I had intended to just blog about Andrew Bogut today, but the news that he is injured and out for a few weeks was a bit of a buzz kill.  So instead, I decided to expand this to shed some light on all three of the young big men in the league sharing the 'AB' initials: Andrew Bynum, Andrea Bargnani, and Andrew Bogut.

1) Andrew Bynum is intriguing right now because his numbers are actually a bit inhibited from being on such a strong team.  He has shown the absolute potential to be a night-in night-out 20/10 guy with great percentages and good blocked shot numbes.  In fact, that is what he's been through the first few weeks with averages of 20.3 points, 11.8 boards, 1.8 blocks, 59.1|PERCENT| FG and 71.7|PERCENT| FT. The problem for his fantasy owners is that Pau Gasol came back tonight, which means that Bynum is no longer going to get either the touches or the clean rebounds that he was getting before. 

Nevertheless, Bynum still has that "young with something to prove" thing going on that will likely keep him from losing too much of his value.  Like Rajon Rondo in Boston, Bynum is surrounded now by championship-tested vets with big names but still he has a lot more left to prove than they do and glory yet to earn which means that he will be pushing for his numbers and respect on a nightly basis in the regular season while the vets might coast a bit until the playoffs.  It says here that Bynum will finish this season rated higher on the Yahoo! player rater than Pau Gasol does.

2) Andrea Bargnani was drafted to be a Dirk Nowitzki-light, and while his first years were a bit rougher he is now starting to fulfill that promise.  After finishing last season strong (19.3 points, 5.4 boards, 149.2|PERCENT| FG, 45.7|PERCENT| treys, 83.3|PERCENT| FT after the All Star Break), Barnagni has kept it up and is currently on pace to set new career highs in most of the major categories.  Bargnani doesn't rebound well for a big man, and in real life the Bargnani Chris Bosh frontline can't work well defensively since both are really more forward than center.  But those things aren't very relevant in the fantasy world, and with his shooting, scoring, and long-range ability Bargnani is poised for a great season.  Because Yahoo! ranks 3-pointers so highly I wouldn't be surprised if Bargnani ends up rated higher this season than his more famous draft classmate Brandon Roy.

3) Andrew Bogut has become a forgotten number one overall draft selection because he has been outshone by his classmates like Chris Paul and Deron Williams.  And on his own team, Bogut is currently being overshadowed by his phenom rookie teammate Brandon Jennings.  But quietly, Bogut has turned himself into a great low-post scorer that is also a very good defensive anchor.  He has averaged 20/10/2 in the last five games and is a big reason, along with Jennings, for the Bucks' strong start.  I just heard that Bogut will be out for a couple of weeks, though, which touches on his biggest weakness.  If he isn't careful, Bogut could earn a reputation for being injury prone after a variety of ailments have slowed or stopped him in the last couple of years.  Also, before this year the Bucks weren't very good and were always low-profile which kept many from paying attention to Bogut.  But if (Big If) Bogut can ever stay healthy, I think he has the size and game to be the second best center in the East this year.  And fantasy-wise, if you have the roster space to wait him out I would think Bogut could be an excellent buy-low candidate in trades while he is hurt.

If I extend this AB list past centers I can add Aaron Brooks to this mix as well, but for now let's keep it to the big guys.  All three were highly drafted, and all three are starting to grow into their own shoes and prove themselves worthy of the hype.  And if you can sell your leaguemates on their weaknesses (Gasol for Bynum, lack of big name/big man production for Bargnani, and injuries for Bogut) I would advocate trying to buy low for all three of them because I think they are all great value this year.