SB Nation - Mike Wilks

Loud Links: 11.02.2009

daddydai — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:57:37 -0000

Kevin Durant Next - ESPN
[Durant has been named "Next" by ESPN. Watch out world here we come!! Click the link and read the .PDF article.] Before he signed his sneaker deal with Nike, Durant turned down an offer from Adidas worth $70 million. "That’s a lot of money," he says. But when it came right down to it, he just plain likes Nikes better. He grew up wearing them, and they felt good on his feet. The deal made him happy. For him, it wasn’t a function of addition; it didn’t come down to logic. It came down to hunch. It came down to gut. It came down to instinct. Not a killer’s, but a kid’s.

As Thunder rookie James Harden puts it, "If you grow up too fast, what’s the point? Kevin’s not childish. He’s just different. He just likes to have fun. He’s young, man. We’re all young. But we’re learning when we can joke around and when we have to be serious." Learning the difference between joking and serious, between consistent and dominant, is this season’s homework assignment for Durant.

NBA.com: Durant on big expectations, being skinny and Beyonce

[Who ordered the KD love-fest? NBA.com asks KD some great questions in this lengthy Q&A.]

NBA.com: How do your teammates treat you now that you have a semi-celebrity status?

KD: I put myself on the same level as everyone else. From the first man to the end of the bench. Nobody has a "celebrity status" attitude here. Especially me. I always put the team first and without them I surely wouldn't be the NEXT athlete or talking to NBA.com for articles. Once I step into this building for practice and games, it's all about the team.

NBA.com: Would it be easier if there were fewer expectations for you and you could be a sleeper player in the league?

KD: Either way it's cool with me. I like being the underrated and sleeper guy, too. However, people started recognizing me and it feels good as well. As long as I handle my business here every day as a professional I will have no regrets.

NBA.com: The most constant criticism of you since you were drafted in 2007 is that you're too skinny and need to build muscle. Are we going to see Durant 2.0 with more muscle, or is this wiry frame what we will be working with for a while?

KD: I'm trying my hardest just to get there. It's tough. I'm a lot skinnier then other people, so it's tough for me to make it look like I'm stronger. I feel like I'm getting a lot stronger and bigger. Ask anybody in the organization. Hard work will take care of my fame. In a way, me being skinny makes me who I am and a lot of people are getting used to me being skinny. It's kind of unique that I can say I'm the skinniest guy in the league.

Suns, Kings likely to see early success even out over season | SI.com
The flashy stat in OKC may be Kevin Durant's 27.4 points per game, behind only Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James among the league leaders, but the better story is that Durant is playing 80 percent of the minutes for a team ranked fourth in the league in defensive efficiency and fifth in points allowed per game. It's a limited sample -- Durant has only been off the court a total of 154 minutes thus far this season -- but the Thunder allow just 99.1 points per 100 possessions when KD plays compared to 115.4 points per 100 possessions when he doesn't. Throw in significant jumps, for the second straight year, in Durant's rebounding and assist rates, and even persistent critics like yours, truly, have to concede he's a budding MVP candidate. More to the point, the Thunder's upgrade on defense this season (they were 23rd in points allowed last year should forestall long losing streaks. Factor in a rough early gauntlet that has already included two games apiece versus the Lakers and the Magic, and quality wins over Orlando, San Antonio and Utah, and Presti's rebuilding job, ably abetted by coach Scott Brooks, looks to be a year or two ahead of schedule.

Thunder’s Mike Wilks is well-traveled | NewsOK.com
It wasn’t to be for Wilks, the 5-foot-10 point guard who the Thunder signed Thursday out of desperation. Wilks played his college ball at Rice, went undrafted in 2001 and has spent the past eight years journeying the country in search of a job. Wilks is a walking stopgap to Oklahoma City’s injury-ravaged roster. Backup point guard Kevin Ollie will miss up to four weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee. Third-string point guard Shaun Livingston also is healing from knee surgery and might be sidelined at least another week. And Kyle Weaver, a natural shooting guard who can fill in as an emergency point guard, is on the shelf at least four months after surgery to repair damage to a dislocated shoulder. All told, it creates an attractive opportunity for a player such as Wilks, the quintessential NBA journeyman. Wilks, 30, is now on his 11th team in seven seasons. In Oklahoma City, Wilks is that storybook character who was sitting at home before a pro franchise came calling for his services. "I’m just thankful that they thought enough of me to bring me in," Wilks said.

The Associated Press: Thunder guards Ollie, Weaver have surgery
The Oklahoma City Thunder says guard Kevin Ollie underwent successful "minor" surgery Monday to relieve pain in the patellar tendon in his right knee. Ollie has missed three games with the injury and is expected to be out up to four more weeks. Another Thunder guard, Kyle Weaver, also had successful surgery Monday on his separated shoulder, an injury he suffered last week during practice. The team says his rehabilitation will last at least four months. Oklahoma City center Nenad Krstic missed his first game of the season Sunday with soreness in his left Achilles tendon and forward Nick Collison missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained knee. Guard Shaun Livingston has been sidelined following arthroscopic knee surgery two weeks ago, but practiced Saturday and participated in the team's practice Sunday.

Awards Watch: Kobe on top - ESPN
MVP #10. Kevin Durant, Can Durant win MVP? Not this season. But he deserves props for having the Thunder in position to challenge for a playoff spot, while taking the next step toward stardom. (Last week: NR | Team record: 9-8)

ROY #3. James Harden, Thunder: He is getting more comfortable in the Oklahoma City offense and has scored in double digits in five of the past six games. When he plays at least 20 minutes, he has produced.

COY #5. Scott Brooks, Thunder and Paul Westphal, Kings (tie): Oklahoma City won just 23 games while finishing last in the Northwest last season. This season the Thunder are 9-8. Sacramento won a league-low 17 games last season, finishing in the cellar of the Pacific Division. The Kings have started the season 8-8. (Last week: NR)

DPOY #2. Thabo Sefolosha, Thunder: On a team with Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, Sefolosha has still managed to stand out by playing lockdown defense. (Last week: 2)

THUNDER: Journeyman Wilks thankful for what he's got
"It’s a faith walk, man," Wilk said. "Everybody has different paths in life. I know a lot of guys dream that they’re going to go to the big-time school, get drafted in the first round, get drafted into the NBA and be an All-Star and be all of those types of things. But everybody has a different path. Mine wasn’t, but I wouldn’t trade my path for anything else in the world because it’s through that God has used to build character in me, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today had everything just come to me. "So I appreciate it, and despite how difficult it can be at times I’m blessed, man. The good far outweighs the bad. I have a beautiful family, I’m healthy, and just to have the opportunity to play in this league one time is a privilege, and there’s so many guys, there’s millions of people who have the talent but they just never get the opportunity. It’s something I don’t take for granted, and that’s what I have to focus on when it gets hard, when you’re here, when you’re there. Everybody would like to be on a team for a number of years, get a guaranteed contract and all that. But at the end of the day I’ll take it. It’s not what I would have wrote myself, but I’ll take it."

