By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

Caron Butler – The most talked-about free agent acquisition for the Clippers has been Chris Paul, but Butler has been a solid scorer for his new team. He’s averaging 16.1 points per game and has scored 20 points in his past three games. In addition to his scoring, Butler also adds a few rebounds a game and can contribute some steals, so pick him up if he’s available and you’re looking for a starter or key contributor.

Klay Thompson – The Warriors rookie is a great shooter who can get hot, as he did in Golden State’s loss to Orlando on Thursday. He scored 14 points and went 4-of-5 from behind the arc during that game. He’s scored in double digits a total of three times this season, so he’s been erratic, but he doesn’t need many shots or minutes to score points. He’s not a well-rounded player yet, but he can give you two to three rebounds and assists per game in addition to his shooting.

Steve Blake – Blake does have some ugly three-point shooting nights (0-5 against Denver on Dec. 31 and 0-5 against Portland on Jan. 5) but when he’s feeling it, he can drain several threes a game. If you need a shooter, consider him.

Nicolas Batum – His name is a familiar one around NBA circles, but from a fantasy perspective, Batum’s value might not be appreciated as much as it should. He’s a solid role player, averaging 10.6 points and 4.5 rebounds this season. He hasn’t exceeded 15 points in a game so far this season, but he can get you double-digit points a game and a good amount of rebounds, so if you’re looking for an all-around guy and better known players like Lamar Odom and Gerald Wallace are already on teams, pick up Batum.

Vince Carter – Gone are the days when Carter’s claim to fame were his gravity-defying dunks. He’s been criticized for a lack of production the past few seasons, but he’s been a good role player for the Mavericks so far this season. He’s averaging 8.6 points a game, but he has gotten into double-digits several times and can sprinkle in a few assists and rebounds.

By Zack Cimini

notjustagame23@gmail.com

The impact of labor negotiations milling right to the brink of the NFL season figured to cause issues on the field. Poor play and non chemistry amongst teammates were expected. The season though has been a success for the most part. More quarterbacks than ever came close to eclipsing Dan Marino’s mark, and Drew Brees accomplished it.

The NFL showcases it’s dominance as the premier sport in America year in and year out. The NBA, however is coping with a delayed start to their season much differently. Teams are no where they need to be.

The first stretch of games have looked awful, and more like exhibition games. The imbalance of putting together four complete quarters is nightly. Struggles of displaying effort consistently is also there nightly. More and more teams are utilizing rookies, undrafted free agent rookies, and even NBA development league players.

Athletes that were likely training harder during the lockout to prepare for overseas, figuring they needed a true backup plan from the NBA.

Games have been so laughable that during the Atlanta vs. Miami Heat game, Charles Barkley and fellow commentators could not hold back comments aimed at lazy play. Atlanta had to rely on their near 12^th man in Ivan Johnson to provide a spark, while their nucleus of stars hoisted errant shots and played defense as if they were participating in practice drills.

To the annoyance of Charles Barkley, he was disgusted to broadcast play by play in a triple overtime game as such. The game already was missing the Heat stars of Dwayne Wade and Lebron James, but the enthusiasm of role players ready to play was night and day, between the two teams.

As the season continues towards a rushed All-Star break, how will fans cope with the accelerated season with a decline on the court? David Stern has been a solid commissioner for quite some time, but this lockout is going to offset some of the momentum the NBA had gained back from the 1999 lockout.

Many teams just do not have the superstars or talent on them. The superstars we are use to are aging fast. After the top ten to fifteen superstars there is a major drop off. Second units that come onto the court are typically inexperienced, as opposed to tenured veterans that could revive teams.

It’s a mess that can all plagued to front offices, coaching staffs, and players rushed to put together a season.

Revenue was already lost with the late start to the season, it will continue with the decline of the performance the NBA is displaying nightly to it’s fans.

By Vidur Malik

notjustagame23@gmail.com

The Golden State Warriors don’t usually make much noise on the national scene, and for the most part, that hasn’t changed this season.

Their main storylines going into this season were the transition to first-year coach Mark Jackson and their inability to land marquee free agents.

