It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, now with the NBA finally ready to go. There are a ton of great games to watch but just don’t forget to get your fantasy lineups ready before Sunday noon EST. We got what you need to know and keep an eye out for during the Christmas NBA marathon right below. Until next time, Merry Christmas and happy holidays.

ScoutNinja Report:
Boston vs. New York:
The spotlight will be on the Knicks’ frontcourt with the recently acquired Tyson Chandler but we’re more interested in the backcourt situation. Toney Douglas needs to prove he can handle the point or else Iman Shumpert is ready to pounce at the chance.

Miami vs. Dallas:
The much anticipated finals rematch. The Heat will be the favorite to win it all this season and adding Shane Battier will help (not your fantasy team). The Mavs somehow got Lamar Odom from the Lakers for next to nothing. Keep an eye on him and Brendan Haywood and see how the new lineup will shake out.

Kobe Bryant:
Rumor has it he’s been Ho, Ho, Hoe’in a little too much lately. More importantly, check how his injured right wrist will affect his game. Bryant is slated to playa, I mean play.

Richard Hamilton:
During preseason, he played like he grew up playing with Derrick Rose. He’s worth a roster spot if you have one to burn, if not wait and see how they gel in a real game.

Dwight Howard:
Orlando GM Otis Smith will probably hold tight on trading Howard but hopefully that doesn’t produce a disinterested Superman for fantasy owners.

LA Clippers vs Golden State:
Last but not least, Lob City is the icing on this Christmas cake and we hope Chris Paul will help make season two of The Blake Show better than last if that’s possible. Also, keep Stephen Curry in your lineup as he’s optimistic about playing after spraining his ankle.

Now that Chris Paul has finally been freed from David Stern’s kung fu death grip, we can assess the fantasy impact of Paul’s move to the LA Clippers. It’s no surprise that everyone involved with the trade got a nice boost of fantasy value, but even the LA Lakers’ stock went up as well. Here’s the latest breakdown.

ScoutNinja Report:
1. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are going to put on a clinic in the form of alley-oops. CP3 should easily bounce back to his career average of 18pts/10ast per game and more if he can stay healthy. Can the Incredible Griff get any better? Oh yes he can.

2. Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman suddenly became the stars of the show in New Orleans, and we fully expect them to run the show there. We’re high on Eric Gordon and so should you.

3. Al-Farouq Aminu is an interesting sleeper candidate. He’s stuck behind Trevor Ariza at SF for now so don’t go out of your way to draft him. But keep him on your watch list.

4. Without the all-versatile Lamar Odom, the Lakers will need Andrew Bynum to grow up and pick up the slack. Kobe will be Kobe but a year older. As for Pau Gasol, who was a top-5 fantasy player last season, should stay near the top as long as he stays in a Lakers uniform.

5.As for Odom, his numbers are likely to take hit in the beginning. He’ll have to split minutes with Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. But he’s too talented to not play a major role but he gets adjusted in Dallas.

NBA is back and so are we. The season will start on Christmas Day and we’re here to get you ready for your fantasy league and make sense of all the post-lockout free agency insanity that is already underway. For now here’s what you need to know for starters.

ScoutNinja Report:
1. It’s a shortened season with 66 games and plenty of back-to-back-to-backs. 42 to be exact. Beware of drafting players born in the 70′s such as Duncan or Garnett.

2. Where will Chris Paul and Dwight Howard go? We should find out soon. No matter where they go, CP3 is likely a top-5 pick in your league while Howard should go in mid to late 2nd round.

3. The defending champ Dallas Mavericks lost Tyson Chandler to the Knicks and Caron Butler to the Clippers but got Lamar Odom as a consolation.

4. David West signed with the Pacers. JJ Barea is close to signing with the TWolves. Looks like Marc Gasol is back with the Grizzlies and DeAndre Jordan has an offer from the Warriors.

5. What about China? Wilson Chandler, Aaron Brooks, JR Smith and Kenyon Martin are still under contracts to play in China until March 2012. However, there’s a report that NBA teams can assist in a possible buyout for a measly $500K. Stay tuned.

6. Don’t draft Greg Oden (hurt again) or Brandon Roy (retired).

7. Do draft Ricky Ruuuuuuuuuuuubio. Because he’ll be fun to watch, follow and name drop.

Notable Games/News:
2010-2011 Season - Is this is the best regular NBA season ever? Probably the best we can remember since the Michael Jordan era. Bill Simmons aka the Sports Guy certainly thinks so. We are inclined to agree simply because this is the season that brought you RotoNinjas. Lets hope it won’t be the last. We hope you had a great fantasy season and that our daily recaps and previews were helpful at best and amusing at worst. Since there’s no need to recap from last night’s boxscores, go ahead and just enjoy these highlights from last night (above) and the season (below). As for RotoNinjas, we’re not quite done yet. In the next couple of weeks, we’ll be back to bring you RotoNinjas Awards of the Year as well as some side commentaries for sure. In the meantime, enjoy the NBA playoffs.

Tonight’s regurlar season finale will go out with a slew games, but an equal amount of stars won’t join the party. Boston and Knicks will sit their stars tonight since they’ll have plenty of time to play each other in the playoffs. Bigs like, A. Bynum, Love, Bargnani, Nene, Scola, Kaman, and Noah will all sit out. Hopefully you’ve picked up some reserves last night to start tonight. MVP candidates Durant, Lebron and Rose, on the other hand will play on. Durant has averaged over 30pts in the final regular season games, does the kid ever rest? Anyway, with so many choices we’ll focus on who to gamble on and who not to. No Scout’em, duh.

Start’em:
Spurs - Surprisingly they may play tonight. They may play limited but at least they’re playing.
Kings - All of the starters looks like a safe play except if they get blown out.
Heat - Bosh claims the big three will play. Wade is the one you should worry about.
Chandler/Smith (Den) – Both will get enough run to make them a decent start.
Al Harrington (Den) – If for some odd reason you have give him a go since he’s starting.
Stephen Curry (Gsw) – With Monta out, Curry will most likely play through the injury.
Jerryd Bayless (Tor) – It’s unfortunate that he hasn’t started more this season.
Lopez/Farmar (Njn) – They’re the only Nets that’s a safe bet. Vujacic would be a gamble.
Lamar Odom (Lal) – With Bynum out he’ll be needed to night to help Pau down low.
DeAndre Jordon (Lac) – If you need blks take a chance with Jordan since he’s starting.
Jeff Green (Bos) – He’s filling in for the starters and should be started at all cost.
Rodney Stuckey (Det) – What an up and down year he’s had. He looks serious enough to play.
Goran Dragic (Hou) - Can Lowry get a break? Another PG to fight for PT next season.
Anthony Tolliver (Min) – He’s been a big factor late in the season two yrs in a row.

Sit’em:
Pacers - Starters will play tonight but sounds like they’ll all share the minutes.
Andre Iguodala (Phi) - We’ll be surprised if he plays. We’d go with another option.
Ray Felton (Den) – Will rest tonight along with Kenyon Martin.
Tony Allen (Mem) – Had a nice run this season but they’re gearing him up for playoffs.
Jason Kidd (Dal) - Will play but was he startable even when he was healthy?
Carl Landry (Nor) – Fallen off the bus lately. Give someone else a shot.
Chase Budinger (Hou) – Hasn’t hit two 3s in like forever. Go with another sharp shooter.