Join Salary Cap Challenge Season 2! Play For: Chance to appear on NBA TV as fantasy expert $100 NBA.com Store gift certificate Personalized Authentic NBA Jersey PLAY NOW!!

Mar. 2 – 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: The injury bug has hit the Mavs recently. Last Tuesday against the 76ers, Josh Howard, Devin Harris, and Keith Van Horn all sat out. Plus, Dirk Nowitzki sat out the 3rd period after tweaking his ankle. Dirk returned in the fourth quarter. All these injuries mean you should take a long look at Jerry Stackhouse and Marquis Daniels. Dallas is so deep. They just can throw anyone out there, and they make a huge impact. Also, if you’re thin and desperate at guard, Darrell Armstrong should get minutes with Harris on the shelf.

Houston Rockets: Congratulations to Yao Ming, the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week. Yao has been outstanding. The key is that he’s been staying out of foul trouble. It sounds elementary, but with Yao, if he’s on the court, he’s producing. Last Tuesday in a loss to Phoenix, he dominated Boris Diaw, who’s a good foot shorter. Yao finished with 27 points and 18 large rebounds. That’s the Yao we’ve been waiting for.

Memphis Grizzlies: Look, nobody is a bigger fan of Pau Gasol than me, but I didn’t think he had 39 points in him. Last Tuesday against Washington, Pau lit up the Wizards for 39 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks…The point guard situation in Memphis is as cloudy as ever. Chucky Atkins and Bobby Jackson take turns impressing me, however they usually split playing time. Basically, when you have two point guards, you have none.

New Orleans/Okla. City Hornets: David West has really solidified himself as a post presence in this league. He’s getting to 20 points more often than not. He’s a guy that many people didn’t know about before this year. It won’t be like that anymore. Next year, you’ll have to game plan your draft with West in mind…Don’t get too excited about Desmond Mason. He’s not reliable enough or consistent enough for my liking. He’s a high flyer, but not the best fantasy option.

San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan scored nine points last Saturday. Before you go trading him away for Kwame Brown and Shawn Bradley (who’s out of the league), don’t panic. He’ll be fine. His field goal percentage is low, and that is a reason for concern. He’s obviously struggling with plantar fasciitis…Manu Ginobili played just 10 minutes last Monday. No, he’s not injured; the Spurs just didn’t need him. Get used to that. Coach Pop will rest his guys for the home stretch with a 20-point lead.

Denver Nuggets: It’s anybody’s guess as to who will be in the lineup for the Nuggets on a nightly basis. Kenyon Martin is playing, but wasn’t starting. Martin is as athletic as they come, but he has some off nights. Marcus Camby is healthy now, but he sits out an occasional game. I love Camby and what he brings to my fantasy team, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hold my breath every night. The one constant is fantasy stud guard, Andre Miller. Miller is a double-double threat every night.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The hope was that Marcus Banks and Mark Blount would benefit from the deadline swap with the Celtics. While both players have shown flashes of promise, neither has been consistent. Tuesday against the Nets, Banks scored eight points with two assists in 26 minutes while Blount contributed four points and no rebounds in 20.

Portland Trail Blazers: What’s up with my boy, Zach Randolph? Did you see his game last Tuesday against Sacramento? How about a whopping two points on just 1-of-6 shooting, two rebounds, two fouls, and one turnover. That’s not Zach Randolph. An imposter suited up for one game. No worries…Steve Blake appears to be the number two option in Portland, although that honor seems to change nightly. It’s ugly in Portland.

Seattle SuperSonics: You gotta love the Big 4 in Seattle. Luke Ridnour has improved so much on ball distribution. Nobody considered him a 10-assist guy at the beginning of the season, but he gets pretty darn close to that plateau on a nightly basis…Ray Allen went 10-of-11 from the free throw line last Tuesday. I’m just surprised he missed one. Maybe there was a lane violation…Rashard Lewis needs to be more well rounded. He’s very long, so I’d like to see his rebounds go up.

Utah Jazz: Welcome back, Carlos Boozer. It’s good to see you again. He might not start, but he’ll fill up the stat sheet. Against Golden State, Boozer played 29 minutes. In that time, he scored 11 points and grabbed a ridiculous 19 rebounds. Can you imagine what his season would have been like had he been healthy?…Speaking of health, did you see Andrei Kirilenko played just eight minutes? Uh oh.

Golden State Warriors: Troy Murphy was benched in the fourth quarter last Monday. He’s normally a double-double guy, but his coach was none too pleased with his ineffective play that night. I’m not too worried about this. Murphy is a great guy, a great player, and he’ll be just fine. Expect him back in the good graces of Coach Montgomerysoon…I told you Derek Fisher would be the guy while Baron Davis doesn’t dress. Fisher knows how to run a team, so expect good things from him.

Los Angeles Clippers: I’m not going to bore you with describing just how freaking good Elton Brand is. I’m not going to bore you with how Sam Cassell is the life-force of the Clippers. I’m going to bore you about the Clippers’ newest gunner, Vladimir Radmanovic. VladRad loves being in LA. Besides enjoying the weather, Vlad is a great three-point shooter that the Clipps desperately needed, and so might you. He’s getting big minutes, and they let him shoot. He’s also pretty good off the dribble.

Los Angeles Lakers: Lamar Odom has been putting up good numbers since the All Star Break. Inconsistency has been plaguing L.O. for most of his career. There’s no good reason to believe he won’t have a bad game every now and then. Odom has been playing the point forward position, so look for his assists to rise…Ronny Turiafis playing. This doesn’t mean much for fantasy, but after undergoing major heart surgery, my hat’s off to him.

Phoenix Suns: Shawn Marion is making a strong case for NBA Fantasy Player of the Year. He’s consistently putting up sick numbers. Not just really good numbers, but filthy, disgusting numbers. Let’s put it this way: it’s a bad game when he only scores 20 points and 10 rebounds. Case in point is Marion’s latest game against Houston: 30 points, 18 rebounds, three assists, and three steals. He’s good.

Sacramento Kings: Brad Miller has been on a tear lately. He’s probably the best big-man passer in the league. That translates into potential triple-doubles. Last Tuesday against Portland, Miller scored 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He grabbed 10 boards, and he dished out eight big assists. If you can get eight assists from your starting fantasy center, you’re a happy camper…Kevin Martin is turning into a scoring machine. He’s a dynamic scorer, and he’s pretty good from beyond the arc. Martin and Mike Bibby make a very solid backcourt.

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.