Dirk Nowitzki recorded his second career triple-double in Monday’s win over the Denver Nuggets, scoring 34 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Dirk hadn’t cracked the 20-point barrier in any of the previous four games, making his massive game even sweeter, especially as it comes in such a crucial week for fantasy owners. He made 7-of-17 field goals, 4-of-5 three-pointers, and a whopping 16-of-17 free throws. Denver has never felt Kenyon Martin’s absence more keenly.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Los Angeles: Ron Artest bounced back after a pair of single-digit scoring games, finishing Monday’s loss to New Orleans with 14 points, seven rebounds and two steals in 43 minutes. Not the greatest line (6-of-14 FGs, 1-of-8 from downtown) but it’s an improvement.

Los Angeles: Pau Gasol finished Monday’s loss to the New Orleans Hornets with 26 points and a career-high-tying 22 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. Gasol scored the Lakers’ first 12 points and wound up 11-of-22 from the field and 4-of-4 from the line. He added two assists and two blocks with just one turnover, but his massively economical night wasn’t enough to lift his cold-shooting team to victory.

Dallas: Rookie Rodrigue Beaubois followed up Saturday’s 40-point gem with just five points on 2-of-7 shooting in Monday’s victory. Beaubois played under 15 minutes off the bench, despite the absence of injured guard J.J

Utah: Carlos Boozer (26 points, 14 rebounds) and Paul Millsap (14 points, 10 rebounds) both played well in Monday’s win over the New York Knicks. Neither guy had much luck containing Al Harrington, but it’s nice to see them both double-doubling in the same game. Boozer made 11-of-16 FGs in 37 minutes, while Millsap made 5-of-8 FGs and 4-of-8 FTs in 24 minutes off the bench.

New York: Al Harrington erupted for 26 points and a season-high 17 rebounds vs. the Jazz on Monday, making 8-of-20 FGs, 3-of-9 threes, and 7-of-10 FTs. Harrington was one rebound shy of his career-high, while adding one steal, one block and just one turnover in 39 minutes.

New Orleans: Chris Paul led the Hornets to a win over the Lakers on Monday with 15 points (including one 3-pointer), four rebounds, 13 assists and one steal.

Devin Harris

Devin Harris (wrist) is not expected to play on Wednesday. Harris missed practice on Tuesday and spent some time putting up free throws left handed.

He didn’t rule himself out for Wednesday, but coach Kiki Vandeweghe essentially did. Harris has been playing through injuries all season and will try to do so again on Friday. Keyon Dooling will start in Harris’ place

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Minnesota: Ramon Sessions provided a lift off the bench for Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, scoring 20 points with five rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block in 31 minutes.The Wolves got blown out, the starting unit was awful, and we’re taking this big game (his second-highest point total all season) with a grain of salt.

Timberwolves GM David Kahn said on Tuesday that he won’t trade Al Jefferson unless he is offered a deal that is “preposterously one-sided.”

Jefferson will make $42 million over the next three seasons, but at 25 years old the dominant post presence is not exactly a liability.

Kevin Love played just 17 minutes off the bench on Tuesday, posting six points, five rebounds and four turnovers. Love shot 3-of-8 and had a team-worst +/- rating of -26 despite such limited playing time.

We still expect him to rejoin the starting five before long, so stay patient — starting PF Ryan Gomes had 13 points, two 3s, seven rebounds and two steals in 23 minutes.

Pau Gasol couldn’t be stopped on Tuesday, rolling up 26 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and one steal in a win over the Wizards. In fairness, Gasol also had difficulty slowing Antawn Jamison on the other end.

He has rediscovered his rhythm after sitting out with a hamstring injury and has scored 20+ points in three straight games.

Washington: Mike Miller moved into Washington’s starting lineup on Tuesday and had 15 points (7-of-12 FGs), one 3-pointer, five rebounds, four assists and one steal in a loss to the Lakers. Perhaps most importantly, Miller logged 36 minutes and looked perfectly healthy.

Washington: Playing through a sprained foot, Antawn Jamison finished Tuesday’s game with 27 points (11-of-22 shooting), two 3-pointers, nine rebounds and one turnover.

He didn’t seem bothered by the injury in a team-high 46 minutes, and fantasy owners can continue to use him normally. The Wizards’ defense didn’t put up much of a fight in this game, however, and L.A. shot 59% in another Washington defeat.

New York: Playing despite a sore knee, Al Harrington scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in an easy win over the visiting Timberwolves on Tuesday. Al made 8-of-18 FGs, 4-of-10 threes, and 6-of-6 FTs. His production is erratic, to say the least, and there’s no way to tell when he’ll go off — though the absence of Jordan Hill (illness) on Tuesday certainly didn’t hurt.

