Marcus Camby

In his first full season with Portland, the 37-year old Camby remained an elite rebounder (10.3) and shot blocker (1.6) despite playing only 26 minutes per game. His offensive production took a hit in his 15th season, though, as he finished with career lows in scoring (4.7) and shooting percentage (39.8). He also continued to struggle at the free throw line, hitting just 61.4 percent of his attempts. Injuries were a problem for Camby once again, as he missed 23 games, including a 16-game stretch where he was sidelined with a partially torn meniscus. All signs point to Camby being healthy when the NBA’s labor situation is settled and the season gets underway, but given his age and injury history, owners should prepare for the veteran big man to miss some time. He’ll be back with the Trailblazers again this season, and unless Greg Oden re-signs with the team and proves he can get over injury problems of his own, Camby looks poised to be the starting center. There’s plenty of risk involved with selecting Camby, but he’s still capable of helping fantasy squads in rebounding and blocks when healthy.

Camby joined his third team in as many years when he was traded to Portland last season, and at this point, we know what to expect out of the big man – terrific rebounding and block numbers with little scoring and poor free throw shooting. And likely some missed games as well. If you don't mind taking a hit in scoring and need boards, Camby is fine to target (his poor FT shooting isn't a huge deal since he takes so few attempts). On paper, the Trail Blazers' frontcourt is loaded with LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla joining Camby, but in reality, with so many injury-prone options, minutes shouldn't be too hard to come by.

After playing 70 or more games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career, the “Camby Man” reverted back to his alter ego of “Mr. Glass” for the 2008-09 campaign. In his first season with the Clippers, Camby dealt with an array of lower-body problems that caused him to miss 20 games. While healthy, Camby was still a dominant force on the defensive end of the floor. His 11.1 rpg was fourth highest in the league, and his 2.1 blocks per contest trailed only Dwight Howard and Chris Anderson. One surprise that came during his first season in La-La Land was a boost in Camby’s offensive game. The 13-year veteran bumped his scoring from 9.1 to 10.3 ppg, which can be attributed to shooting 51.2 percent from the floor, his highest since 2000-01. That offensive production might be tough to duplicate for Camby after the Clippers selected Blake Griffin with the No. 1 overall selection in the draft. Griffin is expected immediately to receive ample playing time, possibly pushing Camby or Chris Kaman to a spot on the bench. Even with the possible cut in playing time, Camby will receive around 30 mpg and provide some of the best defensive and rebounding production from the center position.

Over the past few years, Camby has quietly become one of the most valuable fantasy centers in the NBA. He has averaged double-figure rebounds with 3-plus blocks per game for four consecutive years (career-highs 13.1 rpg, 3.6 bpg last season), he’s one of the best thieves among centers (1.1 spg), and he’s also become one of the better passing big men (3.3 apg). And at 34, Camby finally overcame his reputation for fragility by playing in a career-high 79 games. Camby was traded to the Clippers this offseason, which means he’ll be moving to power forward and playing off another center in Chris Kaman. Camby has improved his mid-range jumper, and with his passing ability he should be effective in the high-post on offense. And with Kaman defending opposing centers, Camby may get even better as a weak-side shot blocker. As long as Camby continues to stay healthy he should remain a borderline elite producer at the center position.

Over the past few years, Camby has quietly become one of the most valuable roto centers in the NBA. He has averaged double-doubles with 3-plus blocks per game for three consecutive years (11.2 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 3.3 bpg last season), he is one of the better thieves among centers in the league (1.2 spg), and he has improved his mid-range jumper and court awareness enough to turn his shooting percentages (47.3 FG) and assists (3.2) into strengths. The only knock on Camby has plagued him his entire career: injuries. He has still never played in more than 72 games in any of his 11 NBA seasons, and his 70 games played last season actually marked the second-best total of his career. Camby will also be 34 years old before the season ends, which could further increase his injury risk. Nevertheless, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year is too valuable to leave on the board for long on draft night, and when he’s healthy he should continue to be a borderline elite roto producer.

Camby’s played over 70 games in just one season (72 in 2003-04) since entering the league in 1996. You should be well aware of the risks when choosing him. He’s a great shot blocker and rebounder, can score in the open court or on put backs and will even get some steals for a big man due to his length and agility. When healthy, Camby’s as good a bet for a double-double as just about any big man. Just don’t expect Camby to stay healthy all season – have a backup plan for when he inevitably goes down.

When healthy, Camby is arguably the most consistent Nugget on a night to night basis. He has been prone to miss 20-30 games a year because of various bumps and bruises but seems to have shaken the “season ending” injury bug that plagued him early in his career. Marcus is as good a bet for a double-double as some of the biggest studs in the league and his defensive ability gives him added fantasy value. Don’t get us wrong, Marcus is no K.G. or Tim Duncan, but he is an excellent choice as a back-up fantasy center in any league. With no other free agent additions to the front-court this off-season we see no reason not to expect Camby to see action in 60-70 games while contributing 10-12 points, 9-11 rebounds, 2-3 blocks, and 2-3 assists in roughly 32 minutes a night.

Camby was re-signed in the offseason, but it's expected that the addition of power forward Kenyon Martin will eat into his stat line. Despite that, and the emergence of 'Nene, it's almost a certainty that Camby will remain the starting center now that the club has invested another $60 million dollars in him. However, it's very possible that Camby's minutes will be reduced now that the club has the C/F young, energized 'Nene available off the bench. Overall we see the inevitable injuries cropping up and less court time for Marcus when he's healthy, which will result in less production when all is said and done. What you need to know is that he'll still provide fantasy teams with a good source of rebounds and blocks but shouldn't be the central pivot man in your paint!

There is a slim possibility that Camby could get beaten out at both C and PF by some of the up and coming Nuggets like Nene and Tskitishvilli but we don't think that will happen just yet. Expect him to start at C, play 30-35 minutes a night, post 11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and solid FG%. Overall his injury history and lack of offensive moves keeps him from being a fantasy stud but he would make a nice number two center on any fantasy team.