Fullcourt Press is our weekly look at the latest headline news from around the league. We'll examine stat trends, injuries, depth chart battles and schedule breakdowns, along with notable performances throughout the NBA season.

They say life is a journey, not a destination. The same can be said about Fantasy Basketball.

For six months, we've tracked the statistics, dissected free agent pools and did our best to put forward a competitive lineup every single week. We've been hit with untimely injuries and rummaged through boxscores hoping to discover the next waiver wire gem. For six months, we've dreamed about winning the title.

With 23 weeks in the books and the final period's lineup deadline now in the rearview mirror, all we have left is one last dance.

As we enter Week 24, the final stanza of the season, many of the league's premiere players are stuck on the sidelines. NBA teams would not be able to compete in their league's postseason without franchise players like Shaq or Duncan, so how are we expected to?

It seems as if every Fantasy season wraps up on a week where the biggest stars are severely limited. When a team clinches a specific playoff position, management usually decides to rest their go-to guys in preparation for their postseason run. On the flipside, when a team has been eliminated from playoff contention, teams are more liable to give younger, more inexperienced players a chance to gain some priceless experience.

The only players you can definitely count on are on teams fighting for a postseason seed or battling for home court advantage. But what happens once they clinch or get eliminated?

Whether you want to admit it or not, luck plays a significant role in deciding your league's winner. The only thing you can do is compile a formidable bench built for your final weeks.

Best of luck to the select few that remain alive. Hopefully, the injury bug won't continue to bite holes in your lineups.

This edition of Fullcourt Press will examine the biggest surprises from around the league -- both good and bad. We'll showcase the players that took giant strides in improving their Fantasy worth, as well as the players that took a step back in their production levels.

T H E   M O S T   I M P R O V E D  
Player PPG RPG APG MISC
Chris Bosh 16.6 9.0 1.9 1.4 BPG
Drew Gooden 14.7 9.4 1.5 50.2 FG%
Larry Hughes 21.9 6.3 4.8 2.9 SPG
Troy Murphy 15.3 10.9 1.3 32 DD's
Tayshaun Prince 14.7 5.4 3.0 76-of-76 gms

Side Notes

  • Drew Gooden's strong play has Cleveland fans saying Carlos who? The Kansas product has a higher rebounding average (9.4 RPG) than Boozer (8.9 RPG). His 37 double-doubles rank eighth in the league.
  • Chris Bosh is averaging 19.1 PPG, 10.3 RPG and 1.6 BPG in 2005. In the wake of Vince Carter's departure to New Jersey, Bosh is the unquestioned face and future of the Toronto Raptors.
  • Tayshaun Prince is registering career-highs in scoring (14.7 PPG), rebounding (5.4 RPG), assists (3.0 APG), FG% (48.1 FG%) and FT% (79.9 FT%).
O N   T H E   R I S E  
Player PPG RPG APG MISC
Bobby Simmons 16.6 6.0 2.8 1.4 SPG
Al Harrington 17.6 7.0 3.2 1.3 SPG
Primoz Brezec 13.0 7.4 1.2 51.0 FG%
Mehmet Okur 12.5 7.2 1.9 85.0 FT%
Brevin Knight 9.9 2.5 8.9 1.9 SPG

Side Notes

  • Brevin Knight ranks second in the league in assists (8.9 APG). He's handed out 15-plus assists in 10 games, and tops the league with 4.18 assists/turnover ratio.
  • Mehmet Okur leads the league with 18 double-doubles. Despite coming off the pine, he's leading the Jazz in total rebounds (550) and is second in points (951).
O U T   O F   N O W H E R E  
Player PPG RPG APG MISC
Joel Przybilla 6.1 7.8 0.9 2.0 BPG
Lee Nailon 14.4 4.4 1.5 47.7 FG%
Dan Dickau 12.6 4.8 2.5 82 3's
Kyle Korver 11.2 4.6 2.2 205 3's
Mark Jackson 12.0 5.2 0.9 75-of-76 gms

Side Notes

  • Kyle Korver set a franchise record in 3-pointers this season (205). After scoring in double figures just 15 times his rookie campaign, the deadly sharpshooter has scored 10-plus points 48 times this season.
  • After scoring five points in four games during November, Dan Dickau was dealt to the lowly Hornets. He's averaging 13.4 PPG and 5.1 APG with them, and has buried 81 3-pointers.
T H E   B I G G E S T   L E T D O W N S  
Player PPG RPG APG Missed Gms
Ron Artest 24.6 6.4 3.1 75
Carlos Boozer 17.8 9.0 2.8 31
Sam Cassell 13.8 2.6 5.2 23
Andrei Kirilenko 15.6 6.2 3.2 41
Zach Randolph 18.9 9.6 1.9 36

