yea but we have tangible data to make that assumption

with mchale it is all inferences and extrapolations, nothing tangible

Round 4, Pick #151 - Danny Granger




I had my eye on a few wing players, and some of my top choices got snared up last round or this one. But 1 guy who I totally love slipped to me, and that is the young phenom Danny Granger. Granger has improved pretty much across the board in each of his 3 seasons thus far. His 3rd year, as a 24 year old, was his first chance at starting every game, and he was the leading scorer for Indiana. This is how it went:

He played in
80/80 games and averaged 36 minutes/gm
19.6 Points
6.1 Rebounds
2.1 Assists
1.2 Steals
1.1 Blocks
.404 3P%
.852 FT%
.571 TS%
.517 eFG%

Granger is a 6'8" 228 lb forward, he has spent time at the 3 and the 4, but is best suited at the 3 on my squad and in real life. He is the kind of player who can do a little bit of everyting. He can get out and finish on the break, can post up, drills ft's, has a midrange shot, can pass and rebound. His defense is not elite, but he is athletic and can guard 3's effectively. I think he drew a lot of fouls due to having to guard 4's quite a bit. I don't need him to do much of that. Oh, and did I mention he can make it rain from outside, hitting over 40% from 3?

His versatility and outside scoring should benefit my team greatly. AI will have a reliable target on penetrate and kick outs. Granger can also create his own shot at times, and is improving at this. He's only missed a total of 6 games in his first 3 seasons, so he should be a durable pro. Granted, we don't have much longevity to verify that, but so far he seems healthy. This kid has great work ethic and a team-first attitude. Granger's improved each season, so there is reason to believe his upside is still even higher as an all around player down the road. Even if he only matches his current output, that's pretty good value at this stage of the draft.

Team fanmail so far:
Allen Iverson, PG
Danny Granger, SF
Otis Thorpe, PF
Ben Wallace, C

tdarko is on the clock

Granger was someone I hadn't thought about at all but I really like him a lot (fantasy stud) and he is a great fit on this team.

tdarko takes Calvin Natt

I have his ridiculous 26 pt a game season with 60 percent shooting and over 80 percent from the line.

Then I have him coming back the next year (after his foot surgery while still playing somewhat hurt) putting up 22 pts a game with 60 percent shooting and basacally 80 percent from the line.

I also have the previous two seasons (before the 26 pt a game with 60 percent shooting season) where he shot .570+ and scored 20-22 pts a game while coming off the bench and before his prime.

I also have that he had the best post moves in NBA history and was one of, if not the hardest players to guard in the post EVER ontop of the fact he also had a great jump shot and shot ft's incredibly well for a bigman.

I also have that he was a great defender.

He was also a very good rebounder (although stats don't show it since he played with 2 great rebounders, anyone who saw McHale thinks so).

Add that all up and a case can easily be made that he would have been the best PF ever had he not played on broken his foot.

I have never heard of Natt and looked up his #s and it seems like he is a decent rebounder for a SF and an efficient scorer. Was he really good defensively or something? Seems like there were better picks available for that particular team.

come on epip, its page 382, give it a rest until you summarize your whole team.

Not particularly, he was a pretty efficient scorer though. It is something of a head scratcher with Battier and Marion already on the floor.

OK I'll admit I have never heard of this guy. Stats look ok but WTF

who the **** is calvin natt?

Seriously, who the **** is Calvin Natt? Did you just make up a name and then hack into B-Ref and plug in some good stats?

I'm looking at drafting Billy Moth with my next pick. (see, I can make up names, too!)

as somebody not in the draft but have been reading both threads, you come off as a huge h0mo imo

Really?

Some of these picks are absolutely awful...

Elaborate pls.

I've never heard of Natt, which seems strange given my memory + the research I've been doing. That said, uh, doesn't td have 3 SFs now?

And yeah you can play Marion at the 4 but still

Clark c'mon, that is asking for way to much.

This works both ways though. Who was Kobe's best SF(or SG if you consider Kobe the SF)?

assani a dominant big has soooooooooo much more value than a dominant wing

I think Natt works ok as a SG when they're all on the foor at the same time, but given the fact that the all get some minutes off they'll probably each play at some point in the game.

Natt was one of the last efficient scorers left. He's kind of like the anti-Battier. He creates his own shot, runs really well (played some seasons with those Nuggets), and can rebound. Can't hit a 3. Defends okay, but with Battier there he's probably not guarding the best wing player for long stretches anyway.

I came across Natt on BR and had him on a list, don't really know much about him but his #'s though.

LOL...I make a point about how you're referencing analysts and using their arguments to support yours. I briefly mention you using Barkley referring to McHalge as evidence of this. You then go on a tangent about McHale's skillset and why he was a good pick. I mean, seriously?

+1


Also when I first saw the pick I didn't think I liked it, but now after looking at the stats and thinking about it, I like it more and more.

Granger was a guy I hoped would fall but knew he wouldn't