MVN: Most Valuable Network

NBA.com's Fantasy Draft Kit is out and it ranks all the players according to position, with help from Rotowire.com.  According to the shooting guard rankings, Andre Iguodala is second behind Kobe Bryant, and one ahead of Dwayne Wade.  Here's what they had to say about our AI:

"Iguodala finally got his chance to shine last season after the trade of Allen Iverson and the release of Chris Webber. He took advantage of it by shattering his career highs in scoring (18.2 ppg) and assists (5.7 apg). On the flip side, the increased offensive responsibilities led to career lows in turnovers (3.4 TO/game) and field goal percentage (44.7 percent). Iguodala should be more accustomed to the attention and responsibility this season and better prepared to use his awesome athleticism in a more controlled way, which could lead to an offensive explosion. When you throw in his strong rebounding and quick hands (2.0 spg), you’ve got the recipe for a Dwyane Wade-like all-around stat stuffer. And if he can ever start making a full three-pointer per game (0.6 per game for his career), he could add a dimension that even Wade hasn’t yet reached."

Wow, they're calling for "an offensive explosion" from 'Dre?  That would be awesome.  Perhaps I've been too cautious in my optimism for his all-star prospects.  When you put two and two together from this analysis, you're talking about 'Dre becoming a Dwayne Wade type player who is more multi-dimensional. 

Of course, this all looks good on paper.  Wade's offensive explosion came with the addition of Shaq in the middle though.  Also, he's shown an ability to step up in the clutch and dig deep when the situation called for it.  You can't measure heart on paper. 

The experts are starting to put Iguodala in the company of Joe Johnson, D-Wade and Kobe.  It will be an exciting year for him.  He should give Sixers fans a reason to watch this year.

For more NBA Fantasy news, check out MVN's Drive and Dish. 

BONUS: Today's Passion and Pride rewind takes us back to March 26th and 27th when the season was winding down and reflections were mostly positive as signs of improvement where evident.  On the 26th, I wrote that Mo did a good job with the team last season.  This was picked up on Truehoop.  My main point was that perhaps the criticism of his coaching was not altogether warranted considering the team that Billy King put together.  On the 27th, I listed 10 things I learned from covering a losing team.  One of the lessons I carry with me is to not take yourself too seriously at times and believe that hard work pays off.  If you do the best you can, that's all you really can ask for.