DeRozan or Stephenson

[2KJ]

Demar. Demar has been one of the most underrated/disrespected players ever. Every year, he has improved his game, great work ethic, and this season has proven that he can be the man esp after they traded Gay.

Demar and Lowry both deserve to be all stars. They have carried this team where everyone including me expected this team to **** for wiggins after the Gay trade (or expected to win but with Gay being the main man).


My East All Stars are:
Lebron
Melo
George
Wade
Kyrie (only due to voting; would pick Wall over him)

Reserves:
Lowry
Demar
Wall
Kemba
Drummond
Millsap
Hibbert

Basing this on both stats and team success (my reserves). But I'm sure Rupaul would get vote in even if he avg 16 and 7. I would be pissed if they snub any of Lowry and Demar. Both equally deserve to be all stars and their breakout years equate to team success (#3 in the east, in a division where spenders like the NY teams were expected to be championship contenders).

[magoon]

I heard a lot of similar talk about Gordon Hayward in the preseason, and he's been shitting the bed as a lead guy.

Hayward's per game numbers this season: 17.1 ppg (on .417 shooting and .317 3-point shooting, plus .829 free throw shooting), 4.9 apg, 1.3 spg, 2.7 turnovers per game, average of 36 minutes per game.

DeMar's: 21.3 ppg (on .423 shooting and .283 on threes, plus .785 on free throws), 3.6 apg, 1.2 spg, 2.2 turnovers per game, average of 38 minutes per game.

DeMar scores a bit more than Hayward, but Hayward is a better shooter and gets more assists. They're really very comparable players.

[vino]

I agree. Lance has a really nice all-around game, he contributes all over the floor, but I don't think he could replicate Demars scoring as consistently if he had a similar role as Demar, at least not at this point in his career.

you don't know what would have happened; besides, who cares what would be "if".. there are so many "ifs" it's better no to get into this. Lance will be an all-star this year, as will Hibbert and George. And rightfully so.

[vino]

Dont be so disrespectful here people DeMAr is better than Lance.... Put Lance in DeMar's current situation he will be terrible. Put DeMar on Indiana beside 2 guys that draw doubles in George David West and Hibbert and he would kill it.

I cant believe this is a thread so offensive. The guy gets easy looks on the against the worst defenders every game.

go check last night's highlights. the dude is ballin'!

[JawsGT]

you don't know what would have happened; besides, who cares what would be "if".. there are so many "ifs" it's better no to get into this. Lance will be an all-star this year, as will Hibbert and George. And rightfully so.

That should be: you don't know what would happen, it's not the past tense! And no, I don't know, which is why I said "I don't think he could". Just an opinion dude, relax.

[Balls of Steel]

Sir Lance-a-lot. HANDS DOWN.

[Letter N]

I think both players are in a very good position to show off how they're worthy of being All-Stars, in that I don't think Lance would thrive in Demar's role and I don't think Demar would thrive in Lance's role. But as it stands right now you'd have to put Lance over Demar for a spot on the All-Star team, his defense and all around game is a big factor to the success of the #1 team in the East.

[OldSkoolCool]

Demar's a much better scorer, tho Lance averages more rebounds, assists and is the fifth option on that team. His stats this year are actually pretty impressive when you take that into account. He's also a much better defender. I think he leads the league in triple doubles too?

That said, I think Demar should be in over Lance. He's a big reason why the raps are on the upswing.

Actually Lowry, 2Pat, Ross and Val have had much more to do with the Raps resurgence than DD has. DD's numbers are -comparable- to his pretrade numbers. Those other players have taken Rudy's shots and used them with massively better efficiency, hence winning more.

Dont be so disrespectful here people DeMAr is better than Lance.... Put Lance in DeMar's current situation he will be terrible. Put DeMar on Indiana beside 2 guys that draw doubles in George David West and Hibbert and he would kill it.

I cant believe this is a thread so offensive. The guy gets easy looks on the against the worst defenders every game.

Lance >>>>>>> DD

Lance isn't just hitting open threes, he is creating a large part of the offense for the best team in the league while being a great defender. DD is inefficient, average defensively and limited offensively on a team that wouldn't even be in the playoffs in the West. The gap between the two players is immense.

[stooley]

I like Demar. I think Stephenson benefits greatly from his awesome supporting cast.

[torch19]

I'm so biased so I'm taking DeMar. I like what he stands for - work ethic and overall attitude. I feel that he needs this to validate all the work he's put in & the fact that he's handling the role of #1 option on a winning team.

Stephenson has ridiculous talent but I don't like the way he carries himself & I feel that Indiana deserves credit for getting the best out of him. He has JR Smith attitude & if I'm picking an all star, I want one who best represents a role model.

Talent wise, Stephenson has it (more than DeMar). But in terms of who deserves it, I'll give it to DeMar since I value attitude, work ethic and leadership.

Realistically, both should make it unless coaches really value what Afflalo is doing down in Orlando.

[planetmars]

If I'm a coach I look at which players kicked our butt.

For basic stats Stephenson is averaging 14.3 ppg, 6.8 rbs, and 5.3 ast against the East. DeMar is averaging 22.2 ppg, 4.9 rbs and 3.5 ast against the East.

Lance is also playing for the #1 team in the conference (and a team that is 22-5 in the conference) against DeMar who is playing for the #4 team in the conference (and a team that is only 14-11 in the conference).

Using these facts I would have to vote for Lance. Sorry DeMar maybe another year.

[stooley]

If I'm a coach I look at which players kicked our butt.

For basic stats Stephenson is averaging 14.3 ppg, 6.8 rbs, and 5.3 ast against the East. DeMar is averaging 22.2 ppg, 4.9 rbs and 3.5 ast against the East.

Lance is also playing for the #1 team in the conference (and a team that is 22-5 in the conference) against DeMar who is playing for the #4 team in the conference (and a team that is only 14-11 in the conference).

Using these facts I would have to vote for Lance. Sorry DeMar maybe another year.

those stats aren't really black and white though

[JawsGT]

This is from the Raps-Pacers game preview on RR by William Lou, from our last match-up with the Pacers. The response was from a guy writing on the Pacers:

"3. I watched the Pacers-Hornets game last Saturday and Lance Stephenson simply took over in the third quarter by getting to the rim at-will against smaller defenders. The good news is that he gives the Pacers an added dimension on both sides of the floor and he’s enjoying career highs in almost every statistical category. The bad news is that he’s an unrestricted free-agent this offseason and is due for a significant raise. Do the Pacers bring him back, and will he give the money-conscious Pacers a discount?

I really think the best thing for his career would be to stay with the Pacers. The infrastructure around him here — namely Larry Bird, Frank Vogel, David West and George Hill — make this an ideal situation. Honestly, if the culture in place in Indiana wasn’t here to help nurture him in his early years, he very well might be playing in China by now. That said, I bet he gets a ludicrous offer (say, $11 million per year) from another team and ends up taking it. He has never made any money to speak of, and only fools pass up instant fortunes."

I wonder about the bold. Would this guy have washed out if not for being on a team like the Pacers?

[OldSkoolCool]

Would this guy have washed out if not for being on a team like the Pacers?

This has been covered on Grantland as well. I think almost all media sources believe that he wouldn't be the player he is now if he got drafted by any other franchise.

He had a ton of talent, but he had even more problems both on the court and off the court that without strong personalities around him to help him grow over 3 YEARS, he would be out of the league for sure.

IMO, not only the Pacers, but the Spurs and the Heat (LBJ)could have also helped him become what he is. Shows how important the front office/player development is...

[ceez]

Lance is 3rd in total FGA on the Pacers this year and is only 0.1 less per game than 2nd on the team. Not sure the 5th option label really applies. Fact is, the dude has produced on offence with efficient scoring and play-making and plays great D.

huh that's interesting. i figured West and Hibbert would get more touches for sure.