We should see a slight uptick in his numbers the rest of the way, but it is clear that Andrea Bargnani is still who the Raptors are depending on two be their secondary scoring threat and not Hedo. Third option expectations have to be tempered.

Fantasy Outlook: Hedo will not get you much on the trade market so you are best off holding onto him and his + rebound and assist numbers and hope that the chemistry he was showing with his teammates prior to his injury keeps up after the All-Star break. It will take just a slight alteration in the Raptors game plan for him to resuscitate his last year numbers.

Fantasy Outlook: The grass looks greener for Chris Bosh during the stretch run, the Raptors are in a tight race for playoff positioning and thus will not be resting any key players down the stretch. Chris Bosh could very likely see a small uptick in assists as well as points and free throw percentages. If you are a Pau Gasol owner, you may want to dangle and see if you can net Bosh in return. And don’t worry fantasy owners Bryan Colangelo has said repeatedly he will not entertain trading Chris Bosh (which is good for his fantasy value)

Blake Griffin

Tyreke Evans – Will immediately start in Sacramento and should actually put up better overall numbers than any other rookie this season which may indeed lead to ROY honors. Expect 15, 5 and 5 from Evans as he looks to start contributing to the Kings, and to your fantasy squad, right away.

Johnny Flynn – Flynn has been named the starter barring the unforeseen. Now while his ceiling is now somewhat limited with Sessions in town, Flynn will get every opportunity to prove he has what it takes, and playing with AJ and Love will make that job a lot easier.

Stephen Curry – Should be given the green light from the get-go and is a favourite to win the Rookie of the Year award this season. Look to aquire in all formats he should have quite the season in the GS offense.

Brandon Jennings – Jennings is undoubtedly too talented for Skiles to be starting Ridnour. When Jennings finally enters the staring lineup, watch out because he will be anointed with instant borderline top-10 fantasy PG status immediately….believe it.

DeMar DeRozan – ROY talent surrounded by good team which will keep him out of the ROY race but his %’s along with his rebounding and steal numbers will make DeRozan a fine utility play all season long. He is one of the two players on this list who will be a better pro than college player.

James Harden – Expected to immediately step-in as the #2 scorer on the Thunder offense Harden will have some games that will be forgettable and some games that the Thunder will look like the most promising young team in the NBA.

Terrence Williams – Terrence Williams is a Raptors Digest favorite as he projects to be a fantasy stalwart in all the offensive categories. Add him to your cheat sheet now, he will be a better pro than college player.

Jrue Holiday – We do not like Lou Williams as a starter. Jrue Holiday has the offensive tools and potential and should start before mid-season Based on pure potential may in fact be the real steal of the draft.

Earl Clark – Earl Clark is playing with Steve Nash and is in fact too talented for Gentry to keep coming off the bench. They will find him minutes at the 3, the 4, and possibly the 1. Ultra-versatile point forward who will fit right into the SSOL offense.

Brandon Rush – Dunleavy’s looming return leaves Rush’s role in the air, but regardless of whether he is starting or not he will be a roster worthy three-point specialist.

Raja Bell – The projected starter at SG for the Larry Brown lead Bobcats, he will be pushed for minutes by rookie Gerald Henderson. Look for Bell to thrive with the competition.

J.R Smith – J.R will continue to put up solid numbers as long as he stays out of Coach Karl’s dog-house. He is an extremely talented player who benefits from the open looks playing with Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony create.

Stephen Curry – Expected to stsart from day one, ROY favorite Stephen Curry, son of former Raptor Dell, should be one of the top three-point shooters in the NBA based on volume both made and attempted.

Shane Battier – Shane Battier should have quite the season this year and like always will be a decent source of three’s, however this season we expect to see an increase in his three-point numbers as he is relied on more offensively with Yao and T-Mac both out to start the season and Artest in L.A.

Peja Stojakovic – If healthy Chris Paul will return him to the upper echelon of three-point specialists. He is no longer anything close to the player he once was but he still stands 6’8 with one of the sweetest strokes in Basketball.

Brent Barry – With McCants now in town, the minutes Barry was sloted to get after Wafer’s departure to Europe now gets a little more cloudier. Regardless of this however Brent promises to be a decent source of three’s for those focusing on this stat in the final rounds of their draft.

James Posey – Posey seems destined to have the season we all expected from him last year, this year. The team has a new impetus on defense and this should slide Posey into the staring lineup where he will flourish as both a defensive stopper and a three-point specialist.

Marco Belinelli – Marco will be leaned upon to provide scoring off the bench and should surpass 100 threes for the season with little fan fare. Belinelli also has a chance to creack the starting rotation if DeRozan falters.

