Fantasy Falafel Basketball
Hoops: Week 6

By: Collin "Kool-Aid" Kilpatrick

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Ladies and gentlemen, there's a new sheriff in town. A real smooth, tough as nails son of a gun. A man with his ear to the street and a black Stetson crowning his curly locks. A new gun who has shot up the competition and staked his terrority with a shiny, silver star. A man who has wrestled bears, tamed the wildest horses and grown handlebar mustaches longer than LeBron James' wingspan.

This man speaks softly and carries a big...laptop. But have no fear, good men and women of Fantasy Basketball Land, Sheriff Kool-Aid means no harm. He wields his piece only in the pursuit of the best possible fantasy advice. And, believe us, he gets it. Fortunately he's generous enough to pass his wisdom on to you: America's Fantasy Basketball population. So enjoy it, good people. Enjoy it and smile in knowing that your fantasy universe is safe under the jurisdiction of Kool-Aid. Also, if you have any questions for the good sheriff, be sure to hit him online at fantasyfalafel@gmail.com.

Now, on to your regularly scheduled Fantasy Falafel...

Here we are, Week 6 of the NBA basketball season. It's hard to imagine that so much time has gone by. My disbelief aside, I'd like to start by giving my condolences to the Artest, Marbury and Barnes families. Golden State Warriors guard Matt Barnes just lost his mother to illness last week. New York Knicks guard Stephon has lost his father to a heart attack after a home loss to the Phoenix Suns (Stephon's old team). And Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest's daughter Diamond is battling a cancerous Wilms' tumor on her kidney. With family health on your mind, it's pretty hard to suit up and -- while Barnes has been able to play through his grief -- you won't hear any gripe from me if Marbury and Artest's numbers dip over the next couple of weeks. But let's try to focus on the positive, here's a look at some guys making the most of their season. The following players are helping their NBA teams, perhaps they can help yours.

1. Undrafted rookie Jamario Moon has claimed a starting role in Toronto -- over recently signed free agent Jason Kapono -- and is putting up some good numbers for a small forward. Moon has started the last twelve games for the Raptors and over the last five games, he's averaged 10.4 points, 10.2 boards, 1.4 steals and 2.4 blocks per game while only surrendering 1 turnover (on average). Almost as important as that great line is the fact that Moon's minutes are on the rise as well. During his twelve starts, Moon has averaged 33 minutes per game and has improved that number to 36.8 minutes over the last five games. Grab 'im while you can.

2. Detroit Pistons forward Jason Maxiell is not quite as productive as Moon, but if you're looking for some rebounds, you may find production from this third year player. With 13 points, 8.4 boards, 1.4 assists, 1.6 blocks and only 0.4 turnovers per game over his past five games, Maxiell is looking like a nice pick-up for a lot of fantasy teams out there. Maxiell is an on-again, off-again starter who's only averaging 27.6 minutes over his last five games (but that's up from his previous average of 23.1 minutes for the season). Also, Maxiell is SF/PF eligible, which is always an added bonus because it gives your team some options. If you're looking to grab some boards and trim your team turnovers, Maxiell may be the add you're looking for.

3. Some guys go in and out of fantasy favor faster than an out-of-date iPod. One tease this season has been Memphis point guard Damon Stoudamire, who is able to put up some decent fantasy numbers but not on a consistent basis. Even so, over the last four games Damon has 9.8 points, 2.3 three-pointers (on 60% shooting), 5.8 assists and only 0.3 turnovers. Three's, assists and a low turnover rate are the name of Stoudamire's game right now. He won't give you a lot of points and while he is starting, he isn't playing a lot of minutes. But if you need someone to fill those needs, then you may want to take a closer look at the Memphis Grizzlies' PG.

Alright folks, that about wraps it up for this week. Once again, I would like to apologize for my absence from the fantasy sports scene. A hospital stay in Brazil had me sidetracked for a few weeks, but now my head is back where it should be: scouring box scores to find you the best fantasy pick-ups each week. It's good to be back and it's good to have you back, readers. Good luck and we'll see you next week.

- Collin "Kool-Aid" Kilpatrick