous.) With Mike Bibby out six-to-ten weeks and Ron Artest suspended through next week, Salmons has a chance to establish permanent value for an offensively-challenged Kings' squad. Quincy Douby is no quick-fix for the Kings, and the recently acquired Spurs' cast-off Beno Udrih is questionable even if he weren't nursing a finger injury. This lucky Salmons is swimming downstream all week: he faces no serious competition for minutes and should have a fine, balanced fantasy line to prove it.

Hedo Turkoglu: Turkoglu has a great opportunity in Orlando this season. Surrounded by a young, talented roster looking to push the tempo, Turkoglu merely needs to maintain an accurate jumpshot from beyond 20 feet to have solid value. Eight and nine-category league owners will be pleasantly surprised; while he won't overload any one category, Turkoglu is a relatively versatile forward. With very little competition for minutes, in a four-game week, heed-o my advice and get Turkoglu in your starting lineups.

Al Horford: Zaza Pachulia is expected to miss the first week or two of the season with lingering leg and ankle injuries, which pushes rookie Al Horford into the role of starting center for the Hawks'. Horford has had the 'NBA-ready' seal of approval applied ad nauseum, and after leading the Hawks in rebounding this preseason, he seems ready to prove it. He also had nine points, 10 boards and a block on Friday, which was a nice start. With a favorable four-game schedule ahead of him this week, Horford looks like a fantasy-ready starter already.

Larry Hughes: Larry is lurking on lots of waiver wires, a Hughes without a home, waiting for someone to whisk him away. Have fantasy owners given up hope that he can shoot above 40% from the field, average anything near two steals per game, and get back to the mediocre rebounding skills of his prime? After last year's atrocious numbers, skepticism is understandable, even necessary. But this year, Larry is fully healthy and when healthy has always been a tenacious defender (he had seven steals in his first game this season). Even more important, he is playing at his natural position, shooting guard, whereas last year he was forced to play in a sort of mutated point guard spot. The clincher is that the Cavaliers play four games this week. Let go of your skepticism, trust in the Cavaliers' overall lack of depth and talent, and stick Hughes in your lineup right away.

Udonis Haslem: As the embattled, frequently incarcerated hip-hop artist DMX famously insisted, "Let's dial up a fact list": 1) The Heat suck without Dwyane Wade, 2) Haslem is playing utterly uncontested minutes right now (center Mark Blount is his backup), 3) in 31 minutes per game last year, he averaged 10+ points and 8+ rebounds, meaning that 4) Haslem is a double-double machine with the key in the ignition. In a three-game week, Haslem looks like a smart start.

BENCH

Jerry Stackhouse: Years ago, in an effort to save space and thus cut costs, Beckett (sports cards) price guides began listing only the values of star players, while all other players were deemed to be either 'commons' or 'semi-stars'. Stackhouse is a semi-star through and through. After suffering through some lousy situations (see: Michael Jordan-era Washington Wizards) and injuries, Stackhouse is poised to ride out his career as a productive role-player in the Mavericks' loaded lineup. Stackhouse is starting this year, which ought to increase his value, but it's no sure thing. Josh Howard will be back for all of next week's games, meaning minutes between Stackhouse, Jason Terry and Eddie Jones will be even tighter than they were this week. Stackhouse is almost too consistent; you will never look at a box-score and be surprised at how well Stack did. He deserves to be owned in most leagues, but until Howard is inserted into the lineup and we see how the minutes-share will play out, he is hardly more than a semi-starter.

Antonio McDyess/Jason Maxiell: For years, the Pistons' starting five have been one of the most consistent fantasy lineups in the league. With the departure of Ben Wallace last year, however, they began quickly molding guys to fill his fro-shaped void: ultimately Rasheed Wallace took over as center, leaving rugged veteran Antonio McDyess and fresh-faced Jason Maxiell to fill in at power forward. Both are great players, and consequently they are killing each others' value. Maxiell has greater statistical upside and less injury risk, but McDyess has the starting job. It isn't advisable to drop either guy from your team, not yet at least, but until one of them averages over 25 minutes per contest, you can't rely on the Pistons' power forwards in a three-game week.

