It's halfway through the season and conference games are starting so I ask, who is your player of the year so far? The favorites seem to be JJ Reddick and Adam Morrison but you can't over look players such as Sheldon Williams, Steven Smith, or Randy Foye as they have done wonders for their team. If I had a vote, mine would go to Sheldon Williams. He has done everything for his team at both ends of the floor and even recorded a triple-double. Then I would have to put Reddick and Morrison (in that order) then it gets interesting as I would have to then put Steven Smith out of LaSalle then finally Randy Foye out of Nova.
First of all, it's Shelden Williams, not Sheldon Williams. Second of all, if Shelden Williams is everything to Duke, then howcome you'd consider Redick the second leading candidate for the Player of the Year award? Isn't that a bit of a contradiction? Shelden Williams isn't the best player on his team, and he's not the best big man in America. That title would go to Paul Davis, someone who actually means everything to his team. Not only is Davis putting up better numbers than Williams in points and rebounds, but he's shooting 90% from the line, and he's facing tougher competition, like Indiana for example, who nearly beat Duke as Marco Killingsworth dominated Shelden Williams in the post, offensively and defensively. If it hadn't been for Redick, Duke would have a big L on their record right now. When Michigan State beat the Hoosiers by 14 points, Davis put up 23 points and 10 rebounds. Also, you'll probably notice that when Davis has an off-night, the Spartans usually lose. In fact, Davis' worst games of the season have come against Hawaii, Illinois, and Wisconsin, all games that Michigan State lost. Coincidence? Also, how can you possibly consider Steven Smith for Player of the Year when his non-tournament team is 10-4 with a horrible schedule? His numbers aren't as good as Davis' either, and they're especially modest in A-10 play. If you're going to disregard the team a player plays for, then why not pick a guy like Jose Juan Barea?
Voodoo, I think the things you're talking about sound more like "MVP" considerations than big things for "Player of the Year." One team can have two of the best players in the country. If they're both outstanding players, and they're on the same team, that doesn't somehow make them worse or ineligible. Shelden Williams, 18.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.7 bpg, 1.9 spg JJ Redick, 26.4 ppg, 42.4 3pt% Adam Morrison, 28.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg Nick Fazekas, 21.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg Pittsnogle is close, so is Gansey. Foye is close. Killingsworth would probably be on there but he can't make FTs. As for Paul Davis, I don't put him on this list. His lead in points and rebounds versus Williams are negligible (0.3 and 0.6) and Shelden Williams is just much more dominant on defense and I think a better player.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Fast Luck:</div><div class="quote_post">Voodoo, I think the things you're talking about sound more like "MVP" considerations than big things for "Player of the Year." One team can have two of the best players in the country. If they're both outstanding players, and they're on the same team, that doesn't somehow make them worse or ineligible. Shelden Williams, 18.2 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.7 bpg, 1.9 spg JJ Redick, 26.4 ppg, 42.4 3pt% Adam Morrison, 28.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg Nick Fazekas, 21.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg Pittsnogle is close, so is Gansey. Foye is close. Killingsworth would probably be on there but he can't make FTs. As for Paul Davis, I don't put him on this list. His lead in points and rebounds versus Williams are negligible (0.3 and 0.6) and Shelden Williams is just much more dominant on defense and I think a better player.</div> I know the difference between MVP and Player of the Year, but still, if you're not even the best player on your team, then you're not the Player of the Year. I'm not saying that meaning everything to your team is the end-all in Player of the Year talks, but your importance to your team is certainly a factor. Williams is more dominant on defense, but he also tends to be overphysical and get into foul trouble, something Davis really hasn't had a problem with until as of late. He's not an incredibly superior defender anyway. In games like the Ohio State game, Davis can be a little tentative on defense, but with the foul situation, that's understandable. Most of the times, Davis' defense isn't that bad. Also, even though Davis may never block shots and Williams is one of the nation's leaders, that's not really an accurate measure of defensive ability, just look at Josh Boone, an incredibly overrated defender due to his high bpg. Davis is also the better offensive player, and this season he's extended his range out to the three point arch, a very dangerous ability that Williams doesn't have. Also, when it comes down to the last few minutes of the game, the time that matters most, who do you want with the ball, Shelden Williams or Paul Davis? I'd take Paul Davis nine times out of ten. He can score in a wider variety of ways, and if you put him on the line, you know he's going to hit both his shots. It's funny; most teams try to purposely avoid giving the ball to their big men late in the game, just so the other team can't put them on the line, but Davis is actually Michigan State's best free-throw shooter, and that's where Davis (90% FT) becomes a very big luxury. How many big men as talented as Davis also shoot 90% from the line? Anyway, I forgot to make a list of my top candidates the first time around - 1) Adam Morrison 2) J.J. Redick 3) Randy Foye 4) Paul Davis 5) Marco Killingsworth 6) Shelden Williams 7) Brandon Roy 8) Hassan Adams 9) Arron Afflalo 10) Nick Fazekas Thought about - LaMarcus Aldridge, Maurice Ager, Alando Tucker, Justin Gray, Dee Brown, Shannon Brown, and Jose Juan Barea That's just off the top of my head, not really my definite choices.
I like JJ Redick for this award. I think he's done a good job at expanding his offensive game, and become much more dominant. He can now be feared for scoring off the dribble, rather then just relying on his jumper. Adam Morrison and Shelden Williams are the other two guys I like for the award. Marco Killingsworth and Paul Milsap are two guys I also like, but probably don't have a shot at the award.
i really like what Marko Killingsworth has done at Indiana. He was the reason they beat Illinois he's my pick.
