Mid -Season Player Grades

[Vietbrah]

Now that we're at the mid way point of the season, what grades would you give each player based on their play and give a description.

[Miller4ever]

Danny Granger: A-
-His play has been great, but his inconsistent shooting percentages have caused some trouble, especially as of late. Despite his shot not falling, he still has many other sides to his game to make him the leader on this team.

Mike Dunleavy: Inc
-He has not played enough to be graded, and his play since coming back is marked with an asterisk because he's still getting his game legs back.

TJ Ford: C
-Inconsistency and bad decisions continue to keep him from being a dependable point guard. He was supposed to be able to average above 5 assists per game at the very least, but continues to jump into the air without any idea what to do before landing, thus leading to bad passes and horrible shot attempts. His quickness bails him out, but not as much as he is to blame.

Troy Murphy: B+
-Exceeding expectations and one of the NBA's leaders in rebounds, Troy Murphy has been a wonderful surprise on the developing Pacers squad. His defense has been suspect at times, but his work on the boards and his three-point shot have made him worth part of his contract.

Jeff Foster: A+
-Always doing what's asked of him and more, Jeff Foster continues to exemplify the part of the NBA that is lost amongst highlight reels and slam dunk contests: effort, work ethic, and hustle. More like a role pillar than a role player, no one could ask more from Feisty.

Brandon Rush: C-
-Thought to be a good addition to the Pacers on draft night, he has fallen short of many expectations. Should he allow this to discourage him, he will become a bust, but if he keeps at it and some of those unfortunate shots start falling through, Rush will have a chance to eclipse his brother in NBA effectiveness.

Marquis Daniels: A
-Stepping in for the injured Mike Dunleavy at the beginning of the season, Marquis exploded offensively and did a lot more in other areas, grabbing boards and making passes. Although he is on the bench now, the Pacers can feel better with another viable option off of the bench.

Jarrett Jack: B-
-While more consistent than backcourt buddy TJ Ford, Jack has had horrible shooting nights, and has gone scoreless on more than one occasion. However, he has made up for his shooting with good passing.

Roy Hibbert: B
-Still a rookie and not as agile as required, his defense is a concern, although he has shown some good offense. He has not played so many minutes, so it remains to be seen how good he can be.

Josh McRoberts: Inc.
-Not enough minutes, but doing a decent job.

Maceo Baston: Inc.
-See above.

Rasho Nesterovic: A-
-Veteran savvy and good court vision keeps Rasho Nesterovic on the rotation. He is a smart player, and has keyed the Pacers in a few victories without putting up stats.

Stephen Graham: C+
-He hasn't made the best decisions, but he surprises on occasion. Doesn't play very many minutes.

Travis Diener: B
-Continuing good judgment from last year, Diener has produced decently since becoming a benchwarmer, not creating a lot of opportunities but taking care of the ball.

Jamaal Tinsley: F
-Why?

[DC2]

Danny Granger - A

He's proved me wrong so far, I thought he reached his peak last year but I was way off.

Mike Dunleavy - B-

He's been looking for his stroke and hasn't found it yet but i'm happy he's came back healthy. He did a good job of staying ready while he was rehabilitating.

Marquis Daniels - B+

He did great filling in for Dunleavy early in the season and has solidified his spot in the league for a while with his play. I hope he can find a good place to go next season, with a good contract.

Troy Murphy - C

Mixed feelings on this one. His defense on Yao was great, but he followed it up with a pitiful performance on Dwight. His shot is great, when he can get open but that only happens a couple of times a game. One thing I hate about him is that when another guy on our catches the rebound with him he rips it out of their hands, which is very un-teammate like to me. Once Dunleavy caught it with him and Chris Denari said that Murphy said to Dunleavy "This is my area!!" which is very un-sportsman like.

Jarrett Jack - B

He's done well for us so far, but is very inconsistent. If he ever started to be consistent in this league he would be a decent starter, but he just has too many stinker performances.

TJ Ford - D+

Not as good as I hoped he'd be, and he is never healthy. I thought that would change when he came here, but that was wishful thinking. He's inconsistent as well.

Roy Hibbert - A

Love his potential and he always seems ready to play. I wish he could earn that starting spot back, but i'll give him time.

Brandon Rush - D-

Why can't he get his confidence? When you are a lottery pick, why do you need confidence? You just got drafted top 14 in a pro-league, isn't that all the confidence you need? He needs to be aggresive, and show he belongs in this leauge. How the hell do you get outplayed by Stephen Graham?!

Stephen Graham - D

He's not that good, and has bad shot selection. I'd make him an F, but it's not his fault O'Brien gives him too many minutes. He's a good bench warmer.

Jeff Foster - C

Another guy I don't expect much from. He's okay, not as good as he used to be but he's still a decent 15-20 minutes-per-game player.

Maceo Baston - C

He provides decent defense when called apon, doesn't try to do too much. He really doesn't have enough time to anyway.

Josh McRoberts - B

Love his defense and intensity. I hope we find more minutes for him next season, he deserves it.

Travis Diener - B

He does good when he is in, still a great player to have when you can't afford a turnover. His shot seems a little better this season as well, though still inconsistent.

Rasho Nesterovic - D

I just don't like the guy. Tries to do too much. He tries to pass into rough spots, takes too long of shots, gets blocked easy, and he isn't a great defender either.

[APerna]

Great idea, I'll post mine later.

[notque]

Danny Granger: A+
-Absolutely amazing player that is a #1 on this team for years to come. Excellent year.

Mike Dunleavy: INC
Out too many games

TJ Ford: C-
-He needs to take it to another level to be a consistent starter. When he's bad, he's awful. When he's great, he's amazing.

