SB Nation - Royal Ivey

Spurs vs Sixers: Stats of the Game

BlaseE — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:00:29 -0000

There was something very weird about this game. I think ATS was pretty close about the game feeling in control even when it got close. I was excited for the big plays, but I wasn't super excited for the gritty stuff like usual. I think I've come up with a few culprits:

* A Sunday game

* During football season

* Against the Sixers (AI2, Dalembert, and who? I've heard of Holiday but, yeah...sorry Ivey, but I didn't even know you were on the roster until I looked at the boxscore. Shame on me.)

* Where the main event is actually post game.

Another list after the jump....

I don't listen to much Green Day anymore, but this is a great one for me.

STATS OF THE GAME

* We "live and die" by the 3 so anytime we shoot over 50% behind the arc is worth noting, 55.6% to be exact. So without Mason; Bonner, Finley, Manu, and RJ combine for 9 of 13 for 69.2%. Where were the other 5 attempts? K-Boges was 1 of 5....In his defense, I think most of them were fair attempts. You can't make them all.

* The Spurs have been doing a good job of making opposing leaders into being poor leaders. Jennings looked not so great against us. The Wizards, a veteran team, looked completely leaderless. Ariza chucked away to get his points. Iguodala 21 points and is an awesome athlete, but please don't tell him that. He was 1 of 6 from 3. If I was the Sixers coach, the first thing I would do is sit him down and say, "you are an average 3 point shooter at best, but you can rock the paint and get to line at will so if you don't drive the ball, I will bench you!" Once again, an opponents best player finishes the game with the worst +/- on the team. AI Jr. was -15.

* Dejuan Blair had a disgusting line (11 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks).....in 16 minutes of play! A note from watching the Spurs this season: Manu likes passing to Blair more than anyone else. Watch for it. Manu forced at least 3 crazy passes in this game alone at Blair. The first I remember was a turnover because Blair wasn't ready. The second was a turnover because Manu's pass went too crazy for any human or Beast. The third was an easy score. I'm not sure if Manu and him just have a a connection, Manu wants to see Blair dominate the opponent, or Manu trusts Blair's wingspan and low body center to the person guarding him to prevail, but watch when they are on the court together. As the season goes along, expect Manu to Blair, points for Blair, assist for Manu to be a very common and efficient sight.

* Duncan and Parker were monsters of efficiency. For the sake of this being a triumvirate of power, I'll include Manu who wasn't half bad either in his limited role and coming off an injury. So your Cerberus of All the is Holy has a combined stat line of 84 minutes, 46 points on 17 of 30 shooting and 11 of 11 from the line, 15 assists, 9 rebounds (in spite of Blair's night and then Bonner, Finley, and Bogans combining for another 16 rebounds), 2 steals, and 5 blocks. What turnovers? I don't see that column.....

Finally, here is the man of the night!!! Thank God every Spursday or those ones in between that we can claim this guy to our franchise so I leave you with this last stat of the night: +1 Spurs with their retired jersey saying "Hall of Fame".

LeBrons 97 Sixers 91

jsams — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:10:16 -0000

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

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Box Score

The good news: the Sixers played their best game of the season. The bad news: it came in a losing effort. King James was simply too much to handle in the fourth quarter, and led his team to a victory with his home crowd cheering him on. His matchup with Andre Iguodala was the major difference in tonight's game. LeBron dominated crunch time and Iguodala tried to play hero, forcing awful, awful shots and just flat out sucked. This has been a developing story all year long. Iguodala worked on his jumper over the summer and all of a sudden thinks he's Kobe Bryant. He settled for jumper after jumper and eventually killed his team in the end.

Big shout out to Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, Elton Brand, Rodney Carney and Jason Smith who gave a terrific effort tonight. Even Eddie Jordan coached a good game. His only mishap was playing Royal Ivey to start the fourth quarter, but I understand his reasoning. It was either Royal or Green because his guards were gassed and needed to be ready for the final 8 minutes. Jrue was not an option. This wasn't the game to "get his feet wet".

Andre Iguodala gave a terrific effort as well. I was just displeased with his shot selection. Other than that, great game.

The were a ton of positives to take from tonight's loss and I'll go more in-depth tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, use this post to discuss the game or why you're sitting on a Sixers blog on a Saturday night.

High/Low Expectations: Royal Ivey

jsams — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:57:09 -0000

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Royal Ivey #12 PG

Best case: Royal's situation is a tough one. His biggest strength is defense. The problem is, he doesn't bring much else to the table, and there is another point guard who's speciality is defense -- Jrue Holiday. Jrue is younger, has much more potential, is probably a better defender and all-around basketball player. However; Royal possesses something that Jrue doesn't have yet, and that's experience. In order for Royal to have a positive impact on this year's Sixers, he's going to have to play really good D while he's in the game and push Jrue for some minutes. I think the best way for rookies to improve is to be pushed by teammates, and there's no better way to push someone than through competition.

Best case stats: 10 or less minutes, above average defense, and the occasional three-pointer.

Worst case: Royal plays worse than he did last year and/or plays more than 15 minutes per game. Him playing 15 or more minutes would indicate either A) an injury or B) Jrue or Lou completely suck. Neither of which would be good news for the Sixers and their chances.

Worst case stats: 15 or more minutes, average defense, 33% from the floor.

Actual prediction: 8 minutes, 2 points on 40%, 0.5 steals

Poll

Which scenario is more realistic?

Best case.

48 votes

Worst case.

19 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed

Sixers Media Day

jsams — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:11:49 -0000

More photos » by Matt Rourke - AP

Are Thad, Elton and Andre all the same height?

