Adonal Foyle

Foyle will again be a veteran presence off the bench for the Magic. He'll come in and do the dirty work, but could lose some playing time to both the returning Battie and the younger Gortat.

Foyle will be counted on as the team's best rebounder off the bench and its best post defender. He has blocked almost two shots per game over his career, but doesn't really offer anything else in terms of fantasy production.

Where to start? Without an appreciable offensive game and putting up paltry rebounding numbers, Foyle somehow managed to wrangle a six-year deal out of Chris Mullin two years ago. He’s got shot-blocking skills and that’s about it. He doesn’t make his free throws and isn’t a good athlete. He may have finally lost his starting job at center, but we’ll have to see what new/old coach Don Nelson wants to do with him. The Warriors were playing around with a smaller lineup – an alignment Nellie adopted in first go-round with Golden State – that featured Troy Murphy at center, and they drafted Patrick O’Bryant ninth overall, so the organization is trying to replace Foyle. Look elsewhere for a starter, but keep him on speed dial if you’re category hunting later in the season. Foyle averages 1.8 blocks in just less than 20 minutes per game for his career.

Foyle was handed Golden State’s starting center job last season, but failed to live up to performance and economic expectations. He’s still a source of blocked shots, averaging 2.0 per game in 21.8 minutes last year and 1.9 bpg in his career. Like most of the Warriors, he played better after the acquisition of Baron Davis, posting 6.0 points and 7.6 rebounds in 28.5 minutes per game after the All-Star break.

Not only did Erick Dampier do well ($73 million from Dallas) after opting out of the final two years of his Golden State contract, but Foyle was a beneficiary as well when the Warriors signed him to a six-year, $42 million deal. Whether he's the starting center in the later years of that contract doesn’t matter. He'll get 30 minutes per night if healthy this year. Foyle is coming off a knee injury and has played more than 22 mpg in just one (25.1 in 2000-01) of this seven NBA seasons. Yeah, there are questions about his fantasy value. Foyle started the last eight games of the season and averaged 7.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.38 blocks. It’s a nice two weeks of basketball, but nothing to hand out $42 million for. He provides very little on offense is positively Shaquilian at the free throw line (48.1 percent), but will rebound and block shots. If Foyle falters, Eduardo Najera or Cliff Robinson can fill in.

Foyle will be handed the starting center job after several seasons in a part-time role with Erick Dampier. The six-year commitment the team handed to him is a sign of their confidence, but he has yet to prove anything on the court. If he plays 30 minutes a night, Foyle will give you a good source of rebounds and blocks.