RotoScoop.com

Just for the hell of it, here are my predictions for Saturday night:

H.O.R.S.E.: Kevin Durant

Skills Challenge: Steve Nash

Three-Point Contest: Stephen Curry

Slam Dunk Contest: Gerald Wallace

Video footage has finally emerged from the infamous facial, and while the quality of this one is much better than TMZ’s version, the dunk itself is hardly worth the hype. LeBron has no one to blame but himself for making this a much bigger deal than it was, as there’s no way the hype would have reached this level had he not gotten Nike to take the footage.

Rounds three, four and five now in the books.

I’m currently doing a mock fantasy basketball draft over at Yahoo’s Roto Arcade. Here are the results of round one.

1. Los Angeles Clippers – Blake Griffin
2. Memphis Grizzlies – Hasheem Thabeet
3. Oklahoma City Thunder – Ricky Rubio
4. Sacramento Kings – Tyreke Evans
5. Minnesota Timberwolves – James Harden
6. Minnesota Timberwolves – Stephen Curry
7. Golden State Warriors – Jordan Hill
8. New York Knicks – Jonny Flynn
9. Toronto Raptors – DeMar DeRozan
10. Milwaukee Bucks – Jrue Holiday
11. New Jersey Nets – Terrence Williams
12. Charlotte Bobcats – Gerald Henderson
13. Indiana Pacers – DeJuan Blair
14. Phoenix Suns – Earl Clark
15. Detroit Pistons – B.J. Mullens

Nuggets over Mavs 4-3

Celtics over Magic 4-3

Lakers over Rockets 4-1

Cavs over Hawks 4-0

By Dalton Del Don

Cleveland (1) vs. Detroit (8)

Comments: The Cavs won the season series 3-1 and should have no problem dismissing an under .500 Pistons squad – the only such team that made the postseason. It’s safe to say the Chauncey Billups/Allen Iverson trade didn’t work out too well for the Pistons. It’s pretty sad he’s unwilling to come off the bench even for a team that made the playoffs. Anyway, Cleveland is rested and healthy and ready to make a deep run in 2009.

Prediction: Cavs 4-0

Boston (2) vs. Chicago (7)

Comments: Boston went 2-1 against Chicago this year, yet the Bulls’ one win came during their most recent matchup and after Chicago had made its trade for John Salmons and Brad Miller. The Bulls enter playing well, but they are the worst road team in the postseason, posting a 13-28 record this year. The Derrick Rose versus Rajon Rondo matchup should be fun to watch. Obviously, the big story with the defending champs is the loss of KG, but they have persevered without him this season, and while it will eventually catch up to them, they can get past the Bulls regardless.

Prediction: Celtics 4-1

Orlando (3) vs. Philadelphia (6)

Comments: Orlando won the season series 3-0, and although it was impressive the 76ers were able to make the postseason getting nothing from Elton Brand, the team entered the year with much higher expectations. The Brand signing turned out to be an utter disaster. This is yet another lopsided first round matchup in the East.

Prediction: Magic 4-1

Atlanta (4) vs. Miami (5)

Comments: The Hawks won the season series 3-1, although one of the wins came Tuesday when Miami sat Dwyane Wade. After winning just 15 games last season, Miami improved to 43-39 this year. While Atlanta is solid, Michael Beasley is coming on, and Wade will easily be the best player on the court. He’ll be the difference.

Prediction: Heat 4-2

Los Angeles (1) vs. Utah (8)

Comments: The Lakers were 2-1 against Utah this season, and the already underdog Jazz suffered a blow when Mehmet Okur injured his hamstring this week, leaving his status questionable. Utah is certainly no slouch for an eighth seed, but this Lakers team is absolutely loaded and isn’t likely to get pushed in round one.

Prediction: Lakers 4-1

Denver (2) vs. New Orleans (7)

Comments: The teams tied the season series 2-2 this year, and Denver enters as a somewhat vulnerable two seed. The team has been eliminated in the first round in five consecutive seasons, and Carmelo Anthony has never made it to the second round during his career. Still, the team became much improved when it jettisoned Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups.

Prediction: Nuggets 4-3

San Antonio (3) vs. Dallas (6)

Comments: The season series was tied 2-2, but the big news here is Manu Ginobili’s (ankle) absence. Since he’s probably one of the 20 best players in the league, San Antonio’s ceiling dropped significantly, but they still have homecourt advantage over the surging Dallas squad. Moreover, the Spurs have a pretty large coaching edge.

