I spend an inordinate amount of time imagining what Tyler Hansbrough does with his free time. I picture a lot of paintball being involved. Maybe some fishing; a little hunting, but mostly fishing. I bet he loses his sunglasses in the water a lot when he goes fishing. Has he ever seen ‘Mad Men?’ I bet not. ‘Ice Road Truckers?’ I bet so. I hope so. IRT is a solid program. Anyway, I don’t see this habit changing anytime soon, as Hansborough’s free time doesn’t look to be lessening anytime soon. Last year he gave you little more than Camby, Gooden or Harrington last year and ended averaging only 11/5 with moderate averages for a power forward. After the All-Star Break, he posted a 15/7 and did a lot of shouting. I definitely remember a lot of in-game shouting. You like that sales pitch? Hansbrough gave you top 250 value, didn’t do anything astoundingly, and might have had volume-control issues to match his vertigo. I’ll take two! Still, whenever he plays again, he should offer more than before. Let’s look at some of the reasons White Ty Affair is a 2011 fantasy basketball keeper.
Remember at the trading deadline when the Grizz tried to send O.J. Mayo to Indiana in exchange for Josh McRoberts? It didn’t happen because the paperwork had been turned in after the deadline. That’s the only reason. Tardiness. Both players had to slink back to their locker rooms knowing their team had tried to get rid of them. It’s like when you comfort your friend after a breakup by telling him how awful you thought his ex was only to have them get back together a week later. But it tells you all you need to know about where Indy’s collective head is at. McBob started 51 games and averaged 22 minutes last season. He also played the largest part in limiting Hansbrough to 29 starts and 22 mps. They want Hansbrough starting. They want him playing 26-30 mpg. When the Pacers played him 28+ minutes, he was usually a big part of the team’s offense, earning a 23-26 USG%. In short, the Pacers want to give him more minutes per game and they want to increase the amount of times he touches the ball in each of those minutes. He’ll also be in his third year, when the full potential of a player emerges. In the 16 games Hansbrough played more than 28 minutes, he averaged .532/.790/ 21/8/0.5/1.4 stl+blk. Even if they don’t rid themselves of a platoon of big men, Hansbrough’s still going to get his shot at a larger role. I’m thinking 26 mpg .520/.780/16/7/0.5/1 stl+blk per game. So yeah, despite probably not knowing what Sterling / Cooper / Draper / Price is, I’d still recommend keeping Hansbrough in 2011.
