While it’s early, the 2008-09 fantasy basketball mock drafts are starting to come out. Here is our current top ten heading into next season:
1) Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
After an amazing fantasy season, Chris Paul is the no-brainer pick for the top spot in next year’s fantasy basketball draft. He’s a superstar who can be counted on to produce great things on a nightly basis.
2) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe Bryant has a big name and a big fantasy game to match. He’s a very solid piece to build your team around. He doesn’t do much poorly and he’s someone …read more

Los Angeles Lakers – 3
Denver Nuggets – 0
The Lakers are dominating the Nuggets and the Nuggets seem to be splintering. This could very likely end in a sweep.
New Orleans Hornets – 3
Dallas Mavericks – 1
The Hornets got a big win in Game 4. It’s looking like the end of the Mavs is near.
San Antonio Spurs – 3
Phoenix Suns – 1
The Suns avoided getting swept by winning Game 4. However, the Spurs remain in control of this series.
Houston Rockets – 1
Utah Jazz – 3
The Rockets have fought hard despite being undermanned. That said, the Jazz advancing is just a formality.
Boston Celtics …read more

Josh Howard of the Dallas Mavericks admitted to smoking marijuana in the offseason while on Michael Irvin’s radio show in Dallas. While Howard isn’t expected to be penalized by either the NBA or the Mavs for his comments, could there be an impact on his fantasy basketball worth?
It’s doubtful Howard will lose significant fantasy value but he may be put under the microscope. I’m sure David Stern wasn’t happy with the comments and may try to make an example out of Howard. A really random drug test for Howard may be in the cards.
Overall though, if you have Howard on …read more

1) Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
The main knock on Marcus Camby through the years has been his inability to stay healthy. This season, Camby only missed three games. Fantasy-wise, Camby was the most dominant fantasy basketball center in 2008 – easily. His rebounds and blocks made him a one-man wrecking crew.
2) Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
Pau Gasol’s game really exploded once he hit Los Angeles. He was ranked highly going into the season and showed glimpses of reaching his very high potential. In coming seasons, Gasol will be a fantasy basketball force.
3) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
If it wasn’t for injury, Yao …read more

Although AJ Abrams declared for the 2008 NBA Draft, most draft experts believe that Abrams will end up returning to the University of Texas. While Abrams is a solid talent, he isn’t a first round prospect at this point. If he returns to Texas, his stock will likely rise enough for him to be a legitimate prospect in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Size is the biggest concern for Abrams. At 5-foot-11 and 155 pounds, Abrams is one of the tinniest draft prospects in recent history. What compounds that problem is that he hasn’t shown much of an …read more

Bad news for Gilbert Arenas. Although the Washington Wizards were able to win Game 3, Arenas seemingly suffered another setback. Arenas left the game with an injury to his surgically repaired knee.
It’s the same knee that forced Arenas to miss last year’s playoffs and almost the entire regular season. The good news is that the injury is being called a bruised knee. Currently, it isn’t believed that Arenas suffered any structural damage.
Down 0-2 in the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Wizards blew out the Cavs 108-72. Before leaving with injury, Arenas played ten minutes …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

While there are a lot of point guards in the 2008 NBA Draft, DJ Augustin is unique in many ways. The University of Texas point guard is expected to be drafted at some point in the first round, most likely between picks 12 and 20.
The first thing you notice about Augustin is his size – or lack thereof. At 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Augustin is a tiny NBA prospect. While he’s not going to get any taller, he could help himself by adding some strength and muscle to his frame.
What NBA scouts like about Augustin is his point guard ability. …read more

There might not be a prospect in the 2008 NBA Draft as polarizing as DeAndre Jordan. Jordan, who played only one season at Texas A&M, wasn’t too impressive in college. However, NBA teams are salivating over his combination of size and athleticism.
At 7-feet and 250 pounds, Jordan definitely has the size to be a center in the NBA. And 19-years-old, Jordan will undoubtedly get bigger and stronger. A number of scouts believe he’s the best true center prospect in the 2008 draft.
On the other hand, there are a number of scouts who aren’t convinced he’s anything more than a project …read more

While the Los Angeles Lakers were holding out hope that Andrew Bynum would be able to return at some point in the playoffs, those chances seem to be diminishing by the day. Bynum has already been ruled out of the first round of the playoffs and head coach Phil Jackson is now talking like Bynum’s season is officially over.
“I think without a doubt that Andrew would come off the bench, and we would play him a little bit off the bench if there was any chance that he could come back and play again, but it’s such a remote …read more