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 Jamal Crawford who had 24 points, seven dimes, two assists and a three. Quentin Richardson is really struggling, which comes as a surprise. He was scoreless on 0-of-2 shooting last night and is going to be pushed by David Lee, who had 14 points and seven boards off the bench. QRich will probably break out of his funk soon, so keep your eye on him in case he's dropped in your league.

Kobe Bryant had 33 points, five boards, three assists, three steals, two blocks and a three as the Lakers beat the Jazz to improve to 2-1 on the season. One of his blocks was a highlight-reel job on Andrei Kirilenko, and so far, so good for Kobe and the Lakers. Derek Fisher finally woke up and had 19 points and five assists. Lamar Odom may be on the verge of returning from his shoulder injury, but an exact target date is unknown. Keep him on the bench until you're sure he's going to play. Carlos Boozer wrapped up a big week for the Jazz with his fourth double-double, finishing with 23 points, 12 boards, six assists, two steals and a block in the loss. He's going to do some serious fantasy damage if he can continue to post numbers in categories other than points, rebounds and field goal percentage.

The Celtics are 2-0 after a tough overtime win in Toronto on Sunday as Kevin Garnett had 23 points, 13 boards, six assists and three steals on the day. James Posey returned from suspension and had 11 points and three treys, while Ray Allen had 33 points and seven threes on the day. Allen will have several games like this and should find himself wide open as defenses collapse on Garnett and Paul Pierce, who are both great passers.

For the Raptors, Chris Bosh had 19 points, 10 boards and five blocks. His knee and foot are always a concern, but he looks great right now. T.J. Ford blew up for 32 points, five assists and three 3-pointers, which was also nice to see.

The Sonics dropped to 0-3 in a loss to the surprising Clippers, who are 2-0 after Week 1. Nick Collison was 0-of-6 but did have 10 rebounds. Robert Swift's knee is going to bother him for some time, so Collison should continue to start in the middle for the foreseeable future. Damien Wilkins stayed hot with 22 points, five boards and six assists and looks like a solid play for the upcoming week. Kevin Durant's assault on the ROY race continued Sunday as he posted 24 points, eight boards, five assists and three 3-pointers on 10-of-19 shooting.

For the Clippers, Cuttino Mobley quietly had 17 points and six boards, while Chris Kaman (10-15-5 blocks), Tim Thomas (20 points, four threes) and Corey Maggette (27 points, 6 boards) were also solid for the Clips. Mike Dunleavy says he's going to try to keep Sam Cassell's minutes around 25 per game and he had 11 points, five boards and five assists on Sunday. Brevin Knight should get plenty of assists off the bench, but he looks to be a one-category player. www.houstonrockets.ws

[Hache Man]

Odom hoping for Friday
The Mavericks beat the Rockets 107-98 Monday behind strong performances by Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Josh Howard and DeSagana Diop. Terry scored 31 last night and has already racked up three 20-plus point games in the first four, despite coming off the bench. Terry owners obviously want him in the starting lineup, but as long as he's getting starter's minutes (and he is), it really doesn't matter.

Erick Dampier has been cleared to practice and should join the fray today, which is bad news for those of you enjoying Diop's strong run. Diop may hold the starting job, but this has "timeshare" written all over it. Diop had 10 points, 13 boards and four more blocks on Monday.

Josh Howard (21-6-4) appeared to badly sprain his right ankle near the end of last night's game and will probably be listed as day-to-day. Devin Harris (thigh) sat out last night, but should be back in the starting lineup Thursday. Brandon Bass was out last night with an ankle injury and is day-to-day. He is a sleeper candidate in deep leagues.

The Rockets were led by Tracy McGrady's 35 points and eight dimes, and Yao Ming, who went for 21 points and 11 boards on 9-of-12 shooting. Those were the only two guys in double figures for the Rockets, as Shane Battier and Rafer Alston continue to disappoint. Alston is in a timeshare with Mike James and they both played 25 minutes and scored eight points last night. Alston appears to be the guy with value, but neither player is really getting it done in Rick Adelman's system. Hopefully someone steps forward this week, or it could be a long year for the owners of any Rockets not named Yao or Tracy.

Schedule and Infirmary

Not every injured player is listed here, but for a comprehensive list, check out the Injury Report.

Phoenix @ Charlotte – Both teams are fairly healthy with the exception of Amare Stoudemire, who is very iffy for tonight's game with knee discomfort. The Bobcats are undefeated and playing at home, so they're probably hoping for Boris Diaw to start at center in this one.

Denver @ New York - Denver is a team without a point guard after Mike Wilks joined Chucky Atkins and Anthony Carter on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. He's day-to-day, leaving him questionable for tonight. J.R. Smith should return from his suspension tonight, while Nene hopes to build off the success of his last game when he had 12 points and six rebounds off the bench. I won both my games in the 30-team league last week, but will need Nene to be better than he has been if I'm going to keep winning.

The Knicks are hopeful that Quentin Richardson can get it going tonight. He's been awful, failing to score in his last game. Jamal Crawford has been great and it will be interesting to see how Stephon Marbury and Nate Robinson look tonight. Marbury better get it figured out soon.

Atlanta @ New Jersey - Keep your eye on Tyronn Lue tonight, as he should start logging decent minutes at point guard. I would think Anthony Johnson (birth of child) will return to the starting lineup tonight, and with Acie Law also in the mix, the Hawks will run three guys at the point. I'm ranking them Law – Lue – Johnson, with Law being the one you want to own in most leagues. If Johnson is out again, Lue will probably start. I also expect Josh Childress to get it going soon, so keep your eye on him.

The Nets beat the Sixers Saturday after being embarrassed at home by the Raptors on Friday, as Jason Kidd racked up the first of his many first triple-doubles to come this year. Vince Carter is dealing with a sore thumb, and while it's not thought to be serious, it is bothersome. Hopefully he continues to play through the injury.

Orlando @ Minnesota - The Magic's rotation is set and Trevor Ariza and J.J. Redick are on the outside looking in. Feel free to dump them. Hedo Turkoglu is on fire and has his sights set on making the All-Star Team. Make sure he's not available in your league. Minnesota's Theo Ratliff missed Monday's practice with the flu, making him iffy for tonight. Gerald Green is bothered by a toe injury, but hasn't yet worked his way into the rotation for the Wolves.

Toronto @ Milwaukee - The Raps should be near full strength and you'll want to keep your eye on Carlos Delfino tonight. He's been getting 30 minutes per game and could be on the verge of having some nice value, as he's posting nice steals and threes. T.J. Ford is coming off a 32-point game, so look for him to stay hot. The Bucks appear to be at full strength and Andrew Bogut is hoping to bounce back from a poor outing. Mo Williams has really been struggling and sat out much of his last game as Charlie Bell ran the point near the end.

San Antonio @ Houston - The Spurs should be on the verge of getting Robert Horry (personal) back, but there's no fantasy value there.

L.A. Clippers @ Chicago - The Clippers may be without Chris Kaman tonight after he suffered a lower left leg injury in his last game. He sounds like he'll be a game-time decision. If Tim Thomas is available in your league, he shouldn't be. Ruben Patterson has also averaged 12 ppg and had three blocks in Game 1 and six steals in Game 2. The Bulls say Ben Wallace is dealing with a sore left ankle, which might help explain his dismal early stats. It sounds like he'll play tonight, but the ankle remains a concern. Joakim Noah (foot) finally practiced on Monday and if all goes well in today's shootaround, he should be active tonight. Don't pick him up just yet, but let's see what he does against the Clippers.

Seattle @ Sacramento - Robert Swift returned to action in the Sonics' last game, but Nick Collison should remain the starting center until Swift's knee is fully healthy. Earl Watson owners are still waiting for his breakout game this season. If he doesn't get it going soon, P.J. Carlesimo may give Luke Ridnour a chance to steal his job. The Kings will start Francisco Garcia at point guard. He was solid in his last game and if he plays well again tonight, he's worth a pickup. Someone has to win the starting PG job here, and Beno Udrih's probably not the answer. Brad Miller hasn't looked great, but he's dealing with a sore back. Hopefully he can get it going against Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox tonight. Mikki Moore looks like the new starting PF over Kenny Thomas, but has yet to post a nice line.

New Orleans @ L.A. Lakers - The Hornets look to go to 4-0 with a win over Kobe and company tonight. The Lakers are hoping that Lamar Odom plays on Friday after missing the early part of the season with a shoulder injury. Jordan Farmar and Andrew Bynum both looked great in their last game, but Farmar still has to do it a few more times before being worth consideration.

Cleveland @ Golden State - Sasha Pavlovic will play his second game for the Cavs tonight and should get better each game for the next couple weeks. Put him on your radar. Larry Hughes is dealing with a lower leg contusion and is questionable tonight. If he can't go, look for Pavlovic to get a lot of minutes, while Daniel Gibson should be in line for another big game. The Warriors are probably going to leave Al Harrington in the starting five, which is obviously great news for his owners. But if you also own Monta Ellis, Don Nelson has gone back to thinking he should play backup point guard. Ellis was benched in many leagues this week with just two games and you'll want to monitor his progress before making a decision on him next week.

News and Notes

Pau Gasol continues to miss Grizzlies practices with a sore back and owners simply have to hope it doesn't cost him any game time. So far, so good, but it would be nice if Gasol was fully healthy.

Sixers' point guard Andre Miller missed Monday's practice with the flu making him a little iffy for Wednesday.

Troy Murphy (Achilles) will be a game-time decision for the Pacers on Wednesday. That's good news, as it sounds like he should be back in action this week. If you need a center and he was cut in your league, think about picking him up and stashing him.

Dwyane Wade returned to practice for the Heat on Monday but still may be a week away from playing. But we've also heard he might play this Sunday.

Steve Blake will start over Jarrett Jack at point guard for the Blazers on Wednesday, while Channing Frye might get the nod at center over Joel Przybilla. Frye's a shaky play but could be worth owning, while Blake could do very well as the starting point guard in Portland.

[Hache Man]

Odom hoping for Friday
The Mavericks beat the Rockets 107-98 Monday behind strong performances by Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Josh Howard and DeSagana Diop. Terry scored 31 last night and has already racked up three 20-plus point games in the first four, despite coming off the bench. Terry owners obviously want him in the starting lineup, but as long as he's getting starter's minutes (and he is), it really doesn't matter.

Erick Dampier has been cleared to practice and should join the fray today, which is bad news for those of you enjoying Diop's strong run. Diop may hold the starting job, but this has "timeshare" written all over it. Diop had 10 points, 13 boards and four more blocks on Monday.

Josh Howard (21-6-4) appeared to badly sprain his right ankle near the end of last night's game and will probably be listed as day-to-day. Devin Harris (thigh) sat out last night, but should be back in the starting lineup Thursday. Brandon Bass was out last night with an ankle injury and is day-to-day. He is a sleeper candidate in deep leagues.

The Rockets were led by Tracy McGrady's 35 points and eight dimes, and Yao Ming, who went for 21 points and 11 boards on 9-of-12 shooting. Those were the only two guys in double figures for the Rockets, as Shane Battier and Rafer Alston continue to disappoint. Alston is in a timeshare with Mike James and they both played 25 minutes and scored eight points last night. Alston appears to be the guy with value, but neither player is really getting it done in Rick Adelman's system. Hopefully someone steps forward this week, or it could be a long year for the owners of any Rockets not named Yao or Tracy.

Schedule and Infirmary

Not every injured player is listed here, but for a comprehensive list, check out the Injury Report.

Phoenix @ Charlotte – Both teams are fairly healthy with the exception of Amare Stoudemire, who is very iffy for tonight's game with knee discomfort. The Bobcats are undefeated and playing at home, so they're probably hoping for Boris Diaw to start at center in this one.

Denver @ New York - Denver is a team without a point guard after Mike Wilks joined Chucky Atkins and Anthony Carter on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. He's day-to-day, leaving him questionable for tonight. J.R. Smith should return from his suspension tonight, while Nene hopes to build off the success of his last game when he had 12 points and six rebounds off the bench. I won both my games in the 30-team league last week, but will need Nene to be better than he has been if I'm going to keep winning.

The Knicks are hopeful that Quentin Richardson can get it going tonight. He's been awful, failing to score in his last game. Jamal Crawford has been great and it will be interesting to see how Stephon Marbury and Nate Robinson look tonight. Marbury better get it figured out soon.

Atlanta @ New Jersey - Keep your eye on Tyronn Lue tonight, as he should start logging decent minutes at point guard. I would think Anthony Johnson (birth of child) will return to the starting lineup tonight, and with Acie Law also in the mix, the Hawks will run three guys at the point. I'm ranking them Law – Lue – Johnson, with Law being the one you want to own in most leagues. If Johnson is out again, Lue will probably start. I also expect Josh Childress to get it going soon, so keep your eye on him.

The Nets beat the Sixers Saturday after being embarrassed at home by the Raptors on Friday, as Jason Kidd racked up the first of his many first triple-doubles to come this year. Vince Carter is dealing with a sore thumb, and while it's not thought to be serious, it is bothersome. Hopefully he continues to play through the injury.

Orlando @ Minnesota - The Magic's rotation is set and Trevor Ariza and J.J. Redick are on the outside looking in. Feel free to dump them. Hedo Turkoglu is on fire and has his sights set on making the All-Star Team. Make sure he's not available in your league. Minnesota's Theo Ratliff missed Monday's practice with the flu, making him iffy for tonight. Gerald Green is bothered by a toe injury, but hasn't yet worked his way into the rotation for the Wolves.

Toronto @ Milwaukee - The Raps should be near full strength and you'll want to keep your eye on Carlos Delfino tonight. He's been getting 30 minutes per game and could be on the verge of having some nice value, as he's posting nice steals and threes. T.J. Ford is coming off a 32-point game, so look for him to stay hot. The Bucks appear to be at full strength and Andrew Bogut is hoping to bounce back from a poor outing. Mo Williams has really been struggling and sat out much of his last game as Charlie Bell ran the point near the end.

San Antonio @ Houston - The Spurs should be on the verge of getting Robert Horry (personal) back, but there's no fantasy value there.

L.A. Clippers @ Chicago - The Clippers may be without Chris Kaman tonight after he suffered a lower left leg injury in his last game. He sounds like he'll be a game-time decision. If Tim Thomas is available in your league, he shouldn't be. Ruben Patterson has also averaged 12 ppg and had three blocks in Game 1 and six steals in Game 2. The Bulls say Ben Wallace is dealing with a sore left ankle, which might help explain his dismal early stats. It sounds like he'll play tonight, but the ankle remains a concern. Joakim Noah (foot) finally practiced on Monday and if all goes well in today's shootaround, he should be active tonight. Don't pick him up just yet, but let's see what he does against the Clippers.

Seattle @ Sacramento - Robert Swift returned to action in the Sonics' last game, but Nick Collison should remain the starting center until Swift's knee is fully healthy. Earl Watson owners are still waiting for his breakout game this season. If he doesn't get it going soon, P.J. Carlesimo may give Luke Ridnour a chance to steal his job. The Kings will start Francisco Garcia at point guard. He was solid in his last game and if he plays well again tonight, he's worth a pickup. Someone has to win the starting PG job here, and Beno Udrih's probably not the answer. Brad Miller hasn't looked great, but he's dealing with a sore back. Hopefully he can get it going against Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox tonight. Mikki Moore looks like the new starting PF over Kenny Thomas, but has yet to post a nice line.

New Orleans @ L.A. Lakers - The Hornets look to go to 4-0 with a win over Kobe and company tonight. The Lakers are hoping that Lamar Odom plays on Friday after missing the early part of the season with a shoulder injury. Jordan Farmar and Andrew Bynum both looked great in their last game, but Farmar still has to do it a few more times before being worth consideration.

Cleveland @ Golden State - Sasha Pavlovic will play his second game for the Cavs tonight and should get better each game for the next couple weeks. Put him on your radar. Larry Hughes is dealing with a lower leg contusion and is questionable tonight. If he can't go, look for Pavlovic to get a lot of minutes, while Daniel Gibson should be in line for another big game. The Warriors are probably going to leave Al Harrington in the starting five, which is obviously great news for his owners. But if you also own Monta Ellis, Don Nelson has gone back to thinking he should play backup point guard. Ellis was benched in many leagues this week with just two games and you'll want to monitor his progress before making a decision on him next week.

News and Notes

Pau Gasol continues to miss Grizzlies practices with a sore back and owners simply have to hope it doesn't cost him any game time. So far, so good, but it would be nice if Gasol was fully healthy.

Sixers' point guard Andre Miller missed Monday's practice with the flu making him a little iffy for Wednesday.

Troy Murphy (Achilles) will be a game-time decision for the Pacers on Wednesday. That's good news, as it sounds like he should be back in action this week. If you need a center and he was cut in your league, think about picking him up and stashing him.

Dwyane Wade returned to practice for the Heat on Monday but still may be a week away from playing. But we've also heard he might play this Sunday.

Steve Blake will start over Jarrett Jack at point guard for the Blazers on Wednesday, while Channing Frye might get the nod at center over Joel Przybilla. Frye's a shaky play but could be worth owning, while Blake could do very well as the starting point guard in Portland.

[Hache Man]

Peja-riffic!
I will be hosting a Live Fantasy NBA Chat every Monday at 2 p.m. EST and I look forward to talking to you this Monday. I've had a few email issues recently, but this should be a great way for you to ask your questions. A link will be provided in Monday's Daily Dose.

The Hornets are the story of the NBA, especially after Tuesday's win over the Lakers that pushed them to 4-0 on the season. Peja Stojakovic and Chris Paul set the fantasy world on its ear last night. Peja buried 10 threes on his way to 36 points, while Paul had 19 points and 21 assists. In addition, David West added 22 points and eight boards and Tyson Chandler just missed a double-double with 10 and 9.

Games like Stojakovic's and Paul's only come around once or twice in a career and it's strange that they both happened on Tuesday. If you own them both, you might be feeling like I was on Sunday night when one of my football teams included Joseph Addai, Adrian Peterson, Marshawn Lynch, Lee Evans and J.P. Losman.

The missing ingredient here is Morris Peterson. I'll be the first to admit that I was wrong on Mo Pete this year. He's getting minutes and has the starting job for the Hornets, but he's hit 16-of-31 shots on the year and is averaging just less than 10 points, and is at a paltry 1.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists. On the plus side, he could get better and has hit six threes in four games. I'm not ready to declare him a full-fledged bust for the season, but we could be headed in that direction. It also looks like he's being pushed by Rasual Butler for minutes, so it's time for Mo-Pete to get going, or I'm going to look like a Mo-Ron for pimping him all summer.

News and Notes from Tuesday's Action

Raymond Felton escaped serious injury to his left knee last night when test results showed that he didn't suffer any significant damage. I picked up Josh Childress last night, but then dumped him for Jeff McInnis, just in case. By the time the news broke at 3 a.m. that Felton was going to be OK, Childress had been swiped by another owner. Luckily, Bonzi Wells was still floating out there, so I grabbed him instead after his 14-points and 15-boards.

Emeka Okafor and Chris Bosh had the kind of lines last night that make owners cringe. Luckily, both players simply struggled, and do not appear to be injured. They combined for 0-of-10 shooting, one point and nine rebounds on the night, but should both bounce back strong in their next game.

Amare Stoudemire says he will play tonight against the Hawks, which is bad news for Al Horford and company. The Hawks have traditionally made average centers look like All-Stars, and All-Stars look like Hall-of-Famers, but this is a different Hawks team. Still, I would be surprised if Stoudemire doesn't light the Hawks up tonight. If Stoudemire sits, look for another big game from Boris Diaw, who had 16 points and 11 assists last night. And even if Amare plays, Diaw appears to be back in form this season.

Plenty of bench players had big games in a couple blowouts last night, including Jared Dudley (16 points, 11 boards) for Charlotte, and Juan Dixon (20 points) and Kris Humphries (16 points, nine boards) for the Raptors. There's no reason to pick one of these guys up unless you're in a 30-team league.