Stromile Swift: I can't believe that I didn't recommend Stromile Swift be benched last week, so I need to seize this opportunity to say exactly what's on my mind: his name may be Swift, but his brain? We aren't so sure. Apparently Stromile has one of the lowest basketball IQs ever recorded, so that despite his imposing size and athleticism, he just can't sustain good play for very long. In fact, Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni had slated Swift to start on opening night, only to shuffle him to the bench before even one game had been played. This is a guy who couldn't outperform Jake Voskuhl a few years back, so there is no reason to believe that he will overtake Darko Milicic this season. If you misinterpreted Swift's strong preseason and picked him off the wire (or worse, drafted him) it is time you put him right back on the scrap heap. Swiftly!

Nenad Krstic: The Nets play three games this week, and while Krstic will be a solid three-game start very soon, this isn't his week. The Nets are wisely limiting the young man's minutes as he recovers from knee surgery, and he played less than 20 minutes in the season-opener. Have patience, and keep Krstic benched this week. On a side note, he makes for a gutsy buy-low candidate as many owners will be frustrated by his limited playing time.

Desmond Mason: Two of the Bucks' three games next week are against very good defensive teams, the Spurs and the Rockets (they also play the Raptors). Mason is the Bucks' starting small forward, but Bobby Simmons is competing with him for minutes and, ultimately, the starting job. Simmons is a more physical and versatile player than Mason (both in fantasy and reality) and as long as he doesn't re-aggravate his heel injury, he should render Mason useless (from a fantasy perspective) in no time. If Simmons is still on your league's wire, now might be the time to swap these two players. Remember: if you do decide to start a Mason, you must expect him to lay bricks.

That will wrap up Bench/Start for Week Two, hopefully you take something from it (besides the stale taste of lousy puns) and it helps you win your league. Unless of course you are in a league against a certain savvy owner named "Mr. Supersonic", in which case you should ignore all of the advice above, definitely start Stromile Swift, and willingly concede defeat.

I always love to get questions, comments, or if you prefer, extremely long and deranged attacks on my character, so please send it all my way at ryanknaus@gmail.com

Good luck this week, in fantasy and reality! (again, unless you are against me, in which case I hope to destroy you)

[Hache Man]

Horford primed for big year
Waiver Wired was a little tricky for Week 1, given that a game had yet to be played in the regular season, but I think it was an effective column. Of the 12 guys previewed last week, most of them were worthy and will not be visited again this week. Yeah, as much as I want to put John Salmons on the list again, I'm going to hit on some other guys. Here's the list from last week, in case you don't feel like going back and looking it up.

G - Salmons, Jason Williams, Rashad McCants and Linas Kleiza
F – Damien Wilkins, Ronny Turiaf, Walter Herrmann, Stromile Swift
C – Theo Ratliff, Jeff Foster, Jason Smith, Aaron Gray

Kleiza, Herrmann, Swift, Smith and Gray didn't work out, but the rest have been very solid this week, with Salmons being the hot guy everyone wants. And while I had Stro on the list, I didn't exactly give him a ringing endorsement: "This is a tough one for me, but because good big men are so scarce these days, the fact that Swift is starting in front of Darko Milicic is worth mentioning. Swift has burned fantasy veterans year after year and many of us aren't going to get suckered in again. But the simple fact of the matter is that he had a decent preseason and could be a nice source of boards, steals and blocks, as well as some points. I can't sit hear and tell you to expect much if you pick him up, but you never know.

Well, the reality of the situation is that he has surprisingly come off the bench to average a measly six points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.0 steals and 0.5 blocks in two games. I'm fairly pleased I didn't buy into what he was selling.

