Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks
In the month of December, Dirk Nowitzki has been on fire. He’s averaging more than 30 points and his rebounding numbers and shooting percentages are way up. Nowitzki had a slow start to the season but has recently regained his MVP form.

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder are a horrible basketball team but Kevin Durant has been very good as of late. He’s averaging more than 25 points and six rebounds in his last five games. His field goal percentage isn’t the best but he’s sizzling from beyond the three-point arc.

Zach Randolph, Los Angeles Clippers
Since being traded to the Clippers, Zach Randolph has played very good basketball. In fact, he’s doing a good Elton Brand imitation. In the last five games, he has five straight games in which he has scored at least 20 point. In his latest outing, Randolph had 38 points in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

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As far as Randolph is concerned, this is unlikely to be good news for his fantasy basketball value. With the Knicks, he was putting up very good numbers and was see a ton of touches. Mike D’Antoni basically let him shoot whenever he wanted to.

With the Clippers, Randolph will have to find time between Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman on the frontline. The Clippers also play at a much slower pace than the Knicks. The only silver lining is that the Clippers are looking for an Elton Brand replacement and Randolph has a comparable game. For that reason, Randolph could eventually get a lot of touches down the line.

As far as Mobley and Thomas are concerned, this is very good news. Mobley could conceivably step into a starting role at shooting guard to replace the departed Crawford. He’ll likely get a lot more shots — as long as D’Antoni warms up to him. Thomas previously played for D’Antoni and flourished in his system. If he gets time, he too could become fantasy relevant once again.

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First of all, Jamal Crawford and Zach Randolph both appear to be safe bets. Crawford has been very consistent over the last few years and should put up similar stats this year. Don’t expect to see a big jump in his production because although he has a green light this year, he’s always had a green light. Randolph, on the other hand, should see his production rise — due partly to D’Antoni and partly to Eddy Curry being out of the way.

At power forward, David Lee and Wilson Chandler are both interesting options. Lee is a player who can give you ten points and close to ten rebounds a night. He also shoots for a high percentage and does little to hurt a fantasy basketball team. Chandler, however, has the higher fantasy ceiling as he’s a multidimensional player who could really thrive in D’Antoni’s system.

Other players to keep an eye on are Nate Robinson, Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson. Robinson could see his scoring numbers improve as he’s playing a lot of minutes off the ball this year. Duhon is the Knicks’ version of Steve Nash, although he’s not going to give you nearly the production. Still, Duhon is a solid fantasy option who should explode for a few big games this season. QRich, if he can get in shape and stay healthy, could produce a lot of three-pointers — just like he did previously under D’Antoni when both were with the Suns.

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While the rebuilding the Knicks will be extremely difficult, D’Antoni has a president who believes in him and who will rebuild the team around D’Antoni’s vision. Down the road, there’s a good chance that D’Antoni will have the Knicks running and gunning – just like the Suns.

Which current players fit D’Antoni’s run and gun coaching style? David Lee is a natural fit as a guy who can run and score without having plays called for him. Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford like to run. Wilson Chandler and Renaldo Balkman are both long and athletic, traits D’Antoni likes. Quentin Richardson is a former Sun who had arguably the best year of his career under D’Antoni.

The two players who don’t fit at all are Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph. Curry and Randolph are slow, halfcourt type players who will need to be moved. Stephon Marbury is a question mark but he’s not the pass-first type point guard that D’Antoni prefers.

The Knicks could turn around quickly if the team is able to draft Derrick Rose out of Memphis. Rose is a pass-first point guard who could play a Steve Nash type role for D’Antoni. The Knicks will have to hop to land a top two pick in the 2008 NBA Draft to have a shot at Rose.

Mike D’Antoni, head coach – New York Knicks

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Reports indicate that the Knicks are offering big money to woo D’Antoni to the Big Apple. If D’Antoni takes over the Knicks, he’ll have a big challenge on his hands. The Knicks have been a disaster in recent years – on the court, off the court and in the locker room.

D’Antoni would likely try to make the Knicks run, run and run some more. With a deep, talented and athletic roster, D’Antoni might just be able to coax wins out of the Knicks. Even if he can’t get wins, fantasy basketball owners will be keeping a close eye to see which players start to flourish in D’Antoni’s system.

As has been the case since he began coaching the Suns, D’Antoni is a very fantasy basketball friendly coach. Players on the Knicks who could thrive under D’Antoni include Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph and Nate Robinson. Basically, if you can score, D’Antoni will play you.

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