The Fig Cap: Hey, Tracy.  Hear what I did?

Team Eight took the plunge and drafted Amare Stoudemire first.  Locking down one of the best big men in the game, they ended up with Rashard Lewis and his new home in the second round.  With these two likely providing about 50 combined points a night with a fair share of rebounds and threes, why not pile on some more production by taking a player that would be back in the first round of fantasy drafts if his back problems wouldn’t continue to haunt us. 

Round 3, Pick 8 – Tracy McGrady, SG/SF, Houston Rockets

Can you believe that McGrady has already been in the league for 10 years?  Can you also believe that the last seven of said seasons has seen the swingman go for at least 24 points a game?  He’s definitely had a drop-off from his huge season in Orlando that saw him post 32 a night, but he actually improved a bit from last year and is showing no signs of slowing down.

In last season’s mock draft, we drafted McGrady with the second pick in the third round, discussing his scoring and hustle stats.  But when comparing McGrady to Mike Bibby, we said

T-Mac will not be able to catch Bibby in Assists and Threes made because there is only 82 games in the season. Bibby is a PG, so you expect him to have an edge over T-Mac in assists.

Boy were we a bit off…

For those of us that think T-Mac is just scoring, may I direct you to last year’s averages of 5.3 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game?  He was fifth on the team in rebounds, which will happen when you play with two guys over seven feet tall, but lead the Rockets in dimes – with Rafer Alston (the point guard) being more than a full assist behind.  Add with over one three-ball a game and McGrady provides this fantasy team with some much-needed contribution across the board.

Oh, and for the record…Bibby averaged 4.7 assists per game last year.  Ouch.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t tackle the games played issue.  In fact, Alvin commented last year that he was a bit skeptical of McGrady being able to log 70+.  I think T-Mac may read this blog, because he put up 71 just to spite!  A lot of this doubt stems from his 2005 season that saw him play in only 47 contests, and for good reason.  Would it make you feel better if I told you that he played in 78 the season before, coupled with his 71 last year?  Another year will definitely not help McGrady get over any of his issues, but if you can get 25/5/5 for over 70 games a season in the third round, I think you have no choice but to jump all over it. 

There’s no denying that T-Mac is a risk-reward pick this season, but with top-10 upside, using the 32nd overall selection on him doesn’t seem like a bad move.

Players On This Team:
1.8 Amare Stoudemire, PF/C, Phoenix Suns
2.5 Rashard Lewis, SF, Orlando Magic

Previous Picks This Round:

3.1. Paul Pierce, SG/SF, Boston Celtics
3.2. Marcus Camby, C, Denver Nuggets
3.3. Baron Davis, PG, Golden State Warriors
3.4. Deron Williams, PG, Utah Jazz
3.5. Chauncey Billups, PG, Detroit Pistons
3.6 Gerald Wallace, SG/SF, Charlotte Bobcats
3.7 Vince Carter, SG/SF, New Jersey Nets

Previous Round Selections:
Round One Recap
Round Two Recap