On the Mavs, Marion would likely start alongside Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Dirk Nowtizki and Marcin Gortat. That would give the Mavs a deep starting lineup with capable players at each position.

Marion used to be one of the best all-around players in the game but he has slowed down the last few years. Since leaving the Phoenix Suns, his fantasy stats have suffered massively. Specifically, his scoring, rebounding and three-point shooting have gone way south.

With the Mavs, there a chance that his stats could recover. Playing with Jason Kidd would be a perfect fit for Marion, who is more of a finisher than a creator.

In terms of fantasy basketball, this would be good news for Marion. He’d have limited pressure and could go back to being an all-around assassin.

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Thrown into the deal were Marcus Banks going to the Heat to the Raptors and Jamario Moon going from the Raptors to the Heat. Banks could get time at point guard for the Raptors, especially considering that Jose Calderon has been injury prone as of late. Moon, likewise, could find some minutes off the bench for the Heat.

However, Marion and O’Neal are the two big names in this trade. In terms of fantasy basketball, this trade increases the value of both players. Marion will start at small forward for the Raptors and should get plenty of looks at the basket. The Raptors can also use his rebounding help and considering that they play at a fast pace, Marion’s overall statistics should be on the rise.

On the other hand, O’Neal should definitely start at center for the Heat. Playing for a team that is starving for a center will increase O’Neal’s value. As long as he stays healthy, O’Neal will play as many minutes as possible. Due to minutes alone, expect O’Neal to be worth more in fantasy basketball.

The other players this should help are Andrea Bargnani and Michael Beasley. Bargnani now has a spot in the starting lineup next to Bosh and Marion for the rest of the season. Beasley should now take Marion’s starting small forward spot and form a frontline next to O’Neal and Udonis Haslem.

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For the Heat, they desperately need a true center. And although O’Neal has battled injuries and ineffective play the last few seasons, he’s still one of the better available centers in the league. Right now, the Heat are starting Joel Anthony at center. That’s all you need to know about how desperate the Heat are for a legit center.

As for the Raptors, they O’Neal has been pretty much a bust since acquiring him in the offseason. He doesn’t mesh well with Chris Bosh or the fast pace that the Raptors are trying to play. Add in the fact that Andrea Bargnani finally seems to have gotten it together and there just isn’t room in Toronto for O’Neal anymore. Add in the fact that GM Bryan Colangelo is a fan of Marion and the Raptors have a gaping hole at small forward and this trade makes a huge amount of sense for Toronto.

As far as the fantasy basketball implications, this trade would make both teams more valuable. O’Neal would do better in the deliberate attack of the Heat, while Marion would do better with the up and down Raptors.

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Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
Before you look at his stats and conclude that he had a good season last year, don’t forget to look at his playoff statistics. With the Jazz trying to make a run in the Western Conference, Boozer was oftentimes the team’s weakest link. He’ll likely bounce back but he showed a lot of vulnerability during the 2008 playoffs.

Antawn Jamison, Washington Wizards
Early in preseason play Antawn Jamison went down with a knee injury. While he should be okay for the regular season opener, he’ll likely be slowed for a few more weeks. Additionally, Jamison is getting to the age where his stats should start to decline. Some of his stats from last year, such as his rebounding numbers, will likely be on the decline this year.

Rasheed Wallace, Detroit Pistons
Rasheed Wallace has a lot of minor aspects that could make him a fantasy basketball bust in 2008. First of all, the newly 34-year-old Wallace should start to see some of his physical skills decline soon. The Pistons are also interested in playing some of their young bigmen more such as Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell. Plus don’t forget that Joe Dumars is said to be thinking about breaking up the nucleus of the Pistons, which would most likely have a negative effect on Rasheed.

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With the Suns, D’Antoni had a very successful run. Not only did the Suns win a lot of regular season games, he ushered a fast-pace, high scoring era into the NBA. Now teams across the league are looking to score a lot of points, rather than just depend on their defense to win games.

D’Antoni’s Suns teams also produced great fantasy players. From Steve Nash to Shawn Marion to Amare Stoudemire, they all become stud fantasy players under D’Antoni. If he ends up with the Bulls, he automatically raises the stocks of everybody on Chicago’s team.

The player who will likely see his stock rise the highest is Kirk Hinrich. Hinrich struggled last season but if D’Antoni comes on board, you can expect D’Antoni to try to turn Hinrich into a Chicago’s version of Nash. D’Antoni will give Hinrich freedom to lead the team and run, shoot and score as much as he wants.

Other players who will feel a positive impact include Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that D’Antoni can turn Deng into a Marion type player and Gordon into a Leandro Barbosa type player, while allowing Thomas and Noah to reach their full potential on both ends of the court.

Photo: Newscom

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2) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James is probably the most talented and perhaps the best player in the NBA but his fantasy game isn’t as flawless. He’s no doubt a top three small forward, however he’s not as overwhelmingly dominant in fantasy basketball as he is in the NBA.

3) Caron Butler, Washington Wizards
At certain points this season, Caron Butler was the best forward in fantasy basketball. With his varied skills, Butler should be a very valuable fantasy player for a lot of years. He showed this year that he has superstar level skills.

4) Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers
In many fantasy circles, Danny Granger is an unknown man. But if you really look close at his stats, he’s a very valuable fantasy basketball player. He can play multiple positions and he helps your fantasy basketball team in multiple categories.