Josh Smith just missed a 5x5 game with 18 points, seven boards, six assists, five steals and four blocks against the Nets. He even hit a couple threes, although I'd like to see him just leave the bombing to Joe Johnson and company. Acie Law started at point guard and struggled, but it looks like he should be the starter the rest of the way for the Hawks. Pick him up if he's available, and stash him on your bench until he gets hot. I mentioned Childress earlier, and he was nice last night with 18 points and seven boards after struggling in his first two.

Antoine Wright has scored in double figures in three of the Nets four games and could be a nice find in real deep leagues. I'm not sure how he's scoring with Vince Carter around, but he is.

Linas Kleiza had 18 points and a couple threes in a start for the Nuggets and is a deep sleeper. He should have some value, at least until the Nuggets get some of their guards healthy again. Eduardo Najera was also nice with 13 points, nine boards and a three. Kenyon Martin was out for precautionary reasons and Nene started, but Najera should get some run as long as he can stay healthy. He's worth a look in deep leagues. J.R. Smith returned from suspension, but hit just 2-of-6 shots, which were both threes. He also attempted some awful shots, as usual.

The Knicks saw four players (Crawford, Randolph, Curry, Marbury) score 20-plus points as they beat the Nuggets in the "Brawl Rematch," but Quentin Richardson's struggles continued. He, like Mo Pete, can be cut if you want to pick up a hot free agent. Just beware that both players will probably get it turned around at some point.

Jameer Nelson was a late scratch with a mild concussion, allowing Carlos Arroyo to start. Nelson's injury isn't thought to be serious, so he should return soon. Dwight Howard and Al Jefferson had an intriguing matchup and combined for 53 points, 26 rebounds and zero blocks. How those two managed to put up those kind of stats without a block is beyond me.

Greg Buckner started at small forward for the Timberwolves, who moved Ryan Gomes to PF and Jefferson to center with Theo Ratliff sidelined. Rashad McCants was injured in the game, meaning Corey Brewer and Marko Jaric both got some extra run. I get the feeling that the Wolves' secondary players are going to be tough to get consistency out of, but Jaric, Brewer and Buckner are worth a look right now.

Desmond Mason hit all 10 of his shots for 21 points for the Bucks, while Charlie Villanueva played just 18 minutes against his former team. CV will be better at some point this year, but you have to think about cutting him in normal-sized leagues.

Bonzi and Yao Ming were big for the Rockets, while the struggles of Rafer Alston continued. I'm going to have a hard time cutting Skip, but another game or two of nothing and that's where we're headed.
www.houstonrockets.ws
Clipper Chris Kaman played well through his leg injury, while Cuttino Mobley blistered the Bulls for 33 points. Ben Gordon and Ben Wallace both struggled for the Bulls again. I'd let Gordon shoot his way out of his slump, but Wallace should be benched until he shows signs of life.

Add Earl Watson to the lists of disappointments, as his shot just isn't working. He is probably on the verge of getting benched and savvy owners will keep a close eye on Delonte West, who should be in for more run. Wally Szczerbiak blew up for 32 points last night, but it remains to be seen whether it was a fluke or if he's going to be a solid contributor. Either way, he was worth a late-night pickup if you made the move.

Brad Miller looked better last night, giving his owners some hope for the future, while John Salmons and Kevin Martin were big in the Kings first win. Francisco Garcia is the starting (and most effective) point guard for the Kings right now, so give him a look if he's still available in your league.
indianapacers.com
LeBron James just missed a triple-double last night and Daniel Gibson hit five treys in the absence of Larry Hughes for the Cavaliers. Hughes is going to miss more time with a bruised knee, so take a look at Sasha Pavlovic. He struggled last night, but will have value at some point. For the Warriors, Monta Ellis was strong off the bench with 22 points, six boards, an assist, three steals, two blocks and three 3-pointers. Wow. He's good enough that he should be starting for your team whether he's starting or coming off the bench

[Hache Man]

Turkish Delight

Are we witnessing the emergence of a new fantasy stud right before our eyes?

Have you had a chance to see what Hedo Turkoglu is accomplishing for the Magic through the season's first five games? After Wednesday night's 24 points, career-high 15 rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block that led Orlando past Toronto for a third straight road win, the Turkish star is enjoying a career year to date with 37 MPG, 44.4 percent from beyond the arc (12 made treys already), 7.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 4.6 APG and 20.8 PPG.

By now, if he hasn't been scooped off your wires – regardless of your league size – then assumedly at least three-quarters of your league is in a coma after a most unfortunate dog sledding accident. Or something like that.

Turkoglu got plenty of extra PT last night (45 minutes) with both Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis in some foul trouble. But obviously Hedo's ankle wasn't a factor.

The point is Hedo is healthy, having shaken – for the time being – the mysterious ailment that would come and go and affected him and sapped him of his strength the past two years. As a result, he's taken his game to the next level, and owners astute enough to draft him or grab him off the wires early are reaping the benefits.

By winning in Toronto for the first time since December 21, 2003, the Magic, meanwhile, is 3-0 on the road for the first time in franchise history -- pretty impressive for a team that limped through a 15-26 road record last season.

There are lots of magical things are going on in Mickey's Kingdom these days.

Lewis continues to earn his big paycheck, going off for another 24 points last night. How about Keith Bogans? A double-double with 17 points and 11 boards. Two Orlando players in double figures in rebounds and neither one is named Dwight Howard? Now that's a good sign. How about every starter in double figures in points, including Jameer Nelson, cleared to return from his concussion just before game time? Not too shabby.

While we wonder if Turkoglu has truly turned the corner into an NBA star, let's check in on the rest of the hardwood happenings on the Wednesday that was…

• As expected, there was no reason to be concerned after LeBron James put up a stinker in his season debut. He's been playing exceptionally better since then, just missing a triple-double Tuesday, and bagging his first of the year last night with 32 points, 15 boards and 13 assists. It wasn't enough to save the Cavs from going down in a tight contest against the Jazz, but with three steals, two blocks and a three-pointer thrown in for good measure, LBJ owners weren't about to complain. Give the King 11 triple- doubles for his career, with plenty more on the way, especially the way he's rolling now.
• You think Kevin Garnett is feeling the pressure of being the Celtics' savior so far? After another huge effort last night, he's now racked up at least 22 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three steals in every game this season. After last night's dismantling of the Nuggets, Boston is 3-0. Of course, KG had ample assistance from the C's other two studs, Paul Pierce (26 points, five boards, five assists, five steals) and Ray Allen (22 points, six assists, two steals, three treys). As I mentioned a few days ago, if Boston's bench can stay close to its opponents' reserves, these three are capable of taking care of business night in and night out.
• Steve Nash had one of those glorious fantasy nights, canning seven three-pointers and sinking 12-of-19 overall for 34 points with 11 assists and five boards, but it wasn't good enough to propel the Suns past an improving Atlanta squad. The six turnovers from Captain Canada were an eyesore, and he's averaging a career-worst 4.6 fumbles per game through five contests. On the flipside, the 33-year-old somehow continues to improve, averaging a career-best 22.2 PPG and 4.4 RPG in the early going. But how about his shooting? Nash is draining 55.4 percent from the floor, 54.5 percent from behind the arc and he has yet to miss from the free-throw line, going a perfect 17-for-17 so far. Lights out, baby.

Injury Report

Amare Stoudemire's swollen knee has cost him three games now, but he says he's feeling good and improving every day. He's hoping to practice today and return to action Friday. Let's not get too worried yet, but even if I'm in a daily league, I'm probably going to wait and see on this one. By the weekend, he'll have a clear idea whether Stat is ready to roll for next week's action.

Tip-ins: Tyson Chandler got the heave-ho last night after moaning about a foul not being called. David West, off to a great start, picked up the slack for the Hornets, pouring in a career-best 34 points and hauling down 18 boards…Sam I Am proved he's got plenty left, sinking 13-of-20 from the floor for 35 points to go along with eight dimes as the Clippers remained undefeated – one of the bigger surprises in the NBA so far. Cassell's been middling so far, so don't get too excited…The Big Z is rolling, earning his fourth double-double in five tries so far. After a down season, Ilgauskas lasted fairly long in most drafts this year, but those who plucked him are sitting pretty so far…AK-47 got into some foul trouble Wednesday, opening the door for Paul Millsap to enjoy a huge game off the bench (24 points, five boards, five steals and a block). Should Kirilenko get hurt, traded or start sobbing uncontrollably, Millsap will suddenly be one valuable dude…Dwyane Wade remains day-to-day with his shoulder, saying the wing is improving every day, but is not quite where it needs to be…Cuttino Mobley, just promoted back into the starting five, went down with an injured groin last night. He's expected to miss a week or more, and last night it was Dan Dickau who saw extra PT in his place. Assuming Brevin Knight can recover from his back injury that sidelined him Wednesday, he should benefit greatly from Mobley's absence…Boston built a 77-38 halftime lead, shooting 72 percent from the floor in the process. At one point, the Celtics lead 91-50. Allen can't miss since joining the C's, shooting 63 percent from the floor through three games…Although it seems so, all is not perfect in Beantown; swingman James Posey, expected to play a key role off the sparse Boston bench, left early last night with back spasms. He's scheduled to have an MRI today…Lamar Odom is expected to return to action Friday, and his presence should bump either Luke Walton or Ronny Turiaf to the bench…Gilbert Arenas, who had his knee drained Wednesday for the second time in two months, is expected to play Thursday…Raymond Felton (knee) was out Wednesday, and could miss Friday's game as well, meaning Jeff McInnis will likely get another start. Derek Anderson, however, took on the role of the main ball distributor last night…Nene, having a hard time staying on the court lately because of foul trouble, hurt his thumb last night, making an early exit. X-rays were negative, but he's headed for an MRI today. Keep an eye on Eduardo Najera, given how injury prone K-Mart and Nene are…Are you ready for a huge breakout season by Marvin Williams? Last night's 20 points, 12 boards, three assists and a steal sure was a nice sign…Devin Harris (thigh) is likely to return to action tonight, but Josh Howard (ankle) will probably sit.

[Hache Man]

A Late Start
The Celtics, Pistons and Clippers are the last remaining undefeated teams, Chris Kaman is leading the NBA in rebounding and Kevin Martin currently ranks No. 4 in the league in scoring. Amare Stoudemire and Gilbert Arenas are dealing with knee issues early on, while Dwyane Wade, Lamar Odom and Erick Dampier are close to returning from their injuries.

Kevin Garnett, who has 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in all three games, Ray Allen (24 PPG) and Paul Pierce (22.3 PPG, 5 RPG, 5 APG) look like the real deal in Boston the one week's play. They look like they cannot be beaten. It's very conceivable that the Celts could have three players average 20 PPG – they might coast through the regular season.

Flash is targeting a return by Sunday, Nov. 11 in New York, so he should be active for Miami's four-game period. Lamar Odom should be available for four games in Week 3, Ron Artest should get three games and Stephen Jackson will be limited to just one.The Week Ahead takes a look at everything heading into Week 3 of the fantasy hoops season, including the schedule, injury report and some marquee matchups.

Nice start to the season:
(statistics from October 30 – November 7)
Chris Kaman, LAC 16.8 PPG, 16.5 RPG, 50% FG
Damien Wilkins, SEA 15.8 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 3.2 APG
John Salmons, SAC 21.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.3 SPG
Danny Granger, IND 21.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.5 BPG
Daniel Gibson, CLE 14.4 PPG, 15 3-pointers, 59.5% FG
DeSagana Diop, CLE 7.5 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 3.5 BPG, 61.9% FG

Salmons will get regular play because of the absences of Ron Artest and Mike Bibby. When they're both back, Salmons will likely see a major decrease in production. Bibby could be back in a month, so it would best to start shopping him around then when his value is at its apex. … With Elton Brand sidelined until around February, Kaman is picking up the slack on the boards. Injuries slowed him to an off-year last season, but he looks poised for a big year. … Diop has been getting a ton of playing time and is producing at a high level in the first week. However, Erick Dampier was just cleared to return to practice, so expect Diop's nice numbers to be short lived.

Keep An Eye On:
Francisco Garcia, SAC 14.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.5 SPG
Ronnie Brewer, UTA 16.2 PPG, 58.5 % FG
Martell Webster, POR 17.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, nine 3-pointers
Paul Millsap, UTA 11.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 69.2% FG, 1.4 SPG
Kelenna Azubuike, GS 16.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 54.5% FG
Darko Milicic, MEM 10.7 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.3 BPG, 57.1% FG

After Kevin Martin enjoyed a serious breakout season last year, many people believe Garcia will be that guy for the Kings this year. Minus two 20 PPG scorers, he's been one of Sacramento's go-to guys early on. He's got an all-around game too, making him very attractive in fantasy. … Millsap was an absolute monster Wednesday night against the Cavaliers, scoring a career-best 24 points and picking up five steals in the two-point win. Early on, it appears he's cutting into some of Mehmet Okur's production at center. Consider Millsap a strong backup center at this time.

Slow out of the gate:
Shaquille O'Neal, MIA 12.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.5 BPG
Jermaine O'Neal, IND 12.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 4.3 APG, 37.8% FG
Kirk Hinrich, CHI 11.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.0 APG
Ben Wallace, CHI 3.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 30% FG
Nenad Krstic, NJ 8.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 37.5% FG
Amare Stoudemire, PHO 15.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 40% FG (three DNPs)

Without Dwyane Wade, the Heat look absolutely atrocious. Shaq is a shell of his former self as Miami is smack dab in the middle of a 17-game losing streak dating back to last season. Flash should be back in Week 3 though, so it won't be long before they are leading the Southeast division. … Big Ben is slowed by a sprained ankle and his numbers are greatly affected by it. He hasn't had 10+ points or rebounds in any of his games. He can't really jump with the injury and that's a big reason why the Bulls have stumbled out to a 0-4 start. … There's no timetable for Stoudemire's return with the Suns. His surgically repaired knee continues to bother him so Phoenix is being cautious and letting him rest. Boris Diaw is getting more time at center in his stead – and is averaging an all-around 10.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 5.6 APG.

Game Totals in Week 3:
Four games: BOS, DET, HOU, IND, LAL, MEM, MIA, NJ, NO, NY, ORL, POR, SAC, SEA, UTA
Three games: ATL, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, DEN, GS, LAC, MIN, PHI, PHO, SA, TOR, WAS
Two games MIL

Interesting Matchups:
Monday, Nov. 12 - Cleveland @ Denver: We get two of these matchup every season; it's time for Carmelo vs LeBron. The Nuggets have won the last three matchups between the two teams. King James registered a triple-double Tuesday vs Utah – and he accomplished it with six minutes left in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Melo is trying to bounce back from the 26-point pounding to the Celtics on Wednesday.

Tuesday, Nov. 13 - Seattle @ Orlando: After spending his first nine seasons as a Sonic, Rashard Lewis hosts his old teammates on Tuesday. Along with Dwight Howard, the Magic have a new identity in the Magic Kingdom, while Kevin Durant is now the new face of the Sonics franchise. Orlando is off to a 4-1 start, while Durant's Sonics remain winless.

Wednesday, Nov. 14 - L.A. Lakers @ Houston: ESPN showcases another classic confrontation on Wednesday as Kobe Bryant faces off against Tracy McGrady. The two perennial All-Stars have combined to win four of the past five Scoring titles.

Thursday, Nov. 15 - San Antonio @ Dallas: Duncan will find himself matched up with 7' Dirk Nowitzki at times this Thursday, as the Spurs travel to Dallas. This game will be on TNT. Then, Friday, Nov. 16 - Houston @ San Antonio: After Dirk, Duncan will find himself up against 7'6" Yao Ming at times Friday. This game will be on ESPN.

1. Trivia: What player has the second-highest salary in the NBA this season? Answer at end of column

Friday, Nov. 16 - Miami @ Boston: This contest could represent five representatives for the Eastern Conference All-Star Game. Don't be surprised if you see Shaquille O'Neal, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade in the starting lineup in New Orleans either – although LeBron will probably be the lone exception.

Team-by-Team Injuries/Schedule:
Atlanta Hawks CHA, SEA, @mil
Zaza Pachulia (knee) – out indefinitely
Speedy Claxton (knee) – out indefinitely
The Hawks have decided that Acie Law will be their starting point guard from now on. With Tyronn Lue the likely backup, Anthony Johnson and Claxton are either going to have to be used at shooting guard or not at all if they are going to get playing time now. One of those guys should get traded to Denver – with three point guards in street clothes they could definitely use some help.

Boston Celtics @ind, NJ, MIA, @orl
James Posey (back) – day-to-day
The Big Three will be tested this week with four quality Eastern Conference opponents. With three impressive wins, Boston's role players have performed admirably as well. Rajon Rondo, Eddie House and James Posey will need to play prominent roles if Boston is going to make a run at their 17th championship.

Charlotte Bobcats MIA, @atl, SEA
Adam Morrison (knee) – out for the season
Sean May (knee) – out for the season
Raymond Felton (leg) – day-to-day

Chicago Bulls @pho, @lac, @lal

Cleveland Cavaliers @den, ORL, UTA
Donyell Marshall (wrist) – out indefinitely
Eric Snow (knee surgery) – return mid-November
Larry Hughes (knee) – day-to-day

Dallas Mavericks PHI, SA, MEM
Erick Dampier (shoulder) – return in mid-November
Devean George (foot) – day-to-day
Devin Harris (thigh) – expected to return Thursday vs GS
Brandon Bass (ankle) – day-to-day
It sounds as if there's a chance Josh Howard could miss Thursday's contest against Golden State due to a sprained right ankle. He turned it bad at the end of last game and was in serious pain Wednesday. He was able to return to practice Thursday though and will be a game-time decision. … Eddie Jones (right leg) is also questionable for the contest. That means Jerry Stackhouse and/or J.J. Barea could be in store for a bigger role.

Denver Nuggets CLE, POR, NY
Chucky Atkins (groin) – return early January
Anthony Carter (hand) – return early December
Mike Wilks (hamstring) – day-to-day
Nene (thumb) – day-to-day

Detroit Pistons @por, @gs, @lal, @sac
Rodney Stuckey (hand) – return early December

Golden St. Warriors DET, LAC, @tor
Stephen Jackson (suspension) – out first seven games
Troy Hudson (hip) – out indefinitely
Austin Croshere (back) – return mid-November
Jackson will return to the Warriors lineup on Sunday, Nov. 18 and will be restricted to just one game in Week 3. Keep him sidelined another week, but the Warriors are slated for four games in Week 4 so Jackson should return to all lineups then.

Houston Rockets @mem, LAL, @sa, PHO
Steve Francis remains out of the Rockets rotation, but for how long? Although Houston has jumped out to a 4-1 start, Rafer Alston has struggled early on as the starting point guard. Skip to My Lou is averaging 6.2 PPG and 4.6 APG on 35.3% FG shooting through five contests, while Mike James is getting 13.2 PPG off the pine. Franchise has yet to play a minute… After his 15-point, 14-rebound effort, Bonzi Wells is averaging a respectable 7.4 PPG and 7.2 RPG off the bench as well. If Alston continues to struggle, expect to see Francis get a chance soon.

Indiana Pacers BOS, @was, @tor, UTA
Ike Diogu (calf) – out 4-6 weeks
Diogu sustained a torn calf muscle in practice on Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined until early December. Feel free to drop him, but he did look pretty strong in the early going. Taking on a bigger role, he was averaging 13.7 PPG and 4.3 RPG through three contests.

L.A. Clippers NY, @gs, CHI
Shaun Livingston (knee surgery) – out for the season
Elton Brand (Achilles') – might return in February
Ruben Patterson (finger) – day-to-ay
Cuttino Mobley (groin) – out indefinitely
Expect Mobley to be sidelined "for a couple games or a week" with his recent groin injury. The Clippers have a very deep veteran rotation, so somebody else will just pick up the slack.

L.A. Lakers @sa, @hou, DET, CHI
Lamar Odom (shoulder) – day-to-day, hoping to return Friday vs MIN
Kwame Brown (back) – day-to-day
Odom is expecting to make his season debut Friday against the winless Timberwolves. Luke Walton or Ronny Turiaf will return to the bench, while Odom joins the starting-five. Get him back in all active lineups asap.

