FanHouse Royal Ivey

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded Correspondent, brings his exclusive video reporting to FanHouse. Check back regularly for more videos.

The 76ers are one of the big stories in this year's NBA Playoffs. Back when the season began they couldn't win a game. Now they're giving the Orlando Magic a run for their money, pushing the third seed to a 2-2 series tie before Tuesday night's Game 5, all without powerhouse Elton Brand. In this video, we get to know the 76ers a little bit better, learning about Andre Iguodala's leaping ability, what inspired Samuel Dalembert to play basketball, how Thaddeus Young got the No. 21, and everything there is to know about Royal Ivey's tattoos.

Check out the video, after the jump.

B-Ball, B-Fast is a weekdaily look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.

Cup of Coffee
It was pretty obvious that the return of Ron Artest was going to sink the fantasy value of other Kings playing the role of erstwhile fantasy star. But it's also easy to forget amongst the crazy and more than occasional injuries that he plays like a fantasy second rounder when he's "good". Like last night, as the Kings routed the Nets and Artest blew up for 27 points (two threes, nine of 14 from the floor), six boards, four dimes, one block and a silly five steals. I'm going to say ride it out while you can, but this is Ron Artest we're talking about, folks -- don't be scared to sell high, especially if you're in a head to head league and have playoffs.

Hot Cakes
Grant Hill made his return from an appendectomy and started again last night. He tallied eight points in 27 minutes. Meanwhile, Boris Diaw put up a Domino's like 5/5/5 in just 24 minutes off the bench while tacking on two blocks and a steal. Looks like Diaw's value will take a hit for as long as Hill stays healthy. (Read: Buy low.)

With Mo Williams out, Royal Ivey started. 10 points, no dimes and five fouls in 28 minutes? Guh. Against the Suns no less. Charlie Bell was far more effective with 11 points and eight dimes. He's the energy filled, versatile sixth man that the Bucks like to use off the bench, but if Ivey can't crank out some decent production, Bell will get most of the minutes. Williams is questionable for Thursday with a sprained pinkie, so it should not be anything major or debilitating enough to warrant making a major fantasy roster move.

B-Ball, B-Fast is a weekdaily look at last night's NBA action from a fantasy perspective. Bookmark it and visit often.

Cup of Coffee
Mike Bibby returned to action Wednesday night, coming off the bench to score 19 points with six boards (no dimes) in 28 minutes. Kevin Martin came off the bench to score 22 points with four boards and two steals in 29 minutes. Ron Artest came off the bench to score four points (two of 10 from the floor) with two boards, four dimes, a block and a steal in 29 minutes. Meanwhile, Beno Udrih, John Salmons and Francisco Garcia combined to score 22 points. It was a good run, gentlemen, good run. The latter trio will not see their fantasy value dissipate completely, and odds are pretty good some sort of injury to the first set will prompt some more playing time, but we are about three games away from the regular rotation returning. Bibby, Artest and Martin are good to start now in all fantasy leagues; Udrih, Salmons and Garcia are usable lower end starters now, or even better, nice buy lows if you have room to stash and gamble on an injury.

Hot Cakes
I too am curious why Royal Ivey was flirting with a triple double and putting up nine points, eight boards and six assists last night. It is because Mo Williams had the stomach flu. (I was curious about the stats, not the reason.) Don't freak out and grab Ivey just yet, but an injury to Mo means you know who to swoop on when your opponent reaches for Charlie Bell.

But you know who you need to snatch up now? Carlos Delfino. He's been acting like he wants to break out for about a month now, and he went off for 26 points (five threes), seven boards, six assists and four steals. That is, in fact, ridiculous. Anthony Parker certainly has fine this year, but the Raptors need a reliable sparkplug-type off the bench, and Delfino fits that role perfectly (how's that Jason Kapono ink-job working out?), meaning he should see plenty of minutes in the future.

So much for hitting up the singles clubs with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal in Miami. No, instead Charlie Bell will remain in Milwaukee after the Bucks decided to match the Heat's five-year, $18 million offer sheet.

This comes as at least a mild surprise, not because Bell isn't worth it (he is) but because he flat-out admitted he didn't want to play for the Bucks after the way they've ignored him for most of the summer. From Charles Gardner's blog on the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

"Inside my heart, I just won't be there," Bell said last week. "I won't feel the same toward the organization."

Bell's agent, Mark Bartelstein, said he talked with Bell today and that the 6-foot-3 guard was "kind of digesting it."

"This is all part of the business," Bartelstein said. "They realize Charlie Bell is a heck of a player, a huge piece of their present and future. They decided they wanted and needed to have Charlie with them."

That's putting a nice spin on it, but it's not hard to see why Bell felt jilted. Instead of coming up with a legitimate offer themselves, the Bucks left Bell stringing along to see how the rest of the league valued him. Fortunately Miami came through with an offer, because the best deal on the table to that point was a two-year, $9 million deal from a team in Greece.

The Bucks just signed point guard Royal Ivey yesterday, but Bell should be the primary backup to both Mo Williams and Michael Redd. Desmond Mason will be in the mix, though considering he literally has no outside shot, he'll be used more at small forward.