5) Rashard Lewis, Orlando Magic
While Rashard Lewis was a bit of a free agent bust, all things considered, he was a very good fantasy basketball player this year. His three-point shooting was especially helpful in the fantasy world and he also kept his turnovers to a minimum.

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While it’s likely that Marion actually has an injury, what is complicating matters is the fact that the Heat are currently tanking. Their season is over and all they are playing for right now are ping pong balls. The more losses the better. With that in mind, the Heat will keep Marion out as long as possible.

Even if Marion is able to come back from this back injury, it’d only be a matter of time before he’s shut down for the rest of the season. Everyone on the Heat is basically out right now, which is no coincidence. If you are a fantasy owner who has Marion on your team, this is definitely not a good situation.

Right now, the only thing you can do is check for injury information for each upcoming game and hope Marion is going to play. If he plays, Marion is a good start.

On the other hand, if Marion is deemed out for the season, the Heat don’t have any players you can look to for comparable fantasy production. The closest thing right now is Ricky Davis, however he’s probably already taken in the fantasy world. If you must take a gamble with a player on the Heat, Daequan Cook and Bobby Jones might have worth from here on out.

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Looking at it from an NBA perspective, the Suns are doing this trade to try to win a championship this season. They’re small ball formula simply wasn’t going to get them past teams like the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers with Pau Gasol. Now, with O’Neal on their side, the Suns suddenly have a chance to win a championship. It was a risky trade by general manager Steve Kerr because of Shaq’s age and health, but it was a trade that improves the Suns’ chances of winning a championship this season.

In the fantasy world, the most important player being moved is Shawn Marion. On the run and gun Suns, Marion was one of the best fantasy players in all the land. Will he still be great on the Miami Heat? He should still be very good but there’s a chance that his fantasy numbers come tumbling down. The good news is he should get more touches in Miami. The bad news is he doesn’t have Steve Nash to spoon feed him easy baskets and he’ll join a team that is going nowhere fast.

Overall, you simply have to take a wait and see approach with Marion. He’s played well without Nash in the past so all hope isn’t lost. But this is a bad situation in Miami. If you can trade him and get good value for him, go ahead and trade Marion now because he’s not going to become a better fantasy player. At best, he’ll remain at the same level.

In fantasy basketball, O’Neal has become a bit of an outcast in recent years due to his horrible free throw percentage and high turnovers. However, you might take a look at him now that he’s in Phoenix. His field goal percentage should go through the roof playing with Nash and he should be motivated to finish the season of strongly. If you want to take a risk, betting on vintage Shaq performances from here on out is a decent bet to make. Injuries would probably be your biggest enemy.

The sleeper of this trade is Marcus Banks. Pick him up immediately if you have the roster room. He should start in Miami before long and could produce pretty well. He was a bad fit in Phoenix but he has the ability to beat out Jason Williams for the starting job and is a player who could put up 14 points and five assists a night.

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10) Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles Lakers
Bynum has been a stud for the Lakers. He’s quickly becoming the second best player on the team and is showing huge potential. His fantasy numbers have been great as of late.

9) Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers’ superstar is getting it done, as well. Bryant’s scoring numbers aren’t as spectacular as they have been in the past, but he’s arguably a much better player now.

8) Jason Richardson, Charlotte Bobcats
Richardson has been a great addition to the Bobcats. He’s a quality scorer and he also brings some passing and rebounding to the game, as well.

7) Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Nowitzki got off to a relatively slow start but he’s playing very well now. His fantasy numbers are once again elite.

6) Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Stoudemire might be whining to the press too much but that’s not affecting his fantasy stats. The scary thing is he still has room to improve this season.

5) Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns
Marion is another player who probably isn’t completely happy to be on the Suns but he’s playing well. His slow start to the season is now forgotten.

4) Caron Butler, Washington Wizards
Butler has picked up the slack from the injured Gilbert Arenas – and then some. He’s quickly developing into an NBA superstar.

3) Allen Iverson, Denver Nuggets
Iverson’s overall stats are as good as ever and he has the Nuggets winning games. Iverson has developed into the number one option in Denver, surpassing even Carmelo Anthony.

2) Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
Camby is healthy and extremely active. He has been a shotblocking machine over the last month, while also providing very good rebounding a good scoring.

1) Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Is there really any question? Paul is doing it all and doing it extremely efficiently. In the fantasy world, Paul is having an unbelievable season that has him ranked far and away the best player in the NBA.

Chris Paul Dunk Mix

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2) Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
This should be no surprise. Paul has been playing great all season. Recently he has struggled with his shot a bit, but even that has barely lessened his fantasy value. Paul has really separated himself as the best fantasy point guard in the game. Next season, Paul is going to be a top five fantasy pick.

3) LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
James was a bit quiet after hurting his finger and missing two weeks. He’s back to dominating the fantasy world, as he was earlier in the season. James has always been a very good fantasy player but this year he has taken the next step. He’s arguably now the best fantasy player in the business.

4) Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns
While Marion may be the fourth or fifth option in Phoenix, he’s easily the best fantasy player of the bunch. Marion simply does everything and he’s been playing very well as of late. Recently he’s been blocking a lot of shots and his three-point shot seems to be coming around.

5) Caron Butler, Washington Wizards
Butler has continued to play great while Gilbert Arenas is out injured. In fact, Butler is making a case that the Wizards should build the team around him and not Arenas. While Butler’s numbers will likely fall if Arenas returns, he should still remain a top 15 fantasy player no matter what happens.

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