Rajon Rondo
When it comes to steals, Rajon Rondo is elite. He’s a rugged defender with long arms and a mean streak. He has no problem going after your ball.

Monta Ellis
Currently the league leader in steals, he has free reign to go after as many steals as he wants since Golden State doesn’t care much about the defensive end.

Trevor Ariza
On the basketball court, few players have as much defensive range as Trevor Ariza. If you pass it, he will come into the picture.

Corey Brewer
At Florida, we remember Corey Brewer as a defensive ace who racked up a lot of steals. He’s starting to do that on the NBA level now.

Rudy Fernandez
If Rudy Fernandez starts getting more minutes — watch out! He doesn’t play much defense but he’s great at anticipating and stacking steals in a hurry.

Monta Ellis likes to score ... and get steals (Image: Zuma Press)

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1. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
It’s difficult to pass on LeBron James when you have the first pick in your fantasy basketball draft, however Chris Paul is actually the better pick. He’s a basketball stud who has almost no downside.

2. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
On talent alone, there’s no player in the NBA who can match LeBron James. If you have a top-two selection, picking LeBron isn’t a bad move at all.

3. Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers
Even though he might not be a household name, Danny Granger’s game is built for fantasy basketball. As long as he stays healthy, he’s an all-around producer who will help your team every night.

4. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
If you want to shoot for the stars, go with Kevin Durant. He’s a superstar in the making and could make a massive jump in fantasy value this season.

5. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade has been a walking injury concern as of late. But when he’s healthy and playing his best, there are few players in the league that can match his production.

6. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
While Kobe Bryant is no doubt a fantastic player, there’s some question about his fantasy worth this coming year. With so much talent around him, he may not have to carry as big of a load as usual.

Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers (Image: Zuma Press)

7. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
Yes, his free throw shooting is horrible. But he showed improvement at times in the playoffs last year and the rest of his game is so dominant that he’s worth a top ten fantasy basketball draft selection.

8. Deron Williams, Utah Jazz
Last year, Deron Williams was somewhat disappointing at times. But now that he’s fully healed from injury, Williams has the potential to become an absolute fantasy stude.

9. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
With his personal problems behind him, you have to think that Dirk Nowitzki is geared to have a very good season. He brings a lot of value to your fantasy team — especially in terms of three-point shooting.

10. Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Heading into the 2010 free agent market, Chris Bosh as every reason to have a monster season. Plus, the Raptors will want to keep him happy with plenty of touches. He doesn’t have a tremendous ceiling but he should be very, very good.

Chris Bosh - Toronto Raptors (Image: Zuma Press)

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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. 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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