Another month, another NUT20.  Since we last checked in, four of our top-twenty guys have suffered injuries (Yao Ming, Rashard Lewis, Michael Redd, Chauncey Billups), one’s been suspended (Carmelo Anthony), one was traded (Allen Iverson), and two have had, um, “woman troubles” (Vince Carter and Jason Kidd).  Fantasy basketball: always interesting.  Anyhow, as always, last month’s rankings are in parentheses…

1. Shawn Marion, SF (1) - He’s down a little bit across the board this year and is STILL the third-highest guy on the player rater.  This is why he’s my number-one pick next year.

2. Kevin Garnett, SF (2) - His steals and assists are a little bit below his career averages, and he’s STILL the fourth-highest guy on the player rater.  You know what?  I hope he stays in Minnesota.  Unlike AI, who will dominate the ball and get his shots no matter where he goes, Garnett is much more passive offensively and may not demand the ball as much on a new team.

3. Gilbert Arenas, G (5) - Here’s something to consider - while Gilbert has supposedly been on the streak of a lifetime, his FG% is actually DOWN from last year, and he’s only averaging 0.4 more ppg than last year.  He was number 5 on the player rater last year and is at the top spot this year so far.  Playing great makes you a first round pick, but playing great CONSISTENTLY puts you in the top three.

4. Dirk Nowitzki, F (4) - You’d like to see those defensive numbers up a bit, especially with the fewer threes being attempted.  Nonetheless, Dirk and the Mavs are on a mission this year and he should be huge down the stretch.  The only concern is if they pull away and he gets to rest for the last few games of the season.

5. Kobe Bryant, SG (8) - He’s taking almost EIGHT fewer shots per game than last year, but his FG% and assists haven’t gone up as much as you’d think.  Maybe if he took more quality shots?

6. Dwyane Wade, G (7) - He’s actually #2 on the APR, but the injuries have held him back overall.  My favorite thing about Wade this year is that even with all the problems with him teammates he’s still turned himself into a top assists guy - his 8 per game are a career-high and eighth in the league.

7. LeBron James, SF (3) - So what’s up with LeBron?  Is he, a) tired because he’s played more games over the past three years than anyone his age due to the NBA schedule, Olympics, playoffs, etc … b) losing interest with a crappy team around him and all the attention going to Wade and now Arenas … c) trying to get his teammates more involved, or d) just playing 2 less mpg?  Who knows, but LeBron is looking more and more like a normal first round pick, and less like the second coming.

8. Steve Nash, PG (10) - I tried to keep Nash at 10 overall all year long, but he’s been playing too well for me to do that, and when you combine that with all the injuries this year, we’ll put him here.  He stillg dosn’t deserve another MVP trophy, though, I’ll tell you that much.

9. Ray Allen, SG (N/A) - After a minor false start, Allen’s been on fire since his return from injury, and with Rashard Lewis out another month at least, he may maintain the 30-point average he’s thrown up so far in January.

10. Jason Kidd, PG (17) - Is it possible for a thirty-three year old, 6′4″ point guard with creaky knees to average a career-high in rebounds?  I keep on wanting to count Kidd out, but he just keeps on ticking.  As long as you don’t expect much in points or FG% he’s as good a PG as there is.

11. Elton Brand, PF (12) - He’s not performing as well as last year, but that was to be expected.  Still, he seems to have recovered from his rough start and should perform like a first-rounder from here on out.

12. Allen Iverson, G (9) - If there’s one thing that I’m not a fan of, it’s uncertainty.  In all likelyhood, he’ll be top-10 even after Carmelo returns, but until we know that he’ll have to settle for a few spots outside of there.

13. Caron Butler, SF (N/A) - I’m hesitating here because Butler is a member of my hometown team AND my fantasy team, but he deserves this spot right now.  The points and boards are sweet - but the percentages are even sweeter.

14. Carlos Boozer, F/C (N/A) - He’s officially back, and better than ever.  Don’t let the lack of blocks turn you away - he more than makes up for it in other areas and is outperforming higher-ranked guys like Tim Duncan, Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard.

15. Chauncey Billups, PG (19) - He’ll be back in a few games, and it’s none too soon for the Pistons, who have gone 3-5 without him.  He may take a slight hit in production with Webber entering the fold but it shouldn’t be too noticable.

16. Andre Iguodala, SG (N/A) - The unquestioned winner of the AI trade, he’s put up 18.7/4.9/5.4 with 2.2 steals, .5 3’s and decent percentages over the last month.

17. Carmelo Anthony, SF (14) - 3 games left.  Same concerns as Iverson, but he should be fine and may even see a spike in FG%.

18. Jermaine O’Neal, F/C (N/A) - He’s been dinged up like he is every year and owners have to hold their breath every day when they check the injured list, but he’s only missed 5 games this year and is performing as well as you’d hope for.

19. Mike Miller, G/F (N/A) - He’s 5th overall over the last month, and while he’s already cooled down you gotta put a guy who puts in 23 3’s in three games in the Top 20.

20. As usual, we’ll leave this to you.  Who’s at 20?