LeBron, Tony Allen lead All-Defensive voting - LeBron James | MIA

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Tony Allen and LeBron James were the leading vote-getters for the 2013 All-Defensive First Team, which also included Chris Paul, Serge Ibaka, Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah.

Serge Ibaka will play Wednesday night vs. MEM - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka (eye) will be in the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Grizzlies.

Serge Ibaka leaves after elbow to head - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka caught an inadvertent elbow to the head from teammate Reggie Jackson on Tuesday that left him on the floor and bloodied.

Fantasy: Serge Ibaka's game continues to grow

Source: Fantasy Basketball Blog by Josh Whitling, Special to ESPN.com

Josh Whitling recaps Thursday in the NBA, and discusses the future of Serge Ibaka in terms of fantasy value.

Mostly NBA Notes: Al Horford blowing up, Stephen Curry on fire and Dirk Nowitzki’s reemergence

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

Previously one of the more durable players in the league, Al Horford destroyed fantasy owners last season when a torn pectoral muscle ended his year after just 11 games played. However, he’s currently averaging career highs in ppg (17.4), rpg (10.0), spg (1.0) and FG% (55.7). Horford has been a top-20 fantasy player this season despite shooting a career-low 60.7 percent at the line, which is nowhere near his career mark of 73.7, so it’s safe to expect improvement there down the stretch. Among those in the top-five in double-doubles this season, only Horford and Dwight Howard also average at least 1.0 spg and 1.0 bpg. Horford’s Usage Rate (20.59) isn’t well above league average, but it’s a career high,

The Daily Dose: Daily Dose: Thornton On Fire

Source: Rotoworld Basketball Articles

Marcus Thornton kept his foot on the gas, Serge Ibaka played, and Avery Bradley showed out. Wednesday's Dose is here.

Ibaka plays well after avoiding suspension - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka celebrated his avoidance of a suspension for tagging Blake Griffin's groin on Sunday by dropping 13 points, six rebounds, two blocks and another 3-pointer on 6-of-8 shooting in Tuesday's win over the Lakers.

Serge Ibaka: Avoids Suspension

Source: RotoWire.com NBA

Serge Ibaka: Ibaka will not earn a suspension, but rather a $25,000 fine, for his low blow Sunday on the Clippers' Blake Griffin, Sports Illustrated reports. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Serge Ibaka won't be suspended for low blow - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka will be fined $25,000 but not suspended for Sunday's low blow on Blake Griffin.

Report: Ibaka won't be suspended for low blow - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

A source tells SI.com that Serge Ibaka will not be suspended for Sunday's low blow on Blake Griffin.

The Daily Dose: Serge Ibaka Suspension Coming?

Source: Rotoworld Basketball Articles

Prep for Week 19 in the NBA with Monday's Dose. Serge Ibaka could be facing a suspension, and there's plenty of injury news from around the league.

Mostly NBA Notes: Kevin Durant in midst of historical fantasy season

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

Kevin Durant has averaged 36.3 points over the past eight games, and despite attempting a whopping 6.3 3pt in January, he’s shooting 53.5 percent from the field this month, also averaging 5.2 apg. He’s shooting 91.0 percent at the line this year while attempting the third-most free throws in the league. In fact, Durant has taken 399 shots from the charity stripe, and only four other players in the league have attempted more than 250. According to Basketball Monster, his impact in FT% has been by far the biggest among all categories (his ft%V is 4.16. Next best is James Harden at 2.55. To put this in perspective, the next biggest gap atop a category is Larry Sanders with a

Russell Westbrook returns after ankle injury - Russell Westbrook | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Russell Westbrook landed on Serge Ibaka's foot and injured his left ankle just before halftime on Sunday, but he returned to start the second half.

Russell Westbrook injures left ankle Sunday - Russell Westbrook | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Russell Westbrook landed on Serge Ibaka's foot and injured his left ankle in the last minute of the first half of Sunday night's game and went to the locker room.

