Empty the Bench

- Just hours before the deadline, Minnesota locked up their new franchise centerpiece for five more years. Teams had until midnight yesterday to sign the extensions, and Al Jefferson agreed to a to $65 million deal just in time. It appears to be a major coup for a team short on positive news in recent months. Had they not come to terms, Baby Al would have become a restricted free agent next summer, but if he has the type of season we foresee it would likely have taken $10-15 million more to to seal this kind of deal. Jefferson is one of the most promising big men in basketball and would likely have commanded a near-max contract if he manages to put up the 22 points, 11 boards, 2 blocks we expect. This will be Jefferson’s fourth season in the NBA after being selected out of high school by the Boston Celtics after averaging 42 points, 16 rebounds and 9 blocks per game as a senior at Prentiss High School in Mississippi.

- As if you needed another reason to love your second-round selection of Deron Williams, Jazz coach/disciplinarian Jerry Sloan came out and said that he’s going to trust Williams to run the offense and make things happen even more this season. Williams should have the ball in his hands all the time and will be given every opportunity to lead the NBA in total assists after finishing second to Steven Nash last season. If Deron continues to improve and mature he’ll certainly be in the running for best point in the NBA this year. I’ve already gotten a chance to see six quarters of Jazz basketball this season, and the kid looks confident and strong.

- Am I crazy, or did Stephon Marbury come out this summer and proclaim that he would become less of a scorer and more of a distributor this season? That was about the only thing that made sense from the entire interview he did with Bruce Beck on Mike’d Up a few months back. With the addition of Zach Randolph the Knicks probably don’t need Marbury to force the offense outside. Well, in a trademark change of heart, now Marbury says he’s going to shoot more this year. So, is anybody in the Knicks’ starting lineup of going to focus on something besides getting their own shot now? This team is fielding one of the most selfish starting fives in recent NBA history.

- Kudos go to Brian for selecting Ronnie Brewer as his breakout shooting guard. Brewer had 18 points on 8-of-14 FGs and 4 steals in the opener and looks like the real deal. Drafting a talented rookie, forcing him to sit and learn for a year, then getting major contributions in the sophomore campaign is fastly becoming a Utah Jazz modus operandi. This kid looks amazing, even if that shot is ugly as sin. Brewer gets in passing lanes on defense and is extremely active around the hoop on offense, which should buoy his FG% despite the shooting woes. He needs to be owned in all leagues.

- Nene is overweight, and apparently likes to vacation. Too much. According to coach Karl, “The whole thing comes down to, if he’s going to play like a warrior, he probably should be taking care of his body all the time instead of just October to June.”

- And another season of Stromile Swift as fantasy sleeper comes to an end. Swift somehow lost his starting job without playing a single minute, being demoted just moments before the Grizzlies’ opener. Darko Milicic got the starting gig, and Swift managed only 4 points and 3 boards in 13 minutes. It doesn’t much matter, we have no interest in either of these guys.

- The Mavs are trying to send a message early that they’re a tough, physical team. Jerry Stackhouse is starting, and he played well in the opener. Meanwhile, Jason Terry is coming off the bench, but it won’t stay that way for long if Eddie Jones continues to show his age. Terry led Dallas in scoring, notching 24 points on 6 three-pointers and Jones was largely ineffective. On the inside, DeSagana Diop played heavy minutes and figures to have some value this season with the Mavericks committed to defense. Diop’s 8 points, 11 boards and 4 blocks make him one to keep an eye on.

- Just a quick update on Pistons rookie guard Rodney Stuckey. It appears his hand/wrist is healing quickly, and he should have no trouble sticking to the original six-week timetable. For his part, Stuckey thinks he’s ahead of schedule and will be back sooner than anticipated. This kid is a real fantasy sleeper who can play both guard positions, score, and get to the basket, so keep him on your radar.

Oh, and Antonio McDyess doesn’t really sound like he wants to start. If Dice really prefers coming off the bench, we have no problem with Jason Maxiell starting. HC Flip Saunders was a bit stingy with J-Maxx’s minutes in the team’s season-opening win at Miami Thursday night, but we’re hoping he was saving him for the rubber game tonight in Orlando.

Guys we’re looking at on the wire today:

John Salmons: Salmons has always put up serviceable fantasy stats when given heavy minutes. As a starter last season he averaged 12 points, 4.2 boards, 4 assists and 1.2 steals on good percentages. With Bibby out, the Kings could lean on him for the first few months.

Reggie Evans: If you need boards, Evans might be your guy. He’s strictly a rebounding specialist, but man is he good at it. Reggie has always been among the NBA leaders in rebounds per minute and we knew the Sixers would miss plenty of shots, but 15 boards in 22 minutes? Craziness.

Yi Jianlian: Ok, he’s going to need to learn how to keep up with big, fast, athletic men. That will be important going forward. And some defensive footwork wouldn’t hurt either. Still, I was impressed Jianlian was able to put up 9 points (on 5 FG attempts), 2 blocks and a steal before fouling out very, very early. I’m not interested in owning Yi yet, but I am going to start paying attention.

Delonte West: I love Delonte’s complete skill set and gritty play, but the guy never seems to stay healthy or get consistent minutes. If he can carve out a meaningful role on this developing team, West is going to be an efficient, across-the-board contributor. I like Luke Ridnour, but he needs a fresh start elsewhere– he’s not even a part of the rotation right now. By the way, am I the only person who feels like Delonte would cut me if we met in a dark alley?

Mike James: James already looks more comfortable in two games in Houston and playing for Rick Adelman that he did all of last season in Minnesota. James is an aggressive spark plug who could steal Rafer Alston’s job sooner rather than later. He’s a shooter and a scorer that just fits this offense better.

Bobby Simmons: He’s coming off a lost season, but during the 04-06 campaigns Simmons was a strong SF option for fantasy squads. Bobby is coming off the bench behind Desmond Mason for now, but Simmons is more polished and a better shooter than Mason and should have a chance to earn a starting role. 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting is a good start.