C Channing Frye, Phoenix Suns
If you go back to his rookie season, Channing Frye looked like a star in the making. But since that point, the outside shooting bigman has struggled. That said, he’s now on the Suns and could very well be a starter. If he finds some of his lost magic, he’s definitely a player that can help your fantasy basketball team.

PF DeJuan Blair, San Antonio Spurs
In preseason play, DeJuan Blair has been outstanding. He’s scoring, rebounding and even mixing in a few assists. If he gets playing time, he’ll be a worthy fantasy basketball addition.

SF Chase Budinger, Houston Rockets
The Rockets will need someone to pick up the scoring slack and Chase Budinger might be one of those who is able to shoulder the load. He’s shooting extremely well and could make an impact right away.

SG Carlos Delfino, Milwaukee Bucks
Don’t forget about Carlos Delfino. He left to Europe for a year but now he’s back and he’s stepping into a situation in Milwaukee where he could earn a lot of minutes. His tough style should mesh well with Scott Skiles’ coaching — which could earn him a healthy amount of minutes.

PG Sergio Rodriguez, Sacramento Kings
The Kings look like they have tired of Beno Udrih at point guard. While Tyreke Evans is probably ahead of Rodriguez, the Spaniard could earn a lot of playing time if the Kings eventually move Evans to shooting guard.

DeJuan Blair could be a major fantasy basketball steal (Image: Zuma Press)

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The good news for Budinger is he’ll no doubt be a top 20 pick. On athleticism alone, a team will take a chance on him. At 6-foot-7 and 215 pounds, Budinger is a very springy athlete who has shown a good amount of skill in his time at Arizona.

The downside to his game at the moment is his ballhandling and his defense. He’ll have to play on the perimeter in the NBA and his perimeter skills aren’t top notch. Defensively, Budinger didn’t bring energy on a nightly basis while at Arizona.

If a team falls in love with him, Budinger could go in the 10 to 12 neighborhood, however it now is unlikely that he’ll be a top ten pick. This time last year, it was a no-brainer.

The next step for Budinger is to show off his athleticism to scouts, which is something he should easily do. Don’t believe me? Watch this Chase Budinger video . . .

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Here is a look at my projected top five picks of the 2008 NBA Draft:

Michael Beasley, Kansas State
Beasley, a freshman, has been beastly to start off his NCAA career. After six games, he’s averaging 27.2 points and 15.5 rebounds while shooting 61.2% from the field. He projects to be a stud power forward on the NBA level.

OJ Mayo, USC
Mayo has been a star in the basketball world for a couple years now. His career at USC has started off nicely. The freshman is averaging 21.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists so far this season.

Derrick Rose, Memphis
Rose is a point guard who some scouts rank as the best prospect in college basketball. While he’s off to a solid start (16.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists) in his freshman year, he still has a lot of room to improve. Expect him to get a lot better as the season progresses.

Chase Budinger, Arizona
Budinger is an athletic freak who should become a very good small forward in the NBA. In his sophomore season, Budinger is averaging 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Budinger has shown impressive improvement from his freshman to sophomore season.

Nicolas Batum, France
Batum is the highest rated international prospect. Out of France, Batum is a 6-foot-8 swingman who mixes very good athleticism with a nice feel for the game. He still needs to get stronger but he should be a very solid pro.

Michael Beasley Debut …

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