Grading the Coaches - West - Basketball News & NBA Rumors -
Scott Brooks - Oklahoma City Thunder After a start to the season that many were surprised by, the Thunder seem to have hit their first hurdle of the season. Injuries have started to pile up – Nenad Krstic, Nick Collison, Kevin Ollie, Shaun Livingston, and Kyle Weaver are all battling injuries at the moment and the Thunder will be challenged in the last three games of this five-game homestand. Brooks has his squad fighting in each and every game no matter who or where they're playing, as is evidenced by OKC's 5-4 record on the road (impressive for a young, developing team), a tough loss to the Lakers and a win against the East-leading Orlando Magic, both at home. Brooks is the main reason Russell Westbrook has improved as much as he has since he was drafted and Kevin Durant's offensive game is starting to reach the next level as well. Lastly, Brooks has done well in integrating new back-up PG Ollie, who needs minor knee surgery, and will now be faced with the same challenge with recently-added guard Mike Wilks. Grade: A -

NBA Insider: Nine predictions for the rest of the season | OrlandoSentinel.com
The Oklahoma City Thunder will make the playoffs: The Houston Rockets have been one of the league's most pleasant surprises, starting the season with a 9-8 record. But Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder will overtake the Rockets and clinch the West's No. 8 playoff seed.

Hardwood Paroxysm " Blog Archive " Missing Kevin Durant
So I think it’s pretty clear from Twitter and the blog and all how much I watch of the league. I watch a lot. Not a Dwyer amount. But a lot. I’ve seen all 30 teams at least six times by now, most way more than that. And I watch the Thunder more than usual. You want to know something bizarre? I’ve only seen Durant score, like, five field goals. No kidding. It’s just one of those things. I’ll have the game on and someone on Twitter will say something funny, or the dog will need to go outside, or the wife will holler to remind me of item number 8,795 on my to-do list, and then I’ll look up and just hear "Kevin Dur-ANT! Wow!" or some variation thereof. And now and again I’ll rewind it to see it, but usually I just say "Oh, I’ll catch it next time." Except I don’t. I just keep seeing his pull-up threes that clang or turnovers. So to me, Durant has played like crap this year. Which is, of course, absolutely not true, he’s been sublime.

Game 16 Preview: Oklahoma City vs. Milwaukee

Zorgon — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:46:20 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

Neither of these guys will be playing tonight, which could, in itself, explain why we lost to the Bucks twice last year.

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This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 8:30 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma, ESPN

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): BrewHoop, Bucks Diary, The Bob Boozer Jinx, Bucksketball

Backstory: Well, it's that time of year again. Everybody has loaded up on Turkey, I'm ready to go buy discounted video games like some sort of crazed mad man, and the Thunder are getting ready to take on the hot hot Bucks on National Television. Wait, what was that third one?

That's right, the Thunder are on National Television. After an impressive 8-7 start, ESPN finally considers them to be hot material, at least, hotter than a blowout matchup between the Suns and Timberwolves. And rightfully so. This matchup, in an national perspective, could be seen as a proving ground for both teams. Both are playoff teams right now, which nobody expected at the start of the season. And both are probably not considered to be long-term success teams. That is, most are expecting them to fall into the lottery by the time the season is over. So, who's expected to win?

To be honest, they should expect us to win. The Bucks do have a better record, but their wins have only come over Detroit, Minnesota, Denver, Golden State, New Jersey, Charlotte, and Memphis. Aside from the win against Denver, they've pretty much won against all of the NBAs current doormats. And their losses don't look that much more impressive, with losses to the sub-.500 76ers, Bulls, and Hornets, with the only other losses coming to the struggling Spurs and the rather good Mavericks. Thus, if you put it all together, the only good teams they've played have been Denver and the Mavericks. They've visited almost every non-playoff team in the East (besides the Wizards) and almost every non-playoff team in the West (besides the Clippers, Kings, and Jazz). Now, I'm not saying that the Bucks continuing their run of success in the weaker East isn't possible, I'm just saying that this team isn't the powerhouse we thought they were. Combine that with the loss of Andrew Bogut and possible loss of Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, and you have one giant over-hyped sandwich.

On our side of things, things feel much more real. We're coming off of a huge wins in Utah and Miami, with a more minor win against the Wizards and losses against the Magic and Lakers. All of that doesn't look bad on paper, but it covers up our past losses to teams like the Clippers and Kings. If we can win this game, it will put us at 2 games above .500, and in a very good position moving forward. Thus, this game will decide, on a national stage, whether we are just another bad team having a good early season run, or whether we really are ready for the playoffs.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups:

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Dan Gadzuric

Ah, the Bucks resident backup Center, Dan Gadzuric. He could double-double in this game, if he gets enough minutes in which to do so. However, I'm pretty sure Krstic will have the better scoring night, as no one knows Gadzuric as a defensive stalwart or anything.

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Ersan Ilyasova

Ilyasova is a rare example of how going back to the Euroleague can help your game, He was drafted in 05, played only in the D-League, and then played only sparingly in 06-07. Since he wasn't happy with his situation, he went to play for F.C. Barcelona, averaged decent stats for two years, improved his game, and then came back to the Bucks, where he's now a rather successful Power Forward, averaging 10 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 1 Assist per game in only 22 minutes. Still, this is weaker matchup for Jeff Green, so if he can stay out of foul trouble, he should manage to put up good numbers, and can probably beat Ilyasova in every category.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Carlos Delfino

You read correctly, Carlos Delfino is indeed playing Small Forward. He went to play in Russia last year and averaged decent statistics, but Delfino is already a known quantity, so that only served to raise his stock and get him decent pay. Nevertheless, even though Delfino is a jack of all trades who will produce in every category, he will almost certainly be overpowered by Kevin Durant and scored upon many times.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Charlie Bell

Charlie Bell, at one point, was the worst shooter in the NBA. He's improved since, but he's not going to be a scoring threat any time soon. He'll fill up the intangibles, just as Thabo will, making this matchup a draw.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Brandon Jennings

And here is the matchup of the hour. Brandon Jennings is the super rookie who decided to play in Europe for a year, and, boy, has it paid off. He has averaged 23 Points, 5 Rebounds, and 6 Assists in his rookie campaign, all while sporting very stylish haircuts (I've seen him with the flat top, the faux-hawk, and whatever you call the badass hair-style he has now). If Scott Brooks is smart, he'll have Thabo defending this guy, because Russell Westbrook doesn't have a chance in hell of stopping him. Jennings wins this matchup easily, and I shudder to think what will happen if Mike Wilks is forced to step on the floor.

