With the NBA conference finals set to start on Tuesday, here’s a look at sleepers who may play a big role in the third round of the 2009 NBA playoffs.

C Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers
In Game 7 against the Rockets, Bynum had his best game of the playoffs. He’ll be needed if the Lakers are to beat the Nuggets.

PF Ben Wallace, Cleveland Cavaliers
Wallace has struggled with injuries and he hasn’t done much in the playoffs so far. That said, he could see a lot of time in hopes of slowing Dwight Howard.

SF Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic
Over the last few games, Pietrus has been playing at a high level. Against the Cavs, he’s in line to see plenty of minutes.

SG Dahntay Jones, Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets will likely put Jones on Kobe Bryant early and often. In those extra minutes, Jones could emerge as a fantasy basketball sleeper.

PG Jordan Farmar, Los Angeles Lakers
Derek Fisher is struggling and Farmar is playing at his highest level of the last few months. It would surprise no one if he saw his minutes spike going forward.

Andrew Bynum, Fantasy Basketball Sleeper (Image: Newscom)

Although the fantasy basketball season is nearing an end, there’s some good news regarding Los Angeles Lakers bigman Andrew Bynum. The center, who has missed the past few months after tearing his MCL, could possibly return to action this week.

According to Lakers coach Phil Jackson, Bynum looked strong in practice and was moving well. Jackson even called Bynum a “dominant force”.

With less than two weeks remaining prior to the beginning of the NBA playoffs, the Lakers need Bynum to get on the court as quickly as possible. It’d be tough to integrate him back into their system after the playoffs begin.

For fantasy basketball purposes, Bynum would be a high risk play at any point. However, he’s definitely capable of producing a big reward. There’s a possibility that the Lakers could give him extended minutes so that he can accelerate his acclimation back into their system.

Here’s an Andrew Bynum highlight video to remind you of what the bigman can do when he’s healthy:

Andrew Bynum has had a very active week. However, most of his action has been off of the basketball court. First, Bynum was photographed with Playboy Playmates on his shoulders. Now we have a video of Bynum hula hooping with Playboy Playmates.

Bynum has been out of the Los Angeles Lakers lineup since tearing an MCL ligament in his knee. Earlier this month, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that Bynum was likely out for the rest of the regular season. As of late, Bynum has indicated that he’s close to returning to the NBA hardwood.

For fantasy basketball purposes, Bynum would be a risky play. Unless your team is desperate, it’s best to ignore Bynum for the rest of the season. If he plays, it will likely be from off the bench. The Lakers will take it slow and hope that their young center can peak late in the playoffs.

In the meantime, the Lakers will likely keep starting Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Eventually, Bynum could return to the starting lineup but that will probably have to wait until the playoffs.

Here is the video of Andrew Bynum hula hooping with Playboy Playmates:

After Andrew Bynum injured his knee against the Memphis Grizzlies, many Los Angeles Lakers fans feared the worst. While Bynum apparently avoided serious injury, he has been diagnosed with a torn MCL. The recovery time for such an injury is typically 8-to-12 weeks.

For fantasy basketball owners who own Bynum, this isn’t very good news. If he misses the full 12 weeks, that means he’ll miss the rest of the regular season. Even if he misses only eight weeks, he’ll be back only for the last two weeks of the regular season. The only hope for Bynum owners is that he is able to recover quicker expected.

For the Lakers, Bynum out means that Lamar Odom will likely move back to the starting lineup. Odom will play power forward while Pau Gasol will shift to center. Backing up Odom and Gasol will likely be Josh Powell and Chris Mihm.

To pick up the slack, expect Gasol and Bryant to get more shots and more points. Odom should also see a sizable increase in production.

Last season, Bynum was injured at around the same point of the season and the Lakers announced that he’d be sidelined for a minimum of eight weeks. Although the Lakers made the Finals, Bynum never was able to return to the court.

As we reported yesterday, Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum suffered a knee injury in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Although no official diagnosis has been made, there have been a few rumors circulating regarding Bynum’s status.

A knee sprain appears to be a big possibility at the moment. Typically, knee sprains take about six weeks to heal. If that is the case, Bynum would be out until the middle of March. Although that would be a big blow to fantasy owners, that would give him plenty of time to warm up for the NBA playoffs.

The best case scenario would be that Bynum simply suffered a slight hyperextension. If that’s the case, Bynum could miss as little as seven-to-ten days. While this might not be likely, it’s entirely possible that Bynum avoided major injury.

The worst case scenario is that Bynum tore his ACL. If Bynum suffered a torn ACL, he’d be out for the entire season. The only good news would be that he’d be ready for the beginning of next season.

According to sources on the Lakers, expect to hear a specific Bynum update at some point on Monday.

Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers must be experiencing deja vu. In a January game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Bynum has injured a knee. He was helped off the court and appeared to be in considerable pain.

The injury occurred when Kobe Bryant fell into Bynum’s knee. Bynum immediately grabbed his knee and stayed down while yelling out in agony.

