It's not too late. Play Drive to the Finals Now!

By Jon Loomer

Previous Expert Picks

April 29 -- Since we are beginning to make a habit of congratulating the previous expert on their pick, let's continue the tradition by recognizing Rob Peterson for selecting Bonzi Wells for the Kings' win over the Spurs. Wells racked up 19 points, 14 rebounds and an assist, bringing Peterson and the experts a grand total of 34 yesterday. Nice.

Today's Expert Pick

Player: Vince Carter, NJN Opponent: Indiana Regular Season Averages Pts Reb Ast 24.2 5.8 4.3

EXPERT PICK ARTICLES April 29 -- Vince Carter April 28 -- Bonzi Wells April 27 -- Jermaine O'Neal April 26 -- Pau Gasol April 25 -- Antawn Jamison April 24 -- Ben Gordon April 23 -- Michael Redd April 20 -- Mike Bibby FANTASY BLOG ARCHIVE April 29 -- Adjusting On the Fly April 25 -- No Doubt April 24 -- Break Out the Abacus April 23 -- Let's Roll April 22 -- The Clock Ticks

Don't know about you, but I breathed a sigh of relief when the Cavs pulled things out against the Wizards. The success of the Cavs is key to the Experts' strategy of reserving LeBron James for next round. Given that a high number of participants in Drive to the Finals have already picked James, we could be at a huge advantage if we have him available next round and virtually no one else does. If the Cavs get knocked out this round, we lose that advantage.

The Pick: I've gotta go Vince Carter here. I've been watching the Pacers-Nets series closely, waiting for the Nets to fall behind, to trigger a Net frenzy. Vince is easily one of the top players on the board, and you can't risk the possibility of losing the ability to use him if the Nets get knocked out prior to being able to make the pick. Not to mention the experts have yet to pick Jason Kidd, so we need to start somewhere. Carter is averaging 24.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on the season. That, my friends, is what we experts like to call "a good place to start."

General Strategy: There were a handful of players to pick from for today. Figuring I need to pick someone from the Nets soon, Jason Kidd is also an option. Kidd averages 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.4 assists on the season, which puts him slightly below Carter.

There are other good options out there. If you haven't picked Pau Gasol yet, he'd be a good choice. We -- or more exactly, Greg Lazaroff -- already made that selection, so he is not an option. Out in Milwaukee, it would be a good time to pick Michael Redd since he will now have the support of the home crowd in a must-win (or at least must-be-competitive) game.

Vince Carter's gotta be today's choice. Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images

The most intriguing option outside of Carter, however, may be Carmelo Anthony. His Nuggets are down 2-1, and they'll be playing at home. Anthony's regular season numbers are comparable, averaging 26.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Those numbers are nearly identical to Carter's, and Anthony could theoretically get the edge considering he has the home crowd.

However, I am more concerned about what happens if I don't pick Carter now than I am about not picking Anthony. If I don't pick Carter now, I may be forced to do so quickly if Game 5 becomes an elimination game. If the Nets end up losing both Games 4 and Game 5, I would have chosen Carter but not Kidd. On the other hand, if the same fate falls to the Nuggets, I would have selected Carmelo but not Andre Miller. Carmelo and Carter are even, but I'll take Kidd over Miller any day of the week.