For those playing playoff fantasy basketball, you now have eight teams to choose from instead of 16. Here is the fantasy All-Star team comprised of those players still alive in the 2009 NBA Playoffs:
C Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
After plenty of rest following his Game 6 suspension in the first round, look for Dwight Howard to try to beat up on the depleted Boston Celtics. With Kevin Garnett out, Howard could go off.
PF Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
The Nuggets are a difficult matchup but Dirk Nowitzki should be able to have a solid series. He started off slow against the San Antonio …read more

Rumors have been circulating recently that Shaquille O’Neal may wind up with the Dallas Mavericks for the 2009-10 NBA season. O’Neal is currently with the Phoenix Suns but there have been rumblings over the last few months that he may be on the move this summer.
At age 37, O’Neal is having one of his best seasons of the last half decade. In 30.4 minutes per game, O’Neal is averaging 18 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. He’s also shooting a career-high from both the field (61.2%) and his highest free throw percentage (60.5%) since the 2002-03 season.
Since losing …read more

5. Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Although Bosh had a stretch of the season in which he struggled, he’s back to playing great basketball. The acquisition of Shawn Marion has opened up his game a little bit and he’s able to concentrate more on scoring the basketball.
4. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron has been shooting the ball extremely well from the outside, shooting better than 41% on three-pointers in the month of March. If he can add good outside shooting to his repertoire, he’ll become even more impossible to defend.
3. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
His three-pointers aren’t dropping at their normal rate (30% …read more

Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
In Dwayne Wade’s last five games, the Heat guard is averaging 32 points, 6.2 assists and 6.2 rebounds. On top of those numbers, he’s averaging 1.8 blocks and 1.4 steals. While his struggling a bit from downtown, his field goal percentage has been solid.

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
In the month of December, Dirk Nowitzki has been on fire. He’s averaging more than 30 points and his rebounding numbers and shooting percentages are way up. Nowitzki had a slow start to the season but has recently regained his MVP form.
Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are a horrible basketball …read more

The big news for the Dallas Mavericks recently has been the absence of forward Josh Howard. Although Howard was listed as day-to-day, on Tuesday the team revealed that he’s been given a walking boot and will be sidelined for an indefinite period of time. For Howard fantasy owners, that means you probably will have to wait for at least another couple of weeks before getting him back in your lineup.
The odd aspect about Howard’s absence is that it has actually helped the Mavs. They are playing much better without him. The main reason why is the play of JJ Barea. …read more

In fantasy basketball, the players that help your free throw percentage the most are players who get to the line a lot and hit for a high percentage. Here is a look at fantasy basketball players who can get to the line and drain their attempts:
Dirk Nowtizki, Dallas Mavericks
If you have Dirk Nowitzki on your fantasy team, you have to love what he does for you at the free throw line. Not only does he get there often, he also is hitting over 90% from the charity stripe. Since he’s the Mavericks’ number one option offensively, he’ll have no trouble …read more

The Dallas Mavericks have roughly the same team that they had last season, but with a new coach at the helm, expect big changes. Rick Carlisle is promising to let the offense be faster paced than it was under Avery Johnson. He’s also going to make the defense more of a gambling unit than a bend-but-don’t-break unit.
All told, these changes should have positive effects on may of the players on the roster in terms of their fantasy basketball status. Dirk Nowitzki should see his scoring average rise and should also see more three-pointers. If his numbers would go down anywhere, …read more

Shortly after the Dallas Mavericks were eliminated from the 2008 NBA playoffs by the New Orleans Hornets, rumors surfaced that Avery Johnson will be fired. Johnson, the head coach of the Mavericks, is just a couple years removed from leading Dallas to the NBA Finals.
However, since that appearance in the Finals, everything has been downhill for Johnson and the Mavs. After getting up 2-0 in the Finals, the Miami Heat came back and won four straight games to claim the NBA championship. Last season, the Mavericks fell to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of …read more

1) Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
As the season went on, Amare Stoudemire got strong and stronger. By the last couple months of the season, Stoudemire was by far the best fantasy basketball bigman in the game. His past injury concerns are now behind him.
Amare Dunk Mix …

2) Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
The only reason Kevin Garnett slipped a bit in fantasy basketball was because the Celtics were just too good. With Garnett’s minutes down, his overall fantasy impact wasn’t as impressive. However, he was still a very good player this year.
3) Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki didn’t have the most consistent season …read more

The news surrounding Dirk Nowitzki is about as positive as fantasy owners could hope. The Dallas Mavericks star, who suffered what looked to be a gruesome injury against the San Antonio Spurs, could possible return as soon as the end of this coming week.
The chances seem slim that the injuries that Nowitzki suffered are seasoning-ending. Instead, it appears to now just be a matter of time. Friday, April 4th against the Los Angeles Lakers could possibly be the date that Nowitzki returns to the court for the Mavs.
Once Nowitzki is able to return, you should not hesitate at all in …read more