Serge Ibaka back in lineup for Thunder - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka is expected to play on Wednesday against the Nuggets after missing the last two games with a chest contusion.

Serge Ibaka game-time call on Wednesday - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka (chest) will be a game-time decision on Wednesday vs. the Nuggets.

Serge Ibaka (chest) will not play Monday - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka (chest contusion) will not play against the Suns on Monday.

Serge Ibaka (chest) uncertain to play Monday - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka (chest) is uncertain to play on Monday vs. the Suns.

Serge Ibaka (chest) will not play vs. Blazers - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka (bruised chest) will not play vs. the Blazers on Sunday.

Serge Ibaka (chest) a game-time call Sunday - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka (chest contusion) is a game-time decision to face the Blazers on Sunday.

Serge Ibaka: Sustained Chest Contusion, Questionable Sunday

Source: RotoWire.com NBA

Serge Ibaka: Ibaka sustained a chest contusion during Friday's win over the Lakers, leaving the game with just under eight minutes to play in the third quarter, The Oklahoman reports. He played just 24 minutes, posting six points (3-8 FG), seven rebounds, and one block. Visit RotoWire.com for more analysis on this update.

Serge Ibaka goes off for 26 points on Monday - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka shot 12-of-17 from the field for 26 points with 11 rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one 3-pointer in a loss to the Wizards on Monday.

Ibaka goes off for 19 points with 17 boards - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka exploded on Thursday with 19 points, 17 rebounds and five blocks against the Mavericks.

Fantasy: Jeremy Lin played well Monday, but ...

Source: Fantasy Basketball Blog by Tom Carpenter, ESPN.com

Tom Carpenter recaps Monday's NBA action, which included good outings from Jeremy Lin, Chris Copeland and Serge Ibaka.

Ibaka has career-night with 25 and 17 vs. SA - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka tied a career-high with 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting, a season-high 17 rebounds, and three blocks in the Thunder's 107-93 win over the Spurs.

Stephen Jackson threatens Serge Ibaka - Stephen Jackson | SA

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

While watching Serge Ibaka and Metta World Peace tussle on TV, Stephen Jackson took pointed shots at the Thunder C on his Twitter account.

Mostly NBA Notes: Kevin loves crashing the boards

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

Kevin Love hasn't missed a beat since returning from his hand injury, averaging 23.0 ppg and a modest 15.6 rpg. His 1.4 spg is a career-high while his 0.6 bpg ties his previous best mark. His shooting percentages are down, which can at least partially be attributed to him attempting 33.9 percent of his shots from beyond the arc this season. He's also getting to the line a career best 11.2 times per game so far, and yet he's shooting just 69.6 percent from there, easily a career low, so it's safe to blame the early struggles on his hand injury (as well as the small sample). The rest of Love's game actually looks improved, which is a scary proposition for the rest of the league once he gets closer to full strength. His current

Mostly NBA Notes: Marc Gasol is dropping dimes

Source: Roto Arcade by Dalton Del Don

For someone 7-1, 265, Marc Gasol's rebounding ability remains a bit disappointing (7.0 rpg), but every other aspect of his game is exemplary. He's shooting 90.2 percent from the line, but what's really been impressive is his passing, as he's averaging 4.9 apg. To put this in perspective, the center with the next most apg has averaged 3.7 (Greg Monroe), while the third (Dwight Howard) has 2.1 and the fourth (Zaza Pachulia) has 1.8. And to make this difference even more stark, while Gasol has gotten just 1.2 turnovers per game, the next three have averaged 3.1, 3.3 and 1.8, respectively. In fact, Gasol's assist:turnover ratio (4.15) is the second-best in the league, regardless of position. He's been the 11th most valuable fantasy