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Earlier today Tanner watched the streaming video of Sixers media day at CSNPhilly.com, and jotted down summaries of all the interviews. Here are his notes:

Jason Kapono
- Thinks will get plenty of threes in transition and new system should open up chances
- Doesn't go into game just focusing on shooting threes - needs to be a threat on the floor to spark the team and open up the middle for the big men
- Worked out very hard this summer
- Most important thing to do in 3 point contest is to show up and not trip or airball anything

Jason Smith
- Excited to be healthy
- Trying to play without fear or hestiance
- Most serious injury evr before that was an ankle sprain in high school - has never had to overcome anything like this
- Really had to keep convincing himself that he will overcome it - rehab was very challening
- Working on three point shooting and hoping to excel with mid range game in new system

Primoz Brezec - first thing noticed is he has miller's number (7)
- Very excited to be back in nba after a year in europe
- Strength he will bring - offense, rebounding, being a team player - feels that's the only way to be a successful player in the league along with defense - hated playing against eddie jordan's team and is thankful to be part of it instead of against it
- Despite being 7'1 he never played center before coming to nba - always worked on outside shooting

Rodney Carney
- Different to be back
- Feels game improved immensley - 3 point shooting is the most improved part of his game he feels - confidence is the most important thing to his improvment
- Expects to be give energy, threes, and most importantly defense off the bench - feels he can be a nuisance on the floor
- Feels lou has a better opportunity to show what he's learned in his first few years now that andre miller is gone

Sam Dalembert is holding a gift box filled with stuffed animals.

Royal Ivey
- Felt philly was the right situation and wanted to re-sign since the end of the season
- Role players really need to step up during preseason to earn minutes on the floor with the new coach
- Defense intensity is what he brings to the team - knows that what allows him to play
- Trained with staff at university of texas (rick barnes) - lost 15 pounds
- Dropped third person "i wanted what was best for royal"
- Was a modern, tap, jazz, and ballet dancer as a kid

Brandon Bowman
- Found out 2 wks ago that he was added to training camp roster
- Invited because of elton brand - played pick up with him and liked what he saw

Sean Singletary
- Very excited to be invited to his hometown team
- Played in a half time game when a kid
- Feels he can change pace of the game and straight up play which is why he feels he will make the team
- Already been a part of 4 teams (now five) despite only being in the league for one year

Samuel Dalembert
- Fresh new cut
- Learned to swim to work out this summer - took yoga classes - scuba diving
- Asked him to rebound, block shots, and defend to be successful
- Feels he's prepared to be successful in the new offensive scheme
- Says he always accepts his role (as i roll my eyes as that comment)
- Has been working on ball handling and jumper

Marreese Speights
- Had to delay interview cuz he was eating candy
- Keep energy up and get crowd into the game
- Working on post game
- No mention of DEFENSE!!!!
- Says he comes from florida and all they do is win so he expects to win
- No matter where he is on the court he feels he can make a positive impact
- Best thing about new season is not having to get doughnuts for ppl or taking bags off the plane for the veterans

Bill Green
- Says he plans on shooting three more cuz of new scheme
- Likes princeton o because it's based on fundamentals and is based on movement

Stromile Swift
- Found out this weekend he was invited
- Says if don't work hard it's tough to stick around in the league (from his tone it sounds like he's speaking from experience)

Dionte Christmas
- No more than 5 minutes after draft he got a call from stefanski to come to summer league
- Went to vegas with clippers
- Got an invite from t'wolves and thunder but chose sixers because he says it's "his city" - really looking forward to competing and signing a contract to officially become a 76er
- Show the front office that he can defend will get him a spot on the team
- Feels he can guard pg, sg, or sf very well

Ed Pinkney
- Likes Carney's athletisicm to help out an already athletic sixers roster
- Thinks lou is the most important factor to becomming a successful team

Thaddeus Young
- Young smoove (hence twitter name) is his nickname apparently
- Working with mark price has been huge for him
- Gets down to basics when teaching - talks about angles ball has to been on to make threes
- Shot preparation is something that has really improved over the summer
- Zero problems with the ankle over the summer - did strengthening exercises every day

Follow up: Sixers Blueprint for Success

jsams — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:14:05 -0000

I wrote this blueprint back in early March, and I thought it would be fun to see how the Sixers followed my personal plan for them. Here is what I realistically predicted the team would look like at the beginning of TC:

PG - Andre Miller, Louis Williams, Royal Ivey, Ty Lawson

SG - Andre Iguodala, Anthony Parker, Louis Williams, Willie Green

SF - Thaddeus Young, Anthony Parker, Andre Iguodala

PF - Elton Brand, Marreese Speights, Jason Smith, Reggie Evans

C - Samuel Dalembert, Marreese Speights, Jason Smith

Coach - Eddie Jordan

And here's what it actually looks like:

PG - Lou Williams, Jrue Holiday, Royal Ivey

SG - Andre Iguodala, Jason Kapono, Rodney Carney, Bill Green

SF - Thaddeus Young, Jason Kapono, Andre Iguodala

PF - Elton Brand, Marreese Speights, Jason Smith

C - Samuel Dalembert, Marreese Speights, Jason Smith, Primoz Brezec

Coach - Eddie Jordan

Based on my blueprint and the actual roster, the Sixers essentially traded Andre Miller, Ty Lawson, Anthony Parker, and Reggie Evans for Jrue Holiday, Jason Kapono, Rodney Carney, and Primoz Brezec. The blueprint team is obviously better simply because of Andre Miller, but based on the economic circumstances, the Sixers could not afford to re-sign him. So, if you take Andre Miller out of the equation you get: Lawson, Parker, and Reggie for Holiday, Kapono, Carney, and Brezec. Based on those moves, I think the Sixers had a better off-season than I hoped for.

I loved signing Rodney Carney to the veteran's minimum; he's basically a poor man's Anthony Parker. Then, trading Reggie Evans for Jason Kapono was better than any trade I could've cooked up in March. But the Sixers made their mark by drafting Jrue Holiday. The only player I'd rather have is Stephen Curry. Did they get lucky Holiday fell into their laps? Absolutely. But, could they have messed it up and taken someone else? Definitely, so you have to give them credit for making the right selection.

