OFFICIAL RULE CHANGES AND SEPTEMBER TRANSACTION ANALYSIS September 21, 1999 Rules changes designed to reduce physical play and improve the flow of the game have been officially approved by the NBA's Board of Governors. The previous article posted on the site described the potential fantasy impacts of the rules. The some of the official rule changes include: Tighter interpretation of foul rules, especially physical play away from the ball. A crackdown is expected on excessive banging in the low post and defenders grabbing to impede a player running through screens. Prohibition of forearm checking, except below the free throw line, in what amounts to a total arms-off policy for defenders. A 5-second rule limiting the amount of time an offensive player with his back to the basket can control the ball below the free throw line before he must pass, shoot or pick up his dribble. Previously, players could stay isolated and dribble down the shot clock The Orlando Magic today signed forward Monty Williams, a former first-round draft pick who has a history of heart ailments. The Magic also began to purge some of the deader weight from their bloated roster by waiving guard Tim Legler and forward Makhtar Ndiaye. It will be interesting to see who ends up earning minutes for the Magic this season. Most on the current roster have not been regular starters in the past so there are bound to be some players with more fantasy value than expected as a result of the increased playing time. Erick Dampier will miss the start of training camp after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair torn cartilage. If Dampier's recovery extends so that he misses the beginning of the season Adonal Foyle may be a sleeper fantasy player as he will probably start until Dampier returns. If Foyle's career stats were projected to 30 minutes per game he would be average 7 points, 9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. His rebounds and blocks would fit nicely into many fantasy manager's player portfolio. Terry Cummings will return for his 18th NBA season with the Golden State Warriors. Last season his scoring average ranked third among players who did not start a single game and the playing time he received served to retard the development of younger players such as Antawn Jamison and Adonal Foyle. Next year though, the elderly Cummings will most likely play fewer minutes giving way for the younger guys to have more of an impact. Lazaro Borrell, a former Cuban national team player who defected during the Tournament of the Americas in Puerto Rico, signed a two-year contract with the Seattle SuperSonics. It is unlikely Borrell will have any fantasy value and may struggle to make the active roster. The Chicago Bulls renounced their rights to veteran guard Ron Harper and re-signed free agent forward Dickey Simpkins. Last year Simpkens nearly doubled his career averages playing for the talent depleted Bulls. The addition of Elton Brand and Will Perdue may prevent him from matching last years numbers. Ron Harper posted his best numbers of the past five seasons last year averaging double figure scoring for the first time since the 93-94 season. Harper will most likely resume putting up mediocre numbers with the teams ends up with, perhaps the Lakers. The Miami Heat re-signed reserve guard Rex Walters. He should have no fantasy value next season. The Philadelphia 76ers signed free agent forward Bruce Bowen and second-round pick, center Todd MacCulloch, to undisclosed contracts. MacCulloch had some strong performances in the Tournament of the America's (for Canada) over the summer but at this point it is doubtful that he will be a viable fantasy player next year. Other than steals, Bowen has not shown much fantasy potential in the past and he most likely will not get much playing time for Philly. The Vancouver Grizzlies signed free agent forward Grant Long to a three year contract. Long averaged 9.8 points and 5.9 rebounds last season while playing in all 50 games for the Atlanta Hawks. His departure from Atlanta will loosen up the competition for playing time at power forward where the prime candidates are Lorenzen Wright and Alan Henderson. At this time it is difficult to say whether Wright or Henderson will end up with more minutes. Wright certainly has more fantasy potential because of his rebounding and shot blocking although Henderson is better offensively which may be what the Hawks need more. In Vancouver, Othella Harrington looked to be a potential sleeper at the power forward position but now Grant Long may put a squeeze on his minutes. Center Jayson Williams will miss training camp and the first two months of the season because of special surgery performed on his knee. The Nets will also be without backup rookie center Evan Eschmeyer until January. This should allow Jamie Feick to have fantasy value for his rebounding in their absence. It would also leave open the opportunity for Gheorghe Muresan to get some playing time if he has recovered from a series of past injuries. The condition of Muresan in training camp should be observed. The Los Angeles Clippers bought out the final year of the point guard Pooh Richardson's contract meaning he won't be a Clipper next year. This is another small step towards Troy Hudson claiming the starting point guard spot for the Clippers. The Knick's backup center Chris Dudley sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee in mid-September. The prognosis is a four-to-six week rest period, meaning Dudley will miss the start of training camp drills in early October. There is the potential that both Ewing and Dudley will miss the beginning of the season or at least not be 100 percent. This will give additional minutes to the other Knicks big men such as Marcus Camby, Larry Johnson, and Kurt Thomas. Newly acquired John Wallace may also see more time than initially expected as a result. The Phoenix Suns signed forward Corie Blount to a two-year contract. Blount received interest from several teams despite having averaged only 3.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in his six year NBA career. Blount will have minimal fantasy value as a backup to Tom Gugliotta. The Sacramento Kings signed free agent center Bill Wennington. In his twelve year career he has never averaged more than 19 minutes per game and he will not be much of a factor next year either. The Mavericks sent veteran A.C. Green to the Lakers for forward-center Sean Rooks and a 2000 second-round pick. At this time the candidates for playing time at the Laker power forward slot are Green, Robert Horry, and Travis Knight. Of this group, Horry has the best fantasy potential but he will need to get 30 plus minutes to be worth adding to your team. Since Green and Knight don't represent formidable competition there is a chance for him to see substantial playing time. For his career Robert Horry has averaged 30 minutes per game posting the following averages: 9.3 points, 2.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 treys. That doesn't suck. Rooks will certainly see more playing time for the Mavericks and has an outside shot of having some fantasy value. To order a player rating report customized to your league stat categories as well as a fantasy basketball newsletter, visit the HoopsKlyce Order Page. The start of the season is rapidly approaching.   Previous Article Next Article Copyright © Hoops Klyce 2000 - All Rights Reserved Website Designed by Lelnet Failed to execute script '../cgi-local/ax.cgi': Win32 Error Code = 2