BOBCATS: fantasy_basketball_report

By Jordan Nashen
bobcats.com

April 7, 2008
With two weeks to go in the NBA regular season, the West is heating up and playoff position in the East is being jockeyed for. The next few games are crucial not only for these teams, but for fantasy owners as well. For some teams in the West, it is win or go home. For others in the East, it is win or play Detroit or Boston. This is a win-win situation for fantasy owners, as not only is competitive basketball is going to be displayed on the hardwood, but your fantasy players (if you’ve assembled the right roster) are going to give you everything they have in the next couple of weeks.

RECAPPING THE WEEK THAT WAS:
The Bobcats finished off the week 1-3 with their only win coming on the road against the Toronto Raptors. With the win, the Bobcats set a franchise record with consecutive road wins at four.

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

MARCH 31 vs. TORONTO - BOBCATS 100 RAPTORS 104
Shooting stud: Jason Richardson scored a team-high 26 points on 10-17 from the field to go along with six rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Shooting dud: Matt Carroll couldn’t get it going, shooting 1-8 from the field for three points.
Key contributor: Emeka Okafor notched another double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

APRIL 2 vs. CLEVELAND- BOBCATS 114 CAVALIERS 118
Shooting stud: Jason Richardson scored a game-high 31 points on 13-22 from the field, and 4-8 from downtown. He also added six rebounds and seven assists.
Shooting dud: Raymond Felton struggled from the field, shooting 3-13 FG for nine points, although he did add nine assists.
Key contributor: Emeka Okafor tied his season-high of 25 points, and was one rebound shy of a double-double.

APRIL 4 at TORONTO- BOBCATS 105 RAPTORS 100
Shooting stud: Emeka Okafor missed only was of his six attempts, scoring 15 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
Shooting dud: Matt Carroll missed all three of his FGA attempts scoring two points.
Key contributor: Nazr Mohammed contributed 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

APRIL 5 vs. BOSTON- BOBCATS 78 CELTICS 101
Shooting stud: Emeka Okafor scored a team-high 17 points on 8-13 FG and grabbed eight rebounds.
Shooting dud: Jason Richardson shot 4-12 from the field and scored nine points.
Key contributor: Earl Boykins came off the bench to score a season-high 15 points on 5-9 FG.

Jason Richardson had a hot week averaging 23.3 points, five rebounds and 4.8 assists.
Gerald Wallace averaged 15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists over the three games that he played (inactive for the Boston game).
Raymond Felton averaged 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds nine assists this past week.
Emeka Okafor averaged 18.8 points and 10.5 rebounds over the past week.

PREVIEWING THE WEEK AHEAD:
The Bobcats play three games this week in their second to last week of the season. They will look to end their season on a strong note as their next three games are very winnable. The Bobcats record entering this week is 29-48.

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

APRIL 8 vs. MINNESOTA (19-57)
The Bobcats took the first game in Minny and will be looking to sweep the season series.

Key Matchup: Raymond Felton (14.1 points, 7.2 assists) vs. Randy Foye (11.7 points, 3.9 assists)

Fantasy Tip: Marko Jaric has been putting up strong fantasy numbers across the board over his last five games (11.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists)

APRIL 9 at NEW YORK (21-56)
The Bobcats will look to take control of the three game series with a win, and grab the 2-1 advantage.

Key Matchup: Jason Richardson (21.3 points, 5.2 rebounds) vs. Jamal Crawford (20.8 points, 5.1 assists)

Fantasy Tip: David Lee has been playing well as of late, averaging 14.6 points and 8.8 rebounds over his last five games.

APRIL 12 at INDIANA (33-44)
The Bobcats have the 2-1 season series advantage and will be looking to being their win total to three versus Indiana when they play their final game against them this season.

Key Matchup: Gerald Wallace (19.4 points 6.0 rebounds) vs. Danny Granger (19.0 points, 5.9 rebounds)

Fantasy Tip: Jermaine O’Neal is going to be limited to about 20 minutes a game for the remainder of the season so it may not be wise to pick him up off waivers if he is available.

AROUND THE ASSOCIATION
Who’s hot:

Denver’s Carmelo Anthony has been on fire, averaging 30.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists over his last five games.

In Dallas, Josh Howard has been teaming up with Dirk and JKidd to solidify their chances of a postseason berth. He is averaging 27.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists over his last five games.

Who’s not:

Golden State’s Stephen Jackson has been ice cold, averaging 8.8 points (17-60 FG) over his last five games.

Matt Carroll has had a rough few games, averaging 4.4 points on 7-28 FG over his last five games.

THIS WEEK’S PROJECTIONS:

Look for Gilbert Arenas to get 20-25 minutes a night, that will most likely translate into 15 points/5 assists.

Elton Brand looks to be in great shape after coming back from injury. He is averaging 17.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in three games in just under 30 minutes.

Dirk Nowitzki is back with a vengeance after being sidelined with an ankle injury. Back earlier than expected, Dirk is averaging 25.7 points and seven rebounds over his last three games. His numbers should remain constant if he expects to lead Big D into the playoffs.

With Joel Przybilla injured, looks for another big man to add to your roster. Give Leon Powe a shot, as he’s averaging 14.2 points and 8.8 rebounds over his last five games.

James Posey may also be worth a shot with Boston wanting to rest their big three for the playoffs. He is averaging 11 points and 4.5 rebounds over his last four games.

Golden State's Andris Biedrins is averaging 13.8 points and 12.2 rebounds while shooting 23-36 from the field over his last five games. Golden State is on the fence, so Biedrins and the rest of the team are going to have to step up if they want to see playoffs in their future.

As the Bobcats season comes to an end, look for rookie Jared Dudley to get increased PT.

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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