Jan. 17 -- Josh: 40.2 points, 5.8 boards, five assists, and 1.6 steals. That's Kobe's averages over the Lakers' last five. Dang! Those are the type of numbers usually reserved for "His Airness". I can't stand watching Kobe play, but if you've got him on your team, you're loving it. Another thing I can't stand to watch.... anymore UK games. My Wildcats are downright gutwrenching to watch this year, kinda like the Rockets sans T-Mac and Yao.

We had to pry Shawn out of a Boston tavern to do his share of the writing this week. Shawn, How's the hangover? Are you handling the play of the New England Patriots any better after a couple days have passed?

Shawn: Can't type… spiked my chowdah' with anti-freeze… still in coma. Call FBI… someone cloned Tom Brady… and inserted A.J. Feely's brain. (flump*) (*the sound of a New England fan falling back into a vegetative state on the keyboard of his laptop)

Josh: Take heart. Your Red Sawx or Sox, depending on how you say it, will be up and making spring training noise in no time. Speaking of Red and Noise, let’s talk a little hoops.

The St. Joseph's Hawks basketball team made major noise on the national level in 2004. That's what happens when you finish the regular season 27-0. They'd go on to lose a game to Xavier in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tourney and then bow out to Joey Graham, John Lucas III, and Oklahoma State in the Elite Eight of the Big Dance. Jameer Nelson and Delonte West were the main cogs behind that team's success. Lately they've both been putting up nice numbers in their NBA sophomore campaigns. As of this writing, both teams would be on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. Nelson's Magic squad sits third in the Southeast Division and West's Celtics are third in the Atlantic. Their teams may not succeed this year, but both guys should play big parts in the futures of their franchises.

Screw the future! Will they help your fantasy team this year? Are they For Real?

Shawn: The shooting-guard half of the amazing St. Joe's backcourt tandem, Delonte West was nothing short of outstanding during his junior year as a Hawk. His 18 point, 4.7 assist resume tabbed him as a future NBA player, as did his 41 percent mark from behind the arc. With nothing left to prove, and possibly no desire to return to the college game without his pal Jameer, Delonte declared with a year of eligibility left even though he knew he wasn't a lottery pick.

As it turned out, on draft day, Delonte wasn’t even regarded as highly as his collegiate running buddy as the Celtics grabbed him 24th overall, 4 picks after Nelson went to Orlando. And just like in a boy-girl relationship, the C's said to him, "We love you, now change."

His transition to the point guard spot was hampered in his rookie campaign by some early-season injuries that limited him to only 39 games in 2004-2005. But by the end of the year, Delonte's knack for smooth shooting, aggressive defense, and an unlikely intuition for grabbing boards despite only being 6 foot 4 all caught coach Doc Rivers' eye.

Going into the season, Delonte was able to rise above injured point-guard project Marcus Banks and the newly imported Dan Dickau to earn the starting slot. He's started all 33 games for the under-performing Celtics, and has been a bright spot during a dark season for the C's.

There are only 20 guards in the NBA right now (of those who have played in 20+ games so far) who are averaging double-digit points, four or more boards per game, and four or more assists. Delonte's 11.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game put him in that elite fraternity.

But Delonte has been blocking shots too, averaging .8 rejections per game, and among his stat-stuffing peers at the guard position, only Dwyane Wade, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, and Vince Carter are doing that. Throw in Delonte's 52.5 shooting percentage and his 42.2 percent success rate from three and you've got a guard that is contributing in every fantasy column known to man.

So does West have what it takes to keep rising in the East, or is this just a case of him being a jack of all trades, master of none?

Josh: For Real. He’s shooting 52.5 percent from the field. That’s ungodly for a guard. And this isn’t some benchwarmer who comes in for a couple of garbage time dunks…. this is a starter. That ties him for 10th in the league in field goal percentage with Elton Brand. The only other guard in the league’s top 15 in that category is Tony Parker and we all know about his quicks, not to mention the big man he plays with. All of Delonte’s percentages have gone up, and he’s playing nearly 20 more minutes per game than last year. Nobody does that. Especially not at the clip he has.

With all the talk of the C’s looking to move Paul Pierce, don’t expect Delonte to be involved. He’s a good pick unless a potential deal brings in a point guard. The man’s an all out effort guy. Shawn mentioned the blocks. He’s also good for assists and a steal here and there. West is shooting 56.5 percent from three in January. He’s also ripped it up from there to the tune of nearly 47 percent in road games. Don’t sleep on him when he comes to your city, and don’t sleep on what he can do for your fantasy team.

Shawn: For Real. Living in Boston, I get to watch a decent amount of Delonte's development. I doubt anyone but hardcore hoops fans and Leprechaun lovers can say that, since the Celtics are no longer the national draw they were during my formative years. And if there were style points in the NBA, Delonte would be unrosterable. He's not a suave-looking fellow, his on-court moves aren't slick, and he spends a decent amount of time on the floor… and by that, I mean diving, not just playing.

