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Message: [QUOTE="RF2044, post: 863925, member: 40"] No issue agreeing to disagree on this one. But I just want to point out one thing, because one aspect of your argument pushes one of my buttons about how some posters [not specifically you] misinterpret performance as a function of statistical preoccupation. Stats alone don't tell the story. A guy who averages 15 points a game isn't inherently "better" than a guy who averages 13. Quite a bit of stats has to do with role / opportunity. In 2012, Waiters averaged about 12 ppg--but was better than about 98% of the backcourt opponents we faced. Going back quite a ways [in the theme of this thread, with lots of comparison to past players], a guy like Shelton Jones at St. John's scored more as a senior than DC did as a sophomore. Was he a "better" player, or was his different role the real story behind the statistical differentiation? Dana Barros scored more on lousy BC teams than Sherman Douglas did. Was he a "better" player because he had gaudier scoring stats? Contemporary players like Pangos might be a better shooter, but his role for Gonzaga is different--he is the focal point, whereas Ennis is probably our third scoring option--possibly even the fourth, even though he rises to every occasion when we need baskets. Smart is a physical specimen, but he plays much more selfishly than Ennis, and is the focal point of his team's offensive concept. Doesn't make him "better;" in fact, I'd say that the attributes Ennis consistently displays sets him apart in terms of his lead guard aptitude from his peers. I get that an important theme in this thread is that we're 13 games in, and that the story is still being written. I honestly believe that unlike MCW last year, we're not going to see a statistical drop off from Ennis in conference play--and expect that by the end of the year he'll be viewed as one of the top impact backcourt players in the country, in much the same way he's gone from being ranked outside of Goodman's asinine top 10 freshman rankings to soaring up to the #3 spot. Again--appreciate the civil debate, something often lacking on this forum. We're just not on the same page on this topic, which is fine. [/QUOTE]

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