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 you can trust to bring it. The Lakers depend on Bryant to produce every game.

3) Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Now that his injury troubles appear to be a thing of the past, Amare Stoudemire has to be regarded as the best fantasy bigman in the game. He can score and the scary thing is he’s still getting better and better.

4) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
There’s a good chance that LeBron James will be a top pick in next year’s fantasy basketball drafts. He’s really, really good in fantasy basketball, but his best value would be at around three or four instead of one or two.

5) Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
While Kevin Garnett was a bit of a disappointment this year, he can be trusted to give his all on a nightly basis. His numbers should get a bit better in his second year with the Boston Celtics.

6) Shawn Marion, Miami Heat
Next season, Shawn Marion will be a high-risk, high-reward fantasy pick. He’s no longer with the Phoenix Suns and that will make some fantasy owners nervous. But he’s still built to succeed in fantasy basketball.

7) Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
This might seem a bit high but Marcus Camby was a beast this season. If he can produce at a similar level next season, this would be a steal of a pick at number seven. He has a long history of injuries, so it’d definitely be risky.

8) Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
With Jason Kidd at his side for a whole season, Dirk Nowitzki will likely have a very good season next year. He started slow this season but that isn’t likely to happen with Kidd feeding him on a nightly basis.

9) Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
His first full season as a member of the Lakers will catapult Pau Gasol into superstardom. His fantasy numbers will be very solid next year and he has a chance to be a top flight center.

10) Caron Butler, Washington Wizards
Caron Butler was one of the best fantasy players this season. However, a lot of that was due to Gilbert Arenas being injured. That said, Butler is still worth a high pick because he dominates in so many statistics.

For more mock drafts, check out DC Pro Sports Report.

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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 – 2
Atlanta Hawks – 1
While the Hawks have already won one more game than most thought, they still have virtually no chance to beat the Celtics.

Detroit Pistons – 2
Philadelphia 76ers – 2
The Pistons have had a lot of trouble with the Sixers but they are in good enough shape to advance.

Orlando Magic – 3
Toronto Raptors – 1
The Magic have Game 5 at home and will likely put the Raptors out of their misery.

Cleveland Cavaliers – 3
Washington Wizards – 1
The Wizards have been physical with LeBron James but LeBron is getting the last laugh.

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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 your dynasty fantasy basketball team, you don’t have much to worry about. It was a stupid and unnecessary comment but it will likely try to be swept under the rug.

Currently, Howard’s main focus should be on helping the Mavericks overcome the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the 2008 NBA playoffs. Howard is struggling with his shot, shooting 28.6% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the three-point arc. For the Mavs to have success in the playoffs, they need better play from Howard on the court and less comments from him off the court.

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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 Ming would have finished as a top-two center in fantasy basketball. His numbers weren’t as impressive as past years but Yao was very solid. However, in coming seasons, fantasy owners will be worried about whether or not he’ll ever be able to remain healthy.

4) Chris Kaman, Los Angeles Clippers
Of the centers this season, Chris Kaman was the surprise of the season. He produced at a high rate for a large portion of the year. With Elton Brand sidelined for much of the campaign, Kaman filled in nicely and produced comparable numbers.

5) Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
While Tim Duncan isn’t a great fantasy player, he was a solid force this season. He doesn’t’ play a huge amount of minutes, so his days of being a dominant fantasy player is over. In real life, though, Duncan is among the best who ever played.

Tim Duncan Mix …

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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 ability to play point guard. In this past season, he averaged 16.5 points but only 1.5 assists.

Abrams also hasn’t shown to be a great outside shooter. With a field goal percentage under 43%, NBA scouts wonder whether he’d be able to score on the NBA level.

Next year at Texas, Abrams will need to prove to NBA scouts that he can play point guard. With DJ Augustin likely headed to the NBA, Abrams should have a chance to win the team’s starting point guard job. If he can average around five assists and raise his field goal percentage to about 45%, he’ll have a shot of being a first round pick in 2009.

AJ Abrams Interview:

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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 and had two points and three assists.

Arenas having an issue with his troublesome knee has to concern fantasy basketball owners heading into the 2008-09 NBA season. It’s been over a year since Arenas was able to play pain-free and at 100%.

There is a good chance that the Wizards will hold out Arenas for the rest of the series against the Cavaliers – and perhaps for the rest of the playoffs.

Watch this recap of the game between the Wizards and Cavaliers:

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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 of his career but he had a good fantasy year. He was strong in the areas he was supposed to be strong in and stayed relatively healthy. If Jason Kidd stays on his side, expect him to put up better stats next year.

4) Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
One of the most underrated players in the NBA is Chris Bosh. He’s a young bigman who continues to get better and better. He’s basically like a Garnett-type player in the making. Next year expect him to take another big step forward.

5) Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
While Carlos Boozer’s stats weren’t as good as they were last year, he was a consistent threat throughout the season. He didn’t have too many bad games and stayed healthy. Over the next few years, Boozer will likely remain a steady fantasy force.

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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. While he can score the ball, he’s also a good playmaker. He has good toughness and the innate point guard skills that are important for success in the NBA.

Last year at Texas, Augustin averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 assists. At the college level, he’s shown the ability to hit the three-pointer. However, when Texas lost to Memphis during March Madness, Augustin didn’t play too well – finishing with 16 points and three assists on 4-for-18 shooting from the floor.

Augustin isn’t a perfect prospect but a team that wants to take a chance on a legit point guard will draft him at some point in the first round.

Texas vs OK State

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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 bigman. Jordan averaged approximately eight points and six rebounds in his freshman season. At the end of the season, Jordan wasn’t doing much of anything. Scouts have questioned his work ethic and his basketball IQ.

Despite those questions, size matters in the NBA draft. Jordan, based on his size and athleticism alone, will be a lottery pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. If he plays well in front of NBA scouts before the draft, he could even move into the top five picks.

Read about more 2008 NBA Draft Prospects.

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“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 thing,” Jackson told The Los Angeles Daily News. “We’re not seriously thinking about it.”

Even without Bynum, the Lakers were able to dominate in their first game of the playoffs. Defeating the Denver Nuggets 128-114, Pau Gasol led the way for Los Angeles with 36 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists. Kobe Bryant chipped in with 32 points.

If Bynum does indeed miss the rest of the season, Gasol would remain the team’s center. In the frontcourt, he’d likely continue to be joined by Lamar Odom and Vladimir Radmanovic at the forward positions. Derek Fisher joins Bryant in the backcourt.

Before getting hurt this season, Bynum was averaging 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He was also shooting 63.6% from the field.

Andrew Bynum before his injury:

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