In Duncan’s career, it has usually been his left knee that has given him trouble. In 2000, he had surgery on that left knee and missed the playoffs. His right knee ailing is bad news for Duncan, the Spurs and Duncan fantasy owners.

In the next 24 hours, the Spurs will take a closer look at Duncan’s knee to try to figure out what is wrong. For everyone’s sake, let’s hope it just needs a little rest and relaxation.

If Duncan is to miss any time, that would mean the Spurs would be without both Duncan and Manu Ginobili. Due to a stress reaction, Ginobili is injured and out until the middle of March.

Tony Parker would obviously have to carry a huge load if Duncan and Ginobili miss a lot of time. Roger Mason, Jr. would also be looked at to provide scoring. Starting in place of Duncan would be veteran Kurt Thomas, with Fabricio Oberto getting an increase in minutes off the bench.

Other players who would likely get more shots include Michael Finley, Matt Bonner and rookie George Hill.

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JaVale McGee, Washington Wizards
With the Washington Wizards struggling to win games early in the season, there have been some whispers about moving JaVale McGee into the starting lineup. If that happens, he instantly becomes a fantasy viable center. But even if it doesn’t, McGee is starting to put up very nice numbers. We’ve been calling him a sleeper since preseason and he looks like he’s going to transform from a sleeper to the real thing pretty soon.

George Hill, San Antonio Spurs
Now that Tony Parker is out at least one month, rookie George Hill has taken over at point guard. While his first two starts haven’t been overly impressive, he’s going to get a good opportunity. As long as he keeps getting minutes, he’s a player who can help your fantasy basketball squad in points, assists, rebounds and steals. Overall, he’s still raw but the potential is definitely there.

Anthony Tolliver, San Antonio Spurs
A second Spur on this list, Anthony Tolliver is an unknown quantity with most NBA fans. But with the Spurs struggling to get production from the bigmen next to Tim Duncan, Tolliver has emerged as a legit option. It wouldn’t be too surprising if he eventually becomes a starter next to Duncan. Tolliver is a center who can hit three-pointers and hand out assists. Those unique talents for his position could make Tolliver an interesting fantasy basketball option.

Photo credit: Newscom

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The good news for the fantasy basketball community is that the production for Duncan and Parker should continue in the short term. Both players are healthy and in a rhythm offensively.

However, once Manu Ginobili returns, expect the pie to be divided three ways instead of in half. All three players will likely average around their career numbers once Ginobili is back on the court. Right now, he’s sidelined with an ankle injury and is expected to be out up to the first 25 games of the season. Until then, milk Duncan and Parker as much as possible.

Outside of those three players, there’s not much in terms of fantasy viable players. The one player to keep an eye on right now is Roger Mason, Jr. He’s played two very good games so far and is a candidate to start at shooting guard at some point this season.

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Since the Clippers are signing Baron Davis, that leaves Maggette without a home. Along with the San Antonio Spurs, other teams that have shown interest include the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic. The Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors have enough cap room to offer Maggette more money than the Spurs.

While it’s far from a sure thing, Maggette would be a great addition for the Spurs. During the 2007-08 season, the Spurs routinely had trouble scoring the ball. Maggette is a very good scorer and is also a player who gets to the line a whole lot. Bringing those skills to San Antonio would make him a fantastic addition.

Fantasy basketball wise, Maggette’s stats would likely go down while with the Spurs. He’d probably start and play a healthy amount of minutes, but he’ll have to share touches with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

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Obviously, the best player in the series is Kobe Bryant. Bryant, who won the 2008 NBA MVP, is playing at an amazingly high level. He’s shooting very well from the field and more importantly, he is getting his teammates involved better than ever.

The Lakers also owe a lot of their success to Pau Gasol. Gasol, who was acquired in a mid-season trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, has been fantastic in the playoffs. He gives the Lakers a bigman who can score, rebound, pass and defend. He’s basically playing a similar role to what Shaquille O’Neal used to do next to Bryant.