What do you guys think? In retrospect, did the Sixers have a good off-season considering the circumstances? My emotional reaction would be no, but based on the expectations I had in early March, I say yes.

P.S. Training camp starts tomorrow!!!

P.P.S. For those of you wondering what Thaddeus worked on most this summer, I asked him via Twitter, and he replied: "3 ball and ball handling."

Talking with the Sixers GM

TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsMichaelBourn — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:07:24 -0000

Oh you know, your usual afternoon chat with the General Manager of the Philadelphia 76ers. I have to give tons of props to Ed Stefanski, Mike Preston and the whole Sixers PR team for setting this up and being so accepting of the new media (namely, us). Check below the fold for what I gleaned from Stef during the call.

Jordan couldn't make the conference so he handed off to me on Eastern Time. During my lunch break from class, I sought out an empty classroom to spread out my computer, notebook, and phone so I was all ready for my big date with Ed. After a quick trip to the little boys room so I wouldn't have to relieve myself mid-call, I dialed in and waited. And waited. And waited.

In very un-Stefanski like fashion, he was about a half hour late. So during that time I listened to Mike Preston talk about this and that with a few media members also on the line (including Brian from depressedfan, Enrico from the700level, Pete from reclinergm, Ricky from sixers4guidos, and a couple others). He had some interesting things to say, among them the plan to redesign Sixers.com to be able to stream live video of practices and press conferences. He also mentioned the possibility of allowing bloggers to live blog the game on Sixers.com and even the prospect of credentialing some blogs.

When Ed signed on around 12:30, I had GarageBand pumping and ready to record. He was unbelievably polite and apologetic for his lateness, but hey -- he's the Sixers GM. We can wait. He dove right into questions we had and treated us very respectfully as members of the press. I came away extremely impressed with basically everything about him. Let's get to the question/answer portion of our show.

They made a hard push for Hakim Warrick using the mid-level exception, and despite offering more money than Milwaukee, he chose the Bucks because of the opportunity for more playing time. Now, the FO feels fortunate to have gotten Rodney Carney for the minimum.
Currently 13 guys are under contract and are looking to add another body to get to 14 after camp. They'll invite guys to camp that excite them and can bring a different element to what is already in place.
Ramon Sessions was never really a consideration.
Same tired old question about the disinterested Sixers fan base and how the only way to solve that is winning games.
MY QUESTION: What are your feelings about the function of the D-League? Would it be possible that, like the Rockets, Lakers, Thunder, and Spurs, the Sixers will own and operate their own team in the future? "We have had the opportunity to go into a couple places, I don't see personally the advantage of owning your own team right now since you can always send down players you have on your roster for two years of service. Until they change the rules where you can have some sort of farm system like baseball then I would maybe say that it makes more sense, but where it is right now I don't see the expense of having your own management team, your own trainers, your own coaches, and everything for one guy. In essence, last year, Mo Speights would've been the only guy we would've sent down because we weren't going to send Thaddeus down. So I don't see that making much sense." I can agree with him about it being a waste of money for just one player, but I would still like to see us use it more, especially if we sign a guy like Dionte Christmas (just an example). Instead of rotting on the bench, why not let him get time in Springfield, and should someone like Kapono get injured, he can be called up to take his spot.
He expects the team to make the playoffs again this year, but this time make more noise. After being up 2-1 going into game four the past two seasons, Ed is looking to getting over that hump and getting into the second round. He thinks the invaluable playoff experience for guys like Thad, Andre, and Lou will help greatly in the future.
As to why he didn't sign a veteran point guard like he intended, they didn't see any free agents that really piqued their interest, so the FO was content bringing back Royal Ivey to add another defensive element to the backcourt.
Really high on Holiday, thinks he has improved every day at the gym. He's excited for his role in Eddie Jordan's two guard offense that will lessen the need of a true point guard. He said basically what we all heard about Jrue's year at UCLA -- thought Collison would have gone pro, forced to accept role at a different position, but still feels he is a true point guard. He likes his strength, ball-handling, knack for finishing at the rim, and is pleasantly surprised with his improved jumper. If he doesn't turn the ball over and continues to be a willing defender, there's no reason he won't get time this year. Likes him playing with Lou at the other guard spot because of Jrue's versatility in covering taller guards.
Listed Lou, Andre, Thad, Brand, and Sammy as the starting five right now, but didn't close the door on somebody winning a job out of camp. Seemed to think having Brand at the 5 would be more of a quirky matchup ploy than anything to consider a long term option.
He likes the versatility guys like Thad, Andre, Carney, and Jrue bring to the table, allowing them to play with matchups and bigger or smaller lineups to pressure the ball more. He thinks Kapono will play a big role in the offense because of his ability to make shots, something this team hasn't had in a while.
He thinks character is something that teams look at more than they used to. He's confident in the chemistry of this team because they did character checks on their players.
Does not do Twitter, reads hoopshype daily. He mentioned that he plans on talking with the players before the season to ensure they wouldn't post anything online that could be detrimental to the team or to themselves.
Both Jason Smith and Elton Brand are 100% and have been cleared to play since July. Jason is up to over 250 pounds and has put on plenty of muscle during his recovery time, still wants him to add more so he can bang down low. Elton is ready to go, on a mission, feels good about himself, blah blah blah. I'm just ready for him to be back out there.
He's excited to see where Bill fits into Eddie's offense. Once again, because of the two guard backcourt, he could see a possibility where Green would handle point guard duties. He referenced his time in Jersey when Kerry Kittles and Lucius Harris would be the guards when JKidd was on the bench. It all depends on where he finds his niche in camp. I wouldn't be surprised to see him off the team before the start of the season.
In regards to Iguodala playing the point, Andre says he'd be willing to play any position. It's true he played the point in high school and he's excited about the prospect of bringing the ball up, but he reiterated how in the Princeton offense, the official role of "point guard" is not much more than a title.
They've done plenty of international scouting, but not much has turned up. They went after Nocioni a few years ago, but couldn't get all the way there.
Had contact with Flip Murray's camp but they were looking for a sizable payday so they took negotiations elsewhere. They're comfortable with Carney, and the players still available are realizing the market isn't the same as it was a year ago.
Some closure on the Andre Miller situation: He would have been comfortable with trading Miller near the deadline last season, but no reasonable offers were on the table, so they decided to go into the playoffs with Miller in their pocket. It didn't make sense to make a trade for the sake of making one that wouldn't help their future out in any way. He repeated how much he thinks the playoff experience for the younger guys will prove useful this year and beyond.
He thinks Eddie Jordan's tag of being solely an offensive coach comes from his use of the Princeton Offense rather than his inability to coach defense. A lot of his past teams' inadequacies on the defensive end was a personnel problem and is thrilled with the defensive capabilities of this athletic Sixers team. The primary questions they asked their potential coaches were how they would integrate Brand, Iguodala, and Young into the offense. Jordan believes this team will emphasize defense and transition points generated from being a good defensive team.

