Comments on: Greg Monroe for Most Improved Player

By: Max

Max — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:57:44 +0000

Also, Hibbert turns the ball over more often than Granger, who turns the ball over seldom for a player of his caliber, and Granger gets to the line more often.

By: Max

Max — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 20:53:53 +0000

I would counter that his stats have taken a step back because he is embracing that the Pacers are a team–unlike Carmelo Anthony. The Pacers have the fifth best record in the league right now and better than the Lakers. Not to put Granger in Kobe’s class, but your argument is something along the lines of those who have been saying Gasol or Bynum are the best player on the Lakers during the past few years–the Gasol argument was more popular two years ago. I on the other hand just think Kobe is flat out their best player and while Granger is more controversially their best player, I still think he is. A lot of nights, Hibbert barely scores. Granger is their go-to guy and is averaging 5.7 more points. Also, I always thought shooting 87 percent from the line and 38 percent from three point land at high volumes was extremely efficient. He shot 416 from the field but a full third of his shots were threes. I remember when Isiah’s stats went down as the Pistons got good. Granger deserves more credit than he is receiving.

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:54:01 +0000

Granger was not better than Hibbert this season. He scores much less efficiently, doesn’t get to the line, doesn’t create shots for teammates like some versatile wings do and isn’t particularly good defensively. Hibbert is a pretty efficient scorer, rebounds and was fifth in the league in blocked shots.

By: Max

Max — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:47:45 +0000

@Tarsier………I disagree regarding several of the names you gave and don’t agree that Monroe had earned the right to be called “indisputably” the Pistons best player at the end of last season. On the other hand, John Wall did earn that right almost as soon as he stepped on the court during training camp last season.
Actually, none of the players you named as I look at it deserve the designation. You could argue that any of them are the best player on the their teams but none of them are a no brainier and I would definitely disagree that Jennings (Monta Ellis) or Hibbert (Danny Granger) are the best players on their team and have a hard time saying Gasol is flat out better than Randolph or Gay. Cousins is merely arguable and Gallinari missed too many games and would be merely arguable too if he had not.
And my question matters because being the undisputed best player on your team comes with responsibilities and challenges.

By: Max

Max — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:37:47 +0000

I was just throwing out a question.
I don’t want Monroe to win or even get votes because my own sense is that second year players shouldn’t even get consideration. For me, the reward should go to players like Chauncey Billups, Gerald Wallace, Dorrell Wright and Hedo Turkolu (even though I hate him and his game) because I think the award should be reserved for those players who bounce around or fail to become steady rotation players for years and then turn it around sometime after their third or fourth full year in the league. I know my opinion may be arbitrary but that is my take.
Second year players should improve if they are likely going to be anything in the league and in general, most good players do. If you are going to give it to second year players, you might as well just call the award “best sophmore” since some 2nd year player will usually best fit the absolute definition of “most improved” just by getting more minutes. Lin and Pekovic getting consideration is a joke to me too–as far as I’m concerned, this season was practically their rookie seasons which is even worse to my thinking than voting for a fully fledged sophomore like Monroe. Neither played 15 minutes a game last season and neither approached playing all of the games.

By: tarsier

tarsier — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:01:28 +0000

Monroe became that in the second half of last year.

And in response to your question: Hibbert, Jennings (who doesn’t get mentioned for this award nearly enough), Gallinari, maybe Cousins, Gasol, and Wall, and probably one or two others I can’t think of.

More importantly, that is irrelevant, because if you go from a 5 to a 7 with the best other player on your team a 6, that is not as much improvement as going from a 4 to an 8 with the best other player on your team a 9. Those numbers are totally made up and not supposed to be referencing any of these players, but my point is: what does it matter how good or bad your teammates are for measurement purposes of how much you’ve improved?

By: Max

Max — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:13:54 +0000

How many players playing for the same team other than Monroe became indisputably the best player on their team this year?

By: The Daily Peep, Apr. 24 « HoopSpeak.com

The Daily Peep, Apr. 24 « HoopSpeak.com — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:46:43 +0000

[...] The case for Greg Monroe as the MIP. [...]

By: Daye and Knight

Daye and Knight — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:25:43 +0000

Monroe definitely has come a long way from last season so I second he at least deserves some votes, we just need to find him a partner in crime down low for next season. Maybe in the draft?

That being said…Austin Rivers has popped up in a few mock drafts going to the Pistons. Would that be a disappointment considering we have Stuckey and Knight already? Would we trade Stuckey or Gordon and have Rivers and Knight be our featured back court?

I think we need to address our front court problem first and take a big man, but if we did get Rivers I wouldn’t be upset as long as we trade one of our guards for a big man…hopefully Gordon