Looking for a spark for your fantasy team? Here are a few players making some unexpected noise:

Beno Udrih – You never know what Paul Westphal is going to do with his lineups. You could be in the starting lineup one day and out of it the next: as is the case with Donte Greene. However, these lineup changes mean opportunities for other players, and Beno Udrih appears to be the most recent beneficiary of Westphal’s changes. Udrih started in the backcourt alongside Tyreke Evans in Friday’s win over the Utah Jazz, and was a key part to their success. He dropped a season-high 25 points on an impressive 11-16 shooting. With Kevin Martin now out of the equation in Sacramento, their is certainly more time to go around in the backcourt. And while Westphal can be fickle about his lineups, you can be sure he’ll continue to keep Udrih involved as long as he keeps having big games.

John Salmons – With Michael Redd out for the season, and inconsistent play from Brandon Jennings, the  Bucks offense has frequently sputtered. The Milwaukee Bucks then took action by making a move for John Salmons at the trading deadline. Not only did this trade help to stabilize the Bucks’ backcourt, it also brought winning ways to Milwaukee. Since acquiring Salmons, the Bucks have won six straight games…and it’s no coincidence. Salmons has averaged 18 points, three assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. He’s also started the last four games and will continue to be a key rotation player for the Bucks for the foreseeable future.

Robin Lopez – What’s gotten into Robin Lopez? 19 games ago, Lopez replaced the three-point-happy Channing Frye in Phoenix’s starting lineup. Since then, the Suns’ new physical presence in the paint has helped Phoenix win 14 of those 19 games. He has been a consistent shot-blocker, solid rebounder and efficient low-post scorer. In his 19 starts, Lopez has averaged 13 points, 6.5 rebounds and one block per game. Lopez had a career night against the Clippers on Friday, pouring in 30 points and snagging 12 boards. While Lopez’ game is still raw, he will continue to improve as he gains more experience on the floor. Being the fiery competitor that he is, you always know that Lopez will be bringing his best effort on any given night so he is definitely worth grabbing on your fantasy squad if available.

T.J. Ford – The most-frequent resident in Pacers’ coach Jim O’Brien’s doghouse this season has definitely been T.J. Ford. Although he started this season as Indiana’s starting point guard, his lackluster play at the end of December resulted in his demotion to the bench while Earl Watson would take his spot in the starting lineup. Not only did Ford’s role just get reduced, he collected one DNP-CD after another. Supposedly, he even danced at the possibility of getting traded away from Indiana, but the deadline came and went with Ford still a Pacer. A few strong performances off the bench this month have catapulted Ford back into the starting lineup. Interestingly, he is replacing center Roy Hibbert in the starting lineup and is playing alongside Watson in the backcourt. Ford has been aggressive on offense and seems hell-bent on forcing O’Brien to keep him on the floor. While Ford struggles with inconsistency (and injuries), he’s worth a look on your fantasy team while he is seeing big minutes for the Pacers.

The All-Star break seemed to have stunted the momentum of the East’s two top teams. In their first game back, the Cleveland Cavaliers (43-19)  had a disheartening loss to the Denver Nuggets in overtime at the hands of Carmelo Anthony. The following night, the Cavs were visibly deflated against the Charlotte Bobcats and were outplayed from start to finish for their second consecutive loss. While the Orlando Magic (37-19) had a gimme  win against the abysmal Detroit Pistons in their first game back from the break, a horrific fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday resulted in a loss that just shouldn’t have happened.

The Magic and Cavs will go head to head tomorrow in what will surely be a statement game. Some bad blood has developed between these teams, largely stemming from the Magic’s series victory in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. Cleveland is 2-0 against Orlando this season, but with the Cavs’ recent lackluster play, the Magic are the close favorites to come out on top (see the detailed NBA odds).

The Cavs’ offseason acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal was with the primary thought of de-throning the Magic in mind. While O’Neal has only averaged 10 points and 5.5 rebounds a game against the Magic this year, he’s used 10 (of his 12 fouls) and been a physical body that has been successful in slowing down Dwight Howard. Howard has only averaged 15 points a game versus the Cavs this season. O’Neal and Howard have also developed a bit of drama between each other in regard to the “Superman” nickname. While O’Neal was the first to be called Superman, it seems to me as though he has enough nicknames of his own to not be concerned with others trying to copy his style.

