So we have some movement in the NBA trade market as the deadline nears. The Warriors and Bucks pulled the trigger on a 5 player trade. The Warriors sent Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to the Bucks in exchange for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson. So who were the winners and losers of this trade from a fantasy basketball perspective? The Fantasy Dudes have broken it down for you:



Winners:
Stephen Jackson: Was well and truely riding the bench at the Bucks, so this should give him a timely boost. Don't expect his stats to be the same as when he was at the Warriors last, but Captain Jack should be added in deeper leagues and could provide a nice boost for the fantasy playoff run.

Monta Ellis: Will take a few games to find his niche, but expect Monta to continue his current production. He didn't seem to have an issue with Curry, why would that change with Jennings?

Stephen Curry: When healthy, he'll see a lot more shots and will be expected to fill the void of Ellis.

Klay Thompson: Speaking to filling the void, it will likely be Klay that steps up into the starting role, as such, increases his fantasy value significantly. Worth owning in all fantasy leagues, especially with Curry out. Did you know he took 19 shots against the kings to lead the team in shots taken?

Nate Robinson: At least in the short-term, Nate will be worth a waiver wire stream in deeper leagues. 17 pts, 2 stls, 2 three's against Kings.

Dorrell Wright: Will the real Dorrell please stand up, please stand up, please stand up. What a major disappointment, but this might be exactly what he needs. Returned stats of 14 pts, 10 rebs, and 4 three's in first game post Ellis.

Andris Biedrins: Well it wasn't like he was doing anything, so not that he's back starting, that is a win right?



Losers:
Drew Gooden: Has been tearing it up recently, but the addition of Udoh will likely cut down his current production.

Ekpe Udoh: Just went fantasy owners thought they found a piece to their fantasy championship puzzle, its taken away. Udoh will still get minutes, but it won't be as strong as what he had seen recently as starter for the Warriors.

Brandon Jennings: We all know that Monta likes to have the ball in his hands and likes to shoot. He will now need to share the ball. Points likely to come down, but assists should improve.

Carlos Delfino: Sorry, but Monta coming to the party meant someone had to miss out. Welcome to the bench.


No change:
Andrew Bogut: Not relevant for this fantasy season. Expect same numbers next season.

David Lee: Will continue to remain the same old workhorse he is. Perhaps will see an slight bump up in points courtesy of there being more shots available.

Stay tuned to The Fantasy Dudes for updates, detailed analysis and fantasy fun as the NBA season winds down.

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Snubs are quite common in real life all-star teams... often one's fantasy stats don't convert into instant all-star selection, whilst some non-performing stars still make it in. To get in the spirit of the NBA All-Star weekend in Orlando, we felt the need to reward those players who have been performing for their fantasy teams with our very own Fantasy All-Star teams for the East and the West. We would appreciate your thoughts:



Starters
Deron Williams
Dwyane Wade
LeBron James
Josh Smith
Dwight Howard

Reserves
Derrick Rose
Ryan Anderson
Chris Bosh
Andre Iguodala
Greg Monroe
Paul Pierce
Brandon Jennings




Starters
Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
Kevin Durant
Kevin Love
Marc Gasol

Reserves
Kyle Lowry
Russell Westbrook
Al Jefferson
LaMarcus Aldridge
Blake Griffin
Pau Gasol
Steve Nash

We would appreciate any comments, thoughts or educated disagreements you have with the selections. Hit us up in the comments section, or send us an email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Stay tuned to The Fantasy Dudes for updates, detailed analysis and fantasy fun as the NBA season progresses. 

Follow us on twitter and facebook to keep informed with the latest in Fantasy NBA and NFL.

The NBA All-Star break is upon us, which for fantasy owners it means a short week (no games on the weekend from a fantasy perspective), hence it will be critical to use all of your available add/drops. Here are a few options to consider (based on ownership of less than 50%):


Markieff Morris, Phoenix Suns: Has provided a real lift off the bench for the Suns latelt to the tune of 10.3 points, 14. Rebouns, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals over his past 8 games.

Zaza Pachulia, Atlanta Hawks: Quitely been achiving for the Hawks with an average of 8.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.1 steals and a block over his past 7 games.


Corey Brewer, Denver Nuggets: Injuries have helped Corey get back on the fantasy map. Past 4 games he has averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 1.5 threes.

