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Mar. 24 -- Multitasking, you’ve gotta love it. If you don’t – well, you’re no reader of mine. You see, as I write this, I’m multitasking away, watching the Duke-LSU game and, of course, writing this bad boy. If you’ve read either of my last two columns, you know I love me the college hoops, and with the Sweet 16 taking place as I write, I’m a man with many wishes (watching some hoops and relaxing) and few options (a column to write, period). With college hoops on the brain, and no special intro planned for this week’s column, I’ll discuss the potential and possible fantasy value of the two kings of college ball – Adam Morrison and J.J. Redick.

Adam Morrison or J.J. Redick – that is the question. Personally, I’m a big fan of both. You’ve got Morrison, he of the mid-major program and the Larry Bird-esque style, of the attempted mustache and the wildest hair this side of Steve Nash. A man with diabetes, that still manages to lead the nation in scoring. Then you’ve got J.J. Redick, the best three-point shooter in the history of college hoops, hated by many, loved by more and capable of hitting a shot from pretty much anywhere he wants.

Both will make good NBA players, but on the fantasy side, I think Morrison is your man. He can hit the three, he’s got the size to put up much better rebounding numbers than he did this season, despite the fact that he’s sometimes a perimeter player. He attracts attention and has the skills that will allow him to dish off his fair share of assists. And then, of course, there’s the scoring. Enough said.

Let’s hit the files….

I'm in a 12-team league, we play Head-to-Head, scoring is +1 for points, rebounds, assists, blocks & steals and -1 for turnovers divided by number of games the player played during the week (Friday-Thursday). We start 5 players (PG, SG, SF, PF, C) and 2 utility players whose points are halved - so together they add up to be the "6th man"

I have been toying with the idea of starting Caron Butler or Jumaine Jones over Rashard Lewis at SF and Carlos Boozer over Troy Murphy at PF... am I crazy?

It seems the Sonics have nothing to play for down the stretch and Lewis hasn't been his usual self of late.

I'm even more concerned about Murphy, who has been on the pine during crunch time for more than a few games of late... and these were close games... not blowouts. But Boozer's limited minutes are a concern as well.

Of the 3 players that don't start above, which 2 would you start as your utility players?

Any insight you can provide will be greatly appreciated!

John Doe.

Caron Butler is absolutely tearing it up right now. His averages in the last week (22.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.3 steals) make for huge point totals in your format, and he’s been consistently good, showing no signs of slowing down. At this moment, Butler is a better option than Rashard Lewis and, as such, you should consider benching the latter for the former. Jumaine Jones is a nice option when he’s going well, but even when he’s smoking hot, he’s not at Butler’s current level. Jones is the least intriguing of the three.

As for the power forward quandary, things are as clear as the windows on a new Lexus. Sure, Troy Murphy can play ball. And yes, he’s probably a nice guy. Blah, blah, blah. But Carlos Boozer is a beast, putting up other-worldly numbers since breaking the starting lineup four games ago. In that span, the former Duke star and reigning injury has averaged 36.8 minutes, 23.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Stellar numbers, huh? Numbers that also trump those of Troy Murphy of late, due largely to the fact that Murphy doesn’t score near as many points as Boozer. Boozer is your man at the moment.

Am traveling and not paying enough attention to bball or my fantasy league as I should...

That being said, I'm in first place and someone dropped Dalembert. Last I heard his set back was temporary? Should I drop anyone for him?

Allen, Ray
Artest, Ron
Garnett, Kevin
Iguodala, Andre
Ilgauskas, Zydrunas
Jones, Eddie
Kaman, Chris
Parker, Tony
Paul, Chris
** Stoudemire, Amare
Terry, Jason
Wallace, Ben
Wallace, Gerald
West, Delonte

Is Amare coming back? I'm in first so don't care about regular season - just want him for the playoffs!

Mike Score

Sam Dalembert is a bum (no hard feelings, Sammy Boy), and while I’ve expressed my love for him numerous times in this very column, there comes a time in every man’s life when…. nevermind. At any rate, what I’m trying to say is that you want no part of Sam Dalembert right now.

With the roster you’re sporting, not even the sexy free agents stand a chance. Eddie Jones is by far the most droppable, but between he and Dalembert, there’s no comparison. You’re set at the center position with Ben Wallace, Chris Kaman, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and now Amare Stoudemire, all fighting for playing time.

