Monday’s best:  It was a pretty slow night, and our award goes to Chris Paul.  His Hornets lost at home, but he ended up with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 11 assists, and 6 steals.  His 11-11 from the line wasn’t to bad either.

Monday’s worst:  Tyson Chandler. He played 38 minutes!  How you play that many minutes as the second best player on your team and score 4 points is beyond me.  Only 7 boards too.  I didn’t watch the game or anything, but maybe this is why they lost?

Keep an eye on:  The Hornets and a possible bad end-of-season scenario.  They’re clearly playing bad ball, losing 3 of 5, including losses at Atlanta and Chicago.  The rest of March is a cakewalk for them besides Denver, but in April they get Utah, Phoenix, and Dallas at home, and Miami, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio on the road.  They’re only a game and a half ahead of the 8 seed, and while I don’t think they’ll miss the playoffs at all, a couple more losses in March could severely hurt their seed and put them dangerously close to the lottery…

What to watch for Tuesday: Magic at Cavaliers is a good game on NBATV.  Pistons at Mavs should be a good one too, and is a big game for Dallas as things suddenly got interesting again at the bottom of the Western playoff picture this weekend.

Thursday’s best: Nobody else but LeBron James.  It’s his third triple-double in as many games, as he went for 34 points, 10 boards, and 13 dimes with 3 steals and 3 blocks.  Is there any real question who the MVP is right now?

Thursday’s worst: The Phoenix Suns.  It’s a sad time in Phoenix, let me tell you.  It’s over.  Gone.  Done for.  And maybe now I’ll stop talking about the Suns for the rest of the season.  I want to.

Keep an eye on: The Suns bench.  Now that it’s obvious they’re toast, we may see some Robin Lopez and Goran Dragic action.  Just sayin’.

What to watch for Friday:  A pretty large docket Friday, with some pretty crappy games.  The best is probably Dallas at Golden State.  Hey, what else do you want me to say when there are gems like Knicks-Timberwolves and Bulls-76ers?  Pacers-Hawks might be worth watching.  Maybe.

Wednesday’s best:  Chris Paul for sure.  He had a triple-double, posting 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists, along with 4 steals in a comeback win over the Wizards.  If only the Hornets could get their you-know-what together, Paul would be right in the thick of the MVP race.

Wednesday’s worst:  Oh Ben Gordon, why must you tease us?  After posting 43 points Monday, he shoots 1-10 for 4 big points in a big loss at Orlando.  How you go from 8-11 from three point range Monday to 0-1 Wednesday blows my mind.  Explain it to me Bulls fans.  I dare you to try.

Keep an eye on:  Never thought I’d say this, but… JJ Redick? He’s been getting some minutes in the last two games (30 Monday and 21 Wednesday) and has averaged 11 in those two.  But where you might find use for him is while streaming in the playoffs.  He could be good for an assured three a gamewith the right minutes if you’re in a deep league or the wire is thin.

What to watch for Thursday:  TNT Thursday features Lakers at Spurs followed by Cavaliers at Suns (a game I wish I was going to).  The first will be typical Lakers/Spurs, and the second will be… a blowout.  I’m poredicting a big game for A) Mo Williams, B) LeBron James, or C) both of them.

Thursday’s best:   Gotta go with Chris Paul.  He had 27 points, 4 rebounds, and 15 assists.  More importantly, another win for the Hornets, their sixth in a row.  This win gives them the four seed, and for now, home court in at least the first round.

Thursday’s worst: We’ll go with Josh Howard, for sitting out the second half.  Certainly isn’t his fault, but that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt fantasy owners.  He still managed to jack up 10 shots (missing 7) in 18 first half minutes.  Not good news.

Keep an eye on:  JR Smith, who started Thursday.  This is one of those guys you always look at and say “wow, he got the short end of the straw being on his coach’s bad side.”  If he starts, 3 threes per game are possible.  But he likely won’t keep starting as long as George Karl is his coach.

What to watch for Friday:  We’re at the point where about half or more of the games on a nightly basis are interesting for playoff implications.  But one Friday night matchup stands above all else: Cleveland at Boston.  Oh yeah baby.