A little over a month until the season. While I didn't agree with all of Ed's prior moves, I feel confident in him as our general manager making the right decisions in the next few years. I'm excited to see what this team has to offer.

Grading the Competition

RaptorsHQ - Howland — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:25:29 -0000

More photos » by Winslow Townson - AP

These guys on the same squad? Talk about defence.(AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

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Having entered the quietest period on the NBA calendar now seems like an appropriate time to look back at what the other Atlantic Division teams have done this off-season.

Bryan Colangelo has been one of the busiest NBA GM’s this summer. He has almost completely remade the roster and the team, on paper, looks stronger than it has in years. The other teams in the Atlantic have also been active, but some have fared better than others.

BOSTON CELTICS

Key additions: Rasheed Wallace, Shelden Williams

Key subtractions: Leon Powe

If there is one team that I don’t have a gut feeling about it is the Celtics. In last years playoffs the Celtics were pushed to the brink by an up and coming Bulls squad and they fell way short of winning back to back titles. Of course this has everything in the world to do with the absence of their heart and soul, Kevin Garnett. By all accounts Kevin Garnett is looking good as he prepares for another season and getting KG back won’t be the only addition to the Celts front court. Danny Ainge has added former All-Star Rasheed Wallace to the roster, re-signed Baby Davis and inked Shelden Williams. The front court has gotten much deeper despite the Celts having let Leon Powe back his bags for Cleveland.

At first glance I thought the Wallace signing was an absolute coup for the Celts but then Bill Simmons, as he so often does, provided this dose of reality:

Look, it's hard to criticize your team for spending $20 million to upgrade a position that Mikki Moore and Brian Scalabrine manned last season. But Sheed will be 35 years old and is coming off a brutal contract year. He coasted on his reputation these past two seasons and helped two coaches get fired. Last season, he looked disinterested, took bad shots at the wrong times and never posted up. (In the words of William Miller, "I was there. I WAS THERE.") Considering the Celtics had trouble with everyone who went small against them last season, weren't they better off targeting a third swing guy who could make 3s and defend hot scorers (and please don't tell me Marquis Daniels is the answer) over frontcourt insurance? Also, what makes anyone think Kendrick Perkins -- a young warrior who really came on last season, but an emotional guy for better or worse -- won't be affected with Rasheed breathing down his neck for playing time?

There is no doubt that the Wallace addition makes the Celtics front-court scary good from a defensive stand-point but offensively it’s hard to get excited about the Wallace signing. He did take a lot of "misguided" shots last year. Nevertheless, it will be must see TV when Bosh and Bargs go head to head with these two guys. Wallace has had CB4’s number in the past so this will be a true test for the Raps front-court.

The Celts could be an excellent team this season but there’s a good chance the window has closed and the sun is setting on this veteran led team. The Wallace signing says they are making one last run…will it fall short?

Oh and they let Stephon Marbury go. I am sure that loss will be felt for decades.

Off-Season Grade: B

NEW JERSEY NETS

Key additions: Courtney Lee, Terrence Williams, Rafer ALston, Tony Battie

Key subtractions: Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson

This team has clearly bought into the old adage, short term pain for long-term gain. By dealing VC to Orlando they no-only jettisoned a large contract but also their best player. In return? An up and coming SG in Courtney Lee. It looks to be a long season in New Jersey but they are slowly collecting solid, young assets to build around. The Nets have a ton of young talent with Devin Harris, Terrence Williams, Yi Jianlian, Brook Lopez and the aforementioned Lee. Given this team was going no-where with Carter clearing the deck make good basketball and financial sense for a team looking to re-stock when it moves to Brooklyn.

For the upcoming season however, this team is going to struggle mightily and should be out of the playoff picture before December.

Off-Season Grade: D

NEW YORK KNICKS

Key additions: Jordan Hill, Toney Douglas, Darko Milicic

Key subtractions: Quentin Richardson

In limbo: David Lee (R), Nate Robinson (R)

Given the David Lee and Nate Robinson situations are yet to be finalized it is tough to evaluate what the Knicks have done this summer. The Knicks were seemingly screwed by the Golden State Warriors when Don Nelson et al. decided to take Stephen Curry with the eight pick of the draft (leaving the Knicks with Jordan Hill) and adding Darko Milicic isn’t exactly a game changer. Adding Ramon Sessions wouldn’t hurt their cause given Chris Duhon is not really starter material.

For the Knicks it continues to be all about the summer of 2010. If you read this article by Chad Ford however, things are not all peaches and cream for the Knick going forward even after purging their roster of heavy contracts (save for Eddy Curry and Jared Jeffries). The shrinking salary cap could end any hopes the Knicks have of signing two big name free-agents in 2010. If you are Lebron James are you going to leave a good situation in Cleveland for a Knicks team no talent to support you?

