Give Me The Rock
this is fantasy basketball
It’s going to be tough to keep this one interesting folks. Gone are the days where I could just throw up a bunch of links about the crazy that Ron Artest brings to the table and then go back to manscaping my body for the umpteenth time. After a fruitless search for Indiana Pacer blogs, I found this post on Deadspin in which they could only find two independent Pacer blogs; Pacer tidbits (last updated March 24) and Pacer Nation (last updated April 24). Not only am I going to have to plow through this preview on my own (I much prefer to “borrow” other people’s words), if the blogoshere is any indication, no one is going to be interested in this thing anyway. By the way, if anyone out there knows of any other good Pacer blogs (the two previously mentioned are good, when they post) – it’s time to let the world know! Hit us up with a comment or two.
Anyway, on July 12, 2006 Peja Stojakovic was involved in a sign and trade with the New Orleans Hornets. That began a flurry of activity that saw Indiana pick up Marquis Daniels, Orien Green, Darrell Armstrong, Rawle Marshall, Josh Powell, and of course, Al Harrington. A bunch of guys also declared free agency on them and eventually signed with other teams and, viola, you’ve got a set of fantasy rankings that took me a good 45 minutes to compile.
2005/2006 RANKINGS
(40) Jermaine O’Neal
(79) Stephen Jackson
(145) Danny Granger
(150) Jamaal Tinsley
(152) Jeff Foster
(169) Sarunas Jasikevicius
(301) David Harrison
(432) Eddie Gill
(442) Samaki Walker
OUT
(50) Peja Stojakovic
(135) Anthony Johnson
(138) Austin Croshere
(164) Fred Jones
(224) Scot Pollard
(228) Jonathan Bender
IN
(74) Al Harrington
(127) Marquis Daniels
(279) Orien Green
(347) Darrell Armstrong
(357) Rawle Marshall
(360) Josh Powell
(397) John Edwards
(NA) Shawne Williams
BUY
Al Harrington – Does Al Harrington bring anything to the Pacers? Count me as a yes. I think Al Harrington will thrive in this second go around with the Pacers because he’s two years older now (and at 26, should be hitting his stride) and he still gets to play second banana in Indiana, meaning that he should get as many touches for the Pacers as he did for the Hawks. One could argue that he might see a slight drop in scoring moving from a crap-ass team to a “playoff” one, but 1) he’s basically filling the role of Peja Stojakovic, and 2) other than O’Neal and Steven Jackson, who is going to score on this Pacers team?
Danny Granger – He’s the other winner in the Harrington trade, especially if Harrington slides over to the PF position allowing Granger to start at SF. After a solid enough rookie campaign (7.5/4.9/1.2), I’m exciting to see what he can do with 8 to 10 more minutes a game.
Jamaal Tinsley – If Give Me the Rock was a mall, and this post was a store, say the Leftorium, then this Jamaal Tinsley recommendation would be the “Kiss me, I’m left-handed’ T-shirt” on the 99 cent rack in the corner that no one’s bought for three years. With Anthony Johnson gone, he’s the starting PG (for at least the start of the season), and that’s good enough for a clearance buy.
HOLD
Stephen Jackson – You’ll get some points, threes, and steals, and provided he’s not involved in any fan-participating brawls, you’ll get 80 to 82 games from him. Not exciting, but if you can grab him at the back of the draft, you done did get a good one.
Marquis Daniels – I know there are people out there who like Daniels more than me. I think he’s a decent backup, good for 25 minutes off the bench. His per minute stats also took a big jump backwards last year (when he played 5 more minutes a game), which is not a good sign for his productivity as a starter. But in the words of LeMar Burton, don’t take my word for it… watch two more intelligent people debate Daniels’ productivity.
SELL
Jermaine O’Neal – A lot of people might disagree with me on this one – including O’Neal himself – but draft him at your own peril. On the plus side, he still qualifies as center (in most leagues, I’m assuming). Just make sure to grab a capable backup on the better than average chance that O’Neal goes down. His stats are certainly enticing (you can’t get 2+ blocks a game from just anyone) and he can certainly still play when healthy. The reason I have him as a sell is simply because of how high in the draft he’s likely to go. If you draft a 6th round guy and he goes down for the year, your team can adjust, if you draft a 1st or 2nd round guy, you need him to be healthy or else you’re in trouble. Don’t draft O’Neal in the second round.
Jeff Foster – One of the golden rules of fantasy basketball is ‘minutes will set you free” meaning that pretty much any professional level basketball player can be of at least marginal value if they’re on the court enough. Well, Jeff Foster is a man on a mission, and he won’t stop until that statement is no longer true. Ok, I’m exaggerating, because he really doesn’t even get that many minutes.
WATCH
It’s always fun to watch the kids! And by kids I mean Pacers’ top pick, Shawne Williams. Hit me up with the good news, ESPN’s Jay Bilas!
“I wonder, though, if he’s a winner … He’s physically weak right now. He has to improve that, and he has to be more focused as a defender, as a rebounder. Right now he’s only focused on scoring. Frankly, he’s such a young player, he plays only when he feels like it. He’s got the tools, though.”
Oh, ok, Mr. Optimism. Well, Pacer fans, you still have the fun that is Orien Green.
Where I’d Draft Em’ (10 team league)
Jermaine O’Neal – 4th
Al Harrington – 6th
Stephen Jackson – 10th
Danny Granger – 10th
Marquis Daniels – 12th
Jamaal Tinsley – 12th-14th
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