James Posey

Posey will challenge Peterson for the starting shooting guard with Rasual Butler gone, but will likely head into this season assuming his standard sixth-man role. There's not much upside to be had by drafting Posey, but he's a viable late-round option in deeper leagues because you really know what you're going to get with him - a steal, 1.5 treys, 4.5 rebounds and a solid free-throw percentage impact.

Posey helped the Celtics win the title last season by doing what he does best – driving the opposition’s best wing scorer batty with his stifling defense. He’ll take his act to New Orleans this year, serving as a Kobe stopper (or Manu stopper, or T-Mac stopper) for a Hornet team with title aspirations. In that role, he probably won’t see big minutes – but in New Orleans he’ll be behind Peja Stojakovic and David West, who aren’t exactly Cal Ripken and Brett Favre when it comes to avoiding injuries. Look for a slight boost to Posey’s numbers across the board that will come with an extra 5-7 minutes per game on average.

The phrase “defensive specialist” is anathema to fantasy basketball players, and Posey’s role this year on the Celtics should be just that. With scorers Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen on the team, Posey will see very few offensive touches, and his role will be almost exclusively as a lockdown defender off the bench. He will probably average less than the 7.7 ppg he had last year in Miami, though his 5.0 rebounds per game may increase in a thin Celtics frontcourt. His shooting percentages, blocks and assists have never been anything special and not especially fantasy-worthy.

Points and boards are far from a strength in Posey's game, rendering him undraftable in many leagues, but he gives Miami a legitimate threat from behind the three-point arc (117) and plays tough defense for a team has plenty of offensive weapons.

In an injury plagued season in Memphis, Posey averaged a mere 8.1 points per game but chipped in all across the board with 4.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and one steal per game (down from 1.67 the previous season). Posey will likely earn the starting nod at the Small Forward position and should see around 30 minutes a night. He’ll have multiple open looks from the outside as opponents focus on the team’s superstars, and his numbers should see a spike from last year. That said, Posey will likely be the last offensive option on the floor at times and will have significantly more NBA value than fantasy.

Posey had a career year last season, posting plenty of steals, threes and points and contributing solid defense and hustle which kept him on the court. As with any Grizzlie not named Jason Williams or Pau Gasol, however, Posey is at risk for losing minutes in 2004-05 as coach Hubie Brown will most likely implement his 10-man rotation once again. If Mike Miller, Bonzi Wells or Shane Battier get hot, Posey could easily wind up sitting for extended stretches. But when Posey's on the floor, he'll get you a little bit of everything, and as such, he's worth a look in the mid to late rounds of your draft.

Team owner Jerry West has indicated that Posey will start the year at shooting guard ahead of injury-plagued Michael Dickerson. He should see 30+ minutes a game and could average close to 11 points and five rebounds per contest.