The other loss by the Knicks this summer was Q-Rich. Of course do you even remember when Q-Rich was with the Knicks? He might be the first player to have been the property of every team in the league when his career is said and done.

Off-Season Grade: Inc.

PHILADELPHIA 76ers

Key additions: Jrue Hliday, Jason Kapono, Primoz Brezec

Key subtractions: Andre Miller, Reggie Evans, Theo Ratliff

If you thought the Knicks had a bad off-season how about the 76ers! The importance of Andre Miller to this squad cannot be overstated and letting him walk will be devastating this upcoming season. Suddenly the PG’s for this team are Louis Williams and Royal Ivey and Jrue Holiday. That’s a major drop-off and the effects will be felt in the standings.

Louis Williams is a good combo guard who can score but he is not exactly known for his steady hand and willingness to create offense for others. Holiday looks like a solid player and after speaking with him during the pre-draft workouts seems convinced of being a PG, but he isn’t ready to step in and take the reins from Day 1.

Although this team remains very talented on the wing much of this seasons success will depend on the health of Elton Brand and how this team meshes with him on the court. Of course if he doesn’t come back at 100% they can always rely on newly signed Primoz Brezec!

Although the Kapono experiment in TO was a failure, things might turn out better in the City of Brotherly love as this team will run all day allowing him open looks from beyond the arc. It doesn’t make up for the Miller loss however.

Off-Season Grade: C

To me it is clearly obvious is that the Raps, by far and away, had the best off-season in the Atlantic Division. It should be enough to get them at least the second spot in the Division and if everything goes according to plan a push for the Atlantic Division crown. If any of the Knicks, Nets or 76ers end up ahead of the Raps in the division standings by years end then it will have been another disappointing season.

Of course it is one thing critique another teams off-season moves, it is another to prove you can do better. To that end we we will be introducing the RaptorsHQ Fatansy League later this afternoon. Here readers will have the ability to play GM for one of the NBA teams and relive the summer that was and structure a squad for the season ahead. It is easily the most comprehensive fantasy league on the web and we will show you how to sign-up and get involved shorty.

Inspecting our expectations for Jeff Teague

hawksdawgs — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:01:38 -0000

Hoopinion has done an invaluable service by delving deep into the stat world to look at what we should expect from Jeff Teague in his rookie year. It is kind of a crushing blow to my wave of mostly unrealistic optimism that Teague is going to come in and provide a spark of athleticism and talent off the bench next season.

As Bret points out so well, non lottery point guards and guards do not set the league on fire in their first year.

Admittedly, there's nothing groundbreaking to be learned about Jeff Teague's future from either the collective data or individual cases but I think it's valuable to establish the historical range of performance against which one can expect to evaluate his rookie season and for the reminder that his rookie season will probably not clearly establish the path of his career.

He has the stats to back it up, and it makes sense. Jeff Teague may end up great or descent or serviceable. It just probably won't be in his first year.

Yet oh how I want to explain how Teague may be different or at least how term "successful" can be different with him. And of course I confess to responding to protect my broken half full glass more than anything else, but I don't know if it is apt to compare Royal Ivey and Salim Stoudmire's transition to that of Teague's (not that Bret did this, he clearly centers his analysis on all 23 players that meet the criteria).

The very legitimate and pertinent point can be made that the same coach who controlled the minutes of Royal and Salim will have sway over Teague's first year development.

But what I think must be taken into account as much as skill set, stats, minutes, and history is the role a player has on the team, and how well that role is defined.

Mario Chalmers was the starting point guard for the Heat last year. That was his role and Miami stayed with it through thick and thin. Certainly, you could compare the stats of Chalmers and predict the success of Teague, but Teague will not be the starting point guard next season and will not be in a position to earn that role. If Jeff was coming in and starting from day one and people were calling for conference championship, they would need to read Bret's post and go out back and smoke a cigarette or seven.

But roles matter. Especially when defining success. To look at the three Hawks examples, Ivey was a stop gap, Salim was a "you can shoot, lets see if you can get plugged in randomly to spark us," and Acie was a "we have to draft you but now we have four point guards and our coach doesn't really like you."

As I mentioned before, Rick Sund seems to have a clear plan with Teague. Bibby signed a three year deal, Crawford has two years left, and knowing this Sund took Teague. It all happened in the same summer. This is not an Acie Law situation where "wow we were not expecting two draft picks but we now have them." It seems he is prepared to groom Jeff for a starting role.

So how many minutes he plays is important and what he does with those minutes is important, but I never had any inclination that Teague would average 28 minutes and 17 points. But his season can still be successful. Teague becomes a part of a team that has a plan for him. Not many mid to late first rounders have that from day one.

10-14 minutes a game by Teague might not make or break the Hawks this season (I hope it doesn't), but it is enough to mark it as successful. In the end, I think allowing Teague to play 30 minutes a game would require the need for tempered expectations. But in a role of two bursts a game, Teague has the athleticism and skill to provide needed depth and excitement while working toward the longer term goal of starter for the Hawks.

Will Teague be communicated properly to relish such a role? Will he buy into such a role even if he is? Is Teague a good enough player to play in the NBA? I don't know the answers to these questions. He could be a diamond in the rough or a complete bust and either way would make stats, draft position, and random conjectures all but irrelevant.

But if Teague does indeed have the ceiling of a quality NBA starter and if fans, coaches and players can understand where the Hawks plan for the point guard position, I think 13 minutes a game and a PER of 12 or 13 is a success for Jeff Teague's rookie season.

A Look at the Orlando Magic's Third-String Point Guard Options

Ben Q Rock — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:00:10 -0000

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The Orlando Magic's search for a third-string point guard continues in earnest. The team must fill two roster spots to meet the league minimum of 13 players, and GM Otis Smith only has minimum deals at his disposal. Indeed, the Magic must now go bargain shopping after their early-summer spending spree, which included trading for Vince Carter's $16 million contract, matching Dallas' $5.8 million offer to Marcin Gortat, and splitting the mid-level exception on Brandon Bass and Matt Barnes.