Jason Kapono – Ready to assume the Kyle Korver role for the Philidelphia 76ers. May have a tough time establishing a role with Speights and Jrue Holiday also due to come off the bench, should be the backup for Thaddeus Young. If he can get the minutes 100+ three’s seems like a certainty.

Leandro Barbosa – Barbosa will not be available as late as some of the names on this list, and has an upside comparable to that of J.R Smith and Shane Battier’s. He is not slotted to start but that could change very soon if Hill should suffer an injury. This is one name to target in your drafts.

Matt Bonner – Should see a lot less time on the floor this season with McDeyess and Blair in town but Bonner will still play the role of big man three-point specialist and will have some fairly decent games spread across the season

Roger Mason – Roger Mason Jr. has proved his mettle as an NBA three-point shooter, so I will just say take a long hard look at him if you need a source of three’s when drafting in the later rounds of your draft.

Chris Paul

Deron Williams – The best point guard in fantasy not named Chris. Deron is a special talent and should average around 18 points and 9 assists without much of an issue. If someone ranked lower goes before him check your settings, something may be fishy with your league.

Steve Nash – Gentry has reinstalled the up-tempo SSOL offense that made Steve Nash a back-to-back NBA MVP and that made him a fantasy beast. However sans Marion, Bell and Diaw this offense won’t be the same. Look for Nash to pick it up as Earl Clark develops over the season.

Gilbert Arenas – Reports out of Washington have Arenas looking fully healthy and looking to get right back to where he left off as a 24ppg, 6 assists, 2 3ptm, 2 stls.

Chauncey Billups – Chauncey Billups aka Mr. Big Shot is one of the best point guards in the NBA and playing beside Melo he will be able to continue to prove it to doubters everywhere. Draft with confidence anywhere in the 3^rd round or later

Derrick Rose – My favorite point guard not named Chris Paul, Derrick Rose has all-star written all over him and is an upper echelon point guard without any shadow of a doubt. He may be one of the steals of draft day as he currently has ADP value.

Baron Davis – B. Diddy is ready to lead the Clippers. That means 20ppg, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 threes/per game. Health is the overriding concern as it is with any season when it relates to Baron. If he can stay healthy for 75+ games he will be a steal.

Devin Harris – Undervalued in drafts even though he was the best player on the New Jersey Nets team last year. With VC gone this is really Harris’ team now and his peripherals should reflect the ball being in his hands been more this season. New wing mates Terrence Williams and Courtney Lee are already meshing very well with Devin.

Jose Calderon – Jose Calderon is capable of an 18 and 9 season himself, the major concern here is that we feel that Jack is a better all-around point guard and this fact is going to become a threat to his minutes even though Calderon is the more talented of the two. Calderon can average 13 and 7 off the bench, so he has the lowest ceiling of any PG.

Rajon Rondo – Rondo made a statement in the NBA playoffs last year and knocked Jason Kidd off of this list and offers similar versatility. With that said we feel Rondo will be the more valuable player over the course of the season.

Like we have all thought all along Bosh will stand firm and test 2010 Free Agency.

What does this mean for the Raptors??

Well, what it doesn’t mean is we should trade him to avoid a T-Mac style exodus. What it means is that he has put pressure on the Raptors brass to ensure that this roster performs to its potential.

This also means the pressure is on Chris Bosh to perform, sentiments echoed by Raptors G.M Bryan Colangelo in the Toronto Sun

“But, I think it’s something that can be looked at as a positive. Chris is coming into a situation where he has to perform. And if he performs, this team’s probably going to perform, and that means we’re going to have a helluva year.”

We have already stated that we felt that Chris Bosh was ready to explode this season and it is convincing to see that both Coach and G.M are calling for the same type of career season that we have been projecting all along.

Will Chris Bosh leave??

As things stand right now Chris Bosh is staying with the Toronto Raptors. LBJ looks like he may stick around until 2011 and unless Bosh decides to join Miami all signs point toward D-Wade and D. Rose joining forces in Chicago instead of Miami as D-Wade had originally hoped.

Chris Bosh is happy with the direction of the team and is excited for the season, but as we have stated before wins matter to this young man and if we cannot win 45+ games and at least have a competitive first round series, Chris Bosh will likely take long, hard looks at other destinations this summer. Bryan Colangelo has done his part surrounding him with the requisite talent on the offensive side of the ball, so it is now up to team chemistry and crunch time play to decide the fate of the Raptors season and franchise.

What does this mean for Raptors fans??