Cleveland has continued to tinker with their roster in ways that could impact their ongoing rivalry with the Magic. The recent addition of Antawn Jamison should provide them with a more natural matchup with the Magic’s Rashard Lewis. While Jamison isn’t exactly known for his stellar defense, his athletic ability makes him a better fit to guard Lewis – whose game thrives on his perimeter skills and quickness advantage over bigger power forwards. In response to the addition of Jamison, Lewis was quoted as saying:

“It doesn’t scare me. One guy doesn’t win ballgames. They do have another guy called LeBron James, which is going to be our focus.”

The Jamison trade also meant the exit (at least in the short term) of Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. While “Big Z” is certainly on his decline, not having him in the lineup is a notable advantage for the Magic, who will be able to feed Howard with ease when O’Neal is relegated to the bench.

The Cavs do, however, have Mo Williams back in the lineup after recovering from a shoulder injury. He is a key to the Cavs’ success, as the threat of his outside shooting helps to spread the floor and provide James more room to operate and create. The play of the Magic’s backcourt will be equally important. They’ll rely heavily on Vince Carter to put points on the board, which he has been doing quite well in the month of February. Last time these two teams met, Carter shot an ugly 5 of 16 from the field in a close game, so a solid outing from him would be a serious step toward an Orlando win.

Prediction: Cleveland will come out victorious again. The Cavs aren’t playing their best of the season, but that is the very reason that LeBron James will come up big in tomorrows game. Do you think James will let the Cavs drop three straight? Me neither.

Tracy McGrady made an unforgettable debut as a New York Knick tonight. While Kevin Durant would have the last laugh tonight and lead the Thunder to victory, it was McGrady’s poised performance that will leave the Knicks fans with something to talk about around the water cooler this week.  Coming into tonight’s game, McGrady had only appeared in six games this season (none of which he played more than eight minutes) with ten points being his season high. While the Rockets hadn’t considered him physically fit enough to play this season (as he had still been recovering from micro-fracture surgery on his knee), in all likelihood they just didn’t see him fitting into their future plans. McGrady had insisted all along that he was ready to start playing again, and in his first night as a Knick he showed it.

Coach Mike D’Antoni started McGrady with the logic that he would be loose and ready to play immediately following warm-ups. The fans let out a collective cheer the first time McGrady caught the ball on the wing, and he continued to give them reason to cheer throughout the game. While McGrady might have looked a step slower than he was in his prime, he conducted himself as the star he likely believes himself to be. He came out with a swagger, making shifty drives to the hoop, working the pick-and-roll to perfection, and knocking down mid-range jump shots. It was great to see McGrady’s out there catching the ball on the wing with his back to the basket, then turning slightly to assess the defense while palming the ball with his outstretched arm – and then just making consistently sound decisions.

The young Thunder players treated McGrady with the attention that any superstar would demand, often bringing double-teams for added pressure. But McGrady kept the show going. Among his first half highlights were two “and one” layups, a ridiculous three-quarter-court bounce pass to Al Harrington for a layup, a successful bank shot from the top of the key, and a three-pointer from the corner to beat the shot clock. When the buzzer for halftime went off, McGrady had already amassed 19 points and three assists.

The second half was a bit less of a McGrady highlight-reel, but he still had a few moments that helped us remember the old “T-Mac”. In the third quarter he hit a beautiful 20-footer from the right wing and drew the foul with it. He also had an impressive hanging-layup over Nenad Krstic. In the fourth quarter, McGrady spent a substantial amount of time on the bench, but he did come into the game during crunch time and nailed a shot from the top of the key with 1:30 remaining in the fourth to put the Knicks up by six. He’d later make his way to the free-throw line, only to miss both attempts. This turned out to be a major blunder, as the Thunder capitalized on these misses and forced the game into overtime. Fatigue was likely a key culprit to those final misses from the free-throw line, and McGrady let D’Antoni know that he didn’t have enough energy to be a contributor in overtime.

“I didn’t have any legs at all,” said McGrady, “I felt like why go out there and hurt my team when we’re in a position to win. If I feel like I can’t be effective then there is no need for me to be out there.”

Still, the crowd yearned for more McGrady in the overtime period, and it was a bit of a surprise to not see him out there after the stellar game that he had put together. With about two minutes left in overtime, a “We want T-Mac” cheer started buzzing throughout the Garden. With about 30 seconds left, McGrady did get into the game as an inbounder for an out-of-bounds play where he hit Eddie House for a baseline jumper. He immediately returned to the bench following the play.

While the heroics of Durant would eventually seal the win for the Thunder, McGrady’s performance showed everyone that he still has a lot of game left. We all seem to forget that he is only 29 years old, and should be entering the prime of his career had he not been struck with injuries. No matter how you look at it, this performance was an impressive one for a player who hasn’t played since December 23, 2009, and hasn’t even played 46 full minutes this entire season.

