Beast of the Night: James Harden posted 30 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals, two blocks and four three-pointers last night. He shot 67 percent (8-12) from the field, 91 percent (10-11) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. Harden has been a top 25 fantasy stud so far this season, which is extra impressive given that he’s the non-starter in that bunch. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Stephen Curry finished with 36 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and six three-pointers last night against the Nuggets. He shot 77 percent (13-17) from the floor, 57 percent (4-7) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. For the season, Curry is averaging top five numbers, which is a shade better than what was expected of him heading into the season. So long as he’s healthy, Curry will remain a fantasy beast. Read More »

Did you feel that? Maybe it was another earthquake here in San Francisco, but I’m pretty sure I just felt the ground shake. It’s either that, or the Lakers are about to pull off the biggest blockbuster since Carmelo Anthony landed in New York. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Hornets are near a deal to send Chris Paul to the Lakers for Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, and have started to inform teams that it’s happening. Read More »

Despite the fact that Yao Ming is gone from the NBA, the Houston Rockets will be virtually unchanged next season – assuming they can re-sign its only free agent (Chuck Hayes) when the NBA resumes. New head coach Kevin McHale shouldn’t really hinder the production of these players, who formed a surprisingly effective offensive machine in 2010-11. With a potent backcourt, a blossoming swingman and some intriguing fill-ins, the Rockets have more than their share of fantasy appeal for the next NBA season. Read More »

Sometimes we lose sight that basketball players really are actual people. We scream and angle for trades, digest rumors like a plate of spaghetti and constantly run scenarios through our heads like we’re trading sports cards. It’s all a big fantasy world. But being traded isn’t the easiest thing in the world. Believe me. I see friends of mine whine when they have to move 200 miles away for a job (side note: amazing how attached some folks get to a hometown. Depressing. If you live in the same place your whole life, you are missing out. Big time.). Read More »

Every year in the NBA there are 16 teams that make the playoffs and 14 who are relegated to the NBA Lottery. Those 14 teams hope that their draft pick can be a building block for the future and help their team become one of the 16 in the playoffs the following season. This article evaluates how well this year’s lottery teams have drafted the past five years: Read More »

The minutes leading up to the 3:00pm EST trade deadline Thursday didn’t disappoint. There was a flurry of last-minute swaps around the NBA, a league whose GMs appear to have caught some kind of bloodlust for transactions akin to the fever teenage girls have for Bieber. This means that there’s a whole lot to digest today. Let’s wade through the aftermath and assess the effects of the last-minute trading frenzy for fantasy basketball owners. Read More »

The reigning NBA Most Improved Player just became a backup. Again. Aaron Brook — who’d recently found himself stuck on the bench behind Kyle Lowry in Houston despite winning the Most Improved award last season while dropping 19 points per game and leading the NBA in three-pointers — has been traded to the Suns for Goran Dragic and Phoenix’s (Lottery-protected) first-round draft pick.

Brooks is averaging 11.6 points and 3.8 assists, and his shooting percentages are way down from last year: 34% from the field, 28% beyond the arc. Read More »

As much pain as Ben Wallace‘s swollen ankle may have caused him while sitting at home Tuesday, his eyes would have been hurting more had he watched League Pass last night. Big Ben, Gary Payton, Bruce Bowen, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Mookie Blaylock — anybody who’s ever made a living shutting down NBA scorers would have cringed at some of the comical “defense” on display … In Denver, the Suns showed up for about 15 minutes before the Nuggets started shooting holes in their D like a game of Duck Hunt. Read More »

Ranking the NBA from worst to first, along with 2011 New Year’s resolutions…

30. Cleveland Cavaliers (8-26) Mo Williams resolves to find a way out of this mess. So does Antawn Jamison. And J.J. Hickson. And Jamario Moon. And Byron Scott. The Cavs have lost 17 of their last 18 games, and if they don’t keep tabs on their guys, Manny Harris is going to be the best player on the team before you know it. Read More »