Memphis Grizzlies HOU, @mil, NO, @dal
Stromile Swift (back) – day-to-day

Miami Heat @cha, SEA, @bos, @nj
Dwyane Wade (shoulder, knee) – targeting a Nov. 11 return
It's just a matter of time before the Heat get a much-needed kick-start with the return of Flash. He was involved in pregame drills Wednesday in San Antonio, and should return either for Friday's contest vs Phoenix or Sunday's game in New York. Nevertheless, get him plugged back in your active lineups for Week 3.

Milwaukee Bucks MEM, ATL
The Bucks are the lone NBA team that plays just twice in Week 3 (incidentally, no team plays two times in Week 4). Consider reserving your Bucks for the week – with the lone exception Michael Redd. He's still worth starting in most formats because of his immense upside.

Minnesota Timberwolves SAC, WAS, NO
Randy Foye (knee) – out indefinitely
Rashad McCants (ankle) – day-to-day
Gerald Green (flu) – day-to-day

NOK Hornets @nj, PHI, @mem, @min

New Jersey Nets NO, @bos, ORL, MIA
Marcus Williams (foot) – return in December

New York Knicks @pho, @lac, @sac, @den
Jared Jeffries (knee) – return mid-December

Orlando Magic SEA, @cle, @nj, BOS
J.J. Redick (back) – out indefinitely
Tony Battie (shoulder) – out for the season

Philadelphia 76ers @dal, @no, POR
2. Trivia: who is the Sixers highest-paid player this season? Answer at end of column

Phoenix Suns NY, CHI, @hou
Amare Stoudemire (knee) – day-to-day
Stoudemire has missed the past three contests with continuing soreness in his surgically repaired knee. He's optimistic he'll be able to return to action on Friday, but nobody can predict how his knee will respond. There is a slim chance that this could linger and be a major concern all season long. Closely monitor how his knee responds once he returns to see if he suffers another setback.

Portland Trailblazers DET, @den, @phi, @was
Greg Oden (knee surgery) – out for the season
Darius Miles (knee surgery) – return date uncertain
Josh McRoberts (ankle) – day-to-day
The Blazers shook up their lineup this week, adding C Channing Frye and PG Steve Blake to the starting lineup, while PG Jarrett Jack and C Joel Przybilla came off the bench. Blake dished out nine dimes in his first start and Jack didn't lose any value in his reserve role, scoring a season-best 20 points. After beginning 0-3, the shakeup produced their first victory of the season. I think Blake will probably be the teams leader in assists, but Jack will still have more overall value. Consider both players decent No. 3 fantasy guards.

Sacramento Kings @uta, @min, NY, DET
Mike Bibby (thumb) – targeting late January return
Ron Artest (suspension) – out first seven games
Beno Udrih (finger) – day-to-day
Artest will rejoin the Kings on Wednesday, Nov. 14 – that means he'll play three games in Week 3. Artest is always a bit of a gamble. He might want a couple more games off to manage a female rap group – it's happened before. Regardless though, he's probably a decent gamble with three contests. Expect him to come back ferociously.

San Antonio Spurs LAL, @dal, HOU
Brent Barry (ankle) –day-to-day
Robert Horry (personal) – day-to-day
Jacque Vaughn (calf) – day-to-day

Seattle Sonics @orl, @mia, @atl, @cha
Kurt Thomas (hamstring) – day-to-day
It shouldn't be long before Luke Ridnour joins the Sonics rotation and starts posting solid stat lines again. He's been extremely limited with the face mask he's been forced to wear due to a broken nose. However, he should shed the mask in the next week and see his minutes and numbers greatly increase. A lot of owners have given up on Ridnour – now is a nice time to make a bid to acquire him dirt-cheap.

Toronto Raptors UTA, IND, GS

Utah Jazz SAC, @tor, @cle, @ind

Washington Wizards IND, @min, POR
Etan Thomas (heart) – likely out for the season
Gilbert Arenas (knee) – probable for Thursday's game vs NJ
Arenas had his knee drained and sat out his third straight practice Wednesday. He still plans on playing against New Jersey on Thursday. The discouraging soreness after a major knee operation is typical; there are going to be setbacks throughout the course of the season. The Wizards play three times in Week 3 so his injury will continue to be tested. Antonio Daniels would be a nice fantasy pickup if Arenas does have to miss some games. He averaged 10.2 PPG and 8.6 APG in the final 10 games when Arenas went down last year

[Hache Man]

Smoov Sailing
With only three games in the NBA last night, there's not much to cover on this Friday morning. However, we'll get our fill of the NBA with a full slate of 13 games on Friday night, which could include the return of Amare Stoudemire.

Before we get to last night's action, let's talk trade. Gilbert Arenas has been the center of attention in many emails I've received recently, with panicked owners wanting to trade him for Jason Kidd or Chris Paul. I think this is fine, as you're still getting top value for your injured star. But in one of my leagues, Arenas was traded for Ray Allen, a late third-round pick. We don't veto trades in that league, which I think is a good thing, but this was simply a bad move. It may work out in the long run for the new Allen owner if Arenas goes down, but the point is, don't give Arenas or Stoudemire away right now.

This is all about buying low and selling high. Hot guys like Danny Granger, Chris Kaman and Brendan Haywood (until last night) will never see their values higher than right now, making them excellent trade bait (although I own all three and think they're going to have solid seasons). While Arenas and Stoudemire's values may not be lower than they are right now. If you want to trade Arenas or Stoudemire because of their knee problems, feel free to do it. But wait until they get hot and have a couple big games so you don't end up giving them away.

Another trade scenario that was emailed to me was from a guy who wanted to veto a trade in his league. The scenario is that someone traded Udonis Haslem for Mike Miller, which I have absolutely no problem with. Do I think the new Miller owner came out ahead? Absolutely. But if you veto this trade, you may as well tell your league that trading is not encouraged, and most offers have a great chance of not going through. I've seen too many leagues get "veto crazy" and end up crushing most of the deals that go down, which sends a bad message to your league and takes a lot of the fun out playing the game. Do I want to face the owner who now has Arenas, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh and Al Jefferson? Um, not really. But I'm going to try to beat him and like knowing that I can make a similar trade if I want to.

And if the guy trading for Haslem is set in threes and needs rebounds, I think it's a decent move.

My last opinion on vetoes is that they should only be used if there is clearly collusion going on, or if someone is having a fire sale because they don't care about the league or are trying to sabotage the league. But if some rookie wants to trade Kevin Durant for Earl Watson and Walter Herrmann because they think they're doing what they need to, so be it. I know that many of you love the veto aspect your league uses and that's fine. But please don't send me emails trying to pull me over to the dark side. I'm not coming.

Thursday's Action

The Wizards are now 0-4 after falling to the Nets last night. Arenas played fairly well and looked fine in his 42 minutes, hitting 7-of-17 shots for 21 points. Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison were solid as usual, but Haywood had just two points and three boards. You can expect him to have his share of off nights, but he should still be a solid starting center going forward.

The Nets were led by Richard Jefferson's 25 points and he's now led them in scoring in all five games. Jason Kidd was solid again, while Vince Carter woke up with 24 points, five boards and five dimes. The fantasy news out of this one was Jamaal Magloire and his 12 boards in 28 minutes. Nenad Krstic played just 13 minutes and I think Magloire is going to continue to see an increase in minutes going forward. Krstic is coming back from ACL surgery and the team wasn't even sure they'd have him back this soon. He's going to have his ups and downs, and with an ineffective Jason Collins in addition to a gimpy Krstic, good things should be coming for Magloire. You don't have to pick him up just yet in many leagues, but definitely put him on your radar.

The Bulls finally got their first win by beating the Pistons, led by Tyrus Thomas' huge line of 19 points, career-high 14 boards, two steals and two blocks on 8-of-12 shooting. He's as inconsistent as they come, but you have to just keep playing him. He's like the stock market, in that you have to take the bad days in order to benefit from the good ones.

Ben Wallace was on the bench for the fourth quarter and had just six points and seven boards. Sadly, this was one of his better lines, but he just doesn't look healthy. He's got an ankle issue and should probably be benched until he gets it going. Kirk Hinrich's shooting woes continued, but he did have 14 assists in the win.

For the Pistons, Rasheed Wallace scored 36 points, his career high as a Piston. He also had nine boards and three treys in the loss, and looks fantastic thus far. On the flip side, Tayshaun Prince scored just five points on 1-of-3 shooting. After getting off to a blistering start, he's scored just 13 points since Rip Hamilton returned to action. Don't cut Prince, but prepare to bench him if his stats don't rebound over the weekend.
indianapacers.com
The Mavs beat the Warriors last night in a replay of last year's first-round playoff action. Devin Harris returned for Dallas and had one of the best lines of his career, finishing with 21 points, five boards and seven assists. He's still a big-time sleeper candidate, but let's see how he backs this one up. Josh Howard played well through a sprained ankle with 24 points, seven boards and three assists, while Dirk Nowitzki double-doubled with 22 and 11. Brandon Bass racked up his first double-double with 10 points and 12 boards, making him a waiver-wire candidate in many leagues. The Mavs are a little thin up front until Erick Dampier returns, and Bass could be a nice source of boards in deep leagues. dallasmavericks.com

Kelenna Azubuike notched his first double-double for the Warriors with 27 points and 11 rebounds, while Baron Davis exploded for 37 points, five boards, five assists and three treys on 14-of-26 shooting. Azubuike will likely take some kind of a hit when Stephen Jackson returns next week, but you have to think Nellie will find a way to play him.

News and Notes

Nene is going to miss about six weeks due to a thumb injury that will require surgery. That's going to kill me in my 30-team league, as my only backup power forwards are Jorge Garbajosa and Malik Allen. Yuck. In the meantime, Eduardo Najera is a serious waiver-wire candidate, especially since Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby could go down at any time.

Amare says he's going to play tonight in Miami, but I won't believe it until I see him in the starting lineup. He's a game-time decision (again) after missing the last three with swelling and soreness in his knee. If I had to guess, I'd say he's playing tonight against Shaq. We'll see.
sacramentokings.com
Dwyane Wade will not play tonight, but could return as soon as Sunday. I still have serious concerns about him aggravating the knee or shoulder if he comes back too soon, so owners may have to tread carefully with Wade over the next month.

Good news on the Raymond Felton front, as he'll play tonight if he's medically cleared to go. The Cats have gotten stomped in their last two games and Sam Vincent is dying to get Felton back on the floor tonight against the Pacers. Speaking of the Pacers, keep your eye on Kareem Rush tonight, who is still irked with the way he was cut by the Bobcats a couple years ago. He could use the revenge factor to have a big game. Then again, he's still Kareem Rush. And Troy Murphy is a decent pick up right now after making a return for the Pacers on Wednesday.
utahjazz.com
Lamar Odom is expected to play for the Lakers tonight, which is great news, but the game of the night for me is the Hawks at the Celtics. Josh Smith has just missed a 5x5 game in his last two, and he should have another solid line against KG and crew. I don't care if he can't shoot it right now. Check out his last two lines.

22 pts, 10 rebs, 4 asts, 4 stls, 5 blks
18 pts, 7 rebs, 6 asts, 5 stls, 4 blks

And on the season, he's at 17.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 4.0 blocks. He's shooting just 36% from the floor and 22% from beyond the arc, but any way you slice it, he's been fantasy gold

[Hache Man]

Big Ben(ch)
Week 3 is loaded with tricky decisions between players with three- and four-game schedules. As usual, I'll try to shed light on some borderline candidates and future trends to help you win your fantasy league. There isn't much of a preface needed this week, except to say that I'm open to tweaking the format or focus of the column, so if you have any areas that you would like addressed, be sure to let me know.

TWO games: Bucks

THREE games: Hawks, Bobcats, Bulls, Cavaliers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Warriors, Clippers, Timberwolves, 76ers, Suns, Spurs, Raptors, Wizards

FOUR games: Celtics, Pistons, Rockets, Pacers, Lakers, Grizzlies, Heat, Nets, Hornets, Knicks, Magic, Trailblazers, Kings, Supersonics, Jazz

BENCH

Acie Law: Acie Law has taken over as the Hawks' point guard, and the move appears to be permanent: "The bottom line is this, we drafted him so he could come in here and run our team," Hawks' coach Mike Woodson said. "It was just a matter of time before he forced us to make that decision." While this move increases Law's fantasy value tremendously, it does not make him an immediate starter for your team. In four games this season, including two starts, Law has not played more than 25 minutes, he hasn't recorded more than three assists in a game or scored more than 11 points, and he has 12 turnovers compared with 12 combined rebounds, assists, and steals. If he is still on your league's waiver wire, it is high time you grabbed this Hawk with a flier; clearly, he is the point guard of the future, and in the future you can probably start plugging him in. In a three-game Week 3, however, Law might do more harm than good to your team's numbers.

The Bucks: When is a Buck worth eight quarters? In a two-game week, of course! With half the league playing four times, there are simply too many four-game alternatives to give any Buck a realistic chance of out-producing their peers. Mo Williams hasn't been playing up to fantasy owners' (or anyone else's) expectations and will struggle to double the per-game stats of guys like Rafer Alston, Mike James, Derek Fisher, Damon Stoudamire, Jason Williams, and Earl Watson, none of whom are even great fantasy plays. Of course, after I wrote this Mo Will nearly went for a triple-double, but you know what I'm saying. Andrew Bogut gets some consideration because of how shallow the center position is, but he should only be used as a last resort. Desmond Mason is hoofing it off waiver wires this week after shooting 10-of-10 in a game (causing me to choke on the joke that closed last week's column; "If you decide to start a Mason, you must expect him to lay bricks."), but he has no fantasy value this week. Cursed with a two-game schedule, even Michael Redd's owners might be better off bucking the trend and benching their stud depending on the alternatives. On the plus side, the Bucks have the only 5-game outburst in the entire league, which comes in Week 13, so you'll get the lost value back then.

Ben Wallace: Big Ben is getting old. He has been as dependable as his namesake for years, but his gears are looking pretty rusty these days. I really hate writing about benching him, because his lack of productivity is destroying the parity of a pre-season trade I accepted, and my nerves along with it. There are nagging ankle injuries that have been talked about, but the bottom line is that he is in the Bulls' starting lineup and should be offering some value, but isn't. Wallace has never been a 'skills player', relying instead on tremendous athleticism, toughness, and ferocious defense to make his fro a household concept and endear himself to fantasy owners. Ideally, his ankle is bothering him, it gets better in a week or two, and we see a marked increase in his blocks, steals and rebounds. The Bulls didn't draft Joakim Noah to be their new starting center, so Wallace's job is not in jeopardy, but his ability to help your fantasy team is in serious doubt. Keep him on your bench until the old, I mean young, Ben Wallace makes a few appearances.

Fool's Gold: The Denver Nuggets are off to a rocky 3-3 start this season, a record attributable to multiple injuries to point guards, suspect defense, recent terrible shooting by Carmelo Anthony (until Friday), and sporadic team chemistry. The most recent blow was losing Nene for six weeks to a left thumb injury that will require surgery. In his absence, the Nuggets will mine even deeper into their bench, installing Yakhouba Diawara as the starting small forward and moving Linas Kleiza to the bench, where he will back up both forward positions. Diawara began the season as a starter, but Karl soon demoted him, meaning he is and will continue to be on a short leash. Kleiza is young and inconsistent, and a move to the bench won't increase his value, even if it doesn't kill it entirely. Eduardo Najera stands to gain the most from Nene's departure, but again, his reserve role and unpredictable minutes are a major fantasy buzz-kill. The Nuggets still have a few games to play between this writing and Monday afternoon, so keep a close eye on the situation, but unless you have A.I., Melo, or the Cambyman, you ought to bench your pyrite Nuggets.

Earl Watson: Watson is a career 40% shooter with a 68% lifetime free throw average, two of the reasons he will never be a reliable fantasy player. Two more reasons why he won't pan out this year? How about Luke Ridnour and Delonte West. And one final, clinching reason…he is losing his starting job in the very near future. Yes, although P.J. Carlesimo didn't pull the trigger before Friday's game, he has publicly stated his intent to move Watson to the bench in favor of Luke Ridnour. While Watson could have some small value despite the demotion, if he couldn't help your team as a starter, you'd be crazy to think he'll do better on the bench. That said, Watson had 11 assists on Friday in a game they could have won, so Carlesimo probably has some more thinking to do here. And given the fact Ridnour didn't even play on Friday, you need to keep your eye on what happens on Sunday when they host Detroit.

START

Kelenna Azubuike: If you've got Azubuike on your team, you'd better be playing him this week. The Warriors only play three games, but two of those are without suspended starter Stephen Jackson, whose spot in the rotation Azubuike is so ably filling. Given coach Don Nelson's predilection for riding the hot hand, a starting spot for the Warriors is a golden opportunity; Azubuike is taking full advantage, averaging 18 points, five rebounds, one steal and over one three per game. However, Nelson's lineups are notoriously unstable, and the return of Stephen Jackson, along with the Warriors 0-5 start, means that Azubuike's days as a starter could be numbered. Play him while he's hot, play him while he's starting, and trade him if you can manage to find an excitable owner who lives in Oakland.

Willie Green: Willie Green isn't playing fantastic basketball, but the Sixers are winning. He isn't racking up points, assists, or steals, but he has no competition at shooting guard on an offensively-challenged 76ers roster. It is therefore not Green, but the situation in Philadelphia, which promotes him as a fantasy starter. His shot should come around, and when it does Green will be a decent source of points, threes and steals, while limiting his turnovers and chipping in some assists and rebounds. He is not the best option out there, but if you need a utility-man to cover a weak spot in your lineup, Green might be your guy.

Al Horford: Quick, before Zaza Pachulia gets back! By Monday, things might have changed, but for now Zaza Pachulia hasn't played in a game yet this season. Young Al Horford has been impressive as a rookie starter, averaging double-digit rebounds and over a steal and a block per game. His offense is raw, but the Hawks are all about the youth movement and Horford might be playing his way into the heart of the Hawks' rotation. Pachulia's impact on his fantasy value is the looming storm-cloud. Coach Mike Woodson might decide to limit Pachulia's minutes right away, or he could ease the burden on the rookie, and either guy could end up as the starter. Play Horford before Pachulia hawks all of his value, and trust that, even in a three-game week, Horford makes a decent start at the shallowest of positions, center. But whatever you do, don't cut Horford for the flavor of the day.

Kings for a day: Ron Artest's season-opening suspension was compounded for the Kings when Mike Bibby suffered a thumb injury which will sideline him for well over a month. From this miasmic puddle of a team arose two unlikely fantasy stars; John Salmons and Francisco Garcia. Ron Artest returns on Nov. 14th, so owners should play these guys now, to get all the value they can out of their king-sized waiver-wire treats. Salmons figures to have value despite Artest, but will likely find himself back on the bench. It is conceivable that Salmons would shift to point guard, relieving Garcia of his duties and moving him to the bench. No matter how it plays out, Artest is going to be the team's No. 1 option upon his return, and his production will come at the cost of another player. In a four-game week, despite the questions surrounding Artest's return, you should run with the Kings who have been putting up the numbers.

Kendrick Perkins: Perkins isn't having a good start to the season, averaging six points and less than five rebounds through three games. He has at least managed to record over a block per game, which is his strongest suit, so that is encouraging. Next to Kevin Garnett, Perkins will struggle all year to grab double-digit rebounds, but he hasn't played less than 26 minutes in a game, and with Scot Pollard still nursing an injury, he has plenty of time to step up for the Celts. Perkins will need a seven-leaf clover to record multiple double-doubles this week, and even with four games scheduled he is a shaky start. If your fantasy team is thin in the middle, consider starting Perkins before fellow borderline fantasy centers Jamaal Magloire, Joel Przybilla, Robert Swift, Primoz Brezec, Rasho Nesterovic, Theo Ratliff and, sadly, even the current incarnation of Ben Wallace. If Perkins is on your waiver wire and you need a center, think about adding him.

Tyrus Thomas: After posting two monster double-doubles this early in the season, this should be a no-brainer. Amazingly, Ty Thomas is still available on some waiver wires, and if he has slipped through the cracks in your league, you need to do yourself a huge favor and add him. Drop whoever you need to, and add him. He owns the Bulls' starting power forward job outright (Joe Smith is no real threat to overtake him) and although he will struggle to be consistent, he looks incredibly good this year. He gets blocks, steals, rebounds, points, shoots a good percentage. The Bulls play three games next week and Thomas is making a case to start over plenty of four-game players you've probably got stashed on your bench right now.