Guards

Ronnie Brewer - SG – Jazz

I picked Brewer up shortly after the League Freak draft and took a chance and started him last week based on his strong preseason and the fact he played four games in Week 1. The move paid off, although I have already cut him for Hedo Turkoglu (more on him later). Brewer was averaging 15.5 points and 3.5 steals through his first two games, and then went off for 19 points, two steals and two threes on 8-of-14 shooting on Saturday night. He's locked and loaded at SG for the Jazz and should be a nice pick up in almost any league or format.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Cuttino Mobley - SG – Clippers

Mobley was ignored in some leagues due to the fact he was coming off the bench, but he looked great in Friday's opener. He had 21 points, five boards, three assists, a steal and two threes on 9-of-16 shooting. It's just one game, but he's a proven scorer on a team desperate for scoring. He shouldn't be available in many leagues, but if he is, go get him.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Daniel Gibson - G – Cavaliers

Gibson is averaging 16 points, two rebounds, three assists, 1.5 blocks and 3.0 threes after two games. He's starting at point guard, but also seeing minutes at shooting guard. Most of his stats came on Friday, when he hit six treys on his way to 24 points in a win over the Knicks. The return of Sasha Pavlovic concerns me slightly, but Gibson should be ready for his breakout season either way. Pick him up, but make sure you don't have safer options to start for the time being.

Recommendation: Should be added in deep leagues.

Nate Robinson - G – Knicks

There was talk this summer that Robinson wasn't even going to make the team, but he led the summer league team to a 5-0 record and was named MVP. He also had a strong preseason and then lit it up in his first game of the season, going for 19 points, six rebounds, two assists, a steal and four threes on 7-of-13 shooting. Stephon Marbury was awful in Game 1, and while Robinson is not the right pickup in every league, he should be given a hard look in deeper ones.

Recommendation: Should be considered in deep leagues.

Others to consider:

Acie Law – Not starting yet, but minutes will increase every week
Willie Green – Not dialed in yet, but super-sleeper in Philly
Carlos Delfino – Starting to figure out what Sam Mitchell wants
Tyronn Lue – Back from knee injury, plenty of PG minutes coming
Daequan Cook – Would have been featured if not for return of Dwyane Wade
Kyle Lowry – Pushing Damon Stoudamire and rendering Mike Conley useless in Memphis
Mike Wilks – Deepest of sleepers in Denver
Francisco Garcia – Started at PG for Kings on Saturday

Forwards

Hedo Turkoglu - G/F – Magic

Turkoglu is probably the safest pickup you can make right now. I'm still not sure why he was ignored in nearly every draft, but he's the starting SF and can also play SG when needed. He's off to a tremendous start, averaging 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.0 threes per game on 47% shooting after his first two games for the Magic. Then he lit it up on Saturday night, going for 25 points, seven boards, eight rebounds, two steals and two threes on 8-of-16 shooting in Saturday's win over the Wizards. Like I said, I cut Brewer for him a week ago, and am excited about running him out there for the upcoming 4-game week.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Kelenna Azubuike - G/F – Warriors

Azubuike has been on fire for the Warriors and has likely already been snatched up in your league. Then again, the Warriors play just two games this week, so it's also possible that if games played matter, he was left on the wire in yours. He was averaging a whopping 22 points, 5.0 boards, 1.0 block and 1.5 threes on 67% shooting going into Saturday's game. He didn't disappoint in that one, either, finishing with 17 points, two steals and two threes on 6-of-10 shooting in another loss. He's a little shaky given the upcoming 2-game week and the pending return of Stephen Jackson, but is definitely worth a flier in Don Nelson's system.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues with cautious optimism.

Tim Thomas and Ruben Patterson - F – Clippers

The Clippers have played just one game, but Thomas and Patterson were both instrumental in their surprising win over the Warriors.

Thomas – 5-of-9 shooting, three treys, 20 points, five rebounds
Patterson – 4-of-6 shooting, 11 points, six rebounds, three blocks

These guys will likely see more minutes in the first half than rookie Al Thornton, and might be the way to go if you're a Thornton owner. But be careful here…Many folks have Thornton pegged for ROY, but it may be tough to accomplish with Thomas and Patterson around.

Recommendation: Should be owned in most leagues.

Martell Webster - SF – Blazers

Webster was named the starting small forward for the Blazers before Game 1 but many owners were leery about Travis Outlaw eventually stealing the job from him. While that's still a possibility, Webster appears to have a firm grasp on the job as of now. Through two games, he was at 17 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 threes on 52% shooting. He backed that up with a strong line on Saturday, finishing with 15 points, eight rebounds, two steals, a block and two more threes in a loss to Houston. He hit just 5-of-13 shots in that one, but Webster should be a solid fantasy player, at least for the first couple months.