It means to prepare for the worst, while still expecting the best. There is a 40% chance that Chris Bosh will leave in the off-season, down from about a 60% chance after the last game of the regular season was played last year. All we can do is support Bosh and support the franchise as they endeavour to put a solid season together.

The future of this franchise is going to come down to how well we are able to execute on both sides of the ball in crunch time. The Raptors have never had a problem getting hot, the problem has always been not being able to maintain leads in the 2^nd half. With a new defensive intensity and new playmakers of the offensive end, the onus is on the Raptors perimeter D, as they will only be able to advance in the playoffs if they can find a solution to this problem.

Should We Trade Chris Bosh??

Its times like this I feel like writing a short ‘lol’, but all digressing aside; the simple answer is NO.

There is no reason for us to entertain the idea of trading our franchise player unless he makes it clear, either publicly or behind the scenes that he does not want to be here beyond this season. Chris Bosh is one the top 10 players in the NBA and should never be traded no matter his contractual status. With that being said, if we get a ‘knock your socks off’ deal than we will make a move, but only if it makes sense for the long-term.

We are a playoff team, and playoff success will likely keep Chris Bosh in town.

Let’s just hope we solve our 4^th quarter issues….fast.

How Do You Feel About this News?? What Do You Think We Should Do??

Kobe

Dwayne Wade - Wade proved all of his doubters and critics wrong last year and had the season of his career. Now while this did not translate to wins on the basketball court, last year saw Wade become more valuable than ever for fantasy G.M’s

Joe Johnson - Joe Johnson is in line for another solid fantasy season, we even expect his assist total to go up a notch while his scoring may dip by 1 or 2 points a game. He is still the #1 in the O and will produce accordingly. Don’t read to much into the Crawford pickup he will not steal minutes from JJ.

Andre Igoudola - He might play some point?? Really?? If this is the case AI2’s value is going to skyrocket, right now it is all just talk though. AI2 has been a fantasy stalwart since before the real A.I left town and there is no reason to expect anything less from him this season. He may not get the most exposure outside of the dunk contest, but this guy can flat out play and dominate games when his teammates help him out by keeping defenses honest.

Vince Carter - Vince Carter has been named the go-to guy in Orlando. This is bad news as not even VC wants to be the #1; he fully expected to be the #2 option being D-12 but has learned the Magic will be leaning on him to bring them back to the NBA Finals. This is good news for fantasy owners who were worried about Rashard Lewis taking as much or more shots than VC.

Kevin Martin - Not the sexiest pick, the peripherals in the hustle cats are nothing to write hoe about either. But this ultra-efficient 6’8 shooting guard is a % beast, getting to the line consistently and shooting so efficiently that his % rival that of big men.

Michael Redd - Redd is alone in Milwaukee again and will make a solid contribution to fantasy squads. He is a nice pickup in the draft around pick 36-48.

Coutney Lee - Courtney Lee is going to have a breakout season playing beside Devin Harris and he will also be an excellent source of 3’s, destined to hit over 100 on the season.

Tracy McGrady - We all know that T-Mac is one of the most talented scorers in the league and that he is a shoe-in for 24, 5, 5, but the problem here is that no one believes he will stay healthy for a whole season anymore. Based on where he is being drafted he is a sleeper, and if he can somehow manage to stay healthy for a whole season he will carry some fantasy G.M’s to the championship.

O.J Mayo - O.J Mayo will contribute heavily in both the scoring and three-point categories and figures to see a nice increase in assists with 20 ppg scorers Allen Iverson and Zach Randolph in town. Make no mistakes about it this is still O.J Mayo’s team and his numbers will reflect that fact.

LeBron James - Arguably the #1 pick in fantasy drafts, LBJ is destined to have another MVP type year with Shaq now in town. Despite his potential #1 overall status, there are two or three names on this list that ay very well perform LeBron James…..especially in a roto-league setting where LeBron’s poor FT% becomes a serious detriment

Kevin Durant - Kevin Durant seems like a top 3 talent in the NBA, and he is about to make that distinction in fantasy as well. Already a top 10 fantasy player, KD will be playing at his more natural 3 for the entire year which should boost his overall numbers in every category. We all witnessed the transformation when the Thunder moved him from shooting guard to small forward……KD became the player he was rumoured to be almost instantaneously

Danny Granger - Former MIP Danny Granger is already a fantasy stud. He is among the league leaders in scoring and three pointers made which help make Granger a 1^st round pick. Add to that his rebound and shot-blocking skills. Granger is another player that benefits greatly when his team does not try to play him out of position at the 2.

