A few stories around the team indicate that the players had quit on Carlesimo and weren’t giving a good enough effort. New coach Scott Brooks will try to turn that around and make the Thunder at least a respectable basketball team.

As far as fantasy basketball is concerned, there were a few subtle difference right away with Brooks in charge. First of all, Damien Wilkins got his first start of the season as Brooks decided to go small. Wilkins was put in at shooting guard with Kevin Durant moving to small forward, Jeff Green moving to power forward and Nick Collison moving to center. Previously, Carlesimo had been using Johan Petro and Robert Swift at center. Under Brooks, neither Petro nor Swift played.

Chris Wilcox also appears to be part of Brooks’ plan. Wilcox played a season-high number of minutes of the bench. Joe Smith also had a healthy role as the team’s backup center. The point guard situation continues to be Earl Watson in the starting lineup backed up by Russell Westbrook.

All told, it appears as if Brooks will go smaller and faster than Carlesimo. That could lead to more shot attempts for Durant and should help the fantasy values of players such as Wilkins, Collison and Wilcox. Green should also be called upon to grab more rebounds and block a few shots.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Mo Williams was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade between the Cavs, Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City Supersonics. Williams is the biggest name involved in the trade, but he’s far from the only player to switch teams. Here is a list of the players who are switching teams and the fantasy football impact of each aspect of this trade:

Mo Williams, Cleveland Cavaliers
Williams should be a very good next to LeBron James on the Cavs. He can pass, shoot and score the ball effectively. While he’s not the purest point guard, his scoring ability should fit very well next to LeBron. LeBron will be able to take some of the point guard slack, while Williams can concentrate on putting the ball in the basket. In terms of his fantasy value, expect Williams assists to go down but the rest of his stats to remain the same.

Luke Ridnour, Milwaukee Bucks
Ridnour used to be a solid fantasy basketball player, then he fell off the map. He split time the last few years at point guard and that hurt his value. On the Bucks, his fantasy value will be determined by how many minutes he plays. If he can win a starting spot, he could see his fantasy value bounce back. However, the Bucks have a lot of point guards and it will be difficult for Ridnour to win the starting gig.

Desmond Mason, Oklahoma City’s NBA team
Mason is going back to his roots. Mason played in Oklahoma during his college days. His addition to the Oklahoma City team should be good both for him and the fans. While he’ll likely be backing up Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, he could see a solid amount of minutes off the bench as a sixth man.

Joe Smith, Oklahoma City Barons
Like Mason, Smith will bring a solid veteran presence to the Oklahoma City team. He’s be deceptively solid in the last few years. If he can win a starting spot, he could be decent as a backup big in fantasy basketball. The more likely outcome, however, is that Smith is traded to a contender around the trade deadline.

Damon Jones and Adrian Griffin, Milwaukee Bucks
Neither Jones nor Griffin will have much fantasy value this upcoming season. Jones is strictly a spot-up shooter at this point of his career, while Griffin is strictly a defensive specialist. Neither skill translates will to fantasy basketball.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Expert Fantasy

In the fantasy basketball world, this trade will make a big splash. All four of the players the Cavs received should see at least a short-term raise in their value. Wallace should start at power forward. Szczerbiak has a good chance at starting at a guard position. West has a chance to start at point guard. Smith likely won’t start but he’ll play a lot.

The biggest winner of those four players is likely Szczerbiak who seems to be the perfect piece next to LeBron James. He’ll get tons of open shots in that system. West could also be a big winner if he becomes the full-time starting point guard. Wallace could possibly start producing more now that he’s on a winner. Smith’s production should close to his previous levels.

Of the new Bulls, Larry Hughes is the player to watch. He could never play well next to LeBron, however he was a fantasy stud back before he went to Cleveland. Now that he’s on a new team, there’s a chance he could flourish. Gooden’s production should be about the same, while Simmons and Brown likely won’t make a dent.

In Seattle, none of those three players will be fantasy relevant. Marshall might intrigue some with his three-point shooting, but he’d need to play big minutes to become worthwhile in the fantasy world.

Post from: Expert Fantasy