Joel Przybilla- knee is progressing: Przybilla ran through intense full-court drills for more than 15 minutes Thursday. Przybilla and Greg Oden ran through the drills after the morning shootaround before Thursday night's preseason game against Utah. He seemed to be running and jumping at nearly 100 percent, although he's still expected to miss at least the first month of the season.
Greg Oden- some progress with knee: Oden ran through intense full-court drills for more than 15 minutes following the morning shootaround before Thursday's preseason game against Utah. Oden has already declared himself out for the regular season opener, so a return to game action is far from imminent, but his nearly full-speed workout Thursday is an encouraging sign. Oden was moving with a slight limp, which is a bit of a concern, but didn't seem to have much of a problem with any of his drills.
Josh Howard- may be ahead of schedule with knee: Howard is making considerable progress in his recovery from knee surgery. Howard has ramped up his activity over the past week by running, jumping, shooting and participating in some offensive and defensive drills. He also warmed up with his teammates before Washington's preseason opener, even banging down low by defending players as they attempted post moves. "If you watch him on the floor during skeleton runs, you'd think that he could play that night," coach Flip Saunders said. "He's pretty advanced." The Wizards don't have an official timetable, but a November return is looking more realistic. Howard could end up starting at SF for the Wizards once he is back and 100|PERCENT|.
Tyson Chandler- will still come off bench for now: Despite an impressive preseason debut, Chandler will continue to come off the bench. Coach Rick Carlisle said "Brendan's job is to get us off to good starts, and Tyson's job is to be a game-changer for us." However if Chandler continues to play well he could join the starting lineup and become a legitimate fantasy option.
Wes Johnson- back to the bench Wednesday: After starting Monday's game at shooting guard, Johnson came off the bench and scored 12 points with five rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes in Wednesday's preseason win over the Knicks. Corey Brewer started at shooting guard and it looks like Johnson will battle him for the starter designation this preseason. However, it looks like Johnson will get significant minutes right away this season regardless of whether he starts.
Darko Milicic- solid game Wednesday: Milicic scored nine points with five rebounds and three blocked shots in 24 minutes in Wednesday's preseason win over the Knicks. Milicic is going to get playing time as the starting center and could be a sleeper in deeper leagues, especially for blocked shots (he has five blocked shots in two preseason games). The usual Milicic caveats apply since he's teased us in the past, but the T-Wolves are committed to giving him minutes. Of course he has to be able to stay out of foul trouble to get those minutes.
Corey Brewer- back in the starting lineup Wednesday: Brewer started at shooting guard and scored four points in 15 minutes with one assist and two steals in Wednesday's preseason win over the Lakers. Wesley Johnson started at shooting guard in Minnesota's first preseason game, so it looks like the starting job will be up for grabs this preseason. However, both Brewer and Johnson should get significant minutes at small forward and shooting guard, so being named the starter may not make a huge difference.