Well, it has been a pretty rough off-season for NBA fans with the lockout and everything else that has gone on.  I’m not going to talk about that since it has been beaten to death.  What I will talk about is how the NBA is back!!!  Fantasy leagues are popping up like crazy and a lot of you have done little to no research at all since a lot of you were of the out of site out of mind way of thinking.  This will be a particularly hard time to do research for fantasy basketball what with fantasy football playoffs right around the corner.  We are used to having our teams set already while we focus on fantasy football playoffs but that isn’t the case this year.  It is now time to officially go into full crash course mode before the days of fantasy basketball drafts begin.

For starters here is a quick TOP 150 for you to look at: Read the rest of this entry »

LeBron James is heading to the Miami Heat.  What does that mean for the NBA, fantasy owners, Cleveland fans, Heat fans and the rest of the world?

The NBA now has a team that in theory can compete with the LA Lakers for a Championship.  In reality though, the Heat are three great players, (James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh) with absolutely ZERO depth.  In their attempt to clear out enough cap space to land LeBron, Bosh and resign Wade, they have completely destroyed their roster.  Some people would say that it was a great move.  Others would say that the season is very long and you need key role players to make it through the season and the playoffs.  LeBron has shown that he can take his team all the way on his own but was never able to finish the job by himself.  He hopes that the new Big-Three will make that possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Amare Stoudemire has told the Phoenix Suns that he will not exercise his $17.7 million option for next season.  He wants to become a free agent.  That doesn’t mean that he won’t return to the Suns.  He wants a maximum level contract to return to Phoenix.

Andrew Bynum says that he will be ready to play in Game 4.  He was limited in Game 3 by the injury and most likely will be limited in Game 4.  If he is healthy he can be a force but right now it doesn’t look like he is at 100%.

Grant Hill has exercised his one year player option and will return to the Phoenix Suns next year.

Rumor has it that the Timberwolves have their eyes set on signing Rudy Gay this off-season and that they have made it a priority.

Where will LeBron James end up?  Nobody knows.  NY has the perfect market for him.  Chicago has a great market for him and a better team to surround him with.  Golden State has no chance of getting him but I can still hope can’t I?

Sergio Rodriguez has signed a 3 year deal with Real Madrid.  He would have been a restricted free agent this year.

Zach Randolph is a thug, but you already knew that.  He has been reportedly linked by authorities to 2 criminal investigations this off season.  One involving an Indianapolis drug ring and another involving a fight outside a club in Los Angeles.  No charges have been filed as of yet.

Here is a look at the Fantasy Basketball Rankings: End of Year 2010.  These are the rankings for players at the end of the season after all of the games are played.  This does not include playoff performances.  This is strictly how they finished the season and not how they will be ranked at the beginning of next year.  It will however give you an option to look at when trying to decide if a certain player is worth taking in your draft next year at the current level your league has him ranked. Read the rest of this entry »

Here is the first set of rankings for the upcoming Fantasy Basketball season. These are just preliminary rankings and they will change as we near the beginning of the season.

Read the rest of this entry »

Here is a list of the top 100 NBA players in terms of fantasy basketball.  I’ve asked two colleagues of mine to rank them along with me.  Hopefully this can be of some help to you.  Now, as the season nears, the rankings will most likely change so keep checking back for more updates.  BC= Brandon Craver, SH= Steve Hampton and TJ= Terrance Jackson.

Player                                       Pos.     BC SH TJ  AVG.

Do you think that D-Wade will sign an extension with the Heat or will he test the free-agent market?

Darius- Pensacola, FL

If the money is a competitive offer then I think Dwayne Wade will resign with the Miami Heat. To be honest, I think most players will be forced to resign with their original teams due to salary cap restrictions in the immediate future. LeBron James might be the exception to this due to the fact that every team out there should be willing to pay the luxury tax that would come with signing him.

Did you see Anthony Randolph’s performance in the NBA summer League? Don’t you think he will be a stud this year?

Jerry- San Lorenzo, CA Read the rest of this entry »

It is now becoming clearer and clearer that the only reason the proposed trade of Amare Stoudemire to the Golden State Warriors hasn’t gone through is Amare’s unwillingness to sign a long term deal with the Warriors. I don’t get it. The NBA just announced that the salary cap will probably drop again and throw a huge wrench in the Summer of 2010 free agency frenzy. Why wouldn’t you take the security of a long term contract?


Take into consideration that Amare will be one of many superstar free agents to hit the market with only a few teams able to take on major salary. If the Warriors made the trade and signed Amare to a long term contract, he would almost certainly get the kind of money he would command on the open market. He would also be the focal point of the team for years to come.


I don’t know. Maybe he thinks he can get a better deal somewhere else. I don’t really see that happening though with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh set to become free agents at the same time. Plus it was just announced that Amare will need another surgery performed on his ailing eye to remove fluid. Take the money and run Amare.

Shaquille O’Neal has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, a 2nd rd draft pick and some cash. What exactly does this mean? Well, for starters it means that the Cavs think that a low post force is all they needed to win a championship next year. I don’t know if Shaq is still a force but he does bring size to throw up against Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard next season.

Shaq is in the final year of his contract so he will be off the books for the 2010 free agency frenzy. The Cavs obviously want to resign LeBron James and if this deal does end up winning the Cavs a championship, LeBron might not feel the need to leave Cleveland. He has always stated that he would like to stay and play for his hometown team. But, if he feels he doesn’t have a shot at a championship with Cleveland it will be very hard for the Cavs to keep him. Read the rest of this entry »

I’m about to sit down and watch game one of the NBA Championship between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic. Now, there are plenty of questions that will be fun to see being answered during this series. Can Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom or Pau Gasol (or all three together) stop Dwight Howard from dominating the paint? Can the Magic hit the 3 when the Lakers collapse on Howard? Will Jameer Nelson play? How will the Magic stop Kobe Bryant? That answer is simple, you can’t stop Kobe but can they slow him down?

I know most people wanted to see LeBron James take on Kobe but there are so many things to watch for in this match-up that it should be a very interesting series. I’ll be honest, after seeing LeBron snub the Magic during post game handshakes, my opinion of him has soured a bit. I understand it in a way when it comes to the media but you just don’t do that to the opposing team. But, that’s a whole different story. Read the rest of this entry »