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Since the arrival of Steve Nash in the valley of the Suns, Phoenix has been one of the strongest teams in the West. They were well coached under Mike D’Antoni with his run and gun style of play and they had a great core with Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Raja Bell, Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw. Half of that core is gone now and they have a new coach, Terry Porter, for this 2008-2009 NBA season and they also have new faces but not necessarily young legs. In fact, the two players, Shaquille O’neal and Grant Hill, they’ve traded for and signed the past two years are turning 37 this year.

Former MVP Steve Nash will be turning 35 this year, and wouldn’t it be nice if the Phoenix Suns had kept some of their first round draft picks that they’ve traded during draft night the past 4 years? (more…)

This year the NBA’s dunk contest will add something that has never been done before – you vote for the 4th dunker. Dwight Howard will try to defend his title and will be up against Rudy Gay, Nate Robinson and the fourth dunker, which will be chosen by us. There are three dunkers to choose from and they are Joe Alexander of the Milwaukee Bucks, Rudy Fernandez of the Portland Trailblazers and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Any of these guys will put on a show and I can’t wait for the slam dunk contest this year in Phoenix so go ahead to nba.com and vote now.

Here are their videos encouraging you to vote for them. (more…)

Nenad Krstic has officially signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder to a three-year, $15.6 million deal. This gives the Thunder a veteran who could emerge as their best front court player among their underachieving big men. Krstic will give the Thunder an inside presence and a player with high basketball IQ.

“I think he’s going to bring a number of different things to our team,” Presti said. “First and foremost an ability to stretch the floor, and he adds another player to our roster with a high basketball IQ that understands how to play the game and play at a high level. Clearly we’re thrilled to have him.”

Fantasy analysis:
The Thunder didn’t give this guy a three year deal just to sit on their bench. Yes, they have like ten big men on their rosters but none of them are playing well. It looks like one of their bigs either Wilcox or Joe Smith could be traded to give Krstic minutes. Joe Smith has been rumored to be traded to Cleveland, which makes sense since he was a big contributor in their playoff run a year ago.

Krstic has career averages of 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds. Not much huh? But prior to injuring his knee in 06-07 season he was on the verge of making the all-star team with 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds with high fg percentages (52%). If he could get minutes and produce close to these numbers, he is worth a space on your roster in most leagues.

Right now, most league formats don’t have him in their waiver wires but I suggest checking regularly to see if he’s there. Who knows maybe Krstic could be the player to help your team reach the playoffs and win it all.

What a week this has been for the Philadelphia 76ers and its fans. First, they fire they’re head coach Maurice Cheeks and then they lose their top free agent Elton Brand to a shoulder injury for a month. Team officials say the Sixers’ leading scorer has a fracture and tear in his right shoulder but will not need surgery.

Maybe everything that has happened is actually good (except for fantasy owners of Brand). The team is now 2-0 under interim head coach Tony DiLeo after going 9-14 under Mo Cheeks. With Brand out, they can go back to their running game that helped the team last year reach the playoffs.

Fantasy Analysis: Everyone who owns others Sixers players should benefit from this injury especially Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights and Andre Iguodala. Sam Dalembert could also benefit from this as he had a hard time adjusting to playing with Brand in the lowpost. Iguodala should see and increase in points and in every category including TOs where he will be the focus of teams. It wouldn’t be as bad as before as the very effective Thaddeus Young will emerge as the team’s second scorer. Watch out for an increase in rebounds of both Dalembert and Speights.

I am high on Speights’ production in the rebounding department but I’m looking for more blocks from this guy. His percentages aren’t bad and it’s a good time to pick him up from waivers right now. Let’s see how the Sixers will play now that Brand is out for a month but I am very excited even if I drafted Brand in one of my leagues.

The Memphis Grizzlies waived three-time all star Antoine Walker, club General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

The 6-9, 245-pound forward did not appear in a game with the Grizzlies this season because the team has decided develop their young players. His last game was on February 19, 2008 where he was still part of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Fantasy Analysis

Walker used to be a good fantasy basketball player where he could easily score 20 points a night and grab close to 10 boards a game. He also passed the ball well where he could give you 3-5 a night and the good thing with him was he was a warrior in terms of injury. In his first 11 years in the league, he played 5 full (82 games) season and the most missed games in the other 6 seasons was 8 games. This wasn’t bad for a player who, for a long time, hasn’t looked like he was in shape. On the downside, his percentages from the field and the line were terrible if you consider the amount of shots he take. He would give you 1-2 threes a night but at the expense of taking 4-5 three point attempts. Nevertheless, I used to draft this guy and he helped me with some of my teams.

Those “good” days are gone now especially with his age, 32. But as long as he gets close to 20 minutes a night (if he’s lucky!) if anyone signs him then he can help teams in deeper leagues with their scoring, rebounding and threes. As long as he is in shape, which he was never really known for after his first few years in the league, he could give you 8-10 points a game and 4 rebounds. Just make sure you can take his very low percentages.

“Elton Brand dislocated his right shoulder midway through the third quarter of the 76ers’ game against the Bucks on Wednesday night.” – Phillyburbs.com It looks like Sam Dalembert and Mareese Speights will get a boost in fantasy production. Thaddeus Young could also return to the starting lineup.

“I’m a Miami Heat player right now, that’s what I’m focusing on,” Marion said regarding his trade rumor. – The Miami Herald. Shawn Marion looks like he needs a change of scenery for his fantasy value to go up.

“A source close to the 76ers told SI.com that former Pistons coach Flip Saunders is Philadelphia’s first choice as a long-term replacement for Maurice Cheeks. Eddie Jordan, who worked with Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski in New Jersey, is also a candidate. But the source said, “It’s Flip’s job to lose.” – SI.com

“A little more than a year after parting ways, the Magic and Grant Hill would be interested in getting back together. Neither Hill nor the Magic can say so publicly — there’s that thing called tampering — but my sources are impeccable on this end. The Magic could trade, say, J.J. Redick for Hill in a transaction that might make sense for both sides.” – Orlando Sentinel

“New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul tied the NBA record for most consecutive games with a steal on Tuesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.” – ESPN.com

It seemed to be going to overtime but with 2.2 seconds left Cedric Jackson had other plans as he made a two handed 60-foot shot at the buzzer to lift Cleveland State over No. 11 Syracuse, 72-69.

“I looked up to see if there was a chance but knew there wasn’t enough time,” Jackson said. “It was a prayer. It’s not an everyday shot.”  (more…)

In just 4 years, the Kings will be under their third head coach after the Kings fired Reggie Theus who had an unimpressive 6-18 start this season. He was just in his second season and hadn’t reach 100 games yet. He was 44-62 in barely over a year as head coach and will be replaced by assistant coach Kenny Natt who is coaching the Kings game tonight against the Timberwolves. (more…)

Mike D’Antoni will be facing his old team for the first time tonight as he tries to lead his New York Knicks against the Phoenix Suns. Both teams have gone opposite directions this year as the Knicks are looking like a team finally making the playoffs after years of missing it while the Suns look like a borderline playoff team after years of dominance.

It would be interesting to see how Steve Nash will play with a different lineup from a year ago against his former coach, who’s system helped Nash win back to back MVP. (more…)

I have never known a trade to be such a win-win situation for the players and the teams involved. The trade that sent Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas to the Knicks for Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins did just that. With this trade, the Clippers got another scorer and rebounder in the lowpost that could help them win now. The Knicks, however, got a player who will be forced to retire due to a heart disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Despite Mobley failing the physical, the Knicks still went on with the deal to be able to unload Randolph’s huge contract. (more…)