Battle of the Benches:

This is a complete waste of time. Even without Mbah A Moute and Bogut, the Bucks still have a much more powerful bench, containing former SuperSonic Luke Ridnour, former Raptors star Roko Ukic, former Grizzlies star Hakim Warrick, and Kurt Thomas. We have Harden, Etan Thomas, Collison.....and Mike Wilks. Oh yeah, they still have Michael Redd off the bench, too. I'd say they get the win.

Coaching and Intangibles:

The one intangible on the Thunders side to pay attention to is Mike Wilks. It's not know if we'll have to play him, but if we do, the situation could get drastic, especially against the amazing Brandon Jennings. On the Bucks side, it's not know if Michael Redd can return to his former scoring form yet. If he can, it would certainly create a dynamic duo of a back court, making our situation even more desperate. Where's Kyle Weaver when you need him?

Bottom Line:

The Bucks are like the Raptors of a couple of years ago. They signed foreign talent, combined it with what they had, and became a threat to win on any given night. But, the team is flawed. If Michael Redd can't find his stride, then Brandon Jennings is the only serious scorer on the roster. If Thabo shuts him down to an extent, we can get an easy win. But, if they can get both of their scorers going and have another X-Factor step up, then we're screwed. Also, watch Mike Wilks. If he plays, he could be a huge liability when defending Brandon Jennings. Hopefully, it won't come to that.

Prediction: Oklahoma City 110, Milwaukee 105

Sorry, Bucks fans. I think we've got this one in the bag. Too bad the game is on the worst sports broadcaster of all time.

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

And, again, feel free to drop any comments you might have during, before, or after the game below. I'll be in the Ford Center cheering the team on, but I'll be back to write a recap later tonight. Go Thunder!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

23 votes

The Milwaukee Bucks

7 votes

30 votes | Poll has closed

Loud Links: 11.26.09

manifestus — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:52:29 -0000

More photos » by Lance Murphey - AP

2 months ago: Memphis Grizzlies' Sam Young (4) drives to the basket between Oklahoma City Thunder defenders Kyle Weaver (5) and Ryan Bowen (40) during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009, in Memphis, Tenn. Young scored 22 points to lead the Grizzlies to a 99-91 victory. (AP Photo/Lance Murphey)

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Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! And this Thanksgiving, in terms of the team, is looking good. We've won games to the point where the team looks competitive most every (other) night. Progress is being made and while some bits still need work (see: lack of interior big man, sloppy PG play, etc) all in all I'd have to say that this year is off to a nice start. So, moving on to the Loud Links, which are a bit short due to all things Thanksgiving.

Thunder notebook: Kyle Weaver sidelined with shoulder injury | NewsOK.com
[Yikes. See the article below.] With Shaun Livingston and Kevin Ollie both battling knee ailments, Weaver was thrust into emergency point guard duty in Tuesday’s 104-94 win at Utah. But if Weaver misses an extended amount of time, the Thunder could be without a backup point guard to starter Russell Westbrook.

Report: Thunder To Sign Mike Wilks | newsok.com
[So, while we might scratch our heads and wonder "Who the heck is Mike Wilks?", this looks like a precautionary move. It'd be terrible to have no backup to RW0 with Weaver, Livingston, AND Ollie out.] According to the Web site InsideHoops.com, the Thunder will sign free agent point guard Mike Wilks. The site is reporting that Wilks agent, Bill Neff, has confirmed that Oklahoma City will add the 30-year-old Wilks to provide backcourt relief behind starting point guard Russell Westbrook.

Thunder waives F Ryan Bowen, roster now at 14 | USATODAY.com
[So this move removes some of the redundacy we had in a position of strength to open up more roster space for guys like Wilks. I'm pretty sure we're not going to miss Bowen.] Thunder General Manager Sam Presti announced the move Wednesday. Bowen had played in only one of Oklahoma City's first 15 games, finishing with four points, two rebounds and one steal in eight minutes in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

More, including a Bucks-Thunder preview, after the jump.

Finally home, Thunder has time for practice | NewsOK.com
"This gives us a chance to go back to the drawing board," said Thunder standout Jeff Green. "We can fix some things we haven’t had a chance to work on because we’ve had so many games."

Thunder Notebook: Earning Respect | hoopsworld.com
The Oklahoma City Thunder just may have earned increased league respect, and perhaps some new fans, after their decisive win 104-94 over the Utah Jazz Tuesday night. The Thunder showed how effective their defense can be on an opponent's floor and demonstrated that they are learning how to close out games.

Bucks-Thunder Preview - Nov. 26, 2009 | CBSSports.com
Jennings will be matched up with another former UCLA point guard Friday in Russell Westbrook. The second-year guard is averaging 18.1 points, 6.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds in his last seven games. In Milwaukee's last visit to Oklahoma City, Westbrook had 13 points and four assists off the bench in a 98-87 loss Oct. 29, 2008.

Waive Goodbye, Part 1

Jon L — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:00:35 -0000

by Haraz N. Ghanbari - AP

Paul Davis poses for trading card photo. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

View full size photo »

Here it is; the long-awaited (okay maybe not), oft-promised look at who got waived and who made an NBA roster. I'm breaking this up into three parts, and here's what they'll look like: for each team, there will be a list of who got cut and who got kept (and yes I know the grammar isn't great, but that's what I've decided to go with). To make it interesting, I'll look at one Eastern Conference team and one Western Conference team each day. I probably won't discuss every player, since at this point in his career Juan Dixon can do whatever as far as I'm concerned, but I'll try to hit most of the players who either previously spent time in the D-League or might be considering it as an option this season. I'm also operating under the assumption that the vast majority of guys that I talk about will be playing in Europe. The season's already started over there in a lot of places, but there's usually room for one more skilled American player. Nonetheless, I'll try to keep the D-League optimism up. Okay? Okay. So here we go. First up: the Southeast and Pacific Divisions, below the jump.

Atlanta Hawks

Who got cut: Juan Dixon, Mike Wilks, Courtney Sims, Garrett Siler, Mario West

Who got kept: No one.