C.J. Watson has the perfect combination of youth (he's 25), skills (a career 39% three-point shooter), and desire (he openly campaigned for the Magic to sign him), but the Magic's current financial state means they can't make him an offer Golden State wouldn't match. It's a bummer. Now, Smith has to dig deep. Remember, the Magic can only offer minimum deals. For comparison, the Magic used the $1.9 million bi-annual exception on Anthony Johnson last summer. Depending on the new point guard's NBA experience--minimum deals are based on years of NBA service--he could stand to make less than half of what Johnson does.

After consulting ESPN's list of this summer's free agents, I've come up with a handful of options, each with his own pros and cons. We'll take a look after the jump.

A brief note on methodology: first, I excluded D-League players, since Smith has never made a D-League call-up since taking over as Magic GM. (Orlando's last D-League call-ups were Desmond Penigar and Britton Johnsen, both in 2003/04). Second, I excluded Jason Hart and Mike Wilks, since their agent told the Orlando Sentinel the team has yet to express an interest in either of them.

I've listed these guys in alphabetical order. You can jump to a specific player's assessment by using the links below:

Carlos Arroyo:

The Good: Despite his less-than-stellar reputation in Orlando, which employed him from the 2006 trading deadline until last summer, Arroyo's a decent NBA point guard. He shot 34.5% on three-pointers in his only year under Stan Van Gundy, and is an above-average passer for a backup.
The Bad: He fell out of favor with Van Gundy late in the 2008 season, which resulted in his appearing in only 4 playoff games, for a total of 30 minutes. Losing the backup job to Keyon Dooling is nothing of which to be ashamed, but the abrupt manner in which it happened suggests that Van Gundy reached the end of his rope with Arroyo fairly quickly. Not much has changed, in terms of the offense, since Arroyo bolted for Israel last summer, which is to say the same challenges he faced two seasons ago are still in place.
The Verdict: Part of me thinks Arroyo would be a solid, safe choice. The other part of me recalls his at times poor decision-making--we're calling Hedo Turkoglu-esque levels of befuddlement here--and wonders if there's really a role for him in Orlando. After being top dog with Maccabi Tel Aviv for a year, would he happily settle into a backup role behind Jameer Nelson? And would Nelson react negatively to Arroyo's waiting in the wings? With Arroyo, there are more questions than answers, which leads me to believe Orlando would do well to look elsewhere.

Head back to the top.

Anthony Carter:

The Good: One of the best distributors and defenders on this list, even at age 34. He's heady and hardworking, and dished 4.7 assists to just 2 turnovers per game off Denver's bench last season. He'd also be willing to play for the minimum, which is the salary he earned last season.
The Bad: Expect to read the following sentiment often in this list - he's a bad three-point shooter, with a career conversion rate of 23.8%. About the best analagy I have for him is that he's like Anthony Johnson, without the range. And yes, it's totally reasonable for that sentence to turn you off a bit. We saw last season, particularly in the playoffs with Rafer Alston running the show, what happens to the Magic's offense when its point guard isn't a three-point threat. Carter, we think, would perhaps make the wiser play and drive the ball, rather than settle for the open trey--and thus play into the opposing defense's hands--as Alston frequently did.
The Verdict: There's something to be said for consistency, and Carter provides that. Orlando could do worse than to sign Carter, and all told he's probably the best option, poor shooting be darned.

Head back to the top.

Juan Dixon:

The Good: It's hard for me to get a read on him. His size (6'03", 164 pounds) indicates he's a point guard, but his career body of work suggests he's more of an off guard. Either way, about the best we can say for Dixon is that he's improved as a passer in each of the last two seasons, with assist rats of 23.3% and 22.7%. He's also a decent three-point shooter, with a career mark of 34.1%, and he shot 41.7% two years ago.
The Bad: Defense. A PER of 20.5 allowed to opposing point guards last season. As it is, his size makes him a liability on that end. Couple that with his declining athleticism--he'll turn 31 in training camp--and you have a small point guard who can't move laterally. A disaster defending the pick-and-roll.
The Verdict: Dixon doesn't bring much to the table, at least as far as the Magic are concerned. He was hardly good enough to take minutes away from Mike James in point guard-depleted Washington last season, which speaks volumes, given how bad James is. As I understand it, though, Dixon is a positive locker-room influence. So he has that in his favor too.

Head back to the top.

Royal Ivey:

The Good: Ivey's billed as a top-notch defensive specialist and a solid third-string point guard. He can also toss in the occasional three-pointer, with a career percentage of 33.6%, which is hardly great.
The Bad: It appears as though Ivey doesn't live up to his reputation. 82games says Ivey didn't even play 1% of Philadelphia's point guard minutes last season. Two years ago, with Milwaukee, he logged 22% of the Bucks' point guard minutes, and yielded a PER of 22.4 on 55.6% eFG%.
The Verdict: We know he isn't much of a passer. And if he's not a great shooter, and if he can't defend, then what does he bring to the table? Very little, which is why Ivey is little more than a last resort for many NBA teams.

Head back to the top.

Bobby Jackson:

The Good: Even after 12 seasons, Jackson has a little bit left in the tank. He averaged 7.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2 assists per game for Sacramento last season. His toughness has earned him respect throughout the league. An added bonus: his defensive rebounding rate of 12.5% would help him ignite fast breaks by himself. For comparison, Mickael Pietrus posted a DRebRate of 10.9% last season. And after spending last season in 17-win Sacramento, I'm sure he'd leap at the chance to join a contending team.
The Bad: It is entirely possible that Jackson's production would plummet. He'll turn 37 in March, and his respectable three-point shooting (35.4% career) took a huge dive last season (30.5%). As I said with Ivey: if he's not shooting, passing, or able to play defense, then there probably isn't a place for him in today's NBA. Then again, even with his poor shooting last season, he posted a Player Efficiency Rating of 12.4. Lowest of his career? Yup. Better than that of Anthony Johnson or Courtney Lee? Also yup.
The Verdict: If Smith is convinced that BJax has another productive season left in him, he'd be a nice addition to the end of Orlando's bench. There's very little risk involved with any minimum-salary player--not to put too fine a point on it, but they're only earning the minimum--but especially little with Jackson, given his track record.