Prediction: Spurs 4-3

Portland (4) vs. Houston (5)

Comments: The Rockets won the season series 2-1, and this figures to be a hotly contested matchup. The Trail Blazers made the playoffs for the first time since 2003, which ended the longest drought in the NBA. Portland enters riding a six-game winning streak, but Houston has been a much better team without Tracy McGrady.

Predictions: Rockets 4-3

MIDWEST

Louisville over Morehead St.
Ohio St. over Siena
Utah over Arizona
Wake Forest over Cleveland St.
West Virginia over Dayton
Kansas over North Dakota St.
USC over Boston College
Michigan St. over Robert Morris

Louisville over Ohio St.
Wake Forest over Utah
West Virginia over Kansas
Michigan St. over USC

Louisville over Wake Forest
West Virginia over Michigan St.

Louisville over West Virginia

WEST

UConn over Chattanooga
BYU over Texas A&M
Purdue over Northern Iowa
Washington over Mississippi St.
Utah St. over Marquette
Missouri over Cornell
Cal over Maryland
Memphis over CSU Northridge

UConn over BYU
Washington over Purdue
Missouri over Utah St.
Memphis over Cal

UConn over Washington
Memphis over Missouri

Memphis over UConn

EAST

Pittsburgh over E. Tennessee
Tennessee over Oklahoma St.
Wisconsin over Florida St.
Xavier over Portland St.
UCLA over VCU
Villanova over American
Texas over Minnesota
Duke over Binghamton

Pittsburgh over Tennessee
Xavier over Wisconsin
UCLA over Villanova
Duke over Texas

Pittsburgh over Xavier
Duke over UCLA

Duke over Pittsburgh

SOUTH

UNC over Radford
Butler over LSU
Illinois over Western Kentucky
Gonzaga over Akron
Arizona St. over Temple
Syracuse over Stephen F. Austin
Clemson over Michigan
Oklahoma over Morgan St.

UNC over Butler
Gonzaga over Illinois
Arizona St. over Syracuse
Oklahoma over Clemson

UNC over Gonzaga
Arizona St. over Oklahoma

UNC over Arizona St.

FINAL FOUR

Louisville over Memphis
UNC over Duke

UNC over Louisville

By Dalton Del Don

Patient owners or those who were quick enough to grab Larry Hughes off the waiver wire after getting traded to the Knicks have been nicely rewarded. During seven games this month, he’s averaged 19.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.1 threes and 2.3 steals. Hughes is even shooting an uncharacteristic 44.3 percent from the field. He’s been a great fit for Mike D’Antoni’s system.

Andrei Kirilenko’s career continues to disappoint. An already lackluster season has gotten even worse since returning from ankle surgery, as the usually pesky defender has totaled just one steal over the past eight games. He’s blocked more than one shot in a game just once since January 12. In fact, his blocked shot numbers have dropped in each of the past four seasons. What has happened to the AK47 we know and love?

With Devin Harris (shoulder) sidelined indefinitely, Keyon Dooling is a must-add. He’s actually been solid when given a chance this year, averaging 15.6 points, 5.1 assists and 1.0 steals in seven starts – shooting 52.5 percent over that span. The Nets are in 12th place in the East, so the team has little incentive rushing back its franchise player.

Charlie Villanueva is currently having the best season of his life, which is a bit ironic since it figured his personality would clash with coach Scott Skiles. The highlight of Villanueva’s year occurred Sunday, when he posted a message to his Twitter feed during halftime of a game against the Celtics: “In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. We’re playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up.” That’s gold, Jerry! Gold!

After LeBron James, the Cavs have a roster full of good, not great players, despite Mo Williams’ All-Star outcry. Still, with homecourt all but locked up in the East, Cleveland has to be considered the favorites to win the title. After all, the team is a solid 30-1 at home this year. Williams and Delonte West form an underrated backcourt, and James is far and away the best player in the league. Expect the Cavs to be hoisting the trophy in the end.

