aka Stephen Curry because he's so Krafty.
GM asked: top 3 disappointments (fantasy wise) top 3 steals (fantasy wise) All according to average draft position.
When I first read the question, the first thing I wanted to do was take injuries out of the equation. I tried my best, but I couldn't do it. Here is my list.
Top 3 Biggest Disappointments
1. Devin Harris. I honestly blew my entire season by drafting Harris in the second round. I thought that he was going to put up monster numbers this year with Vince Carter out of the picture. He was now the man coming off a career season so he seemed like a great pick. Obviously this did not work out. In fact, his numbers were lower in every major statistical category. With guys like Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, and Josh Smith ranked lower than Devin Harris according to Yahoo's pre-draft rankings, I would have to say that he was the biggest fantasy disappointment of the year.
2. Chris Paul. If he was healthy, there's no doubt that he would've been one of, if not the most productive fantasy player like he has been the last two seasons. But since he was taken first overall in many drafts and only played in 45 games, he has to be one of the biggest fantasy disappointments of the season. Also due to Paul's injury, it has raised the question, is Darren Collison that good or is Chris Paul a product of the system?
3. Jose Calderon. He averaged 10 points and 6 assists this season. That's fine for an 8th rounder, but those numbers are very disappointing for fantasy owners considering he was taken in the late 2nd to early 3rd round in most drafts.
Others I considered:
Al Jefferson - He was coming off knee surgery so fantasy owners knew there was risk involved when drafting him.
Caron Butler - Gilbert Arenas was back from knee surgery so owners should've known that Butler's numbers would take a hit.
Gilbert Arenas - everybody feared that his knee wouldn't hold up. Little did we know, it was his stupidity that would do him in.
Kevin Garnett - see Al Jefferson
Top 3 Steals
1. David Lee. Lee averaged over 4 points per game more than last year to put him over 20 per game while still grabbing 11.7 rebounds. He doesn't hurt you anywhere. He shoots great percentages and he even increased his assists numbers by over one per game. Sure, he doesn't get the number of blocks that one would like to see out of a PF/C, but neither does Amare Stoudemire!
2. Gerald Wallace. He's always been an injury risk with big upside given his versatility. He ended up playing in 76 games and bumped his rebounding numbers up to double digits at 10.0 per game while still averaging over a steal and block per game. Stud.
3. Stephen Curry. I think Stephen Curry will be a first round pick next year. Wait, what? Did I just say that? Let's look at the numbers.
Since January 1st:
21.1 Pts
4.9 Reb
6.8 Ast
2.6 3s
1.9 Stl
47% FG
45% 3pt
90% FT
Look at it this way. He has the same FG%, makes twice as many 3s, shoots a better percentage at the line, grabs more rebounds, gets more steals, and scores 3.5 more points than Deron Williams! And he's only going to get better while Deron Williams has plateaued over the last three seasons.
Others I considered:
Brook Lopez
Andrew Bogut
Tyreke Evans
My answer to Grant's question is done, but it made me think more about Curry.
Looking back on the NBA season, who had the best statistical games of the year? Based on what I remember, here are my top three games:
1. LeBron James. 47 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 6 3s, and 5 steals.
2. Stephen Curry. 36 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, 3 steals, 7 3s.
3. Stephen Curry. 27 points, 8 rebounds, 14 assists, 7 steals.
Correct me if I missed any, but I think Stephen Curry had two of the best statistical games of the season.
This gets me into the Rookie of the Year award. Tyreke Evans will win. 20-5-5 doesn't lie as the Kings PR staff has hammered into our heads time and time again. Curry has a shot though, and here are some reasons why:
- Stephen Curry has made more 3-pointers than any rookie in the history of the game.
- Curry has five 30-10 games. The rest of the rookie class has zero.
- In the eight major statistical categories (pts, reb, ast, stl, blk, fg%, ft%, and 3pt%) Curry is in the top 10 in the NBA in three of those categories. (3pt%, FT%, and steals) No other rookie is in the top 10 of any of those categories.
- The Warriors surged at the end of the season going 8-9 in their last 17. After a promising 13-14 start, the Kings went 12-43 after and 1-11 in their final 12.
- Three Rookie of the Month awards compared to Tyreke's two.
Tyreke Evans is the Rookie of the Year, but the question of who will be a better player in the future is up for debate.
I actually was talking to someone on Twitter who thinks Tyreke has a more complete game than Curry. If shooting and passing don't count, then I agree.
