Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
At Kansas, Mario Chalmers was known as a player who could swipe steals at a stunning rate. While he’s been on and off in the steals department in the NBA, his overall rate is very encouraging. In a game earlier in the season, he had nine steals.

Trevor Ariza, Los Angeles Lakers
Trevor Ariza has been turning a lot of heads this season. One overlooked aspect regarding his production is his steals. He’s stealing the ball at a very good rate. If his minutes jump, as they very well could, he could very well be a challenger for the league lead.

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
One of the biggest reasons why the Thunder drafted Westbrook was his defense. He’s an aggressive defender who can rack up steals in a hurry. Now that he’s starting for Oklahoma City, expect his steals numbers to be very good for the foreseeable future.

CJ Watson, Golden State Warriors
CJ Watson is a short-term solution for steals. He has started some games recently for the Warriors but that will change once Monta Ellis is healthy. However, in the meantime, Watson uses his long arms and quick reflexes to pick up a lot of steals.

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1. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
Coming into the NBA, everyone knew Derrick Rose could pass the ball. What is surprising NBA scouts is his ability to score the ball. He uses his combination of quickness and strength to get to the rim and score against bigger defenders. Since he’s starting and already playing big minutes, he’s not only looking like a good fantasy basketball player but also the lead candidate for Rookie of the Year.

2. Michael Beasley, Miami Heat
Although he has struggled a bit in his first couple of games, the immense talent of Michael Beasley is obvious. He can score the basketball from everywhere on the court and can also be a beast on the boards. Once the Heat figure out how to share the ball, Beasley could blossom into an 18-point, 10-rebound player faster than originally thought.

3. Jason Thompson, Sacramento Kings
Jason Thompson has been the surprise of the 2008 NBA Draft class so far. He’s putting up great numbers off the bench for the Kings. If he keeps playing at his current level, he’ll find his way into the starting lineup before too much longer. It’d be smart to stash him away on a redraft league if you have the space. In a dynasty league, he’s a very good player to have.

4. Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
Speaking of draft surprises, Mario Chalmers has gone from second round pick to starting point guard for the Heat. After an amazing first game against the Knicks, Chalmers has come back down to earth. But as long as he keeps starting, he’s going to be a useful fantasy player. Right now, he looks like a player who could give you about ten points, six assists, three rebounds and a couple of steals per game.

5. Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves
Kevin Love hasn’t gotten the huge amount of playing time other rookies have received but he looks solid so far. Minutes will be the big question mark for Love as long as he’s coming off the bench. Keep an eye on him, however, because once he starts he will be able to put up good fantasy numbers.

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Although the NBA season just started, this is a great time to hit the waiver wire and look for gems and fantasy basketball steals. Which players looked good on the opening night of the NBA? Check out these fantasy basketball players.

Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
Mario Chalmers started for the Miami Heat at point guard and played a great game. Threatening to get a triple double in his first game, Chalmers is a definite pickup in all fantasy basketball formats. The only word of caution is to realize that the Heat were playing the Knicks — who are perhaps the worst defensive team in the league.

Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee Bucks
Last year, Charlie Villanueva had a hugely disappointing season. He never seemed to be able to get into a groove and it showed by his play on the court. But now Villanueva is healthy, starting and is a good fantasy basketball pickup off of the waiver wire.

Yi Jianlian, New Jersey Nets
Although most of the hype surrounding Yi Jianlian has died down, he’s a player to take a look at. He was bad during the preseason for the most part, however he played very well in New Jersey’s first game.

Darrell Arthur, Memphis Grizzlies
Darrell Arthur was good during summer league, good during the preseason and had a good regular season debut. It’s going to be hard for the Grizzlies to keep him off the court because Arthur is proving to be a steal of a draft pick. Keep an eye on him if he jumps into the Grizzlies starting lineup.

Photo: Newscom

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Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
During summer league, Russell Westbrook looked amazing. While he hasn’t looked as amazing in preseason, he still is showing a lot of promise. He might not start getting a huge amount of minutes early on but by late in the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season, expect Westbrook to play around 30 minutes per game.

DJ Augustin, Charlotte Bobcats
In Charlotte, Larry Brown will undoubtedly be extremely hard on his point guards. With starter Raymond Felton truly being more of a shooting guard, you can expect DJ Augustin to get plenty of minutes at point guard. If Brown puts Felton into the dog house, Augustin would be next in line to start.

Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
Even though Mario Chalmers was a second round pick, he fell into a perfect situation in Miami. He has a chance to start at point guard and play next to Dwyane Wade. While he’s not going to be a bigtime scorer at the NBA level, he’ll be able to get a healthy amount of assists and steals. He should also be able to knock down the NBA three-pointer.

Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns
Another second round selection, the Suns are extremely high on Dragic. In fact, Suns management had him rated as one of the top handful of point guards in the entire 2008 NBA Draft. Although he’s playing behind Steve Nash, the fact that Phoenix runs a point guard oriented offense should help Dragic’s stats. Don’t expect points but Dragic should be able to do everything else.

George Hill, San Antonio Spurs
George Hill is the sleeper of the fantasy basketball rookie point guard prospects. Coming out of tiny IUPUI, Hill was drafted by the Spurs late in the first round. After struggling in summer league, Hill bounced back and played very well in preseason. He’s a guard in the Monta Ellis mold he can play the passing lanes on defense and knock down shots offensively. He’s currently dealing with an injured thumb but he could possibly be fantasy viable at some point during the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season.

Keep an eye on rookie point guard George Hill.

Photo: Newscom

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While neither Chalmers nor Arthur has commented on the matter as of yet, this has to be an embarrassment for both players. Not only that, they very well could face NBA suspensions.

Fantasy basketball wise, this news shouldn’t hurt the players too much. Chalmers was a long shot to begin the year as the Miami Heat’s starting point guard — and he’s still a long shot. Arthur could get minutes for the Memphis Grizzlies but not enough minutes to be a draftable fantasy basketball option.

Here is a video about Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur getting busted with marijuana:

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Which players on Kansas have a future in the NBA? Let’s take a look . . .

Brandon Rush – NBA Draft: Expect Brandon Rush to be drafted in the first round anywhere from 12 to 20.

Mario Chalmers – NBA Draft: Expect Mario Chalmers to be drafted at the end of the first round or the beginning of the second round.

Darrell Arthur – NBA Draft: Expect Darrell Arthur to be drafted in the first round between 10 and 28.

Sasha Kaun – NBA Draft: Expect Sasha Kaun to be drafted in the second round.

Darnell Jackson – NBA Draft: Expect Darnell Jackson to be drafted in the second round.

Check out this video of Kansas fans celebrating when the game went into overtime . . .

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NBA scouts like a lot about Chalmers’ game. He’s a very active and dedicated defender who is great at coming up with steals. He has good size to defend against point guards and knows how to use his quickness to his advantage. Offensively, Chalmers can shoot the ball with accuracy. He’s not a great scorer but he is a very good shooter.

However, there are still a number of questions regarding Chalmers. Most importantly, is he truly a point guard? His assist numbers don’t blow you away and he at times look more comfortable off of the ball. At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, Chalmers wouldn’t have the size to play shooting guard in the NBA. If a team isn’t 100% certain he’s a legit point guard, they won’t draft him.

Chalmers isn’t the most exciting prospect but for a veteran team that wants to win right away, Chalmers would be a good fit. He’s tough minded and willing to play whatever role is asked of him.

Check out this Mario Chalmers video . . .

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