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)

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As for the fantasy basketball world, this news doesn’t change much. If anything, it might be good news. With the Cavs facing a lot of pressure to win and keep LeBron happy, they will spend to put good players around him. With that in mind, LeBron should continue to have enough talent around him to continue to be a fantasy basketball force.

This summer, the big news for Cleveland was the addition of Shaquille O’Neal. While Shaq clogs the lane, he’s proven to help perimeter players — just ask Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.

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Scoring: LeBron – The King is averaging 35.3 points in the playoffs
Assists: LeBron – The great Cavalier dishes an average of 6.9 assists.
Rebounds: LeBron – Mr. James is grabbing 8.6 boards per outing.
Blocked Shots: Kobe – The Black Mamba is just barely ahead.
Steals: Kobe – The former #8 is averaging 1.93 steals in the playoffs.
FG%: LeBron – The crab dribbler is shooting 53.1%.
3P%: Kobe – Vanessa’s husband is hitting 37.7% of his threes.
FT%: Kobe – Jellybean’s son is nailing more than 88% of his freebies.

After these eight fantasy basketball categories, Kobe and LeBron are tied at four. I guess The Great Debate will have to continue.

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If you are playing playoff fantasy basketball, which players should shine in the NBA’s version of the Final Four? Here’s a look at the best players at each position:

C Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
It seems like Howard and Stan Van Gundy are now on the same page. Superman will concentrate on rebounds and blocked shots while allowing his teammates to handle the scoring. Even though he probably won’t have any huge offensive outbursts, Howard is still a fantasy stud at this point.

PF Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
This is the weakest spot in the remaining NBA teams. Gasol is very talented but sometimes struggled against the Rockets. He has the highest ceiling of any remaining power forward but he could find it tough to produce against the physical Nuggets defenders.

SF LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
This is a no-brainer. LeBron is not only the best small forward in fantasy basketball right now, he’s by far the best fantasy basketball player. If he’s on your team, thank your lucky stars.

SG Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Now that Kobe won’t have to go against Shane Battier and Ron Artest, he could find some more room to breathe. That said, the Nuggets have been playing good defense as of late.

PG Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets
Speaking of the Nuggets, whether or not they advance will likely depend on the play of Big Shot Billups. If he can continue is outstanding play, Billups could topple the Lakers … again, just like in 2004.

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Lebron James, Cleveland Cavaliers (Image: Newscom)

C Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
After plenty of rest following his Game 6 suspension in the first round, look for Dwight Howard to try to beat up on the depleted Boston Celtics. With Kevin Garnett out, Howard could go off.

PF Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
The Nuggets are a difficult matchup but Dirk Nowitzki should be able to have a solid series. He started off slow against the San Antonio Spurs but is starting to heat up.

SF LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Nobody is playing as well or as determined as LeBron James. He’s a fantasy basketball beast at this point.

SG Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers are going to get a tough test from the Houston Rockets. That said, expect Kobe Bryant to get loose for a few big games.

PG Chauncey Billups, Denver Nuggets
In the first round, Chauncey Billups was amazing. Against the Mavs, he’ll try to continue that magic.

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1) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Far and away, LeBron is the best fantasy player on the planet right now. Especially in the playoffs since his road to the NBA Finals looks like it’s clear sailing due to Kevin Garnett’s injury.

2) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe is basically the LeBron of the Western Conference bracket. He has a great chance to make it back to the Finals and should post great numbers along the way.

3) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
In the first round of the playoffs, the Heat are forced on the road to take on the Hawks. Wade is undoubtedly leave it all on the line and could help Miami pull the upset.

4) Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
With Garnett out, expect Pierce to show the heart of a champion. He’s going to come out blazing and his all-around game will be on full display.

5) Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
The Hornets might be a seventh seed on paper but CP3 is going to put up great stats for however long the Hornets remain in the playoffs.

Chris Paul 2009 mix:

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4. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron has been shooting the ball extremely well from the outside, shooting better than 41% on three-pointers in the month of March. If he can add good outside shooting to his repertoire, he’ll become even more impossible to defend.

3. Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
His three-pointers aren’t dropping at their normal rate (30% in March) but Nowitzki is still a scoring machine. He’s had a few recent games in which he’s looked as good as ever. If he can remain hot, he could be the best fantasy bigman down the stretch.

2. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
As the Lakers make their push for homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs, Bryant is starting to pick up more of the load. Scoring more than 30 points per game in the month, he’s peaking at the perfect time for Kobe fantasy owners.

1. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
There’s simply no player as hot as Wade is right now. His numbers since the All-Star break have been ridiculous. For the month of March, he’s averaging more than 37 points per game.

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For fantasy basketball owners, LeBron James singing the Cyndi Lauper classic “Time After Time” is definitely apropos. If you have LeBron on your fantasy basketball team, you can count on him — time after time — to come through for your squad. This season, LeBron is averaging a career low in minutes but his production is still very good. Best of all, he’s shooting at a career-best percentage from the floor and from the free throw line.

Here is the video of the LeBron James commercial with LeBron singing “Time After Time”:

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Mo Williams, Cleveland Cavaliers
Common sense says that if you play next to a very good passer like LeBron James, your fantasy value will rise. However, that hasn’t really been the case. A lot of players have gone to Cleveland as good fantasy players and then fall off the map. Williams should be okay but don’t over value him.

Randy Foye, Minnesota Timberwolves
Ever since he’s come into the league, Randy Foye has gotten fantasy love around the draft time. But each of his first two seasons, he underachieved. He’s once again ranked highly but that is based mostly on hope instead of reality. Don’t draft him expecting a huge jump in numbers.

Beno Udrih, Sacramento Kings
While in San Antonio, Beno Udrih had problems with dedication and staying healthy. He played very well in a short stint on the Kings but don’t let that fool you into thinking he’s a safe player. Now that he has financial security, he could fall back into being an undermotivated injury risk.

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5. Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
If the Rockets can live up to their lofty expectation and Tracy McGrady can stay healthy all year, T-Mac has a chance to be in the MVP running. He’s an immensely talented player who could impress a lot of voters this season. Staying healthy will be a challenge, however.

4. Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
In the Olympics, no player looked as surprisingly good as Dwyane Wade. Wade looked like it was the 2006 NBA Finals all over again. If he can remain healthy and lead the Miami Heat back into the playoffs, he should get a few MVP votes.

3. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers should once again be very good. Kobe Bryant should once again be very good. The only thing that is a negative for Bryant in the MVP chase is the fact that he won the award last year. The MVP voters could be wanting to give it to someone new.

2. Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Many NBA experts thought that Chris Paul deserved the MVP last season. If he can have another great season and help the Hornets achieve their lofty goals, there is no reason to not expect CP3 to be near the top of the voting again.

1. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
The time has come for LeBron James to win the MVP award. He’s arguably the best player in the league who hasn’t won the MVP and after a strong Olympics showing, he should be primed and ready to take home that trophy this year.

How good can LeBron James be in the 2008-09 season? MVP good?

Photo: Newscom

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