Jay Bilas on Varnado...

[dawgstudent]

POY: UConn is right with North Carolina as the best team in the country. And while the Huskies are No. 1, the glow that comes with it is making some in the media a little crazy. The campaign for Thabeet for National Player of the Year has begun. Don't get me wrong -- Thabeet is a presence that nobody else is. He is 7-foot-3 and can block and change shots. But let's not get crazy about National Player of the Year just yet. First, there is already an award for National Defensive Player of the Year, and Thabeet is among the leading candidates for that. While people are pumping Thabeet for the amount of shots that people don't take because of his presence, you are hearing a reprise of Thabeet's coach and not empirical evidence. After 23 games, Mississippi State's Jarvis Varnado has blocked 112 shots to Thabeet's 94. And Varnado changes plenty of shots. Thabeet is averaging 13 points, 10 rebounds and 4.1 blocks while shooting 65 percent from the field and 63 percent from the line. Varnado is averaging over 12 points per game, 10 rebounds and 4.4 blocks while shooting 60 percent from the floor and 67 percent from the line. Varnado has fouled less and has over twice the assists. Does that mean that Varnado should be right with Thabeet for National Player of the Year? And when we talk about a POY candidate with great offensive stats, we ask if he plays at both ends. Well, Blake Griffin does. Griffin not only averages 22 points, 14 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on 63 percent shooting, but also 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals a game. And his team has only lost once, too. Griffin is the top candidate for National Player of the Year, and it is not that close

 

[Agentdog]

He makes a strong case for Varnado. It would be nice to see a player way off the national scene get a POY award.

 

[bulldogbaja]

Is there a site that ranks players by assist/turnover ratio?

 

[38843dawg]

He makes a strong case for Varnado. It would be nice to see a player not involved with the NC game get a POY award.

Not so sure that he is making a case for Varnado as POY as much as he is saying that Hasheem Thabeet is not the only one putting up big numbers like his. He is making a case for Blake Griffin.

 

[Ol Blue.sixpack]

He makes a strong case for Varnado. It would be nice to see a player way off the national scene get a POY award.

I think he was using Vanardo as a Case study on why the UConn player has no business in the POY talk. I don't think he was making a case for JV.

 

[bonedaddy401]

We need him back next year.</p>

 

[dawgstudent]

he is a man-child out there.

 

[msudawg12]

This does show Varnado is a stat machine, albeit alot of those stats are weighted from early in the season (points).

Blake Griffin will win hands down

 

[JohnDawg]

Blake Griffin is just sickening. That dunk he had the other night was just wrong.</p>

 

[ScoobaDawg]

as you think...

Varnado's stats for the year

 <font><font size="-1">## Player GP-GS Min--Avg FG-FGA Pct 3FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg PF FO A TO Blk Stl Pts Avg </font></font>

 <font><font size="-1">32 Jarvis Varnado..... 23-23 642 27.9 110-182 .604 0-0 .000 63-94 .670 63 157 220 9.6 50 0 21 46 112 15 283 12.3 Conference-Only.. 8-8 227 28.4 36-60 .600 0-0 .000 19-25 .760 22 50 72 9.0 20 0 10 21 30 10 91 11.4 </font></font>

Shooting about the same FG %, lot higher FT %, Rebound is down, Assist per game is higher, TO is higher though also, Blocks are down a little but he is coming back around now, and PPG is down almost a point but still double digits.

 

[graddawg]

Damn. 76% from the FT line in conference play. That's surprising and amazing.

 

[msudawg12]

as you think...

Varnado's stats for the year

 <font size="+0"><font size="-1">## Player GP-GS Min--Avg FG-FGA Pct 3FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg PF FO A TO Blk Stl Pts Avg </font></font>

 <font size="+0"><font size="-1">32 Jarvis Varnado..... 23-23 642 27.9 110-182 .604 0-0 .000 63-94 .670 63 157 220 9.6 50 0 21 46 112 15 283 12.3 Conference-Only.. 8-8 227 28.4 36-60 .600 0-0 .000 19-25 .760 22 50 72 9.0 20 0 10 21 30 10 91 11.4 </font></font>

Shooting about the same FG %, lot higher FT %, Rebound is down, Assist per game is higher, TO is higher though also, Blocks are down a little but he is coming back around now, and PPG is down almost a point but still double digits.

I agree he is starting to turn it around now, and I do stand partially corrected

 

[DogStuckAtUM.sixpack]

A Griffin-Durant front court would be sick.