After the Chauncey Billups trade in which the Denver Nuggets sent away Allen Iverson, the makeup and chemistry of the team has changed substantially. That has trickled down into the fantasy basketball world. Here is a look at the key players on the Nuggets and an analysis regarding their current stance in the fantasy basketball world:

Chauncey Billups
Although Chauncey Billups’ stats have slowly been going downhill in recent years, look for him to have a very good season this year for the Nuggets. Coach George Karl has given him complete control of the team and Billups is even more involved than he was with Detroit. Additionally, Karl is playing Billups a bit at shooting guard, which should help Billups’ scoring numbers. Overall, Billups looks like he’s going to have a great 2008 fantasy basketball campaign.

Carmelo Anthony
With Iverson, Carmelo Anthony is once again the team’s number one scoring option. He should eventually be able to get his scoring average back up around 30 points per game. He’s also rebounding more and getting more assists, which should make fantasy basketball owners very happy. With Billups passing him the ball and a non-offensive player in Dahntay Jones replacing Iverson at shooting guard, Carmelo has a chance to have a monster season.

Nene
With Marcus Camby out of the picture, Nene has established himself as the center for the Nuggets. With Billups able to set him up, Nene should have a very good season. He seems to have overcome his injuries and illnesses and is now a full blown beast down low.

Kenyon Martin
Now one year removed from major knee surgery, Kenyon Martin looks even better athletically. He’s not going to do much more than he did last season but even at that production level, he’s a decent fantasy basketball option.

JR Smith
JR Smith might be the one player hurt by the loss of AI. The run and gun, shoot whenever you want days in Denver seem to have left with AI. Now with Billups in control, there are much fewer wild shots. Plus with Smith coming off the bench, it’s going to be hard for him to live up to the hype he was garnering in the preseason.

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.

The Nuggets have confirmed a report that Nene’s tumor is indeed malignant. The great news is that Nene is expected to make a complete recovery and there’s only a remote chance that the cancer will return.

Reports also indicate that there’s a chance that Nene could return as soon as March. While it’s a bit early to be thinking about his return, Nene has bounced back from other tough setbacks including a torn ACL.

Until he returns, expect Kenyon Martin and Eduardo Najera to man the minutes next to Marcus Camby. Linas Kleiza and even Carmelo Anthony might slide over to the power forward position if George Karl opts to go small.

If you have Nene on your fantasy team, you might as well release him unless you are in a super deep league. There’s a chance that he could miss the rest of the season. And even if he does return, there’s no guarantee that he’ll play major minutes at any point this season.

Stephon Marbury, New York Knicks
Marbury looks like he’s headed for ankle surgery. If he follows through and has the surgery, Marbury could be lost for the season. The Knicks are a mess right now but losing Marbury might actually be a blessing for the team. Marbury hasn’t played well this season and fantasy owners should be looking elsewhere for point guard production.

Nene, Denver Nuggets
According to reports, the initial diagnosis indicates that Nene’s tumor wasn’t cancerous. However, more tests need to be done to verify those results. If the tumor turns out to be benign, that’s obviously fantastic news for Nene. Fantasy wise, Nene still wouldn’t have that much value. He’ll be out for a while regardless and when he returns, it could take a while for him to get back into the groove.

Tracy McGrady, Houston Rockets
McGrady tried to practice recently but was unable to finish the session. For upcoming games, consider McGrady highly doubtful. Even when he returns, wait a few games to see how he plays. McGrady might take it easy until he regains full confidence in his knee.

Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers
Bynum will be sidelined two months with his knee injury. In his place, Kwame Brown will start at center. Once Chris Mihm is healthy, Mihm may battle Brown for that starting spot. Bynum is expected to make a full recovery and should be healthy by the time fantasy playoffs roll around.

Nene, a bigman on the Denver Nuggets, had a testicular tumor removed in a procedure that occurred in Denver. A biopsy is pending to determine whether or not the tumor was cancerous.

Obviously, the biggest concern is the health of Nene. According to reports, Nene was able to catch this early and everyone seems confident that he’ll make a full recovery.

In the oftentimes cruel world of fantasy basketball, this news means that Nene owners might have to start looking for other options. Unless you are in a deep league, you probably can’t afford to hold onto him. There’s no telling when he’ll return, but it’s likely that it won’t be for a while.

Nene’s long-term upside remains high, so keep him around if it’s a dynasty league. He’s a guy who in the future could be a starting bigman who averages close to a double-double. Last year in the playoffs, Nene was playing extremely well.

On the Nuggets, bigmen Kenyon Martin’s role as starting power forward should remain safe for the time being. Eduardo Najera should also have a consistent backup role.

Nene of the Denver Nuggets has left the team to deal with an undisclosed personal medical issue. Since it’s not a basketball related injury, Nene has opted to keep the details a secret. No one in the Nuggets camp or the Nene camp have been too forthcoming with information.

“I’m very upset that I have to put a little delay on being with the team to take care of my health,” said Nene. “I thank God that he showed me this issue so I can take care of it. I want to get back on the court as soon as possible to help my teammates. My family and I ask that you respect our privacy during this time.”

Reading between the lines, it appears as if Nene will be able to return sometime this season. Whether that sometime is in the next two weeks or the next two months, nobody knows much outside of Denver.

Obviously you need to either bench him or waive him in your fantasy league. If you have room on your bench or injury list, go ahead and keep him around. If you need the spot, you might as well waive him because there’s a decent chance he will be out a while.

With Nene sidelined, expect Kenyon Martin and Eduardo Najera to play a bit more minutes.