Gustavo Ayon, New Orleans Hornets: Another who has benefited from injuries. Over his past 6 games, Gustavo gas averaged 8.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and a block.


Courtney Lee, Houston Rockets: With Kevin Martin going MIA in games lately, Courtney has seen his minutes elevate, and thus so has his production. Over his past 7 games he has responded with 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.9 threes.

Mike Dunleavy, Milwaukee Bucks: Has seen his minutes increase as a result of injuries and he hasn't disappointed off the bench with an average of 11.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 threes over his past 7 games.

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The waiver wire... an extremely important tool that must be used by all fantasy teams no matter your level of experience. While there are a number of options available at the start of the season, as the season progresses, it becomes harder to find those diamonds in the rough.

Unless you are in a very shallow league, or you have some inexperienced fantasy owners, it is virtually impossible to find players off the wire that are matrix-like, that this, they fill-up the box score. Instead, you are better off working out 1-2 categories you want to be better off in, and then target accordingly. Perhaps you be looking to add someone on the last day to help you win a matchup.

In this article, we have identied five players you should target within each category (we have removed the %'s and turnovers from the analysis):

Figures below based on season averages and less than 50% ownership.


Threes:
Richard Jefferson (2.0 pg), Jodie Meeks (1.9 pg), Kyle Korver (1.8 pg), Matt Bonner (1.8 pg), Mickael Pietrus (1.8 pg)


Points:
Gerald Henderson (15 pg – back within a week), Corey Maggette (13.2 pg), Tayshaun Prince (12.5 pg), Leandro Barbosa (11.8 pg), Brandon Bass (11.6 pg)



Rebounds:
Udonis Haslem (8.2 pg), Amir Johnson (6.7 pg), Brendan Haywood (6.7 pg), Marreese Speights (6.6 pg), Zaza Pachulia (6.3 pg)



Assists:
Ramon Sessions (5.6 pg), Earl Watson (4.7 pg), Goran Dragic (3.6 pg), Luke Ridnour (3.6 pg), Derek Fisher (3.6 pg)



Steals:
Iman Shumpert (2.0 pg), James Johnson (1.3 pg), Alonzo Gee (1.3 pg), Chandler Parsons (1.2 pg), Corey Brewer (1.2 pg)



Blocks:
Ekpe Udoh (1.7 pg), Tyrus Thomas (1.7 pg), Jermaine O'Neal (1.5 pg), Bismack Biyombo (1.5 pg), Chris Anderson (1.3 pg)

Need help with your fantasy team? Hit us up on twitter, facebook or via email ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

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Can you believe we are already past the quarter way mark of the NBA season. To mark the occasion, I decided to run through my ALL NBA teams from a fantasy point of view.

Note, I have taken into account games played... if players have missed time (such as Wade and Paul), it has hurt fantasy teams due to missing their stats (despite the averages looking good per game).


All Fantasy NBA First Team
G: Derrick Rose – 23.3 pts, 7.8 assts, 0.9 stls, 0.8 blks, 1.4 threes
G: Kobe Bryant – 30 pts, 6.1 rebs, 5.4 assts, 1.2 stls
F: LeBron James – 29.1 pts, 8.3 rebs, 7 assts, 1.8 stls
F: Kevin Durant – 26.8 pts, 7.9 rebs, 3.2 assts, 1.1 stls, 1.3 blks
C: Kevin Love – 25.5 pts, 13.5 rebs, 2 threes, 1.1 stls


All Fantasy NBA Second Team
G: Russell Westbrook – 21.3 pts, 5.7 assts, 4.7 rebs, 2.2 stls,
G: Kyle Lowry – 14.6 pts, 8 assts, 6.4 rebs, 2 stls, 1.6 threes
F: Paul Millsap – 17.1 pts, 9.4 rebs, 1.6 stls, 0.8 blks
F: LaMarcus Aldridge – 22.6 pts, 8.8 rebs, 1.1 stls, 0.8 blks
C: Dwight Howard – 20 pts, 15.3 rebs, 2 blks, 1.3 stls


