Courtney Lee, Orlando Magic
With news that Mickael Pietrus broke his rest and is out for an indefinite amount of time, Courtney Lee should see an upshoot in playing time as a result. The rookie shooting guard can shoot, score and provide decent complementary stats. If he can move into the starting lineup, that’d be a big boost for his fantasy worth.

Amir Johnson, Detroit Pistons
Amir Johnson is back into the starting lineup. He began the year as a starter before falling out of favor and falling out of the rotation. However, it should be noted that he’s starting mostly due to an injury to Richard Hamilton. Only start Johnson as long as Hamilton is sidelined.

Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors
The Great Tease is at it again. Filling in for an injured and sick Jermaine O’Neal, Andrea Bargnani had a big game. This followed a series of uninspired performances off the bench. When he’s going right, Bargnani is a center who can score, hit three pointers, block shots and chip in with a few rebounds.

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First of all for the Nuggets, they finally have a star point guard to build around. Every since trading away Andre Miller, Denver has struggled to find a floor general. Although Billups isn’t as good as he was a couple seasons ago, he’s still an elite point guard. Expect his fantasy basketball numbers to remain relatively the same in Denver.

The biggest winner on the Nuggets roster is Carmelo Anthony. He’ll get a lot more shots now that he doesn’t have to share with Iverson. Anthony should once again challenge for the league lead in points per game. His percentages should also improve now that he has a player to set him up. The other big winner on the Nuggets is JR Smith. He should see way more time at shooting guard and could blossom into a big time scorer who could lead the league in three-pointers made. The big loser on the Nuggets is obviously Anthony Carter, who will go from starter to limited bench player.

For the Pistons, things aren’t nearly as cut and dry. Iverson likely will first begin as the team’s point guard. But throughout his career, Iverson has struggled running the show. With so many different pieces to feed, it’s questionable whether he’ll be able to be a full-time point guard. If he can’t survive at point guard, that opens the door for Rodney Stuckey to play even more. There’s even a chance that the Pistons could opt to start Stuckey and Iverson in the backcourt and then bring Richard Hamilton off the bench. Another option is for Tayshaun Prince to become a pseudo point guard and let Iverson play off the ball.

Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell should also see the fantasy stocks rise due to taking up more of McDyess’ minutes. However, rumor has it that McDyess may return to Detroit after a buyout – a la Brent Barry and the San Antonio Spurs last season.

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Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
Before you look at his stats and conclude that he had a good season last year, don’t forget to look at his playoff statistics. With the Jazz trying to make a run in the Western Conference, Boozer was oftentimes the team’s weakest link. He’ll likely bounce back but he showed a lot of vulnerability during the 2008 playoffs.

Antawn Jamison, Washington Wizards
Early in preseason play Antawn Jamison went down with a knee injury. While he should be okay for the regular season opener, he’ll likely be slowed for a few more weeks. Additionally, Jamison is getting to the age where his stats should start to decline. Some of his stats from last year, such as his rebounding numbers, will likely be on the decline this year.

Rasheed Wallace, Detroit Pistons
Rasheed Wallace has a lot of minor aspects that could make him a fantasy basketball bust in 2008. First of all, the newly 34-year-old Wallace should start to see some of his physical skills decline soon. The Pistons are also interested in playing some of their young bigmen more such as Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell. Plus don’t forget that Joe Dumars is said to be thinking about breaking up the nucleus of the Pistons, which would most likely have a negative effect on Rasheed.

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Saunders had actually coached a good season, by all account. He was able to finish with the second best record in the NBA, while at the same time giving minutes to young players like Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell.

While there wasn’t an immediate announcement regarding the new Pistons head coach, sources are pointing toward Michael Curry as the likely replacement. Curry, an ex-Piston, has only one year as an assistant coach under his belt. It’s difficult to project how he’ll coach with no information on him.

After getting eliminated, many expect the Pistons to receive a makeover this summer. Dumars will be busy and a number of big names could be headed out of town, including Rasheed Wallace.

Will Michael Curry be the new Pistons coach?

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Amir Johnson, Detroit Pistons
Despite playing only ten minutes per game, Amir Johnson has a very good PER of 19.6. While he’s stuck behind a group of very talented bigmen, head coach Flip Saunders has been trying to give Johnson more minutes. In a dynasty league, Johnson is definitely worth taking a flyer on.

JR Smith, Denver Nuggets
Lately, JR Smith has been on fire for the Nuggets. His PER score of 16.7 is very solid. If he continues to get minutes, there’s no reason why Smith can’t be a very good NBA player. He can shoot. He can jump. He can run. The only part of the game he struggles with is the mental part of the game.

Hakim Warrick, Memphis Grizzlies
Now that the Grizzlies have cleared out a lot of room on their roster, Hakim Warrick should see his minutes rise substantially. The good news for Grizzlies fans is Warrick’s statistics indicate he could be a very solid player when given more minutes. Pick him up in your fantasy basketball league if you have the room.

Trevor Ariza, Los Angeles Lakers
Although he’s injured at the moment, Trevor Ariza has a chance to become a very good player with the Lakers. He’s extremely athletic and is a natural on the defensive end of the court. While there’s no longer room to start, he should be a key bench contributor once he’s healthy enough to return.

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Al Thornton, Los Angeles Clippers
Al Thornton has been in and out of the starting lineup for the Clippers. As the season wears on and the Clippers fall further and further out of the playoff picture, Thornton’s role on the team is bound to increase. He has shown explosive ability as a scorer on the NBA level. He can also rebound a bit and chip in with steals and blocks.

Chris Webber, Golden State Warriors
It sounds like Chris Webber has been guaranteed a starting spot on the Warriors. With that in mind, keep an eye on his production. He’s still talented enough to put up numbers if the Warriors are to feed him the ball enough. Webber isn’t too far removed from being a fantasy stud. Don’t expect great numbers but if he’s going to start and play big minutes, he’ll be fantasy relevant really fast.

Amir Johnson, Detroit Pistons
Flip Saunders has promised that Amir Johnson will finally be part of the Pistons’ rotation. Johnson is a big time talent who will one day be a very good fantasy player. He’s very athletic and has good timing. At some point in the future he’ll be a starting bigman who will put up big numbers, specifically in the rebounding and blocked shots departments.

Kwame Brown, Memphis Grizzlies
Try not to laugh. I know Kwame Brown is horrible but now that the Grizzlies have gutted their roster, Brown is one of the few bigman options left. If he is eventually given a starting spot, the Grizzlies will miss enough shots that Brown could pull down a healthy amount of rebounds. Don’t pick him up just yet but definitely keep an eye on him in case his minutes skyrocket.

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