Amare shows off his restaurant in downtown Phoenix on NBA Life …

2) Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
Camby is having a dominating fantasy season. If you have him on your team, you’ve watched as he’s single-handedly carried you at times this year. While he doesn’t get much publicity, Camby is a certified star right now in the NBA. And in the fantasy world, he’s even better.

3) Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
Tracy McGrady is back and that seems to have actually helped Yao a bit. He’s getting some space to operate in the low block. This year, the biggest change in his game has been his aggression level. Now that the Rockets are actually winning games, expect Yao’s numbers to become more consistent.

4) Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers
Speaking of inconsistent, Ilgauskas has been all over the board this season. However, as of late he’s been on fire. He’s providing LeBron James with a perfect sidekick who can score and pass out of the post. The big Lithuanian is a streaky fantasy player but overall he’s very solid.

5) Andris Biedrins, Golden State Warriors
As long as Biedrins gets minutes, he produces very nicely. Sometimes his minutes can be erratic playing under Don Nelson but overall Nelson does a nice job of playing Biedrins. When Nelson uses a super small ball lineup, he’ll take Biedrins out – but that’s occurring less and less often.

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2) Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat
Everything and everyone around him seems to be sinking but Wade has been playing great lately. He seems to be fully recovered from his injuries and is dominating in nearly every aspect. The Heat may be a bad team right now but the blame can’t be on Wade because he’s playing his heart out.

3) Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs
Ginobili struggled with an injured finger for more than a month but has now turned it back around. As he was earlier in the season, Ginobili is a fantasy stud right now. In a game recently, Ginobili had eight steals against the Lakers. Expect him to remain at this level – barring injury.

4) Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
Allen got off to a relatively slow start with the Celtics but has now returned to his old ways. He’s scoring, hitting three-pointers and rebounding at a surprisingly good clip. Allen could have off night occasionally due to the talent around him but he’s a player you want to have on your fantasy team.

5) Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies
Don’t look now but Gay is turning into a star in Memphis. His scoring has been fantastic and he’s now rebounding better than ever. Gay has loads of natural talent and athleticism and he’s putting it all together right now for the Grizzlies. Check out the video below. Gay is asking for YouTube users to send in their best dunks, and he’ll pick one to do in this year’s Slam Dunk Contest.

Rudy Gay’s Slam Dunk Promotion

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2) Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
Nash has been a monster lately. He’s scoring and handing out assists at a very high rate. Nash is also shooting lights out while turning the ball over late. Nash’s best fantasy days this season seem to be ahead of him.

3) Baron Davis, Golden State Warriors
With free reign in Don Nelson’s offense, Davis is having a career season. He has been scoring, assisting, rebounding and getting steals at a very high clip lately. The concern him Davis is injury but so far, he’s been uncharacteristically healthy this season.

4) Jose Calderon, Toronto Raptors
With TJ Ford out with a neck injury, Calderon has emerged as one of the best point guards in the NBA. As long as Ford is sidelined, expect Calderon to put up huge numbers. Even when Ford returns, Calderon should continue to play extended minutes.

5) Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
Paul has been a stud this season but recently he has cooled off a bit. However, you shouldn’t worry as he’ll no doubt return to his former greatness. Expect him to finish the season as the best fantasy point guard in the NBA.

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Acie Law, Atlanta Hawks
Law, like Landry, is a rookie. Law hasn’t shown much for the Hawks so far. His stats are underwhelming and he hasn’t gotten noticeably better since the season started. That said, the Hawks will continue to give him chances and he should see his playing time improve as the season progresses.

Gerald Green, Minnesota Timberwolves
Green has got little time for the Timberwolves this year. Once upon a team, he was a sought after talent. Now he’s a deep bench player on a horrible team. However, if the T’Wolves go into full on tank mode, Green could see big minutes at a guard position.

Nenad Krstic, New Jersey Nets
Krstic not too long ago was a solid fantasy player. Now, after a failed attempt at an injury comeback, Krstic is a forgotten man. The good news is that he is starting to play basketball again and shouldn’t be too far from returning to the court. Once he returns, he’s definitely worth a look.

JR Smith, Denver Nuggets
Smith seems to have run out of chances with George Karl in Denver. If he were to be traded, Smith is the type of player who could explode onto the scene. He’s a good shooter with extreme athleticism. The knock on him has been his poor work ethic and questionable behavior off the court. If he can straighten up, Smith has the talent to be a star at some point in his NBA career.

