BOBCATS: Fantasy Basketball Report

Poll

By Jordan Nashen
bobcats.com

February 18, 2008

King James was crowned All-Star MVP once again and Dwight Howard flew through the air as only Superman could. All-Star weekend has finally wrapped up and the players are back with their respective teams gearing up for the season’s second half. They know as well as anyone that this is the time to push for the playoffs if they are flirting with the cutoff line (such as your Bobcats) or jockeying for playoff positioning. This boosted effort could entail an increase of productivity and performance which can lead to increased fantasy numbers as well.

RECAPPING THE WEEK THAT WAS:
The Bobcats split their two games this past week losing to the Lakers on Monday and beating the Hawks in a dramatic overtime thriller heading into the All-Star Break. Gerald Wallace sat out both games nursing a strained left foot but is expected to be back this week.

Here is a closer look at what the Bobcats did this week:
FEBRUARY 11 vs. LOS ANGELES LAKERS- BOBCATS 97 LAKERS 106
Shooting stud: Raymond Felton led the Bobcats with 29 points (11-20 FG) while dishing out eight assists.
Shooting dud: Jason Richardson struggled from the floor shooting 4-14 for 10 points.
Key contributor: Nazr Mohammed shot the ball extremely well going 10-13 from the field for 22 points while grabbing 11 rebounds.

FEBRUARY 13 vs. ATLANTA- BOBCATS 98 HAWKS 100 OT
Shooting stud: Emeka Okafor went off for a 20-20 game picking up 20 points (6-11 FG) and amassing 21 boards.
Shooting dud: Nazr Mohammed scored only four points (2-7 FG) to go along with five rebounds.
Key contributor: Raymond Felton scored 22 points, dished out seven assists and grabbed four boards.

Raymond Felton led the Bobcats this week in G-Force’s absence with averages of 25.5 points and 7.5 assists.
Emeka Okafor averaged 14.5 points and 17 rebounds this week continuing his strong play in the paint.
Jason Richardson averaged 14.5 points while Nazr Mohammed added averaged 13 points and eight rebounds as he continues to start for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats also got a nice contribution from Jared Dudley who posted averages of 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds.

PREVIEWING THE WEEK AHEAD:
The Bobcats play three games this week, visiting the defending champions San Antonio Spurs (February 19) before coming home to face the Sacramento Kings (February 22). The Cats finish off the week in the nation's capital on February 23 against the Washington Wizards. Gerald Wallace is expected back in the lineup as early as Tuesday so insert him back in yours. The Bobcats record entering this week is 19-34.

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

FEBRUARY 19 at SAN ANTONIO (34-17)
The Bobcats play their second and final game against San Antonio this season after the Spurs proved to be a tough challenge last month.

Key Matchup: Raymond Felton (13.9 points, 6.8 assists) vs. Tony Parker (19.2 points, 6.1 assists)

Fantasy Tip: Michael Finley has been averaging 14 points in his last four games, and could be a solid depth player on your team.

FEBRUARY 22 vs. SACRAMENTO (23-28)
Charlotte lost to Sacramento late last month and is going to be looking for revenge. Charlotte just played four of the newest additions of the Kings (Shelden Willismas, Tyronn Lue, Anthony Johnson and Lorenzen Wright) that were sent from Atlanta for Mike Bibby.

Key Matchup: Emeka Okafor (13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds) vs. Brad Miller (14.4 points, 9.7 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: With the departure of Mike Bibby to the Atlanta Hawks, look for PG Beno Udrih to contribute the way he did earlier in the season when Bibby was injured.

FEBRUARY 23 at WASHINGTON (25-27)
The Bobcats have yet to beat the Wiz this season in two contests but should have an advantage if Caron Butler does not return or is still bothered from an injured hip.

Key Matchup: Gerald Wallace (21.2 points, 6.2 rebounds) vs. Antawn Jamison (21.5 points, 10.3 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: See which Wizard is hot in Who’s hot, Who’s not…

AROUND THE ASSOCIATION
Who’s hot:

San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili is averaging 30.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.8 assists in his last four games.

Golden State’s Monta Ellis is playing golden as of late averaging 27.8 points, six rebounds and 4.2 assists in his last five games.

Washington’s Brendan Haywood is averaging 18.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in his last three games.

Who’s not:

Atlanta’s Marvin Williams is averaging 12.6 points (23-70 FG) in his last five games.

New York’s center Eddy Curry is averaging only 6.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in his last three contests.

Minnesota’s Rashad McCants is averaging a mere 8.3 points in his last four games.

THIS WEEK’S PROJECTIONS:

Dwight Howard is on top of the world now with a remarkable performance at All-Star weekend in both the dunk contest and in the game, and should continue his success until the end of the season.

Another standout at All-Star weekend was Cleveland’s Daniel Gibson. He drilled a record 11 trey’s in the rookie game Friday night and showed no signs of an aggravated hamstring he recently injured. When LeBron James isn’t quadruple-teamed, Gibson is a huge threat to knock down three’s and up your fantasy score.

Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire seems to enjoy having Shaq around as his productivity has increased to 29 points and 11.8 rebounds in his last five games.

Clipper’s Al Thornton is continuing his strong play by averaging 21.5 points and eight rebounds in his last four games.

Houston’s Luis Scola is averaging 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting the lights out (62 percent) over his last eight games. As the Rockets continue to win, Scola continues to shine.

It is tough to judge where Memphis’ guard Mike Conley fits into the team’s rotation and playing sequence. He goes from averaging over 30 minutes and 12 points in three straight and then plays only nine minutes in the fourth game.

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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