Wednesday’s best:  Of course it was Dwyane Wade.  I think his name is permanently in this spot now.  Seriously, dude is unreal.  It seems every team with a star guard torches the Suns like this.  Wade had 35 points, 6 rebounds, 16 dimes, a steal, a block, and a couple threes.  Nice.  Oh yeah, the Heat won too.

Wednesday’s worst:  Luke Ridnour.  0-7 from the field?  That’s enough to land you in this section.  No wonder the Bucks lost by 18.

Keep an eye on:  Daequan Cook.  He erupted for 27 points on 6 threes.  Performances like this might earn him more minutes.  He randomly got 36 in this game, and with more minutes, he might be worth looking at for some threes in deep leagues.  Just not yet though.

What to watch for Thursday:  It’s the worst day of the week for basketball, but at least it’s two decent games.  The Hornets take on Dallas in Big D, and the Blazers travel to the Mile High City to face Denver.  Of course, the best part of Thursday nights is the TNT show, we all know that.

Tuesday’s best:  Not a whole lot of overly-impressive lines Tuesday night, but Troy Murphy takes home today’s award.  His line: 23 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 threes, 2 steals, 2 blocks as he led the Pacers to a win over the Kings.

Tuesday’s worst:  John Salmons.  Dude, Luol Deng is hurt.  You’re supposed to go back to being that fantasy stud you used to be.  This scrub played 33 minutes in the Bulls’ loss to Charlotte and scored 9 points on 4-13 shooting.  SCRUB!!

Keep an eye on:  The East playoff race.  The 15th team (Toronto) is only 5.5 games back, and two teams (Indiana and Charlotte) look awfully good right now and keep climbing the standings.  It’s gonna be a fun month.

What to watch for Wednesday: Cleveland hosts Milwaukee (remember what LeBron James did to the Deer the last time they played), Dwyane Wade lights up Phoenix (like every other team, just bigger), San Antonio plays Dallas on ESPN (and probably runs them out of the arena), and last but NOT least… the Grizzlies play the Clippers!

Sunday’s best: In a losing effort, Kobe Bryant was easily the best, going off for 49 points and 11 rebounds.  Also worth mentioning was opponent Matt Barnes who scored 26, and had 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 5 threes.

Sunday’s worst:  We’re gonna go with TJ Ford here.  He was 2-12 from the field, scoring just 4 points with 4 assists in 29 minutes.  Good news for him is that the Pacers still upset the Nuggets.
Keep an eye on: Joe Smith.  He was bought out Sunday, and if he signs somewhere, he’ll likely have value.  This is especially true if it’s Cleveland he goes too, with the Ben Wallace injury.  Keep your eyes glued to see if it happens, and gladly scoop him up when it does.

What to watch for Monday:  A Dallas/Oklahoma City rematch should be somewhat interesting, given the Thunder took the Mavs into OT just days ago and Jason Terry is back from injury. Also, LeBron James visits Dwyane Wade’s Heat.  What are the chances one of them ends up in this article tomorrow?

Saturday’s best: Gotta be a continual favorite here, Dwyane Wade.  He almost had a triple-double, and single-handedly willed the Heat into a come-from-behind victory against the Knicks.  He finished with 46 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 blocks, and was perfect from the line.  Wow.

Saturday’s worst: Not really any bad lines Saturday, so we’re gonna put teams with a lead Saturday on blast.  Three games were decided by comeback victories, leaving the Knicks, 76ers, and Rockets with bad losses.  This isn’t the time of year to be choking away leads.

Keep an eye on: Thabo Sefolosha.  He’s starting in Oklahoma City and had a season high 15 points and 11 rebounds.  He’s going to continue playing big minutes and is likely available in your leagues.

What to watch Sunday: On national TV, two has-beens battle league leaders, as Detroit plays Boston and Phoenix hosts the Lakers. San Antonio and Portland should also be a fun one.

Friday’s best: Gotta go with The Diesel here.  The Big Shaqtus had 45 points, 11 boards, a couple dimes, three steals, and a block on 20-25 shooting.  Who says he can’t run?

