Ben Gordon was a hero in Game 4 for the Chicago Bulls. For Game 5, he may not be available to play. He got hurt in the second quarter of Game 4 but came back into the game to hit a three-pointer to send the game into a second overtime. The Bulls ended up beating the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics by a final score of 121-118.

Ben Gordon, Chicago Bulls (Image: Newscom)

An MRI on Monday showed that Gordon suffered a strained left hamstring. If this were the regular season, Gordon could possibly miss action. However, with the Bulls in the middle of a battle with the Celtics, you should expect Gordon to play. If you are playing playoff fantasy basketball, Gordon should be safe to keep in your starting lineup.

In the playoffs, Gordon has been very good. He’s averaging 24.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while shooting 46.1% from the field and 40.9% on three-pointers. Gordon has hit a number of big shots for the Bulls and is the go-to scorer for the young Bulls squad.

With the Bulls and Celtics tied going into Game 5, the Bulls will need a healthy Gordon to have any chance to pull off the upset.

Which fantasy basketball rookies are off to a good start in the NBA? Here’s a look at our early top five:

1. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Coming into the NBA, everyone knew Derrick Rose could pass the ball. What is surprising NBA scouts is his ability to score the ball. He uses his combination of quickness and strength to get to the rim and score against bigger defenders. Since he’s starting and already playing big minutes, he’s not only looking like a good fantasy basketball player but also the lead candidate for Rookie of the Year.

2. Michael Beasley, Miami Heat
Although he has struggled a bit in his first couple of games, the immense talent of Michael Beasley is obvious. He can score the basketball from everywhere on the court and can also be a beast on the boards. Once the Heat figure out how to share the ball, Beasley could blossom into an 18-point, 10-rebound player faster than originally thought.

3. Jason Thompson, Sacramento Kings
Jason Thompson has been the surprise of the 2008 NBA Draft class so far. He’s putting up great numbers off the bench for the Kings. If he keeps playing at his current level, he’ll find his way into the starting lineup before too much longer. It’d be smart to stash him away on a redraft league if you have the space. In a dynasty league, he’s a very good player to have.

4. Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
Speaking of draft surprises, Mario Chalmers has gone from second round pick to starting point guard for the Heat. After an amazing first game against the Knicks, Chalmers has come back down to earth. But as long as he keeps starting, he’s going to be a useful fantasy player. Right now, he looks like a player who could give you about ten points, six assists, three rebounds and a couple of steals per game.

5. Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
Kevin Love hasn’t gotten the huge amount of playing time other rookies have received but he looks solid so far. Minutes will be the big question mark for Love as long as he’s coming off the bench. Keep an eye on him, however, because once he starts he will be able to put up good fantasy numbers.

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Although Derrick Rose has looked really good at times and really mediocre at times in the preseason, there is no denying his talent. He’ll eventually take over the reins as the starting point guard for the Bulls and he will hold the spot for a long time. Not only is he a world class playmaker, he is already proving that he can score on the NBA level.

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
During summer league, Russell Westbrook looked amazing. While he hasn’t looked as amazing in preseason, he still is showing a lot of promise. He might not start getting a huge amount of minutes early on but by late in the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season, expect Westbrook to play around 30 minutes per game.

DJ Augustin, Charlotte Bobcats
In Charlotte, Larry Brown will undoubtedly be extremely hard on his point guards. With starter Raymond Felton truly being more of a shooting guard, you can expect DJ Augustin to get plenty of minutes at point guard. If Brown puts Felton into the dog house, Augustin would be next in line to start.

Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
Even though Mario Chalmers was a second round pick, he fell into a perfect situation in Miami. He has a chance to start at point guard and play next to Dwyane Wade. While he’s not going to be a bigtime scorer at the NBA level, he’ll be able to get a healthy amount of assists and steals. He should also be able to knock down the NBA three-pointer.

Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns
Another second round selection, the Suns are extremely high on Dragic. In fact, Suns management had him rated as one of the top handful of point guards in the entire 2008 NBA Draft. Although he’s playing behind Steve Nash, the fact that Phoenix runs a point guard oriented offense should help Dragic’s stats. Don’t expect points but Dragic should be able to do everything else.

George Hill, San Antonio Spurs
George Hill is the sleeper of the fantasy basketball rookie point guard prospects. Coming out of tiny IUPUI, Hill was drafted by the Spurs late in the first round. After struggling in summer league, Hill bounced back and played very well in preseason. He’s a guard in the Monta Ellis mold he can play the passing lanes on defense and knock down shots offensively. He’s currently dealing with an injured thumb but he could possibly be fantasy viable at some point during the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season.

Keep an eye on rookie point guard George Hill.

Photo: Newscom

Ben Gordon, Chicago Bulls
Recently, Ben Gordon re-signed with the Bulls for the qualifying offer. With Gordon becoming a free agent at the end of the year, you can count on him going all out to have a great year. He’s a hard worker to begin with — he will be on a mission this year.

