BOBCATS: Fantasy Basketball Report

Poll

By Jordan Nashen
bobcats.com

February 11, 2008
All-Star weekend is fast approaching which symbolizes the unofficial midway point of the NBA season. All-Stars such as Brandon Roy, Chris Paul, and David West have all put up big fantasy numbers this year and are slated to make their first All-Star appearances in New Orleans. There are other players (Baron Davis, Jose Calderon, Hedo Turkoglu) who did not make the team who may have even deserved a spot, such as Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace. The few days off will let these players rest up and/or recover from injuries and gear up for the season’s second half.

RECAPPING THE WEEK THAT WAS:

The Bobcats went 0-3 last week, struggling to put up numbers in the win column and bodies on the floor. Fantasy standout Gerald Wallace sat out all but the second game of the week with a strained right foot. It is always tough to play six current all-stars (Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace) in one week, but the Cats still have to pick up some wins as well as put up fantasy points for their owners.

FEBRUARY 4 at PHOENIX- BOBCATS 104 SUNS 118
Shooting stud: Jason Richardson put up 25 points (10-21 FG) to go along with five boards, four assists and a couple of steals.
Shooting dud: Jared Dudley shot 2-6 from the field for four points.
Key contributor: Raymond Felton had a solid game shooting 8-12 FG for 19 points to go along with three rebounds and four assists.

FEBRUARY 8 vs. NEW JERSEY- BOBCATS 90 NETS 104
Shooting stud: Jared Dudley posted 15 points (6-7 FG) to go along with five rebounds and three steals off the bench.
Shooting dud: Raymond Felton and Nazr Mohammed combined for nine points on 4-21 FG.
Key contributor: Earl Boykins scored 13 points while shooting 6-9 from the field.

JANUARY 10 at DETROIT- BOBCATS 87 PISTONS 113
Shooting stud: Jason Richardson was the only positive for the Cats tonight going off for 27 points (8-17 FG) and picking up four boards and five assists.
Shooting dud: Earl Boykins hit only one shot of five attempts for four points.
Key contributor: Raymond Felton chipped in with 14 points, three rebounds and four assists.

You can go ahead and sit Gerald Wallace until after the All-Star break, as he is expected to miss the team’s two home games this week to rest his foot.
Emeka Okafor posted averages of 12.3 points and 13 rebounds while sharing the starting role with Nazr Mohammed (averaged nine points and 10 rebounds this week). Coach Vincent mentioned earlier in the week that Mek and Nazr will be starting together for the remainder of the season so look for Nazr to slightly up his fantasy numbers.
Jason Richardson averaged 23 points, 3.3 rebounds and four assists this week. With G-Force expected to watch from the sidelines, look for J-Rich to put up big numbers in the upcoming games.
Raymond Felton averaged 12.3 points and three assists this week. His PT went down this week for two main reasons: the Bobcats were getting blown out for most of the games and Earl Boykins needs to get accustomed to Coach’s system. Boykins had his best game as a Bobcat against the Nets and averaged 8.7 this past week.

PREVIEWING THE WEEK AHEAD:
The Bobcats play two games this week as they head into the All Star break. Kobe and the newly acquired Pau Gasol along with the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers come into town on February 11 while the Hawks roll in two days later on February 13. The Bobcats record entering this week is 18-33

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

FEBRUARY 11 vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS (33-17)
The Bobcats play their first of two matchups this season against Kobe and the Lakers. The Lakers barely missed a beat when Andrew Bynum went down, and that is greatly in part to Pau Gasol who came over in a trade from the Grizzlies last week. He has been a monster in the middle and his fantasy numbers have been monstrous as well (see below).

Key Matchup: Emeka Okafor (13.6 points, 10.9 rebounds) vs. Pau Gasol (19.0 points, 8.8 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: Vladimir Radmanovic has been playing extended minutes and has definitely been taking advantage of the PT. He is averaging 12.2 points and 4.0 rebounds in his last five games.

FEBRUARY 13 vs. ATLANTA (21-26)
Charlotte has yet to beat Atlanta in two attempts this season while all-star Joe Johnson is averaging 32.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and eight assists against the Bobcats.

Key Matchups: Jason Richardson (20.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists) vs. Joe Johnson (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists)

Fantasy Tip: In the last five games, Josh Childress has been on fire. I don’t know what tricks he’s been hiding in his fro, but he is shooting the lights out (32-44 FG) and posting averages of 16.4 points and 5.4 rebounds.

AROUND THE ASSOCIATION
Who’s hot:

Chicago’s Chris Duhon who is taking advantage of the increased playing time due to the Bulls’ injuries, is averaging 15 points and 7.3 assists in his last four games.

Sixers rookie Thaddeus Young has been making a strong case for ROY candidate by averaging 12.6 points and six rebounds in his last five games.

Buck’s Charlie Villanueva doesn’t want to be with Milwaukee much longer, but the feelings may not be mutual. Over his last five games, CV31 is averaging 15.4 points and 9.4 rebounds.

Who’s not:

Baron Davis is a bit banged up after a collision with Mickael Pietrus, and his fantasy numbers have slightly declined. He is averaging 12.3 points (14-48 FG) over his last three games.

As much as Houston has been winning as of late, Tracy McGrady has been struggling, health-wise and fantasy-wise. His upper respiratory issues play a huge part in his 23 combined points on 8-25 FG in the last two games.

THIS WEEK’S PROJECTIONS:

With the Matrix Shawn Marion landing in South Beach in one of the most intriguing trades to date (Marion and Marcus Banks to Miami for Shaquille O’Neal), things are looking up in South Florida. The pairing of Marion and D-Wade looks promising and they should each increase each other’s fantasy numbers.

Staying in Miami, Mark Blount has taken advantage of being the only legit big man now that Shaq is gone and Haslem is still a couple of week away from returning from injury. He is averaging 15.4 points and five rebounds in his last five games.

Shaquille O'Neal is set to participate in his first full practice with his new team, and shouldn’t be that far away from returning. With Phoenix wanting to make a strong push in the highly competitive Western Conference, the Big Diesel is going to be a big force in the middle so pick him up off that waiver wire if he is still there.

With Toronto’s TJ Ford returning to action, Calderon’s numbers may end up taking a hit. And judging by TJ’s baseline jam in Miami last week, he may return to his old form quicker than once expected.

Bulls’ Thabo Sefolosha, like Duhon is getting increased minutes. Over the last four games, he is averaging nearly 40 minutes a game in addition to 15.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

Golden State’s Stephen Jackson, who has been battling knee and toe injuries for most of the season is back in full form, as well as his fantasy numbers. He is averaging 23 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists in his last five games and considered to be an All-Star snub.

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

Past Bobcats Fantasy Basketball Reports:

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