Already looking to mine a sleeper out of your fantasy basketball league’s waiver wire? Check out these up-and-coming fantasy players that may be able to make a very nice impact on your fantasy team.

Walter Herrmann, Detroit Pistons
Although few fantasy basketball owners expected much out of Walter Herrmann this season, he’s been amazing in the first two games for the Detroit Pistons. In 19.5 minutes per game, Herrmann is averaging 13 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. If he can carve out an even bigger role, Herrmann could become fantasy relevant once again like he was a few years ago on the Charlotte Bobcats.

Zaza Pachulia, Atlanta Hawks
While it seems like Zaza Pachulia has been around forever, this bigman from the Republic of Georgia is only 24-years-old. Since he’s been relegated to a bench role behind Al Horford, he’s been all but forgotten in the fantasy basketball community. That said, he’s playing very well so far this season and if he can move up into the starting lineup, Pachulia has already proven he could average around 12 points and eight rebounds per game.

Roger Mason, Jr., San Antonio Spurs
When with the Washington Wizards in recent years, Roger Mason, Jr. was a one-dimensional scorer. So far this year with the Spurs, he’s looking like a legit NBA player who could have a bright future. He’s on fire shooting the ball very well and is doing a better job in terms of racking up assists and rebounds. It’s actually quite likely that Mason could supplant Michael Finley in the starting lineup for San Antonio.

Ronnie Brewer, Utah Jazz
Ronnie Brewer is hardly a secret. But so far this season, he’s been playing outstanding basketball. If he’s on your league’s fantasy basketball waiver wire, it’d be a good idea to pick him up. His per minute stats are off the charts and he’s a player who could blossom into an almost All-Star level player if given enough minutes.

Want to roll the dice on some fantasy basketball super sleepers? Here are some fantasy players that very well could be the talk of the basketball world over the next few months.

DeMarcus Nelson, Golden State Warriors
This undrafted rookie has a chance to play a lot of point guard for the Warriors this season. In fact, many people connected to the Warriors believe that DeMarcus Nelson has been the best point guard in training camp.

Aaron Brooks, Houston Rockets
Although Aaron Brooks is a backup in Houston, he is playing behind Rafer Alston - who is always seemingly a ticking time bomb. During preseason, Brooks has played well and has solidified a spot in the rotation. Watch for him to breakout if he ascends to the starting roll.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, New Jersey Nets
One of the most talented scorers in the 2008 NBA Draft, Chris Douglas-Roberts will play the season with a chip on his shoulder after falling to the second round. In preseason, he has shown an ability to score and with the Nets likely not making a push for the playoffs, CDR will get plenty of shots.

CJ Miles, Utah Jazz
The Jazz are expected to start CJ Miles at small forward this season - at least to start with. If he plays well, Miles should be able to hold onto that job for the duration of the season. Miles is a good shooter who can score the ball and also play solid defense. With enough minutes, look for Miles to be a fantasy basketball viable player.

JaVale McGee, Washington Wizards
One of the best looking bigmen of the 2008 NBA Draft has been JaVale McGee. Although he’s young, skinny and raw, McGee looks like a player who has a chance to help right away. He’s extremely athletic and very quick on his feet. He could play a roll with the Wizards and put up nice numbers in rebounds and blocked shots.

Could JaVale McGee go down as the sleeper of the 2008 draft class?

Photo: Newscom

Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz suffered a potentially serious ankle injury in a preseason game on Saturday. Williams, who has been relatively healthy throughout his career, will have an MRI on Monday.

After suffering the injured ankle, Williams was carried to the locker room. After the game, he was seen in a wheelchair. Williams declined to comment following the contest. The good news is that x-rays didn’t show a broken bone.

For as long as Williams is out, the Jazz will go with Ronnie Price and Brevin Knight at point guard. Price will likely be the starter, while Knight will go from third string to second string.

Price will have decent fantasy value as a starter but nothing close to Williams. While Williams is an all-around threat, Price is more of a scorer. Knight, on the other hand, isn’t much of a scorer but is good for assists.

Here is a Deron Williams highlight video and hopefully DWill will be back before too long:

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Shawn Marion, Miami Heat
Although Shawn Marion is usually one of the safer bets in all of fantasy basketball, his situation just isn’t as great as usual this year. He no longer has Steve Nash helping him out and is instead in a lame duck type situation with the Heat due to his expiring contract. Not only that, the Heat have a lot of players that could get time at the forward positions including Michael Beasley, Udonis Haslem, James Jones, Dorell Wright and Yakhouba Diawara.