That does it for this week's edition of BENCH/START. I hope you've learned something that helps you win your league, and if you have questions, comments, or jokes involving quantum mechanics, send them my way.

[Hache Man]

Odd Man Out?
Week 3 is almost here and the list of potential free agents is growing. Toronto's Jamario Moon is creating some controversy in my 30-team league, as a glitch in the system didn't have him available for a pickup when he got hot. Now that he actually started a game for the Raps, he's hot in bigger leagues as well, especially ones like the 30-teamer where the waiver wire is generally like a ghost town.

I think I'm going to run a schedule breakdown column early in the upcoming week, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Last week's featured players were:

G – Ronnie Brewer, Cuttino Mobley, Daniel Gibson, Nate Robinson
F – Hedo Turkoglu, Kelenna Azubuike, Tim Thomas, Martell Webster
C – Brendan Haywood, Al Horford, Chris Kaman, Andrew Bynum

Guards

Mike Conley and Kyle Lowry - PG – Grizzlies

Both Lowry and rookie Conley, who initially was getting no minutes, are suddenly getting more run than Damon Stoudamire, but you knew it was only going to be a matter of time. It's just one game, but Conley's 10 points and nine dimes on Saturday should have been the wake-up call for him to be picked up in most leagues. Eventually, all three point guards are going to be sharing time here, although it can be argued that that process has already started. But any way you slice it, the arrows on Conley and Lowry are pointing straight up, while Stoudamire's value is plummeting.

Recommendation: Both should be owned in most leagues.

Francisco Garcia - G/F – Kings

Garcia is not a true point guard, but appears to be the King most suited to handle the job while Mike Bibby recovers from his thumb injury. He's scored in double figures in five of their six games and had nine in the other one, while averaging about four rebounds, three assists and 1.5 steals per game. The Kings are awful and Garcia is not going to be the answer for your team if you are getting crushed in the point-guard categories, but he's an effective fantasy player right now and should be owned as long as he's starting for the Kings.

Recommendation: Should be owned in most leagues.

Marko Jaric - G/F – Timberwolves

Jaric is one of those guys who never lived up to expectations over the years while always being shipped from fantasy team to fantasy team as owners looked for some quick help in the steals department. With injuries to Randy Foye and Rashad McCants, and Sebastian Telfair proving yet again that he's not really a starting point guard, Jaric has suddenly been handed a big role for the Wolves. I'm guessing Jaric will start at PG until Foye is healthy (which could be a couple more weeks), which means he'll have some value. He failed to record an assist on Saturday and scored just seven points, but had compiled 16 dimes in his previous two games. Jaric should be a decent short-term pickup, but owners should be prepared for inconsistency along with some assists and steals. On a side note, he has somehow blocked four shots in five games and I'm not sure what his role will be when Foye returns. And I'm guessing that Randy Wittman isn't either.

Recommendation: Should be considered in deep leagues.

Jarrett Jack - PG – Trailblazers

Jack was officially a bust as the starting point guard for the Blazers. Nate McMillan finally figured out that Steve Blake should be his starter, especially since Blake had played better with the first unit in the preseason, while Jack seemed to play better with Travis Outlaw and the second unit. The move, made three games ago, has paid huge dividends for McMillan as the Blazers have somehow won three straight (over New Orleans, Memphis and Dallas), with Jack exploding to average over 16 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal in the wins. He's also shooting it well, hitting 16-of-29 shots during the hot run. He's not going to be the most reliable fantasy player coming off the bench, but will be a guy you can play as an injury fill-in or on a 4-game week. It's also possible that he could start again at some point in the future.

Recommendation: Should be considered in most leagues

Other guards to consider: Eddie House, Sasha Pavlovic, J.R. Smith, Greg Buckner, Mike Conley, Keith Bogans, Willie Green, Louis Williams and any guard in Seattle with a 'W' as the first letter of their name (West, Watson, Wilkins, Wally)

Forwards

Bonzi Wells - G/F – Rockets

Bonzi suddenly looks like a Sixth-Man candidate after going off in his last two games. He had 14 pts, 15 rebs, 1 stl and 1 blk in a win over the Spurs on Tuesday, and then had 18 pts, 7 rebs, 1 stl and 2 blks in Friday's win over the Bucks. Rick Adelman loves him and he appears to be healthy and happy for the first time a couple years. Bonzi may never work his way into the starting five, but Adelman is likely prepared to give him plenty of run off the bench. I tried to pick up guys Josh Childress and Wally Szczerbiak, who were great on Tuesday, but I was too late. Bonzi was sitting there, so I grabbed him, and it looks like my tardiness may pay off.

Recommendation: Should be owned in most leagues.

Antoine Wright - G/F – Nets

Wright has been surprisingly good thus far and the news of Vince Carter's ankle injury should propel Wright into the starting five if VC is going to miss time. Even if Carter's injury isn't as bad as it sounds, Wright would still be on this list. With Carter down, he's going to be one of the hottest pickups of the week and should be a solid sleeper-start with four games. And if Carter is healthy, he'll still be a decent fantasy role player as he's averaging 12 points, three boards, an assist, steal and block on 43% shooting off the bench. I just cut Acie Law for him in one league, and am expecting at least one nice week out of Wright, but I may regret the move down the line.

Recommendation: Should be considered in all leagues.

Ronny Turiaf - F/C – Lakers

Turiaf is currently starting at power forward despite the return of Lamar Odom, who is playing at small forward. Turiaf is averaging around 10 points, five boards, two assists, a steal and a block thus far, but the boards and blocks should be on the rise soon. He will help owners desperate for solid field goal shooting (58% thus far), although he could lose his starting job at any time. But if he sticks with the first unit, he should be a very useful fantasy player this season.

Recommendation: Should be considered in all leagues.

Jamario Moon - F – Raptors

Moon overcame slim odds to make the Raptors' final roster and even got a surprise start on Saturday to play defense on Luol Deng. The move certainly worked, as Deng was held to five points, and it's possible that Moon could end up getting some more starts. He's the perfect definition of a flier, and should only be added to your roster if you have a struggling player without much upside to drop (Damon Stoudamire, anyone?). He had 12 points, six boards, three steals and a block in his start and should be a decent source of defensive stats if Sam Mitchell continues to play him. I doubt he'll have much value a few weeks from now, but it might be worth a shot to find out.

Recommendation: Should be considered in deep leagues.

Other forwards to consider: Brandon Bass, Shawne Williams, Udonis Haslem (should not be available in any leagues)

Centers

Troy Murphy - F/C – Pacers

Murphy is back from an Achilles' injury for the Pacers and may have been left for dead in your league. If he's available, you should probably pick him up immediately. In three games since his return he's posted solid lines, scoring in double figures in all three, hitting seven 3-pointers and grabbing 10 boards in his last game. His field goal percentage has been historically low, but he qualifies at center and should be a poor man's version of Mehmet Okur. And given the uncertainty from night to night with Jermaine O'Neal's knee, Murphy should get plenty of run again this season. Chances are he's already owned in your league after his nice game on Saturday, but you never know.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues.

Zaza Pachulia - C – Hawks

Pachulia finally returned for the Hawks on Sunday after missing the start of the season with a knee injury that might have led to an ankle problem. Either way, he's back, but may come off the bench behind Al Horford the rest of the way. Then again, Mike Woodson likes Pachulia's experience and could choose to start him instead. I don't know what's going to happen with Zaza this season, and his numbers, even as a starter, have never been all that great, but he has historically been a serviceable fantasy center. If you're holding a guy like Scot Pollard or Channing Frye, you might be better off with Pachulia sometime down the line. But only if he's getting 20 minutes per night, which may or may not happen.

Recommendation: Worth owning in deep, 2-center leagues.

Chris Mihm - F/C – Lakers

Mihm has started two straight for the Lakers and is averaging nine points, eight boards and 2.5 blocks in that stretch. Andrew Bynum is still the Lakers' center who should get the most minutes on a nightly basis, but Mihm is certainly intriguing right now, especially if Phil Jackson is going to continue to start him. Kwame Brown was out for the last one, but Mihm's solid play in the last two games could mean he is now the official starter for the Lakers. Again, not a guy you have to run out and pick up immediately, but a guy who should offer some value in deeper leagues, as long as he keeps the starting gig.

Recommendation: Worth a look in 2-center, deep leagues.

Jamaal Magloire - F/C – Nets

Magloire played just nine minutes on Saturday after posting 12 boards in his previous game. The limited minutes came against the Celtics, who seem to have a way of shutting people down early and often. Obviously, Magloire is not a guy you have to run to the waiver wire for, but he is a guy you will want to keep a close eye on. Nenad Krstic is going to need a couple more months to get up to speed from ACL surgery and Magloire's defensive presence and offensive skills should become important to the Nets, who still start Jason Collins each night. Magloire hasn't scored more than three points in a single game thus far, but at some point, you have to think he's going to get some run. Or, at least I think he should.

Recommendation: Should be watched in most leagues.

Other centers to consider: Nazr Mohammed, Brad Miller (shouldn't be available in any leagues), Andray Blatche

Cuts?

I got an email request to list cuttable players and I'll take a shot at it right now…I think there's a fine line between a guy performing badly who should be cut and a guy performing badly who should be kept, and it can be one of the hardest things to figure out.

Here's a list of guys who aren't producing and can be cut – In my opinion: Rodney Carney, Jason Kapono, Jarvis Hayes, Charlie Villanueva, Walter Herrmann, Dorell Wright, Trevor Ariza, Steve Francis, Luis Scola, Antoine Walker, Kwame Brown, Matt Barnes, Ruben Patterson, Donyell Marshall, Damon Stoudamire, Stromile Swift, Morris Peterson and Kenny Thomas.

Some of the guys on that list are quite obvious, while owners will have a tough call to make on Villanueva, Stoudamire and Mo Pete, who could easily start providing fantasy value at any time. But depending on your league setup, any of these guys could possibly be shipped out for someone who is producing and getting minutes.

While you probably feel like cutting guys like Acie Law, Luol Deng, Luke Ridnour and Ben Wallace, I think the right thing to do is to just hold on. Of course, I just cut Law myself, but didn't feel good about doing it.

Music

This will be my last Band of Horses rant for a while, but a lot of you may have missed the last one while you were focusing on your football team over the hoops' offseason. The new record, Cease to Begin, might be as good as their stellar first release, Everything All the Time. If you get a chance to see them live, hook it up and make it happen. In my opinion, they're the best new band going and my entire family (four little kids, wife and me) is inexplicably addicted to the discs. They dedicated the new song "Is There a Ghost?" to my daughters at their Atlanta show in October, and we're going to spend New Year's weekend with them as they play three straight nights at a small club in Atlanta. Check them out.

[Hache Man]

Yao-mazing
I'm not sure how he did it, but Peyton Manning threw six interceptions last night as my Colts lost their second straight game. The picks got me to thinking, and here are some NBA numbers that you might find interesting.

Gilbert Arenas has hit just five 3-pointers this season (5-of-36 in six games).

The Bulls, Wizards, Heat and Warriors are a collective 3-20.

Gerald Wallace has blocked just two shots thus far.

Tayshaun Prince hasn't scored more than eight points in his last four games since blowing up to start the season.

Yao Ming is 42-of-47 from the line, meaning he's missed just five on the year for 89%.

I'm chatting at 2 p.m. EST time today. I've been struggling to keep up with emails so this is a good way to get in touch with me. Here's the link.

Sunday's Action

The Wizards finally got a win by beating the Hawks in Atlanta. Arenas was 5-of-15 for 18 points in the win, while Brendan Haywood finally returned to form with a double-double after a couple poor outings. I still think Haywood is going to have a nice year. And while he's not producing yet, Andray Blatche's minutes have been creeping upward. Monitor him. The Hawks got a huge line out of Marvin Williams, who really looks like he's coming into his own. Zaza Pachulia returned from his leg problems, but it remains to be seen how many minutes he's going to get with Al Horford playing so well. Acie Law continues to struggle as the starting point guard in Atlanta, but I'm not sure they have any other options at this point, outside of Tyronn Lue. Speaking of Lue, he's got a new, closely-shaved haircut. Joe Johnson was just 2-of-11 from downtown yesterday and while much is being made about Arenas' struggles from downtown, Joe Cool has hit just 10-of-39 threes on the season.

The Hornets beat the Sixers on Sunday despite Tyson Chandler's six-point effort. Chandler has blocked just two shots in his last four games and hasn't swatted any in his last two. On the other side of things, Samuel Dalembert is starting to look like a huge steal. He hasn't missed a single game and is averaging 10 points, nine boards and three blocks in six contests. We may not be out of the woods yet on his foot injury cropping up again, but so far, so good. He went much later in drafts than he would have had he been fully healthy on draft night.

The Rockets improved to 6-1 with a win over Charlotte on Sunday as Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady went off. Yao has been amazing so far and hit 13-of-15 shots and all eight free throws last night on his way to 34 points, eight boards, four dimes and three more blocks. Bonzi Wells struggled last night on 1-of-6 shooting, but still contributed a decent fantasy line with six boards, three assists, a steal and a block. I'm going to play him this week with four games and the good news is he's gotten more than 25 minutes in four of his last five games. Jason Richardson played a little better last night, upping his shooting percentage to 36%. It's amazing that it's even that high after his 2-of-10 and 2-of-15 performances recently. Gerald Wallace is starting to concern me slightly with just two blocks on the year. Who would have guessed he'd have more threes (3) than blocks (2) this far into the season? Matt Carroll has hit double figures in scoring in four straight games to go along with five treys. Hmmm.

Miami finally got its first win of the season over the Knicks yesterday, thanks in part to a key late turnover by Stephon Marbury. Jason Williams remains a solid fantasy play after his 17-point, six-dime performance, while Udonis Haslem went off for 16 points and 16 boards. That's four double-doubles in six games. He's scored in double figures in all six, but had nine rebounds in the other two. He should finally be the double-double guy Pat Riley requested him to be in the offseason. Penny Hardaway started again and had just five points. However, he also added five boards, six assists and four steals. It's hard to believe, but Penny has some deep-league value – At least until Dwyane Wade returns. And unfortunately, I don't know when that will be. David Lee started in place of Zach Randolph (grandmother's funeral) and had 14 points and 14 boards. If only he could land a full-time starting gig…

The Bucks are 2-4 after getting worked over by the Spurs (6-1) last night. I don't like the Bucks from a fantasy perspective right now, as Mo Williams and Michael Redd are the only reliable players, but even Redd was shut down last night (2-of-5, 14 points) by the strong defense of Bruce Bowen. Andrew Bogut is shaky right now, racking up five or less rebounds in three of his last four games. I'm not even sure how that's possible. The Spurs got a ho-hum 16 points, 10 boards and four blocks from Tim Duncan while Manu Ginobili threw in 31 for good measure.

The Sonics are still winless after dropping a close one to the Pistons last night. Earl Watson got the Luke Ridnour treatment from P.J. Carlesimo last night, spending the entire game on the bench. Ridnour (sans face mask) got 30 minutes and had four points and seven assists, and Kurt Thomas made his season debut with 10 points and seven boards on a perfect shooting night. I doubt Thomas is going to have much value here, but keep your eye on him. Chauncey Billups hit just 2-of-6 shots for nine points and six assists, but did have four steals. Rip Hamilton was big with 32 points and three treys, while also chipping in with four boards, five assists and four steals. Antonio McDyess threw in 15 points and 15 boards, while the struggles of Tayshaun Prince (eight points) continued.

Watson was at least diplomatic about the benching. "It's a unique situation, that's the best way to put it," Watson said. "I'm all about this team and what they expect in the game. I'm not going to let my role become a monster within itself." I'm not sure I'd cut him just yet, but get him out of your lineup. Carlesimo said after the game that Watson is now No. 3 on the depth chart, with Delonte West playing the backup role for the time being. Daring owners in a pinch could start Ridnour this week.

With Rip's four games this week, I have a tough decision to make in one of my leagues. We only start six players in NBA TV host Rick Kamla's League Freak and I have to eliminate one of these four-game players to get Hamilton in the mix this week: Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard, John Salmons, Hedo Turkoglu, Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy. I'm leaning toward playing Hamilton over Salmons, but am not sure yet.

The Cavaliers beat the Clippers last night behind 22 points from LeBron James. The scoring was a little disappointing, but he made up for it with five boards, eight assists, six steals and a block. Drew Gooden's strong play continued with 18 points and 17 boards, while Larry Hughes made a return to the lineup from a three-game absence with a knee injury and had 12 points, one assist and one steal. I think he needs to be benched until he gets it going. Sasha Pavlovic left the game with back spasms. He's been getting minutes, but is still very rusty. Bench him until further notice if you own him. Sam Cassell led the Clips with 28 points and five assists, but has been up and down like a yo-yo so far. Corey Maggette had a nice fantasy line with 25 points, 11 boards, four assists, three steals, a block and a three on 7-of-17 shooting. He also canned 10-of-11 freebies on the night. Chris Kaman's dream season continued with 21 points, eight boards and three blocks. He's carrying one of my teams right now with his gaudy averages of almost 19 points, 13.5 boards and 1.8 blocks per game. Wow.

There are just three games tonight, with the Hornets at New Jersey, Kings at the Jazz and Cavaliers at Denver. Keep your eye on Kings' guard Beno Udrih, who got 26 minutes on Saturday and could have an excellent chance at starting at point guard for the Kings until Mike Bibby returns. Good luck this week!

[Hache Man]

Gasol out of gas?
Monday night featured a classic battle of point guards as the Hornets held on to beat the Nets thanks to some stellar play by Chris Paul. Paul finished with 27 points, seven assists, six boards, three steals and three treys, while Nets' counterpart Jason Kidd had his standard line of 14-9-10 in the loss. Nenad Krstic looked unstoppable in the first half and finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. I get a lot of questions about Curly and he's a tough call right now. He'll have nights like this, but is still probably a couple months from being reliable and consistent.

My man Antoine Wright hit just 4-of-14 shots last night, scoring 12 points, but he did get a career-high 41 minutes in the loss. I really don't know how long Vince Carter is going to be out, but Wright will get a ton of run during the stretch. Several of his misses were from close range and I'm guessing the pressure of filling Carter's shoes negatively impacted him. Expect him to bounce back in the next one, if Carter is still out.

The Cavs got crushed by the Nuggets (again) as Carmelo Anthony outplayed LeBron James. Melo had 22 points, nine boards, six assists and three steals, while LeBron scored 27, but had just one rebound and four dimes. Oh, and he was just 8-of-14 from the line again and now sits at 62.8% on the season. How annoying. Coach Mike Brown cleared his bench late in the third quarter giving extra minutes to guys like Ira Newble, Dwayne Jones and Damon Jones, while Larry Hughes got himself ejected for arguing. Hughes is not making any fantasy friends right now, while those other guys should only be considered in the deepest of leagues. Sasha Pavlovic was out again with back spasms.

Allen Iverson went off for 37 points on 14-of-20 shooting and added in eight assists and two steals, while J.R. Smith exploded for 29 points, four boards and four assists while hitting 7-of-8 threes on the night. I suspect we'll get somewhere around five or six games like this one out of Smith this year and I doubt he'd even be playing if the Nuggets were at full strength. We've seen these types of lines from Smith in the past, but he always ends up back in a doghouse at the end of the day. Maybe this is the time he finally grows up and provides consistency for the Nuggets, but I'm not fully buying in. At least not yet. But if he's still sitting out there, he's worth a shot.

Carlos Boozer did it again, going for 32 and 10 on 13-of-18 shooting, while Andrei Kirilenko continues to do his best impersonation of the player formerly known as AK-47 with 15 points, eight boards, eight assists and three blocks. Matt Harpring returned from a knee injury to score 10 for the Jazz, but shouldn't have fantasy value. The Jazz beat the Kings, who were without Brad Miller (quad), but Miller is hoping to play on Wednesday. John Salmons scored 22 points and hit three treys for the Kings, while Beno Udrih had 11 points and two assists, and Francisco Garcia had 19 points and five rebounds.

