LestersLegends.com

First of all, if you were holding out hope that Yao Ming would be able to at least give you a couple good months at the end of the year, you can get on with your life.  He’s not going to play this year.  He has grown weary of his recurring foot injuries so he is going to take the time to allow it to fully heal.

If you were planning on holding on to him in a keeper league, it’s past the time to have cut him lose, but if you have been holding on to him like the note from your first girlfriend, it’s time to move on.  Even if he comes back for the 2010-11 season, he’ll bring an enormous injury risk with him.  He also could have a limited role going forward to assure that he stays healthy.  Much like Bill Walton saw reduced minutes at the end of his career, Yao could be on some sort of a pitch count, which would reduce his fantasy value.

Luis Scola, on the other hand, gets a major bump in fantasy value.  He will be more of a focal point of their offense.  Look for a dramatic increase in his scoring and a slight bump in his rebounding.

In other news, the Knicks have agreed to one-year deals with David Lee and Nate Robinson.  The duo couldn’t have landed in a more fantasy-friendly environment.  They both thrived in Mike D’Antoni’s system last year.  Lee averaged career highs of 16.0 ppg and 11.8 rpg.  Robinson averaged career highs of 17.2 ppg, 3.9 rpg, and 4.1 apg.  I would expect both to see a dip in production, but they should remain relevant fantasy basketball options.

In other news Raymond Felton and Flip Murray signed with the Charlotte Bobcats.  Felton remains a nice fantasy option, but Murray is a fill-in player at best.

Image courtesy of Icon SMI

ESPN is reporting that Houston Center Yao Ming’s broken left foot is healing to the point where not only do the Rockets believe his career isn’t in jeopardy, but they also think they he will play this coming season.  I believe it’s better news for Rockets fans than fantasy owners. 

Yao is so productive when he plays, and at a shallow position, that he won’t come at the discount that a person with his injury history should.  He will likely miss a good chunk of games to start the year, and will take some time to get up to speed.  The Rockets could still limit his minutes to reduce the stress on his foot.  If he’s on a pitch count, so to speak, I’m afraid he won’t have much of a fantasy impact.  I’m glad to hear his health is improving, I just caution you to proceed with caution when drafting the big fella.  Despite the encouraging news, I still don’t think Yao is worth holding on to in keeper leagues.

ESPN is reporting the World Champion Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to terms with Ron Artest.  It won’t become official until July 8th, but unless the deal his a snag, the Lakers can almost be penciled in for another trip to the Finals.

The Lakers already got a gift when they were handed Pau Gasol for Marc Gasol and some scraps.  Now Ron Artest will take less money to join the Lakers squad, which is shaping up to be a dynasty.  I cannot fault Artest for wanting to win a ring.  There have been many players who have taken cuts to win titles.  He point blank came out and said “I’m not playing for the money anymore.”

There aren’t many players who can somewhat keep Kobe in check.  Now one of them is on his team. 

It wasn’t all good news for the Lakers as Trevor Ariza, an important part of their title team, has agreed to join the Rockets.  Cleveland, who was interested in both wing players, has to feel a little left out in the cold as they missed out on two chances to add more firepower to the LeBron-Shaq marriage.

Yahoo! Sports is reporting that Yao Ming troublesome foot could force him to miss the entire 2009-2010 NBA season.  He broken foot isn’t healing properly and he will continue to see specialists.  There are some that thing the injury could lead to an early retirement.

If you were considering using Yao in a keeper league, you’ll have to look elsewhere.  Even if he does get the green light to return, can you really risk hanging onto somebody with his track record.  For now Yao can hang out with Bernard King and Bill Walton at the Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

Image Courtesy of Icon Sports Media

A good pal of mine tipped me to Fran Blinebury’s Rockets Courtside blog regarding Tracy McGrady.  To sum it up for you, he suggests that Tracy McGrady has quit on the Rockets much like he quit on the Raptors and the Magic in the past.  So if you’re a Tracy McGrady owner, now may be the time to try and move him. 

The main thing on your side in an attempt to move him is Name Value, which could lead someone to overpay for him.  Plus, he has decent numbers on the season averaging 15.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers.  However, in his last six games (not counting two DNPs) he’s averaging 8.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 three-pointers.  He didn’t play on Saturday so you’ll have to wait until he at least gets back in the lineup before moving him.  If he can have a stretch like he had from December 12th to the 20th where he averaged 20.8 points, 7.2 points, 7 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 2.0 three-pointers, he’ll be primed to move.  I know it will be tempting to hold onto those numbers, but you have to resist temptation because odds are he’ll come up lame once again.  If you can get a nice bounty for him, go ahead and make him someone else’s headache.