Vince Carter of the New Jersey Nets had a vintage dunk in a recent game. He caught the ball on the baseline and finished with a windmill dunk. You can watch video of the Vince Carter windmill dunk at the end of this entry.

Carter has had an interesting fantasy basketball season. At first, Carter came out of the gates playing great basketball. Then he slumped near the middle of the season. Recently, he’s been putting up much better numbers. As you could see in the video, he’s obviously feeling better.

Carter is a bit of a risk because he’s a player the Nets may look to sit near the end of the season if they are out of the playoff hunt. He very well could get traded in the summer and the Nets may not be willing to risk injury. If you have Carter on your fantasy team, be sure to have some solid backup options.

Here is a video of the Vince Carter windmill dunk for the Nets:

Devin Harris of the New Jersey Nets had one of the most memorable game winning shots of the 2009 NBA season. With his Nets down by a point, Harris hit a shot from halfcourt at the fourth quarter buzzer to beat the Philadelphia 76ers.

After the refs checked the video of the shot, the concluded that Harris got off the halfcourt heave just in time. Watch the Devin Harris video of his halfcourt game winner at the end of this entry.

The last shot was one of many good plays on Harris for the night. He finished the game with 39 points and eight assists in 42 minutes of action. The 39 points were the most Harris has scored since he put up 41 points in the middle of December.

On the whole, Harris’ fantasy value was the highest at the beginning of the season. As the season has progressed, his production has waned. But over the last week, he has appeared to be re-energized and his play has improved.

Watch this video to view Devin Harris hit a game-winning half court shot:

Brook Lopez, New Jersey Nets
Starting now for the Nets at center, Brook Lopez is starting to establish himself. While he’s still very much inconsistent, he’s scoring skills as both a scorer and a rebounder that should keep him in the starting lineup. It’s not out of the question that he could become a double-double machine sooner rather than later.

Courtney Lee, Orlando Magic
With news that Mickael Pietrus broke his rest and is out for an indefinite amount of time, Courtney Lee should see an upshoot in playing time as a result. The rookie shooting guard can shoot, score and provide decent complementary stats. If he can move into the starting lineup, that’d be a big boost for his fantasy worth.

Amir Johnson, Detroit Pistons
Amir Johnson is back into the starting lineup. He began the year as a starter before falling out of favor and falling out of the rotation. However, it should be noted that he’s starting mostly due to an injury to Richard Hamilton. Only start Johnson as long as Hamilton is sidelined.

Andrea Bargnani, Toronto Raptors
The Great Tease is at it again. Filling in for an injured and sick Jermaine O’Neal, Andrea Bargnani had a big game. This followed a series of uninspired performances off the bench. When he’s going right, Bargnani is a center who can score, hit three pointers, block shots and chip in with a few rebounds.

In fantasy basketball, the players that help your free throw percentage the most are players who get to the line a lot and hit for a high percentage. Here is a look at fantasy basketball players who can get to the line and drain their attempts:

Dirk Nowtizki, Dallas Mavericks
If you have Dirk Nowitzki on your fantasy team, you have to love what he does for you at the free throw line. Not only does he get there often, he also is hitting over 90% from the charity stripe. Since he’s the Mavericks’ number one option offensively, he’ll have no trouble getting to the line this season.

Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Chris Bosh is second in the NBA in free throws mad and is currently hitting over 83% at the line. So far this season, Bosh has been arguably the best fantasy power forward in the game. A part of the reason is his ability to get to the line and convert.

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
His free throw numbers are a lot like Bosh’s, although Stoudemire has more of a history of getting to the line. And with his public comments recently about wanting the ball more, that should lead to even more free throw attempts.

Devin Harris, New Jersey Nets
For a point guard, Devin Harris gets to the line an insane amount of times. He’s also connecting on his free throws this season — shooting higher than 80%. Of any guard in fantasy basketball, Harris will help you the most in the free throw category.

Using John Hollinger’s PER statistic, which undervalued players may become viable fantasy basketball players if their minutes increase? Here’s a look at a few fantasy basketball sleepers as indicated by PER:

Greg Oden, Portland Trail Blazers
This one is rather obvious. Although the Blazers are purposely monitoring Greg Oden’s minutes, it’s no secret that he’s a stud in the making. Now would be a good time to buy low on Oden before he takes over the starting job and really explodes onto the scene. The only risk regarding Oden is an injury risk, although that risk is definitely worth the reward at this point.

Ryan Anderson, New Jersey Nets
No one is really talking about Ryan Anderson. If you think of Nets bigman rookies, you are going to think of Brook Lopez first. However, if you look at the stats, Anderson is producing quite nicely. Once the Nets really start losing and start trying to get as many ping pong balls as possible, expect Anderson to get plenty of minutes.

