FanHouse Andres Nocioni

Home Delivery is your morning roundup of last night's action in the NBA from a fantasy perspective.

The biggest story to come out of the NBA last evening was without a doubt the news out of Sacramento, as we learned that Kevin Martin may miss the next six-to-eight weeks with a broken wrist. A tough break, considering that Martin was ranked third overall in standard, eight-category leagues.

There have been some reports that Martin might try and play through the injury, but we need to assess the situation in Sacramento from a fantasy perspective should the Kings be without Kevin Martin. You can disregard Desmond Mason now that he is longer a King, and with Andres Nocioni facing a possible suspension after being arrested for driving under the influence his role might redefined.

The rest of the team? Go young or go home.

The Kings, seeking a defensive veteran for the small forward position, took on Desmond Mason in advance of training camp. That didn't turn out so well: Mason has been beyond awful on offense (surprising no one who has watched Mason play at any point over the past four years) and didn't make much of a difference for the league's 29th ranked defense.

Five games was enough for the Sacramento front office, as the team waived Mason a day after signing former Blazer and Spur Ime Udoka to a non-guaranteed minimum salary contract. Like Mason, Udoka is known for his defensive skill, having been signed as a sort of Bruce Bowen replacement two summers ago. That didn't really work out, and Udoka was left teamless for opening day after Portland waived the swingman at the end of the preseason.

SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento Kings coach Paul Westphal continues to maintain he hasn't yet settled on a starting small forward. He talks of possibly using either Kevin Martin there or perhaps rookie Tyreke Evans.

But that's only if he decides to roll out a smaller lineup that would include Beno Udrih as the starting point guard. Westphal has even suggested that rookie Omri Casspi is in the mix, saying he likes Casspi's hustle and competitiveness.

And Westphal also claims he hasn't ruled out Andres Nocioni -- despite acknowledging that he likes Nocioni off the bench. But if you've been watching the Kings in the preseason, it's starting to seem apparent who's going to get the nod for the regular-season opener against Oklahoma City: Desmond Mason.

Before we get started, it should be noted that NBA bloggers are kind of hard to please when it comes to teams spending money. On the one hand, we sneer in disgust when teams refuse to spend money, patting their fans on the head as we chastise ownership for being "cheap" and turning a profit without ever seriously pushing for a title.

On the other, we tend to flip out when someone spends irresponsibly. There is a salary cap and a luxury tax, after all, and handing off a bazillion dollars to that small guard who has difficulty with creating his own shot and thinks he can tell you what his nickname should be when it should clearly be Iggy can draw our ire as well. Not that I'm naming names.

So it's kind of a sticky situation to begin with. Of course, the Raptors have just poured maple syrup over their particular situation in regards to Andrea Bargnani.

Three prospects from basketball-crazed Israel -- Doron Shefer, Lior Eliyahu and Yotam Halperin -- have been drafted by NBA teams in the past. But all were second-round picks, and none of the three made the league. But Omri Casspi took a major step for Israeli basketball by making into the first round, where the Kings picked him at No. 23.

There had been fears Casspi would be selected by a team seeking to "stash" him in Europe for a year or two, keeping his salary off the books but preventing another team from grabbing the talented forward. That won't be the case with Sacramento. The Kings need a talent infusion now. After speaking with team officials, Casspi told media he would be in the NBA in 2009-10.

Casspi will be competing for minutes with Donté Greene, an electric forward acquired in last year's Ron Artest trade. Andres Nocioni seems to be the de facto starter at the position, but there have been suggestions he'll be traded this offseason. Francisco Garcia also spends some time at the three, and begins a five-year deal this season.

NBA Essentials provides the must-see links, quotes and videos of the day.

-- "In an event that took place Saturday night, a Bar Mitzvah that featured T.I. as a performer and Dwayne Wade as a guest, it's being reported that fisticuffs broke out. Not between the Hip-Hop artist or his crew, or Dwayne Wade and his associates, but between Cleveland Cavalier's owner Dan Gilbert and former Rock Financial honcho David Hall." -- MLive.com

-- "(Sacramento) is the worst team and being here you find out why... There are many young guys that want to find their niche, but they are so far away... There's no chemistry or teamwork. I can't see how this team could be competitive in the near future in the West... The draft is going to save no one." -- Andres Nocioni in Olé, as translated by HoopsHype

The Bulls are theoretically within reach of the playoffs, but instead of banding together for one last push, the team appears to be coming apart at the seams. Andres Nocioni became just the latest player to clash with the coaching staff, blowing up at interim head coach Jim Boylan in the middle of Saturday's game after being pulled.