Ron Artest is done serving his suspension and will return on Wednesday. This is going to impact most of the aforementioned players, but I still think Salmons is going to have value. He's playing too well to lose too many minutes, but we'll have to wait and see what happens. If you can trade him you probably should, but if not, I think he'll be all right. Udrih could be starting at point guard for the Kings any day now, so keep a close watch on that.

The Warriors have played just five games thus far, so Stephen Jackson, who is also serving a seven-game ban, will have to wait until Sunday to return.

News and Notes

Mickael Pietrus has left the Warriors for personal reason and could miss all of this week and next. Brandan Wright has been getting more work in practice and should creep into Nellie's rotation, although who knows if he'll still feel the same way tomorrow. If you're in a super-deep league (14-20 teams), grab him if you have someone to cut. Baron Davis has missed practice for three straight days with swelling in his knee. The team is playing it off as if it's nothing, but anytime Baron Davis has swelling in his knee, owners cringe. Let's just hope he plays through it and it goes away.

Cuttino Mobley is hoping to return to action on Friday from a hip injury. If he was dropped in your league it's time to grab him.

Vince Carter's ankle sprain was a Grade 1 and while the reports you're hearing are "out indefinitely," it's really a best-case scenario for his owners. He could play this week and was still listed as doubtful last night, instead of "out." Consider him more like day-to-day, but I really have no idea when he's going to return.

Dwyane Wade appears to be very close to trying to play, but my forecast on him is still on the pessimistic side of things. He says he's moving closer to being ready "to take the chance" on getting back out there, which is pretty frightening in my opinion. He should have had surgery last February and we wouldn't be having these discussions, but returned in time for the Heat to get swept in Round 1 of the playoffs. Look for his minutes and abilities to be limited for at least the first week after he returns and pray that he doesn't aggravate something by rushing back too soon. There's no doubt the Heat need Wade, but this is not the ideal scenario for someone coming back from two major surgeries. Wade could make an appearance tonight against Charlotte or Wednesday against Seattle, but I wouldn't play him until he has a couple games under his belt.

Zaza Pachulia is fully healthy and set to return to full-time action for the Hawks, but Mike Woodson still hasn't decided how he's going to use the big man. He could dip into Al Horford's production and even replace him in the starting lineup, but we'll have to wait and see what happens tomorrow when the Hawks host the Bobcats. Whatever you do, don't cut Horford unless he wasn't producing enough for you in the first place.

James Posey (back) and Brian Scalabrine (concussion) should return for the Celtics tonight at Indiana, not that it matters to your fantasy team. Then again, I'm starting Brian Cardinal in a 30-team league, so maybe Posey is on your roster.

Scott Skiles says he's about ready to shake up the Bulls' rotation but no one seems to have any idea what he'll do. Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Ben Wallace and Kirk Hinrich have all been pretty awful thus far, but I'm guessing the changes will be somewhat on the subtle side of things. I'm just hopeful that Tyrus Thomas doesn't get demoted. We should find out Thursday when the Bulls play at Phoenix.

Devin Harris (thigh/personal reasons) should be back in the lineup for the Mavs tonight, while it's possible that Erick Dampier (shoulder) could play as well. Dampier is not in shape yet after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, but should be picked up if you need a center. And DeSagana Diop owners have to prepare for a slide in production from the shot blocker with Dampier back. Eddie Jones (questionable - leg) is still hurting and out of shape, so he should not be in many lineups right now.

Pau Gasol met with coach Marc Iavaroni to figure out how to get himself more involved with the offense. PG also says his back is not fully healed, although he refuses to use it as an excuse. Pau is one of the more frustrating players to own, but I wouldn't trade him right now unless you don't mind getting ripped off.

Randy Foye is running in a pool and I'm guessing he's about 10-14 days away from returning for the Timberwolves. He should get a starting job with that team upon his return and now is the time to move on him if he's available. Don't expect too much too soon from him, but look for him to start clicking around Christmas.

Stephon Marbury may not be a Knick for much longer and could be facing a demotion or even be bought out by the team. Click on the link in his news blurb for the entire story. Anthony Carter (hand) is due back for the Nuggets next week and the Sixers' Willie Green is questionable tonight with a hip injury.

[Hache Man]

Schedule Breakdown
Here is a column that was featured in the Draft Guide to offer pre-draft strategy for owners. It should come in handy when analyzing trades and roster moves if your league uses weekly lineup deadlines. Enjoy.

Analyzing the NBA schedule is actually fun for me, as I like gathering as many 4-game weeks as I can when I set my lineups each week. In playoff leagues, looking at the schedule for each player from weeks 21-24 is also quite useful, as you can put together a team on draft day that could help you dominate in the playoffs with the right planning. Make sure you figure out your league's exact playoff periods before just assuming the ones I used will fit your situation. I planned on commentary for each team, but the column is already too long, so just the pertinent facts about each team's schedule are included.

I will breakdown each team's first-half schedule, second-half schedule, playoff schedule and overall number of 2-game weeks (as well as 1-game weeks, if applicable). I'll then give each team a grade for its 1st half, second half and entire schedule, as well as the playoff schedule. The 1st half and 2nd half Grades may not add up to the team's entire schedule grade, because that's based largely on total number of 4-game weeks. Use the first-half/second-half data when considering trades during the season. Trading for an Atlanta Hawk in January makes sense, as their early schedule is awful, while you will want to think about unloading a Magic player after Week 11. Also, be sure to check to see exactly when your playoff period is, as well as when your season ends.

It's also important to keep the number of games played in mind early in the year when your team is struggling. If you own Hawks, Celtics, Clippers, Spurs, Kings or Wizards, you're team may not be performing at the level you expected. But there's a good chance that it's directly related to their lack of games in the first half of the season.

There's only one 5-game week this year and it belongs to the Bucks. It comes in Week 13, so it will have no playoff implications. Dallas also managed to get a 3-game week for the All-Star Break, so owners of Mavs will have a distinct advantage that week, as other teams play just once or twice.

And if you're thinking of drafting Elton Brand (who's out indefinitely), the Clippers' schedule features 4-game weeks in nine of the final 11 full weeks of the season, including weeks 21, 22 and 23. If Brand comes back around the All-Star Break, his schedule will rock for the rest of the season, including the playoffs, along with guys like Corey Maggette and Chris Kaman.

I generally ignored the All-Star Break Week and Week 25, except under the "2-game week" category if they play just one game that week.

I didn't award an 'F' for any team's entire schedule because the teams that only have nine 4-game weeks don't have any 2-game weeks, either.

This year's schedule doesn't look like it includes as many glaring differences as some in the past, but when you consider Kobe Bryant has four more 4-game weeks on his schedule than Gilbert Arenas, Kevin Martin, Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups, it's intriguing. Of course, Kobe also has his share of 2-game weeks, while those other guys never play twice during a regular week.

Full Season and Fantasy Playoffs Schedule Breakdown

13 4-Game Weeks

1. Lakers

Weeks 1-12 = five 4-game weeks, three 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24= eight 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 4-4-3-4
2-Game Weeks = Week 2, 10 and 12 – 1-game week 25

Grades

1st Half – C+
2nd Half – A-
Entire Season – A
Playoffs - B

12 4-Game Weeks

2. Clippers

Weeks 1-12 = three 4-game weeks, three 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 = nine 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 4-4-4-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 1, 9 and 11

Grades

1st Half – D-
2nd Half – A+
Entire Season – B+
Playoffs – B+

3. Knicks

Weeks 1-12 = six 4-game weeks, two 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 = six 4-game week, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 3-4-4-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 1 and 9. 1-game week for All-Star Break

Grades

1st Half - B
2nd Half – C+
Entire Season - B+
Playoffs - C

4. Sonics

Weeks 1-12 = five 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = 7 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 3-4-3-4
2-Game Weeks = Week 6. 1-game week at All-Star Break and Week 25

Grades

1st Half – C+
2nd Half – B-
Entire Season – B+
Playoffs - C

11 4-Game Weeks

5. Hawks

Weeks 1-12 = three 4-game weeks, two 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 = seven 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 3-4-4-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 1 and 9

Grades

1st Half – D
2nd Half – B+
Entire Season - C
Playoffs – C

6. Celtics

Weeks 1-12 = three 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = eight 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Playoffs = 4-4-3-4
2-Game Weeks = Week 1 and 14

Grades

1st Half – D+
2nd Half – B+
Entire Season - C
Playoffs – B

7. Bobcats

Weeks 1-12 = six 4-game weeks, two 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 = five 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 3-4-4-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 1 and 5

Grades

1st Half – B
2nd Half – D+
Entire Season - C
Playoffs – C

8. Bulls

Weeks 1-12 = four 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = seven 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Playoffs = 4-4-3-4
2-Game Weeks = Week 5 and 20

Grades

1st Half – C-
2nd Half - B
Entire Season - C
Playoffs - B

9. Nuggets

Weeks 1-12 = four 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = seven 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 4-3-4-4
2-Game Weeks = Week 11, 1-game week for Week 25

Grades

1st Half – C-
2nd Half – B-
Entire Season - C
Playoffs – A

10. Warriors

Weeks 1-12 = seven 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = four 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Playoffs = 4-4-4-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 2 and 15

Grades

1st Half – A
2nd Half – F
Entire Season – C
Playoffs – B+

11. Rockets

Weeks 1-12 = six 4-game weeks, two 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 = five 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 4-3-4-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 9 and 12

Grades

1st Half – B
2nd Half - D
Entire Season - C
Playoffs - C

12. Pacers

Weeks 1-12 = seven 4-game weeks, two 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 = four 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 4-3-4-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 6 and 12

Grades

1st Half – B-
2nd Half - F
Entire Season - C
Playoffs - C

13. Magic

Weeks 1-12 = seven 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = four 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Playoffs = 4-2-3-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 6, Week 22

Grades

1st Half – A
2nd Half - F
Entire Season - C
Playoffs – F

14. Suns

Weeks 1-12 = six 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = five 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Playoffs = 3-4-4-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 10 and 14

Grades

1st Half – B
2nd Half - D
Entire Season - C
Playoffs - C

15. Blazers

Weeks 1-12 = five 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = six 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Playoffs = 3-4-3-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 11 and 14

Grades

1st Half – C+
2nd Half - C
Entire Season - C
Playoffs - D

16. Raptors

Weeks 1-12 = six 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24= five 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Playoffs = 4-3-4-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 9 and 13

Grades

1st Half – B
2nd Half - D
Entire Season - C
Playoffs - C

10 4-Game Weeks

17. Cavaliers

Weeks 1-12 = four 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = six 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 4-3-3-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 12

Grades

1st Half – C-
2nd Half - C
Entire Season - D
Playoffs – D-

18. Mavericks

Weeks 1-12 = four 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = six 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 3-3-4-4
2-Game Weeks = Week 12. 1-game week for Week 25.
*Special Notice - 3-game week at All-Star Break (all other teams play 1-2 games).

Grades

1st Half – C-
2nd Half – C
Entire Season - D
Playoffs - C

19. Grizzlies

Weeks 1-12 = five 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = five 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 4-4-4-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 1

Grades

1st Half – C+
2nd Half - D
Entire Season - D
Playoffs – B+

20. Heat

Weeks 1-12 = four 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 = six 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Playoffs = 4-4-4-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 17

Grades

1st Half – C
2nd Half - C
Entire Season – D+
Playoffs – B+

21. Timberwolves

Weeks 1-12 = four 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = six 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 4-3-4-4
2-Game Weeks = 1

Grades

1st Half – C
2nd Half - C
Entire Season - D
Playoffs - A


22. Bucks

Weeks 1-12 = five 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = five 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Playoffs = 2-4-4-4
2-Game Weeks = Week 3 and 21
*Special Notice – 5-game week for Week 13

Grades

1st Half –C+
2nd Half - D
Entire Season - D
Playoffs – A-

23. Hornets

Weeks 1-12 = four 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = six 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 3-4-4-4
2-Game Weeks = Week 12

Grades

1st Half – C-
2nd Half - C
Entire Season – D+
Playoffs – A+

24. Sixers

Weeks 1-12 = five 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 = five 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Playoffs = 3-4-3-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 14

Grades

1st Half – B-
2nd Half - D
Entire Season - D
Playoffs – D

25. Spurs

Weeks 1-12 = three 4-game weeks, one 2-game week
Weeks 13-24 = seven 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 4-4-3-3
2-Game Weeks = Week 6

Grades

1st Half – D
2nd Half – B+
Entire Season - D
Playoffs – C-

26. Jazz

Weeks 1-12 = five 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 =five 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 3-3-3-3
2-Game Weeks = None. 1-game week for Week All-Star Break

Grades

1st Half – C+
2nd Half - D
Entire Season – C (no 2-game weeks)
Playoffs – D-

9 4-Game Weeks

27. Pistons

Weeks 1-12 = five 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 = four 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 3-4-3-4
2-Game Weeks = None

Grades

1st Half – B-
2nd Half - F
Entire Season – D (no 2-game weeks)
Playoffs – C

28. Nets

Weeks 1-12 = four 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 = five 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 4-4-3-3
2-Game Weeks = None

Grades

1st Half – C+
2nd Half – D
Entire Season – D (no 2-game weeks)
Playoffs - C

29. Kings

Weeks 1-12 = three 4-games weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 = six 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 3-4-4-3
2-Game Weeks = None

Grades

1st Half – C-
2nd Half - C
Entire Season - D (no 2-game weeks)
Playoffs - C

Wizards

Weeks 1-12 = two 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Weeks 13-24 = seven 4-game weeks, zero 2-game weeks
Playoffs = 4-4-4-3
2-Game Weeks = None

Grades

1st Half – F+
2nd Half – B-
Entire Season – D (no 2-game weeks)
Playoffs – B+

[Hache Man]

Starbury: Burning out his fuse
Little did I know when posting Tuesday's Dose that the little blurb at the end about the Knicks possibly cutting Stephon Marbury's role would blow up into the biggest story of the day, month and possibly year. It really didn't look like things could get worse after the Larry Brown era with the Knicks, but Marbury's latest chatter about having dirt on Isiah has pushed things to a new level. In case you were without television or internet yesterday, here's a short recap of the last 24 hours.

Isiah and owner James Dolan meet and decide that Marbury should come off the bench due to a lack of leadership and defense.

Isiah hints to Marbury on the flight to Phoenix that he wants him to come off the bench, and then again Wednesday morning, letting him know Mardy Collins would be starting and sending Marbury into a frenzy.

Marbury bolts from practice, heads to the airport and lands in NYC around 4 p.m.

Isiah says he is hopeful that Marbury will return to the team in time for last night's game, doesn't act as if Marbury had permission to leave and says it will be handled "in house."

Marbury tells the New York Post that he had Isiah's full blessing to leave and that he would never leave his team without permission. He adds in the fact that he has no intention of showing up in L.A. for tonight's game, either.

Mardy Collins starts last night and mildly sprains his foot five minutes in, while Nate Robinson plays well off the bench and Marbury watches the game on the other end of the country.

Marbury is quoted in today's Post threatening to unleash dirt on Isiah if he's not returned to the starting lineup. "Isiah has to start me. I've got so much (stuff) on Isiah and he knows it. He thinks he can (get) me. But I'll (get) him first. You have no idea what I know."

So the fantasy impacts are wide reaching, and I'm not going to spend much more time on this since Robinson and Collins were already picked up in nearly every league yesterday. We still have to figure out if Marbury will return to the Knicks. It's possible that he could have a change of heart after he cools down, although his quote about having dirt on Isiah probably signals the end of his time with the Knicks. His teammates are also reportedly over the drama and would probably support a buy out. He's bound to play somewhere else again this season, and until we find out when and where, you should just stash him on your bench for now.

Robinson and Collins should be owned in most leagues, while guys like Jamal Crawford, Fred Jones, Quentin Richardson and even Jared Jeffries should see a boost in value. Jones started in place of injured Richardson last night and had 19 points and nine boards, and will probably continue to start as long as Richardson is sidelined with a hyperextended elbow. In addition to Collins suffering a mildly sprained foot, Renaldo Balkman left with a sprained ankle and Zach Randolph was a no-show as he continues to grieve the loss of his grandmother.

The circus arrives in Los Angeles today to face the Clippers, with the status of Marbury, Collins, Balkman, Randolph and Richardson all unknown at this point. We should have updates throughout the day.

Lastly, when thinking of a cheesy Starbury-related title for this column, I was reminded of William Shatner's historic interpretation of Elton John's Rocket Man back in the day. "Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone." If you somehow haven't seen the video, check out the link.

News and Notes

Matt Barnes will start for the Warriors on Wednesday since Mickael Pietrus has left the team for personal reasons. As usual, it's nearly impossible to get a feel for who is going to be in the Warriors' rotation from week to week, so I'm not that excited about Barnes' prospects going forward. But I bet he has a big line tonight.

Shawne Williams of the Pacers is going to be given a bigger role and could end up having some value soon. Put him on your watch list and grab him if he plays well and you have some bait to cut at the end of your bench.

Mike James is playing fairly well for the Rockets and both he and Bonzi Wells look like better options than Rafer Alston right now. Bonzi was invisible on Tuesday night, but I look for him to bounce back strong against the Spurs on Friday, although that's a lot to ask for. I'm still reluctant to cut Rafer, but it may be getting to that point.

Ricky Davis has been a disappointment thus far, bottoming out last night with six points on 2-of-12 shooting. Pat Riley has no intention of benching him or Jason Williams, and Buckets is still trying to learn the "offense" in Miami. However, part of the problem could be that there is no "offense" in Miami. The Heat were blitzed by the Bobcats last night in what has to be one of Shaquille O'Neal's most embarrassing games of his career. Gerald Wallace was strong for Charlotte with 19 points, seven boards, a steal and block on 8-of-11 shooting, and his block was a monster job on Shaq.

The Sonics and Bucks are a mess right now and it's becoming very difficult to figure out when it's safe to play any of them. Even Mr. Reliable, Chris Wilcox was limited to four points and four boards in last night's blowout against the Magic. Damien Wilkins is losing minutes to Jeff Green, who is a very popular pickup right now, while Kevin Durant's shooting has bottomed out to the tune of 21-of-71 in his last four games. Now is a good time to buy low on Durant, as frustrated owners would likely take a sixer of Pabst for him at this point.

The point guard situation remains a mess after Luke Ridnour got hurt last night, but Delonte West may be the guy you want to own here.

The Celtics are 6-0 after rolling the Pacers behind Paul Pierce's best game of the season, while Danny Granger hit five treys for 24 points to lead the Pacers.

Tracy McGrady owners lucked out as his baby girl was born just before yesterday's game. A couple hours later and you might have missed out on last night's 41-point performance in a loss to the Grizzlies.
Pau Gasol and Darko Milicic looked like twin towers last night in the win, and it feels like Pau is about to get it going. If Darko's available in your league, it's time to move on him.

Tim Duncan hit just 2-of-13 shots, but the Spurs still beat the Lakers behind strong play of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Matt Bonner hit three treys for 15 points and should be watched closely in deep leagues.

Andre Iguodala filled up the stat sheet last night but shot it poorly and committed seven TOs, while Dirk Nowitzki flirted with a triple-double, finally looking like a first-round pick. He added two steals, three blocks and a three in a win over the Sixers.

Dwyane Wade didn't play for the Heat last night, but there remains an outside chance that he could try to go tonight at home against the hapless Sonics. The Heat shouldn't need Wade to beat the Sonics, but the reality is that the teams appear to be evenly matched. Must see TV? Vince Carter is not likely for Wednesday night with his ankle sprain, so I'm hoping that Antoine Wright has a big night. Andres Nocioni is probably moving into the starting five for the Bulls, so give him a look, while Jarrett Jack continues to play well off the Blazers' bench. Jack looks like a nice pickup right now as well.

[Hache Man]

Mr. Big Shot Needs an MRI

The Pistons managed to overcome a 22-point deficit Wednesday night to hand the Warriors their sixth straight loss to open the season.

