C Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors
Many supposed fantasy experts are touting Andrea Bargnani as a sleeper. I simply don’t agree. He’s a streaky player and with more offensive options in Toronto, I think his slice of the pie will shrink. Look at his stats last year as his ceiling for this season.

PF Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
Since joining the Celtics, Garnett’s stats have suffered while his winning has improved. This year, expect his stats to take another hit. Boston knows he has to be healthy in the playoffs for the team to have a shot, so that means a light regular season load for Garnett.

SF Ron Artest, Los Angeles Lakers
Ron Artest is one of the most talked about players in the NBA these days. But don’t let that fool you. He’s going to only be an average fantasy basketball player this season. His minutes will be lowered and the Lakers don’t need him to shoulder much of the burden on either end of the court.

SG Allen Iverson, Memphis Grizzlies
How many red flags do you need before you avoid Allen Iverson? He has a hamstring injury that could linger. He’s coming off of a bad year in Detroit. He’s on a young team with a lot of scorers. Let Iverson be someone else’s headache.

PG Andre Miller, Portland Trail Blazers
If you haven’t been paying attention, there’s a good chance that Andre Miller may come off the bench for the Blazers. His stats should still be good in that scenario but it definitely hurts his fantasy basketball potential in the 2009-10 NBA season.

Don't Draft Allen Iverson (Image: Zuma Press)

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Kevin Garnett Injury News (Image: Newcom)

After Garnett struggled through a series of games and practices, the Celtics have decided to shut him down for the time being. Boston announced that he will miss at least the next four games. In the best case scenario, Garnett would be ready to return for the last three regular season games.

For fantasy basketball purposes, Garnett isn’t very valuable at this point. The only way he holds any value at all is if your team will need production in the very last week of the regular season. Even then, it doesn’t sound certain that Garnett will be ready to go.

The Celtics right now are concerned only about getting Garnett healthy for the playoffs. If he isn’t healthy, the postseason run this year won’t be nearly as long as it was for Boston last year. With that in mind, don’t expect the Celtics to risk anything during the regular season. Even if Garnett is active for the last three games, it’s doubtful he would play extended minutes.

If you are looking for a fantasy basketball player who may be able to step up in Garnett’s absence, consider Glen “Big Baby” Davis. Big Baby is averaging 19 points and 11 rebounds per game over the last two outings. In both of those games, Garnett wasn’t able to go and Davis got a lot of the minutes. Another option is Mikki Moore, who is averaging seven points and 10.5 rebounds in his last two outings.

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This is obviously bad news for both the Celtics and Garnett fantasy owners. Although Garnett isn’t having a hugely impressive statistical season, he’s arguably the piece of the puzzle that makes Boston tick.

For the season, Garnett is averaging 16.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. Those numbers aren’t very close to his peak numbers while with the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, as long as the Celtics continue to win, don’t expect Garnett to be upset with his production.

With Garnett out, expect Leon Powe, Glenn Davis and Brian Scalabrine to get more minutes. Powe, of the three, has the most upside. His per minute numbers are good and with extended playing time, he could become viable in fantasy basketball.

The other ripple effects on the team will be a bigger role for Kendrick Perkins and more shots for Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo.

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The commercial splices together Garnett talking about what it takes to win an NBA championship. And right now, Garnett would have to be considered an expert after the Boston Celtics won the 2008 NBA Championship.

In this upcoming season, the Celtics will try to repeat and Garnett will remain a very good fantasy basketball player. Ironically enough, the tougher it is for Garnett and the Celtics to win during the regular season, the better his stats and the better his fantasy production.

Here is the Kevin Garnett commercial video from his NBATV spot:

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4) Marcus Camby, Los Angeles Clippers
Camby won the award just two years ago and now that he’s heading to a larger market, he may get some votes yet again. If he plays with a chip on his shoulder and stays healthy, he has a decent shot.

3) Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Paul is the huge favorite to lead the NBA in steals in 2008-09. If he does, voters often look at steals before casting their vote. Paul will get extra points if the Hornets improve as a team defensively.

2) Ron Artest, Houston Rockets
As one of the most interesting stories in the 2008-09 season, a lot of attention will be paid to Artest. If he plays as well as he possibly can defensively and the Rockets are again one of the best defensive teams in the league, Artest has to be considered a very strong candidate.

1) Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year could take home another one at the end of this upcoming season. The Celtics will likely be one of the best defensive teams once again and Garnett is the leader of their defensive unit.

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5. Charlotte Bobcats
Larry Brown will turn around the Bobcats. That said, it likely isn’t a one year project. Expect a few headaches this year until LB can get the team playing the way he wants.

4. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies are starting to assemble a nice amount of talent. If Pau Gasol’s brother pans out, the Grizzlies could surprise.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder
The former Seattle Supersonics still won’t be ready for the big time. However, with a future Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook, the future is bright in Oklahoma.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves are still reeling from the Kevin Garnett trade. Although they have good talent, that talent isn’t going to provide many wins this year.

1. New Jersey Nets
The Nets don’t seem too concerned with winning basketball games. The summer of 2010 and a shot at LeBron James can’t come soon enough for New Jersey.

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With Posey, the Hornets instantly become a much more physical team. They gain a player who has been in the playoff wars and has two championship rings to his name. Posey may start or he may be used as the team’s first player off the bench.

The Celtics will miss Posey’s toughness and heart. Even more of the overall leadership next season will have to be handled by the Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. No longer will they be able to lean on Posey’s experience.

In terms of fantasy basketball, Posey won’t have very much value. He likely won’t play huge minutes and even if he does, most of his contributions don’t show up in the stat sheet. For that reason, this move is much bigger in terms of the NBA rather than fantasy.

Here is more information via a James Posey video:

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Posey is a rugged, physical defender who has knack for hitting clutch shots on the offensive side of the court. He’s not afraid to sacrifice his body and lay it all on the line to get the win. His two championship rings prove that Posey is an elite winner in the NBA.

However, now Posey is a free agent and is getting interest from a lot of teams around the NBA. A lot of teams value his winning ways and view him as the ultimate role player. That said, chances are Posey will end up back in Boston. At the end of the day, it’s difficult to imagine that the Celtics would get outbid for a player that means so much to what they do.

If Posey does decide to leave, which teams make sense as possible destinations? The teams that would most likely value Posey would be teams that are on the brink of winning a championship. The New Orleans Hornets could plug Posey into their starting lineup and they would do well to add his toughness to their bunch. The Utah Jazz could also use a savvy perimeter player who can defend. The Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons and even the Los Angeles Lakers all make sense as possible Posey destinations.

Kevin Garnett would be sad to see James Posey leave Beantown.

Photo: Newscom

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Watch the complete video of Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao with the Celtics here:

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Boston’s Big Three — Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen — can each make a case for why they should win the 2008 Finals MVP. Here is a look at the stats so far in the Finals through four games:

Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett is averaging 17.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game against the Lakers in the Finals. The problem is he’s only shooting 38.2% from the field.

Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce is averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game in the series. He’s shooting 45.3% from the field, 46.7% from beyond the three-point arc and has played very good throughout defense throughout the series.

Ray Allen
Ray Allen is averaging 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He’s shooting 52.1% from the field and 48.0% from three-point land.

Conclusion:
Ray Allen is currently in the lead in the MVP race. However, Paul Pierce can overtake him if he has another big game to close out the Lakers. Kevin Garnett would need a monstrous game to get back into the hunt.

Ray Allen is shooting himself to the Finals MVP

Photo: Newscom

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