C Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons
It seemed like Ben Wallace’s career was over. In the last few seasons, he did next to nothing. But he’s starting for the Pistons at center and he’s putting up stats. It might not last but he’s valuable for the time being.

PF Marreese Speights, Philadelphia 76ers
Although Marreese Speights might not get many minutes on a consistent basis, his per-minute numbers have been very good so far in his NBA career. If there’s an injury to the front line, his value would skyrocket. As it is, he holds a decent amount of value.

SF Danilo Gallinari, New York Knicks
If you are in a league that values three-point shooting, Danilo Gallinari is a player you should get on your team. Playing for Mike D’Antoni in New York, Gallinari is sure to hoist a ton of threes this season.

Danilo Gallinari - New York Yankees (Image: Zuma Press)

SG Rasual Butler, Los Angeles Clippers
Although he’s coming off the bench, Rasual Butler has a steady role so far for the Clippers. He’ll help you in three-pointers made and he can pick up stats in a variety of categories. Not a great fantasy option but he’s a solid filler with upside.

PG Jason Williams, Orlando Magic
It’s difficult to roster a backup point guard in most fantasy basketball formats, but if it makes sense in your situation, go ahead and pickup Jason Williams. He could put up very good per-minute stats playing with a talented Orlando squad. He’s averaging nearly ten points and seven assists in his first two games of the 2009-10 NBA season.

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Danilo Gallinari - Image: Newscom

In the middle of January, Gallinari returned to the court and was actually quite impressive. Showing a wide array of skills, Gallinari even caught the eye of many fantasy basketball owners. He seemed a perfect fit for Mike D’Antoni’s run-and-gun offense.

But now Gallinari’s back is hurting him once again. The Knicks allowed him to fly to Italy to get a second opinion. There is even talk of him requiring back surgery.

While any type of surgery will force him to miss the rest of the season, he may be out for the season even if he doesn’t go under the knife. The Knicks will play it safe with the 20-year-old rookie, so don’t expect to see any more of him this season. If you have him in a redraft fantasy basketball league, it’s safe to drop him.

In dynasty leagues, Gallinari still has a decent amount of upside. However, his back problems will hamper his stock until he proves he will be able to fully recover.

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Here is the Gallinari summer league highlight video:

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Pictured is Danilo Gallinari, who is considered the best draft prospect on the list below.

International Early Entry Candidates
Alexis Ajinca
Nicolas Batum
Rodrigue Beaubois
Mikheil Berishvili
Omri Casspi
Victor Claver
Nando de Colo
Danilo Gallinari
Serge Ibaka
Sergey Ilin
Joe Ingles
Jonas Jerebko
Mladen Jeremic
Maxym Korniyenko
Luc Louves
Rudy Mbemba
Henk Norel
Maxim Sheleketo
Giorgi Shermadini
Ante Tomic
Maksym Vilkhovetskyi
Ronalds Zakis

Photo: Newscom

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At 6-foot-9, Gallinari has varied skills that have scouts thinking he can play either shooting guard or point guard. There are even some scouts who think Gallinari has the ball handling ability and the passing ability to play a bit at point guard if needed.

When watching Gallinari, the thing that first becomes obvious is his ability to score the basketball. For a young player in Europe, he has posted very good scoring numbers and that should be his main strength in the NBA. He can score off the dribble and with range.

The biggest question marks surrounding Gallinari aren’t anything he has done – rather it is the history of recent overseas prospects. Andrea Bargnani was the first overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft and he has been a bust so far for the Toronto Raptors. Last year, the Golden State Warriors picked Marco Belinelli in the first round and Belinelli was a disappointment in his rookie season. These two recent cases of Italian prospects underperforming in the NBA will have scouts questioning themselves up until Gallinari proves he’s a capable NBA player.

Check out this Danilo Gallinari video:

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Nicolas Batum, France
Batum is a 6-foot-8 small forward prospect who has a nice amount of skill. While he’s not a pure jump shooter yet, his all-around abilities have scouts loving his long-term potential. If he plays well in workouts, he could move into the top five players drafted in 2008.

Danilo Gallinari, Italy
Gallinari is 6-foot-9 but he has the skills to perhaps play shooting guard in the NBA. His quickness isn’t great but he’s a good ballhandler and has shown the ability to score from a lot of different areas of the court. Gallinari could become a top ten player but more than likely he’ll fall at around 15.

Serge Ibaka, Congo
Ibaka is an athletic freak who at 6-foot-10 should be able to play some minutes at center in the NBA. He’s a very raw player who could be drafted anywhere from the lottery to the end of the second round depending on his workouts. At this point, he’s basically an unknown quantity who has wowed scouts with his athleticism.

Nathan Jawai, Australia
At 6-foot-10 and 280 pounds, Jawai is a big prospect – literally. He has a good feel for the game but there are still a lot of question marks regarding his abilities. Playing in Australia, the competition isn’t too high. However, his size will get him drafted if he’s able to show potential in his workouts before the draft.

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