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2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Rankings: Centers 1-15 | Cs 16-30
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Dwight Howard, Magic
Howard is the best big man in fantasy basketball. He rakes in points, rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage. Superman Part 2 may turn the ball over a little too much for a center and is still terrible at the free throw line, but is a no-brainer mid-first round pick.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 22.0 ppg, 14.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 3.00 bpg, 58% FG
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Al Jefferson, Timberwolves
Big Al was a fantasy beast before tearing ACL and costing him the remainder of the season. He is back, healthy, and will have to take on an even bigger role early in the season with the injury to Kevin Love. There are not a lot of star centers in the league this season, but Jefferson is the only one (besides Howard) worthy of a top 20 pick.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 23.5 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.60 bpg, 51% FG
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David Lee, Knicks
A rebounding machine, Lee is an average scorer who doesn’t block a lot of shots. The addition of Jordan Hill and health of Eddy Curry might hurt his numbers a bit, but being in a contract year should motivate him to continue his hard-working mentality on a bad Knicks team.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 15.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 0.50 bpg, 56% FG
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Brook Lopez, Nets
Lopez was one of the few rookies last season to make a true fantasy impact. He has solid numbers in every statistical category and won’t drag your team down in any specific area. On a Nets team lacking a lot of offensive weapons, he should get even more looks in the post this season.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 16.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.80 bpg, 54% FG
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Andris Biedrins, Warriors
Biedrins puts up solid numbers in boards, blocks, steals, and field goal percentage, but is not a great scorer or free throw shooter. He is still young and should continue to improve his offensive game, but not by much as the Warriors have a roster full of offensive-minded players.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 12.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 2.00 bpg, 59% FG
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Emeka Okafor, Hornets
Okafor goes from being on the worst offensive team in the league to having the benefit of playing with the best point guard in the game. He is always a good source for boards, blocks, and field goal percentage, but struggles from the free throw line and is a non-contributor in assists. He also seems to have shaken his early career injury issues.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 15.0 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.90 bpg, 58% FG
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Nene Hilario, Nuggets
If you look at trends of the last few seasons, Nene will probably blow out his ACL in the first game of the year. He was healthy last season and posted career numbers in pretty much every category, but likely won’t top his stats from last season.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 14.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.20 bpg, 56% FG
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Andrea Bargnani, Raptors
The former No. 1 pick finally showed some of his potential, shattering pervious career highs in points, boards, blocks, three-pointers, and field goal percentage. While he is certainly not a physical presence who is going to get a lot of boards, his ability to hit the triple is a rare bonus for a center. The additions of Hedo Turkoglu, Jarrett Jack, and Demar DeRozan will likely stunt his growth a tad.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 16.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.30 bpg, 95 3PTM
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Mehmet Okur, Jazz
Having Carlos Boozer and Paul Millsap back at the same time likely will take away from Okur’s production. He is not a great rebounder or shot blocker, but will hit a bunch of three’s.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 15.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.60 bpg, 80 3PTM
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Marcus Camby, Clippers
Camby proved he still has some life left in his legs last season. However, Chris Kaman is back after only playing in 31 games last season and Camby himself is an injury risk. If you are set on points and need some rebounds and blocks, Camby would be a solid selection in the early mid-rounds.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 9.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 2.00 bpg, 49% FG
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Al Hoford, Hawks
Horford will never be a big scorer in the NBA, especially this season with a lot of talent in the Hawks backcourt. Still, Atlanta will need him to be physical down low since they don’t have a lot depth inside which will net him a lot of rebounds and blocks. His shooting percentages aren’t spectacular but shouldn’t kill your team either.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 12.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.70 bpg, 54% FG
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Shaquille O’Neal, Cavaliers
I think Shaq is going to be re-juvinated and greatly benefit from seeing one-on-one match-ups inside. The knock is that he can’t make it full an entire season, but he did play in 75 games last year with Phoenix. I like him over some of the injury-prone centers ranked below even though he will be sharing time with Big Z.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 16.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.30 bpg, 60% FG
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Andrew Bynum, Lakers
Draft at your risk considering his injury concerns the past two years. Bynum will be the starter when he is healthy, but won’t be on the floor when it matters most for the Lakers. He could be a great mid-round bargain or a major bust so I wouldn’t rely on him to be your #1 center.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 13.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.50 bpg, 59% FG
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Andrew Bogut, Bucks
Back injuries are nothing to mess around with and Bogut is coming off a year in which he missed more than half of the season for that very reason. He will likely be the number two scoring option on a re-building Bucks team and gets a good amount of rebounds and has a high field goal percentage. Free throw shooting is a concern, but certainly not as major as his health.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 14.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.10 bpg, 54% FG
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Chris Kaman, Clippers
An underrated rebounder who will see his minutes off the bench in L.A.
Projected 2009-10 NBA Fantasy Stats: 13.0 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.70 bpg, 50% FG
2009-10 Fantasy Basketball Rankings: Centers 1-15 | Cs 16-30
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Written by Paul Banks of NBC Chicago and the Washington Times, and David Kay of the The Sports Bank.
Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
All other e-mail, including advertising and link proposals, send to: [email protected]
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