If Bynum is out for a significant amount of time, this obviously isn’t good news for the Lakers or Bynum fantasy owners. Bynum has been fantastic lately, especially in his last five games. He had finally started to look like the beast we saw last season before he injured his knee.

Expect Pau Gasol and Bryant to get more shots as long as Bynum is out. Lamar Odom will likely replace Bynum in the starting lineup, with Josh Powell becoming a sleeper as a bigman role player for Los Angeles.

Gerald Wallace of the Charlotte Bobcats is out of action for an unspecified amount of time after suffering a broken rib and a partially collapsed lung in a game on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. Wallace got injured when he elevated to score but instead received an elbow courtesy of Lakers center Andrew Bynum.

Wallace laid on the ground for several minutes before he was taken off the court and transported to the hospital. He will remain hospitalized for at least another day. Although it is not known how much NBA action he will miss, it’s obvious that he’ll miss at least a few weeks worth of games.

For the elbow, Bynum was accessed a flagrant foul. The NBA has not yet ruled on whether Bynum will receive any further punishment.

Here is the video of Gerald Wallace getting injured by an Andrew Bynum elbow:

If you have any questions about whether or not Andrew Bynum is healthy following last season’s knee surgery, the video at the end of this entry should help answer your questions. The Bynum video shows that he’s healthy and able to finish at the rim.

While his numbers aren’t quite at the level they were last year, they are still good. Compared to last season, his field goal percentage is down, his points per minute are down, his rebounds per minute are down. However, his assists, block shots and free throw numbers are all either similar are up. He’s also turning the ball over less.

The good news for Bynum is that his stats should only get better. He’s learning how to play next to Pau Gasol and he’s just now getting back to 100% healthy. He’s not going to be a 20-point, 12-rebound monster this season, but he definitely has that potential down the line. But as long as the Lakers keep winning, Bynum is going to continue to be put in a role that has him averaging around 14 points, ten boards and a couple of blocks. For fantasy basketball purposes, consider him a good center prospect with a possibility of becoming very good.

Here is the Andrew Bynum video in which he finishes an alley-oop pass against the Toronto Raptors that few NBA players could have finished:

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Marcus Camby, Los Angeles Clippers
Although Marcus Camby has been a very good fantasy basketball player the last few years, look for his reign of dominance to come to an end. First of all, Camby is always an injury risk and he’s dodged quite a few bullets the last couple of years. Second of all, the Clippers will play at a much slower pace than the Nuggets. That in itself will lower his stats across the board. There is also some question regarding how well he will mesh on the court next to Chris Kaman.

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
Pau Gasol is a very good NBA player but he may take a hit in the fantasy world this year. With Andrew Bynum next to him, he’ll likely have to forgo some of the touches downlow that he got all of last season. Additionally, Bynum will likely take away some of the rebounds and blocks that Gasol was getting. His shooting percentages should go up but that in itself won’t make up for the loss of production elsewhere.

Brad Miller, Sacramento Kings
The first strike against Brad Miller is the fact that he’s suspended to start the season. More importantly, he doesn’t quite fit the Kings any longer. The Kings are rebuilding for the future while Miller is already in his prime. In order to take a look at young players, don’t be surprised if Miller sees his minutes limited and other bigs on the roster such as Jason Thompson, Shelden Williams and Spencer Hawes get their opportunities in the sun.

Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic
Hedo Turkoglu has had a habit recently of alternating good seasons. Last year he played really well, so that’s not a good sign for the 2008-09 campaign. Additionally, the Magic will try to play more with Rashard Lewis at small forward, which could then force Turkoglu out of position. He should have a good season but last year was likely his peak.

Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers
With Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol up front, expect the Lakers to try Lamar Odom at small forward. Odom has been pretty decent at small forward in the past but he could very well struggle this season. He’s the type of player who needs the ball a lot to remain effective and consistent. This season, he will likely see the ball less than ever if all the Lakers remain healthy. That, combined with his position change (he was mostly a power forward last year), will likely cause Odom to struggle for portions of the season.

Jamario Moon, Toronto Raptors
Last season, Jamario Moon came out of nowhere and was one of the better stories in all of the NBA. This year, fantasy basketball owners have taken note and are now drafting him relatively high in fantasy drafts. While he may continue his play from last year, that isn’t set in stone. Head coach Sam Mitchell has proved time and again that he isn’t afraid to shakeup his lineup. If Moon is moved to the bench, he could very well become all but worthless in the fantasy world. Moon is a good prospect but still too unproven to bank on.

Shane Battier, Houston Rockets
In the last few seasons, Shane Battier has been a pretty good fantasy basketball player. However, take a closer look at his numbers and you’ll realize that a lot of his production was due to the fact that he played so many minutes. With stars such as Ron Artest and Tracy McGrady at the wing positions, Battier could see his minutes dip — which would make him much less of a fantasy commodity.