This is the first installment of a preseason series in which ESPN fantasy
experts debate a pair of players who have similar fantasy values and/or average
draft positions.
Yeezy Boost 350 España . First up, Greg
Rosenstein and Tom Carpenter battle over a fantasy legend in the Cleveland
Cavaliers LeBron James and Milwaukee Bucks upstart Giannis
Antetokounmpo.Carpenter on why Antetokounmpo should go ahead of JamesLets just
get this out in the open: I have a fantasy crush on the 21-year-old
Antetokounmpo. Enough so that I can type his name quickly and say his name
without tripping over my tongue, like Stacey King.I think his ultimate ceiling
is comparable to Kevin Garnett in his Big Ticket prime. I always did everything
possible back in the day to land KG, and The Greek Freak will be no
different.LeBron has a safe floor on a per-game basis, but his ceiling is
shrinking each year, as he focuses on staying healthy and preparing for another
deep playoff run, while leaning more on his teammates during the regular
season.As for The Greek Freak, Ill grant that his floor could be dangerous for a
first-round pick, but lets check out that sky-high ceiling.Consider his
post-All-Star break numbers last season: 18.8 PPG, 7.2 APG, 8.6 RPG, 1.4 SPG,
1.9 BPG, 50.9 FG%.Now consider KGs numbers in his third season at age 21: 18.5
PPG, 4.2 APG, 9.6 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 1.8 BPG, 49.1 FG%.... and LeBron in his third
season, at age 22: 31.4 PPG, 6.6 APG, 7.0 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 48.0 FG%.Are
you giddy for Giannis yet?You can see what the youngster has in common with
those fantasy legends is versatility -- the ability to score efficiently, dish,
hit the glass and play defense. The key to Antetokounmpos ceiling this season
will be field goal attempts per game. Garnett averaged 15.8 FGA per game during
his third campaign, while James averaged 23.1 FGA per game.Twenty-three points
per game is a pipe dream for Antetokounmpo; even I cant hope for that, since the
Bucks ranked 22nd in pace last season. On the other hand, he averaged 14.1 FGA
per game after the break, so KGs 16-plus is well within reach and could easily
be passed, since last seasons Bucks scoring leader Khris Middleton is out for
most of the season.Just as importantly, he is going to be the de facto point
guard, since this team doesnt have anyone worthy of running an offense -- no
offense to Matthew Dellavedova or Michael Carter-Williams -- so he is going to
have the rock in his hands constantly. Serving in that role after the All-Star
break last season, he racked up five triple-doubles (in 26 games), compared to
Russell Westbrooks 10 and LeBrons two.Antetokounmpo stands a Garnett-esque
6-foot-11, 222 pounds, is able to play all five positions, and will be a matchup
nightmare for every team he faces. Furthermore, that versatility helps fantasy
teams, because he is eligible at SG, SF and PF, unlike James, who slots in at
only SF and PF.And when you are fighting for a fantasy championship in March and
April, James will be skipping random games, as he focuses on another NBA
championship. Last season, he sat out four games in the last month, which means
he stole 101.2 points, 27.2 dimes and 29.6 boards from you in roto games ... and
one big box score per week four times in head-to-head playoffs.We should fully
expect Antetokounmpo to continue playing big minutes in every game down the
stretch this season, because he is young and has missed a total of three games
the past two seasons.When it comes to fantasy drafts, I prefer targeting young
players who are at the start of their career arcs with the hope they will
explode and outpace their draft spots. So be bold, take Antetokounmpo in the
middle of the first round over James and enjoy the fantasy crush all season
long.Rosenstein on why James should go ahead of AntetokounmpoDont get me wrong,
I love The Greek Freak. Milwaukees fourth-year do-everything small forward, is
one of the most exciting players in the NBA. At 6-foot-11 with the ability to
compete on both ends of the court at nearly every position, hes among the most
unique individual talents in the sport.But hes no LeBron.The Cavaliers small
forward/power forward has three more NBA titles, 10 more playoff appearances, 12
more All-Star games, four more regular season MVPs... I could go on and on about
his career accomplishments. Hes a guaranteed Hall of Famer and will likely
finish as one of the top five players of all-time.However when dealing with just
this season, Id still side with the King.Part of the reason, in fact, is
consistency. I know exactly what Im going to get from him. If you take out his
rookie season in 2003-04 -- still a very strong year at age 20 -- he has never
averaged less than 25 points, six rebounds, six assists or 1.4 steals a game in
12 years. Hes also never shot under 69 percent from the line, 30 percent from
3-point range or 47 percent from the field. Again, this is when hes at his
worst, and oftentimes hes much higher in these respective categories.Is there
