Hansbrough for POY

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Jan 13, 2006
Messages
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Hansbrough (North Carolina)
Points per game: 18.6
Rebounds: 7.8
Assists: 1.3
Steals: 1.2
Blocked shots: .7
Field goal percentage: .535
Free throw percentage: .739

Afflalo (UCLA)
Points per game: 16.7
Rebounds: 3.3
Assists: 2.2
Steals: .6
Blocked shots: .2
Field goal percentage: .442
Free throw percentage: 7.08

Law (Texas A&M)
Points per game: 18.2
Rebounds: 3.3
Assists: 5.1
Steals: 1.2
Blocked shots: .1
Field goal percentage: .506
Free throw percentage: .778

Ogden (Ohio State)
Points per game: 15.6
Rebounds: 9.8
Assists: .7
Steals: .5
Blocked shots: 3.4
Field goal percentage: .605
Free throw percentage: .634

Tucker (Wisconsin)
Points per game: 20.0
Rebounds: 5.4
Assists: 2.0
Steals: .9
Blocked shots: .3
Field goal percentage: .472
Free throw percentage: .661

Durant (Texas)
Points per game: 25.7
Rebounds: 11.2
Assists: 1.3
Steals: 1.9
Blocked Shots: 1.9
Field goal percentage: .474
Free throw percentage: .819


Considering that Texas is now out and did not even advance to the sweet 16 I really can't see how anyone could, within logic, justify giving the Player of the Year award to anyone but Hansbrough. In his most recent effort Hansbrough scored 33 points.

To be completely fair, Durant does have more impressive stats; with the sole exception of his field-goal percentage.
 

PitBull

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Durant takes LOTS of shots per game. There's more to offense and
defense than shooting and blocking shots, such as setting picks and
screens, blocking out, not committing excessive fouls, passing the ball,
rotating and helping out etc. It would be nice to see some stats of the
opposing position player these guys were playing. Who cares if you carry
your team? Why should a good player be penalized for having good
team-mates?

See, that's the flawed thinking behind a lot of these statistical battles.
They don't really tell the whole story. A guy who shoots a lot is said to
"carry the team", getting puffed up stats. Or a higher number of
rebounds from a run and gun team. The ACC is a tougher conference
than the Big 12, Big 10, or Pac 10. Will that be factored in? Nah. I think
Durant is overhyped. I've seen Oden play, and he's probably the best of
the bunch. But if his team loses before reaching the Final Four, and NC
goes all the way behind Hansbrough, I think the nod should go to Tyler.

Hansbrough can win POY if the Tar Heels win the championship and he
plays well. Of course, he will never be praised like Oden and Durant, even
if he plays better and wins the championship. He's stepping up big time
in the tournament. A few more games like the last two and he might be
the dark horse, eh Big Time?
 

Colonel_Reb

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UNC without Hansbrough wouldn't be a top 25 program. Tyler should win player of the year by the time he is finished there, if not this year.
 

PitBull

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Big Boy,

Nobody wins POY on rebounds and blocked shots, assists or anything
else. All of the players listed are high scorers. I think Durant is ball hog.
He's a front line player with less than a 50% field goal percentage. That's
not exactly outstanding. But by golly, he puts up a lot of shots and the
refs call a lot of fouls for him. He's a STAR! Just look at all the press
fawning. No doubt he's a good player, but is he POY? I don't think so.
He played in a weaker conference than Hansborough. Also, Hansbrough
played about 200 minutes less than Durant this season. Tha's about 5-6
games worth of playing time, with the same number of total games.
Think that has some kind of bearing when you compare individual stats?
Why didn't you comment on that? Durant took over 200 more shots this
season than Hansbrough. If a POY is mostly based on scoring, why isn't
field goal percentage more important for a player that takes fewer shots?
Durant is a ball hog who is overrated. The same is true with Tucker.

In fact, of all the players listed above, its Hansbrough, Law, and Oden
who really deserve to be in the running for POY, not the overhyped media
darlings Durant and Tucker, whom you've fallen for based on what you've
heard in the media rather than their true merit.

Where do you get the idea that "carrying a team" means something? It
means nothing. That's just some line you've managed to pick up and
repeat like a parrot. He couldn't even carry his team to the sweet sixteen,
meaning they only won ONE game in the tournament. POY material?
LOL, that's ridiculous! Stat padder and overrated? Highly likely.

You never answered my question. Why should an outstanding player be
penalized because he has good teammates around him? Should Walton
or Alcindor have been penalized because they had great teammates at
UCLA? What about Jordan because he had Pippen, Grant, Rodman, et al?
Teams are more successful when they play together, not when one guy is
supposed to do it all. Ball hogging stars actually hurt teams. Look at
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. There are numerous black ball hogs who
hurt their teams. Its very hard to name a white ball hog. I wonder why
that is? It can't be because they're aren't any good white players,
especially at the college level.

So there's two questions for you to answer. Number one, why should an
outstanding player be penalized because he has good teammates, and
where are all the white ball hogs? It'll be interesting to see you squirm
out of those two. Good luck.
 
G

Guest

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PitBull said:
So there's two questions for you to answer. Number one, why should an outstanding player be penalized because he has good teammates, and
where are all the white ball hogs? It'll be interesting to see you squirm
out of those two. Good luck.


Personally, I think it goes both ways. Why punish Durant for having to carry his team?Last year Adam Morrison and JJ Redick both carried their teams. Morrison took617 shots in 33 games (18.7 per game),Redick took 643 shots in 35 games (18.37 per game), and this year Durant took 647 in 35 games (18.49 per game). Why were they legimate POY's for carrying their teams, whileDurant's a"ball hog" foraccumulatingalmost the same exact number of attempts?


Tyler had a great season, but I think Durant is gonna take it. 31% of his shots were behind the arc, and he hit 40% of them. That''s what dropped his field goal percentage below 50%. When you throw in his othernumbers, it's pretty much his to lose.


Edited by: Pilgrim
 

PitBull

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I see that after Don kicked you off the board, FSU, you used one of your
other names to again avoid my questions and also to excuse Durant for
not taking the team he leads anywhere. The simple fact is that ballhogs
like Durant and the rest of his mediocre team are way too star-dependent
and likely to lose the big one. And lo and behold, that's exactly what
happened! POY's are far more likely to play for teams that win
championships or go deep in playoffs and tournaments. That's why its
better to have a solid team around a great player than be ballhog-
dependent, like Texas. This is borne out again and again. People may
hate Duke, but one thing about Duke is that its not a one-man show, and
the teams are solid. Last year was no exception.

Durant isn't competing against Adam Morrison or JJ Reddick, he's
competing against the other guys listed. Can't really win the argument
when your probe a bit deeper into the numbers, eh? Thanks for
conceding that my points are well made. Evasion is the equivalent of
giving in, and of course, I'm quite flattered.

Actually, if you project 200 more minutes of Hanbrough's production, he
would average over 22 points a game, and over nine rebounds. If he took
as many shots as Durant took, at his field goal percentage, he would have
averaged over 25 points a game. Sound familiar? That's figuring all 2
point field goals for Tyler, with his usual 6 points per game from free
throws added in. Obviously the three-point percentage you brought up is
looking pretty irrelevant.

But I guess those kind of numbers are the sacrifice you have to make if
you want your team to go farther in the tournament and win. That's a
real leadership quality if I've ever seen one. That's why a solid team
around a star is so important.

By your own admission, the Kevin Durant "carried" Longhorns could only
muster one win in the Big Show. So basically, its his fault, isn't it? After
all, he's responsible for his team's success (and failure), right? One and
done. He's no POY! Well, I'm sure he has more time now to sit in his
dorm room and play with his Xbox while someone else does his
homework. He'll probably also watch the good TEAMS with outstanding
players fight it out for the championship.

From afar, of course.
 

nhl411

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Dec 18, 2005
Messages
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i have to say even though i like hansbrough as a player far more id probly have to give it to durant..hansbrough's team does have a lot more talent than durant's does this year and durant did pretty much carry them on his back..he just couldn't do it once they played a very good usc team which i can't really hold against him. anyway that said i think hansbrough has to be the frontrunner for the award next year (hoping he stays)
 

PitBull

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Messages
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I was only trying to point out that Hansbrough is actually just as effective a
scorer as Durant, though absolutely nobody in the media will give him the
credit. He's just about as good a rebounder too. I don't see why an
outstanding player like him should be penalized for having a good team
around him when it comes to voting for a Player of the Year. The award will
be given to the highest scorer who gets the most media play. Right now, I
think that the odds-on favorites are Durant and Oden, but Tyler is just as
good as either one of them really. He will not get the credit though because
the supposed sports media experts are superficial goofs who mostly read
other media types' analysis, and also because he is white.
 

ToughJ.Riggins

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To be fair, I no longer think Hansborough deserves player of the year after slumping at the end of the NC-Georgetown game. I just hope that Oden and not Durant wins it. Durant scores more points b/c he shoots more, but is an under 50% shooter from the floor and is not the defender Oden is.
 
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