Even though the Warriors may not have signed Tyson Chandler, Chris Paul or DeAndre Jordan, a few of their new players could end up having a fantasy impact. Kwame Brown and Brandon Rush are two Warrior sleepers who are worth considering.

Brown may never shake off his status as a bust after being picked No. 1 overall in the 2001 draft, but he has the chance to be a key member of a Golden State team that is trying to establish a defensive identity. At 6-foot-11 and 270 lbs., he brings much needed size to the Warriors and can be a presence down low. He grabbed 10 rebounds in only 12 minutes in the Warriors’ 92-78 win over the Knicks on Wednesday, and his numbers should improve as he gets more comfortable with Jackson’s defense. Brown should also block a good amount of shots this season, so he can help your fantasy team in that category. Brown has bounced around several teams in his career, but if he can become the defensive anchor the Warriors need, he might have a home in the Bay Area.

While Brown has the potential to boost the Warriors’ frontcourt defense, Rush can do the same on the wing. Rush has become an all-around threat in his first three games with Golden State, averaging 12 points, four rebounds and two blocks per game. At 6-foot-6 and 225 lbs., he should be able to outmuscle smaller players on offense and play strong defense throughout the season. He also brings offensive production, so look for him to be a solid bench player you can promote to the starting lineup if need be.

If the Warriors do play stout defense this season, expect Brown and Rush to be major contributors. They may not have been the most sought after players in the offseason, but you can use that to your advantage and add them to your team while they fly under your opponents’ radars.

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Defensive intensity has long left the NBA. The lack of effort is evident each night with teams scoring averages rising considerably. It’s a run and gun league that is guard oriented. Coaches get so desperate that they try to implement gimmick zone defenses for stretches.

 Come playoff time some teams can ultimately decide that they’re going to suddenly play defense, as the Lakers have done the past few seasons.

 We saw a crop of rookie guards last year storm the scene and make a relatively easy transition. This year Derrick Rose has went from an rising star to likely league MVP. The main reason for this is poor interior defense. Interior defense is supposed to be the area where the point guard has to make the decision. Not score at will.

The non threat inside the paint on the majority of NBA teams is causing a domino affect. Poor rotation is leaving legitimate shooters left wide open. JJ Redick has resurged from draft lottery bust, to finding minutes nailing open jumpers. There are a plethora of guys shooting in the high thirties or even above forty percent from three. Designing a play for offensive purposes has to be as easy as Charles Barkley uttering a sentence.

 In comes Derrick Rose. An athlete barely past the age of 21. There is no doubt what he makes his living off of. He is an attacker and slasher. A bigger sized athletic point guard. It’s hard for anyone to stay in front of him. Sure he has worked on his jump shot and at times has had explosive games with it. Check his nightly highlight reels and game action, and he is scoring at will in the paint. Burning the other teams point guard, and getting to the hole with defenders waving him to the bucket.

 Many think the Bulls can make a surprise run in the playoffs and why not. In the eastern conference there are no teams that scare the Bulls at all from the center position. The only team that does is Orlando with Dwight Howard. Howard gets his fair share of blocks, but the Magic lack the depth of big men to pose a seven game series threat. Everyone knows that Miami has struggled with the five position. They’re just trying to have the health to throw a 6’10 guy out there.

 Boston’s strength was supposed to be at the five, but they decided to build by letting Kendrick Perkins go. Now they’ll take their chances with age. Both O’Neals have missed extensive time. Kevin Garnett may be called upon even more than prior years for Boston. Garnett’s true position like Amare Stoudemire is power forward.

Pick a team in the NBA and the majority have a weakness at the center position. The lack of skilled big man is a huge void currently. There are plenty of raw young talents that just need some time to develop.

This next NBA Draft shows no signs of any centers emerging. Derrick Rose might be the first point guard in a long time to win MVP with a scorers mentality. How long will his success slashing to the hole continue? As long as the NBA’s weakness at the five is prevalent it could extend for the next eight to ten years of his career.