By Dalton Del Don

Since Marc Lavaroni was fired and Lionel Hollins instituted a much more friendly system for guards, Mike Conley has finally stopped looking like a bust. During February, he’s averaged 14.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.0 steals. He’s never going to score a bunch of points, but he’s clearly establishing himself as the team’s future at point, something that seemed unlikely when his name repeatedly came up in trade rumors before the coaching change.

Quietly, Ronny Turiaf ranks third in the NBA in blocks, swatting 2.2 per game despite playing just 19:53 mpg. Chris Andersen, AKA The Birdman, ranks fourth with 2.0 bpg while playing just 18:41 mpg. Either would be a monster if Golden State or Denver were to suffer injuries in their respective frontcourts. And really, it would be an upset if Kenyon Martin and Nene Hilario were both able to remain healthy over the course of the season.

Don’t look now, but Tyrus Thomas is finally living up to his massive potential. A Drew Gooden (groin) injury has helped, but there’s no removing the previously inconsistent LSU star from the starting lineup now. After averaging 1.3 steals and 2.3 blocks during January, Thomas’ numbers this month are eye-popping: 17.8 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.4 spg and 2.0 bpg. Add in the fact he’s a good free throw shooter (78.4 percent) as a power forward, and you’re looking at a fantasy beast.

Speaking of fantasy assets, you won’t find many with more value than Rajon Rondo, despite his low scoring output (11.2 ppg). The point guard is averaging 8.3 rebounds and 10.9 assists in February. Moreover, his 2.0 spg ranks fourth best in the NBA. He still needs to improve his shooting from the charity stripe, but rare is the point who shoots better than 50 percent from the field. The Celtics’ big-three has officially become a big-four.

Seriously, what has Scott Skiles been thinking this year by holding back Ramon Sessions? It’s fine to be rigid in your ways, but sometimes coaches shoot themselves in the foot with their “doghouses.” Sessions averaged a respectable 13.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 13.1 assists and 1.7 steals while in the starting five last season, and yet Skiles barely considered him an option entering the year. Skiles has criticized Sessions for not knowing all his assignments, but I’d be shocked if Luke Ridnour is a better defender. Luckily, multiple injuries have forced Skiles’ hand, as Sessions has started the past eight games. During February, all he’s done is average 26.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 10.5 assists and 2.5 steals on 54.7 percent shooting from the floor. Milwaukee is currently the last seeded playoff team in the Eastern Conference, and it’s a joke Sessions was wasted on the bench for much of the season.

By Dalton Del Don

First off, I almost missed H-O-R-S-E (or more accurately, G-E-I-C-O. I would give this sponsorship a hard time, but that company usually comes correct with its commercials, so I’ll let this one slide), since it occurred in the middle of the day and without much notification. Secondly, if you did miss it, I’m jealous, since it was largely a snooze fest. Come on guys, have some fun with the event. Very lackluster. Although the winning trophy was pretty sweet.

The players involved in the skills competition appeared to be sleep walking. It’s OK to at least feign like you care about winning and are trying guys. Derrick Rose’s reverse dunk to finish off his win was nice, but his time was a full 9.5 seconds behind Steve Nash’s record, 9.2 seconds behind Dwyane Wade two years ago and 4.1 ticks behind Deron Williams in 2008. Pretty significant.

The three-point competition was a bigger joke, featuring some of the more prominent scrubs in the NBA. If you’re not into judging shooting ability by name recognition, the fact no one topped 20 threes in a given round should do the trick. And any supposed drama of an overtime round was ruined when Rashard Lewis went ice cold, tallying a pathetic seven points during the extra period. And your winner? The immortal Daequan Cook! Not that Jason Kapono or even Craig Hodges were exactly studs, but at least give us a show. And as farfetched as it sounds, I’d argue the announcing by Kenny Smith and Reggie Miller was even worse than the shooting performances.

And then there’s the dunk contest, which continued the theme of hopefully you are attached and missed the events while on a Valentine’s Day dinner. Nate Robinson actually used a human to boost him up to make not one, but two of his dunks! Call me Joaquin Phoenix (now officially a synonym for crazy), but shouldn’t you be deducted, not rewarded for that? And not a chance he wins it if Dwight Howard doesn’t help him out. That said, if that rim was 12-feet tall Howard dunked on, I’m Santa Claus. Hopefully LeBron James can help save this catastrophe next year.