Not bad for a team missing two starters – Chauncey Billups (right hip, left knee) and Antonio McDyess (left shoulder)

This speaks volumes about the depth of the Central Division-leading Pistons, that, despite missing a pair of their top players, they could stage such a massive comeback in the second game of back-to-back road contests in the midst of an ever difficult western swing.

Starting in place of Mr. Big Shot and McDyess were Flip Murray and Jason Maxiell, respectively. Depending on the severity of Billups' and McDyess' health woes, each of these subs looks like an attractive short-term pickup. Murray scored 15 points, but more impressively, dropped a career-high 12 dimes last night; Maxiell, especially strong in the first half, finished with 14 points, 14 boards and three blocks.

Billups, who twisted his knee and bruised his hip on Tuesday, says the Golden St. doctors told him they think it's just a tweaked ligament, but he's going to have an MRI today in Los Angeles just to ensure nothing is torn. His status for Friday is currently unknown. McDyess' woe is not considered a long-term problem either, but we all know his extensive injury history. It's been several years since he was a full-time starter, and I have my doubts about his ability to handle that grind over the course of a full season, so Maxiell is definitely someone I want to pay close attention to.

As for the struggling Warriors, who somehow let a 10-point lead with 8:50 to go turn into a Piston lead by the 5:04 mark, they could not adapt in the second half when Detroit switched to a zone defense. Billups summed it up best, when the told The Detroit News, "They play too crazy, man."

Of course, I have no doubt that having Rasheed Wallace step up with 13 of his 22 points and five of his nine boards in the fourth quarter helped make Coach Don Nelson just a little bit crazier.

While Billups' owners hold their breath today in anticipation of finding out that this injury is not more serious than expected, let's review the rest of the hoops happening from Wednesday night…

• I can't seem to escape a Dose without mentioning LeBron James, but damn, did you see what he did last night? You've got to go back to 1968 to find the last time a player recorded at least this many points (39), rebounds (13) and assists (14) in one game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. That man? Wilt Chamberlain. King James now has two triple doubles on the season, and he added two blocks and two treys, to cap an impressive shooting night (15-of-27). Could LeBron challenge Wilt the Stilt? Well, he likely won't ever match Wilt's claim of having 20,000 women, but you've got to be pretty blown away by what we're seeing from James this season. After a slow start, he's now averaging 28 PPG and he's currently headed for career highs in rebounds (7.5) and assists (7.9). He's also showing nice improvement from beyond the arc. Unfortunately, despite James' heroics, the Cavs are under .500 after dropping an OT contest to the resurgent Magic. Dwight Howard turned in his own massive line, going off for a season-high tying 35 points, 16 boards, four blocks and two assists to lead Orlando. Best sign of the night for Dwight? He nailed 13-of-16 from the line. Since his rookie season, he's really slipped in that department, but Howard has been much improved from the charity stripe this year, and that's a big key if he's going to take it to the next level.
• It's hard to get too excited about rookie Mike Conley, Jr. considering his sporadic PT and the three-headed PG situation in Memphis. But Coach Marc Iavaroni experimented with playing Conley alongside Kyle Lowry in the fourth quarter Wednesday, a move he said will be a "game-to-game" situation. Obviously, it's going to be hard to justify owning Conley if he doesn't have a clear-cut role, but in looking at what he's done when he's played (10 points and nine assists in 23 minutes on Saturday and six points with six assists last night), I'd recommend keeping a close eye on injury-prone Damon Stoudamire's PT and performance over the next little while. Memphis will likely be quick to jump on any excuse to up Conley's PT.
• It's going to be fun to track and decipher all these Kobe Bryant trade rumors this year. The latest one, reported by ESPN, suggested that Detroit had offered Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Amir Johnson and a first round pick, but Kobe killed it by exercising his veto power. Are you kidding me? The Pistons would give up that much for Bryant? Obviously, someone was a little overzealous here, as a Piston official said yesterday that this deal was never put on the table. Still, it's fascinating to imagine Kobe playing with a point guard as talented as Billups.

Injury Report

Well, at least it's not his back this time. T-Mac underwent an MRI on his right elbow, and the news was good, as it's only a strain. He's currently listed as day-to-day as he deals with inflammation around the elbow, but owners can rest easy that this is not a major worry. Still, let's hope the fact that the injury is to his shooting arm doesn't affect his game too much. McGrady has been absolutely lights out to begin the season, draining almost 47 percent of his shots from the floor, a career best.

Tip-ins: Joe Johnson had a major break-out game, scoring 34 points on 11-for-18 shooting, with 10 assists, five rebounds, a steal and a pair of treys. His steals, assists and boards are all up this year, but Johnson's scoring has been somewhat restricted thanks to some poor shooting, especially from downtown. He's jacking it up like never before from beyond the arc (six attempts per game), but his accuracy (28.6 percent) has never been worse…Zach Randolph will miss Friday's action because of his grandmother's funeral. David Lee will start in his place again…Starbury came off the bench last night, but he didn't exactly do much to improve his standing with the team, or his trade value, sinking just 4-of-12 shots and managing only four assists and a steal. We have no doubt that more drama is still to come…You better move fast on Rashad McCants after his 33-point explosion on Wednesday, which included four three-pointers. Obviously his ankle is just fine, thank you. He's still available in about two-fifths of the leagues out there, but not for long. He looks to have cemented his role as the starting two-guard in Minny…It doesn't look like Ron Artest is rusty at all after completing his seven-game suspension, returning last night for 17 points, six assists, three rebounds, three steals, a block and a trio of treys. John Salmons headed back to the bench for the Kings (and he was not at all please by this turn of events), but it looks like he'll remain the sixth man, so don't cut him just yet, especially with Mike Bibby still out…Speaking of returning stars, Dwyane Wade made his season debut Wednesday, scoring 15 points in 24 minutes on 5-of-9 shooting, with five assists, three steals, a rebound and a block. Of course, even with Flash back, Miami still couldn't stop the Sonics from winning their first game of the season…Speaking of Seattle, its three-headed PG beast is down to two for the next two-to-four weeks, the expected length of time Luke Ridnour will be sidelined after an MRI showed he has a torn left quad. In the meantime, both Earl Watson and Delonte West have some value and West, in particular, stepped up last night with 16 points, six assists and four rebounds. He could still emerge as the big winner here once Seattle finally makes a decision on its main man…So much for buying low on Gilbert Arenas. Agent Zero went off for 30 points with 11 assists, six rebounds, a block, a steal and three 3-pointers last night…I've been ordered to give some love to Josh Smith and Rudy Gay, but we've got bad news for Smoov owners, as he missed the second half yesterday with a quad injury. He's currently listed as day-to-day, but we'll know more later today. Gay, on the other hand, continues to rock and roll, pouring in another 26 points last night. Breakout city, baby…Smith wasn't the only Hawk to go down Wednesday; Acie Law sprained his ankle and, until he receives treatment today, we won't know how bad it is…Despite getting 27 points apiece from Gerald Wallace and Jason Richardson, the 'Cats fell back to .500 after losing to Atlanta. This was one of the more intriguing matchups of the night, because these are two young and talented teams each expected to show big improvements this season. It's early, but they are both in playoff positions currently, while Chicago and Miami sit in the conference cellar. Parallel universe

[Hache Man]

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
The NBA season is a revolving door of players getting hurt, coming back from injuries, moving up and down in depth charts, and feeling hot and cold. This week, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Luke Ridnour find themselves stuck on the sidelines with injuries, while Ron Artest, Dwyane Wade and Erick Dampier are back in action. Meanwhile, players like Bonzi Wells, Fred Jones, Andres Nocioni and Beno Udrih are all a sudden playing very prominent roles for their respected teams. The Week Ahead will take a look around the entire league to help you prepare for Week 4 of the fantasy hoops season.

Game Totals in Week 4:
Four games: CHA, CLE, DAL, DEN, GS, IND, LAL, MEM, NJ, NO, ORL, SA, TOR, WAS
Three games: ATL, BOS, CHI, DET, HOU, LAC, MIA, MIN, MIL, NY, PHI, PHO, POR, SAC, SEA, UTA
Two games: none

Interesting Matchups:
Wednesday, Nov. 21st - Orlando @ San Antonio: Wednesday's contest features two of the top teams in the NBA this season. Orlando has jumped out to a 7-2 start, while the defending champion Spurs are 7-1 with a four-game win streak. Thanks to strong play from Dwight Howard (21.9 PPG, 14.6 RPG), Rashard Lewis (20.7 PPG, 29 3-pointers) and Hedo Turkoglu (18.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG), they started out 5-0 on the road.

Friday, Nov. 23rd - L.A. Lakers @ Boston: This contest features one of the best all-time rivalries in the history of the league. From the days with Chamberlain vs Russell to Magic vs Bird, we welcome a new era between the two franchises, as Kobe Bryant goes against the undefeated combination of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Boston is 7-0 out of the gate – with four 20-point victories.

Friday, Nov. 23rd - Houston @ Miami: Friday's tilt in Miami features two classic confrontations, as Yao Ming goes toe-to-toe with Shaq and Dwyane Wade battles Tracy McGrady (elbow). The Heat have stumbled to a 1-7 start, but Flash returned to action Wednesday night. It won't be long before Miami is back in the playoff picture.

Saturday, Nov. 24th - Toronto @ Cleveland: LeBron James and the Cavaliers host fellow 2003 draft selection Chris Bosh and the Raptors. Bosh has gotten out of the gates slowly this season, averaging 16.1 PPG and 6.8 RPG through eight contests – it won't be long before he's averaging over 20/10 again though. Meanwhile, James is averaging 28.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG and 7.9 APG.

Keep An Eye On:
(statistics exclusively from Nov. 7 – Nov. 14)
Jason Williams, MIA 13.8 PPG, 5.6 APG, 2.4 SPG
Darko Milicic, MEM 12.2 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.8 BPG
Danny Granger, IND 15.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG
Ronnie Brewer, UTA 13.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG
Rajon Rondo, BOS 9.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.0 SPG

Al Horford, ATL 11.5 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG
Keith Bogans, ORL 11.2 PPG, 5.0 APG, 14 3-pointers
Josh Childress, ATL 14.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG
Bonzi Wells, HOU 11.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.8 SPG
Jeff Green, SEA 12.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG

Team-by-Team Injuries/Schedule:
Atlanta Hawks SA, @mia, @min
Josh Smith (ankle) – day-to-day
Acie Law (ankle) – day-to-day
Speedy Claxton (knee) – out indefinitely

Boston Celtics GS, LAL, @cha
Eddie House (ankle) – day-to-day
The Celtics have been dismantling their opponents early on and look like the league's new elite force. Along with the 9-0 New England Patriots and world champion Red Sox, it's been a while since Massachusetts has even seen a loss from one of their teams.

Charlotte Bobcats POR, WAS, @orl, BOS
Adam Morrison (knee) – out for the season
Sean May (knee) – out for the season

Chicago Bulls @den, @ny, @tor
There's talk that Andres Nocioni will be joining the Bulls starting-five sometime soon – and it will likely be at the expense of Tyrus Thomas or Ben Gordon. Noce dropped 20 points in 29 minutes last game and is starting to break out of his early season funk. He's a quality No. 2 forward when he's on and is capable of getting around 17 PPG and 7 RPG when given starter's minutes. If he's somehow still available in your league, grab him while you still can.

Cleveland Cavaliers MIL, @min, TOR, @ind
Donyell Marshall (wrist) – out indefinitely
Eric Snow (knee surgery) – return mid-November.
Anderson Varejao remains unsigned
Donyell missed his seventh straight game Wednesday and there remains no timetable for his return. He underwent an MRI on Tuesday and there's some speculation that the UConn product will require surgery down the line ... Anderson Varejao and the Cavs remain unable to agree to a new contract.

Dallas Mavericks TOR, @hou, @ind, @mil
Devean George (foot) – day-to-day
Eddie Jones (leg) – day-to-day
Erick Dampier returned from a shoulder injury this week – he posted seven points and seven boards on Wednesday and will go back to his role of splitting time at center with DeSagana Diop at center.
dallasmavericks.com
Denver Nuggets CHI, @lac, MIN, @hou
Chucky Atkins (groin) – return early January
Anthony Carter (hand) – return early December
Mike Wilks (hamstring) – day-to-day
Nene (thumb) – return early January

Detroit Pistons NY, PHI, UTA
Rodney Stuckey (hand) – return early December
Antonio McDyess (shoulder) – day-to-day
Chauncey Billups (knee) – day-to-day
The Pistons were without their floor general Billups for Wednesday's game after he twisted his knee on Tuesday. The medical staff feels he just tweaked something in his knee and didn't actually tear and ligaments but he'll undergo an MRI on Thursday. Ronald Murray got the start at the point in his absence and racked up 15 points, 12 assists and six rebounds vs the 0-6 Warriors. If Billups is going to miss extended time, Flip is a nice start … There's talk McDyess could miss multiple games as well with his recent shoulder injury. He can barely lift his arm over his head, so expect the veteran to be sidelined for a few games possibly. Jason Maxiell had 14 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in the bigger role Wednesday and should have some decent value for the time being.

Golden St. Warriors @ny, @bos, @was, @phi
Stephen Jackson (suspension) – going to return Sunday, Nov. 18
Troy Hudson (hip) – out indefinitely
Austin Croshere (back) – return mid-November
Mickael Pietrus (personal) – out indefinitely

Houston Rockets DAL, @mia, @den
Tracy McGrady (elbow) – day-to-day
Steve Francis (quadriceps) – day-to-day
An MRI on TMac revealed the superstar has a strained elbow and could miss a few games. He's got a lot of inflammation in the arm so don't be surprised if he misses the rest of Week 3. Bonzi Wells should be a great short-term option in the interim though. He racked up 21 points and 10 rebounds on Wednesday. It sure looks like Bonzi will have some value this season. In 2005, under current head coach Rick Adelman in Sacramento, Bonzi averaged 13.6 PPG and a career-best 7.7 RPG. Get him in your active lineup for Week 4. www.houstonrockets.ws

Indiana Pacers LAL, @no, DAL, CLE
Troy Murphy (Achilles') – day-to-day
Ike Diogu (calf) – return in mid-December
indianapacers.com
L.A. Clippers DEN, @pho, NO
Shaun Livingston (knee surgery) – out for the season
Elton Brand (Achilles') – might return in February

L.A. Lakers DEN, @pho, NO

Memphis Grizzlies SEA, TOR, @sa, WAS

Miami Heat ATL, HOU, @orl
Dwyane Wade (shoulder) – day-to-day

Milwaukee Bucks @cle, LAL, DAL

Minnesota Timberwolves CLE, @den, ATL
Randy Foye (knee) – out indefinitely
Craig Smith (ankle) – day-to-day
Rashad McCants blew up for 33 points and four 3-pointers Wednesday. He's quietly averaging 18.6 PPG for a young Wolves franchise – 2nd to Al Jefferson's 20.2 PPG.

NOK Hornets ORL, IND, @uta, @lac

New Jersey Nets @uta, @por, @sea, @lal
Vince Carter (ankle) – out indefinitely
Marcus Williams (foot) – return in December
There has been some talk that Carter could miss as long as three weeks with the injury. Antoine Wright will continue to start at shooting guard in his place. He's been fairly quiet in the two starts, scoring just 8.0 PPG but he is getting over 40 minutes per contest. He's looked brilliant at times this season so consider him a nice No. 3 guard/forward for New Jersey's four-game week.

New York Knicks GS, @det, CHI
Renaldo Balkman (ankle) – day-to-day
Mardy Collins (foot) – day-to-day
Jared Jeffries returned from his knee injury this week and is playing a limited role off the bench. Meanwhile, Zach Randolph is expected to miss Friday's contest against the Pacers while he attends his grandmother's funeral. David Lee will probably get another start at power forward … It looks like Stephon Marbury and coach Isiah Thomas have kissed and made up. He came off the bench Wednesday but still got 33 minutes. That's the way it appears, at least. Don't expect Starbury to be in New York much longer after his recent comments in the New York Daily News. He said, "Isiah has to start me. I've got so much (stuff) on Isiah and he knows it. He thinks he can (get) me. But I'll (get) him first. You have no idea what I know." With that mozza-ball hanging over their head, how can they possibly co-exist together in New York of all places…

Orlando Magic @no, @sa, CHA, MIA
J.J. Redick (back) – out indefinitely
Tony Battie (shoulder) – out for the season

Philadelphia 76ers @was, @det, GS
Herbert Hill (knee surgery) – out indefinitely
Kyle Korver was limited to just five minutes because of a groin strain on Wednesday and there's talk that he could miss some action. Willie Green and Rodney Carney would likely see increased minutes if he does sit.

Phoenix Suns @sac, SAC, LAC
Raja Bell (ankle) – day-to-day

Portland Trailblazers @cha, NJ, SAC
Greg Oden (knee surgery) – out for the season
Darius Miles (knee surgery) – return date uncertain
Josh McRoberts (ankle) – day-to-day

Sacramento Kings PHO, @pho, @por
Mike Bibby (thumb) – targeting late January return
Kenny Thomas (shin splints) – day-to-day
Shareef Abdur-Rahim (knee) – day-to-day
With Ron Artest now back in action, John Salmons has seen his value fall almost overnight. After averaging 20+ PPG in the first seven games without Artest, Salmons found himself on the bench Wednesday and wasn't pleased about it. He played just 27 minutes and had four points and four assists, and had a little tantrum in the locker room after the room because of his demotion … Meanwhile, Sacramento is experimenting with using recently signed Beno Udrih as their starting point guard. He started and had 17 points, five assists and three steals Wednesday vs Minnesota and should be considered in most leagues now. With two up-tempo games vs Phoenix, expect a nice stat line from the former Spur this week.
sacramentokings.com
San Antonio Spurs @atl, ORL, MEM, @sea
Robert Horry (personal) – day-to-day
Jacque Vaughn (calf) – day-to-day

Seattle Sonics @mem, NJ, SA
Kurt Thomas (hamstring) – day-to-day
Luke Ridnour (quadriceps) – returned mid-December
Robert Swift (knee) – day-to-day
Ridnour is expected to be out 2-4 weeks after an MRI revealed he as a torn left quadriceps. Tough break for Ridnour – he had just reclaimed his starting gig after being severely limited in the first two weeks because of his inability to adapt to a face mask to protect a broken nose. Earl Watson and Delonte West will man the point guard in his absence … Thomas was looking very good in his first couple games of the season, but had to depart Wednesday's contest when his hamstring tightened up on him.

Toronto Raptors @dal, @mem, @cle, CHI
Jamario Moon has been inserted into the starting lineup recently and is starting to make a name for himself in the fantasy world. He had 15 points Wednesday night and has surpassed Jason Kapono in the starting lineup at small forward. Keep an eye on this situation. Kapono is getting paid $5.4 million this season while Moon is only earning $427,163 so the Raps will definitely turn to Kapono to get their full value.

Utah Jazz NJ, NO, @det

Washington Wizards PHI, @cha, GS, @mem
Etan Thomas (heart) – likely out for the season

[Hache Man]

The end for Isiah?
The Suns beat the Bulls, the Mavericks handed it to the Spurs and Isiah Thomas still has a job – For now.

The Mavs got big games from Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitzki and Devin Harris to easily be the Spurs last night. Dirk's shooting and numbers in general are down, but he's averaging 5-plus assists on the year. He's obviously passing out of double-teams and crushing his previous best of 3.4 assists per game. Mo Ager got a start last night, but scored just two points. For the Spurs, Tony Parker was just 1-of-11 from the floor for seven points and eight assists, while Manu Ginobili scored 25 and Tim Duncan chipped in 24 points in the loss. Duncan had just five boards to go along with five turnovers and no blocks, as his slow start continues. He suffered a knee injury last night, but it sounds like it is minor and that he's playing tonight.

The Bulls lost another one last night to the Suns after a lineup change. Andres Nocioni had 18 points and seven boards with the start, while Tyrus Thomas struggled with five points and five boards in 22 minutes. If you watched the game, you saw that the Bulls looked most effective when Thomas was in the lineup and Ben Wallace was on the bench, so don't think this fact was lost on Skiles. I'm not giving up on Thomas, but will probably bench him with three games next week. I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with Kirk Hinrich but I can't. He doesn't look like Kirk Hinrich as he's making terrible decisions, can't shoot and can't pass. It's hard to imagine him being benched for Chris Duhon, but at some point he's either going to have to start playing or start sitting. And if an impatient owner in your league drops him, get him now. Luol Deng had a big game (23 points on 10-of-18 shooting) and Ben Gordon looked a little better. The 1-6 Bulls are one of just a few teams off on Friday and will visit the Clippers and Lakers on Saturday and Sunday.

