Marcus Camby, the rebounding and shotblocking expert for the Los Angeles Clippers, sprained his ankle on Friday night in a game against the San Antonio Spurs. Camby landed awkwardly after attempting to block a Tim Duncan field goal attempt and had to be helped to the locker room. X-Rays at the arena were negative.

The latest news from the Clippers says that Camby will one or two weeks with a sprained ankle. However, with about three weeks left in the 2008-09 NBA season and the Clippers going nowhere, it wouldn’t be too surprising if Camby were to miss the rest of the year. For fantasy basketball owners, this is obviously devastating news.

On the season, Camby is averaging 10.6 points, 11.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 51.6% from the court. As far as fantasy basketball centers are concerned, Camby is near the top of the list. His ability to rebound, block shots and shoot quality percentages from the field and the line makes him invaluable.

If Camby misses the rest of the season, expect to see more of Chris Kaman and Zach Randolph for Los Angeles at the bigman positions. Rookie center DeAndre Jordan could also see an increase in playing time.

Here is a Marcus Camby mixtape video to show what we might not see against this season:

One stat that can be difficult to win is the blocked shot category. There are so few players who excel at blocking shots that it makes those players extra valuable. Here are some players who can really block some shots and thus help your fantasy basketball team.

Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
Although he wasn’t much of a shot blocker until this season, Dwight Howard is suddenly the best in the business of blocking shots. Using his strength, length and athleticism, he’s become a terror around the rim.

Marcus Camby, Los Angeles Clippers
Over the last few seasons, Marcus Camby has been the player who many fantasy owners turned to for blocked shots. This season is no different as Camby ranks second in the league in blocked shots. However, keep an eye on his playing time now that Zach Randolph has arrived.

Chris Andersen, Denver Nuggets
Even though he’s playing under 17 minutes a game, Chris Andersen is third in the NBA in blocked shots. He has thrived in his role of backup bigman behind Nene and Kenyon Martin. If an injury occurs and Andersen starts playing big minutes, he could really become a shot blocking monster.

Ronny Turiaf, Golden State Warriors
Like Andersen, Ronny Turiaf is getting a lot of blocked shots in a little bit of playing time. And also like Andersen, if he gets more playing time, Turiaf would help any fantasy team with his shot blocking. He was recently named a team captain, so perhaps there’s a bigger role for him in the future.

Photo credit: Newscom

Along with the Jamal Crawford for Al Harrington trade, the New York Knicks also made noise on Friday by trading Zach Randolph to the Los Angeles Clippers. The deal sent Randolph and Mardy Collins to the Clippers for Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas.

As far as Randolph is concerned, this is unlikely to be good news for his fantasy basketball value. With the Knicks, he was putting up very good numbers and was see a ton of touches. Mike D’Antoni basically let him shoot whenever he wanted to.

With the Clippers, Randolph will have to find time between Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman on the frontline. The Clippers also play at a much slower pace than the Knicks. The only silver lining is that the Clippers are looking for an Elton Brand replacement and Randolph has a comparable game. For that reason, Randolph could eventually get a lot of touches down the line.

As far as Mobley and Thomas are concerned, this is very good news. Mobley could conceivably step into a starting role at shooting guard to replace the departed Crawford. He’ll likely get a lot more shots — as long as D’Antoni warms up to him. Thomas previously played for D’Antoni and flourished in his system. If he gets time, he too could become fantasy relevant once again.

Marcus Camby, Los Angeles Clippers
Although Marcus Camby has been a very good fantasy basketball player the last few years, look for his reign of dominance to come to an end. First of all, Camby is always an injury risk and he’s dodged quite a few bullets the last couple of years. Second of all, the Clippers will play at a much slower pace than the Nuggets. That in itself will lower his stats across the board. There is also some question regarding how well he will mesh on the court next to Chris Kaman.

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
Pau Gasol is a very good NBA player but he may take a hit in the fantasy world this year. With Andrew Bynum next to him, he’ll likely have to forgo some of the touches downlow that he got all of last season. Additionally, Bynum will likely take away some of the rebounds and blocks that Gasol was getting. His shooting percentages should go up but that in itself won’t make up for the loss of production elsewhere.

Brad Miller, Sacramento Kings
The first strike against Brad Miller is the fact that he’s suspended to start the season. More importantly, he doesn’t quite fit the Kings any longer. The Kings are rebuilding for the future while Miller is already in his prime. In order to take a look at young players, don’t be surprised if Miller sees his minutes limited and other bigs on the roster such as Jason Thompson, Shelden Williams and Spencer Hawes get their opportunities in the sun.

David Lee, New York Knicks
A lot of speculation points to David Lee being worth less in fantasy basketball with Mike D’Antoni named head coach. However, with the faster tempo Lee’s stats should rise naturally and he should be able to hoard a lot of rebounds — especially offensive rebounds.

Nene, Denver Nuggets
With Marcus Camby traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, the starting job in Denver falls to Nene. Although he’s been more promise than production in his career, he has the ability to be a player who averages close to a double-double with a healthy amount of blocks.

Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
If Love is given center eligibility in your fantasy basketball league, consider him a possible sleeper for the 2008 season. At UCLA, Love had a very varied game and could be helpful across the board. He should get time next to Al Jefferson in Minnesota.

Joakim Noah, Chicago Bulls
In his rookie season, Joakim Noah wasn’t too impressive. That said, he had spurts of good performance and should get a chance to win a full-time starting gig. If he does, look for him to put up solid numbers in points, rebounds, blocks and steals.

5) Bruce Bowen, San Antonio Spurs
At 37, Bruce Bowen’s chance of taking home the Defensive Player of the Year award has probably come and gone. But if the voters want to give it to a player who has been close plenty of times but never got the award, Bowen is the one.

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.

PG Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
For the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season, Chris Paul was the best player in the world. He had an amazing season and was a godsend to all of his fantasy teams. Going forward, Paul should remain the best fantasy point guard for a long time to come.

SG Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
Manu Ginobili doesn’t play big minutes. Heck, Ginobili usually doesn’t even start. However, when he’s out there on the court, Ginobili just knows how to make things happen. While he can be a mistake prone player, he’s also capable of getting as hot as anyone.

SF Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
Life is good for Paul Pierce right now. First he won the championship while bringing up the Finals MVP. Then Pierce got pulled over and passed three straight sobriety tests. Out of the Big Three for the Celtics, Pierce has the brightest future.

PF Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Although he has struggled with injuries in the past, Amare Stoudemire has emerged as a very good fantasy basketball player. Playing next to Shaquille O’Neal should open up his game and allow him to do big things in 2008-09.

C Marcus Camby, Los Angeles Clippers
Marcus Camby is far from the best fantasy center in the NBA. However, Camby is unique in that he concentrates on blocking shots, rebounding and passing the ball. Every fantasy team can use an unselfish player such as Camby.

Photo: Newscom

After losing Elton Brand to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Clippers used their available cap space to bring in Marcus Camby. The Denver Nuggets traded Camby to the Clippers for a future second round pick in a move that could end up saving the Nuggets approximately $40 million.

While the Nuggets certainly won’t improve by losing Camby, they do have a lot of bigman depth. Nene, who has shown glimpses in the past of being a very good player, will now likely start at center. Next to Nene will be Kenyon Martin. While Nene and Martin are both injury prone players, when healthy they can form a very formidable frontcourt. In terms of fantasy basketball, Nene is by far the biggest winner on the Nuggets.

The Clippers will use Camby next to Chris Kaman. Since Camby plays away from the basket offensively, there’s a good chance he’ll be listed at power forward and Kaman will be listed as the center. Camby’s skill should translate well to the Clippers. His stats should be similar and may even improve because the Clippers don’t have as many offensive weapons as the Nuggets do. As always, a big key for Camby will be remaining healthy.

Here is a video with more analysis on the Camby trade:

On Tuesday, Kobe Bryant officially won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award. It was Bryant’s first MVP award of his illustrious career. After a tumultuous summer, Bryant regrouped and played a stellar regular season while leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference.

While Bryant deserved his MVP award, was he also the MVP of the fantasy basketball world? Here is my top-five list for most valuable fantasy basketball players of the 2007-08 season.

5) Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
When it came to rebounding and blocking shots, Marcus Camby was a monster in this season. If you had him on your team, you had to be ecstatic with his production.

4) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
If it wasn’t for his shaky shooting percentages and his penchant for turnovers, LeBron James would be a lot higher on this list.

3) Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Amare Stoudemire entered the season with a lot of question marks. He came away from the season as the best fantasy bigman in the NBA.

2) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
While Kobe Bryant was the rightful winner of the NBA’s MVP, the fantasy basketball world is all about numbers. Bryant wasn’t quite the MVP in this competition.

1) Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
From the opening tip of the season to the final buzzer in the middle of April, Chris Paul was a dominating force in fantasy basketball. It’s not a surprise that he finished second to Bryant for the NBA’s MVP.

Photo: Newscom

With the news that Dennis Rodman was arrested once again, now is as good a time as any to look at who the best rebounders were in the 2007-08 season. While none of them rebounded at a Dennis Rodman rate, they weren’t shabby in their own right.

1. Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
With an average of 14.2 rebounds per game, Dwight Howard was far and away the best rebounder in the NBA. At 22, Howard’s rebounding numbers should continue to rise over the next few years.

2. Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
Not only does Marcus Camby block shots, he’s an elite rebounder. He averaged 13.1 rebounds per game and consistently rebounded all season. Camby also stayed healthy, which in itself was very good to see.

3. Tyson Chandler, New Orleans Hornets
This former Baby Bull is now all grown up. As a member of the Hornets, Chandler is now playing great basketball. He can block shots, rebound and shoots for a high percentage offensively.

4. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
While Tim Duncan doesn’t play a huge amount of minutes anymore, he still is a great rebounder. Duncan is good at a lot things on the basketball court, however rebounding might be his most dominating aspect in the fantasy world.

5. Al Jefferson, Minnesota Timberwolves
When the Wolves traded for Al Jefferson, they knew they were getting a low post scorer and a very capable rebounder. Jefferson didn’t disappoint in either aspect. He has a chance to be a league-leader in rebounds for many years to come.

Photo: Newscom