The Spurs, on the other hand, aren’t nearly as exciting. Their three best players, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, have more substance than style. In their seven-game series against the Hornets, none of the three players played too well. Whether that was due to good defense from the Hornets or poor play will be better understood after the series against the Lakers.

This series will likely ride on which of the teams get better play from the role players. Bryant, Gasol and Lamar Odom versus Duncan, Ginobili and Parker is a pretty even matchup. It’s likely that the other players on the teams will decide who is victorious.

If forced to pick a winner, I’ll go with the Spurs in seven games. The Spurs are the champions until someone beats them – which the Lakers are very capable of doing.

Photo: Newscom

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2. Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
Not only does Marcus Camby block shots, he’s an elite rebounder. He averaged 13.1 rebounds per game and consistently rebounded all season. Camby also stayed healthy, which in itself was very good to see.

3. Tyson Chandler, New Orleans Hornets
This former Baby Bull is now all grown up. As a member of the Hornets, Chandler is now playing great basketball. He can block shots, rebound and shoots for a high percentage offensively.

4. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
While Tim Duncan doesn’t play a huge amount of minutes anymore, he still is a great rebounder. Duncan is good at a lot things on the basketball court, however rebounding might be his most dominating aspect in the fantasy world.

5. Al Jefferson, Minnesota Timberwolves
When the Wolves traded for Al Jefferson, they knew they were getting a low post scorer and a very capable rebounder. Jefferson didn’t disappoint in either aspect. He has a chance to be a league-leader in rebounds for many years to come.

Photo: Newscom

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2) Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers
Pau Gasol’s game really exploded once he hit Los Angeles. He was ranked highly going into the season and showed glimpses of reaching his very high potential. In coming seasons, Gasol will be a fantasy basketball force.

3) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
If it wasn’t for injury, Yao Ming would have finished as a top-two center in fantasy basketball. His numbers weren’t as impressive as past years but Yao was very solid. However, in coming seasons, fantasy owners will be worried about whether or not he’ll ever be able to remain healthy.

4) Chris Kaman, Los Angeles Clippers
Of the centers this season, Chris Kaman was the surprise of the season. He produced at a high rate for a large portion of the year. With Elton Brand sidelined for much of the campaign, Kaman filled in nicely and produced comparable numbers.

5) Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
While Tim Duncan isn’t a great fantasy player, he was a solid force this season. He doesn’t’ play a huge amount of minutes, so his days of being a dominant fantasy player is over. In real life, though, Duncan is among the best who ever played.

Tim Duncan Mix …

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2) Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
Nowitzki started the season off in a slump but has turned it all around. He’s back to being an MVP caliber player for the Mavericks. His shooting has been a little shaky recently but that slight dip won’t last too long. From here on out, Nowitzki should remain a top three power forward.

3) Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Duncan has been his same consistent self. His rebounding lately has been outstanding and he’s shooting very well. Even his free throw shooting has been decent lately. Just like in real life, Duncan is a very solid player to build your fantasy team around. Right now, he’s playing especially well.

4) Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Bosh is quietly emerging as a superstar north of the border. His scoring has never been better. He can score from virtually anywhere on the court. While it looked like his progress as a player had stalled in recent months, he’s now showing that his ceiling is as high as ever.

5) Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
This season, Boozer is proving that last year was no fluke. He’s a stud again this year and has the potential to be the best fantasy power forward in the NBA. He’s a skilled scorer, a tenacious rebounder and a guy who brings it every night. Boozer is the real deal.

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Here’s a look at the fantasy relevant players on the Spurs:

Tim Duncan
Duncan, even though he doesn’t average as many minutes as many big stars, is still a nice fantasy player. If he’s on your team, the only thing you have to worry about is his free throw percentage. Outside of that, you know what you are getting day in and day out.