By Dalton Del Don

Quietly, Shaquille O’Neal is having a very good season. His 17.7 ppg and 1.5 bpg are his highest marks since 2005-06, and his 62.8 percent free throw shooting, although still bad, is his best mark during his 17-year career. He’s gotten stronger as the season has progressed, and Shaq’s turnovers are way down as well. The fact he commonly sits out a game when Phoenix plays back-to-backs hurts him in weekly leagues, but in daily formats, it just keeps him fresh and less likely to get hurt. Entering the year, it seemed obvious he was in a decline, but that’s on hold for now, although Amare Stoudemire owners certainly don’t like it.

One of this year’s biggest busts has to be Samuel Dalembert, who is averaging a miniscule 5.7 ppg. He’s never been a big help in points, but he’s taking nearly half the FG attempts he did last season. In fact, his playing time has decreased during each month this year. Elton Brand’s return should only further derail his incredibly disappointing season.

Boris Diaw has to be the early candidate for pickup of the year in fantasy leagues. Since coming to Charlotte 18 games ago, he’s averaged 13.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.1 three-pointers. And he’s even eligible at center in some leagues. He’s officially back to his heyday when he played in Phoenix.

Don’t look now, but maybe Andrea Bargnani isn’t a bust, after all. With Jermaine O’Neal out of the lineup, the former No. 1 overall pick has averaged 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 three-pointers in 11 games during January. He’s never going to be a defensive force, but at least he’s blocked 1.2 shots per game this season as well. He’s also a rare center who shoots free throws well (85.7 percent). O’Neal’s return may cut into Bargnani’s production, but O’Neal has also been rumored in trade discussions and is no lock to stay healthy for more than a game at a time, so this output may be here to stay.

Another young player finally starting to live up to his potential is Randy Foye, who has averaged 20.6 points, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals and a whopping 3.0 three-pointers this month – all while shooting an impressive 49.6 percent from the floor and 90.0 percent from the charity stripe. Some more dimes would be nice, but he’s starting to look more comfortable as a two guard, despite his lack of ideal size for that position. With few scoring options on Minnesota, expect the scoring binge to become a trend by Foye, and hopefully he can finally stay healthy.

The Kings were heavily criticized for taking Jason Thompson out of little known Rider with the 12th pick of last year’s draft. However, the early returns have been nothing but positive, as Thompson has been productive in limited minutes and has even earned a starting role already (although in Sacramento that isn’t saying much). He possesses nice potential on the boards and is showing promise as a scorer in the post, even going 14-of-15 from the line during his last game. Moreover, no rookies selected after him have stood out at all thus far, so the Kings’ “reach” isn’t looking that way any longer. Especially playing for a team in a full-blown youth movement, Thompson is a highly valuable keeper commodity.

By Dalton Del Don

With LeBron James and Kobe Bryant seeing fewer minutes on loaded teams this year, Dwyane Wade has emerged as the best fantasy player on the planet, although Chris Paul is a close second. Finally back to health, Wade is currently averaging career-highs in points (29.0), steals (2.3) and blocks (1.6) to go along with 5.1 rpg and 7.1 apg. He leads the NBA in scoring, and what guard swats that many shots per game? And because of an increase in attempts, he’s even adding 0.7 three-pointers per contest as well. Durability remains a concern, but at least the Heat are in contention this season. Wade is the No. 1 fantasy commodity.

Utah hasn’t missed Carlos Boozer at all with the emergence of Paul Millsap, who just finished a streak of 19 consecutive double-doubles. He even contributes more in the defensive categories than Boozer, averaging 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks during his 21 starts this season. Since joining the starting lineup, Millsap has been a top-20 fantasy player and has made Utah’s decision whether or not to spend big on the upcoming free agent Boozer this offseason a lot easier.

Don’t look now, but Sebastian Telfair deserves to be rostered in all fantasy leagues. Over the last four games, he’s averaged 12.8 ppg, 7.8 apg and 1.8 spg. His shooting from the field is downright ugly (33.2 percent), but at least he doesn’t take a lot of attempts, and he can knock down free throws (79.5 percent). Telfair looks like the Timberwolves’ new starter at point, and those in need of dimes and steals should look his way.