Head back to the top.

Damon Jones:

The Good: An absolute assassin from long-range, Jones has connected on 39% of his triples, and is just one season removed from canning 41.7%. The man was born to shoot. And to wear goofy suits, apparently, but that's another matter.
The Bad: Jones isn't much of a passer or a defender, which would appear to relegate him to situational duty. That's what a third-stringer does anyway, sure, but he's such a defensive liability that coach Stan Van Gundy could ill-afford to play him for more than a few minutes at a time before other teams start running plays designed specifically to attack him. Another issue is Jones' ego, which may not let him accept a third-string role, even for a contender. It's a shame, since Boston's Eddie House has proven that scoring point guards can help championship teams, even if they don't play great defense.
The Verdict: Assuming Van Gundy--who coached Jones in Miami during the 2004/2005 season--could keep Jones' ego in check, he'd be a decent signing. Not great, or even good, but decent. Orlando's offense needs three-point shooting, and Jones can provide that above all else.

Head back to the top.

Brevin Knight:

The Good: Well, he can pass the ball on offense, and the can take it away on defense. His Pure Point Rating--John Hollinger's improved assist-to-turnover ratio stat--of 6.5 last season would have led the Magic.
The Bad: A complete and utter offensive zero. Here's Hollinger on Knight's 2007/08 season:

Knight led the league in the percentage of his shots that were long twos for a second straight season, with his total increasing from 62.0 percent last year to 69.2 percent this year.

Looked at another way, Knight was one of 10 players to take fewer than 30 percent of his shots from inside. The other nine all made at least 96 3-pointers -- Knight didn't make any. Layups and 3-pointers are the game's most rewarding shots, and he couldn't generate either, which helps explain his brutal TS% (which ranked 66th out of the league's 71 point guards).

Knight also rarely created shots -- he had the second lowest usage rate at his position. And while he ranked second in the NBA in assist ratio, it was largely because he couldn't create a shot for himself.

And if he's lost yet another step? Yikes.
The Verdict: If I'm going to discount Jones for being a defensive liability, I must also discount Knight for his offensive shortcomings. The idea of having arguably the best distributing backup point guard in the NBA might entice Otis Smith, but I'm not sure it'd be enough to offset Knight's inability to score. It's not like he's going to get hot from long range one night. In 729 career games--more than 18000 minutes--he's made exactly 16 three-pointers. What it boils down to is a calculated risk. Do you bank on Knight's veteran savvy compensating for his diminished physical skills? Or do you play it safer with another pass-first, shoot-second guard?

Head back to the top.

Tyronn Lue:

The Good: He spent half of last season on the Magic's sidelines, as Orlando acquired him two days after Nelson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Zach McCann says he's a good influence in Orlando's locker room, a sentiment with which I agree. Additionally, the man can shoot: 39.1% on three-pointers for his career, and he's getting better with age, connecting on 45.3% in his last two seasons combined.
The Bad: The Magic must not have seen much in Lue, as they traded for Rafer Alston at the deadline, thus relegating Lue to the end of the bench on most nights.
The Verdict: Apparently, the Magic don't think as highly of Lue as I do, as all signs here point to the Magic's letting him go. It's a shame, because his three-point shooting and intelligent play make him a better third-stringer than most, in my estimation.

Head back to the top.

Ronald "Flip" Murray

The Good: Murray just turned in his best professional season, scoring 12.2 points per game in a reserve role for the Atlanta Hawks. He matched franchise two-guard Joe Johnson in three-point shooting (36%, a career-high) and exceeded him in overall field-goal shooting (44.7%, also a career-high). And although he wasn't much of a playmaker for Atlanta (14% assist rate), he's just one year removed from a 27.5% assist rate in a season he split between Indiana and Detroit. Hooray for versatility.
The Bad: His percentages have "fluke" written all over them. Plus, after a great season in which he earned $1.5 million, he might seek a raise.
The Verdict: For the right price, he might be a decent pickup. Orlando could use some scoring off its bench.

Head back to the top.

Mike Taylor:

The Good: He's young (23) and athletic (dunk of the year). That athleticism helps him get into the lane, where he takes 42% of his shots, converting at a 45.9% clip while also getting blocked 14% of the time.
The Bad: Absolutely, positively, cannot shoot unless it's a layup. 32.5% on threes, 69.1% at the foul line, and a 41.2% mark from the field overall. His turnover rate of 19.4% would have been the worst mark on last year's Magic team by far, worse even than Johnson's 16.4% figure. And his playmaking ability leaves much to be desired.
The Verdict: Were it not for his age, we probably wouldn't even be discussing him right now. There's a chance that, with the proper guidance, he could turn into a fairly decent point guard. However, Orlando is in win-now mode, and doesn't have the time, in my estimation, to try to bring its third-string point guard up to speed.

Head back to the top.

Jamaal Tinsley:

The Good: He's a tremendous passer, with a career Pure Point Rating of 5.9 (Jameer Nelson's is 3.5). If nothing else, he can run an offense. And he's nothing if not in shape, having sat out all of last season as the Indiana Pacers, his then-current employer, banished him from the team and shipped the contents of his locker to his Atlanta home. He and the Pacers recently reached a buyout agreement, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
The Bad: Stop me if you've heard this before: he's a poor shooter, especially from three-point range. Although people who have seen him swear he's in great shape, sitting an entire year out, at age 31, means he might have some catching up to do in training camp no matter his destination.
The Verdict: If his character issues are indeed behind him--you'll recall his involvement in the 2004 Pacers/Pistons brawl, his participation in a barfight in downtown Indianapolis, and his being the target of a drive-by shooting (which in itself is not a crime)--if he's willing to play for the minimum, and if he's in shape, then he might be the best option on this list. You'll notice, though, the abundance of qualifiers attached to that statement. Smith is a risk-taker, sure, but he's yet to roll the dice by acquiring anyone with Tinsley's sort of reputation, which leads us to believe he won't start now. And he went on the record last year as saying Tinsley wasn't an option then.

