C Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers
To begin the fantasy basketball season, Andrew Bynum has been amazing. He seems to be living up to his vast potential. That said, expect his numbers to come crashing back down to earth once Pau Gasol returns. Trade him now while he’s putting up superstar numbers.

PF Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Yes, Chris Bosh is a great player. But he’s playing over his head at the moment. He’s averaging career-highs in points and points — and he hasn’t missed a three-pointer this season. Trade him before he cools off.

SF Richard Jefferson, San Antonio Spurs
In the last few games, Richard Jefferson has been very good. He’s putting up fantasy stats by the truck load. But once Tim Duncan and Tony Parker return from injury, expect Jefferson’s role to be diminished.

SG Ben Gordon, Detroit Pistons
Ben Gordon is yet another player that is seeing his stats boosted by missing stars. In Detroit, both Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince have been sidelined — which has allowed Gordon to get off to a very good start.

PG Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks
In future years, Brandon Jennings will be a fantasy basketball stud. But even though he’s off to a very good start this season, remember that he’s a very young player who doesn’t have many games under his belt. He’ll be hitting the rookie wall and his value in fantasy basketball will plummet. Trade him prior to that point.

Chris Bosh - Toronto Raptors (Image: Zuma Press)

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Artest is seen as the missing piece that could turn the Rockets from pretenders into contenders. With a new Big 3 of Artest, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, the Rockets will undoubtedly be a very formidable team during the 2008-09 NBA season.

Fantasy basketball wise, Artest should see his points dip a little bit but see a rise in rebounds, steals, blocked shots and field goal percentage. Here is the Ron Artest video:

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Mo Williams was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade between the Cavs, Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Supersonics. Williams is the biggest name involved in the trade, but he’s far from the only player to switch teams. Here is a list of the players who are switching teams and the fantasy football impact of each aspect of this trade:

Mo Williams, Cleveland Cavaliers
Williams should be a very good next to LeBron James on the Cavs. He can pass, shoot and score the ball effectively. While he’s not the purest point guard, his scoring ability should fit very well next to LeBron. LeBron will be able to take some of the point guard slack, while Williams can concentrate on putting the ball in the basket. In terms of his fantasy value, expect Williams assists to go down but the rest of his stats to remain the same.

Luke Ridnour, Milwaukee Bucks
Ridnour used to be a solid fantasy basketball player, then he fell off the map. He split time the last few years at point guard and that hurt his value. On the Bucks, his fantasy value will be determined by how many minutes he plays. If he can win a starting spot, he could see his fantasy value bounce back. However, the Bucks have a lot of point guards and it will be difficult for Ridnour to win the starting gig.

Desmond Mason, Oklahoma City’s NBA team
Mason is going back to his roots. Mason played in Oklahoma during his college days. His addition to the Oklahoma City team should be good both for him and the fans. While he’ll likely be backing up Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, he could see a solid amount of minutes off the bench as a sixth man.

Joe Smith, Oklahoma City Barons
Like Mason, Smith will bring a solid veteran presence to the Oklahoma City team. He’s be deceptively solid in the last few years. If he can win a starting spot, he could be decent as a backup big in fantasy basketball. The more likely outcome, however, is that Smith is traded to a contender around the trade deadline.

Damon Jones and Adrian Griffin, Milwaukee Bucks
Neither Jones nor Griffin will have much fantasy value this upcoming season. Jones is strictly a spot-up shooter at this point of his career, while Griffin is strictly a defensive specialist. Neither skill translates will to fantasy basketball.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Expert Fantasy

After signing Elton Brand this offseason, re-signing Iguodala was vital if the Sixers wanted to be true Eastern Conference championship contenders. With Iguodala back in the fold, the Sixers can now aim to win at least 50 wins during the upcoming season.

While Iguodala will remain a very good fantasy basketball player, his production might slip a bit in the upcoming years. Brand will take a lot of his touches. Younger players such as Louis Williams and Thaddeus Young will also need touches. While Iguodala’s all-around game will no doubt remain solid, expect his scoring and assist numbers to plateau.

Here is an Andre Iguodala highlight video:

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The Kings did the trade because in return they get a young player in Greene who shined in the Vegas Summer League, an expiring contract in Jackson (who just happens to be a fan favorite in Sacramento) and a future pick. For the Kings, they get a couple of young pieces without having to add salaries to the books.

The Rockets did the trade to try to win a championship. With a Big Three of Artest, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, the Rockets will now be true championship contenders as long as they remain healthy. In addition to the Big Three, the Rockets have solid role players in Rafer Alston, Shane Battier, Brent Barry and Luis Scola.

Artest personally should have a very good season in Houston. The Rockets will let him score as much as he can. Defensively, his rebounding and blocks could go up because he’s likely to see a lot of time at power forward. Artest has played for Rick Adelman in the past and had good fantasy basketball success.

All around, this a good trade for the Kings, Rockets and Artest’s value in fantasy basketball.

Here is a video with more on the Ron Artest trade:

Post from: Expert Fantasy