Other winners on All-Star Saturday Night were the Detroit Pistons in the Shooting Stars, Derrick Rose in the Skills Challenge and Daequan Cook in the three-point shootout. However, the star of the night was the short guard on the New York Knicks.

In the fantasy basketball world, Robinson has had his ups and downs. He’s struggled both with injuries and his perimeter jumper at times this season. But if he can get healthy, there’s not reason he can’t flourish in Mike D’Antoni’s system.

In February, Robinson has started to show some of his fantasy potential. He’s averaging approximately 20 points, five assists and four rebounds. Those types of stats make him a very valuable fantasy guard.

Here’s the video of the Nate Robinson dunk over Dwight Howard:

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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.

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While the rebuilding the Knicks will be extremely difficult, D’Antoni has a president who believes in him and who will rebuild the team around D’Antoni’s vision. Down the road, there’s a good chance that D’Antoni will have the Knicks running and gunning – just like the Suns.

Which current players fit D’Antoni’s run and gun coaching style? David Lee is a natural fit as a guy who can run and score without having plays called for him. Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford like to run. Wilson Chandler and Renaldo Balkman are both long and athletic, traits D’Antoni likes. Quentin Richardson is a former Sun who had arguably the best year of his career under D’Antoni.

The two players who don’t fit at all are Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph. Curry and Randolph are slow, halfcourt type players who will need to be moved. Stephon Marbury is a question mark but he’s not the pass-first type point guard that D’Antoni prefers.

The Knicks could turn around quickly if the team is able to draft Derrick Rose out of Memphis. Rose is a pass-first point guard who could play a Steve Nash type role for D’Antoni. The Knicks will have to hop to land a top two pick in the 2008 NBA Draft to have a shot at Rose.

Mike D’Antoni, head coach – New York Knicks

Photo: Newscom

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Reports indicate that the Knicks are offering big money to woo D’Antoni to the Big Apple. If D’Antoni takes over the Knicks, he’ll have a big challenge on his hands. The Knicks have been a disaster in recent years – on the court, off the court and in the locker room.

D’Antoni would likely try to make the Knicks run, run and run some more. With a deep, talented and athletic roster, D’Antoni might just be able to coax wins out of the Knicks. Even if he can’t get wins, fantasy basketball owners will be keeping a close eye to see which players start to flourish in D’Antoni’s system.

As has been the case since he began coaching the Suns, D’Antoni is a very fantasy basketball friendly coach. Players on the Knicks who could thrive under D’Antoni include Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph and Nate Robinson. Basically, if you can score, D’Antoni will play you.

Photo: Newscom

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CJ Miles, Utah Jazz
Miles is a young shooting guard who is starting to blossom with the Jazz. He’s a good shooter who is also a tough defender. While he’s still growing into his body, he has become a Jerry Sloan favorite as of late. Keep an eye on him to see if he can carve out a niche in Utah this season.

Gordon Giricek, Philadelphia 76ers
Giricek was traded by the Jazz to the Sixers for Kyle Korver. While Giricek isn’t an overwhelming talent, he’s more than capable of starting in the NBA. There’s a chance he could win the Sixers starting shooting guard spot, which would really boost his standing in the fantasy basketball world.

Larry Hughes, Cleveland Cavaliers
Hughes has been downright awful for the Cavs this year. While it’d be easy to give up on him, Hughes has shown a good amount of talent in the past. There are rumors that he could get traded, which would instantly raise his stock – especially if he could get on a team with a more free flowing offense.

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Josh Smith, Atlanta Hawks
Smith is going to be a stud this season for the Hawks. In Atlanta’s win against the Wizards, Smith had 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four blocks. He’s starting next to Marvin Williams at a forward spot, which will lead to Smith being able to grab as many rebounds as he can handle. He should also see his blocked shot numbers rise.

Andray Blatche, Washington Wizards
Blatche has been very impressive in the preseason for the Wizards. He continually plays a lot of minutes, which could very well be an indication that Washington plans on giving him extended minutes this season. Against the Hawks, Blatche had eight points, seven rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 29 minutes.

Nate Robinson, New York Knicks
Robinson has had a relatively quiet preseason. And while he’s competing with a bunch of quality guards for playing time, Robinson has the potential to have a very good season. He’s a great athlete and is a very natural scorer on the NBA level. Against the Celtics, Robinson finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and one steal.

Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
While everyone in Boston is excited about the additions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, fantasy basketball owners are wondering how those two players will affect the stats of Paul Pierce. Pierce averaged 25 points per game last year but with few other capable scorers on the team, Pierce was expected to carry the load. If Monday’s game was any indication, Pierce should still carry a big part of the scoring load this season. With Garnett and Allen also logging big minutes, it was Pierce who led the way with 29 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals in 40 minutes.

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