2) Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
Pau Gasol’s game really exploded once he hit Los Angeles. He was ranked highly going into the season and showed glimpses of reaching his very high potential. In coming seasons, Gasol will be a fantasy basketball force.

3) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
If it wasn’t for injury, Yao Ming would have finished as a top-two center in fantasy basketball. His numbers weren’t as impressive as past years but Yao was very solid. However, in coming seasons, fantasy owners will be worried about whether or not he’ll ever be able to remain healthy.

4) Chris Kaman, Los Angeles Clippers
Of the centers this season, Chris Kaman was the surprise of the season. He produced at a high rate for a large portion of the year. With Elton Brand sidelined for much of the campaign, Kaman filled in nicely and produced comparable numbers.

5) Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
While Tim Duncan isn’t a great fantasy player, he was a solid force this season. He doesn’t’ play a huge amount of minutes, so his days of being a dominant fantasy player is over. In real life, though, Duncan is among the best who ever played.

Tim Duncan Mix …

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It’s the same knee that forced Arenas to miss last year’s playoffs and almost the entire regular season. The good news is that the injury is being called a bruised knee. Currently, it isn’t believed that Arenas suffered any structural damage.

Down 0-2 in the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Wizards blew out the Cavs 108-72. Before leaving with injury, Arenas played ten minutes and had two points and three assists.

Arenas having an issue with his troublesome knee has to concern fantasy basketball owners heading into the 2008-09 NBA season. It’s been over a year since Arenas was able to play pain-free and at 100%.

There is a good chance that the Wizards will hold out Arenas for the rest of the series against the Cavaliers – and perhaps for the rest of the playoffs.

Watch this recap of the game between the Wizards and Cavaliers:

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Amare Dunk Mix …

2) Kevin Garnett, Boston Celtics
The only reason Kevin Garnett slipped a bit in fantasy basketball was because the Celtics were just too good. With Garnett’s minutes down, his overall fantasy impact wasn’t as impressive. However, he was still a very good player this year.

3) Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki didn’t have the most consistent season of his career but he had a good fantasy year. He was strong in the areas he was supposed to be strong in and stayed relatively healthy. If Jason Kidd stays on his side, expect him to put up better stats next year.

4) Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
One of the most underrated players in the NBA is Chris Bosh. He’s a young bigman who continues to get better and better. He’s basically like a Garnett-type player in the making. Next year expect him to take another big step forward.

5) Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
While Carlos Boozer’s stats weren’t as good as they were last year, he was a consistent threat throughout the season. He didn’t have too many bad games and stayed healthy. Over the next few years, Boozer will likely remain a steady fantasy force.

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“I think without a doubt that Andrew would come off the bench, and we would play him a little bit off the bench if there was any chance that he could come back and play again, but it’s such a remote thing,” Jackson told The Los Angeles Daily News. “We’re not seriously thinking about it.”

Even without Bynum, the Lakers were able to dominate in their first game of the playoffs. Defeating the Denver Nuggets 128-114, Pau Gasol led the way for Los Angeles with 36 points, 18 rebounds and eight assists. Kobe Bryant chipped in with 32 points.

If Bynum does indeed miss the rest of the season, Gasol would remain the team’s center. In the frontcourt, he’d likely continue to be joined by Lamar Odom and Vladimir Radmanovic at the forward positions. Derek Fisher joins Bryant in the backcourt.

Before getting hurt this season, Bynum was averaging 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He was also shooting 63.6% from the field.

Andrew Bynum before his injury:

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Although he played in Game 1, he admitted afterwards to being hampered by the injury. Head coach Mike D’Antoni said that he was going to do a better job of limiting Hill’s minutes if he saw Hill not at 100%.

If Hill isn’t able to start, expect Leandro Barbosa to start in his place. If Barbosa starts, he’d play shooting guard and Raja Bell would move over to small forward. Gordon Giricek would also likely see an increase in playing time.

For the season, Hill averaged 13.1 points, five rebounds and nearly three assists per game. In Game 1 of this series, Hill had five points and seven rebounds.

