| RotoFreak.com: Charlotte Bobcats Fantasy Preview Authored by Craig Huffman - October 2, 2006 - 7:45 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | The First Three Weeks of 2008-09 Now that weve had a little time to watch free agency unfold, along with the usual accompaniment of trades, lets look at some of the key moves and how they impact the teams involved.
Grading The Deal: W's Sign Maggette And TuriafThe Boom Dizzle era is over, and the Warriors quickly recovered by signing two nice pieces to complement their young core.
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Raymond Felton First things first, there is no position battle coming into training camp. Felton will be Charlotte's starting point guard, and you can lock him in for 35 mpg. With Ammo on board and the young bigs healthy, we probably won't see the 17 PPG that he averaged after the All Star break last year; however, the upside is certainly strong. With a year under his belt and confidence brewing, the percentages and turnovers should clean up a bit and the top 50 should definitely be within reach. Overshadowed by Chris Paul's big year and not being let loose until mid-season could allow Felton to drop on draftboards to the 75th pick. In competitive leagues, the 50 to 60 range is more likely, though.
Emeka Okafor Last year, missing 2/3's of the season didn't exactly go over well with those managers who picked Okafor in the 50th pick range. So, he'll be hard-pressed to get drafted that high again this year. Combine those injury worries with the fact that Okafor's FG% hasn't hit above 45 and the likelihood of his FT% being around 60, and we've got some concerns about his fantasy upside. Despite the center eligibility, 4-category players just aren't worth much. So, we at least need that FG% to get in the 48%+ range for Emeka to be worthy of a top-50 pick. That's a little too much risk for us to assume; so, unless you're desperate for a center, we don't advise looking for Emeka until the 75th pick rolls around.
Brevin Knight Quite simply, Brevin's minutes are due for a decline this year. Barring a Felton injury, he certainly won't match the 34 per game that he managed last year. Instead, 25'ish mpg seems more likely. Those minutes - with his assist and steal numbers mighty - would still stick him close to the top 100. You also have to factor in his history of injuries, though... he hasn't played more than 70 games in a year since his 97-98 rookie campaign. Granted, he does have a little more upside than meets the eye. As mentioned, a Felton injury would spike his minutes considerably, but a Morrison or Wallace injury would likely send Brevin into the starting lineup as well. Plus, he has used the entire offseason to focus on his outside shot. So, as of now, we're considering his upside and injury risk a wash, and looking for Brevin around the century mark.
Adam Morrison If the Pepsi Pro Summer League means anything, Morrison's owners have a lot to be worried about. He shot under 40 percent from the field, and averaged 0.8 3PTM, 2.5 rebounds, 2 turnovers, and 0.2 steals per game. Obviously, he's too good of a scorer for that; however, when the defensive stats likely won't be there, he certainly is a risky pick in the top 100. We don't think mpg will be an issue with him, though. Both Morrison and Wallace are 3's; however, Wallace can handle the quicker and more explosive swing men on the defensive end, and the two can start alongside each other and be effective. With 3PTM, PTS and FT% locked in healthy, FG%, FTA and TO are the categories that we're keeping a close eye on. It's the difference between him being a top-75 player and one not worthy of the top 150. We're assuming he won't take too long to get in rhythm; however, if you're not a risk taker, drop him 25 spots below our rank.
Primoz Brezec The starting center spot is Brezec's once again this year; so, you can count on the points, percentages and healthy turnover numbers once again. Unfortunately, the mpg are stunted due to Brezec's pylonesque defensive skills and Bernie's ability to play small with Okafor at the 5. Nevertheless, he is a center and he is consistent at what he does. We'll look for him around the 140th pick.
Sean May His height and weight continue to work against him; however, May will have a considerable role off the bench this year. Despite two minor knee surgeries in his rookie year, he's rumored to be good to go for training camp. He's also extended his shot to the 3pt line, which combined with his above-average FT%, REB, STL and BLK totals gives him a decent amount of upside. Unfortunately, a starting frontline of May/Okafor is a little too much to ask for considering the lack of size. So, we'll look to pluck him off the wire in smaller leagues if Okafor or Brezec get the injury bug.
Walter Hermann You don't see a 3pt-gunning hustler who looks like Fabio every day now, do you? He'll be the first swing man off the bench, and likely hover around the 15 mpg mark. There's not a whole lot of upside unless serious injuries occur, and nobody will be waiting on him late in your draft; so, let him be.
Othella Harrington He had some value once back in the day. Today, he'll have to settle with limited minutes off the bench, and insurance in case Ely doesn't come back and/or injuries occur down low. No value here.
Kevin Burleson As of now, he's the team's 3rd point guard; so, there's a 0.05% chance of a breakout year. Coincidentally, 0.05% from the field isn't too far fetched if such a starting spot fell on his lap. Pass.
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