Thankfully, the surgery was a success and doctors no longer fear that Dunleavy’s career is in jeopardy. That said, he’s going to be sidelined for a long time. At the very earliest, the Pacers expect Dunleavy back on the court in January of 2010.

After averaging 19.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 82 games last season for the Pacers, Dunleavy was only able to play 18 games this year in which he averaged 15.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

In the early part of his career, Dunleavy was considered a bust while playing with the Golden State Warriors. After a trade to the Pacers in the middle of the 2006-07 season, the change of scenery did wonders for Dunleavy’s game and last year he blossomed.

For fantasy basketball purposes, Dunleavy would be a very risky pick in 2009-10 fantasy basketball drafts. He could miss half the season or he could miss the whole season if Indiana opts to bring him back slowly. As it looks right now, it’d be best to allow another fantasy owner take the risk.

Mike Dunleavy Video:

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Yao Ming, Houston Rockets (Image: Flickr)

Despite Yao’s optimism, any news regarding a foot injury is scary news. He has missed a lot of time in recent years with foot and leg injuries and with the playoffs starting on April 18th, the Rockets can’t afford to have him sidelined for too long.

In the fantasy basketball world, one interesting name that is relevant if Yao misses a game is Dikembe Mutombo. The 43-year-old filled in for Yao against the Warriors and had a very impressive outing. In 35 minutes, Mutuombo had ten points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Luis Scola is another player who would get increased touches with Yao out. Versus Golden State, Scola finished with 28 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes of play.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Recently, Stephen Jackson has been a very good fantasy basketball player. Over his last five games, Jackson is averaging more than 23 points, more than nine assists and nearly six rebounds. Additionally, he’s shooting well from both the field and from the free throw line.

If you have Jackson on your team, obviously you should sit him for Tuesday’s game if you have the chance. While the Warriors have a lot of players who can replace his production, the leading candidates include Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette. If you want to role the dice, you could pick up Kelenna Azubuike or Anthony Randolph and hope for a big game with Jackson out.

Although Don Nelson has indicated that he may rest some of his veteran players down the stretch, Jackson remains a must start in virtually every format. He turns the ball over and he can be streaky from the perimeter, however he’s too explosive and too productive to sit.

Source: Newscom

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Originally, Ellis told the Warriors that he got hurt playing basketball. But after a further investigation, Ellis admitted that he indeed got hurt in a moped accident. Since mopeds are outlawed in NBA contracts, the Warriors ended up suspending him for the first 30 games of the season.

Now that he’s back, he’s a very interesting fantasy basketball option. Last year he was a fantasy basketball sleeper who panned out in a big way. Can he reach his level from last season?

The biggest obstacle will be his health. His injuries were so serious that some in the Warriors’ organization initially worried that the injuries could be career-threatening. Obviously, pickup Monta Ellis if he is on the waiver wire but hold off trading for him until you see him on the court.

If Ellis appears healthy, he could quickly become a very good fantasy option. He plays for a Golden State team that needs help at point guard. Plus, playing for Don Nelson always helps out in the fantasy department. If everything goes well, you can expect Ellis to put up similar stats to last year while starting for the Warriors at point guard.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

While Davis was quick to shoot down Jackson’s remarks, there are a ton of fantasy basketball owners who would be all for the trade. With the Clippers, Davis hasn’t been much of a fantasy player this year. He’s averaging four less points, less steals, less rebounds and he’s shooting 36.1% from the field and 29.4% from beyond the three-point arc. The only good news is that his assists are slightly up while his turnovers are slightly down.

If you have Davis on your fantasy team, the best thing to do is wait it out. His field goal percentage is going to improve as he gets comfortable in Dunleavy’s offense. There’s also a chance that his assists will continue to improve if Davis becomes the distributor that Dunleavy wants him to be.

Obviously, a trade back to the Warriors would be great for his fantasy stats. However, that rumor appears to be dead and Davis appears locked into a Clippers uniform for the foreseeable future.

Photo credit: Newscom

Post from: Expert Fantasy

4. Sacramento Kings
With Kevin Martin struggling with an ankle injury, the Kings simply aren’t a good basketball team. They don’t have many quality scorers and the overall skill on the team isn’t very high. The good news is that the team has a couple of solid bigman prospects to hopefully build around.