Grant Hill was big for the Suns with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting and should be owned in most leagues by now. Leandro Barbosa stayed hot despite coming off the bench in the return of Raja Bell, so it appears that it just took LB a little while to get it going this season. Amare Stoudemire had six blocks last night, but scored just 14 points while dealing with foul trouble. Bell is back and might have been dropped in your league. If so, he's worth a pickup.

News and Notes

Cavs

Larry Hughes will miss at least a month with a leg injury and it's time to dump him. Sasha Pavlovic is the logical choice for serious value, but keep your eye on Devin Brown, who has been getting plenty of run. Damon Jones may see a boost as well, but Pavlovic and Brown are the guys to target. Obviously Daniel Gibson will continue to stay hot, but he should not be available in any league.

Hawks

Acie Law is out tonight with his ankle injury and Josh Smith is doubtful with his quad injury. I picked up Tyronn Lue when Law went down and Lue will start tonight. That said, Lue is only a must-have player if Law is going to be out for an extended period of time. For now he's day-to-day, so Lue is only worth a pickup if you have a scrub at the end of your bench. But we still haven't gotten the official diagnosis out of the ATL. If Smith can't go, Al Horford should be right back in the starting lineup tonight as the Hawks face the Sonics.

Heat

Dwyane Wade is reporting no problems with his knee or shoulder after Wednesday's debut, but the real test will come on Sunday morning after a back-to-back on Friday and Saturday. When he moves into the starting lineup he's expected to replace Dorell Wright, and owners of Ricky Davis have to be hoping that double-teams on Wade might get Buckets some better shot opportunities. Wade has also called Shaq out to be more aggressive and to get it going, so we'll see if Shaq starts looking more dominant in the near future. With a date in Boston, don't expect the Heat to get it turned around tonight, but you'd think Shaq could have his way with the likes of Kendrick Perkins, Brian Scalabrine and Scot Pollard. Speaking of the Celtics, it's time to start looking at matchups and making lineup decisions based on whether your guy is going against the Celtics that night or week. They're just shutting everyone down.

Jazz

Carlos Boozer and the Jazz visit Cleveland tonight, so this is the obligatory "he's gonna be hearing the booz" note. The Cavs' Drew Gooden is aware of the fact that Boozer is so missed, so look for him to try to make a statement in his own defense tonight. Gooden has been playing great and is having a career year, in case you missed it. And how about Andrei Kirilenko? S-T-E-A-L.

Kings

John Salmons threw a bit of a fit when he lost his starting job and walked out on Reggie Theus' post-game meeting on Wednesday. He was probably fined, but said yesterday he's ready to do whatever he needs to in order to help the team. If you can hold him, give him a week to adjust to the new role, or wait and see if Theus is going to start Artest at power forward, which would bring Salmons back into the starting five.

Knicks

Zach Randolph is out tonight at the Kings as he is back in Indy for his grandmother's funeral. And Isiah still has his job, as of now. Peter Vescey says he might be fired prior to the game, but the Knicks say that owner James Dolan in still in New York. I say fire Isiah and then make Eddy Curry player/coach. Actually, I'd like to see Herb Williams get the job he deserved three years ago.

Lakers

Ronny Turiaf has a sprained ankle and is questionable for Friday. If he's out, Luke Walton might get the start as Lamar Odom could be shifted over to power forward.

Nets

Bostjan Nachbar will start over Nenad Krstic against the Magic tonight, while my main man, Antoine Wright, will get a promising matchup against Keith Bogans. But the big news is that Sean Williams is playing out of his mind over the last two games and is one of the hottest pickups in fantasy hoops. He's now owned in all of my regular-sized leagues and I'd suggest you run out and pick him up if you need blocks and boards. It looks like the scouts were wrong about Williams, at least thus far. Nachbar should be a decent short-term player as long as Vince Carter is out and Krstic is going to be inconsistent for the first half of the season. Carter walked in a pool yesterday, but it still sounds like he's going to miss at least 10 days of action with the ankle. They signed point guard Eddie Gill today, which is kind of important because he's the only backup for Jason Kidd right now.

Pistons

Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess both got good news on their MRI's yesterday and are both questionable for tonight. "Day-to-day" sounds a lot better than "out indefinitely," and it sound like they'll both be fine. If you want to pick up Flip Murray or Jason Maxiell in the meantime, it's not a bad idea, especially in the case of Maxiell.

Rockets

Tracy McGrady is out tonight and is going to miss about a week (or so) with his elbow injury. Bonzi Wells should get the start and is a very hot pickup right now. I had already grabbed him most leagues so I'm not sure if he's going to be available in yours or not.

Sixers

Kyle Korver will miss 7-10 days with a groin injury, which might have come as a relief to his owners who had a tough decision to make on the struggling sharp-shooter. He's so one dimensional that he'll be dropped in many leagues, so if you need the threes, keep your eyes peeled. Willie Green will get a big boost from this news and Rodney Carney should see a bump in value as well.

Warriors

Mickael Pietrus could return tonight after traveling to France for the birth of his son, while Stephen Jackson will serve the last of his seven-game suspension tonight against the Clippers. They're still winless and all they have to show for it is 42 minutes per game on Baron Davis' bum knee. While Davis owners have to be enjoying his massive run lately, at the pace of 42 mpg he could be done by Christmas. And he's not the only one, as nearly all the main cogs are averaging career highs in minutes.

Wizards

Outside of Sean Williams, Andray Blatche is the hot big-man pickup in deep leagues right now. Eddie Jordan is going to play him more and he's been much better in his last two games with the increased minutes. Give him a look if you need a big.

[Hache Man]

Bargnani's stock hits new low
This week, LeBron had an historic triple-double, the Knicks managed to limbo under their own low expectations, and numerous players have cycled through the injury reports. Some of this week's suggestions are influenced by current trends and recent developments, while other suggestions are founded on little more than old fashioned logic. Roster decisions will be as tricky as ever in Week 4, so give plenty of consideration before setting your lineups; 16 teams play three games this week, and the other 14 teams play four games. Who says there isn't parity in the NBA?

THREE games: Hawks, Celtics, Bulls, Pistons, Rockets, Clippers, Heat, Timberwolves, Bucks, Knicks, 76ers, Suns, Trailblazers, Kings, Supersonics, Jazz

FOUR games : Bobcats, Cavaliers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Warriors, Pacers, Lakers, Grizzlies, Nets, Hornets, Magic, Spurs, Raptors, Magic

BENCH

Kevin Durant: Durant is making an early case for Rookie of the Year honors, and he has displayed admirable versatility, averaging 1.8 three-pointers and 1.3 steals with nearly a block per game. However, over the past five games, Durant shot an appalling 31% from the field, including only 6-of-25 shooting from downtown, while turning the ball over 16 times. The numbers are bad, but they are magnified by the volume of shots he is taking. If Robert Swift shoots 2-of-6, his 33% average is bad, but he only missed four shots. Durant, according to Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo, "is a volume shooter". Volume shooter is a nice way of saying that he can't yet distinguish between a good shot and a bad one, and that when he misses, he misses a ton. I am loathe recommending that you bench the future R.O.Y, but in a three-game week, even teammate Damien Wilkins should post better, or at least less damaging, statistics. Play him if you must, but Durant needs a few weeks to adjust to the length and physicality of the NBA; he is, after all, still a skinny 19 year-old kid.

Zaza Pachulia : Pachulia returned from the knee and ankle injuries which had sidelined him, and reclaimed his starting job as the Hawks' center in his second game back. It's going to take a while for Pachulia to feel comfortable on the court, and his minutes will continue to be limited as he works himself back into game-shape (he played 21 minutes in his first start of the season). Owners usually expect plenty of blocks and rebounds from a starting center, so Zaza is already a weak fantasy candidate, but what really ruins his value is the presence of rookie Al Horford. Horford is living up to the hype surrounding his third-overall selection in this year's draft, and has established himself as the defensive and rebounding presence that Pachulia never will be. With such a dynamic force waiting behind him, Pachulia's minutes are likely to be down from last year, pushing him from being a borderline fantasy player to a non-starter in all but the deepest leagues.

Grizzlies' point guards: If you are waiting for one of the Memphis Grizzlies' point guards to step up and command the lion's share of the production, you might be sorely disappointed. Veteran Damon Stoudamire is still the starter for the Grizzlies, and as long as he remains the starter he commands a minimum of 15-20 minutes per game. Meanwhile, rookie Mike Lowry and second-year player Kyle Lowry continue to flash their potential in reserve roles, occasionally playing alongside each other in a dynamic glimpse of the Grizzlies' future back-court. Coach Marc Iavaroni has said that he prefers a simple two-man rotation at point guard, but seems compelled to experiment with his phenomenal young talent. In most leagues, Lowry and Conley are stashed away on someone's bench in anticipation of a changing of the guard in Memphis, literally. Until that moment comes, however, they shouldn't be leaving your bench.

Stephon Marbury: Really, no explanation is necessary. It's possible that Marbury will blackmail his way right back into the starting lineup, depending how much dirt he's got on Isiah…I mean if he's got the real goods, we could be seeing a Stephon Marbury showcase season, unlimited minutes and nothing but praise from a warped Knicks' front-office with plenty to hide. Still, fantasy owners need to handle Marbury from a distance while this drama unfolds. Don't cut him, since a trade or buy-out could still occur and salvage his value if he lands with another team. But as long as he's with the Knicks, it's hard to see him providing value in the midst of such public turmoil.

Theo Ratliff: Ratliff is playing pretty well for the Timberwolves this season, and if he were playing four games he could be considered a starter. With a three-game slate, however, Ratliff is a risky play because the only certainty in his game is blocked shots, in which he ranks among the league leaders. In five games, Ratliff hasn't topped 14 points or seven rebounds, and his minutes have fluctuated from 36 minutes last Saturday to only 22 minutes on Wednesday. Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that at any point the young, expectations-free Timberwolves could run out different lineups in an attempt to capitalize on their speed and athleticism. Such a move would likely leave Ratliff out in the cold, and while it he still holds fantasy value for the moment, wait to see him produce on a more consistent basis before committing to him as a starter in a three-game week.

Andrea Bargnani: If you own Bargnani, his value plummeted so quickly that there was virtually no chance to trade him away. Not that you necessarily should have; while it is too soon to declare him a bust, Bargnani's value has bottomed-out since he was unexpectedly moved to the bench in favor of Rasho Nesterovic. Since the move, he has shot only 32% from the field, and hasn't played more than 23 minutes any of his last three games. The Raptors have an enticing four-game schedule this week, but wise owners will resist playing Bargnani until he has settled into (or been moved out of) his role off the bench. Update: Rasho Nesterovic sprained his ankle in the Raptors' game against the Jazz, and will be re-evaluated before Friday's game against the Pacers. If Nesterovic is going to miss extended time, Bargnani should be a solid starter once again, so keep a close eye on the Raptors' injury report.

START

DeSagana Diop: Fantasy owners hate it when successful waiver wire additions start to fade away, as often happens throughout the year. Owners of Francisco Garcia and John Salmons can attest to the fleeting value of opportunistic pickups, and the return of Erick Dampier, whom Avery Johnson has labeled, "the best pick-setter in the NBA" means that DeSagana Diop's owners will soon know the agony of decreased playing time. Without Dampier in the mix, Diop was playing 10 minutes over his career average, and responded with career-high averages in every single statistical category except assists. He still earns his playing time on the defensive end of the court, and could average two blocks per game if he remains a starter all year, but only Avery Johnson knows whether that will happen. Diop is a career 41% field goal shooter, but is shooting 55% from the field this season. He is a career 51% free-throw shooter, but is shooting 71% from the line. Dampier is still getting back into game shape, so Diop should have one or two more safe weeks in him, but play him now, before the law of averages takes over and he is rendered useless.

Antoine Wright: In the two games since Vince Carter went down with a sprained ankle, Wright has logged over 40 minutes per game as a starter. In those two games, however, he combined to score only 16 points on 5-of-17 shooting, leading many to dismiss his prior efficiency as an early-season fluke. This week, Wright has four games in which he can prove his critics wrong. Vince Carter could miss some or all of the games, which certainly increases Wright's value, but the best part is that Wright is playable whether he is starting or not; as a reserve, Wright is a versatile swingman on a Nets' team with a talent-poor bench. He'll probably remain a fantasy-starter candidate all season long, but with VC injured there is no debate; Wright should start for you in Week 4.

Sean Williams : The Newark Star-Ledger ran two articles about Nets' rookie Sean Williams in the past two days, the first titled, "Nets' Williams looks like new Rodman on block", and the second, "Williams may soon become a starter". Current starter Nenad Krstic is struggling to return to form following a long layoff after ACL surgery. Krstic didn't even play in the second half of New Jersey's loss at Boston last week, leaving many to speculate that Williams could be starting in the very near future. The 6'10" rookie is averaging 2.4 blocks, 4.6 rebounds and seven points on 65% shooting, despite playing only 16 minutes per game. There is nothing but upside with Williams, and coach Lawrence Frank seems ready to give him more minutes, so if you are under-manned at center, pick him up and start him during a favorable four-game Week 4.

Beno Udrih : Once Mike Bibby went down, it was inevitable that Udrih would eventually appear on this list. Who knew that it would be so soon? The tides have turned overnight in Sacramento, bringing in a wave of value for Ron Artest and Beno Udrih, while washing John Salmons and Francisco Garcia out to sea. Udrih is a starter by default (especially after the Kings assigned Orien @@@@@@ to waivers), but remains a gamble since the Kings only play three games next week. He will have growing pains as the starting point guard for his new team, but has seen increased minutes and productivity in his three games since returning from a finger injury. His emergence as a fantasy producer became official with Wednesday's outburst of 17 points (6-of-11 shooting with three 3's) four rebounds, five assists and three steals, after which there were plenty of Garcia-for-Udrih swaps made on the waiver wire. Point guard is a thin position, so if you are scrounging around for a starter, Beno Udrih is poised to please in Week 4.

Anthony Parker : Anthony Parker started the season slowly, and began appearing on waiver wires after the Raptors fifth game of the season, which marked Parker's third straight single-digit scoring effort. However, in the three games since then Parker has averaged 17 points on 57% shooting, four rebounds, two assists and three 3-pointers per game, numbers good enough for anyone's roster. The Raptors are a deep team, and everyone except Chris Bosh (and increasingly, T.J. Ford) will have inconsistent fantasy value, but with four games on tap it makes sense to ride Parker while he is hot.

Devin Harris: The Mavericks' starting back-court has been in disarray this season. Point guard Devin Harris has already missed time with a left thigh contusion and a death in his family. Starting shooting guard Eddie Jones continues to miss time with a lingering ankle injury, which has led coach Avery Johnson to plug Jose Juan Barea, Trenton Hassell, and Mo Ager into the starting lineup, with mixed results. Well, fortunately for the Mavericks, Harris is back. He is healthy and he has been the Mavs' unquestioned starter since preseason, so minutes will not be an issue. So far he is playing 30+ minutes per game, and has turned the extra burn into career-high averages for points (14), field goal percentage (51%), rebounds (3.6), assists (4.8), and steals (1.6). Many owners rely on their point guards for 3-point production, but Harris provides enough consistency and versatility that fantasy owners shouldn't notice the lack of 3's. The Mavericks play four games this week, and Harris needs to be in your starting lineup.

That ends this week's Bench/Start suggestions, follow my advice and I guarantee that you will win your league this year. Well, it's not exactly a guarantee, more of a fond optimism. But still, it should help. If you have a question, comment, or treatise which contextualizes the history of existentialism in America, send them my way and I'll do my best to respond quickly.

[Hache Man]

Fire up the General Lee
Last week's Waiver Wired wasn't my best effort as several guys mentioned didn't blossom, while some may be even less appealing now than they were then. I'll try to do a better job this week, although there aren't many centers to talk about right now.

Last Week's Recommendations

Guards – Mike Conley/Kyle Lowry, Francisco Garcia, Marko Jaric, Jarrett Jack
Forwards – Bonzi Wells, Antoine Wright, Ronny Turiaf, Jamario Moon
Centers – Troy Murphy, Zaza Pachulia, Chris Mihm, Jamaal Magloire

The Garcia and Magloire calls are particularly frustrating because a couple of players on their teams emerged with some serious fantasy value, but I had the wrong guys. They're on the list this week, and hopefully are still available in your league.

Guards

Beno Udrih and John Salmons - Kings

I really should have had Udrih on the list instead of Garcia last week, but Beno had yet to crack the starting lineup and I just missed it. Udrih has been getting a ton of minutes and has played fairly well over the last week. He really looks like he'll keep the starting job until Mike Bibby returns, so take a hard look at him if you need a point guard. He's scored in digits in each of his last three games while averaging four assists and more than a steal per game. If he holds the job, I expect those numbers to improve.

Recommendation - Udrih: Should be owned in all leagues

As for Salmons, he was dropped in many leagues with the return of Ron Artest and he folded up shop in his first game back. He then threw a tantrum, disrespected his coach and drew a $5,000 fine. Once the drama was behind him, Salmons said he was ready to help his team again and he posted a nice line in Friday's double-overtime win over the Knicks with 16 points, seven boards, four assists and a block in 39 minutes. He won't put up the same numbers as he did prior to the return of Artest, but should still offer some value in deep leagues, especially given the fact that he produces in nearly all categories.

Recommendation - Salmons: Should be owned in deep leagues (14-plus teams) and considered in all

Earl Watson - Sonics

Watson appeared to be the odd man out in Seattle after being demoted to third string, but Luke Ridnour suffered a leg injury that will keep him out a month. I am not a huge Watson fan and he has yet to dazzle anyone this season with his fantasy numbers, but if you need assists, he's a solid source of them as the current starting point guard. Add in the fact that he should start scoring and hitting threes, and he could end up being a steal. Delonte West also deserves a look and could end up winning the starting job if Watson struggles.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues

Juan Carlos Navarro - Grizzlies

Juan Carlos Navarro's name popped up early last week when coach Marc Iavaroni suggested he was about to get more playing time. I didn't really give him much thought at the time, but he's played 30-plus minutes in two straight games and has hit 10 threes since then. He buried eight of them against the Hornets on Friday and then hit two more against Dallas on Saturday. He also had four assists in each of those games, hinting that he'll offer more than just threes. He's getting some extra minutes with Darko Milicic out with a thumb injury, as Mike Miller has been moved over to small forward, and even started in his last game. There are no guarantees on Navarro, but for the time being, he sure looks like a must-own guy right now.

Recommendation: Should be considered in all leagues

Sasha Pavlovic - Cavaliers

Pavlovic has made this list before but has looked rusty after his holdout. However, with the news that Larry Hughes is going to miss a month, Pavlovic is now in the starting lineup for the Cavs. He his 6-of-9 shots for 12 points in his last game and he was good for nine points, a steal and a three last year. Once he gets back into game shape, the numbers should continue to rise.

Recommendation: Should be owned in deep leagues (14-plus teams) and considered in all

J.R. Smith - Nuggets

I may never fully buy into Smith this season, as I simply don't trust him. But if you need threes, he's usually an excellent source of them. He's scored in double digits in four of his last five games and buried 13 threes over that stretch, which included seven against the Wizards last Monday. His value could take a hit when Anthony Carter and Chucky Atkins return from their injuries, and isn't the most reliable player around. But if you need threes, he's the man.

Recommendation: Should be owned in most leagues if you need threes

Randy Foye (and Corey Brewer) - Timberwolves

Marko Jaric is starting at point guard for the Wolves right now, but Randy Foye should be getting close to a return from a knee injury. Once that happens, look for Foye to land in the starting lineup and be scooped up off every waiver wire in existence. He's still available in a lot of leagues and if you could use another point guard, now is the time to move on him. He averaged 10 points and three assists last year while playing shooting guard, and should be able to manage around 14 points and six assists once he's fully healthy. He's probably still about 10 days from a return to action, so don't go get him if you need someone to help you out right now.

