Last time I gave you 5 reasons the Lakers WOULD win the 2009 NBA Championship, and this time I will give you my top 5 reasons why they may fall short.

The Lakers WILL win the NBA Championship NEXT year because:

I think we are in store for one of the best NBA Playoffs ever. The stories, the rivalries and the level of competition are all as strong as ever. The Western Conference will be hotly contested and the Eastern Conference will provide some great games as well. So in honor of what will be a fun next couple of months, here are my playoff predictions, round by round.

Now that this fantasy season is finished, it is never too early to look ahead to next year. If you were in a championship matchup this week in a H-2-H league, hope you won!

There are 3 more days of NBA regular season basketball to be played. This means leagues are coming to an end. If you are close in a H2H league playoff game or in a roto league, employ these tips!

Please don't tell me you picked up Luke Walton last night after he had a pretty good game against the Clippers. Luke went for 18-5-4 (pt, reb, ast) with a steal and a block, which is a damn good line, but consider the following 3 points:

CHARLIE VILLANUEVA

The rule is that if a guy shows up in this spot twice, he's a good bet to be a decent pickup. So what happens when someone shows up three times? My guess is that he'll be a star the rest of the year (all 4 games). CV scored 38 points on 56% from the field (although only 60% from the line) and added 12 rebounds and 7 threes. 7 THREES!!??? Yeah, he plays like a big man too. Should be a lot of potential for next year.

OK guys we've been talking about it for a while, but now it really is that time of year. All leagues will be completed on the last day of the NBA regular season, April 16th. With that being said, I would like to recommend 3 teams that have favorable matchups the last 7 days (10th-16th) of the year: the Houston Rockets, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Portland Trailblazers. Here's how their schedules are looking the rest of the way:

CHANNING FRYE

I'll be the first to admit that this guy is definitely a stretch in terms of fantasy potential, but you gotta admit, the title was catchy, right? But seriously, Frye had the fourth best line of the night last night according to basketballmonster.com--and they know their stuff. So consider him wisely. Last night he put up 22 points, 11 rebounds 2 assists and 3 (!) steals in 38 minutes and led the Blazers to a 112-103 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers :-(

So make those last minute fantasy basketball adds and drops! Here's last night's pickup of the night:

CHARLIE VILLANUEVA

I cannot seem to make up my mind about this guy. He is really inconsistent and normally that would be bad for fantasy. But I think he'll finish the year strong; the Bucks have nothing to play for and he wants to make a statement for next year. Case in point: Villanueva had 22 points on 50% shooting from the field (and 5-7 from the line) with 13 rebounds, 2 assists, and zero turnovers. He is definitely becoming the second option on that team with Mo Williams out.

So instead of just giving you 1-2 players to consider from last night, I've got 5 for you today. So for you fantasy owners that are contending for a Championship in your H2H or Roto leagues, consider these guys that can help you in certain categories.

JOAKIM NOAH

So tonight, the focus is on the bruisers in the middle. These guys may not get you many points, but they will shoot a high percentage from the field, block some shots, and pull down all of your rebounds. Case in point, last night Noah had just 10 points but was 4-5 from the field with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. Not a bad all-around night for a guy that I thought was trash ever since the Bulls took him last year on Draft Day.

Well, surprising as it is to say, the NBA is getting even better with the return of some of its top guns. On April 2, 2008 4 stars returned to their team's. Pau Gasol returned from his ankle injury to lead the Lakers to a victory of Portland, Gilbert Arenas' knee troubles seem to have subsided, as the Wizard made a surprise return against Milwaukee and chipped in 17 points in 20 minutes in the losing effort, Dirk Nowitzki also made a surprise return from a high ankle sprain to help the Mavs rout a very tough Golden State team, and finally, Elton Brand surprised many by playing nearly the entire fourth quarter and leading the Clippers to a victory over the lowly Sonics.

ANTHONY CARTER

Do you pick up Carter in your league, or do you not? The Nuggets are a dynamic team, but Carter is behind AI, Melo, Camby, and Kenyon Martin in taking shots and getting stats. Well, Carter proved tonight he doesn't need the ball to produce and should be on your fantasy team. Sure Carter only had 8 points on 3-5 from the field and 2-3 from the line. But he not only helped out with 10 dimes (and 2 rebounds), but he got an amazing 6 steals and 1 block, all while turning it over only once. Not bad at all for the guy whose name you can't remember on the Nuggets.

C.J. MILES

This is the guy who's been starting for the injured Andrei Kirilenko. He's a Guard-Forward that can hit the long ball. Last night he had a spectacular game, scoring 29 points, with 4 boards and 5 dimes. He had 17 looks at the basket and hit 12 of those shots. He's started in each of the last 3 games for Utah, so look at him for a potential pickup this week while the Jazz are banged up. Oh and am I the only one that thinks he looks like a young Ray Allen in this pic?