Sims and Siler are the main guys to know here, as Dixon, Wilks and West are all veterans at this point who will jump into the pool of emergency guards for less thoughtful teams to sign in case, I dunno, Eric Gordon gets hurt or something. Sims has admirers around the team, and he's showed off his scoring in the preseason, but the rebounding that was so good in the D-League last year has been largely absent thus far. That kind of game (among other reasons) makes me think he's bound for overseas despite the fact that he intrigues front offices. If they really cared, he'd have a contract by now. Siler, on the other hand, is just coming onto the scene and has nice touch and solid rebounding ability. He's just, let's call it "large." If I had to guess I'd say he's a more likely candidate for the D-League, where getting "large" guys into shape seems to be the stock in trade. He's already pretty effective as it is, and he doesn't seem have the foul problems that plague other "large" gentlemen like Mike Sweetney or Kentrell Gransberry, so if he can shed the weight then he might start garnering more serious interest.

Charlotte Bobcats

Who got cut: Dontell Jefferson, Antonio Anderson

Who got kept: Stephen Graham

I was actually kind of shocked at this one. Jefferson is a great man defender (and an all-aaround good guy) who the Bobcats seemed to like (they called him up last year), plus one of their better (if not their best) perimeter defenders with a guaranteed contract just got hurt. So why wouldn't they keep him? Stephen Graham is fine as a player, and he's a D-League success story of sorts so I shouldn't knock him too hard, but while he's a better rebounder than Jefferson, he's not as good of a defender. Hopefully Jefferson comes to the D-League and gets called up quickly, but either of those happening is unlikely, let alone both of them.

Golden State Warriors

Who got cut: Diamon Simpson, Shaun Pruitt

Who got kept: No one

Simpson is raw. Really, really, really raw. But intriguing (at least to me). I thought so when he was on Washington's Summer League team, but he got cut before they played any games and I don't think he played any in the preseason for Golden State, either. It would behoove him to go to the D-League, but who knows if that will happen. He's a Dominic McGuire-type, if McGuire is good enough to have his own type, but it boils down to this: a lot of hustle, the tools to be a very good defender, a very good rebounder, undersized as a PF but no offensive game to make up for it. Who doesn't like that kind of player? Anyway, he'll need to learn some offense somewhere, so why not the D-League? ASSUMING he enters the draft, I could see Rio Grande Valley drafting him and developing him for the Rockets, who are enamored with 6'7" power forwards who rebound really, really well. But what I think should happen and what does happen are usually two different things. Example: Fernwood 2Nite is still not on DVD.

Los Angeles Clippers

Who got cut: Anthony Roberson, Taj Gray, Jerel McNeal

Who got kept: Kareem Rush

Sorry Mike Wilks, Juan Dixon and Mario West, your fellow Brotherhood of Mediocre Shooting Guards member Kareem Rush got this. Roberson is likely headed back to Europe, with all the rest of the good three-point shooters. So is Gray. Jerel McNeal could stick around this neck of the woods, because he's a.) younger and b.) still could use some work on his offensive game. His DraftExpress "best case" is supposedly Shannon Brown, so there's some D-League-to-NBA precedent for a guy like McNeal, and he's solid enough all-around that if he continues to cut down on his turnovers he could draw some real interest.

Los Angeles Lakers

Who got cut: Mickael Gelabale, David Monds, Tony Gaffney, Michael Fey, Thomas Kelati

Who got kept: No one

Somewhat off-topic, but at this point I'm wondering what the point of the Lakers having their own D-League affiliate is. I know I'm not supposed to say that, but...who was the last player they developed in-house? Jordan Farmar, I guess? Does Josh Powell count since he never plays? I know that they're in "win-now" mode as long as Kobe Bryant is on the team, but heck, trading for Adam Morrison? They could've found someone else, put him on the D-Fenders for two years, and still eventually have gotten more out of him than Morrison will end up giving them. And no, this isn't about cutting Sun Yue. Okay, maybe it's partially about cutting Sun Yue. But that was the plan with Mickael Gelabale, I assume, who has a lot of talent and a knack for scoring. But he couldn't earn a deal and DJ Mbenga could? Mbenga is good for something, right? I mean, he is, right? I could've sworn he did something well at some point. David Monds played very well for the Lakers' Summer League team, so that likely got him some attention even if his preseason didn't. I'm willing to bet that he comes back to the D-League, just not heavily.

Miami Heat

Who got cut: John Lucas, Alade Aminu, Andre Brown, Anthony Tolliver

Who got kept: Carlos Arroyo, Shavlik Randolph

Sigh. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh. Not that Arroyo is still around, I guess, since he's not the worst option out there and can run the pick and roll adequately, but Lucas really can play, size notwithstanding. I'm pretty sure Lucas has had some problems with not being paid by his European employers in the past, so it could be that he's soured on the enterprise, and if he comes back to the D-League he'll join the Maine Red Claws, but my best guess is that he'll try going overseas again and hope to get his check on time. Aminu may try his hand at the D-League, since his younger (and more talented) brother is still in college. Aminu played some decent defense for Washington's Summer League team, and he's pretty athletic along with being a decent ball-handler for a 6'10" guy. He needs to work on not turning the ball over and acquiring some post moves, and the D-League is as good a place as any to do that.

Orlando Magic

Who got cut: Morris Almond

Who got kept: Linton Johnson

I'm a little surprised that Johnson is still around, although Adonal Foyle got hurt so there's room for another frontcourt player. Sort of. I mean with Brandon Bass, Ryan Anderson, Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, Vince Carter and Matt Barnes around I'm not really sure how much playing time Johnson will get, even in practice. Some of those guys can play guard, true, but this team is apparently committed to the Jason Williams Reclamation Project and not, you know, keeping a guard who can actually help the team out. It's a good question where Almond goes from here, as he's "done with the D-League." Maybe he joins Dixon, et al. or maybe he just cuts his losses and heads yonder, but either way I can't shake the feeling that he never really got a fair look this offseason.

Phoenix Suns

Who got cut: Carlos Powell, Dan Dickau, Raymond Sykes

Who got kept: No one.

Well, at least our long national Dan Dickau nightmare is over. Powell played very well in the preseason, and the team spoke well of him which should help combat some old on-court character issues. He's a strong call-up candidate this season should he go to the D-League, and he's been working hard to get to the NBA so he may go that route. I've already linked to it once, but for more on Powell's play I recommend this Bright Side of the Sun post.

Sacramento Kings

Who got cut: Lanny Smith, Melvin Ely

Who got kept: No one.

I would bet that Smith returns to the D-League. He's not that far removed from breaking his foot in college, and he was a backup in Idaho last year, so he still has a lot to show. He can play, though, and it shouldn't be too surprising if he becomes a top point guard in the D-League this year. That's assuming he goes there, however, and not overseas. He played for the "NBA Generations" team that played in Korea and the Philippines, so he's gotten some international exposure, and non-US teams could come calling.

