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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The timing for this injury is extremely unfortunate for the Cavs. The Cavs trail the Celtics 3-2 and now face a must-win Game 6 without Gibson. In the playoffs, Gibson is averaging nine points per game on 44.9% shooting from the field.

Even if the Cavs can beat the Celtics in Game 6, Gibson will be out for Game 7 as well. If the Cavs come back to win the series, it’s also likely that Gibson will miss the entire series against the Detroit Pistons.

Expect Delonte West to play more minutes now that Gibson is out. West and Gibson had been sharing minutes at point guard. Damon Jones could also be in line for more minutes, especially if the Celtics aggressively double-team LeBron James to get the ball out of his hands.

Photo: Newscom

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In the fantasy basketball world, this trade will make a big splash. All four of the players the Cavs received should see at least a short-term raise in their value. Wallace should start at power forward. Szczerbiak has a good chance at starting at a guard position. West has a chance to start at point guard. Smith likely won’t start but he’ll play a lot.

The biggest winner of those four players is likely Szczerbiak who seems to be the perfect piece next to LeBron James. He’ll get tons of open shots in that system. West could also be a big winner if he becomes the full-time starting point guard. Wallace could possibly start producing more now that he’s on a winner. Smith’s production should close to his previous levels.

Of the new Bulls, Larry Hughes is the player to watch. He could never play well next to LeBron, however he was a fantasy stud back before he went to Cleveland. Now that he’s on a new team, there’s a chance he could flourish. Gooden’s production should be about the same, while Simmons and Brown likely won’t make a dent.

In Seattle, none of those three players will be fantasy relevant. Marshall might intrigue some with his three-point shooting, but he’d need to play big minutes to become worthwhile in the fantasy world.

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Kevin Durant
Durant has looked pretty good in his first two games. He’s not going to do much other than score but there’s no reason why he can’t average 18 to 22 points this season.

Chris Wilcox
Wilcox seems to really be playing well this season. He’s more involved and is playing better defense. He looks like a very good fantasy player this season.

Damien Wilkins
Wilkins was overlooked by most fantasy owners, but it appears he may be second in line next to Durant as far as scoring goes for the Sonics. He’s always had a lot of natural talent and if he can start to live up to his talent, he could become a very nice fantasy player.

Nick Collison
Collison is putting up nice numbers right now as the starting center. However, be aware that Robert Swift is out injured. When Swift returns, he could take over the starting center spot.

Earl Watson
Watson appears to have won the starting point guard job. So far he’s been decent, but hasn’t really separated himself as the clear cut point guard for the team yet.

Delonte West
Always a fantasy favorite, West is off to a relatively slow start this season. The good news is it appears as if he’s the backup point guard. The bad news is his minutes will probably remain erratic.

Jeff Green
Green was the fifth pick of the draft but he doesn’t look quite ready this year. He could be a year or two away from being an everyday contributor. In dynasty formats, he’s a good player to target.

Wally Szczerbiak
Szczerbiak doesn’t look to be a huge part of this team at all. In fact, he’s not rosterable in most fantasy formats.

Luke Ridnour
Ridnour appears to be the odd man out for the Sonics. He’s currently third on the point guard depth charts. If you drafted him, it could be time to start looking elsewhere.

Check out NBA TV’s Sonics Preview …

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