Marcus Camby, Los Angeles Clippers
Although Marcus Camby has been a very good fantasy basketball player the last few years, look for his reign of dominance to come to an end. First of all, Camby is always an injury risk and he’s dodged quite a few bullets the last couple of years. Second of all, the Clippers will play at a much slower pace than the Nuggets. That in itself will lower his stats across the board. There is also some question regarding how well he will mesh on the court next to Chris Kaman.

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
Pau Gasol is a very good NBA player but he may take a hit in the fantasy world this year. With Andrew Bynum next to him, he’ll likely have to forgo some of the touches downlow that he got all of last season. Additionally, Bynum will likely take away some of the rebounds and blocks that Gasol was getting. His shooting percentages should go up but that in itself won’t make up for the loss of production elsewhere.

Brad Miller, Sacramento Kings
The first strike against Brad Miller is the fact that he’s suspended to start the season. More importantly, he doesn’t quite fit the Kings any longer. The Kings are rebuilding for the future while Miller is already in his prime. In order to take a look at young players, don’t be surprised if Miller sees his minutes limited and other bigs on the roster such as Jason Thompson, Shelden Williams and Spencer Hawes get their opportunities in the sun.

Shawn Marion, Miami Heat
Although Shawn Marion is usually one of the safer bets in all of fantasy basketball, his situation just isn’t as great as usual this year. He no longer has Steve Nash helping him out and is instead in a lame duck type situation with the Heat due to his expiring contract. Not only that, the Heat have a lot of players that could get time at the forward positions including Michael Beasley, Udonis Haslem, James Jones, Dorell Wright and Yakhouba Diawara.

Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
Before you look at his stats and conclude that he had a good season last year, don’t forget to look at his playoff statistics. With the Jazz trying to make a run in the Western Conference, Boozer was oftentimes the team’s weakest link. He’ll likely bounce back but he showed a lot of vulnerability during the 2008 playoffs.

Antawn Jamison, Washington Wizards
Early in preseason play Antawn Jamison went down with a knee injury. While he should be okay for the regular season opener, he’ll likely be slowed for a few more weeks. Additionally, Jamison is getting to the age where his stats should start to decline. Some of his stats from last year, such as his rebounding numbers, will likely be on the decline this year.

Rasheed Wallace, Detroit Pistons
Rasheed Wallace has a lot of minor aspects that could make him a fantasy basketball bust in 2008. First of all, the newly 34-year-old Wallace should start to see some of his physical skills decline soon. The Pistons are also interested in playing some of their young bigmen more such as Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell. Plus don’t forget that Joe Dumars is said to be thinking about breaking up the nucleus of the Pistons, which would most likely have a negative effect on Rasheed.

Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic
Hedo Turkoglu has had a habit recently of alternating good seasons. Last year he played really well, so that’s not a good sign for the 2008-09 campaign. Additionally, the Magic will try to play more with Rashard Lewis at small forward, which could then force Turkoglu out of position. He should have a good season but last year was likely his peak.

Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers
With Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol up front, expect the Lakers to try Lamar Odom at small forward. Odom has been pretty decent at small forward in the past but he could very well struggle this season. He’s the type of player who needs the ball a lot to remain effective and consistent. This season, he will likely see the ball less than ever if all the Lakers remain healthy. That, combined with his position change (he was mostly a power forward last year), will likely cause Odom to struggle for portions of the season.

Jamario Moon, Toronto Raptors
Last season, Jamario Moon came out of nowhere and was one of the better stories in all of the NBA. This year, fantasy basketball owners have taken note and are now drafting him relatively high in fantasy drafts. While he may continue his play from last year, that isn’t set in stone. Head coach Sam Mitchell has proved time and again that he isn’t afraid to shakeup his lineup. If Moon is moved to the bench, he could very well become all but worthless in the fantasy world. Moon is a good prospect but still too unproven to bank on.

Shane Battier, Houston Rockets
In the last few seasons, Shane Battier has been a pretty good fantasy basketball player. However, take a closer look at his numbers and you’ll realize that a lot of his production was due to the fact that he played so many minutes. With stars such as Ron Artest and Tracy McGrady at the wing positions, Battier could see his minutes dip — which would make him much less of a fantasy commodity.

Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
Tracy McGrady has a lot of red flags going into the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season. First of all, he had offseason surgery and he has reportedly been slow to heal. Then you have to factor in Ron Artest getting a lot of his touches. Finally, McGrady’s wear and tear over the years looks like it is going to catch up to him sooner than later. Don’t be fooled by his name during your fantasy draft.

Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
Last season, most of Ray Allen’s stats dipped during the regular season. He struggled during much of the playoffs, however all of that was forgiven when he bounced back with a good showing in the Finals. That said, Allen very well could take another step down and become more of a role player instead of a star.

Raymond Felton, Charlotte Bobcats
After struggling to run the offense, Raymond Felton was played a lot at shooting guard in the last couple seasons. With new head coach Larry Brown now in charge, he won’t put up with a point guard that can’t run an offense. Felton may be in for a long season and Brown is sure to give him tough love. Steer clear of this situation if you can.

Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix Suns
When Mike D’Antoni was set free, many in the Phoenix area pointed to his use of Leandro Barbosa as a reason why. D’Antoni was a big believer in Barbosa and now with D’Antoni in New York, Barbosa could see his playing time and production slip heavily. New coach Terry Porter won’t hesitate to use a defensive player instead of Barbosa if Barbosa doesn’t improve his D drastically. Stay away from Barbosa during at least the beginning of the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season until we see exactly how he will be utilized.

Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons
While Chauncey Billups could have another solid season, there are some red flags. First of all, he has Rodney Stuckey behind him and Stuckey is viewed as the future of the franchise in Detroit. Second of all, Joe Dumars seems ready and willing to trade Billups if the right trade becomes available. If Billups ends up in a bad situation, his value could plummet.

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.

Just over five weeks into 2008, let’s take a look at the biggest fantasy basketball busts of the 2008 calendar year so far . . .

Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets
After cashing in this past summer, Vince Carter has been a huge disappointment this season for the Nets. In 2008, he has been even more disappointing. His shooting percentages are down and he’s not playing with any type of fire.

Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
Although he has battled various injuries, Tracy McGrady just isn’t playing well enough when he does play. Fantasy owners who used a high draft pick on McGrady and really disappointed with what they’ve received this season.

Ricky Davis, Miami Heat
With all the struggling and injuries on the Heat, you’d think Ricky Davis would at least be putting up numbers. However, that hasn’t been the case at all and as of late, he’s been one of the worst players on the team.

Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors
The 2007 NBA Draft’s number one overall pick, Andrea Bargnani is looking like a total bust. In 2008, despite starting, Bargnani has looked horrible for the Raptors. While he’s still young, Toronto would like to see some improvement out of their second year player.

Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
Although the Jazz have been winning at a healthy clip, Carlos Boozer’s numbers haven’t been too impressive in 2008. His numbers have fallen from where they were earlier in the season and the bad news for fantasy owners is there’s little sign that the numbers will go back up.

I’ll take a look at some Week 1 busts and breakdown whether there is any hope for the player as the season progresses.

Kirk Hinrich, Chicago Bulls
Hinrich has been horrible over his first four games. He seemingly can’t do anything right and is a big reason why the Bulls sit at 0-4. Is there hope? Yes. He’ll be fine. Consider it a mini-slump that he’ll get over within a few games.

Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee Bucks
Villanueva has been shooting the ball horribly and still can’t seem to get back into the flow that he had as a rookie. Is there hope? A little bit. He’s in a bad situation, fantasy wise. He’s behind Yi Jianlian in the rotation and it doesn’t appear that he’s going to get minutes anytime soon.

Mike Conley, Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
Conley, Jr. can’t get on the floor for the Grizzlies. With Damon Stoudamire and Kyle Lowry ahead of him in the rotation, the rookie out of Ohio State is stuck at the end of the bench. Is there hope? In dynasty leagues, definitely. In redraft leagues, it’s best to cut bait now.

Jarrett Jack, Portland Trail Blazers
Jack has been awful to begin the season. The bad news for Jack is he has a lot of point guards behind him who can and will step it up if he flounders. Steve Blake, Sergio Rodriguez and Taurean Green are just waiting for an opportunity. Is there hope? Yes but he better turn it around quickly.

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