On Monday, Nocioni met with the media for the first time since the incident and apologized, saying he was frustrated with his own play and lack of energy more than anything.

He was suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount, but Boylan seemed to accept Nocioni's apology at face value, even going so far as to kiss the forward on the head. (No, seriously, that happened.)

The Bulls were in Memphis last night getting spanked by the Grizzlies, which means the Chicago media predictably churned out an update regarding the Bulls' never-ending trade talks for Pau Gasol (and I'm serious about "neverending -- check out this post from exactly a year ago). Last year, the Bulls refused to part with Luol Deng or Ben Gordon. Who's are this year's untouchables? Brian Hanley tells us in today's Chicago Sun-Times:

Talks involving Gasol (19.3 points, 8.8 rebounds per game) going to the Bulls quieted in December but could be revived if the Bulls find themselves in a playoff race. Memphis reportedly wants to include Brian Cardinal, who's owed $13 million over the next two seasons, in any deal for Gasol. In return, the Grizzlies likely would want Andres Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah.

The Bulls have balked at including Nocioni, whom Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace pursued as a restricted free agent last summer.

This deal isn't happening because Paxson wants to hold onto Andres freakin' Nocioni? I'm not sure John Paxson understands that actually giving up a player is not only customary but usually required when making a trade. For a deal involving an All-Star big man to fall apart because the other team actually wants to take back an overpaid reserve ($38 million over five years) is just plain ridiculous.

(Random sidenote: just in case you missed it, here's the awesomely hilarious explanation for how Cardinal got that ridiculously stupid contract in the first place.)

For some reason, the health status of Shaquille O'Neal this season has been a pretty well-covered news item. I'm not sure why though, considering the fact that Shaq is putting up career lows statistically, and the Heat are the worst team in the Eastern Conference, losers of 10 straight. It's not like it matters whether he plays or not at this point, does it? Maybe he really is bucking for that All-Star nod.

Anyway, I'll go ahead and continue this inexplicable phenomenon by passing along the report that Shaq is likely to return tonight against the Bulls.

Heat center Shaquille O'Neal is likely to play Wednesday against the Bulls after practicing Tuesday as he attempts to come back from a hip injury that has sidelined him for eight games.

Coach Pat Riley said he will "surely, probably" have O'Neal in the starting lineup.

Unfortunately for the Heat, they will "surely, probably" lose anyway. Maybe not tonight, because it's not like the Bulls are exactly the picture of a happy family these days, and with recent injuries to Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni, who knows if they'll even be at full strength. Over time though, the Heat will continue to lose, because Shaq is merely a shell of his former self at this point. And while Dwyane Wade can be spectacular at times, he's no LeBron James, in that he's currently unable to carry a team to the post-season all by himself.

With the Bulls in their annual early-season spiral, Scott Skiles has started to panic decided to play with his starting lineup and rotation. Tyrus Thomas, who started the first six games, opened Thursday's loss to the Suns on the bench in place of Andres Nocioni, who responded with 18 points. Ben Wallace responded in the starting lineup but was rarely seen in the second half, playing just eight minutes after the break. Not surprisingly, he wasn't too pleased about his inactivity after the game. From Tracy Graven of HOOPSWORLD:

"It's tough sitting on that sideline watching my teammates get beat up," lamented the former repeat Defensive Player of the Year. "If I can't go out there and help my team get stops down the stretch, then why am I here? Why don't we just go on to the house ... pack it up?"

Funny enough, even though Wallace only played 23 minutes, he may have turned in perhaps his best game of the season -- though that's a testament to his struggles this year more so than anything. He finished with a season-high 10 rebounds, the first time this year he's had more than seven. I'm guessing Skiles was worried about Wallace's offense (Big Ben did shoot just 1-5 from the field), which is always a liability but sticks out more than usual against a team like the Suns.

But still, being left on the bench in critical moments of the game is what convinced Wallace to leave Detroit. If that's the plan in Chicago, the Bulls may have more problems on their hands than just a 1-6 record.