Friday’s worst: Let’s go with Tony Parker here.  He shot 3-16 from the field for 11 points.  When Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are out, Parker has to step up, and he has been for the most part lately.  This was a stinker, and the reason the Spurs lost at home and were getting blown out of the water for most of the game.

Keep an eye on: Marbury.  He had a decent game all things considered, scoring 8 in 12 minutes on 4-6 shooting.  He also had two assists, a rebound, and a steal.  He turned the ball over 3 times, but that’s to be expected for anyone playing their first game in any uniform.  He may get more minutes and a 10-5 with a steal or so line isn’t out of the question from here on out.

What to watch for Saturday: Pretty boring day Saturday honestly.  Oklahoma City takes on Memphis and the Clippers host the Bobcats in two lovely toilet bowl matchups.  I guess the same can be said of the Bucks playing the Wizards.  Oh well, a lovely NBA Saturday.

Thursday’s best: Lamar Odom.  He had 23 points, 9 boards, and 4 assists with 3 blocks, but the impressive part was him going 11-12 from the field.  The Lakers shot 54%, the Suns played without Steve Nash, and the Lakers won by 26.  Go figure.

Thursday’s worst: You know what, this isn’t exactly a horrible line, but it’s a bad game for this guy.  And with two games on Thursday, he wins (or loses).  LeBron James.  Why?  I mean the guy had 21 points.  Well, he had zero assists and one rebound.  No wonder the Cavs looked awful.

Keep an eye on: Anderson Varejao.  Pretty nasty injury tonight to Ben Wallace, and he could miss some time.  Andy V will get those minutes and produce.  He might be worth a gamble in deep leagues.  Grab him now before people start to wake up.

What to watch for Friday: A few really good games worth watching if you can.  The Cavs take on the Spurs in Texas, and the Lakers travel to Denver for the second game of a back-to-back.  And… wait for it… a little bit longer… it’s coming… THE CLIPPERS AND THE KINGS!!  I mean, it’s an even matchup…

Wednesday’s best: Very tough to pick one, so we’ll pick two.  Tony Parker had another great game, with 39 points, 5 rebounds, and 9 assists, with just one turnover. Devin Harris also had a great game (seriously, dude is on fire right now) with 42 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.  He also was 11-11 from the line and had 3 threes made.  It would be unfair to also not to mention Dwight Howard’s 24 points, 21 rebounds, and 4 blocks.

Wednesday’s worst: Jared Jeffries.  I’m a big D’Antoni guy, but seriously, why is he starting?  What do the Knicks benefit by having him in there?  I saw some of the Pacers game Tuesday, and this guy is a waste of a roster spot.  Tonight he went off to the tune of… zero points, zero rebounds, zero ANYTHING besides his one block and five fouls.  In 17 minutes.

Keep an eye on: Goran Dragic.  Steve Nash is a game-time decision tomorrow, and if he misses some time, Dragic is your guy.  He’s played well under new coach Alvin Gentry, and even if Nash does play, he should see increased minutes while Nash gets a little more rest than usual for that bum ankle.

What to watch for Thursday:  It’s a TNT Thursday, which honestly kind of sucks.  Cleveland and Houston might be a good game.  Might be.  The Lakers will likely stomp all over the Suns, especially if Nash doesn’t play.  Oh well, what can we really expect from a two-game Thursday schedule?

Tuesday’s best:  Dwyane Wade.  We talk about this guy a lot don’t we?  He went off for 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 16 assists.  He made 8-9 from the line and 11-20 from the field too.  The 6 turnovers kinda hurts, but oh well.  I’ll take it.

Tuesday’s worst:  OJ Mayo. Juice had just 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 6 assists.  That’s not TOO bad but he did go 3-11 from the field (1-6 from three) and turned the ball over 4 times.  Definitely not typical for the Juice Man.

Keep an eye on:  Daniel Gibson.  He broke out of his funk to the tune of 19 points, including 3 threes.  That’s about it, but that’s all you’d need him for.  He’s worth watching because if he gets hot, he’s got value for sure.

What to watch for Wednesday:  Close to a full slate Wednesday.  Watch Boston, and how they use Leon Powe against a team with an inside presence and with Brian Scalabrine’s sudden neck injury.  I doubt Mikki Moore will be with the team, but who knows.  San Antonio hosting Portland should be a good one as well.