All Fantasy NBA Third Team
G: Brandon Jennings – 20.1 pts, 5.5 assts, 2.2 threes, 1.6 stls
G: Joe Johnson – 19.1 pts, 3.9 rebs, 3.7 assts, 2 threes
F: Danilo Gallinari – 17.4 pts, 5.3 rebs, 1.4 stls, 1.3 threes
F: Chris Bosh – 20.9 pts, 7.8 rebs, 1 stl, 0.9 blks
C: Marc Gasol – 14.9 pts, 10.5 rebs, 2.3 bks, 1.1 stls

MVP: LeBron James
ROY: Ricky Rubio (slightly ahead of Irving)
Most Improved: Kyle Lowry/Ryan Anderson
DPOY: Marc Gasol/Javale McGee
6th Man: James Harden

Yes, there will be a number of players left out of the above... remember, this is just for the performance over the 1st quarter of the season, and is based on fantasy stats. Let me know who you think should and shouldn't be there! I certainly welcome your feedback.

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Has your fantasy team hit with injuries? Players underperforming? Getting bored with your team? Look no further because here is a list of players you should be targeting off your waiver wires:


Vince Carter, SG/SF, Dallas Mavericks: The Mavericks have been hit with injuries, and Vince himself has only just returned... but returned in style indeed. How does 18 pts, 2.7 three's, 1.3 stls and excellent shooting over the past 3 games sound to you? Ride the hot hand. Owned in just 45% of standard leagues.

Drew Gooden, PF/C, Milwaukee Bucks: In case you haven't heard, Andrew Bogut is out for quite a white. The Bucks will likely get in some recruits, but Drew should see plenty of minutes in the meantime. Has averaged 18.3 pts and 7.5 rebs over past 4 games. Owned in 59% of standard leagues.

Chase Budinger, SF, Houston Rockets: For those owners that drafted him, they will likely be disappointed, and rightly so given he has a few DNPCD. However there has been movement off the bench over the past 3 games to the tune of 17.7 pts, 2.3 three's, 4.7 rebs and strong shooting percentages. Owned in 37% of standard leagues.


Landry Fields, SG/SF, New York Knicks: One of the forgotten men in the Knicks starting lineup as Shumpert has taken away some of the limelight. Landry has actually performed well lately, including a breakout 18 pt, 5 stl, 4 three game against the Pistons. He should continue to do well even when Baron returns. Owned in 45% of standard leagues.

Marcus Camby, C, Portland Trailblazers: How old is this guy? Health has always been an issue, but might as well run with him while he is still going. He won't help with much besides rebounds and blocks, however he is a strong asset. Averaged 13.7 rebs and 2 blks over his past 3 games. Owned in 58% of standard leagues.

James Johnson, SF/PF, Toronto Raptors: A key beneficiary from the Bargnani injury, Johnson has returned 1.5 stls, 2 blks, and 4.7 rebs for fantasy owners over the past 4 games. Owned in 42% of standard leagues.


Marvin Williams, SF, Atlanta Hawks: Yes, Joe Johnson and Josh Smith have stepped up since Horford went down, but so has Marvin. Over past 4 games he has averaged 13.5 pts, 3 threes, 5.7 rebs and 1 stl a game. Owned in 34% of standard leagues.

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Buy:

JaVale McGee, C, Wizards: The leader of the Block Party has been on a swat tear of late, averaging 3.4 blocks over his last 7 games, and 3.2 for the season. With career high in rebounds (9.3) and a fantastic FG% (0.523), McGee is hugely undervalued as a fantasy player, and can win the blocks category for you practically on his own.



Mike Conley, PG, Grizzlies: With 7.3 assists per game, Conley ranks a respectable 10th in the assists category amongst players, but it's the steals he racks up (a whopping 2.5 per game) where he adds most value.

Kyrie Irving, PG, Cavaliers: Irving has been very good of late, averaging 20 points on 0.578 FG, 4.6 assists per game. With over a 3 per game added to all this, Irving is having a quietly good season, and figures to get better as the season progresses.

Sell:

Stephen Jackson, SG/SF, Bucks: The only thing I hate worse than S-Jax's attitude is his FG% (0.367) and TO's (3.2). Jackson's scoring, his once most valuable asset, is down significantly from a couple of years ago, and his across the boards stats are nothing special. His name still carries trade weight, so get what you can for him now.

