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.

The Philadelphia 76ers, one of the hottest teams in the NBA in January, hadn’t exactly been building on this success during their current seven-game homestand. In fact, heading into action Thursday, the Sixers had dropped two of the first three games of the stand. But Thursday, Philly withstood a late run by the Pacers to snap a two-game losing skid and get back to .500 for the season.

It’s been a season of slight progress for the Sixers, but certainly not to the extent that many had expected. After makes strides offensively last season, the team’s scoring hasn’t developed any more. The defense is slightly better, but again, nothing earth shattering. The Sixers are second in the division, but only because Toronto has tanked this season. They currently hold down the seventh seed in the East and have been inching closer to sixth-place Miami, setting up a big game Saturday night when the Heat comes to town.

Of course, the big news in Sixer Land is that Elton Brand’s shoulder – you know, the one expected to keep him out for a month back before Christmas — has now sidelined the team’s big off-season acquisition for the remainder of the year. He managed to return and play five games last month and one in February, but wasn’t seeing significant enough minutes to really be a fantasy factor, so essentially – from his owners’ standpoint – he has just been a waste of space for almost two months now. Well, at least you can now cut him without fear he’ll come back to bite you.

With Brand out, look for Andre Miller to take a more important role in the offense in the coming weeks. He’s been dropping dimes like mad lately, dishing a dozen Thursday and averaging 8.4 in the past five. But he’s also logging heavy minutes since Brand shut it down. There have been rumours he could be dealt, so that’s something to keep an eye on. Miller hasn’t shot the ball quite as well this season, and that’s a trend that doesn’t seem to be turning around after his 3-for-9 performance Thursday dropped him to 40 per cent for the past three games. As Miller’s touches rise, it appears his FG percentage won’t come along for the ride. Still, I’m sure you’re not complaining about the double-double he dropped Thursday – just his fourth of the season after he racked up 14 last season. Overall, Miller has had a decent season, probably good enough to justify the fourth round pick you likely spent to obtain him, but I’m not sure how much more he’s going to help you now that Brand is done.

Obviously, the other player who will be leaned on more now is Andre Iguodala. Let’s hope the extra touches helps Iggy continue to elevate his game after he endured a very sluggish start to the season. We had the dude pegged as a top 10 forward this year, but despite his recent turnaround, he’s still not playing like a top 15 forward. That could change in the second half, making him an excellent buy-low candidate. He’s been scoring well lately (20 PPG in the past five) and racking up the steals (seven in the past two games), but until Thursday, hadn’t been doing much in the way of boards and assists recently. However, Iguodala just missed out on a triple double – something he hasn’t accomplished in a couple of seasons. He settled for his ninth double-double of the season, which – surprisingly – is a new career high, and we’re only in February. Most people have been moaning about his down year, but really, he’s not far behind what he accomplished last season, and there’s still time for him to exceed it. Iggy’s been getting more touches as the season has progressed, and that’s a trend that should definitely continue in the wake of Brand’s shut down. The fact that Iguodala has shot the ball better this season (47.5 per cent) bodes well for a big second half, offensively.

In both of the losses during its two-game skid, Philly coughed up leads late. Thursday, the Sixers held their own. That’s a trend that will have to continue if this team hopes to keep moving up the Eastern Conference standings. But as long as they keep finding ways to win (11 in the past 15 games), the Sixers are going to be a team no one is interested in meeting come playoff time in April.

The 76ers took over the game in the third quarter, outscoring Indy 26-13 and you can thank Willie Green for this run. He poured in 11 of his season-high 23 points in the quarter. With Brand out, perhaps it’s time to consider Green in a deeper league as a possible wire pickup. Sure, he’s been inconsistent as hell (he scored a 20 points last Friday, but just 12 in the next two games before his explosion Thursday), but you’ve got to figure his waning PT should turn around now. I mean, with season highs in points twice in the past four games, Green deserves a bit more burn and if he starts regularly seeing 25 or more minutes, he’ll be worth a pickup. Even though he’s a backcourt player, Green’s value has been directly tied to Brand’s status. Green lost his starting job to Iggy this year, as Iggy moved from the three to the two to accommodate Brand in the frontcourt, but Green is back starting since Brand got hurt, and now it looks like he’ll hang onto the role for the remainder of the season. One note, however: I’d watch how the minutes shake out between Green and Lou Williams before making a claim on either.

With Brand toast, Philly needs a more balanced attack like it received Thursday when five players hit double-digits in scoring. In addition to Green, Iguodala and Miller, Samuel Dalembert came through with a big night (18 points and 20 boards) while Thaddeus Young (also expected to benefit from Brand’s injury), pitched in with 14 points.