Recommendation: Should be owned in deep leagues and considered in all

As for Brewer, he got a start in his last game but failed to score on 0-of-5 shooting. You have to think he's going to get some run as the season wears on, so just keep your eye on him.

Morris Peterson - Hornets

I caught some heat from a reader for being high on Mo Pete this preseason after he got off to a terrible start this season. However, he's been big in two of his last three games and could be ready to become a fantasy factor. Therefore, instead of being a guy you should cut, he's now a guy to at least keep a close eye on. Inconsistency could be his middle name going forward, but you have to think he can still play at this level. In the two good games he's played this season, he averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, a steal and 4.5 threes. The Hornets play four games this week and it's possible Peterson could bomb in all four. However, he's starting to get it together and it's important to note he's still starting.

Recommendation: Should be considered in all leagues

Louis Williams - Sixers

Williams is going to compete with Rodney Carney for minutes and production while Kyle Korver sits out the next 10 or so days with a groin injury. Williams appears to be the guy to own here, especially after his great line against Portland on Friday. He scored 19 points and added four boards, three assists, three steals and two threes on 8-of-13 shooting. If you're looking for a Korver replacement or a shooting guard with upside, Williams looks like he could be a nice short-term option while Korver is out.

Recommendation: Should be considered in deep leagues

Other guards to consider: Devin Brown, Flip Murray, Monta Ellis, Mike James, Cuttino Mobley, Nate Robinson, Raja Bell and Willie Green

Forwards

David Lee - Knicks

Word out of New York is that Isiah Thomas is finally, and I mean FINALLY, ready to put David Lee in the starting lineup. It's not official and it hasn't happened yet, but if it does Lee should become a double-double phenom. I'm guessing we'll be hearing a lot of "why wasn't he starting last year?" questions if Isiah makes the move, and he should be considered the hottest pickup in the league right now. Of course, if Isiah was just teasing us and leaves him on the bench behind Quentin Richardson, Lee will still remain a decent role player in deep leagues. If you have to cut QRich to get him, so be it.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues

Andres Nocioni - Bulls

Nocioni was put into the starting lineup by Scott Skiles last week and should be owned in all leagues. He is a multi-cat player who can dominate the glass and hit threes and has been one of the few bright spots for the Bulls this season. His value is further helped by a back injury to Luol Deng, who will miss at least the next week. Speaking of Deng's injury, if you cut Tyrus Thomas last week, he could be in for some more run this week with Deng out. He'll remain very inconsistent as long as his minutes continue to fluctuate, but if Thomas plays well this week, he might be able to win back his starting job for good.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues

Sean Williams - Nets

Unfortunately, I didn't start pimping Williams on Rotoworld until just after last week's column was posted. And while I tried to pick him up in my leagues, I waited a couple hours too long to pick him up and missed out on him, which I probably deserved. But I know many of you picked him up after his six points, eight boards and four blocks last Monday. And if you didn't get him after that game, you surely moved on him after Wednesday's 14-7-4, right? If he's still available in your league, he shouldn't be. He started for the Nets in his last game and blew up for 22-8-2 and is a must-have player if available.

Recommendation: Should be owned in all leagues

Other forwards to consider: Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson, Kelenna Azubuike, Tim Thomas, Antoine Walker, Craig Smith, Bobby Simmons, Charlie Villanueva, Boki Nachbar, Damien Wilkins, Kevin Durant and Jamario Moon.

Centers

Andray Blatche - Wizards

Blatche's minutes are on the rise, but he's likely still flying under the radar in your league. He's not startable in most leagues at this time, but the production is creeping up. If you need blocks he should be a solid source of them, and news that Caron Butler will play some two guard so the Wizards can go big with Blatche and Darius Songaila in the lineup is huge. He's gotten 20-plus minutes in five straight and has collected 12 blocks over that stretch. He also has five steals over his last three games and if you missed out on Sean Williams, Blatche is not a bad alternative.

Recommendation: Should be considered for blocks in all leagues

[Hache Man]

Baron's racking up minutes
I'm hosting a live chat today at 2 p.m. EST. Short and direct questions have the best shot at being answered. See you there.

Injury Report

Here's a quick rundown of injuries in the fantasy world. A quick recommendation is included at the end, but if you own a guy like Antonio McDyess and want to start him, do some more research.

Acie Law – Ankle – Status unknown – Bench him
Josh Smith – Quad – Started last game – Play him
Luol Deng – Back – Day-to-day – Long shot to play, bench him
Larry Hughes – Leg – Out indefinitely – Bench/cut
Eddie Jones – Ankle – Out indefinitely – Bench/cut
Nene – Thumb – Out indefinitely – Bench/cut
Kenyon Martin – Back – Day-to-day – Start at your own risk
Antonio McDyess – Shoulder – Day-to-day – Start at your own risk
Chauncey Billups – Ankle/Knee – Started last game – Play him
Rodney Stuckey – Hand – Day-to-day – Bench/cut
Baron Davis – Knee – Started last game – Play him
Matt Barnes – Personal – Out indefinitely – Bench him
Tracy McGrady – Elbow – Day-to-day – Long shot to play, bench him
Jermaine O'Neal - Knee - Started last game - Play him
Marquis Daniels – Knee – Day-to-day – Bench/cut
Al Thornton – Ankle – Day-to-day – Bench/cut
Corey Maggette – Hamstring – Day-to-day – Start at your own risk
Randy Foye – Knee – Out indefinitely – Bench him/pick him up
Darko Milicic – Thumb – Out indefinitely – Bench him
Chris Paul - Ankle - Doubtful for Monday - Start at your own risk
Dwyane Wade – Knee – Started last game – Play him
Vince Carter – Ankle – Out indefinitely – Long to play, bench him
Nenad Krstic – Knee – Played in last game – Bench him if you have other options
Leandro Barbosa – Lip – Played in last game – Play him
Raja Bell – Ankle – Day-to-day – Start at your own risk
Kyle Korver – Groin – Out indefinitely – Bench him
Kwame Brown – Knee – Out indefinitely – Bench/cut
Ruben Patterson – Finger – Played in last game – Start at your own risk
Luke Ridnour – Quad - Out indefinitely – Bench him
Robert Swift – Knee – Day-to-day – Bench/cut
Rasho Nesterovic – Ankle – Out indefinitely – Bench/cut
Jorge Garbajosa – Leg – Day-to-day – Bench/cut
Andrei Kirilenko – Thigh – Questionable – Should play, risk involved
Gilbert Arenas – Knee – Missed last game – Should play, risk involved

There are conflicting reports on Luol Deng, as it's been reported he'll miss a week with his back injury. Scott Skiles has not ruled him out for Tuesday's game, but Deng has. While it's possible that Deng could make an appearance this week, I'd recommend getting him out of your lineup.

Andrei Kirilenko's thigh injury is not a myth, as I saw it happen. That said, there is no information about his status on the internet, outside of what you get at Rotoworld.com. I'm guessing that no news is good news and that he didn't return to Saturday's game because the Pacers were coasting. The Jazz play tonight and I'm assuming that AK-47 will be in uniform. But I won't be shocked if he's not.

If you own Gilbert Arenas in a weekly league you almost have to play him with four games. But who knows whether he'll play tonight and when he'll have his knee drained again. The Wizards don't play until Tuesday so we likely won't have any more information until then.
dallasmavericks.com
Paul could miss two games this week with his ankle injury, so he' s a very risky play with four games. Jannero Pargo and Bobby Jackson could be decent plays in deep leagues.
indianapacers.com
New and Notes

The Celtics finally lost a game to fall to 8-1, as Dwight Howard and the Magic stopped KG and company. This was a fun game to watch and was very physical. None of the superstars involved had an incredible fantasy game; mainly because they were too busy beating each other up. Howard was flustered by hard Scot Pollard fouls all night, which probably caused some of his troubles at the foul line. Rajon Rondo, who I'm guessing was let go by a ton of impatient owners, is playing much better lately. He somehow hit 8-of-9 shots last night for 18 points, five boards, three dimes and a steal after nearly going for a trip-dub in his previous game. Make sure he's not sitting on the wire.

Stephen Jackson returned from suspension for the Warriors and had 17 points and a three against the Raptors. Get him into your lineup. Matt Barnes is going to stay home to take care of an ill family member this week, so bench him. Jamario Moon was solid again yesterday, finishing with nine points, seven boards, a steal and three more blocks. Moon, along with guys like Sean Williams, Juan Carlos Navarro and Andray Blatche, is a very intriguing pickup right now. We had an Andrea Bargnani sighting yesterday when he scored 12 points. Jorge Garbajosa, on the other hand, crawled back into his hole.

Chauncey Billups returned from his nagging injuries in time to see the Pistons lose to the Kings last night, while Antonio McDyess missed another game with his shoulder injury. Billups had 14 points and nine assists and should be good to go. Guess who led the Kings in scoring? Yep, Beno Udrih. He had 23 points, four boards and six assists on 9-of-13 shooting. He was probably added and dropped multiple times over the past week, but I'm hoping he landed on your team when the dust settled. Mikki Moore had 10 points, nine boards, a steal and a block last night and could be on the verge of having value. He's starting at PF and will hold the job if he continues to show improvement. If not, Ron Artest could slide over to PF opening the door for John Salmons to get back into the starting five. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking. Speaking of Salmons, he was useless last night. It still feels like he'll have some good games off the bench, but I can't really tell you to start him right now in most leagues.

The Bulls got thumped by the Lakers after another bad performance by most of the central figures, like Kirk Hinrich's eight points on 3-of-11 shooting. Talk about a buy-low guy…Make some indecent proposals to the Hinrich owner, as you know he can't be this bad all year. Can he? Adrian Griffin, and not Tyrus Thomas, got the start in place of injured Deng last night. I still am having trouble coming to grips with the fact it's time to cut Thomas, so I just keep holding on. Ben Wallace was "better" with five points, eight boards and a steal, but still didn't block a shot. If you're trying to decide between a guy like Brendan Haywood and Big Ben, play Haywood. It's a no-brainer.

For the Lakers, Kwame Brown went down with what could be a serious knee and ankle injury. If Andrew Bynum is available in your league, go get him (again). Ronny Turiaf and Chris Mihm are also in line for more minutes. Kobe Bryant's line was quite mediocre and he's scored 19 or less point in three of his last four games. I get the sense the full breakout is coming soon, but who knows. The Lakers are 6-3, so maybe he's going to keep doing what he's been doing. Even though he's doing it quietly, he's still averaging 26 ppg. Mike Yam recommended picking up Jordan Farmar on NBA TV last night and I think it's a good call. He's averaging close to 10 points, three assists, a steal and a three per game and has turned it on lately. He could end up replacing Derek Fisher in the starting five at some point, but will plenty of run off the bench if he doesn't. Give him a look, especially in deep leagues. He's scored in double figures in three of his last four games, getting 21-plus minutes in them.

If you drafted Pau Gasol, Tim Duncan, Gilbert Arenas, Chris Bosh or Shawn Marion, your team is likely off to a slow start. Conversely, if your first four picks were LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Baron Davis and Andrei Kirilenko, your team is probably unstoppable right now. Bosh, Gasol and Duncan will get it going, but it's been a brutal start thus far for the most part. Duncan's numbers have been adequate, but Pau has been a serious disappointment and Bosh isn't really getting it done. Pau has topped 20 points just three times and only has three blocks in his last eight games. Maybe he gets it going tonight against the Sonics. Gasol's back is a problem, but target him for trade. His value shouldn't be lower than it is right now. Same goes for Bosh, although the knee and foot are a concern.

As for Baron Davis, it seems like he does this every year. Gets off to an amazing start and then the injuries kick in. He's playing a ton of minutes and is probably leading your team to wins, but you have to think about selling high on him while his value is at its peak. It's tough to move someone playing so well, but now is the time you for you to make that decision. You have to either tell yourself you're going to throw caution to the wind and ride him until he breaks, or move your hottest player. Good luck with that one.

[Hache Man]

TMac's Back!
It's an injury fest in the NBA right now and I've got a fresh list of guys who missed practiced on Monday, while there's a shorter list of guys who actually were able to workout with their teammates. I'll touch on the fantasy news from last night's four-game schedule and then hit the injury news and notes from around the league.

Monday Night

The Blazers looked awful on Monday night as they wrapped up a disastrous road trip with a loss to the now 6-2 Bobcats. LaMarcus Aldridge has been getting some ghost foul calls against him and last night was no exception. He was in foul trouble early and never had a shot at getting into a rhythm. Martell Webster had four blocks, a couple of which were of the monster variety. He averages less than one per game, so this was a fluke, but an impressive fluke. Gerald Wallace had 27 points, six steals and a block to help Charlotte get off to its best start ever, while Raymond Felton and Emeka Okafor had double-doubles, and Jason Richardson scored 24 points on the night.

The Sonics were a mess against the Grizzlies after P.J. Carlesimo and Marc Iavaroni played "lineup tag." Everyone, including P.J., thought Juan Carlos Navarro was starting, but Iavaroni switched it up at the last minute to go with Stromile Swift instead. Carlesimo started rookie Jeff Green for matchup reasons, but the move backfired. The lowlights for Seattle included 2-of-8 shooting and five turnovers for Kevin Durant, who is now averaging 3.6 TOs per game to go along with 37% shooting and 28% from downtown. His name is worth more than his game right now, especially in non-keeper leagues. Green was solid with 11 points and 14 boards, but it remains to be seen if he gets another start.

The Grizzlies offered several surprises, such as seven blocks from Pau Gasol (finally), 24 points from Stromile Swift, 16 points from Hakim Warrick, 16 points, seven assists and three treys from Damon Stoudamire and a solid all-around game from Mike Miller, who looks more like his old self. Stoudamire benefited from the absence of Mike Conley, who was out with a strained shoulder, while Gasol, Swift and Warrick didn't have to compete with Darko Milicic in the middle. It's hard to blame Pau's early struggles on Darko, and the Sonics can help anyone get back on track, but the strong night by Pau may have been in direct relation to Darko being gone. And if you're thinking about grabbing Stro, just know I picked him up in a couple deep leagues, meaning he's bound to be useless until I drop him again. I'll let you know when I do. As for Darko, they're calling him day-to-day and his injury doesn't sound as serious as the original diagnosis, but it's unknown when he'll return. Keep an eye on Warrick, but don't get too excited just yet, unless Darko is ruled out for an extended period.

Jameer Nelson (16-5-5) came on late and Dwight Howard had 24-15-2 as the Magic beat the Hornets last night. The story of the night was the fact Tyson Chandler went down with a serious looking knee injury. After the game, despite being on crutches, Chandler said he was fine and would be ready for his next game. I'd be surprised if that's the case, but the great news is it's just a hyperextension and not ligament damage. At least, that's the early diagnosis. Jannero Pargo had 18 points and seven assists in Chris Paul's absence and while Paul supposedly could have played if this were a playoff game, it is a little disturbing to hear that he is at just "50 percent." Hopefully he's not out for much longer, but I don't like the sound of that.

Jason Kidd was awful on Monday, hitting just 1-of-9 shots and committing six TOs as the Nets lost another game, this time at Utah. After a 4-1 start, the Nets have now dropped six straight as Kidd's frustration level continues to mount. Kidd was averaging a triple-double in his last five games coming in (all losses), but had just two points, two rebounds and eight assists last night. He has 23 TOs in his last four games and has stopped talking to the press for the most part. Kidd is battling some demons right now, but at least he's still putting up the fantasy goods. Or, at least he was until the Nets were blitzed by the Jazz last night.

Sean Williams had 10 points, four rebounds, a steal and three blocks, and while that's not all-world, it's not bad. Antoine Wright's struggles continued last night, along with the entire team, and I'm jumping off the bandwagon. Especially in weekly leagues, where the Nets play just three games per week in six of the next seven weeks. Deron Williams got it going again for the Jazz, hitting 8-of-11 shots and a couple threes for 20 points, four boards, six assists and two steals. Paul Millsap had nine points and 10 rebounds, but don't get too excited. This was a blowout.

News and Notes

Houston's Tracy McGrady (elbow) practiced on Monday and is now fully expected to play on Wednesday. Suns' swingman Raja Bell (ankle) also went through all of Monday's practice, but could come off the bench behind Leandro Barbosa at Sacramento tonight. Antonio McDyess is also expected to return from his shoulder injury on Wednesday for the Pistons.

The bad news is that the following players all missed part or all of Monday's practice (that we know of): Amare Stoudemire (knee), Jermaine O'Neal (knee), Gilbert Arenas (knee), Samuel Dalembert (knee) and Carlos Boozer (personal). Stoudemire, JO, Arenas and Dalembert all say they're playing tonight, while Boozer is just visiting his son in Miami and should return in time for his next game (Friday).

If you own Amare, JO or Agent Zero, you've probably already learned to live with some fear that they're going to miss time this season, so you just have to run them out there every night and hope for the best or sell them on the cheap.

I'm guessing Shaq wouldn't have practiced if the Heat would have yesterday, as he's been receiving cortisone shots in his surgically repaired knee. It appears that there is a rift brewing between Shaq and Pat Riley, but it's probably nothing that a little winning won't take care of. But beware of Shaq's knee right now.

The Wolves' Randy Foye is going to miss at least three more weeks with his knee injury, which is considered a setback. Meanwhile the Clippers will be without Corey Maggette for at least 2-3 weeks due to his hamstring injury, and Cuttino Mobley may sit out for a couple games this week in order to get his groin injury under control. If you own Chris Kaman or Tim Thomas, you have to be licking your chops right now.

Kwame Brown is now out indefinitely with a knee and ankle injury, meaning Andrew Bynum's minutes and production are probably going to be on the rise. Ronny Turiaf, Chris Mihm and Brian Cook could all see extra run in Kwame's absence.

Stephon Marbury's (Knicks) aunt, who is also Sebastian Telfair's (Timberwolves) grandmother, passed away on Monday. Marbury is expected to start at point guard for the Knicks tonight, while both players will be questionable for Wednesday's game. I'd comment on Marbury starting, but have run out of energy on the Knicks.

Word out of Dallas is that Dirk Nowitzki could be in store for a couple less minutes per game this season. He averaged about 38 per game until last season, when Avery Johnson dropped him down to 36 a night. Now Johnson wants to get him down to around 34 mpg in order to have him fresh for the playoffs. I really don't think Johnson is going to be able to get Dirk down to less than 35 per game, so hopefully this won't have a fantasy impact. Just keep an eye on it.

Lastly, the "other" Shawne Williams, the one who plays for the Pacers and got busted with some weed and a firearm in his car this summer in Indy, is coming on. He's played 24-plus minutes in four of seven games this season and has scored in double digits four times. He's got some shot-blocking potential, can steal and rebound, and has hit nine threes on the season. He's not worth owning in most leagues, but is definitely a guy you'll want to put on your radar.

[Hache Man]

CP3 in, Chandler out Wednesday
Andray Blatche had his breakout party last night, and hopefully you were invited. He should have been available in many leagues and I suspect he'll be a popular topic over the next week. While he was on nearly everyone's radar lately, I'm pleased that he was the only center I highlighted in Monday's Waiver Wired just before he exploded for a career-high 26 points on 12-of-14 shooting with eight rebounds, four assists and a block for Wizards last night. He even hit a three, which you couldn't see coming, and the news just keeps getting better with Brendan Haywood questionable for tonight with a sprained ankle. No, I'm not happy that Haywood is hurt, especially since I'm starting him in several leagues, but there's no getting around the fact it makes Blatche look that much better. I actually started Blatche this week in one league, and couldn't be happier with the quick start. Don't get too excited though, as he may not have another game like this all year. But if you need blocks, boards and upside, go get him.

If Blatche and his owners are at the top of the mountain this morning, Gilbert Arenas and his are trapped in the bottom of a dark, stinking well. Ok, it's not that bad, but the news that broke about 20 minutes before last night's game (would not play/knee) was disturbing and it doesn't sound like he's going to play tonight, either. The Wizards are hoping that he can go on Friday, but