Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (Image: Newscom)

C Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
After plenty of rest following his Game 6 suspension in the first round, look for Dwight Howard to try to beat up on the depleted Boston Celtics. With Kevin Garnett out, Howard could go off.

PF Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
The Nuggets are a difficult matchup but Dirk Nowitzki should be able to have a solid series. He started off slow against the San Antonio Spurs but is starting to heat up.

SF LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Nobody is playing as well or as determined as LeBron James. He’s a fantasy basketball beast at this point.

SG Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are going to get a tough test from the Houston Rockets. That said, expect Kobe Bryant to get loose for a few big games.

PG Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets
In the first round, Chauncey Billups was amazing. Against the Mavs, he’ll try to continue that magic.

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Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets (Image: Newcom)

Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets
During the regular season, Billups was very good. In the postseason, he’s taken his game up another level. He’s been simply amazing in his first two outings as a Nugget during the playoffs.

Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics
Filling the void left by an injured Kevin Garnett is point guard Rajon Rondo. He’s a certifiable star at this point and his numbers in the fantasy world are just sick.

Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
Quietly, the Spurs have shifted to become Parker’s team. On a night to night basis, whether or not San Antonio has success is tied to Parker’s play.

Deron Williams, Utah Jazz
Williams has a difficult matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers but he’s done well in his first two outings. Returning to Utah for Game 3 and Game 4, he should be even better.

Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Usually Paul is easily the best fantasy point guard in the NBA. In the playoffs he is struggling a little bit relatively speaking but his stats are still very, very good.

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Chris Paul, New Orleans
Although he turns the ball over more than three times a game, he easily makes up for it by posting more than 11 assists per game. In fact, Paul is the only player in the NBA who is currently averaging double-digits in assists. At 11.8 assists per game, there’s little to suggest that Paul will slow down anytime soon.

Jose Calderon, Toronto Raptors
Not only is Calderon second in the league in assists at 9.5, he amazingly turns the ball over only 1.9 times per game. Last year he put up a similar ratio for the entire season, so this stretch is definitely not a fluke for Calderon. The Raptors point guard knows how to create shots without turning the ball over.

Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets
Billups went to the run-and-gun Nuggets and has turned around their whole culture. Now Denver takes good shots each possession and they don’t make nearly as many mistakes. Billups averages 7.2 assists and only 1.6 turnovers to give him an assist-to-turnover ratio of better than 4-to-1.

Chris Duhon, New York Knicks
Don’t look now but Chris Duhon is doing his best Steve Nash impersonation in New York. Playing for Mike D’Antoni, Duhon has been asked to create as many shot opportunities as possible. In his last five games, Duhon is averaging more than ten assists per game — including games of 23 assists and 13 assists in back-to-back affairs.

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Chauncey Billups
Although Chauncey Billups’ stats have slowly been going downhill in recent years, look for him to have a very good season this year for the Nuggets. Coach George Karl has given him complete control of the team and Billups is even more involved than he was with Detroit. Additionally, Karl is playing Billups a bit at shooting guard, which should help Billups’ scoring numbers. Overall, Billups looks like he’s going to have a great 2008 fantasy basketball campaign.

Carmelo Anthony
With Iverson, Carmelo Anthony is once again the team’s number one scoring option. He should eventually be able to get his scoring average back up around 30 points per game. He’s also rebounding more and getting more assists, which should make fantasy basketball owners very happy. With Billups passing him the ball and a non-offensive player in Dahntay Jones replacing Iverson at shooting guard, Carmelo has a chance to have a monster season.

Nene
With Marcus Camby out of the picture, Nene has established himself as the center for the Nuggets. With Billups able to set him up, Nene should have a very good season. He seems to have overcome his injuries and illnesses and is now a full blown beast down low.

Kenyon Martin
Now one year removed from major knee surgery, Kenyon Martin looks even better athletically. He’s not going to do much more than he did last season but even at that production level, he’s a decent fantasy basketball option.

JR Smith
JR Smith might be the one player hurt by the loss of AI. The run and gun, shoot whenever you want days in Denver seem to have left with AI. Now with Billups in control, there are much fewer wild shots. Plus with Smith coming off the bench, it’s going to be hard for him to live up to the hype he was garnering in the preseason.

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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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Mo Williams, Cleveland Cavaliers
Common sense says that if you play next to a very good passer like LeBron James, your fantasy value will rise. However, that hasn’t really been the case. A lot of players have gone to Cleveland as good fantasy players and then fall off the map. Williams should be okay but don’t over value him.