Recommendation: Should be owned in most leagues.

Others to consider:

Ike Diogu – Looks good, but Troy Murphy will be back at some point
Chuck Hayes – Starting over Luis Scola and racking up boards
Udonis Haslem – Increase in minutes could result in averaging double-double
Reggie Evans – Could lead league in boards, but can you handle 4.0 ppg and no other cats?
Brandon Bass – Deep sleeper in Dallas, where they need big bodies
Ryan Gomes – Starting for Minnesota, should get better every week
Mikki Moore – Started over Kenny Thomas for Kings on Saturday

Centers

Brendan Haywood - C – Wizards

Haywood started off the season with a pair of double-doubles, averaging 10 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in his first two games, and then went off for 10 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks as the Wizards fell to 0-3 with a loss to the Magic on Saturday. Etan Thomas is out indefinitely and Andray Blatche and Darius Songaila aren't really challenging him for his job. It's important to remember that he's just 27 years old, and he could really be primed for a breakout season. Go get him.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Al Horford - F/C – Hawks

The Hawks have played just one game thus far, which was a surprising win over the Mavericks for their first opening-night win since the 1998-99 season (Yeah!). Horford started at center in place of Zaza Pachulia and had nine points, 10 rebounds and a block against one of the league's elite teams. He's going to have his growing pains, but if anyone is going to challenge Kevin Durant for ROY, it's probably Horford. He's not an every-week starter at this point, but you'll be glad you own him this year, even if he spends some time on your bench. If he continues to play well, the Hawks continue to win and Zaza continues to sit, Horford could steal his job in the next 10 days.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Chris Kaman - C – Clippers

Kaman went ballistic in his season-opener on Saturday, going off for 26 points, 18 boards, three assists, a steal and a block as the Clips beat the Warriors. His line would have been better but he spent part of the game getting three stitches in his grill after Azubuike threw down the dunk of the season on him. Of course, the Warriors have the unique ability to make guys like Kaman look like an All-Star, but someone is going to have to make up for the loss of Elton Brand. Kaman worked hard in the offseason and should be an excellent first or second option at center for your fantasy team this year, after disappointing many of us a year ago. He was probably drafted in your league, but may have fallen through the cracks in smaller ones.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Andrew Bynum - C – Lakers

Bynum, who I like to refer to as the Golden Child, is off to a great start, even though he's not guaranteed a starting job. It's also important to remember that he got off to a quick start last season before fading. He's averaging 9.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks on 56% shooting through two games. He also had 14 points and 13 boards in Friday's surprising win over the Suns. If you need a center and he's available, go get him.

Recommendation: Should be owned in most leagues.

Others to consider:

Jeff Foster – Troy Murphy will return at some point
Theo Ratliff – On last week's list – Resurgence is official
Joel Przybilla – Looks great starting for Blazers
Nick Collison – Unreliable Robert Swift means many starts in middle for Collison

[Hache Man]

Week 2 Waiver Wired
Waiver Wired was a little tricky for Week 1, given that a game had yet to be played in the regular season, but I think it was an effective column. Of the 12 guys previewed last week, most of them were worthy and will not be visited again this week. Yeah, as much as I want to put John Salmons on the list again, I'm going to hit on some other guys. Here's the list from last week, in case you don't feel like going back and looking it up.

G - Salmons, Jason Williams, Rashad McCants and Linas Kleiza
F – Damien Wilkins, Ronny Turiaf, Walter Herrmann, Stromile Swift
C – Theo Ratliff, Jeff Foster, Jason Smith, Aaron Gray

Kleiza, Herrmann, Swift, Smith and Gray didn't work out, but the rest have been very solid this week, with Salmons being the hot guy everyone wants. And while I had Stro on the list, I didn't exactly give him a ringing endorsement: "This is a tough one for me, but because good big men are so scarce these days, the fact that Swift is starting in front of Darko Milicic is worth mentioning. Swift has burned fantasy veterans year after year and many of us aren't going to get suckered in again. But the simple fact of the matter is that he had a decent preseason and could be a nice source of boards, steals and blocks, as well as some points. I can't sit hear and tell you to expect much if you pick him up, but you never know.

