BOBCATS: Fantasy Basketball Report

By Jordan Nashen
bobcats.com

March 17, 2008
The NBA truly is where amazing happens. History is being displayed right before our very eyes as the Rockets have won 22 straight games marking the second longest winning streak in NBA history, and the Nuggets, who scored 168 points against Seattle on Sunday night, is the fourth most points scored in NBA history in regulation time. As far as the Bobcats are concerned, it’s been a tough stretch as they lost the first three games of their five-game road trip. They almost put an end to the Rockets winning streak in Houston and put in a great effort against the Cavs in Cleveland. The Bobcats, along with five other teams in the East are trying to make the eighth spot and have the honor of facing Boston in the first round. In the meantime, it seems like there are nine very good teams in the West with one of them hitting the links earlier than they want. Denver, as it stands now is on the outside looking in. These teams are going to be playing hard to the very end of the regular season, translating into superior fantasy numbers.

RECAPPING THE WEEK THAT WAS:
The Bobcats went 0-3 this week, playing three teams that are not only playoff-bound but that are extremely talented. It’s not easy when you face a hot Dallas team, a hotter Houston squad and then head over to Cleveland to face the King. These tasks are even more difficult when all are on the road, which has been one of the major weaknesses for the ‘Cats this season. The one piece of good news the Bobcats received this week was that Gerald Wallace has been cleared to play, and although showing a bit of rust, is still playing solid and contributing (for now) off the bench.

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

MARCH 12 at DALLAS - BOBCATS 93, MAVERICKS 118
Shooting stud: Raymond Felton led the team with 21 points on 8-14 shooting while dishing out six assists.
Shooting dud: J-Rich had a tough outing, shooting 4-16 from the field for 11 points.
Key contributor: Nazr Mohammed contributed with 12 points (5-9 FG) and grabbed four rebounds.

MARCH 14 vs. HOUSTON- BOBCATS 80, ROCKETS 89
Shooting stud: Jason Richardson scored a team-high 28 points (11-24 FG) while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out five assists.
Shooting dud: Raymond Felton couldn’t get it going, shooting 2-14 from the field scoring four points.
Key contributor: Emeka Okafor almost notched another double-double, scoring 23 points and amassing nine boards.

MARCH 16 at CLEVELAND- BOBCATS 91, CAVALIERS 98
Shooting stud: Jason Richardson poured in 33 points on 13-24 shooting (6-11 3FG) while also grabbing four rebounds.
Shooting dud: Jared Dudley was held scoreless on 0-3 from the field.
Key contributor: Raymond Felton scored 14 points (6-14 FG) and was one assist shy of a double-double.

Jason Richardson led the team with averages of 24 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Gerald Wallace, who returned from a concussion injury against Dallas, averaged 13.3 points and 4.7 rebounds.
Raymond Felton averaged 13 points and 6.3 assists in his three games this week.
Emeka Okafor averaged 13.7 points and 10.7 rebounds for another double-double on the week.

PREVIEWING THE WEEK AHEAD:
The Bobcats have three very winnable games this week playing in Memphis (March 17) and Indiana (March 19) before heading home for a date with the Heat (March 22). The Bobcats record entering this week is 24-42.

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

MARCH 17 at MEMPHIS (15-50)
The Bobcats thrashed the Grizzlies the first time they played them this season at home in January, and hope to tighten up the playoff hunt with a win.

Key Matchup: Gerald Wallace (20.1 points, 6.1 rebounds) vs. Rudy Gay (19.7 points, 6.2 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: Hakim Warrick has been shooting .500 from the field over his last five games (30-60), and averaging 16.4 points and 5.2 rebounds.

MARCH 19 at INDIANA (25-41)
Currently one game ahead of the Bobcats in the Eastern Conference playoff race for the coveted eighth and final spot, the Pacers have yet to beat Charlotte this season. The Bobcats can secure a tie breaker in the season series with a win.

Key Matchup: Jason Richardson (21.0 points, 5.1 rebounds) vs. Mike Dunleavy (18.1 points, 5.3 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: Troy Murphy is worth picking up off the waiver wire if available. He is averaging 16.2 points and 7.2 rebounds over his last five games and continues to pick up some of the slack in the long absence of Jermaine O'Neal.

MARCH 22 vs. MIAMI (11-54)
Playing the worst team in the league, Charlotte needs this victory to carry some momentum into their four-game, five-day road trip next week.

Key Matchup: Emeka Okafor (13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds) vs. Shawn Marion (17.5 points, 9.8 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: The most picked up player over the past week by ESPN fantasy users, Ricky Davis has been averaging 19.4 points 3.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists over his last five games. He scored three straight 27-point performances before going on a small slide over his last two games (16 points combined).

AROUND THE ASSOCIATION
Who’s hot:

Atlanta’s Joe Johnson is making waves in the Eastern Conference playoff race. He is averaging 30 points, five rebounds and 7.4 assists over his last five games.

Utah’s Carlos Boozer, fresh off his 41-point performance against the Nets on Saturday, is averaging 26 points and 10.7 rebounds over his last three games.

Washington’s Antawn Jamison, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week averaged 26.2 points and 11 rebounds over his last five games.

Who’s not:

Boston’s Paul Pierce is going through a mini slump, averaging 11.7 points over his last three games.

San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili is averaging 13.8 points over his last four games.

New York’s Jamal Crawford is averaging 14.3 points, more than six points less than his season average over his last four games.

THIS WEEK’S PROJECTIONS:

Charlie Villanueva has basically doubled his season averages over his last five games in points and rebounds. In this stretch, he is averaging 20.2 points and nine rebounds while trying to lead Milwaukee in the East playoff hunt.

Along with Villanueva, Charlie Bell is also playing well as of late. He is averaging 15.2 points and 3.8 assists over his last five games.

Suns forward Amare Stoudemire continues to show steady improvement with the Big Cactus in town, averaging 29.6 points and 10.6 rebounds over his last five games. He was also named the Western Conference Player of the Week.

Fresh off his career-high 31 points Sunday night against the Lakers, Houston’s Rafer Alston is playing tremendous during the 22-game streak. He is averaging 17.6 points, four rebounds and 4.2 assists over his last five games.

Washington's Darius Songaila is coming out of nowhere with his strong numbers, averaging 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds over his last five.

Toronto’s Rasho Nesterovic has been a nice filler in Bosh’s absence. He averaged 15.6 points and 5.4 rebounds over his last five games. With Bosh expected to make a return this week, it may be time to drop Rasho and bring in another player.

Golden State’s Mickael Pietrus is fitting in nicely with the Warrior’s offense. He is averaging 13.2 points and 8.8 rebounds over his last five games, and his minutes are beginning to see a nice increase as well (36 minutes).

Cleveland’s Anderson Varejao’s minutes are taking a hit with the return of Ilgauskas to the lineup. Varejao is averaging five points in his last three games due to the decreased playing time.

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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