Speaking of Amare, he’s officially back, and he’s every bit the manchild he was before. No question in my mind that, not only will he get the minutes, Amare will put up numbers very close to the 26.0 points and 8.9 boards he averaged last year. Due to the fact that I have a deadline, all I can say is that at this point, Amare has 13 points, six boards and two blocks in just 14 minutes of action against the Blazers. He’s back, folks, he’s back.

Kirk Hinrich is playing awful, he is not getting any rebounds or assists of late, literally none.

Ben Wallace is averaging about 9 rebounds a game in March as opposed to his usual 12 and is also on the decline in blocks. Why is he playing like crap?

(Unsigned)

The rebounds are a definite cause for concern, as he has no more than two of them in a game since March 7th. While he wasn’t making huge contributions there by any stretch of the imagination, the numbers placed him near the top of the list when it came to rebounding point guards. The assists, on the other hand, haven’t really left. Essentially, he’s had two consecutive “bad” assist games (one and two assists respectively), and that’s it. Before that, he was the same old Kirk Hinrich we know and love.

A possible explanation for Hinrich’s struggles could be the fact that he’s playing with an injured elbow. He had x-rays for it after Sunday’s game, and wore an elbow pad last time out. I’m guessing that he’s playing through the pain because of the Bulls’ place in the standings, and you may very well see him struggle until he has time to recover. I’m not saying the assists and rebounds won’t come back – he claimed to have been hurting for 10 days from this injured elbow – but it wouldn’t be a big surprise if they didn’t. Monitor the elbow situation closely, as it is likely related directly to his production.

As for Ben Wallace, let’s first clarify a couple things. For one, his block numbers aren’t necessarily declining. His average of 2.5 blocks per game in his last six is considerably higher than his season average of 2.2 per game. No decline there. The cause for concern, however, becomes apparent after one look at Big Ben’s game log. It’s not that the big rebound performances aren’t there – they are – it’s that there are far too many bad games mixed in. In his last nine games, Wallace has failed to reach double figure rebounds a whopping five times, including performances of five, four and four respectively. This decline isn’t due to a decrease in minutes, he’s playing just as much as he has all year. So why has he seen such a drop in rebounding production in the last couple weeks? Injury is likely a factor here as well. Ten days ago, Wallace rolled his ankle, and then received treatment for it the next day. He wasn’t exactly playing well before that point, but the injury could have held back a rebound – no pun intended.

When J.J. Redick shoots a three-pointer, he’s generally on the money. When Steven Spielberg makes a movie, he’s usually on the money. When Chris Cates fills out a bracket with Duke winning it all (Doh!), he’s – nevermind that. What am I getting at? Ah, yes. As you undoubtedly already know, when Chris Cates assesses a situation, giving commentary or input on how something will play out, you can bet your bottom dollar that he’s on the money. Without further ado, let’s see where I was (as usual, queue the oh-so-spectacular Wheel of Fortune voice that I now claim as my own) On… the… Money!

On March 3rd, I offered this reaction to Josh Smith’s terrific play:

Josh Smith is for real. This is the potential we’ve been dreaming about and seeing flashes of since he entered the league, and it’s frankly scary how quick it came on. Not only is he blocking an exorbitant amount of shots, he’s rebounding, scoring, and racking up as many assists as an above average point guard of late. And, despite how suddenly this “streak” crept up on us, I’m convinced that this is the Josh Smith we’ll continue to see – not the inconsistent, borderline-starter-worthy version.

Here are his averages since the day I wrote the above:

16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 blocks

As you can see, he’s actually improved, so technically I was wrong when I said “this is the Josh Smith we’ll continue to see,” as he’s been better than that Josh Smith. Somehow, though, I think you’ll forgive me. That’s this week’s On the Money….

That’s all we have time for this week. Since I began writing this, my NCAA Tourney bracket has gone to the dogs. This would be sad no matter what, but it’s made worse by the fact that I actually felt good about how things were going this year. I won’t get into any details, but you find me someone else that picked Bradley to be in the Sweet 16. That’s right. You can call me God of the Upset if you so please. As has been the case since November, you may e-mail me at CatesFiles@talentedmrroto.com with any questions – preferably hoops related, but I’m flexible, I can play marriage counselor if that’s what floats your boat – and expect an answer in return, and maybe even in the very column you’re reading right now. Until next week, The Cates Files are officially closed.

Chris Cates is a fantasy expert for NBA.com. His column The Cates Files runs every Friday as part of the NBA.com Premium Scouting Report. Contact him at CatesFiles@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.