Mail Time "Can Monta Maintain?"

David Cassilo and myself pride ourselves on answering every email we recieve. So don't be shy to shoot me an email about any personal fantasy hoops info and I will be sure to respond and your question may even end up in my "Mail Time" column. This week there are 2 specific emails that I will discuss.

J-Rod wrote,

Hey Brian, I just started checking out your site and I really like your style and information...this is a cool site...I just have a little question I hoped you could help me with...For my second utility spot in my league I am not sure who to start...It is between Ben Gordon, Jameer Nelson, or Danny Granger...what is your opinion on these players, and who would you start?

~Thanks for the support J-Rod! That is a good question as all 3 of those players have question marks. Gordon has been very inconsistent even losing his starting job this season. Nelson has been just a flat out dissapointment, and Granger has also been very inconsistent flirting with the starting lineup. If I had to pick one, I would probably go with Ben Gordon. He's a little inconsistent but when he plays well he usually plays very well, scoring around 20 usually including a few 3pm. You may want to slip Granger in there once in a while when the bulls matchup against solid defensive teams or if you are in need of rebounds. I wouldn't play Jameer Nelson at all right now, however, of those three players, I think Nelson has the most potential, so I wouldn't drop him yet either, just stash him away on your bench.

Dave wrote,

Hey Big Mel, Monta Ellis came out of nowhere this year and I was lucky enough to pick him up before anyone else in my league. But now I need to know, is he going to keep getting minutes and contributing to my fantasy team?

~Great question Dave. Monta has been a nice surprise this year and I have been a huge Monta Ellis fan even before he was drafted before last season. Unless Jason Richardson and Baron Davis are both completely healthy at the same time (which is very unlikely) Ellis will continue to recieve big minutes from Nellie and he will continue to score. However, it wouldn't be a bad idea to sell high on Ellis while there is still so much hype about him.
He's in the same category with guys like Luther Head and Leandro Barbosa who you might be able to package in order to acquire a true fantasy stud.

~Brian Melnick aka Big Mel
Contact Brian at bigmel2k5@yahoo.com