Central Division

Home to arguably the two strongest teams in the league, and certainly the two strongest teams in the East. Will the Baby Bulls finally grow up? Will LeBron lead the Cavs? Will anyone from the Bucks besides Michael Redd find himself on a fantasy roster?

Chicago Bulls

Kirk Hinrich, PG
The kid can play. People scoffed when the Bulls took him 7th overall, but he was the one who stepped up and really, this is his team. He does just about everything you want from a top fantasy PG. Once he took over the reigns as a starter last year he averaged over 7 apg and 2 3pg. His 12.7 ppg and 1.3 spg are only decent, and his 39% shooting is going to hurt, but that was his rookie year on a brutal team. Granted there's only more youth coming this year, and he could have a sophomore slump, but the assists and 3s are real, and he's a legit #1 PG and should be gone in the first third of the draft.

Ben Gordon, G
There's some debate as to who will be the starting SG for the Bulls. It seemed like it would be Gordon, but now there are signs that it will be Andres Nocioni. I don't like to put too much stock into the preseason, but that's usually when dealing with veterans. If a guy who has proven himself in the league for 7 years has a bad few exhibition games, don't let that override his record. But with a rookie, things are different. His possible removal from the starting lineup could be a blessing for fantasy owners who now won't waste a pick on a player who was bound to be a disappointment anyway. Rookies are dangerous; there are always exceptions (like the guy above), but there's just not much to be excited about with Gordon at this point.

Luol Deng, GF
Ah, another rookie. Deng has had a solid preseason so far and looks like he'll be in the starting lineup for the first game of his career. Does that mean you want him on your team? Not too likely. He reminds me of a lesser version of Shane Battier, as he can't really hit the outside shot and isn't as good in the hustle categories. I just can't see him doing much to help fantasy teams. That said, if he can get 35-38 mpg, he'll have at least some value, but the Bulls might try to mix and match early on before finding a rotation that works.

Tyson Chandler, PF
He's always been the more motivated of the Chicago big men, but in just his third season last year, as a 21 year old, he missed more than half the season with back problems. Not good, obviously. He's also not a scorer, it's time to accept that. Given 35 mpg, I can't see him scoring more than 15 ppg. And didn't he miss 11 straight free throws in one game two years ago? The positives are that he's a rebounding machine and can block a shot or two. In nine games last November he averaged 13/9 with a block and 49%/79%. I can't see it getting much better than that.

Eddy Curry, C
Very likely one of the most hated players in fantasy basketball. Probably didn't last past the fifth round of most drafts last year and certainly made many owners sad, angry and violent with pre-all star averages of 13.6/5.9 with less than a block, steal and assist. As usual, he turned it on in the second half, but still failed to average even 7 boards a game. He just doesn't like the dirty work, it seems. You never know if he's going to turn it on and be solid for a whole season, and he could be one of the most valuable FG% guys if he does. But he still won't get too many boards for a center and will be especially bad in assists and steals. Take him in the middle rounds as your second center and maybe things will work out.

Andres Nocioni, F
I'm not going to pretend to know much about this guy. But Chad Ford sure seems to like him, and usually that's good enough for me. It sounds like he'll be one of those guys that chips in everywhere, and if he's starting, he should have some value. How much? Who knows? Maybe worth a risk in the later rounds, but don't get too out of hand.

Antonio Davis, FC
I was at a Raptors/Wiz game early last season. Elton Brand just went down and I looked to Davis as a FA pick up to help out some. In that game Davis got me 7 boards and … nothing. Not a point, an assist, a steal, a block -- nothing. He's a horrible shooter for a big man, is 34 years old, has never averaged 15 ppg, only once averaged more than 1.3 bpg ... I think I can stop now.

Eric Piatkowski, GF
He just never fit in in Houston last year, averaging only 14 minutes in 49 games. He might get some time in Chicago if the kids aren't alright, and if so he could be a decent source of cheap 3s. But that's certainly all he'll give you, and you should not be drafting him.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Jeff McInnis, SG
The starting lineup situation in Cleveland is looking a little weird. It was assumed that Jeff McInnis and Eric Snow would battle for the starting PG spot, but now it looks like they both might start, with LeBron shifting to SF (although for our purposes, he's only a SG, at least for now). There's no denying the Cavs were a different team once McInnis came on board and when he got hurt at the end of the season, that's when their playoff hopes faded. He averaged 7.6 apg with the Cavs, but that won't happen again. He'd be lucky to get 5. He's never been a great scorer, isn't known for his outside shooting and doesn't get a lot of steals. He's not a bad late-round pick, and he could become the Cavs second scoring option at LeBron, but I don't see him being too valuable this year.

Eric Snow, PG
Snow was one of the easiest players to predict during his time in Philly. You knew you'd get about 11 pts, 7 ast, 3 reb, 1.5 stl. Now that he's in Cleveland things are a big different. Will he be the point guard, or will it be McInnis? Or will LeBron really be the one running things? If the Cavs let him run the point it seems like he could be a good fit for the team, but you just don't know. He gets absolutely no 3s, which hurts for a PG. That combined with his new situation make him worth waiting for the last rounds to consider. If you get him then and he does get his 6-7 apg, then well done.

LeBron James, PG
All hail the King. Naysayers ate a whole lot of crow because the kid was better than just about everyone thought he'd be. He looked in total control out on the court and is just an absolute physical specimen. I was there to see him pour in a then career high of 38 against the Wiz and even though I was already sold on him, it just sold me more. He should put up numbers about 10-15% worse than Kobe across the board, more or less. I see him approaching 25 ppg this year while keeping his assists and rebounds over 5 and getting to a full 3pg. His FG% might hurt a little, but he's going to help everywhere and is the one player in the league where you just don't know exactly what he's capable of, in a good way. Not in a Bonzi Wells blackout way. Don't feel bad about taking him in the first round.

Drew Gooden, F
Third team in three years for the fourth pick in the 2002 draft. Interesting. And now he has to fill the shoes of … the guy who was taken 34 picks after him. Whatever. Lots of people are expecting big things from Gooden this year, but I'd temper those expectations. LeBron is option #1 here. Big Z is option #2. If Jeff McInnis has any say in the matter, he'll be option #3. That's leaving Gooden looking awfully Juwan Howard-y to me. He might put up 15/8 pretty consistently, and he might got a some blocks (although not a ton). He'd be a decent pick starting in the 8th round or so, but I just have a hard time endorsing someone who is so obviously disliked around the league.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, C
Give the big guy credit -- he's missed only one game each of the last two seasons. So what do you do with that info now? Do you say, "Well, that means he'll stay healthy" or do you say, "Well, that means he's DEFINITELY going to get hurt this year." That's your call. He's easily been one of the most productive centers the last two years even though he hasn't played much more than 30 mpg. That keeps his rebound totals down, but not his blocks as he was good for a huge 2.5 last year. He's right at the top of the second tier of centers and should be gone in the 4th/5th round. If you want to go big and make him your #2 center, or team him with another solid second tier guy you could be well on your way to a solid team in blocks and FG%, and if he does go down, at least you have another option ahead of him.

Dajuan Wagner, SG
He showed some nice flashes during his rookie season, but it just hasn't been happening in the NBA for Dajuan. And even if it does happen, he's not a guy who will ever shoot better than 40% or help out in any category besides points. He's about 1/5 of Iverson. Maybe.

Luscious Harris, SG
If the Cleveland backcourt wasn't so crowded already, Harris's signing might have meant something to fantasy players. But don't worry, it doesn't.

Aleksandar Pavlovic, GF
If given the minutes he might be another one of those foreign players who helps out in a bunch of categories. Can't see him getting the minutes, though.

DeSagana Diop, FC
Yeah, that draft pick worked out REAL nice. How can a 7-footer be a career 37% shooter?

Detroit Pistons

Chauncey Billups, PG
It was nice to see his assists get back to a respectable 5.7 after being under 4 in 2002. He is a PG after all. You know that you need another big assists guy if he's on your team, but he's still a very helpful player. Very solid in 3s and one of the best in the league at the charity stripe. If he can keep his assists between 5 and 6 and keep his scoring around 16 ppg, he's a fine 4th rounder.

Richard Hamilton, SG
What you see is what you get. Around 20 ppg on very nice shooting from a guard, but scarcely few three pointers. A decent number of rebounds and assists, very good work from the line and nice durability. Don't let the Pistons championship inflate his value, though. He's still much more valuable to them than your fantasy team. He's a solid middle round pick that won't hurt you anywhere and at least won't piss you off when looking at box scores most nights.

Tayshaun Prince, SF
Pretty good player for a guy who's obviously missing a pint of blood. Showed very nice improvement in his second year in the league and could help out a bit in every category. He will defer to Rip, Chauncey and 'Sheed when it comes to scoring and since the team is so deep he probably won't be able to get too much value, especially on a defense-oriented team. But he is a smart, solid fundamental player, so keep an eye on him.

Ben Wallace, PF
Could this be the year the clock strikes midnight for Big Ben? Could that be one of the worst, most forced puns you've ever read, even considering this is a fantasy basketball Web site? The answers to both of those questions are "quite possibly." The offseason appendectomy is a worry, as he loses basically the whole preseason. So expect a slow start, but he should recover. More worrisome is his dip in rebounds last year from 15.4 to 12.4 and his blocks from 3.5 to 3 over the last two years. Both of those are still dominant, of course, but when you only get 9.5 ppg on 42% from the field and 49% from the line, you need absolute dominance. He still gets his steals and at 30 years old he still should stay relatively healthy, but whereas you could make an argument for him as a first round pick last year, I'd wait until the third this year, especially considering his lack of center eligibility.

Rasheed Wallace, FC
I'm happy for 'Sheed. He's a good guy. Just misunderstood. He's not as good a guy for fantasy teams, though, now that he's a Piston. In 22 games with Detroit he played just over 30 mpg, and I can't see him getting much more than that this year with Campbell, Coleman and McDyess behind him. No spring chickens in the bunch, so they should all rotate to keep them healthy. He should be a solid 14/7 player who helps out in 3s and blocks and he might see his FG% creep back towards his early career numbers. Bump him up due to his center eligibility and start thinking about him after the 4th round.

Carlos Delfino, GF
I saw him a bit in a preseason game against the Wiz (read that again -- presason game against the Wiz, OK?) and the kid has got game. That much is clear. In 26 minutes he had 13 points with two 3s, 4 boards an assist and a steal. Typical well-rounded foreigner. It'll take a lot for him to have even a chance at value this year, but if it looks like he's going to get that chance, he will succeed.

Antonio McDyess, PF
Be glad he's on Detroit and is guaranteed to play less than 20 mpg. Now nobody will be foolish enough to waste a draft pick on him. He should be productive for the Pistons, but even if injuries occur, the Pistons are too smart and know that he's only an asset off the bench.

Darko Milicic, FC
Check back with us next year. Make that the year after that. Actually, the year after that. Then check in with us. Tell you what, we'll check in with you, OK?

Derrick Coleman, FC
Him and 'Sheed should be able to have some nice 'tude-offs, but Derrick has no FV. But he's more likely than McDyess or Campbell to have value if a bunch of injuries hit. Then again, one of those injuries could be to him.

Indiana Pacers

Jamaal Tinsley, PG
Last year was interesting for Tinsley. He still couldn't take complete control of the PG situation in Indiana, and actually saw the least playing time of his career. His assists took a big dip from 7.5 to 5.8, but he became a huge long-range threat completely out of nowhere by putting in 1.5 3pg, giving him plenty of value. If he can hold off Anthony Johnson and get up to 35 mpg, he might be one of the better bargain PGs out there, as he could get close to two 3s and steals per game to go with around 7 assists. It's good to be deep at PG, and if you can snag him in the 8th round or so as your 3rd PG, you could be in good shape.

Reggie Miller, SG
It's just about time to roll the credits on Miller's career. This should be it and the most fantasy relevance he'll have this year is to keep Stephen Jackson from being a star. Reggie should still have at least 1.5 3pg and will shoot around 90% from the line, but that's about all, folks.

Ron Artest, SF
Don't you want a certifiably insane player on your team? They don't come much better than Artest. He proved he was a trooper by playing through a serious thumb injury last year, and he's more likely to miss time due to suspension than injury. There were rumors of a deal to Sacramento for Peja, but it doesn't look like that's happening, so he'll continue to be the #2 option in Indiana. A couple years ago he belonged on fantasy rosters only because of his steals, and while he's dropped from his high of 2.6 in 2001, he's still good for about 2pg. Now throw in 18 points, 5 boards, 3 assists and a three pointer and you've got a stud. He's a third rounder.

Jermaine O'Neal, PF
I wouldn't worry too much about his foot injury this preseason. O'Neal has shown that he can play through pain, and more importantly play effectively. It's insane to think that this is his ninth season in the league, so he's just about as good as he's going to be. He might show a bit of improvement, but don't expect too much. The biggest concern is his newfound infatuation with the 15-foot jumper, which knocked his FG% from 48.4 in 2002 to 43.4 last year. That needs to change. The 20/10 with 2.6 bpg and almost a steal doesn't need to change. Losing his center eligibility hurts, but that just knocks him from the late first round to the early-mid second round.

Jeff Foster, C
The sign you had a bad draft and didn't think about getting solid depth at center: you end up starting Jeff Foster.

Anthony Johnson, PG
The only fantasy relevance he'll have is in relation to how much time he keeps Jamaal Tinsley on the bench. The 22 mpg he had last year was the most since his rookie season in 1997, and hopefully he'll see less than that this season.