Warriors coach Don Nelson flatly denied a report that he would be stepping down as the Golden State Warriors head coach or that the club is shopping guard Monta Ellis. The Warriors have quickly become one of the worst teams in the league and are even comical at times. Even if Nelson doesn’t step down during the season, he will likely be fired in the offseason.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Dallas: Mavericks C Erick Dampier is showing “marked improvement” since being transported to a Detroit-area hospital, after feeling light-headed during pregame warmups on Sunday. Although H1N1 has been ruled out, Dampier has been taken to the hospital because the arean lacked proper testing equipment. He is being kept overnight for observations and will miss Monday’s game against the Bucks.

Oklahoma City: Thunder SF Kevin Durant scored a season-high 40 points on 14-of-25 shooting (2-of-4 from downtown, 10-of-11 from the foul line) with eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-93 loss to the Clippers on Sunday. Durant continues his great play and is developing into the nest NBA superstar.

Los Angelas: In LA-type fashion and an ongoing soap opera regarding Pau Gasol’s injured hamstring, it is being reported that he “may” practice this week. Coach Phil Jackson said that he has been without “pain” for five days and he has advanced to light court work.

Orlando: Magic PG Jameer Nelson (flu) is expected to play Monday against the Bobcats. The Orlando Magic Sentinel updated their earlier report, adding that coach Stan Van Gundy expects him to play. Use him as you would normally in the Magic’s four-game week.

Boston: Celtics SF Paul Pierce blamed his sore left knee for a weak defensive effort on Saturday. It was also mentioned in the Boston Herald that he might take a “few days” off in order to let the knee heal. “I was able to make it through the game, but I obviously hurt us tonight,” he said. “I was a step slow pretty much all night and it really hurt us. Dahntay Jones goes out and has one of his best nights, with me guarding him.” The Boston Celtics don’t play until Wednesday, so Pierce will get some much needed rest.

Phonix: Suns PF/C Channing Frye hit an amazing six 3-point buckets in a win over the Raptors on Sunday, racking up 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds, one assist, and one block. Frye only took one two-point attempt tonight, and has become the poster boy for what a move to Arizona can do for a fantasy basketball player. It’s hard to say if his stock is still rising, or if he should be sold-high, but it’s clear owners got a bargain on draft day.

The Memphis Grizzlies were born in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1995. They, along with the Toronto Raptors, were part of both a National Basketball Association (NBA) expansion effort and an endeavor to spread professional hoops past its U.S. borders. While basketball seems to have taken hold in Toronto, it did not succeed in Vancover, and the Grizzlies moved to Memphis, Tenn., in 2001. They play their home games at the FedEx Forum. The team’s head coach is former NBA player Marc Iavaroni.

Early Years

The Vancouver Grizzlies entered the league at the same time as their brethren to the east (Toronto Raptors), but have never found similar success. As is the case with expansion teams, the Grizzlies were put together using two processes: the expansion draft (where players are chosen from various teams in the league) and the standard draft. The team’s first pick was Bryant “Big Country” Reeves, a big, classic back-to-the-basket center out of Oklahoma State. Although Reeves was a star in college, he was never better than average as a pro, and retired from the game in 2001. The Vancouver Grizzlies first season was typical for an expansion franchise; their 15-67 record was the worst in the NBA for the 1995-1996 season. They actually fared worse the following year, posting a 14-68 record. Things appeared to be looking up in 1997-98, when the team won 19 games, but the Vancouver Grizzlies only won eight games in the following lockout-shortened season. The Grizzlies drafted Maryland point guard Steve Francis in 1999, despite Francis repeatedly saying he would not go there. The guard forced the Grizzlies to make a three-team deal that sent Francis to the Houston Rockets. The team’s popularity dropped after the lockout, and this led to the Vancouver Grizzlies being moved to Memphis, Tenn., in 2001.

