Jan. 5 -- Sometimes it's the little things that make the difference. Every week we take you around the Western Conference for a look at the day-to-day developments on real NBA teams and how they might affect your fantasy squad.

Dallas Mavericks: We can finally get a good idea of what the Mavs will look like this year. For the first time all season, all Mavs are healthy and getting playing time. So what do we know? We know Dirk Nowitzki is the December Player of the Month…We know that Josh Howard scores, rebounds, and will grab you a steal every now and then…Jerry Stackhouse is back and finding his scoring stride. He’s still not a reliable fantasy option, but he will be more involved in the offense soon enough.

Houston Rockets: What has gotten into Juwan Howard? In Yao Ming’s absence, Howard has stepped up as the number two option in H-town. Last Tuesday against the Wizards, Howard scored 24 point, while going 10 of 14 from the field. He also grabbed seven rebounds…Rafer Alston looks to be finding his groove as well. He had a double-double against Washington, with 17 points and 10 assists.

Memphis Grizzlies: It’s really bad news for Damon Stoudamire. It doesn’t look like he’ll be returning the court this year. He’ll have a year to recover from a devastating knee injury…Bobby Jackson should step into the role of starting point guard nicely. He’s a pretty good shooter, and since he played on the offensively-minded Sacramento Kings, he knows how to distribute the basketball…Pau Gasol is still a stud.

New Orleans Hornets: Star rookie point guard Chris Paul continues to impress. Last Monday against Charlotte, Paul scored 24 points on seven of 13 shooting, including three of five from downtown. He also added 11 assists and four rebounds. At this pace, Paul will no doubt win the Rookie of the Year Award…David West continues to put up solid numbers on a nightly basis.

San Antonio Spurs: The big three is back full steam ahead in San Antonio. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili are playing their roles to a tee. Duncan is a constant 20-point, 10-rebound guy. Tony Parker is explosive offensively, both shooting the ball and getting his teammates involved. Manu Ginobili is coming off the bench with fury.

Denver Nuggets: Andre Miller is officially heating up. Last Monday against Boston, Miller scored 20 points, dropped 14 dimes, and grabbed five rebounds. He’s playing as well as any point guard in the league right now…Carmelo Anthony and Kenyon Martin continue to play well, however Marcus Camby can’t seem to stay healthy. Camby, who was one of the most impressive fantasy players for the first two months of the season, has missed the last several games, and there’s no indication that he’s getting better.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Last Sunday against the Heat, the Timberwolves were awful. All of them. Even Kevin Garnett went four of 13 from the field and finished with only 11 points. He did add 11 rebounds for his double-double…Marko Jaric shot one of five from the field for six measly points to go with his six assists. Jaric needs to shoot more. He’s a decent shooter, and he knows how to get to the rim. He needs to be more aggressive offensively.

Portland Trail Blazers: Zach Randolph is really the only fantasy option in Portland. I love Randolph because he’s a double-double guy every night…I’m a fan of Joel Przybilla, but he’s been disappointing this year. He’s not getting much playing time and he’s not doing much with it.

Seattle Supersonics: The Sonics fired head Coach Bob Weiss. It’s unlikely that will affect fantasy value. Reggie Evans has been great recently. Last Monday against the Pacers, Evans scored 16 points on seven of 12 from the field. He added 12 big rebounds, with eight coming on the offensive end…Ray Allen continues to score well, especially from three-point land, but doesn’t do much else.

Utah Jazz: Did you see Andrei Kirilenko’s box score from last Tuesday against the Lakers? It’s pretty sick. How does 14 points on five of seven shooting sound? Not great, I know, but add eight rebounds, nine assists, six insane steals, and seven ridiculous blocks, and you’ve got a fantastic fantasy game!…In the same game, Mehmet Okur dropped a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Golden State Warriors: One night, Baron Davis and Jason Richardson score close to 70 points against the Mavs, and then the next night against Memphis, B-Dizzle scores just seven. He’s obviously a streaky shooter, but he’ll score closer to 30 than seven on most nights…Troy Murphy continues to improve offensively, and he’ll post close to double-digits in rebounds every night.

Los Angeles Clippers: The Clipps have hit a bump in the road, and so has some of their players’ fantasy production. Elton Brand is still a top fantasy player, but his rebounding has declined due to Chris Kaman controlling the boards. Kaman is a very talented center who is learning the NBA game every night. He’s a good option at center…Sam Cassell is still playing well, but is a little inconsistent.

Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant was suspended two games for a vicious forearm to the throat of Mike Miller. In Kobe’s absence, Lamar Odom stepped up to the plate, like he should do anyway. Last Tuesday against Utah, Odom scored 25 points on 10 of 17 from the field. He went three of four from beyond the arc and two of three from the stripe. Odom grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists. My point is that he should be doing that when Kobe is in the lineup…No other Lakers reached double-figures in scoring.

Phoenix Suns: I love triple-overtime games. It produces unbelievable fantasy numbers. Take a look at the Suns game against the Knicks last Monday. Steve Nash had an okay, average, decent game. Nash played 55 minutes. He scored 28 points and dished out 22 assists. That’s amazing!…And then there’s Shawn Marion. He scored a mere 39 points on 15 of 26 shooting, including five treys. And of course, he added 14 rebounds.

Sacramento Kings: Have you noticed that, since Around the Western Conference called out Mike Bibby last week about not having enough assists, he’s been dropping at least 10 dimes a game? The bottom line? Mike Bibby reads this column, and he’s been playing great basketball. His owners are welcome…Center Brad Miller had a huge game last Tuesday against the 76ers with 36 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.

Drew Belzer is a fantasy expert for NBA.com. His column Around the Western Conference runs every Thursday as part of the NBA.com Premium Scouting Report. Contact him at Drew@TalentedMrRoto.com .

The views expressed by the TalentedMrRoto.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.