Jonny Flynn Ahead of Recovery Schedule

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that Jonny Flynn is off crutches and able to workout in a pool.

The Breakdown
Flynn was expected to be out until late November, so he this appears to be a sign he'll be back a bit earlier than expected. More than anything, this could hurt the value of Luke Ridnour as we expected to get a good month of starts out of him until Flynn returned. Keep an eye on Flynn's recovery as your draft approaches.

Byron Scott Wants Mo Williams to be More of a Playmaker

The Akron Beacon Journal reports that Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott wants Mo Williams to play more like he did with the Milwaukee Bucks by controlling the ball and initiating the offense.

The Breakdown
Scott basically wants Williams to play more like a point guard. In his years alongside LeBron James, it was LeBron who was doing most of the ballhandling and the offense went through him. Williams was basically a spot up shooter with LeBron around. If Williams can play more like a scoring point guard, as he had in the past, he could have a great season. His scoring is likely to jump a bit with the absence of LeBron, but what could make a huge jump are his assist numbers if he does indeed orchestrate the offense.

We really like Mo Williams entering the season because he's on a team that needs his offense. With the possible exception of Antawn Jamison, no one else on the Cavaliers roster can carry the scoring load. They need Williams to be explosive offensively and that appears to be his more natural style of play. Williams has a great chance of outperforming his average draft position if you're able to get him with a pick in the 50s or later.

Suns Reacquire Dwayne Jones

The Phoenix Suns have signed Dwayne Jones. Terms of the deal were undisclosed. Jones was part of the trade that brought Hedo Turkoglu to the desert. Jones was later released by the Raptors, allowing Phoenix to sign him.

The Breakdown
Jones doesn't figure to see much, if any, playing time. He'll be at the end of the bench or inactive for much of the season, with a possibility he'll be sent down to the D-League. He's not on our fantasy radar.

Police Investigating Altercation Involving J.R. Smith

FanHouse.com reports that J.R. Smith was involved in a physical altercation at the Nuggets practice facility earlier this month. The Denver district attorney's office had originally chosen not to press charges, but police have now reopened the investigation into the matter following the emergence of another witness.

The Breakdown
Smith has faced off court issues previously, so he could face a hefty suspension if he's convicted of a crime. There are already rumors swirling that the Nuggets are looking to move Smith and this sort of news only makes them more determined to trade the troubled shooting guard.

With Denver facing the harsh reality that Carmelo Anthony no longer wants to be part of their organization, the Nuggets are looking to rebuild and players like Smith, Kenyon Martin, and Chauncey Billups could all end up being traded along with Anthony or in the aftermath of a Melo trade.

Nuggets Given List of Teams Carmelo Anthony Wants to Play For

Carmelo Anthony's representatives have given Nuggets officials a short list of teams that Carmelo Anthony would want to be traded to.

The Breakdown
These rumors will continue until Denver trades Anthony or the trade deadline passes. Don't let the rumors dissuade you from drafting Melo. He'll have a strong season whether it's in Denver or another city. He'll become the number one option on any team he lands on.

Tyreke Evans Receives One-Game Suspension

The NBA suspended Tyreke Evans for one game as a result of his no contest plea to reckless driving charges.

The Breakdown
Evans will miss the opener against Minnesota, but this doesn't effect his value at all.

Mike D'Antoni Unsure if Kelenna Azubuike Will Be Ready for Training Camp

According to Yahoo! Sports, Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni feels Kelenna Azubuike's chances of being ready for training camp are 50-50.

The Breakdown
Azubuike is recovering from a serious knee injury that cost him most of last season. It wasn't a given that he'd be fully healed in time for camp, but we are still high on him because he is such a great fit with the Knicks. Once he's healthy, he should be competing for a starting role.

NBA Suspends Brandon Rush

It was announced today that Pacers shooting guard Brandon Rush will be suspended the first five games of the season for violating the league's drug policy.

The Breakdown
Rush was not a lock to be the team's starting shooting guard next season and this may hurt his chances of securing that starting spot. In addition, Indiana has been trying to get rid of the bad apples on the team ever since The Brawl a few years back. Rush, as well as Lance Stephenson, could be be further punished with reduced roles due to their off court issues. We'll have to monitor how Indiana handles these two during training camp and preseason.

Knicks Sign Patrick Ewing, Jr.

The Knicks have signed Patrick Ewing, Jr. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Breakdown
Ewing doesn't figure to see much playing time with Amar'e Stoudemire and Anthony Randolph on the roster. Ewing is likely a back of the bench player who will see a lot of DNPs. Stay away from him on draft day.

Jazz Unsure When Mehmet Okur Will Return

Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur is rehabbing from the Achilles injury he suffered in the first round of the playoffs against Denver. Utah is still unsure when they'll have Okur back on the court.

