Notes on the Last Ten Games of the 2001-2002 Season May 11, 2002 I was looking over the Stats for players over the last ten games of the season. During this time of the season some players can be identified who have a chance of emerging next season who may have gone largely unnoticed much of this season. Most fantasy basketball managers don't pay nearly as much attention during the last month of the season for reasons such as fantasy baseball beginning or just plain burn out. But during these late games some good bits of information can be found that can prove useful to know for you fantasy draft next season. Here are some notes I made. DerMarr Johnson averaged 32 mpg over the last ten games of the season and averaged 11.5 pts, 1.6 treys, and 1.1 blocks. Johnson has mostly been a disappointment for the Hawks in his first two seasons but realize he is still only 21 years old and he did actually show improvement during his second season increasing his average from 5.1 ppg to 8.4 ppg. In his favor is that Atlanta will most likely not have a first round pick next season (lost in trade to the Clippers unless it is a top three pick) so he should not worry about a rookie competing for his job. That would leave only journey man Ira Newble to beat next year. Tyson Chandler averaged 29 mpg, 10.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.6 bpg, 51% FG, and 75% FT over the last ten games. The Bulls will probably start Chandler next season at PF and he has the potential to be a star someday. While he will remain inconsistent because of his lack of experience, the Bulls would be wise to let him play. A potential downside for him is competition from Marcus Fizer but I feel Fizer will settle in as a Corliss Williamson type of bench player. The solid late season play of Gilbert Arenas will most likely result in him ending up as the starting point guard for the Golden State Warriors and the departure of free agent Larry Hughes. Over the last ten games of the season Arenas 15.1 ppg, 5.5 apg, and 2.7 spg. Arenas could end up as a very solid late round fantasy pick next season. Michael Olowokandi played his heart out over the last ten games of the season realizing the impact it could have on his new contract this summer. He averaged 39 mpg, 17 ppg, 8.1 rpg, and 1.8 bpg. This performance is encouraging but I will remain suspicious that it was inspired by his contract status and not get too excited yet about him being a top 50 player next year. Stromile Swift had an up and down season but that should be expected from a young player on a bad team. Over the last ten games he averaged 31 mpg, 15.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg, and 2.8 bpg. For Swift to get consistent playing time next season Shane Battier will need to play shooting guard but if Michael Dickerson is healthy that might make it tough for Swift to break 30 mpg. But Swift is the type of player whose shot blocking should give him value at only 30 mpg. Andrei Kirilenko averaged 30 mpg, 14.1 ppg, 1.4 spg, and 1.7 bpg. Kirilenko's strong numbers in the steal and block categories give him more fantasy value than a typical manager might realize. I think Kirilenko will soon be a top 50 player consistently but he may not be playing much over 30 mpg next season because of Malone and Marshall playing for the Jazz. To see where these players will rate according to your league scoring system order the HoopsKlyce Fantasy Player Rating Report. Previous Article Next Article Copyright © Hoops Klyce 2002 - All Rights Reserved Website Designed by Lelnet Failed to execute script '../cgi-local/ax.cgi': Win32 Error Code = 2