1. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
It’s difficult to pass on LeBron James when you have the first pick in your fantasy basketball draft, however Chris Paul is actually the better pick. He’s a basketball stud who has almost no downside.

2. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
On talent alone, there’s no player in the NBA who can match LeBron James. If you have a top-two selection, picking LeBron isn’t a bad move at all.

3. Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers
Even though he might not be a household name, Danny Granger’s game is built for fantasy basketball. As long as he stays healthy, he’s an all-around producer who will help your team every night.

4. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
If you want to shoot for the stars, go with Kevin Durant. He’s a superstar in the making and could make a massive jump in fantasy value this season.

5. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade has been a walking injury concern as of late. But when he’s healthy and playing his best, there are few players in the league that can match his production.

6. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
While Kobe Bryant is no doubt a fantastic player, there’s some question about his fantasy worth this coming year. With so much talent around him, he may not have to carry as big of a load as usual.

Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers (Image: Zuma Press)

7. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
Yes, his free throw shooting is horrible. But he showed improvement at times in the playoffs last year and the rest of his game is so dominant that he’s worth a top ten fantasy basketball draft selection.

8. Deron Williams, Utah Jazz
Last year, Deron Williams was somewhat disappointing at times. But now that he’s fully healed from injury, Williams has the potential to become an absolute fantasy stude.

9. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
With his personal problems behind him, you have to think that Dirk Nowitzki is geared to have a very good season. He brings a lot of value to your fantasy team — especially in terms of three-point shooting.

10. Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Heading into the 2010 free agent market, Chris Bosh as every reason to have a monster season. Plus, the Raptors will want to keep him happy with plenty of touches. He doesn’t have a tremendous ceiling but he should be very, very good.

Chris Bosh - Toronto Raptors (Image: Zuma Press)

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For fantasy basketball purposes, this would be very good news for Emeka Okafor. While he seems to have hit a production ceiling with the Bobcats, he could become a much more efficient player if put next to Chris Paul. As we’ve seen with Chandler, Paul is very good at setting up easy shots for his bigmen.

On the other hand, Chandler going to the Bobcats would rob practically his entire fantasy basketball value. Considering that Chandler is trying to overcome a couple of injuries and recently failed an NBA physical, he likely wouldn’t be worth drafting in fantasy basketball if this trade goes through.

If the Bobcats make this move, it’ll likely be due to economics. Chandler has much less money left on his deal compared to Okafor.

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1) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Far and away, LeBron is the best fantasy player on the planet right now. Especially in the playoffs since his road to the NBA Finals looks like it’s clear sailing due to Kevin Garnett’s injury.

2) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe is basically the LeBron of the Western Conference bracket. He has a great chance to make it back to the Finals and should post great numbers along the way.

3) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
In the first round of the playoffs, the Heat are forced on the road to take on the Hawks. Wade is undoubtedly leave it all on the line and could help Miami pull the upset.

4) Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
With Garnett out, expect Pierce to show the heart of a champion. He’s going to come out blazing and his all-around game will be on full display.

5) Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
The Hornets might be a seventh seed on paper but CP3 is going to put up great stats for however long the Hornets remain in the playoffs.

Chris Paul 2009 mix:

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Deron Williams, Utah Jazz
Early in the season, Deron Williams missed time due to an ankle injury. Even when he got back on the court, he wasn’t playing that well. But now he seems like he’s close to 100% and he’s back to be a very good fantasy option. His assists per game is up over 10 for the month of January.

Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
For a player who is averaging 11 assists on the season, it’s no surprise that he’s one of the best passers in the month of January. That said, his assists per game this month is slightly under 10, which means he’s in a slump, relatively of course.

Rajon Rondo, Boston Celtics
For those who drafted Rajon Rondo, they have to be pleasantly surprised by the number of assists he’s averaging this season. In January alone, he’s averaging 8.8 assists per game. Combine that with his shooting percentage, rebounds and steals and Rondo is a very solid fantasy contributor.

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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.

Photo credit: Newscom

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5. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
If the Rockets can live up to their lofty expectation and Tracy McGrady can stay healthy all year, T-Mac has a chance to be in the MVP running. He’s an immensely talented player who could impress a lot of voters this season. Staying healthy will be a challenge, however.

4. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
In the Olympics, no player looked as surprisingly good as Dwyane Wade. Wade looked like it was the 2006 NBA Finals all over again. If he can remain healthy and lead the Miami Heat back into the playoffs, he should get a few MVP votes.

3. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers should once again be very good. Kobe Bryant should once again be very good. The only thing that is a negative for Bryant in the MVP chase is the fact that he won the award last year. The MVP voters could be wanting to give it to someone new.

2. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Many NBA experts thought that Chris Paul deserved the MVP last season. If he can have another great season and help the Hornets achieve their lofty goals, there is no reason to not expect CP3 to be near the top of the voting again.

1. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
The time has come for LeBron James to win the MVP award. He’s arguably the best player in the league who hasn’t won the MVP and after a strong Olympics showing, he should be primed and ready to take home that trophy this year.

How good can LeBron James be in the 2008-09 season? MVP good?

Photo: Newscom

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PG Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
For the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season, Chris Paul was the best player in the world. He had an amazing season and was a godsend to all of his fantasy teams. Going forward, Paul should remain the best fantasy point guard for a long time to come.

SG Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
Manu Ginobili doesn’t play big minutes. Heck, Ginobili usually doesn’t even start. However, when he’s out there on the court, Ginobili just knows how to make things happen. While he can be a mistake prone player, he’s also capable of getting as hot as anyone.

SF Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
Life is good for Paul Pierce right now. First he won the championship while bringing up the Finals MVP. Then Pierce got pulled over and passed three straight sobriety tests. Out of the Big Three for the Celtics, Pierce has the brightest future.

PF Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Although he has struggled with injuries in the past, Amare Stoudemire has emerged as a very good fantasy basketball player. Playing next to Shaquille O’Neal should open up his game and allow him to do big things in 2008-09.

C Marcus Camby, Los Angeles Clippers
Marcus Camby is far from the best fantasy center in the NBA. However, Camby is unique in that he concentrates on blocking shots, rebounding and passing the ball. Every fantasy team can use an unselfish player such as Camby.

Photo: Newscom

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Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Michael Redd each had 20 points for Team USA. Wade, who missed the end of the NBA season due to injury, looked especially strong. Kobe Bryant, Deron Williams and Chris Paul each chipped in double-digit points.

LeBron James’ ankle injury forced him to miss the game.

Here is a video of Team USA’s win against Canada:

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Paul extending with the Hornets should erase any doubts about him in the coming years. He’s in a perfect system in New Orleans and is playing for a coach who lets him do whatever he wants on the basketball court. There is no evidence to suggest that Paul won’t keep getting better and better.

In his third season in the NBA, Paul averaged 21.1 points, 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals. In the fantasy basketball world, he was the game’s best player during the 2007-08 season. In the NBA world, he placed second in the MVP voting behind Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers.

In fantasy basketball drafts for the 2008-09 season, Paul should be considered a very safe bet for the top pick.

Here is a Chris Paul Highlight video:

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