March 26 -- A few weeks ago I wrote, "One of the keys to getting ahead in fantasy sports is knowing who you are playing with." Well, this week brings a special Expert Eye, as I am writing about a team owned by a guy I know quite well, Dr. Casey Cook. Casey is dentist who lives in Massachusetts. I met Casey at our friend Chad Haskell's Memorial Day weekend bash in Wells, Maine in 1999. It was one of those weekends where everyone gets hammered and many bad things happen. Less than five minutes after I arrived on Friday night, the host's younger brother fell out of a second story window buck-naked into a rose bush. He got up, brushed himself off, and asked for a keg cup. His girlfriend, still in the room upstairs, was not impressed. So, yeah, it was one of those weekends. I worked off my hangover the next morning by playing long toss on the beach with a guy who had married a classmate of mine. He loved the Yankees, all things baseball, and was unafraid to wear his loyalty or display his profound baseball knowledge in a crowd of drunken Red Sox fans. This was Casey and I was impressed. It turned out, there was in this world a Yankees fan I could call a friend. Who knew?

We kept in touch, and when our mutual friend, Chad, called us all back to Maine for his wedding in September 2003, Casey and I naturally talked about the pennant race and baseball. He told me how he and a bunch of guys I went to high school with were way into fantasy sports. He went off, talking strategy, prospects, etc. I admitted that I too had something of a problem. The next spring we formed a baseball league and have been playing ever since. His fantasy trademark is to post on the message boards, referring to his league mates as "classy", as he beats them silly in the standings. He is also known for recruiting league mates from his dental patients. How does that conversation get started?

So, if you've ever wondered what your dentist was doing while the cute dental hygienist scraped tartar off your teeth, now you know. Yup, as your gums are bleeding and you're entertaining hygienist fantasies you just can't suppress, he's back in his office at his computer working on his fantasy teams. Then he pops in, takes a look-see at your newly refurbished smile, maybe even provides a perfunctory scrape on one of your teeth. Then it's, "Looks good. Don't forget to floss. I'll see you in six months," and he's back to his teams.

This fall, Casey invited me to join his head-to-head basketball league. I did and it's been great. I am sitting in third (soon to be second), while Casey's in fourth. We have both clinched playoff spots and are looking ahead. This is where this particular Expert Eye gets a little weird. I am making over Casey's team for his playoff run. Yes, we may face each other soon in the playoffs, though not in the first round as I will have earned a bye. Still, if I am willing to help perfect strangers and their teams, how can I refuse a friend? Also, at this point in the season, with the trade deadline long past, makeovers are all about free agent adds and drops. There is no collusion here; I am recommending the best available players and the ones I suggest dropping are clearly not any that I (or anyone else) want any part of.

A few notes about the league: It is a twelve-team head-to-head league with scoring in the nine standard categories; the top six teams make the playoffs. The league has weekly lineup changes, which makes weekly team schedules especially important. Let's take a look at Casey's team, I'm Classy, and see what we can do.

PG: Mike Bibby (PG—Always an elite point guard, Bibby has been improving on his season averages over the last month: 22.3 points, 6.4 assists, and 2.5 threes.)

SG: Jamal Crawford (SG—You need more than 12.9 points a game from your two guard and Jamal's been even worse the last month at just 9.5 per game.)

G: Sam Cassell (PG—Sam I Am has been a nice surprise for Casey; a steal in the 8th round.)

SF: Richard Jefferson (SF—Jefferson and the Nets have a lot of games left—14—and his production will be a boon in the playoffs.)

PF: Kevin Garnett (SF,PF—His rebounds, assists, and scoring are all up over the past month.)

F: Morris Peterson (SG,SF—He has been in a slump—38.6 percent shooting over his last five—and faces tough defenses in Indiana [x2], Detroit, Miami [x2], and Chicago the rest of the way.)

C: Brad Miller (C—Casey should be aware that Big Brad plays just four games in the championship/consolation round.)

C: P.J. Brown (PF,C—Casey can do better. P.J.'s production has been on the slide.)