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.

1. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers won the West last season and appear to be even stronger this season.

2. New Orleans Hornets
For the second straight year, I expect the Hornets to finish with the second best record in the West.

3. Houston Rockets
There’s no denying the Rockets got better in the offseason — and they were already pretty darn good.

4. Utah Jazz
The Jazz may be the sleeper team in the Western Conference that is capable of finishing in the top two.

5. San Antonio Spurs
Without Manu Ginobili in the lineup, the Spurs will struggle to have their usual regular season success.

6. Phoenix Suns
It’ll be interesting to see how the Terry Porter will be able to transform this team in his first year as coach.

7. Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers have playoff aspirations. They should be able to make it as long as they stay healthy.

8. Dallas Mavericks
Without Avery Johnson, the Mavericks will have to face the harsh reality that they simply aren’t that good.

With the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games a thing of the past and training camp approximately one month away, let’s take a look at 2008 NBA power rankings:

1. Boston Celtics - The defending champs are the team to beat.
2. Los Angeles Lakers - The Lakers with Andrew Bynum will be tough.
3. San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs always seem to lurk near the top.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers - With the addition of Mo Williams, watch out.
5. New Orleans Hornets - James Posey will add a mean streak in NO.
6. Detroit Pistons - The Pistons should once again win a lot of games.
7. Houston Rockets - Ron Artest could make the Rockets great.
8. Utah Jazz - The Jazz might be a tad overrated heading into 2008.
9. Phoenix Suns - The window is closing fast for the Suns.
10. Orlando Magic - Dwight Howard will make sure the Magic win.

Here is a Dwight Howard highlight reel video:

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Here is our current HoopsFantasy NBA power rankings of the best team in the NBA:

1. Boston Celtics - The Celtics are the best until proven otherwise.
2. Los Angeles Lakers - Adding Andrew Bynum to the mix will be big.
3. San Antonio Spurs - Can never count out the Spurs.
4. New Orleans Hornets - James Posey gives the Hornets heart.
5. Houston Rockets - Ron Artest gives the Rockets fire.
6. Detroit Pistons - The Pistons will still be in the mix.
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1. Boston Celtics - The champs are still the best - despite losing Posey.
2. Los Angeles Lakers - They were good, and that was without Bynum.
3. San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs seem to always been hanging around.
4. New Orleans Hornets - The addition of Posey will be huge.
5. Detroit Pistons - The Pistons are basically the Spurs of the East.
6. Utah Jazz - Led by Deron Williams, the Jazz will continue to get better.
7. Cleveland Cavaliers - Any team with LeBron will be very good.
8. Houston Rockets - If Yao and TMac can stay healthy, watch out.
9. Dallas Mavericks - Not long ago, the Mavs were elite.
10. Phoenix Suns - Is this the last year the Suns will compete?

Although Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett got a lot of publicity during the Boston Celtics’ 2008 championship run, the Celtics were comprised of more than simply three star players. One such player, who was arguably just as important as anyone on the team, was James Posey.

Posey is a rugged, physical defender who has knack for hitting clutch shots on the offensive side of the court. He’s not afraid to sacrifice his body and lay it all on the line to get the win. His two championship rings prove that Posey is an elite winner in the NBA.

However, now Posey is a free agent and is getting interest from a lot of teams around the NBA. A lot of teams value his winning ways and view him as the ultimate role player. That said, chances are Posey will end up back in Boston. At the end of the day, it’s difficult to imagine that the Celtics would get outbid for a player that means so much to what they do.

If Posey does decide to leave, which teams make sense as possible destinations? The teams that would most likely value Posey would be teams that are on the brink of winning a championship. The New Orleans Hornets could plug Posey into their starting lineup and they would do well to add his toughness to their bunch. The Utah Jazz could also use a savvy perimeter player who can defend. The Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons and even the Los Angeles Lakers all make sense as possible Posey destinations.

Kevin Garnett would be sad to see James Posey leave Beantown.

Photo: Newscom

Kobe Bryant led the Los Angeles Lakers as they defeated the Utah Jazz in Game 6 to advance to the Western Conference Finals. During the game, Kobe let the Utah crowd know that “You Can’t Guard Me!” Check the video below to see Kobe yelling to the crowd. Apparently, Kobe’s back injury is feeling a lot better.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Lakers will play either the New Orleans Hornets or the San Antonio Spurs. That Hornets and Spurs play their Game 7 on Monday.

“You Can’t Stop Me!” - Kobe Bryant: