Centres

Kendrick Perkins, Boston Celtics: With Kevin Garnett out of action, Perkins has a chance to elevate his production, though that hasn’t really happened yet. Still, he showed in December (11.3 PPG, 9.9 RPG) that he could be a fantasy force, which makes him at least worthy of flier status in deeper leagues.

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Greg Oden’s knee injury continues to linger, keeping Joel Przybilla in the starting lineup. His work on the boards remains exemplary, though he has logged just two double-digit scoring efforts in 2009…Owners looking for a boost in the shot blocking department needn’t look any further than Denver, where Chris Andersen has marked 25 shots “return to sender” in the last six games…We talked up Roy Hibbert in this space a couple weeks back and we’re not giving up on him yet. The rookie can’t stay out of foul trouble, averaging a disturbing 4.8 fouls in just a shade over 16 minutes a night in Indiana’s last six games. He’s a flier to be sure, but those grasping for straws can think about it…Matt Bonner was a beast from beyond the arc last month, knocking down better than two treys a night and averaging 10.8 points and 6.1 rebounds. Don’t overlook him.

Forwards

John Salmons, Chicago Bulls: Any concerns about a decreased role in the Windy City for Salmons should have been assuaged now that he has logged better than 30 minutes in each of the Bulls’ last three games. Outside of a 25-point effort his scoring hasn’t been what it was in Sacramento, but his production should increase as he becomes more comfortable in Chicago. He’s worth owning in all leagues.

Matt Barnes, Phoenix Suns: Injuries have depleted Phoenix’s frontcourt, which has helped Barnes get back into the flow of the offense. He has also benefited from the coaching change and renewed emphasis on pushing the ball. Barnes reached double figures in four of five games before lighting up the Lakers for 26 points, 10 rebounds and seven dimes on Sunday afternoon. Don’t hesitate to pick him up in deep formats.

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Everyone’s favourite document forger, Yi Jianlian, returned to the starting lineup for the Nets on February 23, though he hasn’t found the range (12-for-31) just yet. He was scoring well before his injury, which makes him at least an interesting roll of the dice in most formats…Now that Brian Scalabrine has joined KG on the sideline, Glen Davis is getting the starting nod. In three starts, Big Baby is averaging 16.7 points per game – he may not be long for the fantasy world, but he’s worth a short-term roster spot…One of the players heading west in the Salmons trade, Andres Nocioni, seems to be enjoying his relative freedom in the offense. The fifth-year forward is a volume shooter who is too loose with the ball, but he can score, drop threes and even chip in on the glass…It didn’t take long for the Thunder to find a spot in the starting lineup for Thabo Sefolosha, who posted 15 points and 11 rebounds on Saturday. Those in deeper leagues should act now before less informed owners take notice…Who is James Singleton? Anyone that can’t answer that question should take a quick peek at his game logs – we may be on to something here…Dominic McGuire continues to get a ton of burn in DC and averaged seasonal bests in both points (6.2) and rebounds (7.0) during February. That’s not great production, but it might raise some eyebrows in deep leagues.

Guards

Ronnie Brewer, Utah Jazz: Utah’s swingman is morphing into a legitimate fantasy force, scoring 16 or more points in all but one of the team’s 11 February tilts. His range isn’t great, but he shoots an excellent overall percentage for a guard, converting 55.7 per cent of his shots this past month. There’s no reason for him to be available in any league at this juncture.

Anthony Parker, Toronto Raptors: The 33-year-old struggled for much of February but ended the month on a high note, dropping 62 points over Toronto’s final three games. He has been very hit (13.6 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.6 APG in January) or miss (6.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.4 APG in December) this season so don’t mortgage your future to acquire him, but when he’s on he deserves a roster spot.

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Sebastian Telfair averaged 11.9 points per game in February though he continues to misfire with great regularity from the field. Be prepared to take a hit in field goal percentage for his modest contributions in points and assists…Even with Mickael Pietrus returning to action on Friday, Courtney Lee continues to start for Orlando, and why not? Lee has averaged 14.4 points a game in his past five starts and launched a dozen three-pointers (hitting four) his last time out. At the very least he’s worth watch list status in most formats…In two games with the Celtics, Stephon Marbury has scored eight points, all of them coming in his Boston debut. Keep a watchful eye on Starbury.

Centres

Chris Wilcox, New York Knicks: After originally being included in the deal for New Orleans’ Tyson Chandler, Wilcox eventually ended up in the Big Apple. It’s debatable if Wilcox would’ve been better off on the receiving end of pick and rolls from Chris Paul rather than playing in Mike D’Antoni’s offense from a fantasy perspective, but his potential is interesting at the very least. Those in deep leagues need to add him right away while those in shallower formats should put him on their watch lists.

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With Greg Oden banged up, Joel Przybilla has been a monster on the glass, hauling in 44 rebounds in his last four games. However, outside of some sporadic blocks, he won’t be much of a help elsewhere…Andray Blatche is back after a nine-game absence, though his minutes have been fairly low in three games since returning. He really looked like he was piecing things together before the injury and would be worth a flier in deeper leagues.

Forwards

Antonio McDyess, Detroit Pistons: Things may be coming apart at the seams in the Motor City, but that certainly isn’t the fault of McDyess, who is playing some inspired basketball. The veteran moved into the starting lineup two games ago and has responded with 37 points and 27 rebounds in that time. His work on the boards should be enough to earn him a spot in most leagues, and his solid scoring and 52.7 per cent shooting from the field is just icing on the cake.

Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia 76ers: Inexplicably, Young remains available in numerous leagues despite averaging 13.6 points and 5.0 boards per night this season. He’s a capable three-point shooter and has an impressive 16 thefts in eight games this month. Young is worth owning in all leagues.

Vladimir Radmanovic, Charlotte Bobcats: Things continue to go pretty smoothly for Radmanovic in Charlotte as the 6-foot-10 perimeter threat has racked up 66 points (including 13 three-pointers) in five games since joining the Bobcats. His rebounding numbers have even bordered on respectable – well, at least for a featherweight on the glass like Vlad. Take a chance on him if you’re looking for a bump in scoring.

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Ricky Davis has started the Clippers’ last three games and even though the results haven’t been jaw dropping (26 points, 12 assists combined in the three contests) his scoring acumen is well known. View him as a flier in deeper leagues…In Boston’s first game without Kevin Garnett it was Brian Scalabrine that got the starting nod, logging 37 minutes and dropping 14 points on the Suns. He could have some short-term value for clubs desperate for scoring help…He’s still hit or miss at this point, but Marreese Speights has authored five double-digit scoring performances in his last seven games. The downside is he failed to score in the other two…Shane Battier’s minutes should be secure now that Tracy McGrady is unlikely to return in 2009, which is the good news. The bad news is that Battier is only averaging 7.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in seven February games despite logging nearly 33 minutes a night. He’s only an option in deep leagues…Could the words Thabo Sefolosha and fantasy basketball actually be uttered in the same sentence following his trade to Oklahoma City? Stay tuned.

Guards

Aaron Brooks, Houston Rockets: Houston’s decision to ship “Skip to my Lou” off to Orlando moves Brooks into the starting lineup for the rest of the season. The diminutive point guard celebrated with a 19-point, eight-assist and six-rebound effort in his first start of the post-Rafer Alston era on Friday. He has flashed some serious potential at times this year and now with steady run in his future he should be acquired in all formats.

Roger Mason, San Antonio Spurs: The frailty of Manu Ginobili should provide a windfall of fantasy value for Mason, who averaged 15.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in November when Ginobili played in only four games. Mason has dropped 20 or more in two of the three games since Manu went down, and he is an absolute beast from beyond the arc. He should be a great temporary add in most leagues.

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We at The Troll have been high on Francisco Garcia for some time now, but the dealing of John Salmons should open up more playing time for Garcia and give him additional value. Act now before a rival owner scoops up the 27-year-old swingman…The Kings also tried to move Beno Udrih but were unsuccessful; perhaps that was a blessing in disguise as he has reached double figures in six consecutive games. Consistency and Udrih don’t go hand in hand, so only make a move if you’re looking for short-term assistance…Marquis Daniels dropped 24 points on the T-Wolves in his first start since Januar 5. He’s a legitimate option with both Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy Jr. out of action…Larry Hughes’ absurd contract (along with Hughes himself) was shipped to New York before the trade deadline. Now normally this would be a non-issue, but with D’Antoni calling the shots up there anything is possible, even a Hughes renaissance…On the injury front, Luke Ridnour and Steve Blake both returned to action this past week. Owners should take note…Mike Miller has started Minnesota’s last four games, amassing 55 points, 28 rebounds and 25 assists during that stretch. Optimistic owners can act now, others can wait and see if Miller can sustain his strong play – just don’t wait too long…One last name to consider: Jarrett Jack. He has 69 points in his last four games and has been playing a ton of minutes recently with Indy missing three starters.

When Terry Porter went away, so did the Suns defense. But apparently, the fast-paced offense that made fans all over the nation love the Suns — before GM Steve Kerr imploded the team and Mike D’antoni went to the Knicks — is back. Before Sunday’s contest against the Celtics, the Suns had scored 140+ points in each contest since the All-Star break, going an impressive 3-0 under new coach Alvin Gentry. Of course, that included back-to-back games against the Clippers and then one against the Thunder, and neither of those teams exhibit what would be anyone’s idea of tight D.

Sunday started off on pace for another 140 point performance despite the Suns missing superstar Amare Stoudemire, who is out eight-to-10 weeks after eye surgery, and the Celts missing Kevin Garnett, who is also out at least two weeks, courtesy of a knee injury.

That being said, the lack of defense for the Suns stuck out like a stupid twist in an M. Night Shyamlanan movie. Despite giving up a monster 38 points to the KG-less Celtics in the first quarter, they trailed by only five thanks to another solid early shooting performance by Leandro Barbosa. The second quarter saw the sizzling Suns cool off, which makes it difficult to stay in the game with their lack of defense. The Celtics continued shooting well, outscoring the Suns 30-21 in the quarter, led by Rajon Rondo’s 14 points, to enter halftime with a commanding 68-54 lead, with eyes on a blowout.

The third quarter featured the trading of baskets by the two teams as the Suns could never cut the lead down under 11, and Phoenix entered the fourth quarter trailing by 13, clearly suffering the loss of Stoudemire more than the Celts were missing The Big Ticket.

The game was essentially over as the Atlantic-leading Celts pulled away and cruised to a 128-108 victory behind 89 points from Rondo, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. For the contest, Boston shot a ridiculous 63 per cent from the field. Hey Suns fans, at least you’re back to that D’antoni offense you all missed!

By the way, with both Rondo and Allen going for over 30 points, it marked the first time that both members of the Boston’s starting backcourt scored at least 30 in the same game since January, 1977, when — ghet ready for it — Jo Jo White and Charlie Scott turned the trick. How’s that for some retro Beantown love?

Who to Watch

Rajon Rondo, PG: He’s already obviously a must-start in any fantasy league, but Sunday was just more evidence of how fast-rising this young superstar is. And he did it all on his 23rd birthday, no less. With KG out, he picked up the slack, scoring a career high 32 points while also dishing out 10 assists, giving him his fourth double double of the month (including a triple double). With Garnett expected at least a couple of weeks, Rondo will likely up his scoring greater than his season average of 11 (and, in fact, he’s scored at least 15 points in each of the past three games). He also shot an impressive 13-for-18 from the field on Sunday, although he did, as usual, struggle from the line, going only 5-for-9. Unless you are intentionally trying to throw the league, start Rondo and expect a boost in production. Is it just me, or has Rondo become a serious leader on this team of leaders?

Brian Scalabrine, C: Give the big red head some love! He takes a lot of bashes for being a waste of space, but the he can produce when asked upon. With Garnett out, Scalabrine showed he might be somewhat useful, pouring in 14 points and hitting a pair of treys. However, I’d like to see more than two boards from my big man. If you’re worried about rebound production with KG out, Scalabrine might not be the best option as he’s a bit more of a perimeter player, but if he gets you close to 10 points a game, that might prove useful in a very deep league. He might be a reach, but if he continues to have games like Sunday I’d say he’s worth watching, at the very least.

Leandro Barbosa, SG: The Brazilian Blur is finally an offensive threat again after the wheelchair Porter offense was removed. Of course, the loss of Stoudemire and his shifting into the starting lineup sure helps, too. After scoring a career-high 41 against the Clippers in his last contest, Barbosa had a more modest showing on Sunday going for 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, three steals one three-pointer and even a block, to fill the stat sheet. A rarity on a team that doesn’t play much defense, Barbosa will get you some steals with that crazy speed and he’s shown since the break that he is capable of putting up crazy good numbers in the Gentry era. If you have him and haven’t reinserted him into your lineup get your head out of your you know what and put him back in. And if you’re in a shallow league, check the wire to see if he’s been dropped; it’s possible, considering what a disappointing season it’s been up until now for Barbosa.

Louis Amundson, PF: Amundson figures to get a lot of playing time with Stoudemire out, but he better not piss off any more of the league’s thugs like he did to Zach Randolph of the Clippers or he’ll expect another “POW! right in the kissa.” Amundson didn’t see enough PT to be useful e on Sunday, going 2-for-4 from the field for four points and only one rebound. He’s only averaged 3.6 points and 3.3 rebounds this season, but the 26-year-old UNLV product had a nice showing on Tuesday, when he got smacked by Randolph, but still dropped in 13 points with eight boards. Don’t pick him up yet, but monitor the next few games to see how his PT progresses, and if he can average closer to 25 MPG, he might be worth a pick up, especially if you are one of the unfortunate few to have been playing Stoudemire.