Dear DG33,
There are so many reasons why I love you. You single-handedly prevented my beloved Pacers from being the worst (and whitest) team in the NBA, among other things. You're building a bat cave in/under your house. That alone warrants you some bro-love. But, now for the basketball.
Each season since coming out of UNM you've averaged 6 more points per game (7.5, 13.9, 19.6, 25.5), and have been putting up consistently gaudy numbers this season. 45% field goal percentage for your career. A beautiful stroke. You've been improving on your three point percentage too, up to 40% this season. 18 Double doubles and 285 games in 3 and a half seasons (out of 291 games total)... He's missed 6!!! And this isn't the NFL, this is the NBA where they play 82 games a season, and sometimes have 4 or 5 games a week. That means he's missed about two weeks of action in 3 and a half seasons. He's no absent-star (Bob Sanders much?).
You went 42-6-7 (points, assists, rebounds) on Dec 12th vs. the Pistons, then 41-6-11 on the 17th in a win over Golden State. 12 (count 'em, TWELVE) 32+ point games this season and your first All-Star nomination! You have the 19th best PER (according to my man John Hollinger) at 21.39.
Danny, you have arrived, and you will be around for years to come. I can only hope those years will continue to be in the White, Blue, and Yellow Pacers jerseys for an improving Indianapolis team returning to its prominence. DG, Brandon Rush, TJ Ford, and Marquis (I'll count Dunleavy when he shows me some injury-free consistency): That's a nucleus to build on right there!
Love,
Your main man, and a huge fan,
Jesse Bielasiak
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