BOBCATS: Fantasy Basketball Report

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By Jordan Nashen
bobcats.com

February 25, 2008

In what was believed to be one of the busiest trade deadlines in recent memory, many fantasy teams across the globe have been rocked to their very core. A blockbuster deal at the 11th hour between Cleveland, Chicago and Seattle involving 11 players may have had the biggest fantasy impact of all the trades. Even a move as small as involving DeSagana Diop in the Jason Kidd trade can have interesting ramifications, and it is no surprise fantasy players are picking up Erick Dampier (yes, Erick Dampier!) off waivers. The Bobcats decided to stand pat at the deadline and confirmed that their “deadline deals” were made way before last Thursday, by acquiring Nazr Mohammed in December, and signing Earl Boykins last month. Throughout this installment of Bobcats Fantasy Basketball Report, many of these trades will be analyzed to find out how they can help your fantasy team.

RECAPPING THE WEEK THAT WAS:
The Bobcats went 0-3 this week, but their biggest loss came with another injury to star forward Gerald Wallace. He left the game against Sacramento in the third quarter with a concussion and is expected to miss at least two weeks.

Here is a closer look at what the Bobcats did this week:

FEBRUARY 19 at SAN ANTONIO- BOBCATS 65 SPURS 85
Shooting stud: Raymond Felton shot 6-13 from the field for 19 points to go along with four boards and four assists.
Shooting dud: Gerald Wallace was limited to four points on 0-9 shooting.
Key contributor: The team shot 29% so there wasn't much contribution.

FEBRUARY 22 vs. SACRAMENTO- BOBCATS 115 KINGS 116 OT
Shooting stud: Jason Richardson scored 29 points on 11-20 from the field to go along with five boards.
Shooting dud: Emeka Okafor had an off-night for his standards, shooting 3-8 FG for 12 points and picking up seven rebounds.
Key contributor: Raymond Felton secured a double-double with 17 points and 10 assists.

FEBRUARY 23 vs. WASHINGTON- BOBCATS 95 WIZARDS 110
Shooting stud: Jason Richardson led the team once again shooting 10-17 from the field for 25 points while also adding five rebounds.
Shooting dud: Nazr Mohammed shot poorly going 1-9 from the field for five points but did manage to grab eight rebounds off the bench.
Key contributor: Emeka Okafor posted yet another double-double with 17 points (8-11 and 13 rebounds (5 OR).

Gerald Wallace out with a concussion, which will sideline him for at least two weeks.
Jason Richardson averaged 22.3 points and four rebounds over his three game span, and should see increased productivity with the absence of G-Force.
Raymond Felton posted averages of 15 points and 7.7 assists.
Emeka Okafor averaged a double-double over the week with 10.3 points and 10 rebounds.

PREVIEWING THE WEEK AHEAD:
The Bobcats play another three games this week, with all of them coming against Eastern Conference teams. They travel to New York (February 27) and Boston (February 29) before coming home to face the Toronto Raptors (March 2). The Bobcats record entering the week is 19-37.

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

FEBRUARY 27 at NEW YORK (17-39)
TThe Bobcats head to the Big Apple for their second of three contests against the Knicks this season, after having dismantled them back in December.

Key Matchup: Raymond Felton (13.9 points, 6.9 assists) vs. Jamal Crawford 20.6 points, 4.9 assists)

Fantasy Tip: With all of the inconsistency in New York, one of the few things that remain constant is the play of David Lee. Over the past five games, he is averaging 12 points and 8.4 rebounds and is shooting .710 (22-31) from the field.

FEBRUARY 29 vs. BOSTON (42-12)
Boston has been struggling as of late, something they haven’t been used to all season. In the third of four contests this year, Charlotte will hopefully have an answer to Boston’s big three.

Key Matchup: Jason Richardson (20.3 points, 3.1 assists) vs. Paul Pierce (20.6 points, 5.6 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: Maybe Rajon Rondo has been taking the Sam Cassell to Boston rumors personally, as he has been averaging over 15 points and 4.4 assists per contest in his last five games.

MARCH 2 vs. TORONTO (30-24)
The last time Charlotte faced Toronto, the Raps ate them up. Maybe this time they’ll have something new in store against the newly acquired Primoz Brezec and the Toronto Raptors.

Key Matchup: Key Matchup: Emeka Okafor (13.4 points, 11.1 rebounds) vs. Chris Bosh (22.7 points, 9 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: With TJ Ford creeping his way back into the lineup following his injury, in addition to Toronto trading Juan Dixon for former Bobcat Primoz Brezec, Carlos Delfino can see increased PT at the PG position backing up Jose Calderon in addition to his time at the SG position.

AROUND THE ASSOCIATION
Who’s hot:

Knicks guard Jamal Crawford has been on a recent tear, averaging 26 points and 5.6 assists over his last five games.

Nuggets guard J.R. Smith clearly didn’t want to lose any PT with all the rumors circulating around Ron Artest to Denver. He is averaging 22.8 points over his last five games, including a 43 point explosion against Chicago on Friday

Mavs guard Jason Kidd has 32 assists over his last two games.

Who’s not:

While one Knick shines, the other struggles. Center Eddy Curry is averaging just 6.8 points and a mere 2.6 rebounds in his last five games.

Bulls forward Luol Deng is struggling since returning from injury, averaging 11 points (12-31 FG) and over his last three games

THIS WEEK’S PROJECTIONS:

Memphis’ Hakim Warrick is taking full advantage of Pau Gasol’s departure to the Lakers. He is averaging 20.2 points and 7.8 rebounds over his last five, more than doubling his averages in both categories.

Beno Udrih is also capitalizing on a star player’s departure. He has been averaging over 12 points and seven assists over the last three games, filling the starter’s role in Mike Bibby’s departure at the PG position.

Delonte West seems to be the number one option at point guard for the Cavaliers. With Daniel Gibson on the shelf, this may be West’s time to shine.

In his first game with the Cavs since being traded by Chicago, Joe Smith scored 14 points (6-8 FG) and posted six rebounds. He is also averaging 14.4 points and 6.6 rebounds over his last five games. An excellent role player to add to your roster.

Wally’s world has shifted to Cleveland since being shipped from Seattle in the 11-player deal. In his first game with this new team, Wally Szczerbiak scored 10 points off the bench. Once he fits comfortably into his new role, he should see increased PT at the SF position.

The Beast Ben Wallace, now playing at the power forward position, scored 12 points and recorded 10 rebounds in his debut with the Cavs. His presence can create some mismatches, giving him more touches and offensive productivity while big Z clogs up the paint at the five position.

Drew Gooden, one of the newest additions to the Chicago Bulls, scored 12 points and picked up eight boards in his debut. A fresh change may do him good, as well as an increased role in the Bulls offense.

Larry Hughes, also part of the big Cleveland-Chicago-Seattle deal, came off the bench in his debut scoring 13 points (6-11 FG). He has been hot of late; averaging 22.8 points, four rebounds and 2.4 assists over his last five games.

Erick Dampier is the lone big man in big D. With the West as tight as it is, his productivity should see a nice increase.

Rafer Alston has been a big reason why the Rockets are riding a 12-game winning streak. Rafer is averaging 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists over his last five games.

Jason Terry sure must love playing with J-Kidd. He upped his averages and is positing 21.8 points over his last five games.

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

Past Bobcats Fantasy Basketball Reports: