This is the second installment of a preseason series in which ESPN fantasy experts debate a pair of players who have similar fantasy values and/or average draft positions. The first edition compared LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. This time, Greg Rosenstein and Tom Carpenter debate DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis -- a pair of big men with top-five upside, great nicknames and tons of risk -- whose current average draft positions are ninth and 10th, respectively.Rosenstein on why Cousins should go ahead of DavisAnthony Davis, without a doubt, is one of the most exciting young players in the NBA today. I mean, how many guys at 6-foot-10 have comparable athleticism, length and ballhandling ability? In many ways hes the exact opposite of Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins; one boasts a charismatic personality whos so smooth it appears he glides up and down the court. The other has come under consistent criticism for his off-the court antics and has a physical, bruising style around the rim.Sexy versus ugly. And Im taking ugly.Similar to last weeks debate on LeBron vs. the Greek Freak, I prefer knowing what Im going to get rather than hoping that player takes the next step. James is as consistent as they come, and Cousins is fairly similar in that regard.The Sacramento star has averaged 20.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 blocks per game through his six-season career, but what I like most is hes clearly trending up. As he assumes more of a leadership role in the Kings offense, his overall production has improved. Take last season as an example, as he posted career bests in points (26.9), steals (1.6), field goals made (9.2) and free throws made (7.3) a night. Many of his other statistics remained in elite range.His overall production is, in fact, remarkably similar to Davis. The following categories showed them with nearly identical numbers per 36 minutes on the court: average points, average steals, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and 3-point percentage. But while you may scoff at that final statistic, keep this in mind: Cousins made 70 long-distance shots last season after attempting just 69 in his career prior to that. Its an added aspect to his already versatile offensive arsenal. He also gets to the line more -- 8.2 attempts per 36 minutes compared to 6.3 for Davis -- and has shown a better ability to find teammates for scores. His 3.1 assists per 36 minutes is nearly double that of The Brow.Another major factor is the differences in offense. The Kings went through Cousins so often last season that he ranked No. 2 overall in usage rate (33.2) behind Russell Westbrook. Davis was 23rd. Sacramento also finished as No. 1 overall in pace, which means there should be a greater amount of possessions for Cousins to put up huge stats each night. The Pelicans, in contrast, were 11th. Even without Rajon Rondo at the point, I dont see a major difference in Darren Collison, and have no reason to believe the Kings wont finish at or near the top again.Lastly -- and this is the biggest reason why Id side with Cousins over Davis -- is health. If I owned the Pelicans big man on a fantasy team, I would need to check on his status every night to make sure he wasnt hurt. In four seasons, hes already missed 68 games to a variety of injuries. Even this preseason, he had an ankle sprain. Cousins has had injuries in his career, but nothing close to as frequent as this.In fantasy basketball, you need your stars to be there when it matters most. Not on the bench in a suit.Carpenter on why Davis should go ahead of CousinsBoogie versus The Unibrow! Sounds more like this debate belongs in ESPNs WWE section.Lets face facts here: Aside from maybe Hassan Whiteside, there arent two players in fantasy hoops who have such a high risk/reward ratio. Each surely would land in the top five if he is able to play 82 games, but Davis hasnt topped 68 games during his four-season career and Cousins has topped 71 games just once since his rookie campaign.With that much volatility, its no wonder they have fallen to the bottom of the first round.Still, if I were to pick one, it would be Davis, and Ill point to four reasons:1. MaturityDavis is 23. Cousins is 26. Unfortunately, age doesnt always equate to maturity.Cousins has a short fuse, which led to a one-game suspension last season for racking up too many technicals, but thats not the real issue. When it comes to converting talent into maximum fantasy stats, a player needs to be fully dedicated to his craft, something we have rarely seen from Boogie during his six-season career.Although Davis has not been able to stay healthy, he has generally showed quality focus on the court.2. PercentagesCousins lack of on-court focus has been reflected in a fading field goal percentage (49.6 FG?percentage , 46.7 FG?percentage , 45.1 FG percentage?the past three seasons) and inconsistency at the stripe (72.6 FT?percentage , 78.2 FT?percentage , 71.8 FT percentage?in that same stretch).Thats not something you can simply gloss over, either, considering he took 20.5 field goal attempts and 10.2 free throw attempts per game last season.We saw Davis percentages slip last season (49.3 FG?percentage ; first season under 51.6 FG percentage-- 75.8 FT?percentage ; first season under 79.1 FT percentage?since rookie campaign), but Im willing to blame that on a nagging knee issue which required surgery, from which he has since recovered.3. BlocksWe also saw the Brows block production fade, as his 2.0 BPG marks the first time since his rookie run that he failed to average at least 2.8 BPG. But Boogies career-high mark is 1.7 BPG.Big-time shot-blockers are a scarce commodity - even more so when it comes to those who score and shoot well from the stripe.If Davis worst production