check out the poll -->

i just got a 'gig' writing for http://theloveofsports.com

help me come up with a clever nickname--would love any suggestions not included in the poll also

the holiday season/exams/trying to find a (paying) job has kept me busy these last few weeks, but I'll certainly take up blogging again in the near future

Fantasy Desperation, Part Deux

Welcome back to the only place that re-allows you to fantasize about winning fantasy football, completely guilt-free. I trust you have already checked on Matt Schaub’s and Kolby Smith’s availability, so let’s now look to some potential free-agent wide receivers, tight ends, kickers, and defenses that could help stabilize unrealized future playoff dominance. I know that once my players saw I meant business with my latest transactions…well, let’s just say that my recent fantasy practices have been nothing to laugh at.

Best available Free Agents

Wide Receiver
1. D.J. Hackett/Deion Branch
2. James Jones
3. Kevin Walter/Andre Davis
4. David Patten
5. Bernard Berrian
6. Ike Hilliard
7. Justin Gage
8. Arnaz Battle
9. Terry Glenn
10.Devin Hester

9-1-1
1. Drew Carter
2. Keenan McCardell
3. Amani Toomer
4. Nate Washington
5. Various Jacksonville/Seattle receivers (Reggie Williams, Dennis Northcutt
Nate Burleson, Bobby Engram)

If you haven’t heard, the Seattle Seahawks have adopted a very pass-heavy offensive mindset. This greatly increases the value of their starting wideouts. While this is normally Deion Branch and D.J. Hackett (as listed on the depth chart), both have been plagued by injuries this season. Burleson and Engram have both had big games in relief. Check on injuries/matchups to see which would best fit your team.

For some reason, I see James Jones available in a lot of fantasy leagues. He shouldn’t be. Favre is a man.

Kevin Walter and Andre Davis have both seen a decrease in receptions with Texans star Andre Johnson back from injury, but as long as Houston’s running game remains laughable, Texans wideouts get an extra boost of fantasy value. It should be noted that Kevin Walter is listed as the team’s second starting wideout behind Johnson, which should mean more opportunities than Davis.

David Patten has emerged as a reliable #2 behind Colston in New Orleans. His numbers haven’t been as spectacular the past few weeks, but he should be good for at least a couple more touchdowns this season.

Berrian has averaged near 80 yards a game this season, though it seems a lot of his catches come on long bombs from Grossman. Well, since sexy Rexy is back in the starting role, you can expect a few more of those.

Ike Hilliard has embraced his new crafty veteran quarterback, Jeff Garcia, and developed good chemistry. Galloway is often injured, which leads to more receptions for Hilliard.

Justin Gage is more of an emerging fantasy option as Vince Young struggles to throw the ball in an accurate fashion. He had one of the most impressive touchdown grabs I’ve seen all season, balancing entirely on his helmet for a split second while he reached for a bobbled ball in the endzone before snaring it in.

Arnaz Battle has led the 49ers in receptions on multiple occasions this season, despite being regarded as a third option behind Darrel Jackson and TE Vernon Davis. To be fair, the 49ers offense is pathetic.

I keep hearing that Terry Glenn will be back in 1-2 weeks. Well, if he is, he would have great fantasy potential in a monstrous offense.

Devin Hester has been under the radar the last few weeks. He probably isn’t going to catch many more touchdowns this year (I think both of his came with Griese in the lineup, and Berrian is clearly the long-ball favorite of Grossman), but he could always take one back on a punt or kick return. 6 points is 6 points.

I’m not going to take a lot of time to go through the 9-1-1 guys. Drew Carter has the better hands of the second-tier of receivers (Steve Smith being tier 1) on the Carolina Panthers, Keenan McCardell is a nice redzone target, Amani Toomer is a solid veteran with great concentration, and Nate Washington will see an increase in PT as long as Holmes remains sidelined.

Tight Ends
1. Vernon Davis
2. Alex Smith
3. Eric Johnson
4. Leonard Pope
5. Jeff King
6. L.J. Smith

Tight End really isn’t important enough to go into 9-1-1; you’re rarely going to have a tight end that catches multiple touchdowns or has a 100 yard game and isn’t named Antonio Gates. I won’t be including 9-1-1 for defenses or kickers, either, but I’ll try to include enough so that you’ll have options.