Stephen Jackson, GF
The Stephen Jackson/Al Harrington trade should be a perfect case study for how playing time is just as important as talent in fantasy basketball. Jackson is going from being one of the only options on the lowly Hawks to the sixth man for the loaded Pacers. Expect his numbers to look a lot more like his 2002 numbers with the Spurs than last year's. He should still be worthy of a draft pick because of his strength in 3s and steals. And even though Reggie Miller has stayed remarkably healthy throughout his career, his minutes have gone down each of the last 4 years, and Jackson might actually see more time. He's not a bad pick in the late-middle rounds.

Jonathan Bender, F
I could be dead wrong, but this is just a player to avoid. Lots of people are pegging him for a breakout season this year, but I just can't see it happening. It's apparent he has the talent, but as has been discussed, that's just part of the equation. The two other elements -- durability and playing time -- are huge question marks for Bender. He played only a quarter of the season last year and just over half the year before. It's possible he stays healthy all year, but just unlikely. In the event he does stay healhty there's still the matter of getting on the court. He's the second person off the bench. Just nothing more than a very late round flyer.

Scott Pollard, C
Before last season some hot freaks thought Pollard might actually have some fantasy value. Don't think anyone will be making that mistake again.

Milwaukee Bucks

Mike James, PG
T.J. Ford's replacement could be a pretty nice late round pick. In 30 mpg with Boston last year he averaged a very nice 1.6 3pg to go along with 1.3 spg and 4.4 apg. And remember how even unknown Damon Jones put up some decent fantasy numbers when given enough PT last year for the Bucks? With Redd and Van Horn hitting jump shots, James should be a nice source of assists and is an ideal third PG on a solid fantasy roster.

Michael Redd, SG
Certainly stepped up his game after becoming the team's #1 option last year, but has to be considered a slight disappointment if only because his 3PM went significantly down despite the extra 8 minutes. After shooting about 44% the previous two years from long distance he shot just 35% last year. I'd be willing to take it as an anomaly and think that he'll be good for at least 2 3pg this year. You'd hope so because other than points and FT% he doesn't give you much -- very lackluster numbers in assists and steals, with a decent number of rebounds. Because he offers so little in the hustle cats, I might let someone else use a third or fourth rounder on him.

Keith Van Horn, SF
Booooooring. It's just so easy to dislike this guy, he's like the Pip of the NBA. He'll be of help in all of the shooting categories, including 3PM, and will be a decent source of rebounds. But again, because of the total lack of steals from a SF, I'd be willing to let someone else take him in the 6th or 7th round. If he's there in the 8th, then go for it.

Joe Smith, PF
The former Terp was a nice little surprise last year because he almost definitely went undrafted and was a pretty consistent source of boards and a few blocks. He could put up another 11/9 season, but it's just not going to get any better than that. He hasn't played more than 30 mpg since 1998, so don't expect that to change now. He's a clear step below Kenny Thomas, which isn't saying too much.

Dan Gadzuric, C
It's unclear who will win the Bucks starting center job, and it's likely that whoever wins this thrilling competition won't have much fantasy value, but Gadzuric has some potential if only because he averaged a very strong 1.6 bpg last season in only 17 mpg. He also shot 52% from the field (better than from the line) so if he could get only 25 mpg, he'd be worth a roster spot on teams in need of blocks.

T.J. Ford, PG
It's really too bad because he's an exciting player to watch (and had the potential to be one of the top assists guys for fantasy purposes) but it looks doubtful that Ford will play this year. I wouldn't waste even a last round pick on him.

Maurice Williams, PG
He seemed like a decent enough player in limited action for the Jazz last year, but it's doubtful he'll take enough time away from Mike James to have any fantasy value.

Desmond Mason, GF
No assists, no steals, no blocks, no 3PM. Decent help in FG%, but as sixth man he doesn't get enough points to help. Even when he got 35 mpg with Seattle in 2002 he didn't have much value, so don't waste a pick on him.

Toni Kukoc, F
He'll have a game every once in a while that makes you think about picking him up, but he just can't get enough minutes to have any impact. He does get a little bit of everything and if you rate his stats out to 35 mpg or so, he'd be a fine player. But the last time he played that much was in 1998.

Zaza Pachulia, C
People in the know seem to like him, and think he could emerge as the Bucks starting center. He didn't get much PT in Orlando last year, and there wasn't much to like in what little time he did get. Shooting 39% just won't cut it for a center, and he only blocked 12 shots all year. Keep an eye on him, but don't go reaching.

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