Carmelo Anthony - Melo is a fantasy beast with Chauncy Billups in town. Fantasy G.M’s waited patiently for years for Melo to crack that elite fantasy player status and he finally did after Chauncey arrived in town to play with Carmelo and his hometown team.

Shawn Marion - Shawn Marion is rated here mostly because years of being the top fantasy player is hard to forget. He will not repeat his Phoenix numbers in Dallas but is going to the best situation for him to make a serious fantasy impact. Numbers around 14 and 9 are expected from Shawn Marion this year. He should rejoin the 1 steal, 1 block, 1 three club.

Gerald Wallace - A Fantasy STUD who just can’t seem to knock his concussion problem. One more spill could be the ends for his career, but G-Dub is a fantasy monster when healthy. He regressed a little when J-Rich came to town but still displayed his multi-category stat stuffing skills that made him a fantasy darling. A good candidate to get injured and also to be traded in-season, there is a certain amount of risk that comes with taking him before someone like Rudy Gay, but G-Dub can put in top-10 fantasy months; Rudy likely will not.

Rudy Gay - Rudy Gay: Full of promise and potential this explosive swingman seemed destined to make a Danny Granger type of jump last year but O.J Mayo changed that by taking a high volume of shots. If O.J Mayo affected Gay’s value in a negative way, one can only imagine that A.I and Z-Bo will further mitigate Rudy Gay’s value.

Paul Pierce - Double P is the #1 option on this All-Star Celtics team, and despite adding even more firepower to this squad PP will still get his and provide right around the same value he brought to teams last year with his FG% seeing a slight rise.

Ron Artest - Ron Artest landed on the perfect team. In the world of Ron Artest, respect is key. Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson have Ron Artest’s respect, and that is exactly what will make this marriage work. Ron Artest doesn’t project to put up gaudy numbers, but his steal numbers will make him a top 10 Small Forward this season.  We project something close to 15 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 spg, 1.2 3pg, 1 bpg; and yes Ron Artest will be on his best behaviour.

Rashard Lewis - Rashard Lewis’ value is going to take a serious hit with VC in town. But with that said Small Forward is still not that deep and he should see a 16 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 3pg season. However with his pay, and Otis Smith already tabbing VC as the go-to-player for the Magic we expect Rashard Lewis to grow disillusioned rather quickly and turn into a Pistons Sheed type of player, content with taking the long-bomb rather than working the ball in the post. He’s always been a chucker, we just expect chemistry issues with Rashard and VC to be a major storyline out of Orlando this year.

Hedo Turkoglu - Hedo will replicate his last year numbers in this offense despite being a more important offensive cog (which is hard to believe considering many consider him the Magic’s main offensive cog last year as opposed to D-12). With his point-forward skills and the collection of talent around him Turk might actually see a slight uptick in assists and rebounds as the ball will likely see his hands on a large percentage of the offensive play calls.

Amare Stoudemire - Amare could in all likelihood regain the form he showed in the final months of the 07-08 season when he was the most valuable fantasy player averaging 26+ points per game. He will be seriously pushed for this top spot by 5 out of the 10 names on this list, but has the talent, system and point guard to stave them off for his seeming final season in Phoenix.

Chris Bosh - Chris Bosh is primed to take it to another level for his fantasy owners as he promises to see a higher FG%, Rebound total and assist total, all of which will exponentially increase his already 1^st round fantasy status. With new team-mates in town Bosh should see better shots and more assist opportunities. Chris Bosh has never played on a NBA team this talented.

Josh Smith - Josh Smith is one of our favourite fantasy STUDS, but he will not go until the second round of your draft and after Dirk who is two spots down on our ranking. However if he can stop taking so many threes and focus on what he is good at Josh Smith will revive his borderline 1^st rounder status. He will challenge for the league lead in blocks while providing consistent scoring around 16 a game and 7+ rebounds. Draft with the confidence knowing that wherever you pick him will not be a reach.

Elton Brand - EB, this former fantasy first rounder never seemed to fit in with Philly last year, and now has no PG to get him the ball in the post. This will become a AI2-Brand combo that will put fear in the hearts of all opposing head coaches once they get their chemistry issues cleared up. Getting him in the 2^nd or after will be larceny if he can manage to stay healthy this season.

Dirk Nowitzki - Dirk has got some more help in Shawn Marion. However Shawn Marion will also be demanding shots easing some of the scoring load from the shoulders of Dirk and the other Mavs players. While this is good for the Mavs, this is not good for owners of Dirk or Josh Howard as there will be less shots to go around.