Vernon Davis is a great football player. Despite not living up to rumors of a “break-out” season, and despite the struggling San Francisco offense, Davis has tremendous upside. He is one of the fastest tight ends in the game, maximizing potential yards-after-catch.

Alex Smith (not the bumbling idiot who lobs the ball around in San Fran, the TE from Tampa) has become somewhat of a favorite redzone target for Jeff Garcia.

Eric Johnson benefits from having a great quarterback. Brees’ play has been amazing through the middle weeks of the season.

Leonard Pope is a beast—this 6’8” monster exploded for two touchdowns a week ago, but rarely averages more than a handful of targets a game.

Jeff King is one of the most consistent parts of the Carolina passing game, but don’t expect him to catch many touchdowns. Don’t expect anyone from Carolina to catch many touchdowns.

I hate L.J. Smith for the same reason I like honey-nut cheerios with vanilla ice cream. My arbitrary feelings notwithstanding, he is a decent fantasy option now that he is healthy.

Defenses
1. Indianapolis
2. Tampa Bay
3. Kansas City
4. Arizona
5. Cincinnati
6. Anyone who plays against the Dolphins, Jets, or Falcons

If you don’t have a reliable defense at this point, it’s going to be best to try and plug and play one defense at a time, with high regard to weekly match-ups.

Kicker
1. Jason Hanson
2. Kris Brown
3. Mason Crosby
4. Sebastian Janikowski
5. Robbie Gould
6. Shayne Graham
7. Phil Dawson
8. John Kasay

One of the worst things you can do in fantasy football is fall in love with a kicker, defense, or tight end, and just keep waiting and waiting for them to perform. Be liberal in switching kickers, and NEVER carry more than one on your team. The best piece of advice I can give you at this point is to DROP Adam Vinatieri, Nick Folk or Stephen Gostkowski if you have been riding their wave of PATs to this point. You want to focus on kickers whose redzone offense or running game struggles, making their team one-dimensional near the goal line. Those are the guys who are going to get field goal opportunities.

Please feel free at ANY time to post ANY questions about who to start, sit, whether potential trades are worth the investment, or other inquiries you might have. Comment here, e-mail me at erickfore@gmail.com , or feel free to send me an IM—Doctor Ummer

Fantasy Desperation

Welcome to the first installment of my fantasy that I know anything about fantasy sports.

It’s true—I am a relative newcomer to the fake world of real sports. Before this season, I had participated in one fantasy football league and one fantasy basketball league—mind you, both with auto-draft enabled. After dominating the regular season in my fantasy NBA league, I was robbed of the championship when Gilbert Arenas and Tracy McGrady both went down with injury, but still managed to snag the bronze trophy. I’ve also been involved in a number of “pick-em” pools during March Madness and the NCAA tournament, mostly initiated by the fact that I started my collegiate career in Chapel Hill, NC. In my last year at UNC I scored a whopping 84% and, like most faithful Tarheels, predicted UNC over Illinois in the championship game. This year, by week 10 in the NFL, I had already defeated 24 other schmoes in a Yahoo! public “survival” football league. I’ve successfully swept (that is, won in all 3 of) my fantasy football leagues on at least 4 separate occasions this season, and currently sit no worse than 4^th in any league.

Yes, I know, how very prodigious of me.

At this point, that pathetic attempt at a fantasy highlight-reel is the best I can muster. Don’t be dissuaded, however. After you heed my forthcoming brilliant advice and go undefeated from here out in your fantasy leagues, you’ll be a believer. Let’s start with the…

NFL

Between injury, impending suspension, and just plain counter-production, your fantasy roster might not look as solid as you had hoped at one or more positions. When you gambled your first-round pick on superstars like Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Steven Jackson, Steve Smith, or any number of people named “Johnson” on the Bengals or Chiefs, you would have never guessed that none of them would rank in the fantasy top 5 at their position. Cadillac, his partner-in-crime from Auburn (Ronnie Brown), Dirty Frank, and Deuce-Deuce are all done for the season. Harrison and LJ, in the meantime, don’t even have a timetable for return, and the full extent of their injuries is clouded with implications of chronic pain and doctor-patient confidentiality. Huh?

Have no fear—despite the trade deadline already having passed in most leagues and with the playoffs approaching fast, it’s not too late to solidify your post-season berth or maximize potential off-the-bench production. There are a number of great free-agents available, and included is a full breakdown at every position.

