See that guy above? He's real good. And not enough people have been talking about him.
I have a lot of friends who follow sports closely. They follow pro sports, they follow college sports. They follow high school sports, and recruiting. I find that they're pretty knowledgeable. They like Kevin Durant, but not enough.I don't think they're the only ones, either.
Everyone needs to L-O-V-E Durant. Durant, how I do love thee. Let me count thy ways:
- He's a third-year player now. NBA players typically make the biggest jumps in their second or third years in the league.
- Aside from blocks, he contributes in pretty much every category. And he shoots a pretty good FT clip at 86.7% in his first two years.
- His overall stats don't tell the overall story from last year. After the coaching change and before his ankle injury, in 43 games Durant averaged: 27.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals, .9 blocks, 1.6 threes, and 7.9 free throw attempts on 49.3% FG, 43.8% 3P, and 86.4% FT shooting (credit RotoEvil.com). Those are insane averages considering his scoring. How good is that? If LeBron James doesn't shoot as well as he did at the line last year, Durant could put up comparable or better averages in pretty much every category than King James.
- As opposed to a Danny Granger, Durant is going to play on what I believe can be a playoff team. Outside of my Detroit Pistons, this is my favorite team to watch. Just a lot of fun, and great players. They're getting even better, and if James Harden delivers right away, I think they make the playoffs. I'd rather take a risk on him than a similar guy on a lesser team that might get shut down if he's nicked up.
Basically, if you improve on a year like that, you're really good. I wouldn't be afraid to take him No. 2 behind Chris Paul, but I would definitely take him above even Kobe Bryant.
Anyway, I was once a pretty darn good fantasy basketball player, and I feel like I'd like to reclaim that spot, so I plan on getting back into it this year after a year or so hiatus. My question is, how many other people would like some coverage or advice? I posted a poll, so you tell me. I've seen some FanPosts, so that's what sparked it partly.
As for now, I'll take any lineup decisions or add/drops before Sunday's games. I have a yearly Halloween party to attend Saturday, so I'll be out and about, but if you get in questions, be patient and I assure they will be answered before 1 p.m.