The contract the Mavs will reportedly give Gortat is the entire mid-level exception. Over five years, Gortat is expected to make more than $30 million. Due to Gortat being a restricted free agent, the Magic will have a chance to match the contract offer.

Last year, Gortat averaged 3.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in 12.6 minutes.

In fantasy basketball, Gortat will be a boom or bust type player. His per-minute numbers suggest he’s a very good rebounder and shot blocker. However, it’s risky depending on per-minute numbers.

If Gortat is the starting center for the Magic, he very well could be worth a look in the mid rounds of a fantasy basketball draft next year simply based on his potential.

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For fantasy basketball purposes, Villanueva’s value goes up following this move. It appears as if he’s finally found a team willing to invest in him and give him the opportunity he needs to succeed. In a per-minute basis, Villanueva has always put good numbers on the board.

Last year, Villanueva averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in only 26.9 minutes per game. Stretch that to 40 minutes and Villanueva would be putting up 24.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.

With the Pistons, expect Villanueva to play power forward. At 6-foot-11, he has the size to play the position. His all-around offensive game should allow him to flourish. Heading into the 2009-10 fantasy basketball season, he’s definitely a sleeper to explode onto the scene.

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What do you do if you have Yao in a dynasty league? The best idea is to hold onto him. No one is going to give you a fair deal right now and selling low is usually a losing strategy in fantasy basketball.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a player who had years of trouble with his feet but was able to eventually return to action and has become a durable option as of late. Perhaps Yao can go down that same path and bounce back from his feet trouble. It might be unlikely but there’s definitely still hope.

In a redraft, Yao isn’t draftable unless it sounds as if he’ll return at some point. Keep an eye on the Yao Ming news.

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1. Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
In June, Hernandez has been practically untouchable. In five starts, he has a 0.94 ERA and a record of 3-0. In 38.1 innings, he has 35 strikeouts and has given up only 25 hits.

2. Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox
Beckett got off to a quick start and the began to slump. In June, that slump is over. In five starts, he is 4-1 with a 1.51 ERA. He has 35 strikeouts in 35.2 innings and has only given up 25 hits and four walks.

3. Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants
In many fantasy baseball drafts, Lincecum was the first player off the board. He’s now showing why. In five June starts, he has a 1.82 ERA to go along with a 3.1 record. In 39.2 innings pitched, he has 40 strikeouts.

4. Kevin Millwood, Texas Rangers
Millwood is no doubt the most surprising name on the list. He’s having a very good season for the Rangers and June has been no different. He has a 1.30 ERA in the month and a record of 4-1.

5. Dan Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks
Haren has a June ERA of 1.70. In 37 innings, he has 33 strikeouts and has given up only 19 hits and five walks. His season ERA of 2.25 and WHIP of 0.81 has him as an NL Cy Young award favorite.

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Sam Young, Memphis Grizzlies
In the 2009 NBA Draft, Young fell to the second round mostly due to his age. At 24, he wasn’t a very exciting prospect. But he could come in right away and play for the Grizzlies.

DeJuan Blair, San Antonio Spurs
Young’s teammate at Pittsburgh also fell to the second round. Blair’s issue were a pair of bad knees. But with the Spurs, there’s a chance that he could play a lot of minutes next to Tim Duncan.

Patrick Beverley, Miami Heat
The Heat got a good year out of Mario Chalmers but Beverley could push him for minutes. Beverley has great energy and his defense should make him a favorite in Miami.

Chase Budinger, Houston Rockets
Budinger undoubtedly has first round talent. But due to his questionable work ethic and toughness, he fell to the Rockets in the second round. If he can capitalize on his talent, Budinger could surprise.

Robert Dozier, Miami Heat
Although Dozier was the last pick of the draft, Dozier fell into a very good spot with the Heat. The Heat desperately need bigs and keep on eye on whether Dozier can carve out a niche with the Heat.

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1. Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
Griffin is very talented and a great athlete on top of that. He’s also entering a situation in need of a superstar. As long as the Clippers trade a few bigs to make room for him, Griffin should be very good his rookie year.

2. James Harden, Oklahoma City Thunder
Next to Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, Harden will fit right in. He’ll likely start at shooting guard right away and provide the team with yet another young building block. For fantasy purposes, Harden should provide scoring, efficiency and good assist numbers.

3. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
No matter if he ends up with the Warriors or if he’ll be traded to the Suns (like the rumors indicate), Curry will land in a very good situation. Both of those teams like to run and shoot … and that fits right in with Curry’s game.

4. Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings
If Evans can win the point guard job in Sacramento, he could have fantasy value right away. It’s not a lock that he can play PG at the NBA level, so stay tuned.

5. Hasheem Thabeet, Memphis Grizzlies
Thabeet is raw and might not be able to play many minutes in the NBA yet but his shotblocking could make him valuable right away in the 2009-2010 fantasy basketball season.’

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1. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
Mauer is not a surprise on this list. For the season, he’s hitting .395 with 14 homers, 42 RBIs and 40 runs. Amazingly enough, his 14 homers are already a career-high.

2. Victor Martinez, Cleveland Indians
Last season, Martinez struggled at the plate and with injuries. This year, he’s playing much better. On the season, he is hitting .326 with 12 homers, 53 RBIs and 49 runs.

3. Miguel Olivo, Kansas City Royals
This is definitely a surprise. Over the last month, Olivo has hit seven homers to go along with 16 RBIs and 13 runs. If you want some power out of your catcher spot, consider picking up Olivo.

4. Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves
McCann has been hitting the ball very well as of late. For his 2009 campaign, he’s hitting .328 with an on-base percentage of .416. He has seven homers, 30 RBIs and 21 runs.

5. Geovany Soto, Chicago Cubs
It appears as if Soto was going to be a bust this season — but he’s finally starting to pick it up. In the last month, he has four homers, seven runs and 10 RBIs along with an on-base percentage of .370.

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The good news for fantasy baseball owners is that Sabathia says the injury is minor. In fact, reports indicate that he didn’t even want leave the mound.

Said Sabathia: “It wasn’t a sharp pain or anything. It just felt a little tight. It’s something I felt before, between starts or something. It’s nothing major.”

Prior to leaving the game, Sabathia pitched 1.1 innings while giving up three hits and one earned runs. For the season, he is 6-4 with a 3.71 ERA. Prior to the season, the Yankees signed Sabathia to a deal that will pay him more than $161 million over the next seven years.

Without Sabathia on Sunday, the Yankees ended up losing to the Marlins by a final count of 6-5. The Yankees are now 38-31, while the Marlins are 35-36.

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Here is a list of five rookies who won’t be ready to live up to their potential:

Ricky Rubio
Yes, Rubio has a massive amount of potential. But he’s only 18 right now and will need a year or two to adjust. As a rookie, he’ll probably average around eight points and six assists.

Jrue Holiday
Last year, Russell Westbrook came out of UCLA and was a good fantasy basketball player. Don’t expect the same out of Holiday. Like Rubio, he’ll need a year or two.

DeMar DeRozan
Perhaps the rawest top prospect in the draft, DeRozan is definitely a project. He has the size and athleticism to be a star but he still has a lot of learning to do.

B.J. Mullens
Mullins has very good size and is one of the better center prospects in the draft. That said, he’s a player you can safely ignore in fantasy basketball for the 2009-10 season.

Brandon Jennings
This past season in Europe, Jennings showed a lot of promise. But he also proved he wasn’t ready for the spotlight. Don’t expect that to change next year right out of the gates.

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1. Blake Griffin
Not only is Blake Griffin going to be the first pick in the draft, he’s going to be the first rookie chosen in 2009-2010 fantasy basketball drafts. There’s a good chance that he could be productive right from the beginning.

2. James Harden
The player most ready to come into the NBA and put points on the board appears to be James Harden. With that in mind, he’ll be valuable in the fantasy basketball world.

3. Stephen Curry
Like Harden, Stephen Curry can score the ball. If he lands on a team like the New York Knicks or the Golden State Warriors, Curry could easily stuff the stat sheet.

4. Hasheem Thabeet
Although Hasheem Thabeet is undoubtedly raw, his shot blocking and rebounding should make him valuable as a rookie. His value really depends on how much playing time he gets. For fantasy purposes, he’ll need to be a starter to have consistent value.

5. Ty Lawson
While Ty Lawson could easily fall out of the lottery, he’s probably the point guard most likely to be ready from Day 1. That could make him valuable in 2010 fantasy basketball.

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