1. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
It’s difficult to pass on LeBron James when you have the first pick in your fantasy basketball draft, however Chris Paul is actually the better pick. He’s a basketball stud who has almost no downside.

2. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
On talent alone, there’s no player in the NBA who can match LeBron James. If you have a top-two selection, picking LeBron isn’t a bad move at all.

3. Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers
Even though he might not be a household name, Danny Granger’s game is built for fantasy basketball. As long as he stays healthy, he’s an all-around producer who will help your team every night.

4. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
If you want to shoot for the stars, go with Kevin Durant. He’s a superstar in the making and could make a massive jump in fantasy value this season.

5. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade has been a walking injury concern as of late. But when he’s healthy and playing his best, there are few players in the league that can match his production.

6. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
While Kobe Bryant is no doubt a fantastic player, there’s some question about his fantasy worth this coming year. With so much talent around him, he may not have to carry as big of a load as usual.

Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers (Image: Zuma Press)

7. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
Yes, his free throw shooting is horrible. But he showed improvement at times in the playoffs last year and the rest of his game is so dominant that he’s worth a top ten fantasy basketball draft selection.

8. Deron Williams, Utah Jazz
Last year, Deron Williams was somewhat disappointing at times. But now that he’s fully healed from injury, Williams has the potential to become an absolute fantasy stude.

9. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
With his personal problems behind him, you have to think that Dirk Nowitzki is geared to have a very good season. He brings a lot of value to your fantasy team — especially in terms of three-point shooting.

10. Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Heading into the 2010 free agent market, Chris Bosh as every reason to have a monster season. Plus, the Raptors will want to keep him happy with plenty of touches. He doesn’t have a tremendous ceiling but he should be very, very good.

Chris Bosh - Toronto Raptors (Image: Zuma Press)

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Although recently missing time due to an elbow injury, Carmelo has played well since returning to the lineup. In his last four games, the Nuggets forward is averaging nearly 25 points and nearly seven rebounds per game.

For the season, Carmelo has been disappointing. Though some of his struggles can be attributed to his injured elbow, that doesn’t make fantasy basketball owners much happier. His overall stats are similar to last season’s stats except that he’s shooting worse from the field and average about five less points.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll see if Carmelo can get back to his rhythm. Hypothetically, he should have an even better season that last season due to the fact that Allen Iverson has been replaced by Chauncey Billups — which should mean more shots for him. However, that hasn’t been the case so far this season.

Here is the Carmelo Anthony video of his game winner against the Thunder:

Post from: Expert Fantasy

The big two on the team are obviously Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. They are somewhat similar players — long, athletic and dripping with talent. Right now, Durant is the better fantasy player but Green isn’t too far behind. Durant is the better scorer and has better percentage but Green gets more rebounds, assists and steals.

Other than Durant and Green, there aren’t too many players to be excited about in the fantasy world. Russell Westbrook is starting now and he has shown some glimpses — although he’s extremely streaky at this point. His low shooting percentages and relatively high amount of turnovers aren’t very good for fantasy basketball.

The remaining players on the team are almost all underperforming. There used to be a time when players like Chris Wilcox, Earl Watson, Nick Collison and Damien Wilkins were worthwhile fantasy players, but right now that simply isn’t the case. Of those players, Only Collison is showing life as of right now. However, keep a close eye on the Thunder because players can come out of nowhere and go under the radar when they are playing for the worst team in the NBA.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
In the month of December, Dirk Nowitzki has been on fire. He’s averaging more than 30 points and his rebounding numbers and shooting percentages are way up. Nowitzki had a slow start to the season but has recently regained his MVP form.

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are a horrible basketball team but Kevin Durant has been very good as of late. He’s averaging more than 25 points and six rebounds in his last five games. His field goal percentage isn’t the best but he’s sizzling from beyond the three-point arc.

Zach Randolph, Los Angeles Clippers
Since being traded to the Clippers, Zach Randolph has played very good basketball. In fact, he’s doing a good Elton Brand imitation. In the last five games, he has five straight games in which he has scored at least 20 point. In his latest outing, Randolph had 38 points in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Photo credit: Newscom

Post from: Expert Fantasy

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

Francisco Garcia, Sacramento Kings
With Ron Artest now in Houston, Francisco Garcia should see a lot of starts during the upcoming season. When he gets time, he has proven to be a player that can help in a whole list of categories.