I’m not sure who misses Mike D’Antoni more, Shawn Marion or Steve Nash. Marion is currently averaging just 11.9 ppg – the lowest since his rookie season. He’s a skilled basketball player, and it’s not like his stats were completely dictated by Phoenix’s uptempo system, but he should have been careful what he wished for, because his skill set clearly works best in certain systems. Marion entered the year a career 34.0 percent shooter from downtown; he’s at 19.4 percent this season. Think he misses all those wide open looks from the corner? And as for Nash, his eventual decline was bound to happen sooner or later, but it’s pretty obvious his suppressed numbers can be directly tied to D’Antoni’s exit. He’s basically back to being the same player he was in Dallas – very good but certainly not in MVP discussions.

After the All-Star break last year, Danny Granger really broke out and revealed a potential superstar. Well, he’s fast developed into a top-5 fantasy player in 2008-09. There might not be another player in the league who contributes so much in every single category, and to think, 16 teams passed him up in the 2005 draft. The scary thing is he’s only getting better. Check out his numbers in January: 32.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.6 bpg and 3.3 3PT – all while shooting 49.3 percent from the floor and 91.8 percent from the line. One gets the feeling Granger will be appearing in a couple of All Star games before all is said and done.

It looks like Russell Westbrook’s late surge up NBA draft boards was well warranted, as the rookie point guard has averaged 15.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 5.5 apg and 1.3 spg since entering the starting lineup 22 games ago. He’s also drastically improved his shooting, and while the Thunder have experimented with him at shooting guard recently, expect him to settle in at the point long-term. With Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Westbrook, Oklahoma City has quite the talented young nucleus. And since they currently have the worst record in the NBA, expect a fourth blue chipper to be added in next year’s draft. They could be dangerous in two years.

By Dalton Del Don

After a somewhat disappointing first month of the season, Kevin Durant is fast developing into a true superstar, averaging 25.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 15 December games. He even shot 47.2 percent from the field, including 41.9 percent from downtown. The move to small forward has been huge, as his 6-9 frame and rebounding ability were getting largely wasted as a two guard. Since Durant is also such a good free throw shooter and appears to have added the three-pointer to his repertoire, expect him to be a first round pick in fantasy leagues next year.

It’s sad watching Jermaine O’Neal hobble around on one leg. He’s still plenty serviceable in between injuries, but it’s become clear he’ll never be the same player he once was. It’s hard to believe he only just turned 30 years old, but like Tracy McGrady, his body is wearing down prematurely after joining the NBA out of high school…Sticking with the Raptors, do you realize Jose Calderon is a perfect 72-of-72 from the free throw line this season?!

The Celtics, Cavs and Lakers are a combined 53-2 at home this year. That’s pretty good.

It’s far too soon to judge Greg Oden, but the early returns are hardly encouraging. Everyone knew his defensive ability was way ahead of his offensive game, but 8.0 ppg? Foul trouble has really limited his time on the floor (his 3.8 PF per game are the second most in the NBA, but those have come in far fewer mpg than the league-leader, Paul Millsap’s 4.0 PF), which is correctable, but how can someone his size total just two blocks over the past six games? Maybe it’s the injuries that have held him back, and there’s still a ton of potential if he eventually reaches full health, but right now, it appears the Trail Blazers made a massive blunder taking Oden over Kevin Durant. It won’t go down as a Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan catastrophe, but Portland would be legit title contenders if they chose differently.

Speaking of disappointments, I certainly expected a better rookie season from Michael Beasley. It’s not that he’s been terrible, but it’s quite surprising that someone who led college basketball with 12.4 rpg last year took 32 games to reach double-digit boards for the first time in the NBA. Sure, he’s shorter than his 6-10 listed height, but that won’t cut it. Beasley has actually been more efficient since getting moved to the bench, but because of curtailed minutes, his stats don’t show it. After a down December, he makes for a decent buy-low target.

Is there a more maddening player than Tyrus Thomas? After going three straight games without a block and failing to score in double-digits, Thomas drops a massive line in his last game, scoring 15 points with eight rebounds, four assists and a whopping eight blocks. It’s apparent he has a ton of work to do on his offensive game, but anyone who can average 1.1 spg and 1.7 bpg in just 22:23 mpg offers huge upside. Just remember, the only thing consistent with Thomas’ game is his inconsistency.

Check out my notes around the league over at NBA.com.

LeBron James or Kobe Bryant?

Take a look at how I see the first round of the NBA playoffs unfolding.

Check out my latest post over at NBA.com.