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Mar. 21 --

Shawn: Just when I thought I was out of the NBA AYFR world… I almost ended up quoting the Godfather III. Dear Lord! That was close.

So I'm back, at least for this week, checking in on my man, Josh, who's all growns up (see, quoting Swingers is always allowed) and not only carrying the AYFR mantle solo for three weeks while his new partner gets his tan on, but also straight-up rocked the house with the TMR NCAA Tournament Draft Kit.

I'd ask if you missed me, Mr. Metropolis, but let's face it… you haven't had time to miss anyone or anything.

Josh: My fiancé’s and uncle’s alma mater, Murray State, nearly knocked off the defending national champs. What a game. That’s why they call it March Madness. Tyler Hansbrough will be in an NBA arena near you in a couple of years. Doing my research for TMR’s NCAA Tournament Draft Kit led me to pick one of the first round’s bigger upsets. I hope it helped some of you. Speaking of help, the one and only Shawn Peters is back at AYFR this week. It’s good to hear that you’re still alive, Shawn. I doubt you’re a big fan of getting your tan on.

Shawn: Au contraire, Hoosier Daddy. I'd swap places with Greebs in a heartbeat if it landed me in a place where the sand is white and my legs were brown. But since he didn't invite me, I'm honored to slip back into the easy chair that is "AYFR:NBA" and see if my untanned rump still fits in the butt-print I left behind after the first 18 weeks of the season.

So in honor of my comeback, and yes, I know LL Cool J made it clear that we shouldn't call it a comeback, I figure we should test the reality of a pair of big men who are making comebacks of their own right now. The first would be Ming the Merciless, aka Yao, who has come back from the land of underachievement by putting up Shanghai Sharks numbers since doing the five man "wave" with his fellow Western All-Stars at the All-Star Game, and the second would be Tim Thomas, a forward who's been rising as a Sun after several months getting bucked as a Bull. So what do you say we see if either of them is For Real.

Josh: A legit 6’10”, 240 pounds of pure versatility. As a New Jersey high schooler he was already built and playing like a man. That made many think he’d go straight to The League, but he spent a year at Villanova. No doubt he’s rooting for his boys in the tourney. He spent one season with the Wildcats, putting up 17-points-per on 45 percent shooting to go with 6 boards and a Big East Freshman of the Year trophy. After that, he bolted and was drafted seventh overall in ‘97 by his home state Nets, but then had his draft rights traded to the Sixers. He’s now in his eighth season in the league and playing for his fifth team.

He’s averaged 11 points, 3.1 rebounds, and shot 41 percent from three on his career. He’s also never played a full 82 games, and he’s never been known as consistent. At the start of the 2003 season, while playing for George Karl and the Bucks, Tim Thomas made this quote: "From day one, in training camp, coach has preached defense. It's like when your mother tells you to clean your room every day, eventually you'll start to get it done." Only he’s never gotten it done on defense. He’s never averaged more than 1.03 steals per game. Then what’s worse is that, at 6-10, he’s never averaged more than .61 blocks per game.

Thomas went to the Bulls just before the season started as part of the deal that sent Eddy Curry to New York. He played in only three games with the Bulls, before complaining about his role and being sent home by the team. In those three games he put up averages of only 4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10.7 minutes. He hit only six of 16 shots for 37.5 percent overall. Usually one of his specialties, Tim was only one of six from three. His salary kept a trade from happening and anyone from claiming him when he was waived by the Bulls, making him a free agent.

With the onslaught of injuries they’ve suffered this year, the Suns quickly worked a deal for Thomas. So far it’s working out quite well for both parties. In nine games with Phoenix, Tim’s averaging 13.2 points and 4.8 boards. He’s hitting 46 percent from three and 51 percent from the floor in 26 minutes per game. The Suns are 6-3 since Thomas joined them. Losing twice to San Antonio and once in a total surprise, at Portland. Tim Thomas may have found a new lease on life, but can he possibly keep producing through the end of the year?

Shawn: Unreal. Beware journeymen who land in a new place and suddenly put up numbers that rival his best in the Association. This is the equivalent of an average-looking girl with mediocre reputation arriving at a new high school. She's gonna be the hot ticket for a while as rumors swirl and her stock rises. But eventually, the novelty runs out and she ends up going to the prom with a guy on the tennis team. Erm… the point is he's showing how wrong the Bulls were for under-utilizing him and the team needs a big body to fill the Stoudemire-sized void in the line-up. That void is about to disappear, and so is Tim's production. Expect under 20 minutes a game and under 10 points per contest from here on out. Roster him only if you need help for the next ten days.

