Andrew Bogut: AP

Australian baller Andrew Bogut finished last season on a tear that made him look a lot like the No. 1 overall pick he was in the 2005 draft. Following the All-Star break, Bogut averaged 16.3 points, 2.8 assists, 11.6 boards, 1.7 blocks and 51 percent from the floor. And in 10 April games, he boosted his scoring to 17.6 ppg and field-goal percentage to 56.6. It seemed that he was primed to be a rock-solid fantasy option at center this year, but he hasn't been able to live up to that billing. In fact, he's only been on the hardwood for four games this month, as nagging back spasms have kept him on the pine. And earlier in the season, he battled a bruised knee.

While his red-hot end to last season appeared enticing, there were a couple of factors that should have kept those expectations curbed to an extent. First, they brought in a new coach in Scott Skiles, who can be ornery and isn't afraid to limit a player's fantasy potential if he thinks it will help his team win games -- just ask Ben Gordon. Second, and more important, was the Bucks' trade for Richard Jefferson, a veteran who twice averaged more than 22 points per game in a season. The slashing small forward was going to have to eat into Bogut's potential.

Sure enough, Bogut has averaged nearly three fewer attempts and four fewer points in the 34 games he's actually played thus far.

Things might turn around for the stretch run, though, as he appears set to return this week and Michael Redd is down for the season with torn knee ligaments. Jefferson, a red-hot Charlie Villanueva and darkhorse Ramon Sessions are the obvious benefactors in the wake of Redd's injury, but don't forget about Bogut. If he can shake off his injuries, don't be surprised if he posts numbers similar to last year's post-All-Star stretch.

I think you could have literally heard me gulp out loud Thursday morning when I read a headline in the Indianapolis Star regarding Danny Granger's sore knee that read: "You better hope it's not that serious."

Granger missed Wednesday's game after exiting the previous contest with a bruised right knee, which seemed relatively innocuous at the time. But Mike Wells of the Indy Star reported that the joint has been bothering him for at least the past couple of weeks, and long before that it caused him to miss some workouts over the summer.

"I'd go into the timeout (during games) and ice it," Granger said. "I needed it to be numb because I couldn't jump on it. The other night in Orlando, by the time the second quarter came around and I was done. I'm hoping this doesn't last long."

Any time one of the top fantasy options in the game is reporting long-term knee pain, you have to start paying close attention. At this point, I'm not going to get overly concerned, because he missed just six games in his first three seasons and only one due to injury this season (a quad cramp, plus two games due to illness). And considering he's averaged 27.6 ppg, 3.5 apg, 2.8 3pg, 1.2 spg and 1.5 bpg this month, the malady hasn't slowed him down much on the court. Cross your fingers that he plays this weekend, and let's hope this is something he can work his way through.

Well, really, you should already have traded him when he was averaging 22.7 points, 10.2 boards and 2 blocks per game back in December. That's because Yao Ming is among a small group of players who tease you with top-10 stats like that when they are healthy but who invariably end up ruining your team by spending countless games in the infirmary. In fact, Yao might be at the head of the class in that group, as his perfect big-man stats and center eligibility draw you in and make you try like hell to ignore some basic facts -- things like Yao playing no more than 57 games in any of the past three seasons and the fact that he lugs around 310 pounds on the bones of his freakish 7-foot-6 frame.

After missing three and a half games due to a sore right knee, Yao returned to the mix Wednesday night, though he mustered just 13 points, 10 boards and no blocks. And that joint may have been bothering him for a while, since after that stellar December run, he has managed just 17.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 1.1 bpg.

I recommended back in November that you trade Yao to avoid the risk, and I'm back to give you the same advice before it's too late. Let him get in a few games to bump his value back up and deal the risk away.

Spencer Hawes: Icon SMI

We haven't heard much from Spencer Hawes since his intriguing November performance, when he averaged 12.7 points, 1.8 blocks and close to a three per game. Since then, his production dwindled; he missed a stretch of games due to injury; and eventually took a backseat to Brad Miller, which has rendered him thoroughly useless in fantasy terms.

But the trade deadline is looming, and all signs point to the Kings dealing away Miller. One rumor has Miller going to the Heat for Shawn Marion, which might still limit the upside of Hawes for the post-All-Star run.

That said, if you have the room on your bench to snag Hawes off your waiver wire and stash him for a couple of weeks, you might reap some nice benefits should Miller depart and Hawes return to the starting lineup. Any center who can block shots, hit threes and maintain quality percentages is worth taking a look at.

Getting off the fantasy tip for a minute, I had to pass along this juicy video featuring 10 of the best dunks of Michael Jordan's career. Some of them are classics (like dunking on Pat Ewing), others are a little less well known (like dunking on Kelly Tripucka), but as far as I'm concerned it's always golden to see a young MJ humiliating his opponents. Enjoy!