I’ve divided each category into two tiers—the first being guys who can put up consistent winning numbers and worth a look to anyone who doesn’t have Tom Brady or LaDanian Tomlinson. The second, “9-1-1,” is more geared towards players who really should be used for emergencies only, and probably not for more than a week or two, largely dependant on the match-up.

Best available Free Agents

Quarterback

1. Matt Schaub
2. David Garrard
3. Jay Cutler
4. Marc Bulger
5. Jeff Garcia

9-1-1

6. Kurt Warner
7. Jason Campbell
8. Kellen Clemens

In all honesty, there hasn’t really been a shortage of serviceable quarterbacks this year. Those who rode the Drew Brees-train through his initial 1:9 touchdown-interception ratio and 0-4 start have since been highly rewarded with a 15:4 ratio. A lot of quarterbacks’ numbers have since suffered a very Brees-like slump, though largely due to various injuries.

Matt Schaub came back in week eleven with a bang, lighting up the questionable New Orleans defense for nearly 300 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no turnovers. With Andre Johnson, one of the most explosive wide-outs in the NFL, back in action and with continued deficiencies in the Texans running game, Schaub is clearly the free agent with the biggest potential for monstrous numbers.

David Garrard has yet to throw an interception this season, and continued his great decision-making in his return against San Diego in week 11, throwing for 2 touchdowns with no picks or fumbles. Unlike Schaub, guys like Garrard and Jeff Garcia are models of consistency. Both are beneficiaries of strong running games and while they may not put up 30 fantasy points in a week, you can count on their abilities to manage a game and limit turnovers.

Jay Cutler, Marc Bulger, and Kurt Warner are all in similar situations. All boast talented groups of receivers with ability to get big yards after the catch. Of this group, Cutler has the best arm though Bulger and Warner have better receiving duos, and while Cutler’s gun-slinger mentality will lead to occasional questionable throws, Bulger and Warner are actually more prone to turning the ball over.

Jason Campbell and Kellen Clemens are largely unproven. The young Redskins’ QB has had extreme highs and extreme lows, most recently coming off his biggest game to-date, netting over 350 all-purpose yards and throwing for 2 touchdowns. In contrast to these numbers, he also threw an interception, lost a fumble, and the Skins lost the game. Clemens, on the other hand, a second-year QB, put up less impressive numbers but led his Jets team to a victory over the powerhouse Steelers.

Runningback

1. Cedric Benson

2. Kolby Smith

3. Warrick Dunn

4. Chris Brown

5. Justin Fargas

6. Fred Taylor

7. Chester Taylor

8. Maurice Morris

9-1-1

1. Brandon Jackson
2. Reuben Droughns/Derrick Ward
3. Captain Blaze-a-lot Mc Smokin’ the Fatties (aka Ricky Williams)

Ok, so you’re probably either thinking to yourself, “What is this guy smoking that he has ‘Boo-Boo’ Benson at the top of any list?” or maybe “How does he have Chester as the lesser of two Taylors…did he not see ole Chesty drop the mega-bomb on Oakland’s face?” Well, unfortunately for those of you who scrambled to snag a piece of the Chester, don’t expect him to be anything but a one-hit-wonder. According to rotowire.com, Adrian Peterson (original) has already started running again, and is expected to start again by December 2. The same source reports that the offensive coordinator of the Bears is convinced that Cedric Benson didn’t get enough carries during their recent loss to the Seahawks, despite exploding for 63 yards on his first two carries. Couple that with the fact that the “new AP” (Benson’s backup, Adrian Peterson for the Bears) managed a meager 11 yards on his five carries (despite finding his first paydirt), and Benson should see plenty of opportunities for respectable fantasy numbers to close out the season.

I commented briefly on Larry Johnson's injuries earlier, and it seems previous reports that Johnson may be out with a foot fracture (vehemently denied by the Chiefs) may have some truth to them. After Priest Holmes' abrupt retirement, Kolby Smith (who has only had 10 carries all season for 19 yards) will get most of the carries going forward.

In Atlanta, for whatever reason, the Falcons continue to give sixty-two year old Warrick Dunn the bulk of their carries over speedster Jerious Norwood. He continues to put up respectable numbers—barely, but very consistently. Don’t ever expect him to go Ches-Tayl style and bust for over 150 or 3 TDs, but he should be good for at least 80 all-purpose yards a week.

