Rudy Fernandez took a hard tumble late in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Portland Trail Blazers rookie swingman was going up for a layup when Trevor Ariza hit him across the back of his head. After laying on the ground for many minutes, he was eventually taken off the court on a stretcher.
Thankfully, reports after the game indicate that Fernandez wasn’t seriously injured. All X-Rays were negative and he was basically just battered and bruised. At the most, Fernandez could miss a couple of games.
As for Ariza, he got a flagrant foul penalty two and was …read more

Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
As a starting rookie point guard, Derrick Rose is playing very good basketball. He’s growing before our eyes into one of the best lead guards in the NBA. If you are in a fantasy basketball dynasty league, Rose is a player to hold on to.
OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies
Enjoying a rock solid fantasy basketball season, OJ Mayo will likely be a fantasy powerhouse for the next decade. He can score, shoot good percentages and the rest of his game is slowly but surely catching up. He could move as high as the second round of fantasy drafts next …read more

Roger Mason, Jr., San Antonio Spurs
Currently, Roger Mason, Jr. is leading the NBA in three-pointers made and is shooting a sizzling 52% from beyond the arc. Playing off of Tim Duncan, Mason has found plenty of openings to get off his quick release jumper. However, keep an eye on his minutes after Ginobili returns to 100% and Tony Parker returns from his ankle injury.

Quentin Richardson, New York Knicks
Under Mike D’Antoni once again, Quentin Richardson is in line to have a huge year from beyond the three-point line. He already has made 35 threes and is shooting a very respectable 38%. …read more

1. Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
A lot of NBA scouts thought Derrick Rose may need a year or two before he was ready to shine in the NBA. They were wrong. This Bulls rookie point guard is already the best player on his team and he’ll be a top five fantasy point guard before too much longer.
2. OJ Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies
While the Grizzlies aren’t that good, OJ Mayo is putting on a show. He’s proving to be a very good scorer on the NBA level. Surprisingly his shooting percentages are healthy and he’s doing a good job of not turning the …read more

PER is a formula created by John Hollinger to measure productivity of NBA players on a per-minute basis. In fantasy basketball, you can use PER to find players who may blossom once given more minutes. Here is a look at some early PER sleepers for the 2008-09 fantasy basketball season:
Nick Young, Washington Wizards
In only 23.7 minutes per game, Nick Young is averaging 15.7 points. The Wizards knew he could score but he’s off to an unbelievable start. He is shooting 50% from the floor and has hit all 15 of his free throw attempts. While his other stats outside of …read more

Kevin Martin is having a very good preseason. In the video at the end of this entry, you can see Martin crossover Rudy Fernandez and then dunk on Greg Oden. The video is from a recent preseason game between the Sacramento Kings and the Portland Trail Blazers.
In preseason, Martin is averaging 20.5 points in only 26.3 minutes per game. He’s also shooting 60.9% from the floor, 37.5% from beyond the three-point arc and 88.6% from the free throw line.
If you are looking for a scorer on your fantasy basketball team, it’ll be tough to do much better than Martin. While …read more

5) Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trail Blazers
Although it’s definitely a long shot, Rudy Fernandez has a chance to win the 2008-09 NBA Rookie of the Year award. He’s the most hyped player coming from the NBA from Europe and showed in the Olympics that he has an immense amount of talent.
4) Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls
The number one pick of the 2008 NBA Draft doesn’t have the best chance of winning the award for the NBA’s best rookie. He’s playing on a team that has a lot of good players and he may not be forced into a large amount of minutes …read more

The Team USA basketball squad, called by many the “Redeem Team”, completed their mission by beating Spain in the gold medal game. Although the game was closer than expected, the United States prevailed to claim the gold medal.
With the outcome still in question, Kobe Bryant took over in the fourth quarter. He not only scored but he handed out a team-high number of assists. Helping Bryant close out the game for the USA was Dwyane Wade, who led the United States in scoring.
Spain put up a great fight and was led by Pau Gasol and Rudy Fernandez. …read more

1. Michael Beasley – Beasley will be able to score and rebound right away.
2. Greg Oden – Don’t forget about Oden, who missed his rookie year.
3. OJ Mayo – Should score right away with the Grizzlies.
4. Derrick Rose – Expect him to start slow and then come on strong.
5. Rudy Fernandez – Expect him produce great numbers if a starter.
6. Kevin Love – Love has a very developed game and should shine.
7. Eric Gordon – Could score by the dozens with the Clippers.
8. Jerryd Bayless – The Blazers have three top rookies in the top ten.
9. Brandon Rush – Should …read more