Shaquille O’Neal, Phoenix Suns
Even though Shaquille O’Neal isn’t quite as spry as he was when he was younger, he still gets to the line a whole lot. And Shaq is still Shaq as far as his pitiful free throw percentage. The only good news is that he’s shooting the best he has from the line since the 2002-03 season.

Andris Biedrins, Golden State Warriors
Andris Biedrins gets to the free throw line about five times per game. This season, he’s shooting about 60% from the line — which is actually an improvement for him. But that number is still low enough to do series damage.

Emeka Okafor, Charlotte Bobcats
The only reason Emeka Okafor isn’t in Howard’s or O’Neal’s company when it comes to his destructive nature at the free throw line is that he doesn’t get there that often. But when Okafor is at the line, you can count on a miss.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Well, All-Star Weekend has come and gone, however, the debate on the “Superman” dunk (was it a dunk or not?) still rages on. As fantasy basketball players, we have bigger concerns on our mind. For one, what are the fantasy effects of all of the blockbuster deals this season? Also, are there any second-half sleepers out there to help you in your league’s stretch run? Here is a look at those questions and more.

Trade Fallout – The Winners:

Kurt Thomas – Power Forward/Center – Spurs – Thomas moves to a team that needs his services in the post. He should get the majority of minutes over Fabricio Oberto and may contribute a double-double statistical line with strong percentages and decent defensive numbers. He has very limited upside. But, you could do worse for a short-term filler at center.

Beno Udrih – Point Guard – Kings – Udrih resumes his role as the Kings starting point guard with Mike Bibby going east to the Hawks. Just in case you forgot, he is averaging 14 points and 5 assists as a starter this season.

Marcus Williams – Point Guard – Nets – The good news, Jason Kidd has left town. The bad news, Devin Harris has arrived in town. Harris will be out a couple of weeks recovering from injury. That will give Williams ample time to audition for the starting point guard job.

Antoine Wright – Shooting Guard/Small Forward – Mavericks – Wright has two things to be grateful for. One, he no longer has to compete with the uninspired duo of Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson for minutes. Two, he is out of New Jersey. Wright could contribute in steals, assists, and rebounds if given 28 to 30 minutes a night. That is not as far fetched as it sounds as the Maverick may start to save the aging legs of Eddie Jones and Jerry Stackhouse for the playoffs.

Trade Fallout – The Losers:

Andris Biedrins – Center – Warriors – Biedrins’ stock is not affected by a trade, but the signing of Chris Webber. Biedrins has not only lost his starting gig to Webber, but some playing time as well. He is really foul-prone, so the drop in his value can not all be attributed to the Webber signing. He is also very young and is a nice buy low candidate for keeper leagues.

Josh Boone – Power Forward/Center – Nets – The Nets have been in search of good big men since the days of Derrick Coleman. While the lot of “bigs” they have now do not have the talent – or nearly the waistline – of Coleman, there are a lot of them. Adding DeSagana Diop to Boone, a recovering Nenad Krstic, the recently acquired Stromile Swift, and rookie Sean Williams makes the front line rotation pretty crowded. There is a large possibility that there will be an open audition at the four and five spot in New Jersey for the rest of the season. If that is the case, then all involved will have diminished fantasy value.

Boris Diaw– Power Forward/Center – Suns – If Shaquille O’Nealcan stay healthy and if he can play 30 minutes a night, then Diaw role and minutes will be minimized for the Suns. But those are some pretty big “ifs”. Diaw’s steals and assists from the center spot can be value. However, his production is too volatile to rely on.

Jarrett Jack – Guard – Blazers – Why is Jack on this list? He has not been traded, has he? The Blazers have not made a trade, right? Well, there is the problem. Jack would have benefited greatly by a move out of Portland. He has moved into the starting lineup recently, at the two-guard spot, at least on a part-time basis. His shooting is too inconsistent to play big minutes at the off guard spot and there are too many options on the bench for Jack to be worthy of a roster spot right now.

Acie Law – Guard – Hawks – Using simple math, you can deduce that Law has a chance of more playing time. Two point guards leave (Tyronn Lue and Anthony Johnson) and one came back in a trade (Mike Bibby). However, beating out Lue and Johnson for minutes is different than beating out Bibby. Law may see some gain in value, but loses a chance to become a truly viable fantasy option.

Second-Half Sleepers

Randy Foye – Guard – Wolves – I have been tooting this guy’s horn for a while. Foye is good. How good? Well, that has yet to be determined, but Minnesota has nothing better to do this season but find out what exactly what they have in Foye. His shooting has been awful this season – currently sitting at 36%. Considering that he shot 43% from the field and 37% from three point range last season, he should raise his field goal percentage considerably the rest of the way.

