FanHouse Brandon Bass

Who's Got Next is a weekly look at some of the top players widely available on the waiver wires.

The injuries are starting to kick in, so now we have to start looking at players who are getting more burn in the absence of the fallen few. I wrote earlier about the injuries to Kevin Martin and Tyrus Thomas.

The obvious front-runner in Sacramento is Beno Udrih who is now the starting point guard for the Kings. Tyreke Evans will also see an uptick in value, but it's less likely that he's still available in your league.

In Chicago it'll be Taj Gibson's role to step in and replace Tyrus Thomas at the power forward. Gibson dones't have the upside or the dfensive powress that Thomas does, but he should make for a nice short-term add. Is he Paul Millsap? Probably not. But when the opportunities are there, you have to take advantage.

Let's take a look at a few other players widely available who can help you in the week ahead.

As draft day nears it's important to know where to find the best value. Once you've built your foundation early on in the draft, your next step is to fill in categories and find players who complement your core guys. If your team is built around bigs with high field-goal percentages, rebound rates and shot-blocking abilities, you might want to exploit that by adding another value big man later in the draft. In head-to-head leagues your goal is to win each week, whether it be 5-3 or 6-3 or 8-0. Just win.

At the same right you don't want to leave the draft without depth at any position. Today I'm going to give you five late-round value sleepers at the power forward position who should outperform their average draft position. I used Mock Draft Central (MDC) and Yahoo! Sports (Y!) as a reference point.

On Monday, Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson mentioned at a press event that incumbent starting center Erick Dampier could come off the bench this season. Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News followed up to report that it's not a set-in-stone matter, and that Nelson was just generally speaking about the team's flexibility.

That got Matt Moore and I thinking -- err, talking -- about the Maverick rotation. Our discussion (with a somewhat relevant Magic-Cavs vignette) is after the jump.

Who doesn't like a list, especially on a Monday morning when that's about all you can handle?

Here are five moves that might not have gotten a lot of attention but were very solid nonetheless:

--Raptors get Marco Belinelli from Warriors for Devean George, cash: Belinelli may not be a starter in the NBA, but he can be a rotation guy. And it just so happens the Raptors are pretty much bereft of two guards. That alone should get Belinelli on the court, and from there he'll certainly help at various junctures. As for George, who knows if he'll be healthy and who knows if he'll be able to crack the Warriors' rotation if he is.

Magic center Dwight Howard proved last season that you don't have to grimace -- you can smile -- on your way to the NBA Finals.

He wants to prove this summer that you don't have to lock yourself in the gymnasium to improve your game.

The world will be his workout room. Only time will tell.

While vowing to return a better player next season, Howard was beaming Tuesday when he described his whirlwind summer that has included -- or will include -- filming two different movies in Los Angeles, a television show in New York, a basketball camp in Vicksburg, Miss., shoe promotional trips to China and across Asia, and an NBA charity stint through Africa. And that's only part of his schedule.

ORLANDO -- The way Matt Barnes sees it, the only thing the Orlando Magic lacked last season was the kind of toughness, the kind of physical play, that he now brings them. He still thinks he could play in the NFL.

"I'm tough. I'm a tough player with a football background. I think teams appreciate that,'' he said Friday afternoon at the Magic's practice facility. "Football is a physical game. I think that fits with some of the things they were looking for.''

ORLANDO -- With nothing else pressing before he leaves for his native Poland on Saturday, Marcin Gortat has been hanging around the Orlando Pro Summer League this week, rubbing shoulders with various NBA people.

And he doesn't like what he's been hearing.

Gortat, a restricted free agent, was ecstatic earlier this week after signing an offer sheet worth $33 million over five years with the Dallas Mavericks, believing it was his ticket to both riches and a starting position in the NBA. Now he hears otherwise. Because he is a restricted free agent, the Magic can keep him just by matching the Mavericks' offer.

"I have a feeling now they (Magic) are going to match it,'' Gortat said Friday between Summer League Games. "That's what I'm hearing, they will match. We'll have to see, but I'm kind of down right now. Either way, I'll end up on a pretty good team.''

ORLANDO -- The Orlando Magic are hoping that power forward Brandon Bass can add the inside toughness and rebounding help they need to compliment their array of outside shooters.

He agreed to a four-year deal worth a reported $18 million Friday, picking the Magic over Cleveland, New Orleans and Portland.

"We get somebody now who can defend the big power forwards,'' said Magic general manager Otis Smith. "We have the potential to be a better team now. He fits what we do. He will give us something we didn't have.''

The Dallas Mavericks are about to call the bluff of Magic general manager Otis Smith.

A day after Smith said that he planned to match any offer for restricted free agent Marcin Gortat, the Mavs brought the Magic's backup center to town, hoping he agrees to their contract offer that he can sign next week.

According to at least one NBA source, the Mavs offer will start with the mid-level exception of $5.6 million, extending it out at least three years.

OK, sure. They traded their franchise player a year and a half ago for Kwame Brown and some Skittles. And yes, with the No. 2 pick they managed to select the only basketball player available who's biggest weakness is his ability to put the little ball in the big circle with the net attached (which I hear is kind of important). But hey, they needed to rebuild, and they rebuilt. But they have tons of cap space now, so much in fact, that they're actually under the CBA limit and have to spend some.

So they've stopped torturing their fans with one terrible decision after another right? Right? Guys? Anybody?

Oh, hi Zach Randolph. What are you ... doing ... here ...?

Oh, no.