Talking about his performance tonight in a seas0n-high 32 minutes of play, McGrady had this to say:

“It really felt good. It will help my confidence moving forward as far as mentally knowing that I can go out there and play a significant amount of minutes. The key is how I’m going to feel tomorrow and then Monday.”

The real judgment of McGrady will be on how healthy he can keep himself throughout the remaining 28 games of the season. If his knees can handle the day-to-day pounding and he can play himself into better playing shape, the Knicks might be inclined to look at McGrady as more than a rental player. Still, that’s a big “if”.

So what’s your take. Is the old T-Mac back, or was tonight just a spirited fluke?

While I haven’t been able to get a close look at all of the recently traded players on the floor with their new teams, I did get to see a few of these notable players in action tonight and pass my first judgment. Of course, any statistician would tell you that the sample-size we’re looking at is too small (as these players have only played one or two games with their respective teams), but for the most part we can see how they will be integrated within their new teams’ lineup.

One of the biggest trades made before the deadline was the swap that brought Antawn Jamison to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have every expectation that Jamison will develop into the best sidekick that LeBron James has had, and hope that their shared successes this season will help to sway James’ decision to stay in Cleveland after his contract is up. Jamison’s debut performance with the Cavs came tonight against the Bobcats, and it was without question his worst game of the year. He came off the bench for the Cavs, missed every one of his 12 shot attempts, and only got in the books with two free-throws late in the game. While it’s hard for any player to get rolling after they have missed their first several shots, it was probably even more difficult for Jamison as he was also trying to feel his way through the game with a new system and new teammates. Still you could see how Jamison could fit in…if he was any semblance of his Wizards self.

On several occasions Jamison was able to get spot-up threes, a trend that should continue as long as James forces defenses to collapse (read: always). The Cavs also had Jamison in for an early stretch when James was on the bench. Once Jamison gets a bit more comfortable, he will be a fantastic scoring option that can keep the momentum going while James needs a breather.

After the game Jamison said, “It was just one of those nights. It won’t happen again. I promise you that.”

It was a completely different story for the new players on the Bobcats. Tyrus Thomas and Theo Ratliff looked right at home in the Charlotte pinstriped whites. Thomas had a fantastic game for the Bobcats, hustling for rebounds and leaping for blocked shots. It seemed as though whenever Thomas was in the game he was very much in the mix. In just 25 minutes of play, Thomas grabbed 12 rebounds, blocked six shots, and pitched in six points as well. We also saw Larry Brown go with a small lineup involving Thomas, Gerald Wallace and Boris Diaw at the frontcourt spots. The athleticism and tenacity of that group demonstrated that they can give even the best teams fits. Ratliff was also productive in his limited minutes, grabbing five boards and blocking two shots. While the Bobcats can’t expect this kind of production every night from these two, they have to love getting eight blocks from their two new players off of the bench.  They’ll live with that.

How about Josh Howard and Al Thornton? They are already getting settled as g0-to scorers for a Wizards team that has done away with their star players and uprooted their identity. Together they led the charge tonight in a spirited effort, resulting in a win at home against the Denver Nuggets (who were just coming off their big win against the Cavs). Thornton repeatedly took it right at Carmelo Anthony and ended up with a team-high 21 points. Howard also had a highly efficient 20 points on 8-11 shooting. Because the Wizards now find themselves without a marquee scorer, Howard and Thornton will likely continue to be leaned upon heavily to put points on the board for Washington. While both players had been experiencing reduced roles with their previous teams, the trade to Washington will certainly give them a real opportunity to be offensive focal points and put their skills on display.

Marcus Camby’s first appearance in a Blazers uniform left a lot to be desired, but one has to wonder how much of his mediocre play had to do with the overall abysmal performance by Portland tonight. The Celtics dominated nearly the entire game, and Portland was never able to get into a consistent rhythm. I hoped that Camby would come out as a man possessed, swatting any shot that was foolishly attempted in the paint and becoming a human magnet for all shots that didn’t drop. Unfortunately, Camby was more or less a non-factor in the game. While he did start the game, he just seemed to blend in and go about his business quietly. He ended up with a sub-par line of 2 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks (two on Glen Davis) and 5 turnovers. Still, with as bad as the Blazers played tonight, Camby provided them with a legitimate defensive presence in the middle. After making due with Juwan Howard and Jeff Pendergraph holding down the center spot, having Camby on the floor is a real luxury for the Blazers. As he gets comfortable with the team and his role, I think that Camby will develop into a major contributor for this team.