Randy Foye, Minnesota Timberwolves
Ever since he’s come into the league, Randy Foye has gotten fantasy love around the draft time. But each of his first two seasons, he underachieved. He’s once again ranked highly but that is based mostly on hope instead of reality. Don’t draft him expecting a huge jump in numbers.

Beno Udrih, Sacramento Kings
While in San Antonio, Beno Udrih had problems with dedication and staying healthy. He played very well in a short stint on the Kings but don’t let that fool you into thinking he’s a safe player. Now that he has financial security, he could fall back into being an undermotivated injury risk.

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With free agent money dried up around the NBA, Smith appears likely to either re-sign with the Hawks or be traded in a sign-and-trade deal. If Smith is indeed involved in a sign-and-trade deal, where would he end up? Here are the leading possibilities:

Detroit Pistons – The Pistons have a lot of veteran player who they are willing to offer to bring in a superstar. While Smith isn’t a superstar quite yet, he’s well on his way of becoming a superstar. Chauncey Bilulps and Tayshaun Prince may be involved in a deal that would bring back Smith.

Los Angeles Lakers – With Lamar Odom as trade bait, the Lakers definitely could be a factor in the Josh Smith talks. If the Lakers were to offer Odom and a few young players, the Hawks would likely have to consider their offer if talks with Smith stall.

Dallas Mavericks – The Mavericks have long had interest in Smith and could use Josh Howard as a piece to bring in Smith. The Hawks would obviously want more than just Howard but Howard would allow the Hawks to replace Smith with a proven winner who could keep Atlanta competitive.

Houston Rockets – If the rumors are true that Tracy McGrady may be traded, a TMac for Smith deal makes sense for both sides. The Rockets get a defensive oriented player who they can use to build around. The Hawks get a big name superstar to compensate for the loss of Smith.

Here is a video discussing more Josh Smith rumors:

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McGrady would give the Pistons a go-to scorer — something the team has lacked in recent years. The Pistons have been great defensively but have struggled a bit offensively, especially late in games.

For the Rockets, this trade makes a lot less sense. While Houston isn’t strong at the point guard position, Chauncey Billups is definitely on the decline and might only have one or two good seasons left. Tayshaun Prince is a good player but he and Shane Battier are similar type players.

While this trade is unlikely to happen, don’t expect the Pistons to sit around during the summer. Detroit will continue looking for a way to bring some star power to their team. The Rockets, meanwhile, will be somewhat active but for the 2008-09 season, Houston just need to remain healthy to become a true contender.

Here is a video talking about the McGrady to the Pistons rumors:

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In Game 3 against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, Billups had one of the worst games of his Pistons career. In 27 minutes, Billups had only six points and four assists, while shooting 1-for-6 from the floor. The Pistons ended up losing the game at home and now trail the Celtics 2-1 in the best of seven series.

Stuckey, on the other hand, was very good in Game 3. Stuckey, who is a rookie point guard who was drafted in the first round, played 27 minutes and had 17 points, four assists and four steals. In the playoffs, Stuckey has improved his numbers of his regular season statistics and may now be a better options than a hobbled Billups.

In Game 4, don’t be surprised if Billups sees more time on the bench and Stuckey sees more time on the court.

Photo: Newscom

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Since the Celtics finished with the better record, they’ll have homecourt advantage in this series. While the Celtics will be favored due to their homecourt advantage, there are reasons to believe that the Pistons can give the Celtics a run for their money.

First of all, the Celtics have been far from dominant in their 2008 playoff run. They’re 0-6 on the road in the playoffs and have had to win two Game 7’s to even reach this point. The Celtics’ offense has struggled and they aren’t getting a lot of production from a few key players — including Ray Allen.

Secondly, the Pistons are playing really well. After struggling at the beginning of the series against the Sixers, Detroit has turned it around. They beat the Magic in five games, despite the Game 3 injury to Chauncey Billups.

On the other hand, the Celtics have a few reasons to be happy with their position. They won two out of three matchups against the Pistons in the regular season. Their defense has been the best in the NBA in both the regular season and the playoffs — especially at home. Additionally, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are arguably better than any player on the Pistons.

That said, I’m going to predict that the Pistons will win this series in six games. The Celtics have played with fire too much in these playoffs and this time they will get burned.

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