“I was cursing and screaming and trying to make them shoot me up,” explained O’Neal, “but they wouldn’t do it.”

For fantasy basketball owners, they’ll be happy to learn that O’Neal plans to return on Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons. On the season, the Big Clevelander is averaging 11.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 blocks. He’s hitting 53.2% of his field goals but only 47.4% of his free throws.

Even though his free throw percentage limits his fantasy basketball value, the good news is that O’Neal has cut down on his turnovers — averaging a career-low 1.4 per game.

As the season goes along, expect Shaq to become a bigger part of the Cavs attack. He probably won’t average more than 14 or 15 points but expect him to remain efficient everywhere except for at the free throw line.

Shaquille O'Neal will return from injury soon (Image: Zuma Press)

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As for the fantasy basketball world, this news doesn’t change much. If anything, it might be good news. With the Cavs facing a lot of pressure to win and keep LeBron happy, they will spend to put good players around him. With that in mind, LeBron should continue to have enough talent around him to continue to be a fantasy basketball force.

This summer, the big news for Cleveland was the addition of Shaquille O’Neal. While Shaq clogs the lane, he’s proven to help perimeter players — just ask Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.

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For both sides, this deal would make a lot of sense. For the Cavs, they desperately need to give LeBron James a running mate. Considering that Shaq is coming off of a very good season, he could still get the job done in the middle. At the worst, he’ll give the opponent another player to think about outside of LeBron.

For the Suns, Shaq doesn’t have much use to them. They need to rebuild and trading away Shaq can save money and open up playing time. The Suns owners don’t have endless pockets so if they can save millions of dollars, don’t look for them to pass up the opportunity.

In terms of fantasy basketball, Shaq probably would see his stats go down. He’ll be a year older and he will likely be getting fewer touches. Plus, like usual, his low free throw percentage and high turnover rate limit his fantasy value.

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This would be a big blow to the Cavs. Wallace isn’t the dominant defensive force he used to be but he’s still a very good defender who doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective. With LeBron James doing most of the offensive work, Wallace has been free to concentrate on defense and rebounding — a role he does very well.

Obviously, take Wallace out of your lineup for the rest of the regular season. If you are participating in playoffs fantasy basketball, even a healthy Wallace only holds a little bit amount of value. His inability to score and his low free throw shooting percentage negates a lot of his positives.

If Wallace is out for an extended amount of time, expect Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao to eat up most of the bigman minutes. Joe Smith will also see a healthy uptick in minutes.

Here is a Ben Wallace highlight reel video:

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2. Boston Celtics
The reigning NBA champions haven’t looked as dominant as usual as of late. Their lack of depth has been apparent and their Big Three doesn’t always have the needed juice on a game by game basis. That said, they are still the team to beat until someone ends their back-to-back dreams.

3. Orlando Magic
If it wasn’t for their lack of experience, the Magic could very well have the top spot in these 2009 NBA power rankings. The Magic have Dwight Howard in the middle and a bunch of great shooters surrounding him. They will be a tough out in the playoffs.

4. Los Angeles Lakers
Not too long ago, the Lakers looked like they might be the best team in the NBA. But a recent two-game losing streak has exposed a few weaknesses. However, they are dealing with injuries right now and once healthy, expect them to move back into the top three.

5. San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs always seem to hang around near the top. They aren’t going to be the favorite this season but they are another team that no one wants to face in the postseason. If they stay healthy, they’ll have a shot to win it all.

Photo credit: Newscom

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Kris Humphries, Toronto Raptors
With new coach Jay Triano now in charge of the Raptors after Sam Mitchell got fired, there’s some rumblings that Kris Humphries could see his minutes rise. Andre Bargnani isn’t defending well and Humphries could be the next in line for bigman minutes. His high PER suggests that he could do a good job if asked to take on a bigger load.

Matt Bonner, San Antonio Spurs
Matt Bonner has a good PER and is now starting at center for the Spurs. If he continues to get enough minutes, Bonner is helpful mostly due to his ability to make three-pointers from the center position. He’s also not a bad rebounder and he doesn’t make a lot of mistakes with the ball.

JJ Hickson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Although JJ Hickson is still a raw player, he has produced when the Cavs have put him on the floor. He’s a very good athlete at the power forward position who can score, rebound and block shots. If minutes open up due to injury or poor play, Hickson could step through the door and explode onto the scene.

Photo credit: Newscom

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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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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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Delonte West, who was one of the best players for the Cleveland Cavaliers last year in the NBA playoffs, has re-signed with the Cavs. The Cavs acquired West from the Seattle Supersonics in the three-team mega deal that also brought Ben Wallace to Cleveland.

Last year in the playoffs, West started at point guard. This year, things will be different. The Cavs traded for Mo Williams and he will be the team’s starting point guard. However, that doesn’t mean West won’t play. He should see many minutes behind Williams and even next to Williams.

As far as fantasy basketball is concerned, West is still an intriguing fantasy prospect. He can score a bit, pass adequately, get some steals and he’s a pretty good rebounder for his size. If he gets enough minutes, he could be a player that helps you out in a lot of statistical categories. The main question will be how much he’s going to play.

Look for Williams, West and Daniel Gibson to vie for minutes next to LeBron James in the 2008-09 NBA season for the Cavs.

Photo: Newscom

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1. Boston Celtics – The defending champs are the team to beat.
2. Los Angeles Lakers – The Lakers with Andrew Bynum will be tough.
3. San Antonio Spurs – The Spurs always seem to lurk near the top.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers – With the addition of Mo Williams, watch out.
5. New Orleans Hornets – James Posey will add a mean streak in NO.
6. Detroit Pistons – The Pistons should once again win a lot of games.
7. Houston Rockets – Ron Artest could make the Rockets great.
8. Utah Jazz – The Jazz might be a tad overrated heading into 2008.
9. Phoenix Suns – The window is closing fast for the Suns.
10. Orlando Magic – Dwight Howard will make sure the Magic win.

Here is a Dwight Howard highlight reel video:

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