The Breakdown
Achilles injuries are very slow to heal, so don't be surprised if Okur isn't back on the court until December or January. If we see him any earlier than that, I would guess he's not at 100% percent. This means the Jazz will have to rely heavily on Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap in the frontcourt, which increases their value greatly because the Jazz simply does not have much depth up front with Okur out. Okur appears to be a late round pick due to the uncertainty of his return, though you could take him earlier in a weekly head-to-head league if you can afford to stash him until he's fully healed.

Yao Ming Cleared for Basketball Activities

Doctor's have cleared Yao Ming to return to the court. Today, Yao participated in some one-on-one drills to show his foot has completely healed.

The Breakdown
This is great news that Yao will be able to practice and start losing some of the rust from not playing real basketball in over 18 months. This will give him time to work on his conditioning and be as close to 100% as possible come the regular season.

The Rockets, though, plan to limit his playing time in practice and training camp so that he can be healthy for the start of the season. Chances are looking good that Yao will be ready to go against the Lakers on October 26th, but Yao still remains one of the biggest injury risks in the league. As long as he doesn't suffer any setbacks between now and draft day, Yao is worth a gamble in the mid-to-late rounds of your draft. Just make sure you have another quality center on your roster in case Yao goes down with an injury at some point.

Tyler Hansbrough Limited to Non-Contact Drills

According to the Indianapolis Star, Tyler Hansbrough is still only being allowed to participate in non-contact drills. There's currently no timetable for him to return to contact drills.

The Breakdown
With the trade of Troy Murphy, this is Hansbrough's chance to become the Pacers starting power forward. Unfortunately, he's been moved cautiously as he recovers from vertigo. Hopefully Hansbrough is good to go by training camp or he could open the door to other players getting minutes at power forward. The Pacers are very shallow at the 4, so they could end up having to play small fowards like Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy, and Paul George at the power forward spot as long as Hansbrough is out. Keep an eye on him as your draft approaches, but Tyler remains a strong sleeper pick this coming year.

Roy Hibbert Working With Bill Walton This Offseason

The Indianapolis Star reports that Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert is working with Hall of Famer Bill Walton this offseason. Hibbert is looking to improve on his skills as a big man.

The Breakdown
This can do nothing but help the 7'3" Hibbert. He made a nice leap in his second NBA season and he should continue to up his numbers next year. The main concern with Hibbert is his constant foul troubles. If he can limit the number of fouls he commits, he can stay on the floor longer and become one of the better centers in the league.

Bobcats Will Look to Trade Erick Dampier

According to Yahoo! Sports, Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins said the team will explore trades for Erick Dampier after September 13th, when he becomes eligible to be included in multi-player trades.

The Breakdown
Since the Bobcats want to move Dampier in a multi-player deal rather than swapping him straight up, look for other players like Boris Diaw or D.J. Augustin to be moved along with him. A trade could potentially shake up the Charlotte roster as they could bring in a starting center, power forward, or point guard in any deal. The only starters whose value shouldn't be effected are Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson. Everyone else's value could change following the inevitable Dampier trade, so keep an eye on the situation leading up to your draft.

Hornets Sign Mustafa Shakur to Back Up Chris Paul

The New Orleans Hornets have signed point guard Mustafa Shakur to a one-year contract.

The Breakdown
Following the trade of Darren Collison, the Hornets had no one to back up Chris Paul. Shakur will come in and fill that bench role. Shakur has almost no NBA experience. He's been playing in the NBDL, where he was an All-Star last year, and overseas. With that said, it looks like Shakur will get an opportunity to play regularly if the Hornets don't add another point guard before the start of training camp. Given Paul's struggles with injuries last year, Shakur appears to be decent pick at the end of a deep league draft just in case Paul has another year where injuries limit his playing time. When Paul is healthy, though, don't expect Shakur to get much playing time.

Jose Calderon Suffers Hamstring Injury In Exhibition Against USA

During Sunday's exhibition game against Team USA, Raptors point guard Jose Calderon suffered a hamstring injury that will sideline him 3-4 weeks.

The Breakdown
While the recovery timeline for this injury makes it appear likely he'll be ready for training camp, hamstring injuries are known for healing very slowly. Many players who try to come back before they are fully recovered end up reinjuring the hamstring and sitting out longer than expected. On top of that, this is the same injury that sidelined Calderon for 14 games a couple of years ago. This is another injury you'll want to monitor as your draft approaches.

Greg Oden Unsure When He'll Return

According to The Oregonian, Greg Oden is unsure when he'll be cleared to play full contact basketball.

The Breakdown
Earlier this summer, Oden said he'd be ready for training camp. With the fact that his return to basketball activities has been further delayed, training camp seems highly unlikely. Oden expects to be ready for the regular season opener, but with so little information on his recovery and this apparent setback, Oden is a player you'll have to closely monitor leading up to your draft. Given his injury history, I wouldn't use a draft pick on him in a standard league if he hasn't shown signs of recovery by draft time.

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