Brandan Wright, Golden State Warriors
Brandan Wright had very good per minutes stats as a rookie. His per minute stats are even better as a sophomore. Although the Warriors have some good bigman options, Wright could eventually find himself in the starting lineup. This becomes even more likely if the Warriors are able to find a trade partner to ship out Al Harrington.

Marreese Speights, Philadelphia 76ers
Although Marreese Speights doesn’t get many minutes, his PER statistic makes him look like a potential fantasy basketball sleeper. The problem for Speights will be minutes. Playing behind Elton Brand, there won’t be many minutes at power forward for the Sixers. If there is an injury on the Sixers frontline, picking up Speights would be the smart move.

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

Want to roll the dice on some fantasy basketball super sleepers? Here are some fantasy players that very well could be the talk of the basketball world over the next few months.

DeMarcus Nelson, Golden State Warriors
This undrafted rookie has a chance to play a lot of point guard for the Warriors this season. In fact, many people connected to the Warriors believe that DeMarcus Nelson has been the best point guard in training camp.

Aaron Brooks, Houston Rockets
Although Aaron Brooks is a backup in Houston, he is playing behind Rafer Alston - who is always seemingly a ticking time bomb. During preseason, Brooks has played well and has solidified a spot in the rotation. Watch for him to breakout if he ascends to the starting roll.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, New Jersey Nets
One of the most talented scorers in the 2008 NBA Draft, Chris Douglas-Roberts will play the season with a chip on his shoulder after falling to the second round. In preseason, he has shown an ability to score and with the Nets likely not making a push for the playoffs, CDR will get plenty of shots.

CJ Miles, Utah Jazz
The Jazz are expected to start CJ Miles at small forward this season - at least to start with. If he plays well, Miles should be able to hold onto that job for the duration of the season. Miles is a good shooter who can score the ball and also play solid defense. With enough minutes, look for Miles to be a fantasy basketball viable player.

JaVale McGee, Washington Wizards
One of the best looking bigmen of the 2008 NBA Draft has been JaVale McGee. Although he’s young, skinny and raw, McGee looks like a player who has a chance to help right away. He’s extremely athletic and very quick on his feet. He could play a roll with the Wizards and put up nice numbers in rebounds and blocked shots.

Could JaVale McGee go down as the sleeper of the 2008 draft class?

Photo: Newscom

With training camp less than one month away, who are the worst teams in the NFL? Let’s take a look.

5. Charlotte Bobcats
Larry Brown will turn around the Bobcats. That said, it likely isn’t a one year project. Expect a few headaches this year until LB can get the team playing the way he wants.

4. Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies are starting to assemble a nice amount of talent. If Pau Gasol’s brother pans out, the Grizzlies could surprise.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder
The former Seattle Supersonics still won’t be ready for the big time. However, with a future Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook, the future is bright in Oklahoma.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves are still reeling from the Kevin Garnett trade. Although they have good talent, that talent isn’t going to provide many wins this year.

1. New Jersey Nets
The Nets don’t seem too concerned with winning basketball games. The summer of 2010 and a shot at LeBron James can’t come soon enough for New Jersey.

Memphis Grizzlies - The Grizzlies will be bad once again next season.
New Jersey Nets - The Nets are in full on tank mode waiting for 2010.
Minnesota Timberwolves - More lean years ahead for the T’Wolves.
Oklahoma City Barons - The team without a name will lose a lot.
Read more

A lot of talk recently has surrounded LeBron James and his free agency status in 2010. LeBron has been rumored to be headed a lot of places — and has even fanned the flamed at times. Where will he end up? Let’s look at LeBron’s top destination choices:

Cleveland Cavaliers
Although the Cavs are the boring choice right now, Cleveland remains the team most likely to sign LeBron in 2010. He’s from Ohio and the Cavs can offer him more money than any other team. Look for LeBron to re-sign, especially if the Cavs appear headed in the right direction.

New Jersey Nets
The Nets could actually be known as the Brooklyn Nets in the not too distant future. LeBron is on record as saying he loves Brooklyn. Jay-Z is also a part of the Nets organization and he’s close to LeBron. If LeBron want the big stage, he could end up with the Nets.

New York Knicks
Another big stage destination would be the Knicks. The big question mark regarding the Knicks is whether or not they will have the talent necessary to surround LeBron when the time comes. If they do, LeBron could decide to go to the team with the biggest market.

San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs are definitely a long shot at this point but they could arguably offer the best chance to win. With Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili under contract, the Spurs could still possibly make room for LeBron in the summer of 2010. If LeBron really wants to win, he could hop onto the squad from South Texas.