If you have a dynasty fantasy basketball team that features Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, you received some bad news on Monday. Yao, according to various reports, could miss the entire season next year. In fact, there are some that think that Yao’s career could be over.

What do you do if you have Yao in a dynasty league? The best idea is to hold onto him. No one is going to give you a fair deal right now and selling low is usually a losing strategy in fantasy basketball.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a player who had years of trouble with his feet but was able to eventually return to action and has become a durable option as of late. Perhaps Yao can go down that same path and bounce back from his feet trouble. It might be unlikely but there’s definitely still hope.

In a redraft, Yao isn’t draftable unless it sounds as if he’ll return at some point. Keep an eye on the Yao Ming news.

On Sunday, two NBA Game 7s will take place. First, the Los Angeles Lakers will play the Houston Rockets in the decided game of their Western Conference battle. After that game, the Boston Celtics will host the Orlando Magic in a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference.

If you are playing playoff fantasy basketball, these two games could hold a lot of meaning for you. Which players could shine in their Game 7 contest?

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
After the Magic lost Game 5, Dwight Howard had a meltdown. He basically blamed the loss on not getting the ball enough. Howard got the ball a lot in Game 6 and expect him to get the ball a lot in Game 7.

Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
When it comes to big times and big moments, Paul Pierce is usually the Celtics player who steps up. He has had some bad moments in this series but expect him to go off in Game 7.

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Is there any doubt who the Lakers will go to in Game 7? Kobe Bryant could very likely end up with 40 or more points as the Lakers battle for their playoff lives against the Rockets.

Luis Scola, Houston Rockets
Without both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, Luis Scola is now arguably the best player on the Rockets. In Game 6, he dominated the action early on in the ballgame and helped the Rockets force a Game 7.

Yao Ming’s season is over. The superstar center for the Houston Rockets has a broken left foot that will keep him out for the rest of the 2009 NBA playoffs. Without Yao, the Rockets will face a huge challenge in their second round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. After three games, the Rockets trail 1-2 in the series.

During the 2009 playoffs, Yao has averaged 17.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.0 assists per game in 35.8 minutes. Earlier in the season, the Rockets lost Tracy McGrady due to microfracture knee surgery. Earlier in these playoffs, center Dikembe Mutombo was lost for the rest of the playoffs due to a knee injury.

If you have Yao on your fantasy basketball team, this is obviously devastating news. He was playing well and was undoubtedly helping your team.

For those looking for a sleeper to emerge due to this Yao injury news, the most likely player is Carl Landry. In the last two games against the Lakers, Landry has scored in double figures — including a 21-point and 10-rebound performance in Game 2. Pick up Landry off the waiver wire if he’s available and hope he can put up Yao-like numbers the rest of the way.

Yao Ming Injury Update - Fantasy Basketball (Image: Newscom)

Derek Fisher, the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, has been suspended for Game 3 of the second round series between the Lakers and the Houston Rockets. Fisher found himself in hot water after decking Houston’s Luis Scola. Watch the video at the end of this entry to see what got Fisher suspended.

In the fantasy basketball world, Fisher hasn’t been much of an asset in the 2009 NBA playoffs. In seven postseason games, the point guard is averaging 9.6 points, 2.9 assists and 2.3 rebounds while shooting 42.9% from the floor and 26.1% from beyond the arc.

The aspect that has hurt Fisher’s fantasy production the most is his three-point shooting. In the regular season, he drained 120 threes and shot 39.7% from downtown. Until he starts hitting from behind the three-point line, his fantasy value will remain limited.

In Game 3, expect the Lakers to play Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar at point guard. Brown is the player with a higher ceiling. So far in the playoffs, he’s averaging 6.4 points in only 16.1 minutes per game while shooting 51.7% from the field. Farmer is only shooting 36.4% in the postseason and is averaging 2.5 points in seven minutes per game.

Houston Rockets star center Yao Ming missed the game on Friday night against the Golden State Warriors due to a sore right foot. Yao, who has now played in 75 of the team’s 80 games, seems to think that the injury isn’t serious. He says that he plans to play in Houston’s next game.

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.

According to various reports, Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets will miss the rest of the NBA regular season. His troublesome knee, which never got healthy this season, will need microfracture surgery.