Before Week 11, Chris Henry for the Titans had scored a rushing touchdown in back-to-back games. Despite this being in relief for LenDale White, and despite terrible numbers from all Tennessee running-backs over the weekend, you can count on Chris Brown getting any carries that would’ve gone to Henry, since Chris H. will most likely serve a 4-game suspension to close out the season. Brown is a much better option catching passes out of the backfield than White, so he could be a threat through the air as well. He caught 4 passes for 61 yards against the Broncos, though the Titans were playing from behind the whole game.

Somehow, Justin Fargas has worked his way into a starting role in Oakland, while a mostly-healthy LaMont Jordan and certainly serviceable Dominic Rhodes keep the bench warm. Fargas isn’t a bad start as a #2 back on any team.

The only reason I have Maurice Morris at the bottom of this list is because he is in a similar situation as some of my 9-1-1 backs. Even though he has been extremely productive since Shaun Alexander has been out with various physical ailments, and even though he may be the most skilled back with the best offensive line of the bunch, the Seahawks have clearly adopted a pass-first offense. This will limit Morris’s carries, and even if he proves to be the Seahawks back of the future, not starting a healthy Shaun Alexander (MVP 2 seasons ago, if you recall) is simply not justifiable. Ryan Grant for the Packers and Brandon Jacobs for the Giants are both nursing injuries and may be out this week—you can look to Jackson or Droughns for relief.

Ricky Williams…there just isn’t much to say yet. He should see a decent number of carries, but who knows what type of shape he is in? He hasn’t played football in years, and his propensity towards supplemental recreational smokeables does not mix well with professional sports.

Part 2 of Fantasy Desperation will contain information about potential free-agent Wide Receivers, Tight Ends, Kickers, and Defenses that could help lead your team to victory. Check back tomorrow.

A Few Things --

**Anyone can now post comments on this blog. I didn't realize there was a setting that, by default, only allowed those with blogspot/gmail accounts to comment on my posts. Sorry.

**Stephon Marbury is going to Miami. Think about it--the Heat are desperate for offense right now (for those of you who didn't catch tonight's game, the Charlotte Bobcats dominated the Heat, 91-76), and that is, in fact, the extent of Marbury's game. Offense. If Marbury, Wade, Hardaway, Ricky Davis, and Shaq are all on the same team, the Heat would easily be a contender in the East. You heard it here first.

**Jeff McInnis play for the Charlotte Bobcats has been very encouraging. Particularly his shot-clock recognition tonight, but I like his display of "basketball IQ" in general. I was worried that letting Brevin Knight go only to have McInnis (widely regarded as having less talent) come in and play an identical role would be detrimental to the team, especially on the offensive end, but that has not proven to be the case at all. He's averaged over 5 assists the last 3 games, and three different times tonight McInnis was forced to throw up prayers as the shot-clock buzzer sounded. He converted on two of them (one a running floater over Big Daddy himself)!

Check back for more on the Bobcats victory later.

Marbury Facing Dishonorable Discharge

Take a recent look around the NBA’s Eastern Conference and headlines are anything but scarce. The Boston Celtics and their new “Big-3” are still undefeated. Dwyane Wade has yet to make his highly anticipated return from two off-season surgeries. The Wizards and the Bulls are underperforming, and LeBron still has absolutely no supporting cast to speak of. Residents of Charlotte, NC are celebrating a resurgence of talent in professional basketball. Most recently, rumors surrounding Stephon Marbury of the New York Knicks, aka “Starbury,” have been plentiful as well.

To outsiders, this talk of trade or buy-out possibilities is perplexing. Marbury has yet to record less than 10 points and 5 assists in a game this year, and is averaging only 2.4 turnovers a game-- well under his career rate. He’s shooting a more-than-respectable 44.4% from behind the arc, and has converted near 90% of his free-throw opportunities.

A source close to the situation told me that Marbury’s production has been overshadowed by all the “excess baggage” his negative attitude and selfish demeanor have created. “Everything that’s associated with him,” including his demands for catering to his family and friends, has been a “pain in the @#$.” “(The coaches) probably feel like Nate (Robinson) or (Mardy) Collins would do better.”

Marbury’s reportedly missing shoot-around after being told he would not be in the starting lineup certainly adds substance to these remarks on his personality. In contrast to the uncertainty of his future, Marbury will certainly be fined by the Knicks for his going AWOL.

