The big news for the Dallas Mavericks recently has been the absence of forward Josh Howard. Although Howard was listed as day-to-day, on Tuesday the team revealed that he’s been given a walking boot and will be sidelined for an indefinite period of time. For Howard fantasy owners, that means you probably will have to wait for at least another couple of weeks before getting him back in your lineup.

The odd aspect about Howard’s absence is that it has actually helped the Mavs. They are playing much better without him. The main reason why is the play of JJ Barea. Barea is a small guard who has played stunningly well in the last handful of games. Not only can he create plays, Barea is also a quality scorer. He can shoot from range and also finish at the basket. In the fantasy world, he’s definitely a player to pick up right now if you have the room on your roster. He’s not going to stay this hot forever but he probably has cemented a large role for himself going forward.

Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd are all playing about how you’d expect. Nowitzki’s shooting percentage is a bit low but his scoring and rebounding are up. Terry is like Nowitzki — lower than usual shooting percentage but more points. Kidd’s points, assists and rebounds are down a bit but he’s swiping steals at a good rate and also shooting the ball very well.

No one else on the Mavs is too interesting fantasy-wise. Brandon Bass scores the ball at a good clip but doesn’t get enough minutes. Erick Dampier is a good rebounder but he too isn’t getting consistent minutes.

Photo credit: Newscom

The Dallas Mavericks have roughly the same team that they had last season, but with a new coach at the helm, expect big changes. Rick Carlisle is promising to let the offense be faster paced than it was under Avery Johnson. He’s also going to make the defense more of a gambling unit than a bend-but-don’t-break unit.

All told, these changes should have positive effects on may of the players on the roster in terms of their fantasy basketball status. Dirk Nowitzki should see his scoring average rise and should also see more three-pointers. If his numbers would go down anywhere, it might be rebounding because Carlisle doesn’t have him crashing the boards as much as Johnson did.

The player who this new offense should really help is Jason Kidd. Under Johnson, Kidd looked totally uncomfortable playing for Dallas. But now with the offense basically under his guidance, expect Kidd to put up a lot of triple doubles and a lot of nights with a big amount of assists. The only thing that could stop Kidd this season is age or injury.

Josh Howard and Jason Terry should both see their numbers go up a bit. If Howard is used more at power forward, his rebounding and blocked shot numbers could rise. Terry may start at shooting guard for Carlisle, which would be good for his scoring numbers and his overall consistency.

Other than these four players, there doesn’t seem to be much potential for quality fantasy basketball players to emerge from this roster. Erick Dampier might be a surprise if he plays big minutes, but foul trouble usually limits that from happening.

Kobe Bryant - The reining MVP will try to be world’s best.
LeBron James - The manchild could be team’s go-to player.
Dwyane Wade - Wade has a history of needed clutch play.
Carmelo Anthony - May be the best pure scorer in the world.
Dwight Howard - The interior anchor of the team.
Chris Paul - Becoming an MVP caliber point guard quickly.
Deron Williams - Joins Williams as young stud point guard.
Jason Kidd - Old veteran still great asset for this team.
Chris Bosh - Multifaceted bigman capable of anything.
Michael Redd - The team’s designated shooter.
Carlos Boozer - The muscle for Team USA.
Tayshaun Prince - Defensive specialist on the team.

According to a report in the New York Post, Jason Kidd has broken up with Hope Dworaczyk and is now dating May Andersen. Andersen is a former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Here is a picture of May Andersen:

While it usually doesn’t matter who NBA players are dating, Jason Kidd is another matter. Women trouble off the court has led to poor play on the court for Kidd. For whatever reason, when Kidd is happily in a relationship, he seems play his best basketball.

In fact, the last time he was a member of the Dallas Mavericks, rumor has it that a relationship gone wrong with singer Toni Braxton led to his downfall and eventual trade. If you have Kidd on your fantasy team, you should hope that Kidd and Andersen become a happy unit during this upcoming season.

