Is Alan Anderson a better overall player then Demar Derozan?

[MoneyBall20]

Alan Anderson..lol,okay..
I hate being raptor fan,blow the team up.
Enough Calderon,Bargnani,all these players who should be in d league..
Seriously if this good team,some of these players would be on the bench the rest gone.
Only guy I can think of u can build around it Jonas Valancunas..and maybe Ed Davis,that guy has heart.
2 bad kid doesn't get recognized bc he plays for embarrassing franchise..
Only in Raptor land...

[Bramaca]

Anderson is a decent player, better all-around then Demar. He reminds of a less talented Anthony Parker. No reason to take minutes away from Ross in order to play him though.

[bartron_44]

To make things clear, this thread is strictly comparing these 2 players as they stand today. I don't care what Demar will be in 2 or 3 more years, or who will be better in 2 or 3 more years, I care who is the better player right now.

If the goal is actually to try and make the playoffs, then you have to play your best players the most minutes..period. I know we want the young guys to develop, but there is no need to force feed them minutes and sacrifice wins in order to accomplish that goal...(if we are actually trying to make the playoffs.)

The question DC should be asking himself is: who gives this team the best shot at winning tonight's game. If Anderson is doing way more to help us win then DD, then he should be playing more minutes.

Derozan's lack off defense is startling. He may look like he is in a defensive stance, but he is constantly standing flat footed with his heels on the ground instead of on the balls of his feet, and that lets people beat him off the dribble with ease. He also never even tries to chase anyone down to prevent an easy layup. If you get 2 steps in front of him, he is simply going to jog and watch you dunk it....which imo should have him instantly taken off the court. I have never ever seen him chase someone down and try to block their shot or commit a hard foul to make them earn it from the line. dude is from Compton, and he has one of the softest games in the NBA...

For those who call AA a "chucker"...he had 8 assists yesterday. Which is more the DD has ever had in a single game in his entire career. His FG% is lower because over half of his FGA's have come from behind the arc. He has made more 3's in the last 3 games then Derozan has in the last month.

I also find it funny how someone said AA has a quicker first step then Derozan because he is older and has more experienced..lol

[koreancabbage]

AA is more versatile, but he wouldn't last if he had Derozan's role on a daily basis IMO.

There's no way he can get away shooting such horrible numbers while playing 36 mins a game. He's not even facing the better defender when him and Derozan are on the floor.

this holds true to some extent. However Derozan is purely a scorer right now. Derozan, himself, doesn't do much on the floor either. Right now, its a draw. I think the right type of player is somewhere between Derozan and Anderson. Anderson with Demar's shooting % and Derozan with Alan's intangibles.

At this point of time, Demar doesn't have those intangibles, i.e. court vision, getting others involved, passing, long range shooting. I'm sure as time develops, he can become a better 3 point shooter, but court vision, passing, other basketball intangibles are hard to develop as they are more natural talents than developed skill.

[Rapsfanforlife]

Anderson is a savvy player that has the benefit of several years in various stages of the game. He has learned his role and accepted it fully, and plays with a tremendous amount of confidence. He is good at positioning himself both offensively and defensively, and sees the floor very well. Derozan is still a young player, who is still finding his way in the NBA, playing with much more confidence this year, but still a bit hesitant at times. He seems to still be trying to figure out his role in the game...which explains the hesitation at times. He shows flashes of Brilliance, is a better natural scorer than Anderson but a weaker defender. I would say its close, and they are very different styles of player, but I would say Anderson is a more complete player today than Derozan.

[bartron_44]

AA is more versatile, but he wouldn't last if he had Derozan's role on a daily basis IMO.

There's no way he can get away shooting such horrible numbers while playing 36 mins a game. He's not even facing the better defender when him and Derozan are on the floor.

I don't think you can say this until he is actually given the opportunity. The guy has torched two of the best defensive teams in the league (Chicago and OKC), and has only played 30+ minutes 6 times so far this season.
In those games he is averaging 21 pts and 4 rebounds while shooting 48.3% from the field (43 of 89) and 45.7% from behind the arc (21 of 46). I think he is deserving of a chance to play 30+ mpg consistently for at least a couple weeks to see what he can give us.

[Raps08-09 Champ]

I don't think you can say this until he is actually given the opportunity. The guy has torched two of the best defensive teams in the league (Chicago and OKC), and has only played 30+ minutes 6 times so far this season.
In those games he is averaging 21 pts and 4 rebounds while shooting 48.3% from the field (43 of 89) and 45.7% from behind the arc (21 of 46). I think he is deserving of a chance to play 30+ mpg consistently for at least a couple weeks to see what he can give us.

I said that as an opinion, not a statement. I never said he can't do that. I said I don't think he can. 6 games is a small sample size though.

[bartron_44]

I said that as an opinion, not a statement. I never said he can't do that. I said I don't think he can. 6 games is a small sample size though.

fair enough, everyone is entitled to their opinion