Washington Wizards

Who got cut: Vincent Grier

Who got kept: Paul Davis

Grier never really played, so this isn't a shock. He's a pretty good combo guard and scorer, but the Wizards have a ton of shooting guards on the team so this was always going to be a longshot. Paul Davis is sticking around because Antawn Jamison will be out for at least a month, and the team was already thin up front. As in, Fabricio Oberto who was signed to be the end-of-bench veteran presence, is now the starting power forward. Davis is now the fifth big, and he's defied my expectations by playing pretty well this preseason, averaging about 18 points and nine rebounds per 36 minutes while staying out of foul trouble. He shot 5-10 from the floor, and I have no idea where those shots came from exactly, but one reason I was skeptical is that last season his eFG percentages were .333 on "close" shots and .344 on jump shots (as determined by 82games.com), which are pretty bad. As long as the Wizards don't expect much from Davis on the offensive end other than dunks and tip-ins, they should be fine.

Ghosts of Wizards Past are Starting to Pop Up Again

JakeTheSnake — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 09:00:34 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

Antonio Daniels could be coming to a town near you...unless it's Minneapolis...or Washington.

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Training camp is in full swing around the NBA. Training camp serves as the alarm to basketball fans that the season is about to start. It's also a gives us a great chance to reminisce about old faces who are landing in new places, trying to extend their NBA career by latching on to training camp rosters, or in some cases trying to demand a trade.

After the jump, you can check out the latest news on the man pictured above, among others.

- You may recall that Antonio Daniels was shipped to Minnesota during the summer in exchange for Darius Songaila. Understandably, the 34 year old isn't too excited about the prospect of playing in bitter cold Minnesota for a rebuilding team. So it's not too much of a surprise to see that Antonio Daniels has asked for a trade. Wolves GM David Kahn has honored his request and will allow him to pursue trade options.

Daniels, 34, was acquired from New Orleans earlier this month mainly because Kahn opened more cap space for next summer by trading Darius Songaila and the two years remaining on his contract away. Daniels wants to play significant minutes so he score another sizable contract next summer, a prospect that, barring injury, isn’t likely with the Wolves committed to Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions at point guard.

He said he would trade Daniels to a team where he can play more — as he did by dealing Richardson to Miami for Blount — if he can get a similar expiring $6.6 million contract in return. Kahn said he believes helping players in that situation if possible is a bit of goodwill that eventually will benefit the franchise with other players down the road.

I've heard some fans bounce the idea of trying to re-acquire Daniels with Mike James' expiring contract. It's certainly an intriguing idea, but it has too much working against it. Mike James didn't leave Minnesota on the best of terms, so its had to see Minnesota rolling out the welcome mat for him. Likewise, there was some talk that AD had become very "negative and critical" near the end of his time in D.C., so there's no guarantee that either side would be excited about a reunion.

On top of that and more importantly, trading for Mike James wouldn't do anything to change the situation that they have on their hands other than to change the name involved in the conflict. If James was sent to Minnesota, he would immediately ask for a trade because he doesn't want to spend the closing years of his career on a rebuilding team any more than Antonio Daniels does.

- If you were wondering if Juan Dixon's invitation to the Back to Camp party meant that he would be back with the team again, you don't have to worry anymore. He'll be fighting for a roster spot in Atlanta along with Mike Wilks. You may remember Wilks played a few games for the Wizards two years ago when the team was decimated by injuries.

- You've probably heard by now that Juwan Howard signed with the Blazers, but he won't be the only ex-Wiz in Portland in training camp. Donnell Taylor will also be in Oregon trying to make the team. (Editor's Note: Taylor just got cut after this post was finished). Also, while we're still on the subject of Juwan Howard, it's probably worth noting that his son Juwan Howard Jr. has signed on to play at Western Michigan next year.

- Etan Thomas won't be the only former Wizard in Oklahoma City, Michael Ruffin received an invite to participate in the Thunder's training camp.

Interview with NBA Agent Bill Neff: The Economic Downturn, Affiliations, and the Direction of the D-League (PART 1)

Aisander D — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:00:10 -0000

Recent occurrences in the D-League have made it abundantly clear that we are approaching a difficult time for both the NBA and Developmental League. The financial markets have begun to predicate many of the actions taken by major league and minor league franchises. Bakersfield recently announced their platinum club plan, charging exorbitant prices for D-League games. A quick scan of our transactions list reveals that a lot of well known D-League players are making the jump overseas. Many NBA teams have been cutting staff and signing players very cautiously, in an effort to guard the bottom line. Combined, all of this paints a painful picture, filled with tough decisions ahead.

In order to get a handle on the state of the D-League and the outer forces influencing it, we're going to be interviewing a series of people who can be considered "stakeholders" in the League. GMs, coaches, players, and agents will be the target of this effort, which will essentially try come to some understanding about where the D-League stands in the next year and where we are headed in the future.

Our first interview in the series is with well known agent Bill Neff, who works for Saga Sports and has over 15 years of experience with the CBA, NBA, and D-League. Bill graduated from the University of Michigan in 1980 and has represented mostly minor league players for much of his career. Mr. Neff's current client list includes the likes of well known player/blogger Rod Benson, Gerry McNamara, Jamaal Tatum, Kevin Ollie, Mike Wilks, Jason Hart, and Demetris Nichols. Bill was also representing Mike Taylor when he was the first player drafted from the D-League in the 2008 NBA draft.

Today's post is Part 1 of the interview, followed by Part 2 tomorrow morning.

AD: How long have you been representing players and how long have you been working with the D-League?

Bill Neff: I have been representing players for about 16 years now and have worked with the D League since its inception and the CBA before it. The essence of our firm [Ed. Note: Saga Sports], its DNA, if you will, is minor league players. We believe strongly in it. First, because of the kinds of players we get or try to get, where we do not do anything which violates NCAA or NBPA rules, they will not necessarily get drafted. However, they may be as good as a drafted player but not received the exposure that some of the draftees get. The minor leagues help that. Second, you have to play to get better. Sitting on an NBA bench as a younger guy is a waste of time. See Ramon Sessions. Third, all of my players go through the D League and prior to that, the CBA. It makes them so much better. It is graduate school.

All of my players go through the D League and, prior to that, the CBA. It makes them so much better. It is graduate school.

AD: Generally how have you seen the D-League grow or change over the course of your interactions with the League? What have been some positive and negative changes?

Bill Neff: The D League is a work in progress. Used correctly, it could be a great vehicle, as the Bucks did with a terrific coach in Joey Meyer for Sessions. They were lucky, in that regard. If the NBA sees the D League as an opportunity, it can be that. If you see it as an expense, it is an expense.

If the D League is about development, you can take a late second rounder and turn him into a mid level player. It happened for me with Troy Hudson who, by the way, looks great now that he is healthy. Younger players need to play. If you are like the Jazz and run the same system as the NBA team, that is a good way to go. Or, if you make sure your draft choice goes down and gets to play, it should be helpful.