Day 13: LA Reunite Nash and D’Antoni

Source: Give Me The Rock by Erik

Contrary to what we all expected would happen, the Los Angeles Lakers sign Mike D’Antoni to a four-year deal and NOT Phil Jackson. Now from a Laker-fan standpoint this is a tad of a letdown as Jackson has had a storied history with the franchise. From a fantasy basketball perspective, however, this news should make Laker players (especially Nash) owners feel like they were drinking a Red Bull-Kool-Aid slushie at a rave. D’Antoni is a point guard’s coach, as we’ve seen the wonders he’s done with Steve Nash (in a previous lifetime) in Phoenix and in a brief explosive pocket of time with

Ibaka scores career-high 25 points vs. DET - Serge Ibaka | OKC

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Serge Ibaka had his second straight game with 20 points on Friday, hitting 9-of-13 shots for a career-high 25 points with seven rebounds and three blocks in 35 minutes.

Fantasy: Ibaka gets more involved on offense

Source: Fantasy Basketball Blog by Josh Whitling, Special to ESPN.com

Josh Whitling recaps Thursday's games from a fantasy perspective, including Serge Ibaka doing more on offense.

Day 10: It’s All About the PT, Baby

Source: Give Me The Rock by Patrick

Line of the Night: It’s amazing what Serge Ibaka (1.77) can do in 37 minutes on the court. Thunder Coach Scott Brooks shortened up his rotation against the Bulls last night (only going 9 deep) and the result was a season high in minutes for Ibaka and 21 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. It’s Ibaka’s best game so far this season and here is hoping the extra playing time becomes a trend for Ibaka moving forward.

Honorable Mentions: Nicolas Batum (1.45) was everywhere against the Clippers, showing what a multi-category beast he can be by scoring 23 points, with 9

The Daily Dose: Dose: Serge Ibaka Explosion

Source: Rotoworld Basketball Articles

Friday's Dose is here, and Serge Ibaka is starting to live up to the hype.

Day 8: Kyle Lowry Injury Means Opportunity

Source: Give Me The Rock by Nels

For people who like politics as much as I (and hopefully you) like fantasy basketball, last night was like the Finals, and seeing all those bar charts of blue and red just made me wish that we could allow 16 teams in our system to compete for that eventual Presidential Championship prize. I mean, we all know that it’s going to be the Heat and the Lakers in the Finals this year, but at least we have different teams competing; James Harden stepping up to lead the Rockets, the new-look Nets, the Bulls are-they-hanging-in-there watch, the quiet-but-always-solid Spurs (with the league’s best record

Day 8: I Hope Everyone Traded Kyle Lowry

Source: Give Me The Rock by Nels

For people who like politics as much as I (and hopefully you) like fantasy basketball, last night was like the Finals, and seeing all those bar charts of blue and red just made me wish that we could allow 16 teams in our system to compete for that eventual Presidential Championship prize. I mean, we all know that it’s going to be the Heat and the Lakers in the Finals this year, but at least we have different teams competing; James Harden stepping up to lead the Rockets, the new-look Nets, the Bulls are-they-hanging-in-there watch, the quiet-but-always-solid Spurs (with the league’s best record

Lowry helped to locker room w/ ankle sprain - Kyle Lowry | TOR

Source: Rotoworld Basketball

Kyle Lowry left Tuesday's game in the second quarter after stepping on Serge Ibaka's foot and suffering a sprained right ankle.

Day 3: PPD Due to Rain

Source: Give Me The Rock by Nels

The three hearts of the GMTR authors go out to everyone affected by Hurristorm Sandy. Patrick was without cable for a while, but that is practically inconsequential compared to the results of the storm as a whole. While we all agree it was the right call for the NBA to postpone the Brooklyn Nets first even NBA game, it is the first time that I can remember ever seeing an NBA game postponed.

It’s a good thing for me that there was only 1 game yesterday, though, since I only got 3 hours of sleep due to a release last night, and Patrick is having a kid, and Erik’s computer is in the shop… We’ll just have to see what happens.

Draft recap: The NBA TV-TNT Fantasy League

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

Recently, twelve distinguished on-air personalities from the NBA-TNT family — including the two gentlemen pictured above — convened for a fantasy hoops draft, hosted by Yahoo! Sports.