Monday’s best: Did you watch it?  Wow.  The line Devin Harris put up tonight: 39 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 threes, 2 steals, a block, 11-22 from the field, and 12-14 from the line.  Also worth mentioning was the line Nate Robinson was putting up at the same time across town.  KryptoNate went off for 41 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 threes, 2 steals, 11-18 FG, and 15-19 from the line.  Couple more points, rebounds instead of assists, one fewer three and block, but better FG%.  Pretty close, but not much tops that shot from Harris.

Monday’s worst: Chauncey Billups.  No wonder the Nuggets got bulldozed by the defending champs.  In 34 minutes, Billups had 3 points, 5 assists, and 4 turnovers.  He was 1-8 from the field and ended up a team low -38 at the end of it all.

Keep an eye on: The Utah Jazz.  They got Carlos Boozer back tonight, and they’re playing good ball.  Now they have a purpose, and with the West so tight, they could really climb that ladder.  They are a scary team for sure.

What to watch for Tuesday:  Two good games will be Mavericks/Spurs and Portland/Houston.  No Greg Oden vs. Yao Ming, but oh well.  Also, word has it that Mikki Moore is signing with the Celtics tomorrow.  He’d be worth a pickup probably, at least if you have the spot to spare.  Interestingly, Mike D’Antoni will miss practice Tuesday to attend an arbitration hearing for Stephon Marbury.  Might the Celtics be interested in him as well if the meeting spurs a buyout?  Hm…

Sunday’s best: No disrespect to Dwyane Wade’s 50 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, but I’m giving this to Rajon Rondo.  What a player.  He went for 32 points, 6 rebounds, and 10 dimes, on top of 3 steals, a three, and some stellar shooting in a road win against the streaking Suns.  It’s pretty scary when someone outside the Big Three is playing this well.  Oh yeah, and Steve Blake had 14 assists in one quarter.  He only finished with 17 though.  Only.

Sunday’s worst: Grant Hill.  In 30 minutes, just 8 points on 2-7 shooting, and here’s the real dagger: 4-7 from the line.  He’s shooting 82% on the season, and this probably lost somebody in fantasyland a win for the week.  Extremely unimpressive line for that many minutes, and we have to wonder if that injury he suffered Friday is kind of a big deal.

Keep an eye on:DeAndre Jordan.  Dude went for 15 and 12 with 3 blocks.  He’s worth grabbing in deep leagues for sure.

What to watch for Monday: Monday is a fairly bland day around the league.  Carlos Boozer is expected to play Monday, so plug him in for sure, just don’t expect too much.  Keep your eyes peeled to that Clippers/Warriors box score to see if Jordan gets some minutes and continues to break out. 

Saturday’s best: Tie between Russel Westbrook and Jeff Green. Man what a great young team.  Seriously.  If they don’t land a big name free agent in 2010, it’ll be shame because they could go places with another superstar.  Westbrook had 31 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, and a steal.  Green went off for 27 points, 15 boards, and 6 dimes.  He did have 7 turnovers, which prevented him from taking home the title all to himself for today.

Saturday’s worst: Mike James.  After a few strong games, he fails to score in 26 minutes, missing all 6 shots.  He’s got Javaris Crittenton breathing down his back, but even he had a bad game, scoreless in 18 minutes.  No shocker that the Wiz got blown out by the Spurs.

Keep an eye on: James Singleton. Who?  Yeah, I dunno.  What I do know is that he scored 19 points and grabbed 12 boards with a couple steals and a block tonight.  That’s something worth watching.

What to watch for tomorrow:  Boston at Phoenix is the best game on the docket.  Two teams without their best player, and we’ll see how the Suns adjust to not being able to score 140 on a weak team.  Worth watching on national TV at least.

Friday’s best:  LeBron takes the cake here, and it’s not close.  The man scored 16 points in less than three minutes at the beginning of the third quarter.  He finished with 55 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, and 8 threes.  About half of those threes were at least a couple feet behind the line.  Truly amazing.  But let’s not look past Paul’s 21 points, 5 rebounds, 16 dimes, and 4 steals and Leandro Barbosa’s career-high 41 points (on 16-21 shooting!), 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 6 steals.  Two extremely outstanding lines that would easily top most other nights.  Oh, and Randy Foye had 36 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals too.