Grant Hill Highlight Video:

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Allen Iverson, Denver Nuggets
Like Bryant, Allen Iverson doesn’t score as much as he used to. That said, he might be an even better fantasy basketball player. His field goal percentage is high and so are his assist numbers. If you drafted Iverson this year, you should be happy with your investment.

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
Manu Ginobili has always been a player who was better in the NBA than he was in fantasy basketball. But this season, Ginobili’s greatness translated to his stats as he was able to play more minutes and shoot the ball more. He was a fantasy stud this season.

Jason Richardson, Charlotte Bobcats
Fantasy owners didn’t know what to think of Jason Richardson after he was traded to the Bobcats in the offseason. Richardson did a good job of playing better than expected and was a top five fantasy basketball shooting guard in 2008.

Kevin Martin, Sacramento Kings
Although he struggled with various injuries, Kevin Martin was very good when he was healthy. He scores the ball easily, shoots great from the line and doesn’t turn the ball over much. In the coming seasons, Martin will be a really nice fantasy player – as long as he can remain healthy.

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The good news is it sounds like McGrady will be able to play on Friday. He missed a game to rest his sore shoulder but insists he’ll be ready to go against the Suns. Although he has struggled with his shot in recent weeks, McGrady should be a quality fantasy basketball start on Friday.

Battier’s status appears to be less sure. He’s officially listed as questionable and there’s a very real chance he’ll miss at least one game for the Rockets. Battier bruised his foot in Wednesday’s game against the Seattle Supersonics.

Behind McGrady and Battier at the swingman positions for the Rockets are Luther Head, Bobby Jackson, Mike Harris and Steve Novak. While none of those three players is a true small forward, they are next in line to get minutes if McGrady and/or Battier miss time.

Image details: Houston Rockets v Los Angeles Lakers served by picapp.com

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On Friday night against the Seattle Supersonics, Ginobili will not play. His availability after that is still up in the air. How long will Ginobili be out? There’s a decent chance that the Spurs could elect to hold him out for the rest of the regular season to ensure that he’s as healthy as possible for the beginning of the playoffs.

For no, keep him out of your fantasy lineup. Even if he is questionable for a game, there’s a good chance that Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich won’t play him extended minutes again until the playoffs arrive. If the Spurs are fighting for homecourt advantage in their last game of the season against the Utah Jazz, Ginobili might see a lot of playing time in that game. Otherwise, it appears like he’ll have spot duty at best from here on out.

Who will pickup Ginobili’s slack? Most likely, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker will have to carry more of the offensive load. Both Duncan and Parker should be more valuable in the fantasy world for the rest of the regular season. As far as getting Ginobili’s minutes, expect Michael Finley and Ime Udoka to play more. There’s also a chance that Brent Barry could return from injury and jump into a 15 to 20 minute per game role in the last few games of the season.

Image details: San Antonio Spurs v Chicago Bulls served by picapp.com

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The good news for Yi is that the injury isn’t considered serious and he’ll be fine for both the upcoming Olympics and next year’s NBA season. With the Olympics to be held in Beijing, China, it would have been a crushing blow for Yi if he were forced to miss out.

While Yi fizzled down the stretch of the NBA season, he showed good promise early on. He’s a tall, aggressive player with a nice outside shooting touch. He can also rebound and block shots. In upcoming seasons, Yi should start to blossom on the NBA level.

In terms of fantasy basketball, Yi is a nice player to have on a dynasty team. While he’s probably two years away from really contributing, he should be a very solid player once he does contribute. His rookie season, on a whole, was a success.

Yi Jianlian Mix ..

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If the Nets are considering surgery for Carter, chances are his season is over. Carter had a mostly disappointing season, however he did play well in the last six weeks of the season. Surprisingly enough, he started playing well after Jason Kidd was traded.

If you have Carter on your fantasy basketball team, expect to have to try to make do without him. Even though Armstrong started, he isn’t a player to sign in fantasy basketball. If you are looking for a guard from the Nets to sign, Bostjan Nachbar or Marcus Williams. Both players should play more with Carter sidelined.

Next season, Carter’s fantasy stock will have to be lower than it was going into this season. Can he play at a high level for a whole season without Kidd on his side? Fantasy owners won’t be so sure.

Vince Carter Mix from his Rookie Season …

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