Side Notes

  • Ron Artest was averaging career-bests in scoring, rebounding and assists before he decided to go into the stands at Auburn Hills. His 75-game suspension is the longest in team sports history.
  • Andrei Kirilenko missed 26 games due to a knee injury and will miss the final 14 due to a wrist injury. When healthy, he's the league's premiere shot-blocker and one of the finest Rotisserie players.
  • Sam Cassell is having his lowest scoring season in a decade. He's accumulated just four double-doubles, and none over the past two months.
R I D D L E D   W I T H   I N J U R I E S  
Player PPG RPG APG Missed Gms
Jermaine O'Neal 24.8 9.0 2.0 41
Jamaal Magloire 11.7 8.9 1.3 53*
Glenn Robinson 6.2 2.5 0.8 73*
Richard Jefferson 22.2 7.3 4.0 49
Jamaal Tinsley 15.4 4.0 6.4 36*

* denotes a player might miss more games

Side Notes

  • In stints with the Sixers and Hornets, Glenn Robinson did not see a minute of action because of chronic ankle problems -- and difference of opinion with management. Now in a Spurs uniform, Big Dog might still get a ring.
  • A finger injury caused Jamaal Magloire to miss almost four straight months of work. Since returning from the ailment, he's averaging 9.6 PPG and 8.8 RPG. Back spasms might force him to sit out the remainder of the season.
D E C L I N E   I N   P R O D U C T I O N  
Player PPG RPG APG MISC
Latrell Sprewell 12.7 3.3 2.2 40.9 FG%
Jason Terry 12.4 2.4 5.3 1.8 TPG
Erick Dampier 9.3 8.5 0.9 out 23 gms
Theo Ratliff 4.8 5.3 0.5 out 19 gms
Carlos Arroyo 6.4 1.5 4.0 37.9 FG%

Side Notes

  • The emergence of Joel Przybilla might drive Theo Ratliff out of Portland. Ratliff had his worst statistical season in eight years -- he is averaging less points per game than Zarko Cabarkapa and Obinna Ekezie.
  • After an eye-opening Olympics, Carlos Arroyo was projected to be one of the breakout Fantasy players this season. However a stretch in Jerry Sloan's doghouse and a deal to the Pistons have severely limited his minutes -- and production. He's registered just three double-digit assist games, and none with Detroit.
I N J U R Y   B U G

The status' of Shaquille O'Neal (stomach virus), Chris Webber (shoulder), Rashard Lewis (foot), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (finger) and Eddie Curry (irregular heartbeat) all remain questionable. Z, Curry and Lewis will each miss at least one more game, and will be re-evaluated each day. The Miami Herald states that the Heat expect to have O'Neal back on Thursday, but he'll be a game-time decision ... Grant Hill (shin) was placed on the injured list on Friday. He'll be able return on April 18 for the team's final two games, but it's likely the veteran has played his final game this season ... Speedy Claxton (groin) was also placed on the I-L Friday. He'll be eligible to return for the final three games, but is too risky to consider in weekly-lineup formats. Dan Dickau has averaged 12.5 PPG, 6.3 APG and 1.5 SPG in the past six contests without Claxton ... The Spurs could be without Devin Brown (back) for the remainder of the season -- he received his second steroid within a week on Thursday. Coach Greg Popovich will have a tough decision on whether or not to place him on the playoff roster. 'Pop' has also hinted that he'd likely sit Manu Ginobili (groin) for the second half of back-to-back games. That news makes the All-Star doubtful for Wed., April 13 -- giving him just four games in the final week. Two-time MVP Tim Duncan (ankle) is targeting a Wed., April 13 return against Utah at the earliest. He's hoping to play three to four games before the postseason tips off ... Stromile Swift (irregular heartbeat) is eligible to come off the shelf on Mon, April 8 against Miami. If he does, he'll be available to play in Memphis' six games during Week 24…

Please e-mail your unique commissioner rules to Matt Lawrence at fullcourt@sportsline.com. Be sure to put Attn: Full Court in the subject field. We will highlight some of the more interesting ideas in Fullcourt Press when the Fantasy season comes to its conclusion.