The Memphis Grizzlies

Several factors helped change the fortunes of the Memphis Grizzlies. First was the acquisition of star Spanish forward Pau Gasol, who had been drafted by the Atlanta Hawks. Next was the hiring of general manager Jerry West. A Hall-of-Fame player for the L.A. Lakers (the NBA logo bears his silhouette), West went on to enjoy a highly successful career as a personnel man for the Lakers. He was considered one of the league’s smartest judges of talent and a major coup for the Grizzlies, who were still seeking their first playoff appearance. Gasol’s acquisition and West’s hiring paid almost immediate dividends. In the 2002-03 season, the Memphis Grizzlies racked up 28 wins, the highest total in franchise history. They destroyed that record in the following campaign, winning 50 games and making their first playoff appearance. Had they been moved to the Eastern Conference, they might have had a better chance at advancing. But they faced the San Antonio Spurs in the first round and lost in four games. The following season, the Grizzlies posted a 45-37 record, good enough to make it to the playoffs again. This time they lost to the Phoenix Suns, in another four-game sweep. In the 2005-06 season, the Memphis Grizzlies won 49 games en route to a third straight playoff appearance. However, they ran into the Dallas Mavericks, who sent the Grizz to a third straight first round sweep. The Grizzlies finished 22-60 the following season, after which Jerry West resigned as general manager. Not only have the Memphis Grizzlies yet to win a first-round series, they have yet to win a single first round game.

2007-08 Season

The Trade That Shook The West took place during the 2007-08 season. Pau Gasol, the only All-Star in the history of the Memphis Grizzlies, was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for center Kwame Brown (considered a bust by most NBA personnel people) and other lower-tier players. While other Western Conference contenders scrambled to make trades of their own, the Grizzlies limped along to another 22-win season.

2008-09 Outlook

With so many competitive teams in the West, a successful season for the Grizzlies would be a record at or near .500. Without their best player, even 42 wins seems beyond their reach. The Grizzlies hope some high-flying offense from rookie O.J. Mayo will bring fans to the FedEx forum and add some wins to their record.

Like many NBA teams, the Golden State Warriors are currently in a state of flux. The team, which is based in Oakland and plays its home games at Oracle Arena, was hailed as an up-and-comer in the Western Conference two seasons ago. Since then, they have been up and down, a talented young team capable of pulling off stunning upsets or losing a string of games. In the ultra-competitive Western Conference, the Warriors have struggled to find their place.

Early Years

The Warriors began their existence on the East Coast, as a member of the old Basketball Association of America (BAA). The Philadelphia Warriors were one of the original league members, winning the BAA’s first championship over the Chicago Stags. They boasted one of the league’s stars, “Jumping Joe” Fulks.
In 1959, the Warriors drafted Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain, a strong and agile big man who changed the way the game was played. As a Philadelphia Warrior, Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game on March 2, 1962, against the New York Knicks. His single-game scoring record still stands today.

The team moved to San Francisco, Calif., in 1962, and were renamed the San Francisco Warriors. They began playing home games at the Oakland Coliseum Arena in 1966, and in 1971 they changed their name to the Golden State Warriors. To this day, they are the only NBA team whose nickname does not include their home state or city.

Championships

The Warriors have won two NBA championships in their history, one on each coast. As the Philadelphia Warriors, they defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons, four games to one, to win the 1955-56 title. As the Golden State Warriors, they upset the heavily favored Washington Bullets to become the 1974-75 champs. That team was led by notable players like Rick Barry and Jamaal Wilkes, yet they were tremendous underdogs. Someone forgot to tell the Warriors that; they swept the Bullets in four games.

“Run-TMC”

The Warriors faded into NBA obscurity during the late 1970s and early ‘80s, but a trio of draft picks would put them back into the limelight in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin played so well together, and scored so many points in such a high-flying style, that they garnered the nickname “Run-TMC.” The nickname was a play on the rap group Run-DMC, incorporating the first initials of Tim (Hardaway), Mitch (Richmond), and Chris (Mullin).

The trio played a high-speed, run-and-gun style that flustered many opponents and cemented head coach Don Nelson’s reputation as the mad genius of the NBA. They were the NBA’s highest-scoring threesome of the 1990-91 season. But Nelson, who is known to tinker with his teams even when they’re successful, traded Richmond for Billy Owens and broke up the trio.

2007-08 Season

After upsetting the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2006-07 playoffs, hopes were high for the Warriors in 2007-08. But shooting guard Jason Richardson was traded away to the Charlotte Bobcats for Brandan Wright, and forward Stephen Jackson was suspended for an incident involving a firearm. The team did not live up to expectations and ended up missing the playoffs.

The offseason brought change to the organization. Star point guard Baron Davis opted out of his contract and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Corey Maggette migrated to the Warriors from the Clippers.

2008-09 Outlook

The Western Conference is historically tough, and has gotten tougher with the addition of Pau Gasol to the Lakers, Jason Kidd to the Mavericks, and Shaquille O’Neal to the Suns. Whether Golden State’s off-season acquisitions will allow them to keep pace remains to be seen. But teams around the league know that Don Nelson thrives in the role of underdog. If the Golden State Warriors can make the playoffs, few teams will want to see them in the first round.