Caron Butler, Danilo Gallinari Hurt; Rajon Rondo Returns From Injury

It appears that at the very least Caron Butler will miss two months with a torn tendon in his right knee.

Butler, who is averaging 15 points, 4.1 rebounds, one steal and one 3-pointer in 30 minutes of action injured his knee on New Year's Day against the Bucks. With Dirk Nowitzki also out for the Mavs, Shawn Marion and DeShawn Stevenson were in the starting frontcourt on Sunday.

Marion is going to see the biggest boost due to the Butler injury and already has shown signs of breaking out with 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting and five rebounds in 31 minutes of action against the Cavs on Sunday. Stevenson scored a season-high 21 points, hitting five 3-pointers in 33 minutes. With Nowitzki (knee) expected to return this week, Stevenson will be back to providing limited fantasy value, so don't bite on him in 12-team leagues.

Rookie Dominique Jones also is expected to see an increase in playing time, scoring a season-high nine points with five rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 22 minutes. At best, Jones is a deep-league add right now.

NBA NEWS, NOTES AND INJURIES

- Danilo Gallinari hurt his knee late in the Knicks Sunday win against the Pacers. The early reports have the injury listed as a sprain, which shouldn't keep Gallo out too long. If anything, he may miss a game or two but I do expect him to return to the lineup very soon.

- Rajon Rondo returned to the lineup for the Celtics on Sunday after having missed his last seven games. He had a modest line with four points on 2-of-3 shooting, eight assists, one steal and five turnovers in 34 minutes. You can go ahead and get him back in your lineup. Nate Robinson, on the other hand, should be dropped in 12-team leagues. He had just four points in 14 minutes.

- Glen Davis was the big story for the Celtics, scoring 15 points with 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 39 minutes. As I suggested weeks back, Davis is a must-own in 12-team leagues. Especially now that Kevin Garnett is out of the lineup.

- Andrea Bargnani remained sidelines for the Raptors on Sunday, which led to Joey Dorsey notching his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds in 36 minutes. He's not consistent whatsoever, but if you're looking for some help on the boards to fill in while Bargnani is out Dorsey is a viable add.

- Roy Hibbert came off the bench for the Pacers against the Knicks, scoring 10 points and pulling in four rebounds in 16 minutes. This was a matchup situation for Hibbert with the Pacers starting Jeff Foster to play defense on Amar'e Stoudemire. I wouldn't worry all too much about Hibbert, unless this becomes a common trend.

- Manny Harris started in place of Daniel Gibson, who was out with a thigh injury, and scored just two points with four assists in 22 minutes. Ramon Sessions, however, was the real winner on Sunday with 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 12 assists and seven rebounds in 30 minutes. Great! The bad news for Sessions is that Gibson is expected back by the middle of this week, meaning he'll return to being a mediocre fantasy point guard off the Cavs bench. Oh well.

- Terrence Williams made his Rockets debut on Sunday against the Blazers. He scored just four points in eight minutes. As I've written many times before, he's not ready to be a fantasy contributor in 12-team leagues. If you need the roster spot, I say cut him.

- Marcin Gortat is making a strong case for 12-team ownership. He scored 16 points and pulled in six rebounds with three blocks in 35 minutes, marking the third game in his last four in which he hit the double-digit scoring mark. He played nearly three times the minutes of starter Robin Lopez. It's worth keeping an eye on the rotational minutes in the Suns frontcourt going forward.

- DeMarcus Cousins scored a game-high 28 points with eight rebounds and six assists against the Suns. Without a doubt, he needs to be owned in all leagues. Francisco Garcia was one of three Kings to double-double in this one, going for 20 points and 11 rebounds in 40 minutes. It's hard to put too much stock in this performance, especially given the competition. But if Beno Udrih (knee) misses any time you should give Garcia a good look.