This is a devastating blow to the Rockets, who thought their trio of McGrady, Yao Ming and Ron Artest could win a championship. Now Houston will have to scramble to replace McGrady.

The person most likely to step into a bigger role is Artest. He may be asked to shoot a lot more and also become the team’s main playemaker. Yao should also see an increase in touches.

Von Wafer has had some success filling in for McGrady at points this season and that could very well continue. Wafer is an explosive scorer who can get hot at any given time.

To replace McGrady, the Rockets may end up considering the thought of trading for Vince Carter. If the Rockets could get Carter without giving up Artest or Yao, their championship hopes could be revived.

According to the current NBA rumor mill, there’s a potential deal floating around that has the Houston Rockets trading Carl Landry to the Milwaukee Bucks for Charlie Villanueva. Additionally, the Bucks are likely to be sending Tyronn Lue to the Los Angeles Lakers, with the Lakers sending Chris Mihm to the Rockets and the Bucks also getting either Brent Barry or Luther Head.

Obviously, the two biggest names in this potential trade are Carl Landry and Charlie Villanueva. If Landry lands with the Bucks, he will probably get to play more minutes. In Houston, Landry was stuck behind a lot of players who play at the same position. According to Landry’s per minute numbers, he could do some major damage if given extended minutes. For fantasy basketball purposes, watch to see if Landry’s minutes increase following this potential trade.

Villanueva could also see his value rise. He isn’t a great fit with the Bucks and also has the problem of duplicate talent at his position. On the Rockets, he could see some minutes at power forward to help spread the court for Yao Ming.

All in all, this trade would be good for both of the big names involved. All the role players involved would likely remain irrelevant in the fantasy basketball world.

Brandon Roy of the Portland Trail Blazers made the All-Star team last season. This season, it appears as if he may elevating his game to superstar status. Against the Houston Rockets in a recent game, Brandon Roy hit a game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Blazers the win in overtime. You can see a video of Roy’s miraculous shot at the end of this entry.

In the video, Roy puts the Blazers up by two points by hitting a shot over Ron Artest of the Rockets. Yao Ming responds with an impressive three-point play to put the Rockets up by one. With 0.8 seconds left on the clock, Roy catches the ball from about 35 feet and drains the long bomb. The Brandon Roy video is certainly worth watching.

If you have Roy on your fantasy basketball team, you should be happy that he’s coming up with big plays at the end of games this year. While his stats haven’t been great so far, he’s improving on a game by game basis. The best news is that he’s the undisputed top dog in Portland right now so you can expect the offense to run through him.

If Roy can stay healthy, there’s no reason why he can’t finish the season as a top 10-15 fantasy basketball player.

Here is the video of Brandon Roy hitting the game-winner against the Rockets:

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Want to roll the dice on some fantasy basketball super sleepers? Here are some fantasy players that very well could be the talk of the basketball world over the next few months.

DeMarcus Nelson, Golden State Warriors
This undrafted rookie has a chance to play a lot of point guard for the Warriors this season. In fact, many people connected to the Warriors believe that DeMarcus Nelson has been the best point guard in training camp.

Aaron Brooks, Houston Rockets
Although Aaron Brooks is a backup in Houston, he is playing behind Rafer Alston - who is always seemingly a ticking time bomb. During preseason, Brooks has played well and has solidified a spot in the rotation. Watch for him to breakout if he ascends to the starting roll.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, New Jersey Nets
One of the most talented scorers in the 2008 NBA Draft, Chris Douglas-Roberts will play the season with a chip on his shoulder after falling to the second round. In preseason, he has shown an ability to score and with the Nets likely not making a push for the playoffs, CDR will get plenty of shots.

CJ Miles, Utah Jazz
The Jazz are expected to start CJ Miles at small forward this season - at least to start with. If he plays well, Miles should be able to hold onto that job for the duration of the season. Miles is a good shooter who can score the ball and also play solid defense. With enough minutes, look for Miles to be a fantasy basketball viable player.

JaVale McGee, Washington Wizards
One of the best looking bigmen of the 2008 NBA Draft has been JaVale McGee. Although he’s young, skinny and raw, McGee looks like a player who has a chance to help right away. He’s extremely athletic and very quick on his feet. He could play a roll with the Wizards and put up nice numbers in rebounds and blocked shots.

Could JaVale McGee go down as the sleeper of the 2008 draft class?

Photo: Newscom

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.