 

Dirk Nowitzki, PG/C, Mavericks: People - this is not the same Dirk as yesteryear. Scoring (6 points), rebounds (1.2) and FG% (0.67) all down from last season, and I don't think he can get back to that previous level. If you can get 95 cents on the dollar for him, why not? You'd be surprised what other owners are willing to give up for the big German.

Probably the second most dreaded fate for a Fantasy sports GM is to see one of their key players get injured. Often it means that you've blown a coveted high draft pick on a guy that will now be sitting in street clothes, as you battle with your buddies for fantasy supremacy.

Now, I did say second most, didn't I? The only thing that stings more is to see a player you traded absolutely explode under the mentorship of a new owner, whilst the guy you received turns into Eddy Curry.

This season has been particularly gruesome when it comes to injuries to big name players. We've seen stars Manu Ginobili (hand), Luol Deng (wrist), Jason Kidd (calf), Dirk Nowitzki (knee), Zach Randolph (knee), Brook Lopez (foot) and Andrew Bogut (ankle) to name just a few, all miss time so far this season. There is no doubt that the condensed, post-lockout schedule is having an impact on players' bodies. 

So, what do you do when one of your soldiers gets injured? You have to weigh up all of the pros and cons and make a judgement call -- that's all part of being the big boss that you are.

As most NBA Fantasy leagues these days have removed the injured/inactive list from the realms of possibility, an injured player means a piece of dead weight being carried by your roster, like driftwood down the river that is the NBA season. There are a number of factors you need to consider when deciding whether or not to drop a player from your roster.

Roster size

The smaller the rosters are in your league, the less likelihood that you can afford to carry a man down. If you happen to be in a league with roster sizes of 10 or less, I wouldn't even consider carrying a seriously injured player. In rostered-leagues, you've got more scope to play with and thus would include this as one of the factors to consider.

League size

In other words, who is sitting on the free agent list and waiver wire? The size of your league, ie the number of teams, will determine how easy it is to pick up quality players as and when you want to. You need to consider this in the equation.

How many other injuries are you carrying?

Once your roster starts to look more like a hospital ward than a basketball team, you really can't call yourself a Fantasy NBA GM any more, can you? You're the CEO of one of the most expensive hospitals in the world. You really don't want to be carrying more than one long-term injury at a time. You simply can't afford to have that many missing games, as your opponents will punish you for it.

Are you likely to make the playoffs whilst carrying this guy?

It's a tough call, but you need to think about whether your team can realistically make its way into the playoffs whilst carrying this injured star on the bottom of the bench. You don't need to come first in the regular season, but you do need to get into those playoffs. If the answer is a considered "yes", then perhaps you are best hanging onto that player. He will be your secret weapon when you hit the playoffs, rather than punishing you when someone else picks him up.

Get your calculator out

This is the real crux of the situation. The hard cold numbers. It's easy to let emotion get involved in your decision making as a Fantasy GM, but the reality is, you can't afford to. Fantasy sports are all about numbers and nothing else, at the end of the day. So these are the numbers that you need to consider:

• How many games is your player likely to miss (don't be overly optimistic either!)?
• What are the stats that your injured player averages?
• How long is left in the season?
• What type of stats do the replacement players average who are available on the free agent list? 

Now, what you need to do is look at the stats your guy averages and pro-rata them based on how many games he will play the rest of the way. So if you have 48 games left in the season and your guy will miss 24 of them, then he becomes half the player that he was, right? In other words 24/48 = 1/2. His stats of 20.0ppg, 10.0rpg, 2.5bpg become 10.0ppg, 5.0rpg and 1.25bpg. 

Are those reduced stats better than the type of guy you can pick up on the free agent list? That makes your decision, right there.

On the other hand, if your guy is only going to miss 12 games out of the remaining 48, then he loses 1/4 of his value. That makes his 20.0ppg, 10.0rpg, 2.5bpg become 15.0ppg, 7.5rpg and 1.88bpg. Those numbers may be quite hard to find on the waiver wire.

We hope that this article helps you to make a decision on your injured player(s) and that it carries you to Fantasy victory this season!

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Think you have a player that you should sell high on? Alternatively looking for a player you might be able to pick up on the cheap? Here are some options according to The Fantasy Dudes:

BUY:

Serge Ibaka, PF, Oklahoma City Thunder: Had a rather slow start to the season, but is now starting to put things together. Rebounds are on the up, and he has averaged 3.3 blocks a game over his past 7.

