Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
Last season, most of Ray Allen’s stats dipped during the regular season. He struggled during much of the playoffs, however all of that was forgiven when he bounced back with a good showing in the Finals. That said, Allen very well could take another step down and become more of a role player instead of a star.

Raymond Felton, Charlotte Bobcats
After struggling to run the offense, Raymond Felton was played a lot at shooting guard in the last couple seasons. With new head coach Larry Brown now in charge, he won’t put up with a point guard that can’t run an offense. Felton may be in for a long season and Brown is sure to give him tough love. Steer clear of this situation if you can.

Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix Suns
When Mike D’Antoni was set free, many in the Phoenix area pointed to his use of Leandro Barbosa as a reason why. D’Antoni was a big believer in Barbosa and now with D’Antoni in New York, Barbosa could see his playing time and production slip heavily. New coach Terry Porter won’t hesitate to use a defensive player instead of Barbosa if Barbosa doesn’t improve his D drastically. Stay away from Barbosa during at least the beginning of the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season until we see exactly how he will be utilized.

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Porter has long be a favorite of Suns general manager Steve Kerr. The two became close when they played for the San Antonio Spurs. The two have remained friend throughout the years.

With Porter as the new head coach, it’s difficult to assess how this will affect the Suns’ style of play. D’Antoni ran a run-and-gun system that relied on scoring more than defense. Porter will undoubtedly stress defense more than D’Antoni did.

However, Porter as a former point guard will likely let Steve Nash keep running the show offensively. Porter was a free-wheeling point guard himself so it’s unlikely that he’ll place too many restrictions on what Nash can and can’t do. The biggest difference for Nash is that Porter will likely require him to play more defense.

The two players who could be in for the biggest change next season are Amare Stoudemire and Leandro Barbosa. D’Antoni let Stoudemire and Barbosa make mistake after mistake defensively. Porter won’t give the same leeway.

Overall, this was a good hire for the Suns. Porter is a respected coach who has paid his dues — most recently as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons.

Photo: Newscom

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With the Suns, D’Antoni had a very successful run. Not only did the Suns win a lot of regular season games, he ushered a fast-pace, high scoring era into the NBA. Now teams across the league are looking to score a lot of points, rather than just depend on their defense to win games.

D’Antoni’s Suns teams also produced great fantasy players. From Steve Nash to Shawn Marion to Amare Stoudemire, they all become stud fantasy players under D’Antoni. If he ends up with the Bulls, he automatically raises the stocks of everybody on Chicago’s team.

The player who will likely see his stock rise the highest is Kirk Hinrich. Hinrich struggled last season but if D’Antoni comes on board, you can expect D’Antoni to try to turn Hinrich into a Chicago’s version of Nash. D’Antoni will give Hinrich freedom to lead the team and run, shoot and score as much as he wants.

Other players who will feel a positive impact include Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that D’Antoni can turn Deng into a Marion type player and Gordon into a Leandro Barbosa type player, while allowing Thomas and Noah to reach their full potential on both ends of the court.

Photo: Newscom

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If the reports are true and D’Antoni is let go, there could be major changes in store for the Suns. With fantasy basketball in mind, this could be devastating news for players on the Suns. D’Antoni’s free flowing offensive sets allowed the Suns to have some of the best fantasy players in the game over the last few years.

Steve Nash particularly will undoubtedly suffer from the loss of D’Antoni. Nash thrived under D’Antoni, winning two MVP awards and cementing his legacy as a Hall of Fame player. If a defensive oriented coach comes on board, Nash’s offensive production could be severely hurt and he could see his minutes reduced.

The only player on the Suns who likely won’t be affected much is Amare Stoudemire. Stoudemire will likely continue to get many offensive touches. If anything, Stoudemire’s rebounding and shot blocking could increase under a new management.

However, everyone else – from Nash to Raja Bell to Boris Diaw to Shaquille O’Neal to Leandro Barbosa – will need to be reevaluated for the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season.

Photo: Newscom

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Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Nowitzki has been the ultimate streaky player as of late. In his last 11 games, he either has scored under 20 points or over 25 points. Lately, he’s been taking the under. The low point came Friday when Nowitzki had a season-low seven points against the New Orleans Hornets. The previous game, Nowitzki had only 13 points against the Raptors. He should be able to turn it around, but for a great scorer to be struggling so much there could be more wrong than just a cold streak.

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
Ginobili has put together back-to-back horrible outings for the Spurs. He has been bad at both ends of the court and has racked up a huge amount of turnovers. The good news is that there is a logical explanation. With Tim Duncan sidelined, Ginobili had to take on more of the load. However, with both Duncan and Tony Parker now out, Ginobili doesn’t have the open space that he usually has to operate. Once Duncan and/or Parker return, Ginobili should return to form.

Leandro Barbosa, Phoenix Suns
Barbosa has been quiet over the last few games. Since scoring a season-high 35 points on December 5th, he has scored less and less in each of the subsequent four games. In his last outing, Barbosa only had five points in 26 minutes. Barbosa’s woes are a little troubling because part of the problem is a lack of minutes. With Steve Nash, Raja Bell and Grant Hill eating up most of the minutes in the front court, Barbosa’s role on the Suns isn’t as stable as you’d like.

Shane Battier, Houston Rockets
Battier isn’t a fantasy star but he’s usually a solid player. However, recently his offense has been horrible. In his last two games, Battier has a total of five points in 68 minutes. While he’s a good defender, the Rockets will need more offensive production out of him. Over his last 11 games, Battier has only scored in double figures twice. On the season, he’s averaging a career low in points and is shooting just a shade over 40% from the field.

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Here are the top five sell high players at the moment:

Chris Kaman
Kaman is more of a long-term sell high candidate. He should be good for a while longer. However, if Elton Brand’s return is on the horizon, that’s the time to cut bait on Kaman. He’s not going to be able to put up the monster stats he’s putting up now with another dominant bigman taking up room in the middle. Enjoy his early season production but be prepared to trade.

Theo Ratliff
Ratliff is currently a great source of blocked shots and is chipping in with a good amount of rebounds. That said, Ratliff is a huge injury risk. He’s been injured for practically the last half decade. If you can get an owner to overpay for him, trade him away.

Leandro Barbosa
Barbosa is a guy who has put up great stats over the last couple games. While he’s a good fantasy player, his minutes might soon fluctuate once the Suns get completely healthy. D’Antoni has shown he’ll play his starters big minutes, which will leave relatively limited minutes for Barbosa.

Kelenna Azuibuke
With Stephen Jackson ready to return from his suspension, now is a good time to trade Azuibuke while his value is high. Jackson will get a spot in the starting lineup, which could very well be Azuibuke’s spot. You can risk it and hope that Nelson plays both players and demotes someone else, but the safer move would be to trade Azubuike for a more reliable option.

John Salmons
Salmons should be traded ASAP. With Ron Artest back from suspension and Beno Udrih in the starting lineup, Salmons is now relegated to a bench role. He’s currently averaging very impressive numbers, but those numbers are bound to plummet in his new role. If you can find an owner who isn’t aware of his situation, you might be able to get good value for him.

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