By Jordan Nashen
bobcats.com

March 31, 2008
With the NBA season winding down, fantasy league playoffs are beginning to heat up. There are an abundance of players that can be claimed off the waiver wire that can propel your team to the championship level. Look for players on bad teams to help your fantasy roster, or players on teams that are on the cusp of making/missing the playoffs. Some of these players will be looked at and examined in this installment of Bobcats Fantasy Basketball Report.

RECAPPING THE WEEK THAT WAS:
After losing to the Jazz in Utah, the Bobcats came back strong the next night with a win against the Lakers and finished the week off with another two road wins. The Bobcats three-game consecutive road streak marks their highest since 2007.

Here is a closer look at what the Bobcats did last week:
MARCH 25 at UTAH - BOBCATS 106 JAZZ 128
Shooting stud: Jason Richardson scored a team-high 26 points on 8-16 from the field and picked up five rebounds, although he did commit seven turnovers.
Shooting dud: Although Okafor did make his only two field goal attempts, he recorded just four points and three rebounds.
Key contributor: Earl Boykins came off the bench to score 14 points (4-6 FG) and added four assists.

MARCH 26 at LOS ANGELES- BOBCATS 108 LAKERS 95
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 28 at SEATTLE- BOBCATS 96 SONICS 93
Shooting stud: Jason Richardson hit six of his 10 treys to score 27 points and contributed seven boards and five assists.
Shooting dud: Gerald Wallace shot 4-12, good for 11 points, but did manage to secure six rebounds.
Key contributor: Emeka Okafor scored 19 points on 8-12 shooting and was one rebound shy of a double-double.

MARCH 29 at PORTLAND- BOBCATS 93 BLAZERS 85
Shooting stud: Emeka Okafor scored a team-high 21 points on 9-11 shooting. He grabbed five rebounds and blocked two shots.
Shooting dud: Jared Dudley shot 1-6 from the field and scored two points.
Key contributor: Raymond Felton scored 18 points (8-13 FG) and was one assist shy of a double-double.

Jason Richardson continues to lead the team with 26.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and three assists.
Gerald Wallace averaged 13.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists this past week, a small decline from his previous week.
Raymond Felton averaged 16.8 points and 7.8 assists.
Emeka Okafor is starting to come out of his mini-slump, with averages 13.8 points and 6.8 rebounds this past week.
Matt Carroll came up strong off the bench with averages of 9.8 points 3.8 rebounds in the last week.

PREVIEWING THE WEEK AHEAD:
The Bobcats play four games this week against playoff-bound Eastern Conference teams. They start off the week with a home dates versus Toronto (March 31) and Cleveland (April 2), then head to Canada to face the Raptors again (April 4), clear customs and face the Celtics at home the following night (April 5). The Bobcats record entering this week is 28-45.

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

MARCH 31 vs. TORONTO (37-36)
The Bobcats beat the Raptors to start their franchise-setting five-game win streak at the beginning of the month. They are 1-1 against the Dinos this season.

Key Matchup: Raymond Felton (14.2 points, 7.1 assists) vs. Jose Calderon (12.0 points, 8.4 assists)

Fantasy Tip: Jose Calderon’s unselfishness is T.J. Ford’s benefit. Calderon requested that T.J. should start in his place and has since begun doing so. Ford is averaging 10.2 points and 6.6 assists over his last five games.

APRIL 2 vs. CLEVELAND (41-33)
The Bobcats most recently lost to the Cavs last month and are 1-2 against them this season. This is the last game of a four-game series.

Key Matchup: Emeka Okafor (13.3 points, 10.6 rebounds) vs. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (13.8 points, 9.4 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: After missing a game with knew tendonitis, Delonte West came back to record 18 points and 11 assists. Though sometimes inconsistent (five points, 3.3 assists in previous three games), he is a good enough point guard to keep on your roster.

APRIL 4 at TORONTO (37-36)
This is the final game of a four-game series.

Key Matchup: Matt Carroll (8.9 points, 2.7 rebounds) vs. Carlos Delfino (9.2 points, 4.4 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: Jamario Moon is solid depth player top have on your roster. You don’t exactly know what he is going to give you on a night-to-night basis, but if you need a roster filler every now then and, pop him in.

APRIL 5 vs. BOSTON (58-15)
Playing the best team in the league usually brings out the best in Charlotte. The Bobcats are 1-2 against the C’s this season heading into the final game of the four-game series. The ‘Cats even had a chance to win the games they lost, as their athletic wingmen give the Celtics some trouble.

Key Matchup: Jason Richardson (21.2 points, 5.3 rebounds) vs. Ray Allen (17.9 points, 3.9 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: Sam Cassell may not be the best point guard to keep on your roster. He is playing just over 10 minutes a game over his past five and his production is decreasing. Drop him while he’s cold.

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