BTW, Granger is Most Improved '09

[Cebby]

Re: BTW, Granger is Most Improved '09

correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Granger average 19+ last year?

Yes, but I don't think there was the assumption that he'd really take that to another level. I think everyone knew Durant would improve.

I personally would have voted for Durant, but in the history of the award, Granger makes the most sense.

[DC]

Re: BTW, Granger is Most Improved '09

Some people are too good to get the MIP. I think based on what people see Durant doing in the future (HOF probably) I don't think they want MIP on his resume.
If that makes any sense

[KG]

Re: BTW, Granger is Most Improved '09

His game definately jumped big time (Durant) but I just think he was too good as a rook to justify this award. It usually goes to the "player that virtually came out of nowhere". Now I know Danny was good last year but jumping to All-Star status justifies his selection.

It's not a knock on KD at all. I always thought highly of his game and expected great things and it looks like the voters did too.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: BTW, Granger is Most Improved '09

What you guys are saying makes sense. It irks me a little that these awards have all these meanings behind the words, because I don't like the discussions that come out of it.

It's all media driven from a certain standpoint. Granger was scouted as a Ron Artest replacement, or a Scottie Pippen type out of college, and Indiana felt comfortable moving Artest because they thought Granger was growing into that role.

The media forgot about him for a year, so now he came out of nowhere. And I'm not disagreeing with you, kg, I think that is exactly the case.

Right now Durant is in media no man's land, with All Star weekend as the one exception. When people talk about the future of the league, they don't really mention him, but he's too good to win the MIP. I kind of like it though, because I'm in no rush to see the media do to Durant what they've done to Lebron and Wade. I'm going to enjoy just watching his game for awhile before I have to scroll past all these articles about how he compares to Magic or how well he dresses.

[Brankles]

Re: BTW, Granger is Most Improved '09

Danny Granger was a mid first rounder. I don't think the media "forgot" about him, he literally did kind of appear out of nowhere on a bad team in a market that doesn't get a ton of national attention.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: BTW, Granger is Most Improved '09

Danny Granger was a mid first rounder. I don't think the media "forgot" about him, he literally did kind of appear out of nowhere on a bad team in a market that doesn't get a ton of national attention.

When I watched the draft, I saw Granger compared to Pippen and Artest. As a result, I kept an eye on him to watch him develop. Every bball head that I know or read articles from knew who he was.

[Brankles]

Re: BTW, Granger is Most Improved '09

When I watched the draft, I saw Granger compared to Pippen and Artest. As a result, I kept an eye on him to watch him develop. Every bball head that I know or read articles from knew who he was.

I agree about the comparisons, I wanted Orlando to draft him instead of Fran Vazquez. I was talking strictly from the view of the media. The 17th pick by a struggling team in a smaller market, on a player coming from New Mexico is not going to catch the eye of the media right away. Last year he hardly got any love, either. The media is slow to crown superstars nowadays, they just want to develop the current college and pro stars they already have.

[HMcCoy]

Re: BTW, Granger is Most Improved '09

Right now Durant is in media no man's land, with All Star weekend as the one exception. When people talk about the future of the league, they don't really mention him, but he's too good to win the MIP. I kind of like it though, because I'm in no rush to see the media do to Durant what they've done to Lebron and Wade. I'm going to enjoy just watching his game for awhile before I have to scroll past all these articles about how he compares to Magic or how well he dresses.

In looking to identify with an under the radar superstar, I think you overate this Durant kid tremendously, B.

His shooting touch is ridiculous, but he doesn't play defense on the ball well and doesn't create much for a guy that draws as much attention as he does. He doesn't seem to like alot of contact and relies primarliy on his length, meaning he gets buried in screens, pushed around in the paint, doesn't contest much of anything that he can't block, and gets fatiged if he's forced into physical matchups. His work ethic seems to be focused strictly on shooting, and while its too early to blame him for the Thunder's woes, he hasn't added anything in the way of competitive leadership or influence from what I've seen. Westbrook seems like more of an alpha than he does, IMO.

Bottom line, I see him becoming a 1.5 dimensional Robin-type who will get his endorsements and league shine with decent rebounding and huge scoring numbers via his unstoppable J (with a few highlight dunks mixed in) but won't ever lead a franchise to the promised land unless he gets alot better on defense besides his few random pokeaways and blocks with those freakishly long arms, and develops his playmaking instincts, and looking at his frame, which is still pretty scrawny, he hasn't shown me that he's been willing to work hard on anything but the shooting (yet).

But I guess we'll see...I've been wrong before, lol.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: BTW, Granger is Most Improved '09

In looking to identify with an under the radar superstar, I think you overate this Durant kid tremendously, B.

Before I address your post, I'd like to address this point. I like Durant's game because of the way he plays. The media will do what it will and in college he was FAR from under the radar, which is when I got into his game. He has a cerebral approach that I like, but his even keel demeanor hides how competitive he is. Durant cares only about winning, but he's analytical in how he problem solves. I've been able to read this dude like a book since the fifth game I've seen him play and it's kind of fascinating to me. How the media treats him has nothing to do with it. The only time I look at the media or the public is when something of note happens and it gets ignored.

I'm genuinely impressed by how his efficiency has skyrocketed between last year and this year. I thought he'd have to put on weight before becoming efficient, and to not even be in the MIP discussion is kind of "wtf" to me.

His shooting touch is ridiculous, but he doesn't play defense on the ball well and doesn't create much for a guy that draws as much attention as he does. He doesn't seem to like alot of contact and relies primarliy on his length, meaning he gets buried in screens, pushed around in the paint, doesn't contest much of anything that he can't block, and gets fatiged if he's forced into physical matchups. His work ethic seems to be focused strictly on shooting, and while its too early to blame him for the Thunder's woes, he hasn't added anything in the way of competitive leadership or influence from what I've seen. Westbrook seems like more of an alpha than he does, IMO.

I disagree with the red. Everything else I think is perfectly valid. I don't normally discuss Durant's flaws because I'm waiting to see how his frame reacts to serious training. I've said this before; Durant is a normal kid aside from his height. He won't put on weight as rapidly as some of the true genetic freaks in the league. I don't expect his body to truly mature until he's about 24. It blows my mind that he's getting his numbers with his body.

Defensively he's got a long way to go, but in college and in spurts in the league, I've seen him display some great instincts and reaction time. I doubt he'll ever be laterally quick enough to stop penetration, but he possesses the tools to have his length bother skilled jumpshooters and distract shots at the rim.

And the number of dunks he has shows that he's much more than a jump shooter. His assists (or lack thereof) are a real cause of concern for me. That's the part of his game that he needs to work on mentally and physically.

[HMcCoy]

Re: BTW, Granger is Most Improved '09

Fair enough. Good stuff, bro.