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.

With Mike D’Antoni at the helm, many fantasy basketball owners are looking at the New York Knicks for fantasy production. The most difficult part is to figure out where the fantasy production will come from.

First of all, Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph both appear to be safe bets. Crawford has been very consistent over the last few years and should put up similar stats this year. Don’t expect to see a big jump in his production because although he has a green light this year, he’s always had a green light. Randolph, on the other hand, should see his production rise — due partly to D’Antoni and partly to Eddy Curry being out of the way.

At power forward, David Lee and Wilson Chandler are both interesting options. Lee is a player who can give you ten points and close to ten rebounds a night. He also shoots for a high percentage and does little to hurt a fantasy basketball team. Chandler, however, has the higher fantasy ceiling as he’s a multidimensional player who could really thrive in D’Antoni’s system.

Other players to keep an eye on are Nate Robinson, Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson. Robinson could see his scoring numbers improve as he’s playing a lot of minutes off the ball this year. Duhon is the Knicks’ version of Steve Nash, although he’s not going to give you nearly the production. Still, Duhon is a solid fantasy option who should explode for a few big games this season. QRich, if he can get in shape and stay healthy, could produce a lot of three-pointers — just like he did previously under D’Antoni when both were with the Suns.

Wilson Chandler of the New York Knicks continues to look like a potential sleeper for the upcoming 2008-09 fantasy basketball season. Earlier in the month before the preseason began, we called Wilson Chandler a small forward sleeper. So far in preseason, that possibility is still alive.

After two preseason games, Chandler is averaging 11.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks. Those are the same type of all-around numbers he put up during the NBA Vegas Summer League.

The biggest question for Chandler this fantasy season will be the number of minutes he’ll play. If he plays a lot of minutes, he should be a very fine fantasy basketball player in Mike D’Antoni’s fast pace attack.

In this Wilson Chandler video, you can see his very good athleticism that has the Knicks and their fans excited about the second year small forward out of DePaul:

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Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
Tracy McGrady has a lot of red flags going into the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season. First of all, he had offseason surgery and he has reportedly been slow to heal. Then you have to factor in Ron Artest getting a lot of his touches. Finally, McGrady’s wear and tear over the years looks like it is going to catch up to him sooner than later. Don’t be fooled by his name during your fantasy draft.

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.

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Even though many feel Kevin Durant underachieved in his rookie season because he wasn’t Michael Jordan reincarnate, Durant was still good and should be even better in the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season.

Francisco Garcia, Sacramento Kings
With Ron Artest now in Houston, Francisco Garcia should see a lot of starts during the upcoming season. When he gets time, he has proven to be a player that can help in a whole list of categories.

Marvin Williams, Atlanta Hawks
Josh Childress signing in Greece should help Marvin Williams stay on the court. Childress ate up some of his time in the past but this year, Williams could emerge as a very good fantasy basketball player. He’s definitely a sleeper small forward as of right now.

Wilson Chandler, New York Knicks
With Mike D’Antoni in town, everyone knows the Knicks will be running and gunning. While it’s far from a certainty that Wilson Chandler will start at small forward, he could put up really good stats if given the opportunity. During summer league, Chandler was oftentimes the best player on the court.

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.

Anthony Roberson has a signed a contract to play for the New York Knicks during the 2008-09 basketball season. Roberson shined for the Knicks summer league in Las Vegas and earned a spot on the Knicks roster.

While Roberson isn’t a big name yet, he’s a player who could flourish in Mike D’Antoni’s offense. Roberson is a smallish shooting guard but he has a natural ability to score the ball. He’s a good shooter and can also score on the move. If D’Antoni lets Roberson play a lot, Roberson could average more than ten points per game.

Consider Roberson an early fantasy basketball sleeper for the upcoming season. If D’Antoni lets him play some point guard, Roberson will become even more of a sleeper.

Anthony Roberson may go from the outhouse to the penthouse.

Photo: Newscom

Danilo Gallinari looks like he’s on the way to quieting those boos he heard on draft day. He had an impressive performance for the New York Knicks and displayed a wide array of skills. He’s only 19 but it’s possible to imagine Gallinari getting a lot of minutes this season for Mike D’Antoni and the Knicks.

Here is the Gallinari summer league highlight video:

Chris Duhon, formerly of the Chicago Bulls, has signed a free agent deal with the New York Knicks. Reports indicate that the value of the contract is $12M over two years.

While Duhon was only a spot starter in Chicago, he could become the opening night starter at point guard for the Knicks. With new coach Mike D’Antoni in charge, the Knicks needed a pass-first point guard who can distribute the ball. Enter Duhon.

While Duhon isn’t much of a scorer, he is a good passer. He makes smart passes and doesn’t try to force the issue too much. When it comes to scoring, Duhon relies on three-pointers and catch-and-shoot jumpers.

Although Duhon fantasy basketball stock won’t be overly high heading into the 2008-09 season, he definitely is a sleeper. D’Antoni helped Steve Nash turn into a Hall of Fame point guard. While Duhon doesn’t have that sort of potential, he could turn into a player who averages around ten points, eight assists and a good amount of steals and three-pointers.

Can Mike D’Antoni work his point guard magic with Chris Duhon?

Photo: Newscom

Baron Davis opted out of his last year of his contract with the Golden State Warriors to become a free agent. His final year of his contract would have paid him around $17 million.

Davis opting out is somewhat of a surprise. Most experts thought Davis would collect the final year of his deal before hitting the open market next summer. Apparently, Davis has other ideas.

The most likely destination for Davis next year remains the Warriors. Golden State can pay him a lot of money and he has thrived in Golden State. That said, there is growing talk about Davis’ unhappiness in Golden State — specifically concerning his relationship with head coach Don Nelson.

If Davis leaves the Warriors, expect him to go to a big market team. The Los Angeles Clippers could come knocking and try to bring back the former UCLA Bruins player. Another team that could go after Davis is the New York Knicks. The Knicks don’t have a quality point guard and new head coach Mike D’Antoni would love to get his hands on a player with Davis’ talents.