Nobody can be sure if it will really work out for the Pistons, and coaches have always found reasons to doubt him, but fantasy folks get a kid who can hit the ground running immediately and become a truly elite contributor in a prized category. While he was already able to block 1.3 shots per game in only 12 minutes of action last season, his steals extrapolate to over 1 per as well, meaning even if he never scores enough to make his FG% useful, he's officially a multi-cat guy. Can you imagine if Sean Williams, as spotty as he was at times during his rookie year, had been given the benefit of 30 guaranteed minutes a night in NJ? Johnson has all of the upside in blocks and boards and will have at least the first couple of months of the season to prove he belongs. No, he's not high or even mid-draft material. But what he's finally become is a viable draft pick, and that's just huge. That's why he's "rocketed" up the updated 2RR tiered rankings.
Likewise, the semi-official news that Thaddeus Young will be the starting 3 in Philadelphia is cause to rejoice among fantasy players. Young was otherwise slated in a grouping of athletic young "tweeners" (how I loathe that word!) like Al Thornton and Hakim Warrick as position-less guys who weren't guaranteed the minutes so critical to their fantasy developement in 08-09. We can now project Young's role on this year's fascinating Sixers squad as resulting in a significant bump in scoring and steals- I'd say to around 15 points and 1.3 or more swipes per (fitting with Mo Cheeks' defensive philosophies.) I would also expect his boards to increase, though obviously not by too much with Brand in tow and Thad looking to get out on the break for those points. Note to the wise: Keep an eye on those percentages. Young isn't a particularly stellar shooter (just above 30% from 3 and 73% in his free throws.) If the starting gig means more time out on the wing, watch out for his FG%. Last year's mark of .539 is a primary reason to like Young, but if he's forced into more jump shots this season as part of his increased volume, that might dip even under 50%. Still sweet, but decidedly not a maximizing of his potential. I now like him as an SF to target in the 8th or 9th.
More and more it seems that people are believing that Marc Gasol will garner plenty of minutes at center for the Grizz. You might remember that I've been predicting that Marc as the starting C is imminent this year, and now the buzz is that it may well happen straight out of camp. This does not bode well for Darko Milicic, who should be left on the wire to those desperate for blocks anyway. I love Gasol in the 11th to put up maybe 10 and 8, with 1.5 block in his first year as an NBA starter.
And, in perhaps the most important news out of training camp, Amare Stoudemire was injured by Boris Diaw's untrimmed French fingernail, and will likely wear goggles for the rest of his career. Perhaps some of you recall my wondering how cool Dwight Howard would look in goggles. I'm a big fan of that particular accesorization making a return to hardwood, and cannot wait to see if Black Jesus takes this as an opportunity to express himself more fully. Somebody call Marc Ecko. Consult Todd McFarlane. Get Kanye on this right now. If you're wondering how much I'm joking about this, the answer is "I really don't even know." And, Amare, if you're reading this, I might offer one word of inspiration for the look: Steampunk.
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