Josh: Unreal. In this system, he’s going to get wide open looks from three. He won’t end up averaging five boards per game. Amare Stoudemire has been cleared for five on five drills and could return to game action in the next couple weeks. When he comes back, everyone else’s rebounding numbers take a hit. Tim Thomas will give the Suns quality minutes in the playoffs, but won’t bring much quality to your fantasy team. Unless threes are an absolute need, you’re probably better off getting someone like Jumaine Jones.

Shawn: Okay, before I get a slew of e-mails from TalentedMrRoto.com Readers and NBA fans alike… yeah, I know. The Great Baller of China is good and has been good for quite a while. But something has come over him since starting in the All-Star Game.

Before this season, Yao hadn't topped 20 points a game for a year, nor had he gotten into double digits in boards for a season, which is kinda shocking considering he's the unquestioned tallest player in the game now that Shawn Bradley has hung up his size 142 shoes. I mean, seriously! Yao's the only guy who has to reach down to grab a rebound, so how was it possible that he wasn't averaging a double-double?

I honestly don't know… but Yao was well on his way to not eclipsing those storied 20-10 marks this year yet again when the NBA hit the brakes and took a weekend off for the All-Star festivities. At that point, his key numbers were hovering just below those elite levels with 19.6 points per game, 9.1 rebounds, and a respectable, although not intimidating, 1.5 blocks per contest. Good numbers, but not great.

However, it's like that All-Star game woke something within Yao and he is THE MAN. In more than a dozen games since the break, Yao has raised his scoring average almost 50 percent to 28+ per game. He's also been hitting the boards like they owe him money, pulling down just shy of 13 rebounds per, And lest we forget his rejection rate, how does more than two swats per contest sound?

Some of this can be attributed to him playing about four extra minutes per game and shooting a slightly higher percentage, but that's like a guy who gets on a scale, sees he's 40 pounds overweight and takes off his glasses before weighing himself again. It's just not gonna change anything. Instead, there is one of two things at play here. Either he's been way lucky all of a sudden, or he finally "gets" the NBA game and is ready to dominate it from here on out. So which is it?

Josh: For Real. We know Yao’s on fantasy rosters, but he’s gone from a decent player to being a downright fantasy monster. It may have been T-Mac’s injuries. It may have been hosting the All-Star game. It may be that the team finally realized that getting Yao the ball is a good thing. All those things may play parts, but Yao has also been really attacking the rack lately. In November he put up 19 points per. In March he’s at 30. In November he got 14.66 shots per game. In March he’s averaging 19.12. He’s also getting to the line a lot more than he has. Last year he shot 7.18 free throws per game. He started this year tentatively and attempted 6.33 free throws in 15 November games. Eight games into March he’s getting 10.75 shots from the charity stripe. Hitting 84 percent of his free throws on the year, I’d say he’s a little better there than Shaq. Yao can also pick up assists when he wants to. In 80 games last year he dropped 61 dimes. In this year’s 44 games he’s already dished out 62 assists. He’s also gotten better on the defensive side of the ball. Yao got 1.77 blocks per in 13 February games, his highest monthly average of the season. That’s up to 2.5 per in March. If you can get him before the fantasy playoffs, you should. Otherwise, he could be a top five choice when next year’s fantasy drafts roll around.

Shawn: For Real. Yao was building towards this earlier in the year before an injury in late December set him back. It took him a month to really get back into game shape, but now that he's healthy, he's finally playing like the guy everyone said he'd be. And he hasn't done it against weak teams, either. He dropped 36 on Dallas, 25 on the Spurs, and topped 30 against the Pacers. In fact, he hasn't scored less than 20 since Mid-February. The same goes with his boards as he's gone a month without collecting fewer than nine rebounds. This isn't a hot streak. This is his new game. He's even cutting down his turnovers and fouls, which is helping to keep him on the floor. He's quite simply the most impressive center in the game right now, more consistent than Shaq and more explosive than Tim Duncan, and for fantasy purposes, that's not going to change. If you're ready to make some noise in the fantasy playoffs, you better bring the Ming.

Shawn: Man, this felt good. It was like walking down Memory Lane, or at least like riding a moped down Remember When Terrace. My only regret is we didn't disagree, for old time's sake. I know you'll have your regular partner back soon enough, but as Viper said to Maverick, "You'll get your R.I.O. when you get there, and if you don't, let me know. I'll fly with you."

Josh: Well, Goose, thanks for getting back in the jet. Speaking of getting shot down, my Cats have gone down in flames. I just hope their loss came to the eventual national champions. Enjoy the Sweet Sixteen, and tune in next week for another AYFR.

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.