in blocks is better than Cousins best, thats a notable edge in a key category.4. StabilityNeither the Pelicans nor Kings have done a good job of putting together a well-rounded roster, but Cousins is on his sixth head coach, the Kings lack player leadership on the court and in the locker room, and from ownership to the front office, its been an absolute circus in recent years.To me, an immature mercurial player like Cousins without leadership and direction is just a mess waiting to happen. Maybe new coach Dave Joerger can find the magic touch, but I remain skeptical.Instead, give me the Brow and his more enticing all-around stats. I prefer crossing my fingers in the hope that he can stay on the court for 70-75 games, because the only thing I see stopping him from a top-five finish is his health -- and thats an issue that also continues to plague Boogie. Pirates Jerseys China . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Wholesale Pirates Jerseys . U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield in Manhattan agreed that lawyers on both sides could make their formal requests by Nov. 8. A hearing is scheduled for a day earlier. Jordan Siev, a lawyer for Rodriguez, wrote in a joint letter to the judge from lawyers on both sides that MLB lawyers planned to ask that the lawsuit be dismissed. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Fake Pirates Jerseys . Wall made the comment in a speech to a Regina business crowd that included Lesnar. The U.S. wrestler and retired mixed martial artist says he was visiting his brothers farm in Saskatchewan and decided he wanted to hear what the premier had to say. Pittsburgh Pirates Shirts . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. LONG POND, Pa. -- Pocono CEO Brandon Igdalsky took refuge from the rain inside a garage stall that was being used as the site of the drivers meeting.His message Sunday morning to Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and the rest of the field: I love you guys. But I dont want to see you tomorrow.Well, tough luck.Call it, Pocono Rainway.Rain washed out the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway and the 400-mile race will now run at 11 a.m. Monday. Martin Truex Jr. is on the pole and Kurt Busch tries to sweep Pocono in the tracks second Monday race of the season.The June Pocono race also was delayed a day. NASCAR said this was the first time a track had two rain-postponed races in the same season.This was NASCARs 10th postponed race since 2011. The 2012 rain-shortened race at Pocono was marred by lightning strikes that killed one fan and injured nine others.Mondays forecast seems cloudier than Kasey Kahnes chances to make the Chase. But NASCAR set the time an hour earlier than the green flag start on that June Monday to try to beat some of the rain and reach at least the halfway point for an official race.I feel bad for the fans more than anybody, Igdalsky said. We were going to have an unbelievable crowd here today.The track-drying Air Titans provided the only action at Pocono and, after morning rain had passed, there were clear skies at the scheduled 1:30 p.m. start. But about 90 minutes later, it started pouring at the track and the race was quickly called off.Kahne went on TV and bemoaned that he would have to delay a vacation to the Bahamas.Pocono had more pressing problems.While NASCAR tracks dont release attendance numbers, Igdalsky said Pocono was on pace for its biggest crowd in years. The tracks infield and camping areas were sold out, along with some of the higher-priced suites. And Monday races are a burden for everyone involved in NASCAR.A lot of our staff are volunteers and theyve got jobs tomorrow theyve got to get back to, he said. Theyve taken off Friday already. It definitely hits you in the purse sttrings.dddddddddddd. The possibility of two in one season, thats painful.Igdalsky said there was a Jeff Gordon bump in ticket sales when the retired four-time champion came back to drive for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. Igdalsky said it was hard to put an exact number on the number of additional tickets sold because of Gordons return because it coincided with the tracks usual final-weeks ticket sales push.For us, it was the perfect storm, Igdalsky said.Unfortunately for the track, the wrong kind hit Sunday.Kevin Harvicks 4-year-old son, Keelan, splashed around in a puddle. Some drivers took their dogs for a walk. Crew members stretched out on pit road and gazed at darkened clouds that hinted of the rain ahead.Even more Monday races rain loom at a track without lights such as Pocono in 2017 and beyond. NASCAR bumped start times at most tracks from the 1:30 p.m. window to around 3 p.m. or later next season, meaning one rain delay could lose a track for the day.Igdalsky lobbied NASCAR to keep his traditional and more fan-friendly start time.For us, 1 is a better time, he said. I understand the thought process behind it and Im going to support it.There are six races left until the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship driver field is set. Led by four-time winners Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski, there are 11 slots seemingly set for race winners. Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon, Ryan Newman, Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson are the four winless drivers perilously holding on to the final five spots.Game notes Sunday would have been Justin Wilsons 38th birthday. The IndyCar driver was killed last August from injuries suffered in the race at Pocono. Igdalsky said the track was working with IndyCar for an appropriate tribute to the driver when the series returns on Aug. 21.IndyCar is back for the fourth straight season and Igdalsky refused to say if the series would return in 2017.Maybe, he said, laughing. ' ' '