Head back to the top.

Jacque Vaughn:

The Good: Vaughn is a tremendous passer with good offensive instincts, with a career assist rate of 24%, including 27.6% last year. And even at his advanced age--he'll turn 35 in February--he's a decent defender.
The Bad: He's coming off a season in which he shot 32% from the field in 292 total minutes. Even before that, he wasn't much of a scoring threat, as he's 8 years removed from his career-high scoring average of 6.6 points per game. The Spurs demoted him in favor of the rookie George Hill, which paid off fairly well.
The Verdict: He fits into the Carter mold as a pass-first, pass-second, shoot-third type. That San Antonio--an organization as worthy of emulation as any other in professional sports--essentially deemed him not worth playing much speaks volumes. Then again, he was last year what he'd be this year: an emergency point guard. He's not a great option for Orlando, but an okay one.

Head back to the top.

Jason Williams:

The Good: He was the starting point guard on the Miami Heat's 2006 championship team. And in spite of his reputation as a poor decision-maker--"too much French pastry," as Dick Vitale might say--he actually takes decent care of the ball.
The Bad: The man has practically nothing left to offer. I defer to Kelly Dwyer for more:

Don't try it, because I'm going to laugh in your face if you try to tell me he can make up for [his poor defense] on the other end, not when he's two years removed from shooting 38.4 percent from the floor. I'd love to see him try one more 45-foot bounce pass before riding off into the sunset, but the Knicks would be well-served to try the D-League first to round out their roster.

He's the most recognizable name on this list, sure. But if you didn't know it were him, but instead only knew that he'd turn 34 in November and that he can't shoot, you probably would dismiss him immediately.
The Verdict: With all that said, he's probably not the worst defender on this list, and is probably one of the better passers. Signing him to be the third-stringer wouldn't be an utter disaster, I don't think, but he's not the most attractive option.

Head back to the top.

It's become readily apparent that Smith won't find a perfect candidate. None of these guys is a home-run, even at a minimum salary. The ones who can shoot don't pass, the ones who can pass can't shoot, and very few of them play defense. Not a great situation, sure. Then again, Orlando's done quite well for itself this summer, and it's hardly the only team looking for point guard help. All Otis needs to do is to sign the one he feels is the best possible fit to a minimum deal. Then he can move on to that 14th roster spot, likely a big man, and call it a summer.

Liberty Links: Veteran point guards

jsams — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:41:25 -0000

Often times a general manger is praised and/or criticized for the "big" players he signs. See: Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, Samuel Dalembert. But where would the Sixers have been without the additions of Donny-Ice, Theophilus Ratliff, or Royal Ivey last season?

Ed Stefanski inked Donyell Marshall to a contract worth the veteran's minimum last summer, and not only did Donny-Ice almost single-handedly win four or five games for the Sixers, but tutored the young guys as well. It is safe to say Ed got his monies worth.

Signing a player to the veteran's minimum is always a no-risk, high-reward deal. Sometimes they work out like Donny-Ice, and sometimes they ride the bench the entire season like Kareem Rush.

This summer the Sixers are being very frugal with their cash, and rightfully so. However; it is absolutely essential for them to find a point guard, preferably a veteran, to play alongside Lou and Jrue. Signing the "right" veteran could be huge for the Sixers success, both short-term and long-term. And I don't think Ed can go wrong with any of these no-risk, high-reward guys.

Courtesy Dei Lynam:

Jason Hart

Hart has never been a guy who is careless with the basketball, averaging less than 1 turnover for his career in almost 16 minutes of playing time. He's 31 years old, which would be a nice addition to a young team. Like Royal Ivey did last season, Hart would get after it on the defensive end.

Carlos Arroyo

Arroyo has made 113 NBA starts. He battled with Jameer Nelson for the starting spot in Orlando two seasons ago and could provide the perfect competition for Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday.

Brevin Knight

Five years ago, Knight tied Steve Nash for the NBA's assist leader. He has had his fair share of injuries over the years, with his 80 games played in his rookie season, the highest total of his 12 year career.

Tyronn Lue

But Lue has had a fine career that began with the Lakers, where he won two NBA titles. He had his best years with the Hawks, for whom he started 76 games of the 189 that he played in. Over his career, he has averaged just 3 assists per game - but he's also a 39 percent three point shooter.

Juan Dixon

Juan Dixon is the familiarity free agent. Dixon played for Eddie Jordan in Washington, where he got his NBA start after an outstanding college career at the University of Maryland.

Bobby Jackson

[Jackson] can play either guard position, which would be appealing to the Sixers with Jordan's offensive scheme. He can make a three pointer and he has defensive skills, even at his age.

Luther Head

Head spent the first three-plus years of his NBA career in Houston, before being waived this past February. But in his second year with the Rockets, he shot 44 percent from the three, and averaged 11 points.

I prefer Arroyo, Knight or Hart.

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Miscellaneous Links

BDL ranks Andre Miller as the second best restricted free agent, just ahead of Ike Diogu. Yikes.

The Sixers rank 17th in the Hoop Doctors early power rankings.

Brian breaks down where the bigs should play, and for how long.

Chad Ford says the Sixers have had the 26th best off-season.

Ed Stefanski on how the Sixers compare to the rest of the Eastern Conference powerhouses.

"We have to get to where those teams are," Stefanski said. "Right now, they're in the right position as far as playing for championships, and they're adding pieces. We have a plan we're following, and we feel we're heading in the right direction. It's not going to happen overnight."