Or, if you use it to give an incentive for players to come there. For instance, promise the players that they will be on your summer league roster. If you can handle it logistically, attempt to work out with the Players Association, an angle where D League players get practice time benefits, such as money, if they practice with the big club. Add that to the CBA. Tell your Personnel Directors if you find a Kevin Ollie, Mike Wilks or Jason Hart in the minor leagues, we will boost your pay. Have them work like Mark Warkentien (Dahntay Jones) and Carroll Dawson used to with Chucky Brown and Mario Elie and find championship pieces in the minor leagues. They are there.

The problem is too many NBA people look at the NBDL as a lesser place. It is not. Some really good coaches like Phil Jackson and George Karl toiled there [Ed. Note: both coached in the CBA in the mid-80's] and the recent generation of Dave Joerger, now with Memphis, Bryan Gates, now with Sacramento, and Meyer are every bit their equal. The view from the NBA has changed, unfortunately.

In short, the D League has grown because of the assignment aspect of it but it is still hampered by the NBA's/NBDL's lack of creative thinking. Spend a touch more in salaries, which they won't, allow more freedom to go to Europe and you will have a great league. Relax the rules to allow players to choose which team they can go to but what has happened is because of the D League's byzantine rules, you must be very careful when you put your guy into the pool. Also, teams like San Antonio have tinkered with the rules to their advantage. The rules should be simple, allowing for the best players to enter into the League. They do not exist now. Only because I believe in the D League have I pushed my players there. I am in the minority of agents. So, the positive changes are some NBA teams' mild embrace of the league, its greater exposure but the negatives remain which hamper its development: an embrace by the NBA as an equal partner, unclear rules, low salaries, so it will continue to lurch along by fits and starts until it cleans up some of those things.

The problem is too many NBA people look at the NBDL as a lesser place. It is not.

AD: Over the past few seasons, but this season in particular, the global and regional financial outlook has been fairly grim. It's well documented that NBA owners are trimming the pocketbooks and preparing for rough times ahead. How do you think this affects the D-League? Are there fewer opportunities for players to be called up from the D-League, or will NBA teams be seeking more cheap talent than ever?

Bill Neff: The global economy has affected everyone and will affect the D League. There will be fewer callups. I wish it were different. The NBA should be seeking cheap talent but by the way they used the summer leagues and just promote their own players for the most part, they will not be looking to the D League, as they should. They should be encouraging cheap talent. The hybrid teams should attempt to encourage players to come by offering summer league spots but they do not. It is really a waste of a good product to some extent.

Stay tuned for Part 2 with Bill Neff tomorrow morning.

Will Allen Iverson and Dwyane Wade be able to play well together?

DolPhanDave — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:21:29 -0000

Sticking with the Allen Iverson/Heat guard 'problem' for a moment, we have to realize the full effect of signing the former 4-time scoring champ to play with Dwyane Wade. First of all, Iverson was very openly unhappy after being demoted to the bench in Detroit last season, and we all remember how that played out. Images of Iverson sitting on the bench, slouched down with his arms folded across his chest and a towel on his head are still very clear in my head...and after Riley told us that Mario Chalmers will be our starting point guard next season, it's an interesting thought as to why Iverson would choose to sign with Miami.

Now personally, I'm not against the move of signing Iverson, and here is why. We would only be signing him for one season, and it looks to be a 'transitional' year anyway. Everything Riley is doing is to prepare the Heat to re-sign Dwyane Wade and also bring in a top-tier free agent next summer. But brining in a popular name like Allen Iverson would certainly sell more tickets and give the Heat some scoring depth, which was very inconsistent from our bench last season.

I can't see how Iverson playing in a Heat uniform would translate into less wins for us this coming season, and I'm also willing to bet that it wouldn't make D-Wade unhappy to see Riley bring in another big name that would bring some excitement to the AAA court.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons for people to be against the move, and I can certainly see things from their point of view. For those of you looking to read about all the reasons NOT to sign Iverson, I highly suggest checking out Israel Gutierrez's latest article in the Miami Herald. One thing that caught my eye was this part:

All you have to do is remember what happened in Denver when he played with Carmelo Anthony. They were teammates, but they didn't make a team. They were two individual scoring talents that never melded into anything formidable. Iverson scored 26.4 points a game his last full year in Denver, while Anthony averaged 25.7 a game. All that translated to was a No. 8 seed out West and a four-game, first-round sweep at the hands of the Lakers.

Sure, I can see that happening here, but lets be realistic for a moment. Miami is not likely to contend for an NBA title this season, and signing Iverson may do more to solidify that then not signing him. However, I am more interested in the consistent winning and title contention that the Heat held from 2004-2007. It's hard to call this season a 'throw away' because we'll still have a very strong squad that will win a good amount of games...but looking at Cleveland, Orlando and Boston (without mentioning some of the lower ranked teams making moves as well), it's hard to see our roster matching up with any of them in a 7-game series.

So don't kill me, I'm just trying to be realistic. Granted, Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley could improve by leaps and bounds, James Jones could have a full season playing back to his sharpshooting form and Jermaine O'Neal could prove to be an amazing improvement in a contract year after a summers worth of hard work. That would be awesome! But...the word 'could' pops up in that sentence several times, and I think there is a better chance of Beasley and Chalmers coming into their own after they get another full season under their belts. The 3rd season is usually the 'break out' year and I have to go along with that, although I'd love for that to be expedited.

Now, let's say the Heat don't sign Iverson. Where does that leave us? As of now we have Chalmers and Chris Quinn signed up for next season, and draft pick Patrick Beverly still remains unsigned. It's likely that he will sign though; why else would Riley spend $1.5 million and a 2011 2nd round pick to acquire his rights from the Lakers during the draft. Ira Winderman wrote in his blog:

On the other hand, a rotation at point guard of Mario Chalmers, Chris Quinn and Beverley would leave the Heat with a grand total of four years of NBA experience at the position. Unless the Heat could find a place to dump the $1.1 million Quinn is due this season, keeping Beverley could mean bypassing such remaining veteran free-agent options at the position as Bobby Jackson, Brevin Knight, Ty Lue, Mike Wilks, Stephon Marbury, Jamaal Tinsley and, of course, Allen Iverson.

I have to agree that bringing in a veteran presence to help mentor our young backcourt would be wise. Remember, we still have a young Daequan Cook as well, who is coming into his 3rd season in the NBA and will likely be the backup 2 guard behind D-Wade. The way his level of play significantly dropped off last season, I wouldn't mind having someone to help pick him (and the other youngsters) up when they are down. Some of those "I've been there, you'll bounce back" stories would certainly help the confidence of some unsure youngsters.