Luis Scola – Power Forward/Center – Rockets – Scola got off to a slow start this season as he got acclimated to the league. His February numbers: 11 points and 6 rebounds – not eye popping, until you see that he is shooting 63% from the field. He should continue to put up better numbers as he gets more comfortable with the NBA style of play. Averages of 13 points and 7 rebounds is very possible.

Rodney Stuckey – Guard – Pistons – In case you have not noticed, Stuckey has February averages of 11.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in just 22 minutes. Logic tells us that he should see his minutes continue to rise as they ready him – a rest the aging starters – for the post-season. Put Stuckey on the Timberwolves or the Clippers, he would be a top candidate for the Rookie of the Year award.

Louis Williams – Guard – Sixers – Like Randy Foye, Williams should have plenty of opportunity the rest of the way to prove his wares. Williams has a multitude of skills and appears that he will be a fantasy star someday. The question that you should be asking is: will he turn those skills into production this season. He is, at least, worthy of a spot on your watch-list, if not your reserve team. However, I have a little more optimistic outlook for Williams. He could be good for 12.5 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals the rest of the way on 45% shooting, up from his current 41% shooting.

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Post from: Expert Fantasy

Amare shows off his restaurant in downtown Phoenix on NBA Life …

2) Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
Camby is having a dominating fantasy season. If you have him on your team, you’ve watched as he’s single-handedly carried you at times this year. While he doesn’t get much publicity, Camby is a certified star right now in the NBA. And in the fantasy world, he’s even better.

3) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
Tracy McGrady is back and that seems to have actually helped Yao a bit. He’s getting some space to operate in the low block. This year, the biggest change in his game has been his aggression level. Now that the Rockets are actually winning games, expect Yao’s numbers to become more consistent.

4) Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers
Speaking of inconsistent, Ilgauskas has been all over the board this season. However, as of late he’s been on fire. He’s providing LeBron James with a perfect sidekick who can score and pass out of the post. The big Lithuanian is a streaky fantasy player but overall he’s very solid.

5) Andris Biedrins, Golden State Warriors
As long as Biedrins gets minutes, he produces very nicely. Sometimes his minutes can be erratic playing under Don Nelson but overall Nelson does a nice job of playing Biedrins. When Nelson uses a super small ball lineup, he’ll take Biedrins out – but that’s occurring less and less often.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

C Andris Biedrins, Golden State Warriors
People don’t realize how much of a stud this guy is and how good he can become. He’s only 21 years old and last year he averaged over nine points, nine rebounds and nearly two blocks. The most exciting part is he did all that in under 30 minutes per game. Biedrins is still a baby as far as his NBA development and he has the potential to take his game up a few notches. If he does and gets added minutes, he’s a player you want on your side this season.

PF LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland Trail Blazers
Although he didn’t get much love last year when it came time to talk about the best rookies in his class, there’s a good chance Aldridge will become the best player of the 2006 draft. His potential should start to be realized this year as the Blazers’ offense should go through him. He’s a guy who could easily average 18 points, 8 rebounds and over a block a game. Don’t sleep on him.

SF Marvin Williams, Atlanta Hawks
Williams has been great in preseason for the Hawks and is on schedule for a breakout year this season. Through eight exhibition games, he’s averaging 17.1 points and over five boards. His numbers are going to take a jump in each area this season and he’s a lock to be a starter all season. For being such a young player, Williams is actually a very solid pick in a fantasy draft. He’s going to produce for you night in and night out.

SG Corey Maggette, Los Angeles Clippers
This is a contract year for Maggette, meaning there’s a good chance you’ll get his best effort. He has always been a mega talent but hasn’t always played with fire. With his contract expiring, you shouldn’t have to worry about that this year. Plus, with Elton Brand sidelined, Maggette suddenly becomes the team’s go-to scorer in some situations. The good thing about Maggette is not only does he score but he also rebounds and gets to the free throw line.

PG Deron Williams, Utah Jazz
I wrote about Williams a while ago but he’s worth writing about again. Williams is going to have a monster season. He took a giant step from his rookie year to his sophomore year and I expect another big step this year. He has few weaknesses in his game and he’s quickly becoming Utah’s best player. He should be one of the first point guards off a draft board but for some reason he’s not. If you can get Williams around his average draft position, he’s a fantastic pick.

Post from: Expert Fantasy