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Mar. 28 --

They say April showers bring May flowers, but what if it has been raining since August? 'Tis the plight of a Seattleite. Sigh. Anyway, April is the last full month of the season and the time when a player can up his individual performance in order to strengthen his team's postseason chances. This week I'll take a look at some players who put up awesome Aprils in 2005, and speculate whether they'll do it again or if it was a late-season flash in the pan.

Corey Maggette -- 26.5 points, 5 rebounds, 1.5 threes, and 1.5 steals per-game in April 2005 – Maggette has finally regained his starting job, reentering the lineup to fill the void left by Cuttino Mobley's injury, and is reportedly 100 percent after a few weeks of uninterrupted play. He came on strong at the end of last season and is showing signs of doing the same this year, averaging 18 points per game over his past five in just 30 minutes per game. Expect his minutes to inch closer to 35 minutes per game, and as that happens, his points should be over 20 on most nights from this point on.

Jalen Rose – 24.5 points, 48 percent field goal percentage, 90 percent free throw percentage, and 1.8 threes per-game in April 2005 – After a hot streak at the beginning of the month, Rose has cooled lately, notching single-digit points in each of his past four games. He's been a steady source of three-pointers for a while now but it's hard to count on him for much more, although if history repeats itself he'll find himself hot again when we reach the fourth month of the year. He's fully entrenched in the starting lineup along with Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury, which has forced Jamal Crawford to the bench, and should pick up his scoring after a cold spell.

Caron Butler -- 22.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per-game in April 2005 – One of the most improved players in fantasy, Butler finally realized the potential associated with his name this year. He's averaging 20.6 points in March, his highest of any month this season, and seems to get better and better as the season progresses. He's averaging over 40 minutes per-game over his past five and it's clear that the Wizards rely upon him heavily, and if his improvement continues, look for a huge last month of the season from Butler.

Jamal Crawford-- 22 points, 4.5 assists, 3.3 threes, and 1.3 steals per-game in April 2005 – As mentioned previously, the crowded New York backcourt situation has forced Crawford to assume a bench role, and he's managed to score double-digit points in six of his last seven games despite averaging just 25 minutes per-game in that span. He's still a good source of threes with some steals, and he rarely misses a free throw, but unless he's able to secure a larger portion of playing time I don't see a 20 point per-game month on the horizon for Crawford.

Deshaun Stevenson -- 18.3 points, 2.2 threes per-game in April 2005 – After scoring in single digits in just seven games in November, December and January, Stevenson has already done it seven times in March as his offensive role has diminished with Jameer Nelson healthy. His percentages are solid and he's not going to hurt you in any specific category, but it's safe to assume that Stevenson won't replicate last season's late success.

Tayshaun Prince -- 17.3 points, 5 rebounds, 55 percent field goal percentage, 82 percent free throw percentage, one block and one three per-game in April 2005 – Prince, not thought of as a scorer but more of an all-around player, has notched double-digit points in twelve straight games, his longest stretch since November. As the Pistons fine-tune their team for the playoffs, some of the starters (who all log huge minutes as the defending Eastern Conference championships do not rely heavily upon their bench), could see reduced minutes to rest their weary bones. Prince is easily the youngest of the starting five and he logged the most minutes of anybody in the Pistons' last game. Antonio McDyess is the hot hand off the bench after registering 11 points, 18 rebounds, two steals and a block Sunday night, and will likely be used to spell both Ben and Rasheed Wallace, leaving Prince on the floor for the majority of the game. He's got late-season bloomer written all over him. Oh, and McDyess is worth adding in deeper leagues if he's going to get 25 minutes per-night.

Tyson Chandler -- 11.9 boards, 2.1 blocks per-game in April 2005 – In my NBA Live '06 season, the player who I have created as myself, a 7'3" center with an inside-outside game and the ability to run the floor, is battling Chandler for the league rebounding title. This is likely due to his big time play late last season. Even though Mike Sweetney stole his starting job, Chandler has played 34 minutes off the bench in each of the past two games. He’s at 10.2 rebounds per-game over the last month, and is two games removed from a 21 rebound effort. His primary focus is rebounding the basketball, and he should be good for double-digit boards from here on out.

Shaun Livingston -- 7.4 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per-game in April 2005 – Right now, Livingston has a prime opportunity to prove he isn't a bust, as Cuttino Mobley is sidelined indefinitely. This opens up a backcourt spot, and although Maggette started at shooting guard in the Clippers' last game, Livingston should see more opportunities in the final weeks of the season as Maggette is really a small forward. He has yet to step up his game, and right now can only be counted upon for a handful of assists. But as soon as it looks like Livingston is going to receive more minutes or if he has a breakout game, don't hesitate to add him since there aren't many high-upside gems left on the waiver wire at this point of the season.

Sebastian Telfair -- 6.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 threes per-game in April 2005 – Telfair had a recent stint in the starting lineup, but was again usurped by Juan Dixon in the Blazers' last contest. He’s only averaging ten points, two steals and a three over his past five games, but he displayed some brilliance as of late, notching back-to-back 24 and 21 point efforts on March 17th and 18th. The Blazers will need to evaluate if Telfair can be counted upon to assume the starting role next season, so I think he'll see his minutes increase in the final month of the season. How he responds will dictate his near future, and if he performs down the stretch as he did last season, he'll be doing himself a huge favor come next year.

Yao Ming -- 19 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3 blocks per-game in April 2005 – Yao upped his play late last season, and has done the same this year, although about two months earlier. Since the All Star break he's been just amazing – I mean, 27 points, 12 rebounds amazing --, and since April was easily his best overall month in 2005 he could get even better this season. Tracy McGrady is far from returning so Yao will continue to shoulder the primary scoring load for the Rockets and continue his dominance.

Josh Whitling is a fantasy expert for NBA.com. His column Inside the Obscure Stats runs every Tuesday as part of the NBA.com Premium Scouting Report. Contact him at FutilityIF@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.