Bobcats Hope to Improve on 3-3 Record

Heat severely struggling without D-Wade

Following previous starts of 1-5, 2-4, and 1-5 in their first three years, the Bobcats are off to, for them, a blistering pace. Sure, fans of other franchises might laugh at the celebration of a .500 winning record, but there is every reason for Bobcats buffs to feel elated.

For instance, tonight, the ‘Cats face off against divisional rival Miami in Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Stats.com reports that even though Dwyane Wade, following shoulder and knee surgeries, was cleared to play on November 2, 2007, he is not interested in rushing back and aggravating his injuries, a la Amare Stoudemire. The Heat are off to their worst start since the ‘03-‘04 season, Wade’s rookie year and prior to the trade for Big Diesel, when they started 0-7. This year they boast a Bobcats-like 1-5, with their single win coming against the Knicks in a tight game on Sunday.

Tonight the Bobcats should be able to remain competitive without much trouble. This season Shaquille O’Neal is averaging 4 rebounds less than his career average despite seeing an increase in playing time. In addition, he is averaging career-worsts in points, FG%, assists, and fouls per game, and is therefore unable to stay on the floor during critical situations.

The Bobcats have certainly had extreme performances through six games--on both ends of the spectrum. The highs: hard-fought victories over Milwaukee and Miami by a combined total of five points to open the season. The lows: allowing Phoenix, sans Amare, and an inexperienced 76ers team to blow the ‘Cats up for an average victory of 31.5 points. Another win and another loss bring us to tonight’s competition against the former champs, who look less than playoff-worthy.

After all is said and done, the Bobcats will certainly need a more consistent overall effort from their bench, especially with Jason Richardson’s poor shooting % and struggle to fit into the new system. Walter Herrmann has yet to see significant playing time despite going on a statistical tear to end last season. This is probably due to his atrocious 2-for-13 from the field over the first six games, though he has been a perfect 4-4 from the foul-stripe. Matt Carroll, after starting slow in the first two games, has reached double-digit points in the last four. Jermareo Davidson, Jared Dudley, and Ryan Hollins have all shown sparks of ability, but are all shooting under 45% and are all averaging minutes in the same ballpark as Herrmann--just over 10-a-game.

Alleviating the pressure on the Bobcats starting-5 will be crucial as the season wears on. Emeka Okafor, Raymond Felton, Gerald Wallace, and Jason Richardson all struggled with various injuries last season, and the loss of two key role-players to season-ending injuries in Sean May and Adam Morrison has only increased the burden on their shoulders. Sam Vincent must establish a more regular rotation if we are to continue our winning ways. Tune in to News 14 Carolina at 7pm and check back for a summary of the game afterwards.

Yao and T Mac -- Kind of a Big Deal

Bobcats Defeated in the Closing Seconds

It’s great to see Raymond Felton back on the floor for the Charlotte Bobcats. After an embarrassing 94-63 loss to the struggling Philadelphia 76ers in which Felton sat out, we can especially appreciate Felton’s unique ability to run this new up-tempo style of offense. It was largely due to his intense speed up-the-floor and ability to dish the ball into impossible spaces that helped him lead the North Carolina Tarheels to a national championship in 2005. Coincidentally, the Tarheels also led the nation in multiple offensive categories, including points and assists per-game.

This year, according to queencityhoops.com, the Charlotte Bobcats lead the NBA in only one category: turnovers.

Felton’s abilities and overall contributions to the team were certainly apparent on Sunday night, despite a low-scoring event. In his second game back after a knee-injury (suffered when childhood soccer-player Steve Nash’s crafty, yet errant footwork left Felton on the court, writhing in pain), Felton helped the Bobcats stay close in a game with an elite Western Conference team, the now 6-1 Houston Rockets.

The final outcome was not necessarily what Charlotte fans were hoping for, as the ‘Cats were eventually defeated in closing seconds, 85-82.

Jason Richardson’s only points in the second half certainly came at a crucial moment. A drive to the hoop and a lay-up with about a minute left in the fourth quarter gave the Bobcats a two-point-lead, 80-78.

Unfortunately for the ‘Cats, Tracy McGrady wasted no time galloping back up the court, and with only 54 seconds left, McGrady drove and scored off the glass, was fouled by Okafor, and sank the freebie. 81-80, Rockets on top.