Well, the reality of the situation is that he has surprisingly come off the bench to average a measly six points, 2.5 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.0 steals and 0.5 blocks in two games. I'm fairly pleased I didn't buy into what he was selling.

Guards

Ronnie Brewer - SG – Jazz

I picked Brewer up shortly after the League Freak draft and took a chance and started him last week based on his strong preseason and the fact he played four games in Week 1. The move paid off, although I have already cut him for Hedo Turkoglu (more on him later). Brewer was averaging 15.5 points and 3.5 steals through his first two games, and then went off for 19 points, two steals and two threes on 8-of-14 shooting on Saturday night. He's locked and loaded at SG for the Jazz and should be a nice pick up in almost any league or format.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Cuttino Mobley - SG – Clippers

Mobley was ignored in some leagues due to the fact he was coming off the bench, but he looked great in Friday's opener. He had 21 points, five boards, three assists, a steal and two threes on 9-of-16 shooting. It's just one game, but he's a proven scorer on a team desperate for scoring. He shouldn't be available in many leagues, but if he is, go get him.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Daniel Gibson - G – Cavaliers

Gibson is averaging 16 points, two rebounds, three assists, 1.5 blocks and 3.0 threes after two games. He's starting at point guard, but also seeing minutes at shooting guard. Most of his stats came on Friday, when he hit six treys on his way to 24 points in a win over the Knicks. The return of Sasha Pavlovic concerns me slightly, but Gibson should be ready for his breakout season either way. Pick him up, but make sure you don't have safer options to start for the time being.

Recommendation: Should be added in deep leagues.

Nate Robinson - G – Knicks

There was talk this summer that Robinson wasn't even going to make the team, but he led the summer league team to a 5-0 record and was named MVP. He also had a strong preseason and then lit it up in his first game of the season, going for 19 points, six rebounds, two assists, a steal and four threes on 7-of-13 shooting. Stephon Marbury was awful in Game 1, and while Robinson is not the right pickup in every league, he should be given a hard look in deeper ones.

Recommendation: Should be considered in deep leagues.

Others to consider:

Acie Law – Not starting yet, but minutes will increase every week
Willie Green – Not dialed in yet, but super-sleeper in Philly
Carlos Delfino – Starting to figure out what Sam Mitchell wants
Tyronn Lue – Back from knee injury, plenty of PG minutes coming
Daequan Cook – Would have been featured if not for return of Dwyane Wade
Kyle Lowry – Pushing Damon Stoudamire and rendering Mike Conley useless in Memphis
Mike Wilks – Deepest of sleepers in Denver
Francisco Garcia – Started at PG for Kings on Saturday

Forwards

Hedo Turkoglu - G/F – Magic

Turkoglu is probably the safest pickup you can make right now. I'm still not sure why he was ignored in nearly every draft, but he's the starting SF and can also play SG when needed. He's off to a tremendous start, averaging 20.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 3.0 threes per game on 47% shooting after his first two games for the Magic. Then he lit it up on Saturday night, going for 25 points, seven boards, eight rebounds, two steals and two threes on 8-of-16 shooting in Saturday's win over the Wizards. Like I said, I cut Brewer for him a week ago, and am excited about running him out there for the upcoming 4-game week.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Kelenna Azubuike - G/F – Warriors

Azubuike has been on fire for the Warriors and has likely already been snatched up in your league. Then again, the Warriors play just two games this week, so it's also possible that if games played matter, he was left on the wire in yours. He was averaging a whopping 22 points, 5.0 boards, 1.0 block and 1.5 threes on 67% shooting going into Saturday's game. He didn't disappoint in that one, either, finishing with 17 points, two steals and two threes on 6-of-10 shooting in another loss. He's a little shaky given the upcoming 2-game week and the pending return of Stephen Jackson, but is definitely worth a flier in Don Nelson's system.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues with cautious optimism.

Tim Thomas and Ruben Patterson - F – Clippers

The Clippers have played just one game, but Thomas and Patterson were both instrumental in their surprising win over the Warriors.