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2) Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets
Carter and Kidd are hurting each other’s stocks at this point. Carter is also shooting poorly, which is hurting Kidd’s assist numbers. With Carter not being a high powered scoring threat, teams can focus more defense on Kidd. One of the two players needs to get hot and that should help the other player both in real life and the fantasy world.

VC Career Mix

3) Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics
Pierce’s scoring numbers have gone down each month as his superstar teammates have adjusted to life in Boston. There might be a shakeup in the pecking order in Boston that could play out over the next couple weeks. Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Pierce will need to figure out which player will be the go-to scorer. Pierce was the go-to scorer to begin the year but that may be changing. Keep an eye on this situation, especially if you are a Pierce owner. Now might be the time to sell high on him.

4) Kevin Durant, Seattle Supersonics
Durant seems to have hit a rookie wall in Seattle. His shooting is off and he’s having trouble adjusting to defenses night-in and night-out. On the defensive side of the ball, he also has had a major drop off. He’s not rebounding, blocking shots or getting steals as he was earlier in the season. He should bounce back at some point but right now he’s hurting fantasy teams.

5) Ricky Davis, Miami Heat
When Pat Riley traded for Davis, he was looking for a quick fix. That fix hasn’t happened and right now Davis is probably more of a problem than a solution for Miami. Davis’ offensive numbers of plummeted of late and his value is now at an all-time low in both the real world and in fantasy. If you have him, you should consider trading him for whatever it is you can get.

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2) Marcus Camby, Denver Nuggets
Camby, even though he has been in the league for a while, is having his best season. His scoring numbers won’t blow you away but his rebounding and blocks will. Camby can single-handedly win you those two categories. While a lot of other centers in the league get more pub, Camby right now is a better fantasy basketball player than all of the rest.

3) Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers
Granger had a couple quiet weeks over the last couple months but has been playing great recently. He’s scoring, rebounding and is even mixing in some blocks and steals. He’s taking and making more three-pointers, which is always good for fantasy production. Granger might be a good player to target in a trade in hopes of a monster second half.

4) Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons
The veteran Billups is a bit of a boring name but he’s been very good as of late. He is shooting lights out and the rest of his numbers are solid. Billups struggled in the playoffs last year for the most part but has bounced back with an impressive season this year. Expect his good play to continue.

5) Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
Allen is just now starting to heat up for the Celtics, which is bad news for the rest of the NBA. The Celtics have been dominating the league for much of the season – and that was with Allen not producing as well as he can. However, it’s too early to tell if Allen will continue at this pace or whether he’ll cool down. Keep an eye on him over the next couple weeks.

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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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“I’m very upset that I have to put a little delay on being with the team to take care of my health,” said Nene. “I thank God that he showed me this issue so I can take care of it. I want to get back on the court as soon as possible to help my teammates. My family and I ask that you respect our privacy during this time.”

Reading between the lines, it appears as if Nene will be able to return sometime this season. Whether that sometime is in the next two weeks or the next two months, nobody knows much outside of Denver.

Obviously you need to either bench him or waive him in your fantasy league. If you have room on your bench or injury list, go ahead and keep him around. If you need the spot, you might as well waive him because there’s a decent chance he will be out a while.

With Nene sidelined, expect Kenyon Martin and Eduardo Najera to play a bit more minutes.

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Will Bibby be able to earn his starting spot back? Yes. I either see him earning back his starting spot or Bibby being traded. There is no way Bibby will become a long-term backup point guard. He still has at least a couple more years of starting quality play in his body.

With Bibby coming back, now would be a good time to trade Udrih. Udrih should still see a decent amount of time for at least the next month but he won’t be worth nearly as much as he’s worth now. If you can trade him now and get something worthwhile in return, you might as well pull the trigger.

With regards to Bibby, go ahead and pick him up if he’s on the waiver wire. You might have to wait until he becomes a starter again but he should be a quality fantasy player by the beginning of February.

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Standing 7-foot-7 and weighting 360 pounds, George is a behemoth of a basketball player. He’s leading the nation in shot blocking and offensively he’s capable of dunking the ball without jumping.

While he’s a longshot to ever see an NBA court due to his lack of speed, he’s definitely going to be scouted heavily by the NBA to see if he could be used as a defensive specialist.

Check out this YouTube to see Kenny George in action:

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