Carmelo Anthony has been overshadowed by LeBron James his entire career. Two franchise forwards from the same draft class. Anthony’s development has been slower than LeBron, however he has blossomed into one of the league’s most prolific scorers…still not as prolific as James though, who leads the league at 30.1 points per game. When James and Anthony went head-to-head last night, James again made Anthony’s superstar line of 40 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds forgettable. James’ stat-line last night made the utter concept of a triple-double laughable, as he poured in 43 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds. But it was Anthony who got the last laugh this time, burying a cold-hearted, highly contested shot from the left wing, right over the outstretched arm of James. Dagger.

While the Tracy McGrady and Kevin Martin megatrade and just where Amar’e Stoudemire might (not) end up dominated talks about the trading deadline, the Charlotte Bobcats quietly went about their business and made trades that will make their team more dynamic and versatile.

The Bobcats shipped out reserve swingman Flip Murray, the seldomly used Acie Law and a first-round draft pick to Chicago in exchange for the tumultuous Tyrus Thomas. I actually love the idea of Thomas on the Bobcats, if for no other reason that a tandem of Thomas and Gerald Wallace would make for one of the most athletic, defensive -minded frontcourts in the league. Add them alongside Raymond Felton, Stephen Jackson and a healthy Tyson Chandler, and you’ve got a lineup that will wreak havoc in the passing lanes, challenge every shot, and scrap for rebounds and loose balls. Half-court offense could be an issue for this group, but hopefully their defensive efforts could lead to easy fast-break buckets at the other end.

The Bulls on the other hand are happy to get rid of Thomas, as he hasn’t seen eye to eye with coach Vinny del Negro this season and has often been a distraction for the team. Thomas didn’t take well to his prolonged role as a reserve, and he hasn’t shown that he can perform consistently off the bench. Still, he will get tutelage under one of the most decorated coaches in all of basketball in Larry Brown. At risk of being cliche, I will point out that Brown was Allen Iverson’s dream coach and Jackson also appears to be happy on the Bobcats, so dealing with difficult personalities is one of Browns specialties. If he can tap into Thomas’ full potential, the ‘Cats certainly took their talent level up a notch with this trade.

The acquisition of Murray is a welcome one in Chicago on the heels of trading away John Salmons. Murray will be looked to to provide a scoring punch off the bench, in a nearly identical role as to what Salmons was called upon to do. Law will likely continue his undesireable trend of being buried on the bench behind more dynamic point guards, as he won’t see much run behind Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich at the point.

The Bobcats also pulled the trigger on a minor deal with San Antonio which had them sending a protected second-round draft pick in 2016 (I couldn’t make this stuff up) in exchange for Theo Ratliff. Ratliff will provide the Bobcats with another big body for the inevitable games that Chandler (foot, ankle, etc.) and Nazr Mohammed (back) will miss due to injury.

The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks have agreed on a trade that will send Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry to the C’s in exchange for Eddie House, J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker and a future conditional second-round draft pick.

Yes, the Knicks wanted to give up NateRob that badly. House will likely fit in just fine in coach Mike D’Antoni’s system since he had previously played in it in Phoenix, but really this is a downgrade from Robinson. Both players played similar roles for their respective teams, providing instant offense off of the bench. Robinson, however, is a bit more dynamic with his athleticism and his ability to score elsewhere on the floor than just outside of the three-point line.

Granted, Giddens and Walker never got an opportunity to prove themselves on Boston’s stacked squad, but their inclusion in this trade was likely nothing more than providing the right contracts to make this work. The Celtics won’t be losing any sleep with this one.

It will, however, be interesting to see how Robinson can integrate himself into this savvy and established Boston team. Robinson is a scorer, and boy does he like to get shots up, but he’ll have to learn to defer to the Boston stars. In New York, it was more of a free-for all with no go-to players. Suddenly he is on a team with three future Hall-of-Famers in an offensive system based around teamwork and execution. Sure, the Celtics got the more talented player in this trade (by far), but House knew his role and was never a distraction. Logic would suggest that Robinson will conform to the winning ways already established in Boston, and the trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen is not a group to learn the intricacies of playing championship basketball.

Ultimately, I think this will make the Celtics a better team, but don’t be surprised if there is a bit of a transitional period before Robinson begins to truly click with the C’s.