The Wizards are one of few teams with athletic big men. When the Bulls have faced the Wizards, Javele McGee, Trevor Booker, and Andray Blatche have done a decent job shutting down Rose. In four games vs. the Wizards this year, Rose hasn’t had a game where he shot near fifty percent. In McGee’s triple double where he had twelve blocks, six of them were on Rose.

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Ronnie Brewer – Brewer has been scoring over his season average recently, hitting double digits with back-to-back 10-point games over the New Orleans Hornets on Mar 7 and the Charlotte Bobcats on Mar 9. His inconsistency could hurt you, as he’s scored zero points in a Mar 12 win over the Utah Jazz and a win over the New Jersey Nets on Thursday, but he’s still a good pickup because he doesn’t need many shots to get his points, and he can also sprinkle in some rebounds and assists and doesn’t need too many minutes to do so.

Ekpe Udoh – Like Brewer, Udoh doesn’t need too much time on the floor to contribute. He doesn’t get much time in the Golden State Warriors’ rotation, but when he’s in the game, he usually makes an impact. He leads the team in blocks, and had five rejections in a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. The next night, he helped out on offense with 10 points in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. He isn’t a great rebounder, but he can score and should be a good pickup just for his ability to block shots and make the most of his game time.

 Dante Cunningham – Since being traded to the Charlotte Bobcats, Cunningham has seen a few productive nights offensively and on the glass. He had 10 points and seven rebounds in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, and had back-to-back solid nights on March 9, when Cunningham had 15 points, six rebounds and two assists in a loss to the Chicago Bulls, and on March 11, when he scored 11 points and threw in two rebounds, an assist and a steal. Cunningham should be a reliable post presence for the Bobcats, and he’s athletic enough to play well on the perimeter.

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One and done is often a phrase used by the quick exit strategy of college freshman hoops stars. Kentucky last year had a slew of them with all five going in the first round of the 2010 draft. The downside to this all the time remains that only a small percentage contribute right away. The rest are drafted on potential for years down the road. Case in point, DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins has carried over many of the concerns on his work ethic, maturity, and attitude issues to the NBA Casino Games Online . Resulting in multiple suspensions, fines, and an NBA coach having to baby sit Cousins when he shouldn’t have too.

Cousins is acting like an immature college student, which is where he should be. A sophomore on a Kentucky team possibly leading them further than their exit of last season.

The NBA seems to be getting younger and younger and it is. Teams are having to drift further out to find seasoned athletes to offset rookies not ready to play. Venturing to international teams to pickup players that couldn’t make it in the NBA out of college, but have grown their game overseas. The development league has also helped fill out rosters.

Tyler Hansbrough is an example of how the NBA Draft is supposed to work. The team realized they were aging depth wise, but also realized Hansbrough would need to be brought along slowly. Not be useless and sit on the bench, but earn his minutes based on his play. Jeff Foster and Mike Dunleavy aren’t necessarily going to be on the Pacers team a year from now or two years. Hansbrough is the guy that the Pacers truly believed will fill in and be able to start.

Hansbrough’s rookie season was filled with injuries, but thus far in his sophomore campaign he has proven to be a quiet gem. His energy has translated to many hustle points, and the older Pacers are feeding off that. The Pacers bench is now becoming a force. When AJ Price, Hansbrough, and rookie Paul George enter , the intensity is going to be raised on both ends. It all starts and leads based on Hansbrough. A simple deflection out of bounds or a missed put back affects Hansbrough tremendously. His expressions show it, and he plays with a huge amount of emotion on the court.

Good for Indiana. They’ve drafted properly. Notice the trend of their younger athletes and what their class of collegiate ranks were coming out. AJ Price, Hansbrough, and Danny Granger. Even Roy Hibbert and Paul George at least played multiple years in college.

Hansbrough currently is available in 83% of Yahoo Leagues. Don’t expect that too last much longer. After the All-Star break you’d expect Hansbrough’s minutes to increase. Indiana is in the race for the eighth seed, but the future relies with their depth and bench rotation. He has had a solid January and February statistically and will be garnering more minutes if his play keeps up.