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
While it is true that Manu Ginobili will miss as many as the first 25 games of the season after undergoing surgery on his ankle, Ginobili shouldn’t be forgotten in fantasy basketball drafts in 2008. He was very good in 2007 and all indications point to him being able to return to that level.

OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies
As far as shooting guard sleepers are concerned, there aren’t many with a higher upside than OJ Mayo. Mayo loves to shoot the ball and always seems to be in the middle of the action. With the Grizzlies already eliminated from the 2009 playoffs, Mayo should get plenty of minutes.

Mickael Pietrus, Orlando Magic
Stan Van Gundy loves defense. Defense is what Mickael Pietrus does best. Expect him to play a lot and produce in categories across the board. He’s not great at any one aspect but he’s a solid fantasy basketball player due to his all-around contributions.

David Lee, New York Knicks
A lot of speculation points to David Lee being worth less in fantasy basketball with Mike D’Antoni named head coach. However, with the faster tempo Lee’s stats should rise naturally and he should be able to hoard a lot of rebounds — especially offensive rebounds.

Nene, Denver Nuggets
With Marcus Camby traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, the starting job in Denver falls to Nene. Although he’s been more promise than production in his career, he has the ability to be a player who averages close to a double-double with a healthy amount of blocks.

Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
If Love is given center eligibility in your fantasy basketball league, consider him a possible sleeper for the 2008 season. At UCLA, Love had a very varied game and could be helpful across the board. He should get time next to Al Jefferson in Minnesota.

Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls
In his rookie season, Joakim Noah wasn’t too impressive. That said, he had spurts of good performance and should get a chance to win a full-time starting gig. If he does, look for him to put up solid numbers in points, rebounds, blocks and steals.

5) Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trail Blazers
Although it’s definitely a long shot, Rudy Fernandez has a chance to win the 2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year award. He’s the most hyped player coming from the NBA from Europe and showed in the Olympics that he has an immense amount of talent.

4) Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
The number one pick of the 2008 NBA Draft doesn’t have the best chance of winning the award for the NBA’s best rookie. He’s playing on a team that has a lot of good players and he may not be forced into a large amount of minutes in his first season.

3) OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies
If there is one thing OJ Mayo can do it is score the basketball. And since Rookie of the Year voting a lot of times comes down to scoring average, Mayo has a decent shot to take home the award.

2) Michael Beasley, Miami Heat
Michael Beasley can score and rebound at a very high level. If he gets enough touches in the Miami Heat offense, he could run away with this award. However, with Dwyane Wade needing a lot of shots, Beasley might have to defer in his rookie season.

1) Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers
After missing his entire first season after undergoing microfracture surgery on his knee, Greg Oden is back and is eligible for the Rookie of the Year award. He’s one of the best center prospects to come out in a while and he’ll be in the spotlight all season long.

Can Derrick Rose surprise many and take home the ROY award?

Photo: Newscom

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When Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers was dominating during his 2007-08 MVP season, he drew many comparisons to Michael Jordan. However, in un-Jodarn like fashion, Bryant’s season came to an end after losing in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

Recently, Michael Jordan was asked who is a better basketball — Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan in his prime. Do you want to know what he said? Watch this video and hear Jordan answer the Michael Jordan versus Kobe Bryant question himself:

Check out this video of Michael Beasley getting blocked by Cedric Simmons. Beasley, who was playing in his first NBA summer league game, was blocked while attempting to dunk the ball.

However, Beasley had the last laugh as the Miami Heat beat the Chicago Bulls by a final score of 94-70. In 23 minutes, Beasley scored 28 points and handily outplayed Derrick Rose — the player who went before Beasley in the 2008 NBA Draft. Rose finished with ten points, five turnovers and four assists.

Here is the Michael Beasley video of him getting blocked:

Chris Duhon, formerly of the Chicago Bulls, has signed a free agent deal with the New York Knicks. Reports indicate that the value of the contract is $12M over two years.

While Duhon was only a spot starter in Chicago, he could become the opening night starter at point guard for the Knicks. With new coach Mike D’Antoni in charge, the Knicks needed a pass-first point guard who can distribute the ball. Enter Duhon.

While Duhon isn’t much of a scorer, he is a good passer. He makes smart passes and doesn’t try to force the issue too much. When it comes to scoring, Duhon relies on three-pointers and catch-and-shoot jumpers.

Although Duhon fantasy basketball stock won’t be overly high heading into the 2008-09 season, he definitely is a sleeper. D’Antoni helped Steve Nash turn into a Hall of Fame point guard. While Duhon doesn’t have that sort of potential, he could turn into a player who averages around ten points, eight assists and a good amount of steals and three-pointers.

Can Mike D’Antoni work his point guard magic with Chris Duhon?

Photo: Newscom