Thomas – 5-of-9 shooting, three treys, 20 points, five rebounds
Patterson – 4-of-6 shooting, 11 points, six rebounds, three blocks

These guys will likely see more minutes in the first half than rookie Al Thornton, and might be the way to go if you're a Thornton owner. But be careful here…Many folks have Thornton pegged for ROY, but it may be tough to accomplish with Thomas and Patterson around.

Recommendation: Should be owned in most leagues.

Martell Webster - SF – Blazers

Webster was named the starting small forward for the Blazers before Game 1 but many owners were leery about Travis Outlaw eventually stealing the job from him. While that's still a possibility, Webster appears to have a firm grasp on the job as of now. Through two games, he was at 17 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 threes on 52% shooting. He backed that up with a strong line on Saturday, finishing with 15 points, eight rebounds, two steals, a block and two more threes in a loss to Houston. He hit just 5-of-13 shots in that one, but Webster should be a solid fantasy player, at least for the first couple months.

Recommendation: Should be owned in most leagues.

Others to consider:

Ike Diogu – Looks good, but Troy Murphy will be back at some point
Chuck Hayes – Starting over Luis Scola and racking up boards
Udonis Haslem – Increase in minutes could result in averaging double-double
Reggie Evans – Could lead league in boards, but can you handle 4.0 ppg and no other cats?
Brandon Bass – Deep sleeper in Dallas, where they need big bodies
Ryan Gomes – Starting for Minnesota, should get better every week
Mikki Moore – Started over Kenny Thomas for Kings on Saturday

Centers

Brendan Haywood - C – Wizards

Haywood started off the season with a pair of double-doubles, averaging 10 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in his first two games, and then went off for 10 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks as the Wizards fell to 0-3 with a loss to the Magic on Saturday. Etan Thomas is out indefinitely and Andray Blatche and Darius Songaila aren't really challenging him for his job. It's important to remember that he's just 27 years old, and he could really be primed for a breakout season. Go get him.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Al Horford - F/C – Hawks

The Hawks have played just one game thus far, which was a surprising win over the Mavericks for their first opening-night win since the 1998-99 season (Yeah!). Horford started at center in place of Zaza Pachulia and had nine points, 10 rebounds and a block against one of the league's elite teams. He's going to have his growing pains, but if anyone is going to challenge Kevin Durant for ROY, it's probably Horford. He's not an every-week starter at this point, but you'll be glad you own him this year, even if he spends some time on your bench. If he continues to play well, the Hawks continue to win and Zaza continues to sit, Horford could steal his job in the next 10 days.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Chris Kaman - C – Clippers

Kaman went ballistic in his season-opener on Saturday, going off for 26 points, 18 boards, three assists, a steal and a block as the Clips beat the Warriors. His line would have been better but he spent part of the game getting three stitches in his grill after Azubuike threw down the dunk of the season on him. Of course, the Warriors have the unique ability to make guys like Kaman look like an All-Star, but someone is going to have to make up for the loss of Elton Brand. Kaman worked hard in the offseason and should be an excellent first or second option at center for your fantasy team this year, after disappointing many of us a year ago. He was probably drafted in your league, but may have fallen through the cracks in smaller ones.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Andrew Bynum - C – Lakers

Bynum, who I like to refer to as the Golden Child, is off to a great start, even though he's not guaranteed a starting job. It's also important to remember that he got off to a quick start last season before fading. He's averaging 9.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks on 56% shooting through two games. He also had 14 points and 13 boards in Friday's surprising win over the Suns. If you need a center and he's available, go get him.

Recommendation: Should be owned in most leagues.

Others to consider:

Jeff Foster – Troy Murphy will return at some point
Theo Ratliff – On last week's list – Resurgence is official
Joel Przybilla – Looks great starting for Blazers
Nick Collison – Unreliable Robert Swift means many starts in middle for Collison

[Hache Man]

Amare sits with sore knee
Amare Stoudemire missed Sunday's game with a sore knee and is officially listed as day-to-day. While I can't say I'm surprised that he has already missed a game due to injury after not sitting out a single game last year, it is concerning. The fact he made it through last season is incredible and he obviously won't pull off the same accomplishment this time around. Maybe this will be the only game he misses this season, but unfortunately, I don't think that will be the case. I reported over the summer that part of the reason I thought he wasn't traded (even though he was involved in some pretty serious discussions) was because he will likely need more knee surgery at some point. And shortly thereafter he went under the knife for a minor procedure. I doubt it's the last time he'll have knee surgery and the next one could be of a more serious nature.

