Heading into the start of the NBA preseason, we offer a team-by-team look, including projected starting lineups and what to watch for in October as each team sets their rotations for the start of the regular season.
Boston Celtics
Possible Starters: PG Rajon Rondo,
SG Ray Allen, SF Paul Pierce, PF Kevin Garnett, C Jermaine O'Neal
Other key players: Shaquille O'Neal, Kendrick Perkins, Nate Robinson, Glen Davis
Buy
low: Jermaine O'Neal
Late-round
flier: Nate Robinson
Preseason
storylines: How will the O'Neals fit it?
Fantasy Analysis: The
Celtics addressed a need at center after Kendrick Perkins suffered a torn ACL during the NBA Finals. Perkins is
likely out until at least late February or early March, but the team
will have some more than adequate stopgaps in Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal. Shaq
says he expects to play 20-25 minutes per night, leaving O'Neal to play
somewhere in the 25-30 range. Perkins has vowed to reclaim his job when
he's ready and he has every right to do so after a very productive
season a year ago. Clearly, none of the three should be considered
long-term solutions for anybody in Fantasy, but we recommend Jermaine O'Neal as a viable No. 3 center and reserve option and Shaq
could still do enough to fill-in as a stopgap in deeper leagues. We also
recommend keeping tabs on Nate Robinson.
He wasn't very productive on the stat sheet after coming over from New
York last season, but we expect Doc Rivers to begin to work him into
more of a useful sixth man role starting in the preseason. Robinson
should give the Celtics a much-needed go-to scorer off the bench
following the departure of Eddie House
and could provide double-digit scoring on a steady basis under the right
conditions.
New Jersey Nets
Possible Starters: PG Devin Harris,
SG Terrence Williams, SF Travis Outlaw, PF Troy Murphy, C Brook Lopez
Other key players: Anthony Morrow, Derrick Favors, Jordan Farmar
Bounce-back candidate: Devin Harris
Late-round flier: Travis Outlaw
Preseason storylines: Are the Nets done
making moves?
Fantasy Analysis: The Nets may or may not go
into the season with the base of players they've gone into camp with.
Their much-heralded courtship of Carmelo Anthony
hit a snag just prior to camp beginning, but the deal could be revived,
according to many accounts -- including that of our Ken Berger. But
we'll say the Nets go into the season with this group of players. That
means that Travis Outlaw could be
looking at big minutes at small forward this season and is a player to
keep an eye on as a possible sleeper for deep leagues. He's made just 32
starts in seven seasons, but did average 13.3 points and 4.6 rebounds
per game in 2007-08 while getting just 26.7 minutes per game. At point
guard, pay attention to the relationship between Devin Harris and new (old) coach Avery Johnson. Harris pushed for
Johnson to get the job in New Jersey after having played for him (as a
backup) with the Mavericks. Harris has downplayed reports of clashing
between the two during their time together in Dallas and Johnson will
have to get a lot out of Harris in order to avoid another embarrassing
loss total for New Jersey this season. Following a down year
statistically for Harris due to injuries and a horrible first half, his
stock has fallen. But Harris could easily be one of the steals in
Fantasy this season if he and Johnson are on the same page.
New York Knicks
Possible Starters: PG Raymond Felton,
SG Wilson Chandler, SF Danilo Gallinari, PF Amar'e Stoudemire,
C Ronny Turiaf
Other key players: Toney Douglas, Anthony Randolph, Bill Walker, Roger Mason Jr., Kelenna Azubuike
Potential Breakout: Raymond Felton
Late-round flier: Timofey Mozgov
Preseason storylines: Is Raymond Felton ready for a breakout? What will the Knicks do at center?
Fantasy
Analysis: Much of the attention surrounding Knicks camp this
preseason will be around new addition Amar'e Stoudemire. But Amar'e is Amar'e and we don't anticipate a
major shift in his production playing for his former coach in Mike
D'Antoni. What Fantasy owners should pay closer attention to is the
development of Raymond Felton. He'll be
in line for a boost in numbers this season, moving away from Charlotte's
grind-it-out offensive scheme to a more free-flowing system in New York.
D'Antoni has done wonders with point guards and he even managed to turn Chris Duhon into a respectable Fantasy option for a while. Imagine
what he can do with a more capable player like Felton? Follow the Knicks
closely for signs of a breakout year. Fantasy owners in larger formats
will also want pay attention to what D'Antoni plans to do at center. New
addition Ronny Turiaf is penciled in,
but he is a very one dimensional player who has never established
himself as a player who can be relied upon for big minutes, even in
brief starting roles for the high-powered Warriors. Russian Timofey Mozgov is a darkhorse for minutes here, but he is still a
relative unknown. He'll be worth keeping an eye on in the preseason as
he adjusts to the NBA game.
Philadelphia 76ers
Possible Starters: PG Jrue Holiday,
SG Evan Turner, SF Andre Iguodala, PF Elton Brand, C Marreese Speights
Other key players: Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, Spencer Hawes, Andres Nocioni, Jason Kapono
Battle to watch: Marreese Speights/Thaddeus Young
Potential
sleeper: Marreese Speights/Thaddeus Young
Preseason storylines: What will Doug Collins'
starting lineup look like?
Fantasy Analysis: New Sixers coach
Doug Collins has a lot of loose parts to play around with and he is
playing it pretty close to the vest when it comes to his starting
lineup. The truth is, he probably doesn't know what he wants to do
himself and will need every bit of the preseason to figure it out.
Rookie Evan Turner should start,
but he'll likely be made to earn it in the preseason. That will push Lou Williams back to the sixth man role, something he is
well-equipped for with the ability to play both guard positions. The
more interesting development could come at center where Marreese Speights and Thaddeus Young
will battle it out for the starting job.The winner here will obviously
be a hot commodity in Fantasy leagues with both players having nice
statistical upside, but we'll likely be looking at a pretty even split
in minutes.
Toronto Raptors
Possible Starters: PG Jose Calderon,
SG DeMar DeRozan, SF Linas Kleiza, PF Amir Johnson, C Andrea Bargnani
Other key players: Leandro Barbosa, Jarrett Jack, Sonny Weems, Reggie Evans, David Andersen
Potential sleeper: DeMar DeRozan
Late-round flier: Amir Johnson
Preseason storylines: How do the Raptors
fill the Chris Bosh void?
Fantasy
Analysis: The Raptors have a huge void to fill with Chris Bosh now playing down south in Miami. The odds on favorite to
get the nod at power forward is Amir Johnson
and while he isn't on many Fantasy radars just yet, he could be soon.
The Raptors will need to make up for Bosh's scoring, but the area where
they will miss him most is on the boards. Andrea Bargnani isn't your typical big man in that he doesn't like to
mix it up on the boards and has never been much of a rebounder. That
might leave Johnson to do a lot of the dirty work. Keep tabs on him
especially in category-based leagues. But there is also the matter of
20-plus points per game that will be up for grabs now that Bosh is gone.
Bargnani should see a boost, but there will also be room for players
like DeMar DeRozan, Jarrett Jack and new addition Leandro Barbosa
to step up. The preseason will begin to indicate who might be ready to
take on a bigger offensive role.
Stay in touch with the most passionate Fantasy staff in the business by following us via Twitter . You can e-mail us your Fantasy Basketball questions to DMFantasyHoops@cbs.com . Be sure to put Draft Prep in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state.