Nene, Denver Nuggets
Nene is returning from injury and has played well in his time back with the Nuggets. Always a huge talent, Nene used his time away to get into better shape. Although he has a lot of competition from quality bigs such as Kenyon Martin and Marcus Camby, Nene should be able to carve out a niche for himself in Denver.

Tyrus Thomas, Chicago Bulls
Thomas is a player who looks great one night and then disappears for a couple of weeks. For a fantasy team, that is very dangerous. But with a new coach in Chicago, Thomas might get a shot at big minutes at some point in the second half of the season. If that happens, Thomas could go from obscurity to stud in a heartbeat.

Andray Blatche, Washington Wizards
Blatche, like Thomas, has a huge amount of natural talent and athleticism. Blatche has had stretches this season where he’s been a very nice fantasy player. However, he’s currently back onto the fringe of the rotation in Washington and won’t be valuable until he gets consistent time. Keep an eye on his minutes and pick him up if you notice an increase.

Luis Scola, Houston Rockets
Scola is an older rookie who has been going through growing pains. Be that as it may, he’s a good prospect who could be in line to see his minutes increase in the second half of the year. If he can get into the starting lineup, Scola has shown to be able to score, rebound and pass at the NBA level.

After recovery from thumb surgery, Nene returned to the court Thursday for the Denver Nuggets as they took on the Milwaukee Bucks. For the Nuggets, the return of Nene could be considered a late Christmas present.

Against the Bucks, Nene was hardly needed. The Nuggets were up 68-38 at halftime before rolling to a 125-105 victory. Marcus Camby was the star for the Nuggets as he recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks in 30 minutes of action. Nene played well in his 17 minutes of playing time, recording 11 points and pulling down seven rebounds.

What should be expected from Nene here on out? It’s tough to say. Last year Nene was a beast as a starter. In starts, most of which were in the second half of the season, Nene averaged 14.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and over a block and steal a game. He also shot nearly 60% from the field.

However, this season it appears as if Kenyon Martin will start next to Marcus Camby for the Nuggets. Martin is a former All-Star who has played very well at times this year for Denver. Behind Martin, Eduardo Najera is playing over 23 minutes per game and has played well this year. And although Linas Kleiza is more of a small forward, he has spent some time at power forward this year.

All that said, Nene could still find himself back to playing a lot of minutes. Martin and Najera are both injury prone players, as is starting center Marcus Camby. With the way Nene played last year, there should be no doubt he could work himself back into a spot in the rotation that will have him playing around 20 minutes per game. Depending how he plays in those minutes and the injury status of the other bigs, Nene could eventually reclaim his starting spot. If he becomes a full-time starter again, he becomes a very nice fantasy basketball option. Until then, don’t pick him up unless you can wait on him.

If you are looking for some help on your fantasy basketball team, take a look at these players who are all returning soon after missing time due to injury.

Nene, Denver Nuggets
Nene has been out after having thumb surgery but is expected to be ready to play again at around the first of the year. Nene isn’t a great fantasy player but he has good potential. Late last season Nene looked to be in great shape and was performing well. If he can return to that shape, he could be a nice option.

Mike Conley, Memphis Grizzlies
Conley has missed much of the season after hurting his shoulder. He appears to be on the verge of being able to return to action. Although he wasn’t getting many minutes before he got hurt, Conley’s per minute numbers were very good. As the Grizzlies fall out of the playoff picture, expect Conley to get more and more minutes.

Chucky Atkins, Denver Nuggets
Atkins has missed the entire season so far with a groin injury. The good news for the Nuggets is Atkins should be able to return in the next couple weeks. Right now, Anthony Carter is starting for Denver. There’s a chance that Atkins can come in and take the starting point guard job and play well enough to warrant fantasy attention.

Darius Miles, Portland Trail Blazers
Miles’ return is more uncertain than the other three players on this list. While he has resumed basketball activities, it’s unknown when he’ll actually return to the court. There is a chance he could be back in as little as two weeks. Once Miles returns, keep an eye on him to see if he shows any signs of being able to return to his previous level of play.

Mike Bibby, Sacramento Kings
Bibby has been out all season with a thumb injury and is scheduled to be out a while longer. Bibby should get his starting job back when he returns, but newcomer Beno Udrih has been playing well in his place. There’s a chance that Bibby doesn’t play as many minutes as usual once he returns. With that in mind, his fantasy value has to take a big of a hit.

Chucky Atkins, Denver Nuggets
Atkins is out with a groin injury. When he returns, it’s unclear what role he’ll have with the team. Anthony Carter has played well as of late and should continue to see time at point guard. Even before he was injured, Atkins wasn’t expected to start for Denver. As of now, Atkins isn’t worth rostering in most leagues.

Nene, Denver Nuggets
Nene has a thumb injury that should keep him out for at least a couple more weeks. He showed up in camp out of shape, so it’s no guarantee that he’ll step right back into a major role for the Nuggets. Denver has a bunch of quality bigs so as of now, Nene’s fantasy value is actually pretty low.

Larry Hughes, Cleveland Cavaliers
Hughes is out for a couple more weeks with a bruise on his left leg. Ever since he’s come to Cleveland from the Washington Wizards, Hughes has been a disappointment. This season, he’s been worse than ever. Right now, even if he were healthy, he’d probably hurt your fantasy team more than help it.

Marcus Williams, New Jersey Nets
Out with a broken foot since before the season began, Williams should be close to suiting up for the Nets. As the main backup for Jason Kidd, Williams isn’t expected to play major minutes this year. The only way that would change is if he were to prove that he could play next to Kidd on the court.