Friday’s worst:  Peja Stojakovic.  He had 5 points on 2-11 shooting (1-8 beyond the arc) in 29 minutes.  If he had connected on just a couple more shots, the short-handed Hornets would have taken down the mighty Lakers in Hollywood… oh well.  He’s just so inconsistent, it has to be maddening for his owners.

Keep an eye on:  The Chicago Bulls.  Big win tonight at home against the Nuggets, in the first game after acquiring Brad Miller and John Salmons... and they didn’t even play.  Maybe it was a big chemistry booster.  Maybe they can make noise in the playoffs.  Maybe they should try to climb a few spots and get out of facing the Celtics or Cavs in the first round.

What to watch for tomorrow: The best game on the docket tomorrow is easily New Orleans at Utah.  One team coming off a pretty tough loss tonight in OT traveling to play a team in an emotional turbulent time, toppling the defending champs Thursday and losing their owner and influential Utah man Larry H. Miller.  Should be a pretty interesting game, and definitely an emotional one for the Jazz and their fans.  I wish Miller’s family and the community to best as they recover from this tough loss.

First of all, Kevin Garnett went down Thursday against the Jazz.  He seemed to tweak his knee going up for an alley-oop and made sure not to land on it.  After hobbling his way off the court, he went to the locker room, and later came out to warm up for the second half.  According to Cheryl Miller at the game, he wanted to play, but was told not to.  Now he has been sent back to Boston for an MRI and will miss the rest of the Celtics’ West Coast road trip.  Stephen A. Smith reported the Celtics are estimating it could be four weeks, although no official word has been out.  Expect Leon Powe to start and produce.  This may also intensify the Celtics reported talks with recently-waived Mikki Moore.

The first team the Celtics will face without KG, the Suns, have taken what could end up being a bigger blow.  Currently 9th in the West and out of the playoff picture, the Suns lost Amar’e Stoudemire for eight weeks or more with a detached retina suffered in Wednesday’s blowout against the Clippers.  It’s an odd injury and could sideline him longer than eight weeks when all is said and done, which would probably put Phoenix in the lottery.  For now, it appears Louis Amundson will start, and on Tuesday in the first blowout against the Clippers, Lou scored 13 and ripped 8 boards with a block in 20 minutes.  Given the minutes, Amundson could be pretty valuable, so I suggest grabbing him.  Matt Barnes could also start, but that’s probably unlikely, even with the new running style offense.

Thursday’s best: Not a whole lot of impressive lines.  Could have gone with Timmy Duncan’s 18 points and 18 boards, but it was on some pretty shotty shooting (7-19).  Instead, we’ll give it to Allen Iverson, who went for 31 points, 3 boards, 7 dimes, a steal, and a block on 13-28 shooting.  Not too shabby on an otherwise unimpressive night around the league.

Thursday’s worst:  Gotta be Rip Hamilton.  He got 34 minutes off the bench in which he scored 4 points on 2-10 shooting.  Combined with Rodney Stuckey’s 2 points (although he did have 8 assists), a bad night from Rip did the Pistons in.

Keep an eye on:  Kevin Garnett’s injury and Gabe Pruitt. KG went down just before halftime with a “sprained knee.”  At the time of writing this, it’s pretty cloudy just how bad it is, but if he misses any time on this road trip, the Cavs could find themselves on top in the East.  With Tony Allen’s injury, Pruitt will get some extra burn.  He wasn’t extremely effective Thursday, but keep an eye out.

What to watch for tomorrow: Toronto at New York could be pretty exciting and high scoring.  The new-look Bulls take on a good Nuggets team in Chicago, so we’ll see if they’re really any good with Brad Miller and John Salmons.  And on national TV, the Hornets visit the Lakers.  Should be a doozy.