Amar'e Stoudemire, PF, New York Knicks: Would the real Amar'e please stand up! He made one of the all-nba teams last season, but based on his recent play (14.3 pts, 7.1 rebs, 0.4 blks over past 7 games), he wouldn't be worthy of an all-star position. With Baron Davis returning to the court shortly, and given the Knicks horrid run, expect more plays to come his way. Look to take advantage of a frustrated owner.


Lamar Odom, PF, Dallas Mavericks: The 6th man of the year has struggled to find his feet in Dallas, and you can't really blame him. However, with Dirk shelved for a week or two, Lamar has been promoted to the starting lineup. Expect his stats to improve.

Chauncey Billups, PG/SG, Los Angeles Clippers: .321 fg, .765 ft... that is not Billups. That will improve, as will is current points production of 14 ppg over his past 4 games,


SELL:

Kobe Bryant, SG, Los Angeles Lakers: Ok, i know what you're thinking... seriously, Kobe? The guy is averaging over 30 ppg! Actually, over his past 8 games, KB24 has averaged 34.1 pts, 5.5 rebs, 5.0 assts and 1.9 stls... pretty good! I don't see those stats going up, and with injury concerns, and a condensed season, why not try and see who you can get for him? Perhaps a Joe Johnson or Kevin Martin plus another to improve the deal. Who knows, someone might give up a Kevin Love, Durant, LeBron or Rose for him. 

Carlos Boozer, PF, Chicago Bulls: The Bulls are stacked, and can even win without D-Rose around. Boozer has impressed lately to the tune of 15.6 pts, 8.7 rebs and 1.3 stls over his past 9 games (on terrific shooting). How long can his health keep up? Why wait around? Sell him now...


Brandon Jennings, PG, Milwaukee Bucks: Not a huge fan of the Bucks from a fantasy perspective this season, however Jennings has been one of the bright spots. He has had a strong past couple of weeks, but I can see inconsistencies ahead, including a return to poor shooting %'s and high turnovers. 4 solid games in a row suggests now is as good a time as any to sell.

Al Harrington, PF, Denver Nuggets: 20.3 pts, 7.7 rebs, 3.7 threes over past 4 games... no way is that sustainable. SELL!!! 

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Buy:

Ty Lawson, PG, Nuggets: Lawson is a fully-fledged fantasy star these days, but his name doesn't yet carry the weight of his counterparts. Averaging 17 points and 6 assists this season (easily career bests), Lawson is also shooting an astonishing 50.7 FG% for the fast flying Nuggets. The clincher? Nearly 2 steals a game so far in the earlygoings.




LaMarcus Aldridge, PF/C, Trailblazers: Enjoying playing in the faster pace with Ray Felton, Aldridge has enjoyed some huge games of late, averaging 23 points and 8 rebounds over the last 6 games. I expect his output to continue in a similar fashion going forward, although it would be nice if he lifted his blocks rate somewhat (0.7 per game).

Luol Deng, SF, Bulls: Deng's points may be down this season (15 points), but he has picked up his game of late, averaging 19 points and 8 rebounds per game over his last 4. Deng just plays too many minutes (a whopping 39 per game) not to remain a fantasy relevance for long.

Josh Smith, F, Hawks: With Horford going down for 3-4 months, Smith will carry far more of the load in the frontcourt, and he's already shown he's ready for this challenge, with a huge 30 point 13 rebound game on Friday against the lowly Bobcats. A notorious slow starter, I expect Smith's blocks and steals to pick up in coming months.

Ricky Rubio, PG, Timberwoles: Rubio is his real folks, and his move into the starting lineup will only improve his stats. He's already averaging 8 assists and nearly 2 steals per game for the revamped T-wolves. 


Sell:

Eric Gordon, SG, Hornets: Gordon has averaged only 65 games over the last season, and has already missed the last couple of weeks this season. I just don't trust him to stay healthy, and if you can get 90 cents on the dollar for him, now might be the chance to trade him.



Danny Granger, SF, Pacers: Granger's stats are down across the board, and with David West in town, and Paul George's emergence as an offensive threat, Granger no longer carries the weight of Indiana's offensive game. He's shooting an atrocious 33% from the field, and scoring a whopping 6 points less per game.