Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
During summer league, Russell Westbrook looked amazing. While he hasn’t looked as amazing in preseason, he still is showing a lot of promise. He might not start getting a huge amount of minutes early on but by late in the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season, expect Westbrook to play around 30 minutes per game.

DJ Augustin, Charlotte Bobcats
In Charlotte, Larry Brown will undoubtedly be extremely hard on his point guards. With starter Raymond Felton truly being more of a shooting guard, you can expect DJ Augustin to get plenty of minutes at point guard. If Brown puts Felton into the dog house, Augustin would be next in line to start.

Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
Even though Mario Chalmers was a second round pick, he fell into a perfect situation in Miami. He has a chance to start at point guard and play next to Dwyane Wade. While he’s not going to be a bigtime scorer at the NBA level, he’ll be able to get a healthy amount of assists and steals. He should also be able to knock down the NBA three-pointer.

Goran Dragic, Phoenix Suns
Another second round selection, the Suns are extremely high on Dragic. In fact, Suns management had him rated as one of the top handful of point guards in the entire 2008 NBA Draft. Although he’s playing behind Steve Nash, the fact that Phoenix runs a point guard oriented offense should help Dragic’s stats. Don’t expect points but Dragic should be able to do everything else.

George Hill, San Antonio Spurs
George Hill is the sleeper of the fantasy basketball rookie point guard prospects. Coming out of tiny IUPUI, Hill was drafted by the Spurs late in the first round. After struggling in summer league, Hill bounced back and played very well in preseason. He’s a guard in the Monta Ellis mold he can play the passing lanes on defense and knock down shots offensively. He’s currently dealing with an injured thumb but he could possibly be fantasy viable at some point during the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season.

Keep an eye on rookie point guard George Hill.

Photo: Newscom

Post from: Expert Fantasy

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.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

The Bobcats have Raymond Felton and Jeff McInnis, but neither has proven to be much of a point guard this season. Felton is being played more at shooting guard now, while McInnis has never been much of a fantasy player. Enter Boykins. If there’s on thing about Boykins, it’s that he is never afraid to take a shot. While he may be a tiny player, he has bigtime scoring skills.

It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see Boykins in the starting lineup sooner than later. A backcourt of Felton and Boykins could give the Bobcats a lethal combination and allow both players to split the point guard responsibilities. McInnis would still have a role but it’d be reduced.

If you are in a large league or if you are looking to strike gold off of the waiver wire, consider picking up Boykins and hoping for the best.

Post from: Expert Fantasy

Here is a look at the Bobcats players:

Emeka Okafor
Okafor is the team’s best player. He’s a beast on the defensive end of the court and can score down on the low blocks offensively. While he’s not the best fantasy player on the team, he could be in line for a better than expected season. Health is always a key with Okafor.

Gerald Wallace
While Okafor is probably the team’s best player, Wallace is the fantasy stud on the team. Wallace does a bit of everything and does it well. He can score, rebound, get steals, block shots and is even a decent passer. Wallace is basically a stat machine who can help any fantasy team.

Gerald Wallace Mix …

Raymond Felton
Felton is a player many are predicting to breakout this season. If game one is any indication, that may very well be the case. In the Bobcats opener, Felton went for 26 points and 12 assists.

Jason Richardson
Richardson is the new player who is expected to produce big for the Bobcats. He’s a very good scorer and can rebound well for his position. It’s tough to predict how well he’ll do with Charlotte, but there’s no reason he can’t produce at the same clip he did last year for the Warriors.

Primoz Brezec
Brezec is the team’s starting center. He’s had decent seasons in the past but it appears that his best days are behind him. Keep an eye on him though because he can be a streaky player.

Matt Carroll
With Adam Morrison out for the season, Carroll is now arguably the team’s most important bench player. Carroll can score and is a tough player all-around. Fantasy-wise, he’ll need minutes to be worth a roster spot. That said, he could see extended minutes if any of the starters get hurt.

Jeff McInnis
McInnis is the backup point guard who sometimes plays with Felton in the backcourt. He’s not a very good fantasy option but could be used if you have a point guard emergency.

Walter Herrmann
Herrmann was a fantasy stud at the end of last season. This season, Herrmann doesn’t seem to be a huge part of the plans. However, there is talk that he may move into the starting lineup in place of Brezec if the team struggles.

Ryan Hollins
Hollins is the backup center who started a number of preseason games. He most likely won’t see much action but there’s an outside shot he could be given another try as the team’s starting center.

Post from: Expert Fantasy