UT: Kevin Martin (SG—With his reduced numbers and Sacramento's schedule in the last round, Casey should consider making a move.)

UT: Corey Maggette (SG,SF—He has been a little inconsistent since his return but I expect Maggette to be in good form within the next week.)

BN: Bobby Jackson (PG—He's back from his strained rib muscle but he hasn't been doing much.)

BN: Derek Fisher (PG—Hope Baron Davis sits the rest of the way.)

BN: Brendan Haywood (C—Haywood is doing nothing for Casey: 4.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 18.8 minutes over his last five games.)

What's Working

Casey wrote to me that he has four good basketball teams but no excellent ones. Four teams? Think about your patients, man! Casey described this team accurately. It's good, not great. What do I like about this team? Bibby, Cassell, KG, Richard Jefferson, Brad Miller, Maggette for starters. I particularly like Richard Jefferson's outlook. He has been playing a very high level: 22.8 points, 58.6 and 83.3 percent shooting from the field and line respectively, 1.6 threes, and 5.8 rebounds over his last five, and brings all this goodness into the stretch run with fourteen games remaining. Casey's strengths are his three-pointers, percentages, points, and turnovers. He has been decent in steals as well. Steals will remain solid only as long as Garnett continues his improved numbers in that area: (1.7 over the last month, up from a season average of 1.4). Despite this, he will probably need to add someone to help him in steals.

We've seen what's working, now let’s look at…

What's Not

With KG and Miller, Casey's rebounding is decent but he will have to do better for the playoffs. P.J. Brown isn't doing enough from the second center position. Sticking with big man stats, blocks are another issue. Only Garnett and Miller average better than a block a game. Casey may have to punt this stat, though when he does go looking for rebounding on the wire, he should look for blocks as well.

The real problem for Casey is depth and scheduling. Other than Derek Fisher, his bench players aren't likely to see any action. Haywood is near useless at this point and Bobby Jackson doesn't help where help is needed: rebounds and blocks. As far as scheduling goes, Casey has a real issue come the final round of the playoffs. Both Bibby and Miller have but four games in that round. Other than the Lakers, who also play four games over the last two weeks, every other team plays five or six games. Obviously Casey can't sit either of these guys, but he should maximize games played at the other positions where he can make a move. With said, let's look at…

What To Do

Casey should drop both centers. Haywood is dead wood and P.J. isn't doing so well that he can fend off the charms of a few center eligible players on the wire. First, I would drop Haywood for Robert Swift. Swift is getting minutes again. On Friday he scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked four shots in 32 minutes. You want in on that action no matter who you are, let alone someone like Casey who has a gaping wound at center. Swift also enjoys a favorable schedule going forward. He plays four games next week and six games in the last round of the playoffs. Casey should plug Swift in as his number two center next week and move P.J. to the bench.

Next, I suggest dropping Bobby Jackson for Earl Watson. Watson is playing far better basketball than Jackson. He has averaged 12 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.5 threes in his last four games. Jackson's numbers aren't even close. Watson is earning a lot of minutes in Seattle and would help Casey tremendously in assists. Another option, especially if Casey is looking for threes, is Luther Head. He has been seeing a lot of minutes since Tracy McGrady went down. He also has a four-game week starting April 3rd, the semi-finals in this league's playoffs. Casey should also keep a close eye on Baron Davis' ankle. It is well-documented how much better Derek Fisher's numbers are when Baron is out of the lineup. Golden State has 14 games left, including four each in the next two weeks, then six in the final round. Casey may find he is a better option than Kevin Martin when he compares their schedules.

Good luck, Casey. Good luck, that is, until we should meet in the playoffs. At that point I will be anything but classy. That’s it for this week. Write me at ExpertEye@talentedmrroto.com and tell me all about your team and league, I’ll scour your waiver wire and look for good trade partners. Together, we can remake your team.

Guy Lake is a fantasy expert for NBA.com. His column Expert Eye for the Roto Guy runs every Sunday as part of the NBA.com Premium Scouting Report. Contact him at guylake@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.