3. Washington Wizards
Having lost seven in a row, the Wizards look totally lost. Gilbert Arenas is out and this year, the team is unable to stay afloat without him. While there’s veteran talent on this team, the Wizards’ guards are playing at a horribly low level right now.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves
Losers of 12 straight games, the T’Wolves are headed to another high lottery pick. Worse than even their record is the fact that the young players on the team — outside of Al Jefferson — don’t look overly promising. Minnesota appears to be in trouble for years to come.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder
While the Thunder are definitely the worst team in the league, their future actually looks somewhat bright. The young trio of Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook looks like a solid base. If they can add Nenad Krstic in the middle, they should be able to move up this list.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
At Kansas, Mario Chalmers was known as a player who could swipe steals at a stunning rate. While he’s been on and off in the steals department in the NBA, his overall rate is very encouraging. In a game earlier in the season, he had nine steals.

Trevor Ariza, Los Angeles Lakers
Trevor Ariza has been turning a lot of heads this season. One overlooked aspect regarding his production is his steals. He’s stealing the ball at a very good rate. If his minutes jump, as they very well could, he could very well be a challenger for the league lead.

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
One of the biggest reasons why the Thunder drafted Westbrook was his defense. He’s an aggressive defender who can rack up steals in a hurry. Now that he’s starting for Oklahoma City, expect his steals numbers to be very good for the foreseeable future.

CJ Watson, Golden State Warriors
CJ Watson is a short-term solution for steals. He has started some games recently for the Warriors but that will change once Monta Ellis is healthy. However, in the meantime, Watson uses his long arms and quick reflexes to pick up a lot of steals.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

The New York Knicks made a pair of trades on Friday that had NBA and fantasy basketball analysts scrambling. Their first trade sent Jamal Crawford to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Al Harrington.

While the main point of this trade for the Knicks was to create more salary cap flexibility in 2010, this trade should be a great fantasy basketball-wise for Harrington owners. There’s a good chance that Harrington will start at center for the Mike D’Antoni Knicks, which will mean a lot of shot attempts — specifically, three-pointers. With his increased minutes and his role moving him to center, he can expect his rebound numbers to also go up. Now is a great time to buy low on Harrington before he becomes much more valuable on the Knicks.

The future for Crawford on the Warriors is much less clear. While in theory Crawford would flourish under Don Nelson, the question is how many minutes will he play. Right now he should get minutes but once Monta Ellis returns, Crawford could getting his playing time pinched. It’s going to be difficult for Nellie to juggle minutes between Crawford, Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Kelenna Azubuike and the new sensation Anthony Morrow.

As of right now, consider Harrington’s fantasy basketball stock way up and Crawford’s about the same with the possibility it could drop.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers
This one is rather obvious. Although the Blazers are purposely monitoring Greg Oden’s minutes, it’s no secret that he’s a stud in the making. Now would be a good time to buy low on Oden before he takes over the starting job and really explodes onto the scene. The only risk regarding Oden is an injury risk, although that risk is definitely worth the reward at this point.

Ryan Anderson, New Jersey Nets
No one is really talking about Ryan Anderson. If you think of Nets bigman rookies, you are going to think of Brook Lopez first. However, if you look at the stats, Anderson is producing quite nicely. Once the Nets really start losing and start trying to get as many ping pong balls as possible, expect Anderson to get plenty of minutes.

Brandan Wright, Golden State Warriors
Brandan Wright had very good per minutes stats as a rookie. His per minute stats are even better as a sophomore. Although the Warriors have some good bigman options, Wright could eventually find himself in the starting lineup. This becomes even more likely if the Warriors are able to find a trade partner to ship out Al Harrington.

Marreese Speights, Philadelphia 76ers
Although Marreese Speights doesn’t get many minutes, his PER statistic makes him look like a potential fantasy basketball sleeper. The problem for Speights will be minutes. Playing behind Elton Brand, there won’t be many minutes at power forward for the Sixers. If there is an injury on the Sixers frontline, picking up Speights would be the smart move.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Morrow is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who is a rookie out of Georgia Tech. Although he wasn’t highly thought of coming out of college and not surprisingly went undrafted, he has scored 62 points for the Warriors in his last two games. This undrafted rookie free agent has gone from summer league player to starting shooting guard in record time.

The aspect that sets Morrow apart is his shooting ability. He’s a deadly three-point shooter who has a quick release. Playing in Don Nelson’s offense, he is getting as many shots as he can eat right now. In the Warriors’ latest game, Morrow was in the starting lineup — which increases his fantasy basketball value even more.

In addition to shooting, Morrow is actually rebounding quite well right now. With Stephen Jackson taking over more of the point guard duties, it’s highly conceivable that Morrow could keep his starting job. Either way, pick him up right now. In Nelson’s offense, there’s a fairly good chance he can average 15+ points while helping you in three-pointers made and a little bit in rebounding.

Post from: Expert Fantasy