FanHouse Hakim Warrick

You kids and your Twitter. There's something about 140 characters to get your point across that just seems to make sense. The whole idea got me thinking that instead of dragging out some fantasy basketball column that you'll likely just skim over, what do you say I give you 50 fantasy basketball tips and observations in 140 characters or less. You have no vote in this matter, so you're getting them anyway.

These tips are not only designed for those of you who have yet to draft your fantasy teams, but they're also for those who are looking to improve on their post-draft squads. Hopefully this is a helpful way to get out as much information as possible while keepin' it mainstream.

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is not going to set the world on fire. But he's the type of player that can provide the gasoline.

To say Mbah a Moute was under the radar last season is to vastly overestimate the strength of radar systems. Coming out of UCLA, Mbah a Moute was considered a project like so many rookies. He didn't possess the wowzer tangibles (standing only 6-8 and being listed as a power forward will do that to you), didn't stir the senses with playmaking, and was considered a good college player that he might make it with some time.

And then Mbah A Moute actually hit the floor.

Of all teams in need of a good scouting staff, the Grizzlies, who have had 10 top-six picks in 14 years of existence, are at the top of the list. The team had five amateur scouts last season (I'm not calling the scouts amateurs, they scouted amateur players). Next season, Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal reports, the team will have zero scouts. Zero.

It's an unbelievable concession, even in this economy. (Insert sad trombone sound.) The Bobcats declining to assemble a summer league squad -- that's unnerving. A team like the Grizzlies decided to detonate the entire scouting staff with the playoffs nowhere in sight? That's abominable.

Of course, given that a real estate mogul, team owner Michael Heisley, makes all the basketball decisions, maybe it's just as well.

LAS VEGAS -- This is a difficult period for restricted free agents. They are not unrestricted, so they can't sign with any team and move forward with their careers. Their previous team has the rights to match any offer from another club or make a qualifying offer at its leisure for another season. So the restricted free agent waits for calls. They work out. And they are without a team -- at least for a summer.

Hakim Warrick is in this position. He watched his Memphis Grizzlies take on the Los Angeles Clippers in the Las Vegas Summer League hoping he returns to the Grizzlies and is part of their bright future. But nothing is official yet. He has yet to receive an offer sheet from another club and Grizzlies management is waiting to make a decision. At 27, Warrick is entering the prime of his career and could be an important contributor for a team on the rise.

It's been such a wild year for the Phoenix Suns that the trade deadline rumors that swirled around Amare Stoudemire almost seem like they didn't even happen. But happen they did, and the fact is that the Suns were openly trying to deal their young All-Star to anyone who would listen -- including the Memphis Grizzlies.

There were plenty of unsubstantiated rumors about where Stoudemire could possibly end up, but Memphis was apparently a legitimate possibility, at least from the Suns' standpoint. The Memphis Commercial Appeal has the details of how it all could have gone down.

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
Missed in all of this Jermaine O'Neal going somewhere else stuff floating around the NBA is that Danny Granger's having a pretty darn good season. His field goal percentage is down a little bit, but his averages across the board are all up (he's pulling in a block and a steal per game along with 18 points, six boards and two assists, roughly) yet he recorded only his third double double of the season, with 18 points and 10 rebounds. But here's the thing -- he's improving in the new year, averaging over 20 points per game with slightly increased numbers elsewhere. And he's still young too, folks, which means a big second half bump could be coming up soon. Trade for him now.

Hot Cakes
Al Horford went for another big dub-dub against the Pistons last night with 12 points and 16 boards, plus a block, and is in line for a largo second half. Rookies can hit the wall, etc., but generally it's nicer to own young guys in the second half of the season. I think Horford ends up with a 10/10 average on the season, personally.

Mark Blount will absolutely not quit. He went for 22 in the last game and now 18 and 13 against Marcus Camby. W.T.F. He doesn't have a contract coming up, but he suddenly has a legit starting job, and odds are pretty good he wants to keep it. Continue starting him, but if you get a good offer, no reason not to sell.