Marreese Speights, Philadelphia 76ers
With news that Elton Brand will miss a month of action due to a shoulder injury, Marreese Speights now has fantasy value. He’s been one of the best rookies in the league as far as per minute numbers. If he gets the starting job or even if his minutes rise from off the bench, he could be a valuable fantasy piece.

Marco Belinelli, Golden State Warriors
Don Nelson’s flavor of the month is currently Marco Belinelli. Belinelli is starting for the Warriors and he’s putting up good scoring numbers. He’s also been handling the ball a bit so he has a chance to put up decent assist numbers.

Nenad Krstic, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder recently signed Nenad Krstic to an offersheet. Krstic, who had been playing overseason, would likely step right into the Thunder’s starting lineup if the Nets decline to match the offersheet. As a starter, Krstic could be a very important piece for the Thunder and a viable fantasy option.

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For Richardson, this should be good news for his fantasy basketball potential. Playing next to Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shaquille O’Neal, he is sure to get plenty of open looks. Since the lane will be somewhat clogged with Stoudemire and O’Neal down low, look for Richardson to shoot a lot of three-pointers. That shouldn’t be a problem for him considering that he was the top three-point shooter in the NBA last season in terms of makes.

In addition to 6-7 three-pointers a game, Richardson’s points per game should be able to get back around 20 points per game. His rebounding and assists could also see a spike due to the fact that the Suns play at a much faster pace than the Bobcats. In fact, the Bobcats are one of the slowest paced teams in the entire league.

Dudley doesn’t gain much fantasy appeal due to this trade right away, but keep an eye on the role he is given. Chances are that he’ll be a deep bench player but the Suns may have bigger plans.

Diaw wasn’t having a very good season with the Suns but could possibly turn it around with the Bobcats. He has a good chance to start at power forward next to Emeka Okafor. If he sees a major jump in minutes, he could revert back to the Diaw who was a very good fantasy player a few seasons ago. That said, the slow pace of the Bobcats will likely keep him from getting anywhere near his best career stats.

Bell’s fantasy appeal will be dependent on how many minutes he gets. But considering that his fantasy appeal is based on his ability to take and make a lot of three-pointers, don’t count on that carrying over to Charlotte. Bell’s days as a fantasy relevant player could be done.

Photo credit: Newscom

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If the reports are true and D’Antoni is let go, there could be major changes in store for the Suns. With fantasy basketball in mind, this could be devastating news for players on the Suns. D’Antoni’s free flowing offensive sets allowed the Suns to have some of the best fantasy players in the game over the last few years.

Steve Nash particularly will undoubtedly suffer from the loss of D’Antoni. Nash thrived under D’Antoni, winning two MVP awards and cementing his legacy as a Hall of Fame player. If a defensive oriented coach comes on board, Nash’s offensive production could be severely hurt and he could see his minutes reduced.

The only player on the Suns who likely won’t be affected much is Amare Stoudemire. Stoudemire will likely continue to get many offensive touches. If anything, Stoudemire’s rebounding and shot blocking could increase under a new management.

However, everyone else – from Nash to Raja Bell to Boris Diaw to Shaquille O’Neal to Leandro Barbosa – will need to be reevaluated for the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season.

Photo: Newscom

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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.

FantasyFanatics.com is a premier fantasy sports community. Need help deciding who to sit and who to start? What about help with a big trade? Chat with the fantasy basketball experts on FantasyFanatics.com.

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With Hill out of the lineup, the Suns won five of their seven games. The player who most flourished with Hill out was Boris Diaw. Diaw was inserted into the starting lineup and responded with a couple of really nice games. Once Hill returns, expect Diaw to return to the bench.

Hill’s fantasy basketball prospects going forward are very good. He’ll average a good amount and in the Suns system, Hill’s stats should be consistently above average.

The prospects for Diaw aren’t as bright. He struggled with his bench role before Hill went down and his production will likely go down again. If you can, trade him before Hill gets back. If not, you most likely will have to look elsewhere for fantasy production.

Grant Hill Tribute …

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While an appendectomy isn’t anything to laugh out, this might actually help Hill and the Suns. First of all, the Suns want Hill to be healthy and rested for the playoffs. With this forced two week absence, he won’t have as many miles on his odometer come April and May. Second of all, Amare Stoudemire has been asking for more shots. With Hill out, Stoudemire should get more shots within the Suns’ offense.

A realistic target date for Hill’s return is probably Jan. 29th against the Atlanta Hawks. That gives Hill a few extra days of recovery time and Hill will be back by the time the Suns start a six game homestand.

While Hill is out, expect Boris Diaw to move into the starting lineup. Leandro Barbosa might start against some teams but the Suns would like to keep him coming off the bench. Diaw hasn’t played very well this season but he should be helped by the increase in playing time. If Diaw is available in your fantasy league, now would be a good time to pick him up off of the waiver wire. Another player who might see additional time is Marcus Banks, who has actually played rather well as of late.

A great Grant Hill mix …

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Anderson Varejao, Cleveland Cavaliers
Lost in all the holdout talk is the fact that Varejao is actually a good player. Not only that, Varejao is a young player who has a chance to get even better. This year, he has shown an added ability to score the ball. Add that to his rebounding and all of a sudden Varejao becomes a pretty good fantasy player.

Antoine Walker, Minnesota Timberwolves
Walker is a guy who isn’t a very good NBA player but he can be a very good fantasy player. Walker can score, rebound, pass and hit a good number of three-pointers. His only problem with Minnesota has been playing time. If he starts to play more, Walker could reclaim his spot as a valuable fantasy piece.

Boris Diaw, Phoenix Suns
After being fantasy gold a couple years ago, Diaw has now dropped all the way to the point that it’s difficult to have him on your fantasy roster. His playing time isn’t consistent and even when he does play, there’s no guarantee he’ll do anything. That said, he’s one injury on the Suns to going back to playing 30+ minutes per game. Once he gets the playing time, he’ll give you solid all-around numbers.

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