any real reason to think any of that will change in 2016-17? Antetokounmpo, in
contrast, had a career-year last season, averaging 16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds,
4.3 assists and 1.2 steals a contest. Thats cute. It would also constitute as
LeBrons worst season ever.I think the biggest argument you can make for the
Greek Freak is his versatility. If you draft him early, you can plug him in at
one of three positions. Thats a big deal. But it also means hes going to be
handling the ball more outside the arc running the offense and is likely to be
further away from the rim more than ever before. This means a worse shooting
percentage. According to NBAMiner.com, Antetokounmpo shot 60.5 percent from less
than eight feet (66.37 percent of his shots) and only 29.7 from more than eight
feet (33.63 percent of his shots). His attempts from further away are likely to
increase in this new role.The loss of Khris Middleton should increase
Antetokounmpos usage percentage, but keep in mind Middleton was one of the only
above-average 3-point shooters on the team. Spacing will be an issue for the
Bucks in 2016-17, forcing players like Giannis to take bad shots.LeBron, once
again, will be LeBron. Few players in the game can match his combination of
scoring, distributing, and rebounding. While Giannis is an extremely promising
player, at this point were still just hoping he takes that next step. James took
that step more than a decade ago and has remained at that elite level, and Id
take that any day of the week.
Yeezy Boost 350 Venta . Meanwhile, there were
huge victories for Sunderland and West Ham over fellow relegation rivals,
leaving the battle to avoid the drop up for grabs with the bottom 11 teams
separated by just six points. Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored second-half
goals to seal a fourth straight victory for Chelsea, which climbed above Arsenal
and Manchester City in the standings ahead of their games on Monday and Sunday
respectively.
Yeezy 350 Baratas España .In my heart and
mind Im competing for India, luge competitor Shiva Keshavan told The Associated
Press in an email interview. Every day Im flooded with messages from Indians all
over the world telling me they are supporting me.
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17-year-old native of Marystown, N.L., pulled out of Skate Canada International
last month in Saint John, N.B., with the same problem. The New York Giants have
signed veteran cornerback Leon Hall.The deal is for one year and worth up to $2
million, a source told ESPNs Adam Schefter. Hall, 31, visited the Giants for a
second time Wednesday. They wanted another look at his back after his offseason
surgery.Hall impressed during his workout, and was choosing between the Giants
and the Cincinnati Bengals. Hall said the Bengals, who drafted him in 2007, also
made an offer.You can do pros and cons to a lot of situations, but I think that,
for me personally, a lot of times, I go off my guts and instincts, if you will,
Hall said. That is kind of how I felt about [the Giants].The Giants play the
Bengals on a Monday night at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 14.?One of my friends had
texted me about a game in November, Hall said. Its definitely something Ill be
looking forward to. Theres no doubt about that.Hall is expected to compete
immediately as the Giants slot cornerback. Trevin Wade has been running with
their first-team defense this summer at that position.But defensive coordinator
Steve Spagnuolo may have bigger plans in mind.Hes a versatile guy, Spagnuolo
said. Hes an experienced vet. I think he can bring some things to the package
that we can do to make us do some multiple things that maybe we didnt have a
chance to do until this point. So Im excited about it.The Bengals first-round
pick in 2007, Hall has started 121 games.
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Rebajas. Hes been used primarily as a slot cornerback the past few
seasons.Spagnuolo said Hall will be used inside to begin with in the Giants
defense.Injuries marred much of the latter years of Halls time in Cincinnati. He
tore both of his Achilles tendons in separate incidents during the 2011 and 13
seasons. Although he returned remarkably strong after the first tear, he has
been a little slower getting back to form since the second one. Neither Hall nor
his Bengals coaches would say whether he had lost a step after the second
injury, but his role was scaled back.Hall played strictly at the slot corner
position in 2015 after splitting more time there and on the boundary at earlier
times in his career. He had surgery on his back in January.The back is feeling
good, which is a great feeling, he said. Ive kind of just been quietly going to
work and rehabbing every day, working out. So Im feeling good. I like where Im
at right now.Hall believes he can step right onto the field and practice. Hes
been back at full strength since April or May.In a corresponding move, the
Giants waived cornerback Tramain Jacobs.ESPN Bengals reporter Coley Harvey
contributed to this report. ' ' '