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.

Examining the Orlando Magic's Rafer Alston/Jameer Nelson Point Guard "Controversy"

Ben Q Rock — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:00:19 -0000

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Two weeks have passed since Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic, in which point guard Jameer Nelson infamously returned to the Magic's lineup--as a reserve--after a four-month layoff due to shoulder surgery. The Lakers thumped the Magic by 25 points in that game, and went on to win the championship in 5 games. Some Magic fans believe Nelson's return might have cost the Magic the championship, citing a disruption of team chemistry in addition to his own poor play individually. Even the staunchest of Nelson supporters--myself included--wouldn't argue that he played well in the Finals, as he averaged 3.8 points, 2.8 assists, 1.4 turnovers, and 34.8% shooting. He registered a miserable Player Efficiency Rating of 4.9. It was an ugly series.

And so, stemming from his poor Finals showing, and the fact that Rafer Alston--whom the Magic acquired at the trading deadline to fill-in for Nelson down the stretch--some Magic fans have argued that Orlando needs to deal Nelson and keep Alston long-term, according to Mike Bianchi, who favors the Magic trading Alston this summer. After all, Alston led the team to the Finals, and had some killer playoff performances on the way there.

How quickly we forget, no? Nelson was in the midst of an All-Star campaign when he tore the labrum in his left shoulder. He had gotten Orlando off to a brilliant start to the season. At the same time, the veteran Alston was struggling with the Houston Rockets, unhappy about their plans to cut his minutes in favor of the second-year man Aaron Brooks.

Enough preamble. Let's get down to business: how do Alston and Nelson stack up individually? Is it possible that Alston is a better player than Nelson? I thought, even after the Finals, that the answers to both these questions would be obvious to most people. Turns out, I thought wrong, evidently. After the jump, a statistical comparison^*--complete with visual aid which you can enlarge by clicking--of Alston and Nelson as they compare regarding shooting, playmaking, and impact on team performance.

^* based on data from 82games and basketball-reference.

Subject index: Shooting | Playmaking | Impact on Team Performance

SHOOTING: The following graph illustrates the gap in performance between Nelson and Alston as it relates to shooting. It should be obvious, based on empirical observation, that Nelson is the more accurate shooter. Perhaps it isn't. Anyway, here's a visual representation of the two players in five key shooting categories: traditional FG%, 3FG%, and FT%, as well as effective field goal percentage (which accounts for three-pointers) and true shooting percentage (which accounts for threes and free throws). I also included how the two players stack up on jumpers versus shots close to the basket. Have a look.

To be fair to Alston, he gets to the rim with far more regularity than Neson does, as close shots account for 36% of his attempts, compared to 23% for Nelson. But Rafer does not convert nearly as efficiently. His inability to finish is not as troublesome for Orlando as it would be for other teams, as Dwight Howard is frequently in the vicinity for the put-back, or at the very least the offensive rebound. But still, a point guard who struggles to make baskets--from point-blank to three-point range--is troublesome for an offense that bases itself on spacing. Defenses are free to sag off Rafer, as they'd rather have him shoot than any of the Magic's long-range marksmen, or Howard. Jameer, in contrast, punishes defenses for leaving him open. He adds a dimension to the offense that Rafer simply does not.

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PLAYMAKING: As we'll see, both Alston and Nelson take good care of the ball, dishing assists without turning the ball over too often. You will notice, however, that Nelson bests Alston in both assist rate and turnover rate.

Again, this is not to suggest that Alston is a poor distributor; it's just that Nelson is a better one. To his credit, Alston has a better handle and crossover move than Nelson does. Of course, we can't express that with data. Just trust me on this one.

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IMPACT ON TEAM PERFORMANCE: Now that we've seen their individual numbers, it's only logical to examine how the Magic as a whole operate with them on the floor.

The Magic are better on both sides of the ball with Nelson on the floor. Their 115.9 offensive efficiency rating an 101.3 defensive efficiency rating would lead the NBA if they sustained it for a full season; incidentally, the Magic did lead the league in defensive efficiency this season anyway. It's worth noting that the Magic would still be well above average in both categories (9th in offense, 4th in defense) with Alston, so it's not like he utterly tanks them.

To be more specific, I included their performance in the same statistical categories, restricting them to how they rated with the normal starting lineup only. Courtney Lee, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, and Dwight Howard comprise set lineup. This comparison establishes a "control group" for accuracy. As expected, that foursome performs much better with Nelson than with Alston.

The following graph also fits under the team performance umbrella. Again using the same starting lineups, I wanted to see how the Magic perform on a per-minute basis. Alston played 415 minutes with that group, while Nelson clocked 256.

Yeah, if that doesn't convince everyone that the Magic are better off with Nelson, I don't know what will. The same starting unit outscores its opponents at a rate 9 times better with Nelson, and ranked 7th in the entire league in raw +/- this season. Point differential is a great indicator of team success, and as a team, the Magic have a much better point differential with Nelson than Alston.

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And so, there you have it. What I believe to be a convincing, statistical case that Jameer Nelson fills the Orlando Magic's point guard role much better than Rafer Alston does. Now, the Magic still perform at a high level with Alston on the floor, which may indicate the team should hold-off on trading him, but Nelson puts them in a whole 'nother tier.

But there's more at work here than just statistics. Alston and Nelson are human beings. They are not impervious to harm, emotionally or physically. I already linked the months-old article regarding Alston's unhappiness with the Rockets, but there are more recent pieces which indicate he's already disgruntled with the Magic's decision to bring Nelson back for the Finals, and their eventually moving him to the bench next season. To be clear, Alston knows that's coming, says the Orlando Sentinel:

"That's our all-star point guard."

... but that doesn't mean he's pleased with it. Here's the Associated Press regarding Alston's being benched for the entire fourth quarter and overtime in Orlando's Game 4 Finals loss:

"I was shocked. I was shocked," Alston said. "It's tough. Your [sic] thinking coach will come back to you. The first two games I could understand, but again we were right there to win the game. As a player you would like to have your number called."

And Alston's slightly more measured take after riding a lot of pine in Game 1, as reported by the New York Daily News:

"I'll give you a good excuse," a grinning Alston said. "I sat 12 minutes real game time, I sat about 30 minutes real life time. So there's an excuse.

"It was odd. I mean, I think everyone can see that. That's unusual to start the game and then you don't even touch the court in the second quarter. But there's no pouting, there's no getting mad, there's going to be no coach and Alston meeting about it. I'm going to go out here and get ready for Game 2 (tomorrow night) and prepare myself like I have been all playoffs."