This is where things started to get a bit hectic and out-of-control for the Bobcats. Two of their three wins this year have come as a result of ice-cold free-throw shooting in the late seconds of the game by the Bobcats point-guards. With only :38 seconds left to play, it seemed history would repeat itself, as Felton, once again, stepped up and knocked down two to give the Bobcats their final lead, 82-81.

After a stellar defensive series by the Bobcats, Rafer Alston, who is struggling from the field this year (31.8% FG, 20.8% 3-PT), was forced to take a long three, which found rim but no net. To the Bobcats dismay, Yao Ming pulled down the biggest rebound of the game, and the Rockets retained possession. It was all Emaka Okafor could do to rake across Yao’s arms to keep him from getting an easy lay-up, thus fouling himself out of the game. To the chagrin of ‘Cats fans everywhere, the seven-and-a-half foot center hailing from China is one of the premier free-throw shooting big-men in the game. At one point, Yao even took a technical-foul-shot for the Rockets (which he sank). Needless to say, Yao converted both shots, resulting in the final lead-change of the game, Rockets up 83-82 with only twenty seconds left to play.

The Bobcats have habitually had trouble converting game-winning and game-tying shots, largely due to the lack of a pure-scorer on the team. Jason Richardson was brought in for that exact reason, but due to his poor shooting night (6-17 in the first half, 1-4 in the second), he did not get a chance to stroke the J as the clock wound down. Instead, Gerald Wallace puttered around on the perimeter before driving in and pushing off on Tracy McGrady, badly missing the basket and causing an offensive foul and a turnover. The end result was two more converted foul-shots, an 85-82 lead for the Rockets, and, with no timeouts left for Charlotte, a desperation full-court heave that proved fruitless. How truly heartbreaking.

Bobcats lovers should not feel but so deflated at this loss: a number of statistics that had previously been alarming for the Bobcats inspired confidence tonight. The team average of 64.4% from the foul-line was drastically improved upon. The Bobcats as a team shot over 93.3% tonight (that’s an ‘A’!), only missing a single shot from the line. Houston, on the other hand, stayed consistent to their season-average, and hit 85%. Charlotte’s league-leading rate of turning the ball over (near 22 per game) was also held in check—the Bobcats committed only 13 giveaways while forcing the Rockets to a total of 20. In addition, the Bobcats bench finally showed some life—Matt Carrol exploded for a season-high and team-high 17 points on 60% shooting and 3-of-4 from downtown. He also contributed an assist and was a perfect 2-for-2 from the stripe.

Why, then, was this game a close contest, and how did the Rockets squeak out a victory? It’s actually very simple. Superstars.

The Bobcats simply had no answer for Yao Ming, who shot a remarkable 13-15 from the field and was perfect from the line, netting a season-high 34 points, 8 rebounds, and contributing 4 assists. When you add Tracy McGrady to the mix, who is famous for his last-second scoring ability, and who previously single-handedly led the Rockets in the greatest comeback in NBA regular-season history, the Bobcats were doomed. McGrady, in addition to converting a three-point play in the closing seconds, had 26 points and matched Yao’s totals in rebounds and assists.

The stellar play from these Rockets in the closing seconds could not be matched by the play-makers for the Bobcats. Gerald Wallace, Jason Richardson, and Raymond Felton went a combined 15-43 from the field, scoring only 42 points and shooting under 35% for the game. Gerald Wallace’s end-of-game antics were unimpressive, but not necessarily the wrong call. Given Jason Richardson’s continued inconsistency and Okafor having fouled out, Wallace was probably the best overall athlete and shot-creator on the floor, despite being known for his defensive prowess. Personally, I would’ve liked to see the shot given to Carroll, as he was the only Bobcat’s player who shot over 50% for the game.

However, team-leaders (albeit in-progress) must be given these opportunities. As the face of the franchise, Gerald Wallace must be given a chance to convert big shots late in games in order to develop confidence and leadership on a very young team, especially if we hope to be contenders in the East.

After an impressive performance against one of the best teams in the West, you can expect the Bobcats to continue their best season to-date. At 3-3, the Bobcats trail only the 5-2 Orlando Magic in the Southeast division. Charlotte's next two games come against divisional opponents Miami (on Tuesday) and Atlanta (on Wednesday).

Let's just hope that Dwyane Wade doesn't decide to make his long-awaited return against the Cats in Charlotte, or the 'Cats may be in for another disappointment at the hands of the NBA's best.