With four games on tap for the NBA season's opening night, let's run through the fantasy plotlines for all involved parties...

Boston @ Cleveland (7:30PM ET)

BOS: The focus of much fear and trepidation from within the fantasy community during the offseason, Kevin Garnett(notes) ended up leading the Celtics in scoring during the preseason (12.7) and averaged 25 minutes over his final three tune-up games. But the question of course remains: Can he stay healthy all season and warrant that ADP that put him just outside of Round 1 (13.3)? How much of a draft bargain will Rasheed Wallace(notes) turn out to be (77.8 ADP), particularly now that Glen Davis(notes) is out for around two months with a broken hand? What does Rajon Rondo(notes) have in store for us in his fourth year (a contract year)? How is it possible that this is Kendrick Perkins'(notes) seventh NBA season?

CLE: The preseason is one thing, but we're all anxious to see how LeBron James(notes) and Shaquille O'Neal(notes) coexist now that the games start to count. How will Shaq's presence affect James' gaudy line? And what about Mo Williams(notes), who is coming off a career-high 17.8 points and 2.3 threes per game? Is there room for any fantasy production past those three players? Anthony Parker(notes) and Anderson Varejao(notes) will be on the court for around 30 minutes, so that's a start. Fantasy favorite Delonte West(notes) remains in limbo, opening the door for the sneaky-good "glue guy" Parker to start.

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Washington @ Dallas (8:30pm ET)

WAS: It sure didn't take long for injuries to beset the Wizards, as Antawn Jamison(notes) is looking at a few weeks off due to a dislocated shoulder. Andray Blatche(notes), the time is (once again) now. Of course, the real drama in Washington centers on Gilbert Arenas(notes) and his ability to 1) stay on the court and 2) return to a high level this season. We'll see how close he comes to his media day snippet about trying to take fewer than 100 threes - he averaged 1.3 long-range attempts in six preseason games. How many games will Caron Butler(notes) miss, and will they once again mostly be in March-April? How will the minutes shake out for newcomers Mike Miller(notes) and Randy Foye(notes), and how much usage will they find behind the team's big three? Are people sleeping on Brendan Haywood(notes) or will JaVale McGee(notes) turn things into a platoon?

DAL: The Mavericks added another veteran (Shawn Marion(notes)) to their experienced core (Dirk Nowitzki(notes), Jason Kidd(notes), Jason Terry(notes)), and things were clicking when he played in the preseason. Josh Howard(notes) is still Josh Howard, so just how substantial can Marion's fantasy impact be this season? Dirk is a lock, as usual, but how will J-Kidd and Terry follow up their ridiculously productive 08-09 seasons? Can Drew Gooden(notes) marginalize Erick Dampier(notes) enough to become a consistent fantasy asset himself?

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Houston @ Portland (10pm ET)

HOU: With Yao Ming(notes) and Tracy McGrady(notes) out of the picture (the latter for at least a while), there is a lot of usage up for grabs. Aaron Brooks(notes), Luis Scola(notes), Trevor Ariza(notes), and Shane Battier(notes) comprise the team's core, but how exactly is the pie divvied up here? Is Brooks ready to lead this team or just create some looks for himself? Just how productive can Scola be as the main post option? Is Ariza really ready for a featured role on both ends of the court? How high will Battier rank on the Curry Line this season? Can one of the team's "other" frontcourt players (Carl Landry(notes), Chuck Hayes(notes), David Andersen(notes), Joey Dorsey(notes)) emerge as useful in standard leagues?

POR: Brandon Roy(notes) and LaMarcus Aldridge(notes) are locks here, but then it gets interesting. Greg Oden(notes) will be under a serious microscope, and for good reason. Can he avoid foul trouble and become a real difference-maker in his second season? We know that Joel Przybilla(notes) can step in if it doesn't happen. For how long will Andre Miller(notes) remain a reserve behind Steve Blake(notes), and how will it affect his production? With Nicolas Batum(notes) out for most of the season, can Martell Webster(notes) provide more than occasional threes? How much playing time is available for players like Rudy Fernandez(notes), Travis Outlaw(notes), Jerryd Bayless(notes) in the team's typically deep rotation?

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LA Clippers @ LA Lakers (10:30pm ET)

LAC: There couldn't be a worse way for Blake Griffin(notes) to start his season/career than with a knee injury that will cause him to miss an extensive amount of time. His "upside" is completely tied to his explosive athleticism. Eric Gordon(notes) seems like he could remain above the injury fracas that usually afflicts this team - and I love him for fantasy purposes this season - but how many inactive games will Baron Davis(notes), Chris Kaman(notes), and Marcus Camby(notes) total between them? Maybe Davis wasn't as bad as he looked last season, but how much better can we actually expect him to be at this point? Can Chris Kaman top 30 minutes per game for any length of time without then missing the next month or two as a result? Will Al Thornton(notes) ever actually be as good as people already think he is?

LAL: Assuming a healthy roster, we know the team's depth will affect Lamar Odom's(notes) fantasy line negatively. But what about the team's first-round fantasy pick not named Kobe Bryant(notes)? Pau Gasol(notes) produced like a third-rounder when Andrew Bynum(notes) was active last season and a first-rounder when Bynum missed games (check the numbers if you don't believe me). If he was your first-round pick, a (mostly) healthy Bynum and the addition of Ron Artest(notes) should have you feeling a bit uneasy about that choice. Artest's career usage rate dwarfs anything Trevor Ariza did, so he'll command touches. This is an intelligent collection of players that is led by a brilliant staff, so there's no reason to expect major issues, but how everything comes together will indeed be worth watching.

Related: Fantasy Basketball