Tony Parker
Parker gives your fantasy team a great scorer and a player who will shoot for a high percentage. The bad news is he doesn’t get a huge amount of assists, rebounds or steals. He’s still growing as a player so he may start to add more facets to his game, like more three-pointers, for example.

Manu Ginobili
Ginobili is having a huge year so far. He’s a very good all-around fantasy player. The only problem you have with Ginobili is his minutes played. Popovich keeps him under 30 minutes played, which hurts his fantasy status compared to those players who play near 40 minutes a game.

Manu Mix:

Bruce Bowen
Bowen is good for some three-pointers and he plays a good amount of minutes. However, that’s about all you are going to get out of him.

Fabricio Oberto
Oberto starts for the Spurs at center. That said, he doesn’t play much or produce much in the regular season.

Matt Bonner
Bonner is a bigman who can knock down three-pointers and get some rebounds. Fantasy-wise, he probably doesn’t play enough minutes to be a factor.

Michael Finley
Finley starts at shooting guard for the Spurs but doesn’t do much other than hit three-pointers.

Brent Barry
Barry comes off the bench for the Spurs and while he used to be a fantasy stud, that’s no longer the case. He doesn’t handle the ball much anymore and is almost strictly a three-point shooter.

Ime Udoka
Udoka started for the Trail Blazers last year. This year, he’s buried on the bench for the Spurs. Unless his minutes per game increase, you can keep him on the waiver wire.

Robert Horry
Horry shouldn’t be considered unless your league counts clutchness as a statistic.

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1) Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns
Stoudemire was back to his old tricks last year with the Suns. After microfracture surgery stalled his 2005-06 campaign, he had a great bounce back performance last season. He’s only going to get better as he gets even healthier on that knee.

2) Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs
Duncan isn’t a great fantasy player but he can be the rock of your franchise. He’s a guy you can count on for 20 points and 10 rebounds night in and night out. While he struggles at the free throw line a bit, he can make up for it in other areas.

3) Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
After an injury plagued season last year, Gasol is healthy and ready to roll. Gasol is a still improving player who has a very good overall game. With some quality players added to the core of the Grizzlies and a coach who likes to run and gun, this could be a big year for Gasol.

4) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
Yao would be higher on this list if it wasn’t for injury concerns. When healthy, he’s an amazingly asset to any fantasy team. He can score, rebound, block some shots and even hits his free throws. With new head coach Rick Adelman, you can expect his assist numbers to rise quite nicely.

5) Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors
Bosh is on the cusp of becoming a superstar in the NBA. He’s an extremely talented player and he’s the piece that the Raptors are building around. There is no reason why he shouldn’t improve this season and up his numbers across the board.

6) Al Jefferson, Minnesota Timberwolves
A bit of a sleeper this year, Jefferson is going to be a boom or bust of a pick. With the Timberwolves trading away Garnett, Jefferson should see the ball as much as he wants it. Then again, he hasn’t been the most consistent player in his career as far as focus and dedication go.

7) Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
Camby is another player who would be higher if he didn’t miss so many games. With Camby, you know he’s going to get hurt — it’s just a matter of when. When he’s healthy, he’s a shotblocking machine with good scoring and rebounding numbers to boot.

8) Carlos Boozer, Utah Jazz
Boozer is an up-and-coming player for the Jazz. After seemingly being unable to shake the injury bug, he bounced back last season and played great at the end of the season and into the playoffs. If he can stay on the court, he’s a force in the middle for the Jazz.

9) Emeka Okafor, Charlotte Bobcats
Okafor is right on the edge of becoming a devastating player in the NBA. He has great natural skills when it comes to shotblocking and rebounding. His scoring isn’t far behind and if the Bobcats can take the next step, it’ll be Okafor leading the way.

10) Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic
While his turnovers and free throw percentage are bothersome, Howard is too much of a beast to fall out of the top ten. His low post game is getting better by the day and he’s going to pull down a boat load of rebounds. If you end up with Howard as your center, you shouldn’t be disappointed.

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