Tim Duncan - Duncan is a consistent 20-10 player and he is listed so low?? Yes. The fact of the matter is Pops likes to rest Duncan periodically during the season and often during the stretch run in the NBA, which just happens to be Fantasy Basketball’s playoffs.   As long as you understand this going in you can expect Duncan to produce like the top 15 player that he is….when he plays.

Kevin Garnett - Another strong bet not to play a full season and be rested in many games, the Celtics may look to play it safe with KG now that they have Sheed in town. With KG and Sheed on the floor together it is an instant championship and no one, I repeat, no one should be worried how Sheed and KG will work together on the floor.  KG and Sheed both have strong Alpha personalities but are ‘real’ friends off the court so this is a marriage made in heaven for C’s fans.

Anthony Randolph - The future is now for Anthony Randolph. He somehow manoeuvred his way out of Nellie’s dog house and into the starting line-up and prominently showed the world why he was a lottery pick. Its not everyday lottery big men pan out, but when they do, the NBA takes notice. Anthony Randolph is the latest big man to earn his stripes coming from the Chris Bosh mould, but the fact of the matter is besides being a good shooter Randolph actually has the potential to make more of an impact on the defensive end and thus to fantasy rosters.

Zach Randolph - Zach Randolph is Memphis.  I am not sure what to make of this anymore, with Iverson and Randolph in town, this team can win now. Pre-Iverson Randolph would have got his 19 and 9 and they would have missed the playoffs by a long shot. Now there may be too few shots to go around and it is hard to predict anyone’s role besides Z-Bo who is a perennial 18 and 9 guy given the requisite minutes. The only thing is he does not contribute anywhere else besides TO’s, having the odious distinction of belonging to the “more-turnovers-than-steals-blocks-and-assists club.

Antawn Jamison - Antwan Jamison. Never a sexy pick. Always solid. Always consistent. Simply put, you know what you are getting from Jamison, which is about 18-19 ppg, 8.5-9.5 rpg, 1.5 3pg, 1.5 spg, 450 fg%. Draft with the confidence that he will outproduce some of the names drafted before him, he always does.

1. ‘D-12’ Dwight Howard - Despite being a roto-league killer and our feeling that AJ is a better ADP value, and maybe a better value overall, Dwight Howard is one of the most dominating players in the league, and as long as you are willing to give up the FT% category, he is a fantasy beast.

2. ‘AJ’ Al Jefferson - Big Al is quickly becoming Dwight Howards equal in fantasy circles and should be drafted in the same round in expert leagues, however non-expert leagues are seeing D-12 go in the first and AJ go as late as the 4^th. AJ has a very good chance of being more valuable than D-12 this year.

3. Pau Gasol - Pau was a better fantasy option than either of the players listed above him but in most leagues he will still come off the board after him. He will repeat last years numbers without much of issue.

4. Troy Murphy - A popular sleeper despite his true breakout season (he had one in GS before) he is falling in drafts due to concerns over whether or not he will get the same opportunity to produce with Roy Hibbert entering his second year and Tyler coming to town.   The bottom line is however, if you play as well as Murphy did last year, you are guaranteed minutes.

5. Rasheed Wallace - Rasheed has a very good chance to become the most valuable C on this list and he has claimed that honour on more than one occasion before.  The only concern here is that Sheed may not shoot as many three’s; which while good for FG% will limit his Fantasy STUD status by possibly removing him from the 1 block, 1 steal, 1 three a game club. A club Rasheed Wallace has become the principle residence in and the club that kept him an elite fantasy option.

6. Marcus Camby - I can hear you laughing. Why is former fantasy stud Marcus Camby rated so low??

Blake Griffin.   Blake will be eating into the frontcourt minutes on this team and he has to share the floor with Chris Kaman as well. Camby is the one most likely to get dealt in-season which further mitigates his value. If Kaman were to go down the Camby man may a top 3 C option once again.

7. Jermaine O’neal – When healthy he is a fantasy stud. Need I say more?? We all know what a healthy J’O can do in the blocks, rebounds, and points categories.

8. Emeka Okafor - Are we the only ones who actually think playing Chris Paul will be a serious boon for Emeka’s offensive game?? The only aspect of his game that hasn’t improved since entering the NBA as a Bobcat?? Call us crazy but fantasy MVP Chris Paul is MVP material in real life and makes everybody around him better.

9. Al Horford - We are expecting Horford to take the next step and show more consistency as a scorer and distributor. Forecast; 14 ppg, 10 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.4 bpg

10. Greg Oden - Can take serious advantage of the fact that teams will be focusing on stopping LaMarcus as opposed to him, add to that two big-time distributors in Andre Miller and Brandon Roy and you have the recipe for success, health permitting of course.