Fantasy Basketball Grumblings Charity Stripe Feb 12 2008 | Fantasy Basketball articles

Calderon... one of the NBA's better players since...

Charity Stripe

This week the Charity Stripe is going to skip the foreplay and get right into the pair of three’s.

Three Who've Impressed

Nazr Mohammed
Charlotte Bobcats
Fantasy Eligible Position: C

Since coming over in a trade with Detroit in mid-December, Mohammed has become more productive week by week. For the four weeks of January, he averaged 6.9 rebounds and 10.5 points, up from 5.9 boards and 6.5 points in December. For Black History Month, his numbers have continued on their upward trend: he already has three double-doubles. Monday night against the Lakers, he shot 10-13 from the field, with 22 points and 11 rebounds.

For the majority of the season so far, Charlotte coach Sam Vincent has elected to go with a smaller lineup of: Jeff McInnis, Raymond Felton, Jason Richardson, Gerald Wallace and Emeka Okafor at center. On February 5th, however, recognizing Nazr's improvement, Vincent declared he would be the starter for the duration of the season. Not only is this good news for Emeka Okafor who will no longer have to worry about playing out of position at the center spot; it is good news for fantasy owners needing some late season big man help with field goal %, rebounding, or scoring.

Thabo Sefolosha
Chicago Bulls
Fantasy Eligible Positions: SG, SF

The Vevey, Switzerland native has been playing a lot for the Bulls following their rash of injuries to wing players, as Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Luol Deng and Chris Duhon have all been out for periods over the past month. Thabo's been starting regularly since the January 15th game against Orlando which Hinrich missed, and he's finally been showing the potential GM John Paxson saw when he drafted him 13th overall in '06.

In February he's really been turning it on; showcasing the kind of all-around game rarely seen in the fantasy world since Doug Christie retired. His biggest weakness is his three-point shooting, only at 28.6%, but aside from that he's quite well rounded. He's averaging: 1.2 steals, 1.0 blocks, 6.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 13.4 points for the month, and remember he's a guard.

The other Bulls should be returning from their injuries soon, but if you believe coach Jim Boylan, Thabo should stay as the starter and continue to play well for the rest of this season. Pick him up if you need help in any category, besides three-point shooting.

Fred Jones
New York Knicks
Fantasy Eligible Positions: SG, SF

Arriving this summer in the Zach Randolph trade, Jones was an afterthought, especially considering the guards already on the Knicks roster: Marbury, Crawford, Robinson, Richardson and Collins. There did not really seem to be room for an undersized shooting guard.

Surprisingly enough, though, Jones has emerged as one of Isiah Thomas' most reliable and consistent performers. So far in February he's been having one of the best stretches of his career, averaging: .8 steals, 2.8 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 10.7 points. Those numbers are good, particularly the rebounds.

Consider that the 6-2, 225 lb Jones' rebound per minute average in February of .148 is higher than that of his 6-11, 285 pound teammate Eddy Curry's average of .128.

Jones looks to get good minutes going forward as Isiah does everything possible to save the job he should of lost years ago.

Three to Digress

Shaquille O'Neal
Phoenix Suns
Fantasy Eligible Position: C

From an on-court perspective, Steve Kerr's bold move last week could well pay dividends for the Suns. As Eddie Johnson points out, there are a lot of ways the deal could finally propel the Suns to the NBA Finals. Of course, it could also blow up in Kerr's face and cost him his job and reputation.

The success or lack there of, of the deal will be judged exclusively by playoff wins. As a result, his minutes going forward in the regular season will be lower even than they would of been in Miami. I know I've put Shaq in this spot already this season, but it bears repeating after this deal. Many owners will probably be willing to take Shaq on, now in the hopes of catching lightning in the bottle for the last thirty or so games.

Take advantage of their delusion and do what you should have done months ago, trade Superman.

Jose Calderon
Toronto Raptors
Fantasy Eligible Position: PG

If you were lucky enough to snatch up Calderon in the middle rounds of your fantasy draft last fall, you've probably been smitten with yourself since. He's literally been one the NBA's better players since then, and you thought at best you were getting a guy who should be a starter.

Well, all good things come to an end, and I think it is time you part with Jose. Though he currently is day-to-day with a wrist injury, T.J. Ford has finally returned from his extended absence. While he may not regain the starting spot, once he returns to full strength, probably after the All-Star break, Ford will cut into Calderon's minutes.

Jose's value will not be as high from here on out as a result. Trade him now, while people are still kicking themselves for missing out on him in the draft.

Andre Miller
Philadelphia 76ers
Fantasy Eligible Position: PG

Through some strange fold in the universe, the 76ers have managed to go 4-1 over their past five games. Miller has been leading the way, averaging: 1.4 steals, 5.2 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 19.8 points. All-Star numbers, more or less.

I have included Miller down here as opposed to in the top three, because he is probably owned in every fantasy league in the world. Furthermore, it's tough the see him or the Sixers continuing at this pace. Even if he somehow does keep it up, it'll probably then lead to a trade. On a contending team he won't be such an offensive focal point, so his numbers will probably dip.

All of these signs point to the Chartiy Stripe's favorite, completely unoriginal motto: buy low, and, more importantly, sell high.