And yes, you could write this off as a homer pick, if it weren't for the fact his numbers support the idea he's getting better. 15.9 points per game in January is downright studly. So is his 5.6 rebound-per-game average this month, along with a mind-numbing 61.4 shooting percentage that would make Shaq proud. No way he keeps that up, but I think 13 points, and 10 combined rebounds and assists a game from here on out are no-brainers. He'll supply solid steals, way-above-average blocks for a guard, threes and low turnovers. Yeah, he's not the master of any trades, but this guy will do more than Jack for your team.

Josh: Mr. Nelson started all 125 of the games in his St. Joe's career. That had the stat folks working overtime with his career averages of 16.8 points, 5.7 assists, 4.6 boards, and 2.05 steals. As a senior in the 2004 season, Nelson earned A-10 Player of the Week honors a record eight times. He was also named the consensus National Player of the Year. He earned the Associated Press, Wooden, Rupp, Robertson and Chevrolet Player of the Year Awards. Jameer captured the Francis Pomeroy Naismith Award, given to the top player in the country 6-feet and under. He also shared the NABC top player award with Connecticut’s Emeka Okafor. You may have heard about him too. In his senior season, Nelson averaged 20.6 points, 5.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.97 steals per.

After the near miracle year, Jameer took his game to the NBA. He was drafted 20th overall in the 2004 NBA Draft by Denver. The Nuggets decided they'd be better off with another draft pick, so they traded Nelson to the Magic. As a rookie, Jameer played in 79 games and posted averages of 8.7 points, 3.0 assists (to just 1.5 turnovers) and 2.4 boards in 20.4 minutes per. Nelson earned All-Rookie Second Team honors. He made his first NBA start on February 26 of last year, putting up 13 points, a career-high eight rebounds and a game-high seven assists in 37 minutes at Miami. Nelson knows how to make the most of his time. He made 21 starts last season, and averaged 15.7 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.7 boards in those games. He also led the team in assists 15 times.

This year he's only started six of the team's 34 games, but his numbers are on the up: 13.3 points, 4.2 assists, and three boards. More impressively, he's shooting 46 percent from the field and 42 percent from behind the arc. Jameer's last five games have made him look like one of the league's elite point guards. How about these numbers? 21 points, 8 assists, 4.6 rebounds, nearly two steals, 46 percent from the floor, and 39 percent from trey. I'll take that, but is Jameer Nelson For Real?

Shawn: For Real. Granted, to keep his performance at this level, Jameer needs Steve Francis' bad attitude to last a while longer and maybe get him traded, but considering Nelson has carved out his nearly 28 minutes per game as the third guard on the depth chart, he seems to be able to at least keep up his all-around worthiness. In fact, he's very similar to the previously real-ized Delonte West, with fewer boards and blocks, but more scoring potential.

This is the perfect time to grab Nelson if he's on the waiver wire or available off someone else's bench. If Francis gets a Magic carpet ride out of Orlando, his upside is startling.

Josh: For Real. The uptick in production probably comes from the fact that Nelson's seeing over seven minutes per game more this year than he was last year. With Stevie Franchise's name all over the trade radar, Nelson could see even more playing time and soon. His improving outside shot is also a promising sign for the Magic's staff. Along with Nelson's penchant for assists, that make him a perfect complement to the team's real franchise player, that other second year guy, Dwight Howard. Howard's got "Future League Rebounding Champ" written all over him. He's also got nice post moves, which means the team needs someone who can dish to him, but also hit outside shots to give him space inside. With Nelson's improvement this year and the team set to retool some things, he's definitely for real.

Shawn: Man, I guess watching my Pats get pasted has made me soft-hearted. I'm handing out "for reals" like if they grew on trees. I promise to be more ornery next week. What about you, Josh? Are you OK with UK and all?

Josh: I watched them lose twice on Saturday. I saw them drop the game to Bama, then I went to see “Glory Road” and they lost there too. It’s a good movie, “Remember the Titans” meets “Hoosiers”. Go see it.

Back to UK. We’ve got games that SHOULD be cupcakes coming up. We need wins and soon, otherwise we may be fighting for an NIT championship come March. That’s a depressing thought… I may need that chowdah recipe if that happens.

Shawn Peters and Josh Heisner are fantasy experts for NBA.com. Their column Are You For Real? runs every Tuesday as part of the NBA.com Premium Scouting Report. Contact them at grandtheftroto@TalentedMrRoto.com and JHeisner@TalentedMrRoto.com.

The views expressed by the TalentedMrRoto.com represent only the views of the writers; they do not represent the views of the NBA or any NBA team.