Wednesday’s best:  Today is a tie.  I just can’t decide. Dwyane Wade had 37 points, 4 rebounds, and 12 assists to go along with four steals and a block.  Well that’s nice.  But so way Amar’e Stoudemire’s 42 points and 11 boards on 15-20 shooting and 12-13 from the line.  That’s the kind of line that allows you some wiggle room in the FG% department for the rest of the week.

Wednesday’s worst:  Tyson Chandler.  Dude, you failed a physical.  It’s the middle of the season.  Now nobody knows what’s wrong with you, and the Hornets have to lie to you to make you feel welcome again.  In the beginning, they were excited to have Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox, and now they must have been doing it just for financial reasons, right?  You wasted a game for yourself and a few other dudes, and made your GM look silly.  I’m sorry, it’s kinda funny.

Keep an eye on: Spencer Hawes. He gains a lot from the trade today, and had a good game tonight.  He could definitely end up being a guy you look at keeping in some deeper leagues if you don’t have a lot of keeper-quality dudes.

What to watch for tomorrow:  Only two games tomorrow, and we all know how much of a snoozefest Detroit and San Antonio can be, and Utah will probably lose to Boston.  Ho-hum.  But guess what’s the most exciting part of tomorrow on TNT?  The Round Mound of Rebound is back.  I’m sure we’ll get to hear how “It was a turrible mistake Ernie, I really am a knucklehead.”  Must-see TV.

Tuesday’s best: Let me start off saying there was a triple-double Tuesday.  It was Pau Gasol (12 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists).  However, it was CLEARLY the second-best line.  The winner?  Superman himself, Dwight Howard.  All he did was score a career-best 45 points to go along with 19 boards and 8 blocks.  Two blocks short of one of the more impressive triple-doubles I’ve ever seen in my life.  Not only that, he was an uncharacteristic 13-18 from the line (72%) and 16-23 (70%) from the field.  Sorry Pau, Dwight just blew your triple-double out of the water.

Tuesday’s worst: Zach Randolph.  The former Jail Blazer played under 12 minutes because he felt it necessary to throw a punch at Louis Amundson.  I mean seriously, I was there, and we went to a boxing match and a basketball game broke out.  The plus side for Zach?  His +/- was only -13, compared to Eric Gordon’s -45 and Ricky Davis’ -42.

Keep an eye on: Amundson.  Sure, it was a blowout.  But Lou was the first guy off the bench under new coach Alvin Gentry and played 20 solid minutes, scoring 13 and pulling down 8 boards with the team’s lone block.  If he gets 20 minutes a game, which he could easily under a new coach, he’s worth a look in 12-16 team leagues where you need a big.

What to watch for tomorrow: Shawn Marion plays his first game as the Cavaliers travel to take on the Raptors.  Keep an eye on how many points the Raptors score, especially if Chris Bosh plays.  Dwight could go off again against New Orleans, who traded their best defensive big today.  And Devin Harris comes back to Dallas, where Vince Carter trade rumors are abound.  Could be semi-interesting.

I think in a pure basketball sense, it’s a good move for both teams.  Obviously, the Hornets may have lost the value end of it, but they get back a saavy veteran and a guy who can hold his own down low.  Chandler was having a bad season anyway, and Wilcox hasn’t been getting off the pine.

Fantasy-wise, Chandler will start in OKC, sending Nick Collison to the bench.  He takes a big hit in value and Nenad Krstic becomes droppable in every league.  Of course, either could see minutes at the four, but it won’t likely be many.

As for New Orleans, Wilcox will just take Chandler’s place in the starting lineup.  Smith will likely back up David West, and Hilton Armstrong will continue to see his limited minutes backing up Wilcox.

Big winner?  Wilcox, because he’ll actually get to play some minutes.

Has a guy ever been traded hours after hitting a game-winner?  Well he has now.

Anyways, this trade better suits the Heat’s system, and fulfills Pat Riley’s desire for a big.  But for Toronto, it makes them a legitimate playoff team.  At the moment, they are second-to-last in the East, but only four games out of a playoff spot.  This gives them a trio of Jose Calderon, Marion, and Chris Bosh that might be capable of going on a tear and making some noise.

As far as fantasy goes, one has to assume Marion’s numbers go up.  We’ll likely see Bosh play some center and Marion play at the four, because behind O’Neal, was Jake Voskuhl on the depth chart.  Winners here are Marion, Jason Kapono, and Joey Graham.  They’ll be picking up Moon’s minutes plus some of the minutes created by the shifting around of Bosh to center.

On the Miami side, not much should change.  They basically had no center, so this helps there.  Michael Beasley might get some more minutes, and it remains to be seen if Moon starts.  If not, Beasley would likely get the nod.  This effectively kills any value that Jamaal Magloire and Joel Anthony had in deep leagues.

I’m predicting some noise made by Toronto…

Thursday’s best: Easy one here.  Rajon Rondo baby.  His line: 19 points, 15 rebounds, 14 assists, and a steal on 9-14 shooting.  That’s right kiddies, his second career trip-doub.  Good enough for me.  At the same time, I’m inclined to drive down to US Airways Center first thing Friday morning and slap Robert Sarver upside his greedy little face.

Thursday’s worst: Luol Deng.  Who can figure this guy out?  He’s really struggling overall this year, with some really good streaks and some really awful streaks.  Stuff like this makes me really believe that the Bulls are cursed.  This is the guy John Paxson refused to trade for KOBE BRYANT.  His line? A studly 6 points, 3 boards, 1 dime.  Nice, dude.  Nice.

Keep an eye on: Golden State.  Something tells me they’ve got a trade up their sleeve.  And a good deal can really let them make some noise.  I know, they’re 12 games out of the playoffs.  But if Phoenix blows things up, they’re sitting in 9th.  It’s not too crazy to imagine, and they look like they might be heating up.

What to watch for tomorrow: The Rookie Challenge!  What an awful game this usually is (besides the two LeBron James/Dwyane Wade/Carmelo Anthony years).  But hey, it’s a basketball game with no defense.  Sort of like watching the Knicks play themselves in scrimmage.  Except there’s a little bit of talent in the rookie/sophomore game.

I’ll still bringing you this column all weekend, taking a look into the All-Star festivities.  Aren’t you just lucky.

Wednesday’s best: Mo Williams: 44 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, and 600 three-pointers made.  Ok, only 7.  Yeah, he must have heard some people STILL complaining about his All-Star credentials and decided he’d go nuts.  I saw this game, and he was making some incredible shots.  And this folks, is why the Cleveland Cavaliers will win the Larry O’Brien Trophy.  Did I just say that?  In February?  Yep.  You heard it here first.

Honorable mention to Ramon Sessions and his 17 dimes.  Wow.

Wednesday’s worst: Mike Bibby and his whopping 5 points and 4 dimes on top of 3 turnovers.  Somehow the Hawks still topple the Pistons.  Things are bad in Detroit.

Keep an eye on: The Phoenix Suns.  They lost to the Cavs tonight in their last game before their break, and probably their last game with this roster.  Keep an eye on things because here’s something scary: Steve Nash sat out.  It was various aches and pains, and whatever else.  Yeah, yeah.  What worries me is that he didn’t sit on the bench.  Apparently he was in the locker room.  Implosion pending…

What to watch for tomorrow: I wonder if anyone will actually try tomorrow.  What a tough day to be a coach, when half your team is double-checking its tee times or RSVPing for parties in Phoenix.  Good thing there’s only three games, but two are semi-interesting.  The Celtics stop in Dallas on their way to the All-Star Game, and Portland takes on Golden State.  That second game would be fun to watch, but somehow it’s not the TNT game.  Oh well.

Tuesday’s best:  It could be LeBron James and his 47-7-4 and 4 threes, or Timmy Duncan and his 27-9-8 with 4 blocks, but no.  Why?  We see this all the time.  But Russel Westbook?  Not so much.  All he did Tuesday was go off for 17-9-7 and 2 steals.  Not only that, his team played the Lakers very well in Lala Land.  That’s impressive, especially when it’s his second game like that in a row.  Imagine what this team can be like with just one more piece.

Tuesday’s worst: Marvin Williams: 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 2-10 shooting in nearly 30 minutes.  Just when he put together a few really nice games.  Man.