Photo: Newscom

Shortly after the Dallas Mavericks were eliminated from the 2008 NBA playoffs by the New Orleans Hornets, rumors surfaced that Avery Johnson will be fired. Johnson, the head coach of the Mavericks, is just a couple years removed from leading Dallas to the NBA Finals.

However, since that appearance in the Finals, everything has been downhill for Johnson and the Mavs. After getting up 2-0 in the Finals, the Miami Heat came back and won four straight games to claim the NBA championship. Last season, the Mavericks fell to the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. Now this season, the Mavs again lost in the first round of the playoffs.

While the decision to fire Johnson is questionable, fantasy basketball owners will actually view this move as a positive for the players on the Mavs. Under Johnson, the Mavericks played a slow paced game that concentrated mostly on defense. If Mark Cuban and the Mavs bring in an offensive coach, players such as Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowtizki and Josh Howard could see their fantasy production skyrocket.

Keep an eye on who the Mavs hire to be their new coach if Johnson is indeed fired. If it’s an offensive coach, such as Mike D’Antoni, fantasy owners should definitely take note.

Photo: Newscom

According to reports, Tyronn Lue will sign a contract with the Dallas Mavericks. While this move won’t send ripples through the fantasy basketball world, it should at least be noted.

Many teams were interested in signing Lue. He’s a quick point guard who can score and also pass the ball a bit. Against quick offensive players, he’s a deceptively good defender. However, he can struggle against stronger players.

On the Mavs, he will pair with JJ Barea to form the backup for Jason Kidd. Jason Terry will also play some point guard when Kidd rests. Both Barea and Lue have their weaknesses but should Kidd go down with an injury, one of the two players will likely find themselves in the starting lineup.

Right now Barea should have the edge but keep an eye on Lue and see if he can sneak into the Mavericks rotation.

The on-again, off-again trade is finally on for good. Jason Kidd has officially been traded from the New Jersey Nets to the Dallas Mavericks along with Antoine Wright and Malik Allen for Devin Harris, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager, Keith Van Horn and DeSagana Diop.

With Kidd in Dallas, expect an increase in efficiency from all the players on the Mavericks. Kidd is still a great point guard who is arguably the best in the game at making players around him better. Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Terry will now find themselves open more than ever before.

Kidd himself could be in line for a rebirth. He was hating life in New Jersey and will no doubt play with fire now that he’s back in Dallas. There’s no reason why he can’t continue putting up triple-doubles for the Mavs like he was doing for the Nets. You can also expect his shooting to get better now that the teammates around him are better.

The Nets basically received only two players with fantasy potential – Devin Harris and DeSagana Diop. Harris will take over for Kidd as the Nets’ point guard. If Harris is given free reign to play as he sees fit, he may have a lot more success than he did in Dallas in their structured offense. Diop is a shotblocker and rebounder who could possibly put up stats if given extended playing time at center.

To put it bluntly, in fantasy basketball this helps everyone associated with the Mavs. On the other hand, it’s difficult to predict how this will affect the Nets. Chances are they’ll be a massive transitional period before we figure out how all the pieces will fit with Kidd gone.

Jason Kidd Mix …

The on-again, off-again trade between the Dallas Mavericks and the New Jersey Nets hasn’t become official just yet. However, the proposed trade would send basically Jason Kidd to the Mavericks, while the Nets would get Devin Harris and DeSagana Diop. There are other players and picks involved but in the fantasy world, these are the three relevant moving parts.

If this trade goes down, Jason Kidd owners would have to be happy. Kidd would be motivated and happy once again. In the NBA, never underestimate the power of happiness. While Kidd’s stats are pretty good right now, expect his stats to be much better on the Mavs.

Also for the Mavs, you can expect improved play from Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Terry. Kidd is a great point guard and would automatically become the leader of the team. He’ll get the stars around him easy shots, like he always does.