Our participants include two Hall of Famers (Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller), three members of the 1992-93 Orlando Magic (Shaquille O'Neal, Dennis Scott, Terry Catledge Steve Kerr), one former head coach (Mike Fratello), one slam-dunk champ (Brent Barry), one excellent reporter (David Aldridge), one irregular reporter (Craig Sager), two guys who used to terrorize the Big Ten (Steve Smith, C-Webb), and one guy who used to work with Larry Johnson but now works with Larry Beil (Greg Anthony).

[Fantasy Basketball '12:

Friends & Family hoops draft: In their own words

Source: Roto Arcade by Brandon Funston

The Yahoo! Friends and Family League is hot out of the oven and ready for your scorn perusal , having drafted Friday morning, on the cusp of the final draft weekend before the '12-'13 NBA regular season tips off.

[Fantasy Basketball '12: Play the official game of NBA.com]

The league consists of 12 owners, pairing off weekly in a nine-category, head-to-head battle. The Family Division is made up of myself and five other Yahoo!s: Dalton Del Don, Andy Behrens, Scott

Holding court: Sleepers and busts for 2012-’13

Source: Roto Arcade by deldon

With the '12/'13 NBA regular season fast approaching, Yahoo! fantasy basketball pundits (Andy Behrens, Dalton Del Don, Brandon Funston) offer up their favorite sleepers and issue a warning as to which players are being drafted much too high based on where they are being taken, on average, in Yahoo! drafts (ADP).

Sleeper Guard (ADP outside top 50)

Andy — Damian Lillard, Por - The kid just went 21-8 in the preseason win over Utah, and national NBA writers are already profiling him.

Holding court: Sleepers and busts for 2012/13

Source: Roto Arcade by deldon

Here are takes on some over and undervalued players by three of Yahoo's! fantasy pundits:

Sleeper Guard (ADP outside top 50)

Andy — Damian Lillard, Por - The kid just went 21-8 in the preseason win over Utah, and national NBA writers are already profiling him. In another week or so, he won't be available outside the top-90, where he's going right now.

Dalton — Klay Thompson, GSW — He averaged 18.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.1 spg and 2.1 3pt while shooting 90.6 percent from the line over 29 starts as a rookie

Top 35 Fantasy Power Forwards for the 2012-13 Season

Source: Give Me The Rock by Patrick

Power forward is arguably the deepest position in the league. This year, 35 power forwards might actually get drafted in many leagues. But don’t take my word for it, let’s jump right in…

Tier 1: Give Them a Hand

1. Kevin Love (4), Minnesota Timberwolves

We assumed that Love was an unstoppable force in fantasy leagues, turns out all it took was a few pushups to set him back. Yes, Love is expected to miss the first 4 to 6 weeks of the season after breaking a bone in his hand while

Fantasy Basketball Rankings: Top 25 Power Forwards

Source: Fake Teams by sportsbyjack

Dirk Nowitzki is always dependable in Dallas and Josh Smith is going to be front and center on a rebuilding Atlanta Hawks franchise. Players to keep an eye on this season include Serge Ibaka, who should play an even bigger role with the Thunder this season, Ersan Ilyasova, who will get a chance to come into his own in Milwaukee and

Mostly NBA Notes: Injuries Wreaking Havoc

Source: Roto Arcade by deldon

Tough luck for those who've already had their draft or auction and came away with Kevin Love or Dirk Nowitzki, as both will be sidelined for the foreseeable future with injuries. Nowitzki's was less of a shock as he's been dealing with a knee issue since last year, and it was clear he wasn't feeling right all preseason. Hopefully the arthroscopic surgery means he returns feeling much closer to 100 percent, and it's better to get it taken care of now rather than midseason, but the bet is him likely missing around 20 games. In the meantime, Elton Brand and O.J. Mayo are the main beneficiaries of Nowitzki's absence. Love's hand injury, on the other hand, came out of nowhere and was actually the result of doing knuckle pushups. He