Keep an eye on: Javaris Crittenton.  Holy smokes.  Only 7 points, but he also had 7 boards and 7 dimes.  But the big thing is, he played 25 minutes.  The Wiz starter, Mike James: 19.  May not be long before we see Crittenton starting, especially when James throws up clunkers like tonight.

What to watch for tomorrow: There’s a heavyweight battle in Orlando involving the Magic and Nuggets.  Should be a great game.  Also Phoenix is in Cleveland (is Amare Stoudemire auditioning?).  And it could be a blowout, but the Thunder travel to Portland in the battle of “Teams That Will Be Studly in Two or Three Years.”

Monday’s best: OJ Mayo: 22 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists, one three, 7-17 FG, 6 TO.  Yeah the turnovers suck for sure, but wow, who knew he had 16 boards in him?  He also went 7-8 from the line.  Honorable mention goes to Emeka Okafor and his 19 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks in a win over the Clippers.

Monday’s worst: Tracy McGrady: 3 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, on 1-9 shooting from the field and 1-3 from the line.  Yuck.  Good thing Luis Scola and Aaron Brooks stepped up, even though the Rockets still managed to lose to the Bucks.  Really?  Don’t you just pound it into Yao every trip down without Andrew Bogut down there?  Guess not.  (He had 7 points.)

Keep an eye on: Marreese Speights.  I saw this game live and Amare Stoudemire probably played his worst defensive game all year.  Spieghts went off for 24 and 7, including 2 blocks.  He looks like the real deal.  Reggie Evans got the minutes in Elton Brand’s first game out, but Speights has now pieced together two nice games.  He’s worth some consideration at least.

Last night, Jason Terry left the game in the first half with what turned out to be a broken left hand.  Ouchie.  Looks like Juan Jose Barea is the big winner here.  He’s worth a look if you’ve got the room for sure.

Then tonight, Al Jefferson left late in the game with a knee injury.  He had to be helped off the court, which of course makes us all cringe.  He’ll have test run tomorrow, so we’ll have to wait on his status.  Kevin Love should be getting a little more love as long as he’s out, but again, it’s too early to tell.
UPDATE: ESPN.com is reporting a torn ACL.  A surgery date has not been set, and neither has any sort of timetable.  But it can’t be good, and that’s for sure.  Ryan Gomes and Love are the big winners here.
UPDATE AGAIN: Looks like it’s for the year.  Oh my.

Also tonight, Mike Dunleavy Jr. re-injured that right knee that forced him to miss 34 games.  What rough luck.  We don’t know his status yet either, but we can go back to business as usual while he was out it looks like.

Well hopefully you either kept him all this time, or grabbed him when you heard about Michael Redd because he just went nuts.  How nuts you say?  Big nuts.  Chuck-Norris-potato-sack-nuts. His final line:

44 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 13-18 FG, 18-21 FT.

Holy crap.  He was hot with Redd out, and now he may be scary hot with Ridnour out.

Amar’e Stoudemire
Oh boy, where do we start here?  He’s rumored to be going anywhere from New York to Detroit to Toronto to Portland to Chicago.  Various outlets have reported GM Steve Kerr’s willingness to deal anyone on the team not born in Canada.  Besides STAT, Shaquille O’Neal is also rumored to be on the block (along with the whole team), but chances are even his All-Star season can’t make up for the contract he’s carrying around.  While possible, that seems a little less likely.

The Fig Cap: What jersey will he be wearing on Opening Day?

Continue reading Trade Winds Blow, Are Your Teams Ready?

Elton Brand
This just broke this afternoon.  This morning, it was a day-to-day sprained shoulder.  Now, it’s season-ending surgery.  Sweeeeet.  Yesterday ESPN reported that an MRI showed it was healing, too.  So who steps up?  Reggie Evans baby.  He’s long been a favorite of mine in fantasy, and with even 25 minutes we could see double digit rebounds often.  Go grab him now before everyone else catches on.  Marreese Speights should get a little extra burn too, and could be worth a look if you’re desperate.  Brand is probably safe to cut, but it might be smart to wait another day or two to make sure this is all definite.

Catch the rest of the recent injuries after the jump!

The Fig Cap: Yeah… how’s that working out for ya?

Continue reading Injury Bug Bites, And It Hurts