Rajon Rondo
When it comes to steals, Rajon Rondo is elite. He’s a rugged defender with long arms and a mean streak. He has no problem going after your ball.

Monta Ellis
Currently the league leader in steals, he has free reign to go after as many steals as he wants since Golden State doesn’t care much about the defensive end.

Trevor Ariza
On the basketball court, few players have as much defensive range as Trevor Ariza. If you pass it, he will come into the picture.

Corey Brewer
At Florida, we remember Corey Brewer as a defensive ace who racked up a lot of steals. He’s starting to do that on the NBA level now.

Rudy Fernandez
If Rudy Fernandez starts getting more minutes — watch out! He doesn’t play much defense but he’s great at anticipating and stacking steals in a hurry.

Monta Ellis likes to score ... and get steals (Image: Zuma Press)

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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 thrown out of the contest. Though Fernandez took a vicious fall, Ariza wasn’t further penalized by the NBA. He not only avoided a suspension, he won’t be fined any additional amount of money.

Lamar Odom, on the other hand, wasn’t as lucky. For coming off the bench during the subsequent scuffles that broke out along the sideline, Odom was given a one-game suspension.

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Mario Chalmers, Miami Heat
At Kansas, Mario Chalmers was known as a player who could swipe steals at a stunning rate. While he’s been on and off in the steals department in the NBA, his overall rate is very encouraging. In a game earlier in the season, he had nine steals.

Trevor Ariza, Los Angeles Lakers
Trevor Ariza has been turning a lot of heads this season. One overlooked aspect regarding his production is his steals. He’s stealing the ball at a very good rate. If his minutes jump, as they very well could, he could very well be a challenger for the league lead.

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
One of the biggest reasons why the Thunder drafted Westbrook was his defense. He’s an aggressive defender who can rack up steals in a hurry. Now that he’s starting for Oklahoma City, expect his steals numbers to be very good for the foreseeable future.

CJ Watson, Golden State Warriors
CJ Watson is a short-term solution for steals. He has started some games recently for the Warriors but that will change once Monta Ellis is healthy. However, in the meantime, Watson uses his long arms and quick reflexes to pick up a lot of steals.

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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 the scoring column aren’t eye popping, Young is showing superstar level potential. If he can continue to produce at a high level, Washington will have to find even more minutes for him.

Rudy Fernandez, Portland Trail Blazers
Rudy Fernandez isn’t quite a star in the NBA but he is definitely showing he’s very good on a per-minute basis. It’s only a matter of time that he’ll start playing 30+ minutes per game. When he does, he could quickly become a very valuable fantasy basketball option. He has a lot of competition on the Trail Blazers for playing time but he’s too good to sit long.

Trevor Ariza, Los Angeles Lakers
Although he comes off the bench and only plays 22 minutes per game, Trevor Ariza is already a decent fantasy basketball player. If his minutes rise, he has the potential to be a stud. His points, rebounding, blocks, steals and shooting percentages are all improved. In fact, Ariza has added a three-point shot to his repertoire which has made him an even more dangerous player.

Gerald Green, Dallas Mavericks
In summer league, Gerald Green was extremely impressive. He also mixed in a few impressive preseason games. Even though he’s played extremely limited minutes, his PER is extremely impressive. The Mavericks have tried a bunch of different players in their starting shooting guard position. If Green gets a shot and proves to be a starter, he has the talent to be a scoring machine.

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The back injury obviously limited Bryant in Game 4. The 2008 NBA MVP was 13-for-33 from the floor for the game. In the fourth quarter and overtime, Bryant was 2-for-13. The Los Angeles Lakers ended up losing to the Jazz in overtime and now stand at 2-2 in the best of seven series.

Although Bryant plans to play in Game 5, his effectiveness level won’t be known until after the game is underway. There’s a good chance that he’ll be close to 100% as the Game 4 injury could have just been isolated spasms. If Bryant isn’t 100%, the Lakers could be in jeopardy of losing a vital game in their series.

Injuries have been a season long story for the Lakers. Andrew Bynum is injured and will miss the rest of the playoffs. Trevor Ariza is also battling injury. Derek Fisher and Pau Gasol have been slowed at times due to injury.

Photo: Newscom

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Amir Johnson, Detroit Pistons
Despite playing only ten minutes per game, Amir Johnson has a very good PER of 19.6. While he’s stuck behind a group of very talented bigmen, head coach Flip Saunders has been trying to give Johnson more minutes. In a dynasty league, Johnson is definitely worth taking a flyer on.

JR Smith, Denver Nuggets
Lately, JR Smith has been on fire for the Nuggets. His PER score of 16.7 is very solid. If he continues to get minutes, there’s no reason why Smith can’t be a very good NBA player. He can shoot. He can jump. He can run. The only part of the game he struggles with is the mental part of the game.

Hakim Warrick, Memphis Grizzlies
Now that the Grizzlies have cleared out a lot of room on their roster, Hakim Warrick should see his minutes rise substantially. The good news for Grizzlies fans is Warrick’s statistics indicate he could be a very solid player when given more minutes. Pick him up in your fantasy basketball league if you have the room.

Trevor Ariza, Los Angeles Lakers
Although he’s injured at the moment, Trevor Ariza has a chance to become a very good player with the Lakers. He’s extremely athletic and is a natural on the defensive end of the court. While there’s no longer room to start, he should be a key bench contributor once he’s healthy enough to return.

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Martell Webster, Portland Trail Blazers
Webster has played pretty well for the Blazers, however he has a lot of room to improve. When you are looking for sleepers, this is the type of guy to look for. Webster is a very good shooter, a capable rebounder and could become a big fantasy asset if he can further grow into his role. There’s no reason why he can’t average between 15-18 points given his potential and skill set.

Dorrell Wright, Miami Heat
Wright came into training camp as a starter for the Heat. He played poorly in preseason and he ended up falling all the way out of the rotation. Now, he’s not only back in the rotation, he has been starting some games. Wright is a swingman who can do a lot of things except shoot the ball.

Trevor Ariza, Los Angeles Lakers
Ariza is a player the Lakers acquired from the Magic earlier in the season who is really starting to play well. He’s young but he has loads of athleticism. If his playing time can stay consistent, he could be a huge sleeper in the second half of the season because he has a very diverse game.

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Craig Smith, Minnesota Timberwolves
Smith has been on fire as of late and his PER is looking very solid at 19.38, which is 40th in the NBA. While he’s only playing a bit over 20 minutes per game, the numbers point to him being a big producer if his minutes rise. With the Timberwolves being content to get as many ping pong balls as possible, don’t be surprised to see Smith play big minutes from here on out.

Fabricio Oberto, San Antonio Spurs
While this stat is most useful in terms of finding young players, it also points to Oberto being able to produce very nice numbers if given more time. And now with Francisco Elson sidelined with an ankle injury, he may see a bump in his playing time. On the season Oberto has a PER of 18.1, which ranks him 58th in the NBA. If his minutes per game rise to around 30, he may be a nice fantasy option.

Kris Humphries, Toronto Raptors
Humphries is quietly coming on strong for the Raptors. He has scored in double figures in three straight games and four out of his last five games. He also has at least five rebounds in each of those contests. Humphries is a bigman who is athletic and has a good touch on his shot. With consistent minutes, he could become relevant in the fantasy world.

Trevor Ariza, Los Angeles Lakers
Ariza is a very athletic small forward who was recently traded to the Lakers in a swap that sent Brian Cook and Maurice Evans to the Orlando Magic. Ariza can score a bit, rebound, block some shots and swipe some steals. If he gets time next to Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers, he could very well post some Jamario Moon type numbers for the Lakers.

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