While last night we came to learn that an agreement between the Rockets and Kings would send Kevin Martin to Houston in a deal involving Tracy McGrady. Less than a day later, the New York Knicks decided that they wanted in on the action, and added a significant dimension to this trade. The deal now looks like this:

Houston Receives:
Kevin Martin, Hilton Armstrong, Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries, the right to swap first-round picks with New York in 2011, and New York’s 2012 first-round pick.

Sacramento Receives:
Carl Landry, Larry Hughes and Joey Dorsey

New York Receives:
Tracy McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez

This trade actually works out well for all parties involved. Aside from adding an explosive scorer in Kevin Martin, the Rockets get additional depth and much-needed help in the frontcourt. We might look back one day and find that Jordan Hill was a steal in this trade, as he was a heralded lottery pick that just didn’t seem to fit in the Knicks’ up-tempo system. While it will be tough to fill Carl Landry’s shoes, Hill will have a true shot at being a contributor on this small Yao-less squad. While they had to take on Jared Jeffries’ horrific contract, they did get two picks from the Knicks that could help them add young talent to the roster.This was a team that needed a boost, and this trade does that and more for them. I’m still concerned about Martin’s defense, but once Yao returns (next year) this team could be downright scary.

Sacramento fans get rid of Martin’s hefty contract (3 years/$36 mil), add toughness  in Landry, and get a substantial expiring contract in Larry Hughes. This will free up some significant cap space for the Kings and allow them to add a solid veteran player to go alongside their young and talented core.

New York came away as a big winner in this trade as well. While they get Tracy McGrady, who in all likelihood won’t be the go-to player that we remember from way back when, they get to run him for a few months and see what he has left in the tank. But really, it’s less about T-Mac and more about his expiring contract and what that entails. When McGrady’s contract comes off of the books, the Knicks will be roughly $30 million under the salary cap. This means that they will be able to make a major push at LeBron James and potentially another big name free agent (aka, whoever LeBron wants to play with). This definitely adds some drama and intrigue to the anticipation of James’ big summer decision coming up. I think if the price is right, and the Knicks can get another legitimate star to commit to signing in New York as well, the bright lights of the Big Apple, the endorsement possibilities, and the allure of playing in Madison Square Garden could be too much to turn down.

Which re-vamped squad are you looking forward to watching the most?

The trading frenzy continues tonight, as the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings have agreed upon a seven-player deal that will send Tracy McGrady to the Kings and Kevin Martin to the Rockets.

As part of the deal, the Kings will also be trading Hilton Armstrong, Kenny Thomas and Sergio Rodriguez to Houston in exchange for Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey and an undisclosed amount of cash. While the Rockets will likely retain these new players, rumors are still swirling about New York still being the final destination for Tracy McGrady.

According to NBA analyst David Aldridge’s Twitter feed, there is still a “decent” chance that McGrady ends up in New York before the end of the trade deadline despite tonight’s trade to the Kings. He also notes that if the Kings trade McGrady to the Knicks, it would be the same package that New York offered Houston: Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill, Larry Hughes and picks. If I’m the Kings, I take that deal in a heartbeat and continue to build around the positive momentum that the current roster has already begun to develop.

While this trade can’t fully be assessed from the Kings’ perspective until the McGrady issue is officially settled, they can be pleased with this trade if only for the fact that they acquired Carl Landry. As a front-runner for this year’s sixth-man award (and a scrappy scorer and rebounder to boot), I think Houston will regret ever letting Landry go. Landry will get a great opportunity to lead this young Sacramento team, get meaningful minutes, and most importantly – provide the Kings with some toughness. Sure, the Kings lose Martin, but it seemed as though they grew accustomed to having him out of the lineup when he missed several weeks due to a fractured wrist. Tyreke Evans also blossomed as their primary scorer. While Martin’s surprisingly accurate (and consistently awkward) shot will be missed by Kings fans, his often-lackadaisical defensive effort will not.

The Rockets certainly added firepower to their roster with Martin, but again, defense in the backcourt could be an issue especially when Martin is on the floor alongside Aaron Brooks. Now, weak perimeter defense can often be cloaked when a team has a solid shot-blocker down low to clean up the garbage, but Houston’s Chuck Hayes and now Armstrong don’t really fit that bill. Still, the Rockets have been consistently operating without a go-to perimeter scorer for essentially the last two seasons (no, Trevor Ariza doesn’t count). Martin gives them a player who can score buckets in a hurry when called upon, and he also is relatively effective in creating his own shot opportunities. While the post T-Mac (and Yao) Rockets have prided themselves on gritty, defensive performances, they may want to push the tempo a bit more and look to light up the scoreboards with their new personnel.

Who do you think got the better end of this trade? Where do you think T-Mac will end up?