Jack emerging for Portland

The leather ball is coming back! After getting used to new buzzwords like ‘composite microfiber’, we have to act as if this never happened beginning January 1. If this is what the players want, I’m all for it, but the offensive numbers have been rising slightly, so this may not be a great thing. . .

As of Monday afternoon, Allen Iverson has not yet been traded. So, there is not much to really comment on except to be sure and stay tuned. Personally, I do not like superstars moving to other teams and cannot imagine Iverson in another uniform. I’ve heard rumors involving the Celtics, Nuggets, Kings, Timberwolves and Mavericks, but none sound that strong. I think Dallas may be a darkhorse in this one, however.

As we wait to see what will happen with Iverson, we’ll focus on the on-court action. Week 6 ended with a bang, as Sunday featured two compelling late games. Seattle held off Golden State, 117-115, despite a dominating performance from Baron Davis, and the Lakers beat the Spurs in a high-intensity matchup.

LA was led by Lamar Odom‘s 18 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Odom could have had a triple-double, but Kwame Brown declined to put in a late layup off of an Odom pass – a classy move, right?

The Sonics were propelled by the late play from Luke Ridnour, who made a couple of Pete Maravich-like shots. Seattle’s Chris Wilcox has been playing very well and is featured below.

Other observations from Week 6:
Despite being exciting to watch at times this season, the Charlotte Bobcats enter this week coming off the three worst consecutive losses of any team this season. The Bobcats whimpered their way to losses of 20, 30 and then 40 points to the Spurs, Rockets and Suns, respectively.

Feel free to ask me your fantasy questions, or to tell me your all-time favorite Bobcat.
WEEK 6 PLAYER NEWS
Much of this content is based on your emails:
C Eddy Curry, Knicks: Hopefully, you have realized that Curry is one of the hottest players in the NBA. He’s averaged 27 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals over his past five games. He shot a sizzling 54-for-87 in that span, including 17-for-24 for a career-high 36 points against Milwaukee last Saturday. New York is actually a watchable team again thanks to Curry.

F Gerald Wallace, Bobcats: He is being dropped left and right, and for good reason. He’s receiving 30-plus minutes, but is averaging 10.3 points and shooting just 41 percent – after shooting 54 percent last season. He averaged a combined 4.6 steals/blocks last season but is down to 1.8 this season. As he gets healthier, things may change, but I would not play him right now.

F Tayshaun Prince, Pistons: He’s having a career season, especially with his long-range shooting. Besides his current career-high averages in scoring (16.3 points per game), rebounding (six per game) and shooting (49 percent), Prince had drilled 29-of-62 from 3-point range.

F Kevin Garnett, Timberwolves: Just in case you forgot: KG is still awesome. Besides his typical averages of 21 points and 12 rebounds, Garnett is providing 50 percent shooting and averages of 1.6 steals, 2 blocks and 3.7 assists. He remains one of the best fantasy players of all time.

SLEEPERS OR SNOOZERS?
F Al Jefferson, Celtics: He really burst upon the scene after his 29 points (12-for-19 FG) and 14 rebounds last Saturday at New Jersey. He still lacks consistency and without being center-eligible and averaging 30 minutes, he’s not reliable. His season averages of 11 points and eight rebounds are solid, but unlikely to improve much, making him more of a fill-in fantasy player.

Jarrett Jack had 30 points and 10 assists against Milwaukee last week.

G Jarrett Jack, Trail Blazers: His success is no longer a secret. Jack’s season averages are up to 13.6 points, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Jack went off last Wednesday for 30 points (12-for-22 shooting) and 10 assists in 48 minutes at Milwaukee. His next outing was poor, but Jack bounced back with 22 points (9-for-15), nine rebounds and eight assists at Toronto.

F Chris Webber, 76ers: His season was so bad that we don’t feel too silly for placing Webber under the “sleepers” tag. In fact, his pick-up rate was over 20 percent in many leagues last week, meaning a ton of fantasy owners have given up on Webber. But with Allen Iverson‘s situation in flux, Webber may be much more prominent in the Philly offense. Webber has averaged 20 points (17-for-33 FG) and 10.5 rebounds with three steals and three blocks in his past two games.

F Chris Wilcox, SuperSonics: He has averaged 34 minutes, 14.6 points and 7.8 rebounds over his past five games. In that span, Wilcox shot 24-for-47 from the field and 25-for-33 from the line. He has started all 21 Seattle games and is a solid option moving forward.

G Janeergo Pargo, Hornets: He has played major minutes over NOOCH’s past four games because of injuries to other players, He’s averaged 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds with eight made 3s in those four games and may be worthy of filling in for at least this week. His 11 defensive rebounds last Friday was a fluke, however, and he’s shooting just 37 percent for the season. So, explore other options.

RAMBLINGS AND ECHOES
Bucks swingman Ruben Patterson was scorching over a two-game stretch last Wednesday and Friday. In those two games, he averaged 28 points while making 26-of-40 shots in Milwaukee’s wins over the Blazers and Grizzlies. . . .

Bulls swingman Luol Deng has shot 37-for-61 over his past five games and is now shooting 55.4 percent for this season while averaging 18.4 points per game. . . .

Hawks G Salim Stoudamire poured in 26 points on 10-for-17 shooting against the Kings on Sunday. He scored 21 points four days earlier but remains a weak fantasy player because of low minutes and low peripheral production.

Mystery Player of The Week: Ime Udoka, Trail Blazers: He is a 6-9 small forward, is 29 years old, went to Portland State and is making an impact while playing significant NBA minutes for the first time in his career. He’s averaging 8.8 points and has started all 22 Portland games this season, making 27-for-63 from 3-point land.

Brian Doolittle covers fantasy basketball for The Roto Times. His columns appear every week during the NBA season.