Troy Murphy: B
-Has brought us back in many games we were losing large. Defense has to improve. Excellent shooter as a trailer.

Jeff Foster: C+
-Consistent Jeff Foster. Makes mistakes, gets you rebounds, scores a bit.

Brandon Rush: D-
-He's a rookie

Marquis Daniels: B
-Played well, his cutting is perfect in this offense. Outside shot no good.

Jarrett Jack: C-
-Selfish at times, gets locked into a shot, needs to be bailed out on drives often by a whistle. Good player, needs to get better to be a starting PG

Roy Hibbert: D
-A rookie.

Josh McRoberts: F+
-Plays well for being terrible.

Maceo Baston: Inc.
-See above.

Rasho Nesterovic: B
-Good shot. Good calming influence. Decent player

Stephen Graham: C-
-Really good, or really bad.

Travis Diener: D+
-Doesn't have the athletic skill to do the job, but doesn't hurt you that badly.

Jamaal Tinsley: F-
-BLAH

[JarrettJackSG]

Maceo Baston: N/A
Sample size to small

Mike Dunleavy: N/A
- Sample size too limited.


Brandon Rush: D-
- Needs to be sent to the D-League to gain more playing time at a higher level. Needs to be more NBA ready. Severely underperforming.

Josh McRoberts: D+
-Brings energy, but is otherwise a horrible player.

Stephen Graham: C-
-Has been pretty good offensively and still decent defensively. Outplayed Rush to gain minutes.

Travis Diener: C-
-Has managed to turn himself into an average backup 3rd string PG. Impressive.

Roy Hibbert: C
-Did not think that he would see much court time. Looked like he would be too slow and take too long to adapt to the game. Exceeded expectations. Still has a lot of work left.


Rasho Nesterovic: C+
-Has been above average in playing the center. Very surprised he hasn't shut himself down. Plays better than Foster a lot.

Jarrett Jack: B-
-Surprised me with his sudden consistency. Also surprised me with his offensive skills, and his less then awesome defense skills which everyone else thinks he has. Should be an SG

TJ Ford: B-
-Does great when given the minutes. Has had lots of injuries and setbacks, which prevents him from getting into the proper rhythm he needs.

Jeff Foster: B-
-Has lost maybe a step or two, and seems to not fit the system at nights.

Marquis Daniels: B+
-Great job filing in, and has seemed to settle into a midrange scoring threat. Has greatly improved trade value.

Troy Murphy: B+
-Resurgence into the old troy of GS with great offense/rebounding, and medicore defense.

Danny Granger: A
-Great improvement, carries the team, is a leader, I was wrong about him. Never thought he would take this much of a leap in 1 year.

Tinsley: A+

No accidents this year, no altercations with the team, has not hurt the team at all this year. Mission Accomplished. Exceeded my wildest dreams.

[glasket]

Granger – A
Scoring up, good defense, rebounding, steals and blocks, the unquestioned leader of the team and has surprised everyone this season. We knew he was good but this good? Come on he is an all star lock. Turnovers and poor shooting % (at times) prevent an A+

Ford – B
I expected a little more assists and a little less TO’s from him but overall good productivity when healthy. Showed a number of times he is more than capable to take over and steer our ship home (eg most recently against the Bucks)

Daniels – B+
Filled in great for Mikey D on the offense and has taken the assignment on the opponents best perimeter players. Looks like having a career year if he recovers full health

Jack – B
TO prone at times (and down the stretch) but has been playing fairly consistently. I think he has done exactly what he was brought here to do.

Murphy – B+
When a double double everynight has become the minimum expectation you are doing very well. He is probably our 4th scoring option (behind Danny, TJ and Mikey) so astronomical scoring is not expected. His salary still scares me a little but overall very pleased. His 3pt shot has been sniper like.

Foster – B-
Does his job night in, night out. Blue color worker and the glue of the team.

Rasho – B-
Consistent play throughout the season and gives us solid minutes of production.

Mikey D – C
Unfair to judge so early as he is still finding his feet. My grade could easily change in a week or so.

Graham – B
I think he has played well when given the minutes and been a solid defender.

Brush – C-
Still early days for the rookie but I expected a little more consistency on his shot. It is his weapon. I think he should be more aggressive going to the rack. Dunk that ball son, don’t lay it up.

Hibbert – C+
Playing well with short minutes. Stay out of foul trouble and you’ll be alright. A few more rebounds would be nice.

Deiner – C
Doing as expected. Not hurting the team and giving some minutes when needed. Good assist to TO ratio is always a nice bonus especially on this team

McBob – B-
Limited minutes but plays with a lot of intensity and brings the energy every time when needed. Plus he now has his own blog on pacers.com. Bonus point there.

Baston – N/A
You know why

Tinsley – N/A
I always liked the guy as a player and yes I know he was trouble and injury prone but now I really wish we could get at least something in return for him rather than letting him and his salary just sit around.

Obie – C
I really don’t know how to rate him. Yes he has made some poor coaching decisions but he seems more of a motivator rather than a tactician. Our defence isn’t the greatest but we hustle for everything and have you seen how many pass deflections we get? A true blue color team we are and our run n gun O is fun to watch (especially the fast break with Murphy as the trailer nailing that pull up 3). I do wish he would play Brush and Roy more

[Miller4ever]

Glasket, where have you been?

[glasket]

Glasket, where have you been?

Just trying to work hard and survive the latest wave of redundancies to hit Australia.
I've always been reading these forums and posting short pieces, but kind of gets tough at times with the time differences. All pacer games are pretty much during work hours here in Aus.