Marvin Williams, Atlanta Hawks
Josh Childress signing in Greece should help Marvin Williams stay on the court. Childress ate up some of his time in the past but this year, Williams could emerge as a very good fantasy basketball player. He’s definitely a sleeper small forward as of right now.

Wilson Chandler, New York Knicks
With Mike D’Antoni in town, everyone knows the Knicks will be running and gunning. While it’s far from a certainty that Wilson Chandler will start at small forward, he could put up really good stats if given the opportunity. During summer league, Chandler was oftentimes the best player on the court.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

2. Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks
Rookies don’t come much more solid than Al Horford. He walked into the NBA and was a very good player from day 1. If he can become even better offensively, he could become a franchise player. The Hawks have to be very excited with their pick.

3. Al Thornton, Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers didn’t have many things to be excited about this year, but Al Thornton was one of the few bright spots. He’s a multi-positional forward who can score, rebound and is as tough as they come. Going forward, he has a chance to be a very good fantasy player.

4. Jamario Moon, Toronto Raptors
Jamario Moon started most of the season and was helpful in fantasy basketball in a number of areas. He can score a bit, shoot a bit, rebound, block shots and get steals. If he remains in the starting lineup, he could have a huge amount of fantasy potential next season.

5. Luis Scola, Houston Rockets
Once Yao Ming went down injured, Luis Scola stepped up and became the best bigman on the Rockets. The overseas veteran was an NBA rookie who made a very successful transition. Scola should be an even better player next season.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Juan Carlos Navarro, Memphis Grizzlies
Juan Carlos Navarro has proven to be a world-class shooter who isn’t as one-dimensional as some pundits insisted. He can put up some nice stats but it’s true that he’s primarily at shooter. With the Grizzlies looking to unload even more talent, Navarro should get plenty of time to shine.

Corey Brewer, Minnesota Timberwolves
Able to play many positions, Corey Brewer is hard to pigeonhole into one category. He’s a multifaceted talent who is a consistent jumper away from being a really good player. Brewer will never be a big time scorer but he could become a fantasy basketball stud eventually.

Daequan Cook, Miami Heat
With the Heat looking to go young, Daequan Cook appears to be a key part of their rebuilding plan. He’s a natural born scorer who can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry. Even though he’s young, he could become a main scorer threat in Miami late in the season.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

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.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Kevin Durant
Durant has looked pretty good in his first two games. He’s not going to do much other than score but there’s no reason why he can’t average 18 to 22 points this season.

Chris Wilcox
Wilcox seems to really be playing well this season. He’s more involved and is playing better defense. He looks like a very good fantasy player this season.

Damien Wilkins
Wilkins was overlooked by most fantasy owners, but it appears he may be second in line next to Durant as far as scoring goes for the Sonics. He’s always had a lot of natural talent and if he can start to live up to his talent, he could become a very nice fantasy player.

Nick Collison
Collison is putting up nice numbers right now as the starting center. However, be aware that Robert Swift is out injured. When Swift returns, he could take over the starting center spot.

Earl Watson
Watson appears to have won the starting point guard job. So far he’s been decent, but hasn’t really separated himself as the clear cut point guard for the team yet.

Delonte West
Always a fantasy favorite, West is off to a relatively slow start this season. The good news is it appears as if he’s the backup point guard. The bad news is his minutes will probably remain erratic.

Jeff Green
Green was the fifth pick of the draft but he doesn’t look quite ready this year. He could be a year or two away from being an everyday contributor. In dynasty formats, he’s a good player to target.

Wally Szczerbiak
Szczerbiak doesn’t look to be a huge part of this team at all. In fact, he’s not rosterable in most fantasy formats.

Luke Ridnour
Ridnour appears to be the odd man out for the Sonics. He’s currently third on the point guard depth charts. If you drafted him, it could be time to start looking elsewhere.

Check out NBA TV’s Sonics Preview …

Post from: Expert Fantasy