In New Jersey, the outlook isn’t as pretty. Harris at best would put up the same stats he’s averaging now. Although, it’s likely that his stats would go down. Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter also won’t be helped by losing Kidd. DeSagana Diop would likely not be a major part of this trade, however he might get a look at center for the Nets.

Overall, this trade is good news in the fantasy world for Kidd and everyone on the Mavs. For the Nets, this is bad fantasy news. As a fantasy basketball owner, look to buy players on the Mavs and sell players on the Nets. If you do it now before others see how it will play out, you might be able to get good value.

At this point, the trade has hit a snag thanks to Devean George but we’ll see how this plays out in the next day or so.

1) Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets
Kidd has had a rough year shooting the ball, but recently he’s been struggling even more in that department. As a result, his scoring is dropping to dangerously low levels. He’s also rebounding less and turnover the ball over more than usual – which is obviously a bad combination. Kidd should bounce back but there’s a chance that age and being on a non-contending team could cause him to tailspin further.

2) Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets
Carter and Kidd are hurting each other’s stocks at this point. Carter is also shooting poorly, which is hurting Kidd’s assist numbers. With Carter not being a high powered scoring threat, teams can focus more defense on Kidd. One of the two players needs to get hot and that should help the other player both in real life and the fantasy world.

VC Career Mix

3) Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
Pierce’s scoring numbers have gone down each month as his superstar teammates have adjusted to life in Boston. There might be a shakeup in the pecking order in Boston that could play out over the next couple weeks. Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Pierce will need to figure out which player will be the go-to scorer. Pierce was the go-to scorer to begin the year but that may be changing. Keep an eye on this situation, especially if you are a Pierce owner. Now might be the time to sell high on him.

4) Kevin Durant, Seattle Supersonics
Durant seems to have hit a rookie wall in Seattle. His shooting is off and he’s having trouble adjusting to defenses night-in and night-out. On the defensive side of the ball, he also has had a major drop off. He’s not rebounding, blocking shots or getting steals as he was earlier in the season. He should bounce back at some point but right now he’s hurting fantasy teams.

5) Ricky Davis, Miami Heat
When Pat Riley traded for Davis, he was looking for a quick fix. That fix hasn’t happened and right now Davis is probably more of a problem than a solution for Miami. Davis’ offensive numbers of plummeted of late and his value is now at an all-time low in both the real world and in fantasy. If you have him, you should consider trading him for whatever it is you can get.

As the time for the fantasy drafts approach, here is a look at my current top five players to pick going into the 2007-08 season:

1) Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
Garnett is a relatively risky number one pick because he’ll be in a new situation, but the reward is too high to pass up. He’s a monster in virtually all statistical categories and should play with new life this season. His points could be down but even so, he’ll make up for it in other areas.

2) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Bryant is going to get the rock and he’s going to score. That’s a given. No matter what happens, Bryant is going to get his 30 points a night. With that type of building block, you can make a very good fantasy team. Especially considering Bryant does many other things well.

3) Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns
Marion slips a bit because of his trade demands. His role could be altered dramatically depending on where he is traded. If he was happy in Phoenix, he might do enough well to be considered the top overall fantasy pick. As it stands, he’s too risky to be number 1.

4) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Wade is a bit of a forgotten man in the fantasy world. Sure, he is injury prone. However, when healthy, he’s one of the most dynamic talents in the league. He does everything well and after a few years of seasoning, there’s no reason why Wade can’t have a career year. Even if he’s to miss the first couple weeks of the season, he’s still a very fine pick. Unless his injury woes worsen during training camp, pick him with confidence in the upper half of the first round.

5) Jason Kidd, New Jersey
This looks a bit high for Kidd but there is a good chance he has a huge year. He had a great showing with Team USA this summer and looks to be in great shape. He has a lot of scorers on his team and he’ll have no problem racking up triple-doubles again this year. Kidd is a bit old but there’s a good chance he’s a fantasy stud this season.