That said, there's a decent chance he will make it through the season without any major knee problems. If you own him and are nervous about the future, feel free to move him. However, make sure you wait until he's back and has played a couple games before doing so.
dallasmavericks.com
In Amare's absence last night, Boris Diaw stepped up and had 16 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Diaw has been much more effective early than he was last season, and if Amare is going to miss some games this year Diaw will look even better. Diaw is guaranteed minutes as a backup center with Kurt Thomas in Seattle, so make sure he's not available in your league.

The Suns beat the Cavaliers last night behind 30 points and 10 dimes from Steve Nash, while LeBron had 27 points, five boards and eight assists in the loss. The Suns are off to a 2-1 start, the only blemish coming at the hands of the Lakers, which featured a late-game shouting match between Phil Jackson and Mike D'Antoni. The Cavs are just 1-2 and welcomed back Sasha Pavlovic on Sunday, although he was just 1-of-5 for two points in 17 minutes. Anderson Varejao is probably going to sign at some point, although early reports are that he's out of shape. That's probably good news for Drew Gooden owners, who is off to a hot start and had 22 points and 14 rebounds yesterday.

The Hornets beat Denver and are off to a surprising 3-0 start, led by Chris Paul's 15 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and four steals in this one. He's going to be a fantasy monster this year, but there will always be questions about his durability. Marcus Camby is going to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award again if he stays healthy, as he had 21 rebounds and five blocks last night. He only scored eight points, but you didn't draft him to score for your team.

In other Nuggets news, Mike Wilks joined the rest of the Nuggets' point guards on the injury report with a strained hamstring and it sounds like Carmelo Anthony is going to share the point guard duties with Allen Iverson until Wilks, Anthony Carter and Chucky Atkins get healthy. This is just another thing that will give Melo increased fantasy value. J.R. Smith's 3-game suspension is over, but I'm not sure he'll be worth owning. He's only reliable for threes, will hurt your team's field goal percentage and his playing time will be sporadic given the fact George Karl doesn't seem to like him. All the backcourt injuries should help him in the short time, but he's going to have to have a major attitude overhaul if he's going to offer consistent value.

Peja Stojakovic was just 1-of-10 from the floor for five points, but at least he looks to be fairly healthy. That said, he could start missing games at any time if his back flares up, so tread carefully with him.
sacramentokings.com
The Hawks got 23-5-4 from Joe Johnson and Josh Smith added 13 points, 10 boards, two steals and five blocks in a tough, one-point loss to the Pistons, but hit just 4-of-17 shots on the night. Richard Hamilton returned from an absence for the birth of his son and hit 10-of-15 shots for 21 points, while super-sleeper Jason Maxiell had 15 points, eight rebounds and four blocks off the bench. Pick him up if he's available in your league. The Pistons Rodney Stuckey is recovering ahead of schedule from his broken hand, so feel free to pick him up and stash him on your bench in deep leagues.
WEBSITE.WS - Your Internet Address For Life™
The Heat lost their third straight regular-season game last night and are now 0-10 if you include their winless preseason. Shaquille O'Neal played better last night, while Udonis Haslem continued his hot start with 18 points and 10 boards. Dwyane Wade still hasn't put a timetable on his return, although it sounds like he could come back this week. Look for him to possibly come back earlier than he would like in an attempt to stop the bleeding for the Heat, but that should also be a concern for his owners. It probably won't take much to aggravate his shoulder or knee injuries.

The Heat were beaten by the surprising Charlotte Bobcats, who are off to a 2-0 start and led by Jason Richardson's 29 points and six threes in the win.

Ryan Gomes had 19 points and seven boards as the Timberwolves fell to Knicks to go 0-2 in Week 1. The Knicks got a much needed win in the Garden, led by