Mostly NBA Notes: A look around the league

Source: Roto Arcade by deldon

Kyrie Irving was the 38th most valuable player last year during his rookie season, and he was just 19 years old and only Nicolas Batum finished higher (by one spot) with fewer mpg (by 0.1). Irving did this having played a total of 11 games at the collegiate level. Of course, that also means he missed a bunch of time at Duke due to injuries, had to sit out 15 more games last year in the NBA and also broke his hand during the offseason. But as Mr. Kruger would say, I'm not too worried about it. He's already participating in scrimmages and should be 100 percent by the start of the season and is clearly immensely talented — he shot 39.9 percent from behind the arc last year and 87.2 percent from the line, and there's a real chance

GMTR Readers’ Mock Draft Results

Source: Give Me The Rock by Nels

I’m not a betting man… In fact, I’d rather bet on NFL football than bet on anything related to a fantasy basketball draft… especially a mock draft. I mean, Dirk Nowitzki at #6 is already a bit of a surprise… Let’s see what else this Readers’ Mock Draft has in store…

Round Team Player Pos Team R1 P1 Pha Jamma Slamma James, LeBron SF MIA R1 P2 donaghybets Durant, Kevin SF OKC R1 P3 Ball Till I Fall Love, Kevin PF MIN R1 P4 Erik@GMTR Paul, Chris PG LAC R1 P5 Ty Lawless Westbrook, Russell PG OKC R1 P6 StickyMamba Nowitzki, Dirk PF DAL R1 P7 Nels@GMTR Jefferson, Al PF UTA R1 P8 Stanfordhooper Irving, Kyrie PG CLE R1 P9 unclerini Smith,

Mock Draft Results and Analysis 2012-13

Source: Give Me The Rock by Erik

I know you like mock draft results. Who doesn’t? I promised on on Give Me The Rock’s Facebook page, a little bit too soon, that I would participate in a Yahoo! mock draft and post the results. Three weeks too early, it was tough to get a slot in a mock I was sure would fill up. Maybe it’s my timezone. Whatever. I finally got into one in a draft position that was requested by the most people who replied to the thread, middle position.

As you may or may not know, I’m fond of doing mock drafts. I like to get around 10 or so under my belt before my first real

Deep League Sleepers for the 2012-13 NBA Season

Source: Give Me The Rock by Patrick

You shallow leaguers think it’s always about you and your awesome fantasy teams filled with all-star caliber players. If you happen to play in one of those easy mode fantasy leagues, Erik already gave you 15 sleepers to watch this season. Now it’s time to give the deep leaguers some love. Here is a look at some sleepers for deeper leagues in 2012-13 (aka, the deep sleep). For those of you in 14-team leagues and larger, the following guys just might still be available at the back end of your draft.

Luke Ridnour, G, Minnesota Timberwolves: The arrival of wunderkind Ricky Rubio last season was supposed to be

Top 20 Shot Blockers of the 2011-12 NBA Season

Source: Give Me The Rock by Erik

If you want to win blocks this season and make it easy on yourself, draft Serge Ibaka. It’s that simple. When it comes to breaking down last season’s top shot blockers you can very roughly break it down into three tiers. The biggest is composed of guys who averaged one block per game, maybe a bit more but still less than two. Next is a handful of guys who did manage to average two blocks a night. Finally, there’s Serge Ibaka. Yes, the discrepancies are that big. Here, take a look.

Unfortunately, DeAndre Jordan should still be, technically, considered as a blocking

Top 20 in Steals of the 2011-12 NBA Season

Source: Give Me The Rock by Erik

If I intend to compete in the steals category, and by “compete” I actually mean “dominate my opponents so they go running home, crying to mama,” I go for solid steals producers early and I normally try to target two within the early rounds. This stems from the idea that steals are generally harder to find in the FA pool once the season has begun. On the other hand, if you’re playing with the rotisserie format and just want to maintain a middle-of-the-pack level of steals stacked, you don’t have to go at it as aggressively. However, picking a top-10 player within the first four or five rounds would be