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By Jordan Nashen
bobcats.com

February 5, 2008
It was a particularly busy week in the National Basketball Association. There have been trades, trade rumors, trade demands, the announcing of all-star reserves, Chuck and D-Wade in a Super Bowl commercial... Okay, the last part was just humorous, but the news that transpired over the past week can have an effect on your fantasy team, and a move on your part may be necessary.

RECAPPING THE WEEK THAT WAS:

The Bobcats spent the week on the road in a tough five-game Western Conference road swing. They didn’t play quite as well as they would have liked, finishing the trip with a 1-4 record. They did however pick up a key player who may contribute both to their overall record and to your fantasy team. Earl Boykins, a 5’5 point guard, has signed with the Bobcats for the remainder of the season. Boykins has been a valuable member of his past teams, and it may be time to determine if he can fit in your fantasy rotation. He is focused on coming back and “being that missing piece to help (the Bobcats) get over the top.” He has averaged nearly 10 points a game over his career, and given the Bobcats backcourt, he may put up some strong fantasy numbers once he feels comfortable in Coach Vincent’s system. Here's a closer look at what the Bobcats did this past week.

JANUARY 28 at LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS - BOBCATS 107, CLIPPERS 100
Shooting stud: Gerald Wallace led the way going 8-11 from the field posting 23 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals.
Shooting dud: The Bobcats shot 56.7% from the field, so it was hard for someone to have an off-night.
Key contributor: Emeka Okafor added 14 points on 6-8 FG to go along with nine rebounds and a bonus of four assists.

JANUARY 30 at SACRAMENTO - BOBCATS 91, KINGS 105
Shooting stud: Raymond Felton scored 16 points on 6-11 from the field while adding seven assists.
Shooting dud: Jason Richardson had a bad shooting night going 4-16 FG, 1-7 3FG for 11 points and five rebounds.
Key contributor: Emeka Okafor posted a double double with 13 points and 15 rebounds.

FEBRUARY 1 at GOLDEN STATE- BOBCATS 96, WARRIORS 127
Shooting stud: Emeka Okafor with another double double, 20 points and 18 rebounds.
Shooting dud: In his Bobcats debut, Earl Boykins shot 2-11 for five points.
Key contributor: Raymond Felton shot 6-12 and recorded 16 points.

FEBRUARY 2 at DENVER- BOBCATS 101 NUGGETS 117
Shooting stud: Jason Richardson notched his second 38 point night of the season, shooting 14-25 from the field and 6-11 from the arc.
Shooting dud: Nazr Mohammed shot only 2-7 on the night to go along with seven points.
Key contributor: Jared Dudley, in a starter’s role, scored 11 points and added eight rebounds.

FEBRUARY 4 at PHOENIX- BOBCATS 104 SUNS 118
Shooting stud: Raymond Felton went 8-12 from the field to record 19 points. He also added four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
Shooting dud: Derek Anderson went 2-7 from the field and 1-5 from three-point range.
Key contributor: Emeka Okafor continued to put up good numbers, posting a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds.

Emeka Okafor averaged 17.0 points and 14.6 rebounds this week. Okafor has been the most consistent Bobcats in recent weeks
Gerald Wallace is out for at least a week with a strained right foot. In his three games this week, The Force averaged 19.7 points, six rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.3 steals.
Jason Richardson had an inconsistent game-by-game week, but did finish with averages of 20.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
Raymond Felton is moving back to the point guard position. He averaged 15.0 points and 6.2 assists this past week.

PREVIEWING THE WEEK AHEAD:
Following their road trip, the Bobcats return home to play the Nets (February 8) following a three day layoff, and concluding their week in Detroit (February 10).

Here is a closer look at the matchups for the Bobcats this week.

FEBRUARY 8 vs. NEW JERSEY (20-27)
Charlotte has split the two matchups they have played against the Nets this season, but these games against Eastern Conference teams jockeying for playoff positioning are extremely important down the stretch.

Key Matchup: Raymond Felton (13.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals) vs. Jason Kidd (11.1 points, 10.4 assists, 8.1 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: With the steady play of big men such as Darko Milicic, Andray Blatche and David Lee amongst others, Sean Williams is beginning to fall out of favor for fantasy owners.

FEBRUARY 10 DETROIT (34-13)
The Pistons are unbeaten against the Bobcats this season and continue to thrive led by their two all stars, Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups.

Key Matchups: Nazr Mohammed (7.3 points, 5.7 rebounds) vs. Antonio McDyess (9.6 points, 8.7 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: Rasheed Wallace has been doing some trash talking recently, but at least he’s been able to back it up by posting 16.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in his last four games.

AROUND THE ASSOCIATION
Who’s hot:

  • Josh Childress of the Atlanta Hawks is averaging 18.8 points (32-50 FG) and 5.8 rebounds in his last four games.

  • Kyle Lowry of the Memphis Grizzlies is averaging 16 points 4.6 rebounds and assists in his last five games.

  • Andris Biendris of the Golden State Warriors is averaging 12 points and 12.2 rebounds in his last five games.

  • Al Thornton, after not being invited to partake in the All-Star Rookie Challenge, has been playing with an edge by averaging 19.3 points and 4.5 rebounds in his last four games.

    Who’s not:

  • In a regular season contest that doubled the audience of the Super Bowl, Milwaukee’s Yi Jianlian scored six points (1-10 FG) against the Rockets on Saturday. Yi is averaging 6.2 points in his last five games.

    THIS WEEK’S PROJECTIONS:

  • With Chris Webber now a member of the Warriors, his fantasy numbers should begin to look promising in the Golden State, depending on the playing time.
  • With Gerald Wallace injured for at least a week, Jared Dudley and Nazr Mohammed should see an increase in minutes in starting roles.
  • The Raptors Andrea Bargnani is starting to shake off his sophomore jinx and showing promise as a dominant big man who can add a paint presence to go along with his outside shooting (17.0 points and 4.8 rebounds in last five).
  • Kwame Brown is now a member of the Memphis Grizzlies after getting traded for Pau Gasol (amongst others players). In the final year of his contract, he should get the necessary minutes in Memphis and the opportunity to show that he can play in this league.
  • Ronny Turiaf has been playing well lately averaging 11.2 points and 5.2 rebounds in his last five games. With Pau expected to make his debut as a Laker, Turiaf’s numbers are sure to take a hit.
  • Ryan Gomes of the Timberwolves posted 18 and 9, and 25 and 10 in the team’s past two wins. With Minnesota no longer the worst team on the league thanks to the Miami Heat, the chemistry is starting to kick in addition to fantasy numbers for many of the young Wolves.
  • Seattle is starting to click, having won three in a row. Chris Wilcox is a big reason for that as he is averaging 15.6 points and 9.0 rebounds in his last five games.
  • With Damon Stoudemire officially a member of the San Antonio Spurs, his fantasy numbers may be more significant than once thought with the injury to Tony Parker.

    Make sure to check back every Monday for another installment of the Bobcats Fantasy Basketball Report.

    Past Bobcats Fantasy Basketball Reports:

  • January 28, 2008
  • January 21, 2008
  • January 14, 2008