Can the Magic really bank on Alston's keeping his cool for an entire season as Nelson's backup? Based on the recent past, I'm not so sure.

And even if they could, there's Nelson's psyche to consider. Magic GM Otis Smith let former backups Carlos Arroyo and Keyon Dooling leave via free-agency last summer, replacing them with the journeymen Anthony Johnson and Mike Wilks. Without as much talent waiting to take his job should he falter, Nelson had the best season of his career. With Alston, who vows to "push him in practice" in the Sentinel story linked above, behind him, Nelson may regress. That's something the Magic can ill-afford.

On the whole, two things are clear: Jameer Nelson is better suited to start at point guard for the Orlando Magic than Rafer Alston is, and Nelson may feel his starting job is threatened if the Magic decide not to deal Alston this summer. And so, I'm forced to agree with Bianchi: the Magic should attempt to trade Rafer Aston sometime before the start of the 2009/2010 NBA season.

2009 NBA Draft Coverage: In Sam Presti We Trust (Thunder GM)

Mr Pappagiorgio — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:00:21 -0000

As we inch closer and closer to the 2009 NBA Draft, I thought it would be fitting to make very clear of one thing, In Sam Presti We Trust. The moves he's made since joining the organization have been cold and calculated as he attempts to completely rebuild this team, for the long haul, and from the ground up. He hasn't been afraid to trade superstars (Ray Allen), walk away from pricey re-signings (Rashard Lewis), or even walk away from completed trades involving stud players because his future became a little cloudy after Thunder trainers evaluated him (Tyson Chandler). He did all that and more, much more, in just 2 years since being hired by the Sonics. Its a pretty long list that you'll see after you make the jump.

Sam Presti became the General Manager of the Seattle Sonics on June 7, 2007 and since then, not only has he made those tough decisions/big deals listed above, but he's also turned over nearly the entire roster. Just take a look at these names: Ray Allen, Andre Brown, Desmon Farmer, Danny Fortson, Mickael Gelabale, Andreas Glyniadakis, Rashard Lewis, Randy Livingston, Johan Petro, Luke Ridnour, Mo Sene, Chris Wilcox, and Mike Wilks. In addition to those guys, Earl Watson, Nick Collison, and Damien Wilkins were also on the roster when Sam Presti took over the club, however, before the end of the summer, or before the trade deadline next year, its not out of the realm of possibilities for one, two, or even all three of those guys to be moved. Of the three remaining Pre-Presti players, only Nick Collison figures to be around past next year, at least in our estimation.

We've all been exhausting ourselves discussing what the Thunder will do with their #3 pick in next weeks draft, and while all the possibilities are intriguing, one thing we can bank on is that Thunder General Manager Sam Presti will undoubtedly make the smartest move for Oklahoma City with respect towards building this team for the future. He and his staff are looking at all sorts of players, and discussing potential moves with all sorts of teams. By the time the Thunder officially make/trade their pick come draft day, you can trust that the staff will have done their homework, carefully plotted out their move, and figured out the best way to make the most of our draft choice. It could come by using the 3rd pick to select a guy like James Harden (Which we love), Hasheem Thabeet, or even a guy like Tyreke Evens (whom you'll likely be hearing from, fictitiously of course, this week in our continued "My Name Is Series"). Or perhaps it could come by trading that third pick away, possibly with expiring contracts (Earl Watson anyone....please?), or with draft picks, and could be used to add a veteran player from another team in addition to dropping down a few slots and drafting a player like Stephen Curry to help maximize the value of our 3rd overall pick.

Whatever the case, In Sam Presti We Trust, and In Sam Presti You Can Trust. If you don't believe us, just take a look at the entire history of moves he's made since joining the club. Its quite a long list, especially when you consider he only took the job just a little over two years ago, but one thing is for sure, he isn't afraid of wheeling and dealing. So take a few minutes, look over this list, form your opinion about any/all of the moves he's made, and let us know if you Trust in Presti as much as we do.

Also, it's recently been announced that the state of Oklahoma will be releasing a limited edition State specific Nickel for use in the state of Oklahoma only, as part of an advertising campaign to raise awareness about our professional basketball team. The tails side is of course the Thunder logo, but the heads side features our very own Sam Presti, with the words In Sam We Trust. You can see the head side of the Nickel below Presti's transaction history on this post. Of course this is all complete malarkey and isn't actually true, I just had to make something up so that my post header made more sense, or cents. I mean not everybody would have made the connection between In Sam We Trust and In God We Trust which is most commonly found on all forms of American Money. And no, in no way does this post, or post title have anything to do with God or Religion, its just my new catch phrase for anytime someone posts or makes comments in reference to our wunderkind general manager.

Sam Presti's Transaction History (2007-09) Seattle Sonics / Oklahoma City Thunder

(Transaction History From HoopsHype, although any links contained inside stay in the SBNation Network)

TRANSACTIONS:
SEASON 2008-09
March 31 2009 Signed guard Shaun Livingston. March 1 2009 Waived forward Joe Smith. February 20 2009 Waived center Saer Sene. February 19 2009 Traded forward Chris Wilcox to the New York Knicks for forward Malik Rose and cash. Traded a conditional 2009 first-round pick to the Chicago Bulls for guard Thabo Sefolosha. February 17 2009 Traded forwards Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox and the draft rights to forward DeVon Hardin to the New Orleans Hornets for center Tyson Chandler. The trade was voided the following day. January 7 2009 Traded center Johan Petro and a second-round pick to the Denver Nuggets for guard Chucky Atkins. December 31 2008 Signed center Nenad Krstic. December 30 2008 Waived center Steven Hill. December 22 2008 Signed center Nenad Krstic to an offer sheet. November 22 2008 Fired head coach PJ Carlesimo and assistant coach Paul Westhead and named Scott Brooks interim head coach. November 4 2008 Signed center Steven Hill. November 3 2008 Waived guard John Lucas. October 21 2008 Waived forward Derrick Byars and center Chris Alexander. October 16 2008 Exercised the contract options on forwards Kevin Durant and Jeff Green through 2009-10. September 29 2008 Signed guard John Lucas, forward Derrick Byars and center Chris Alexander. September 11 2008 Re-signed center Robert Swift. August 27 2008 Signed guard Kyle Weaver. August 20 2008 Waived forward Donyell Marshall. August 13 2008 Traded guard Luke Ridnour and forward Adrian Griffin to the Milwaukee Bucks for guard Desmond Mason from the Milwaukee Bucks and forward Joe Smith from the Cleveland Cavaliers. August 11 2008 Traded a second-round pick to the Charlotte Bobcats for the draft rights to guard Kyle Weaver. July 18 2008 Signed guard CJ Miles to an offer sheet. July 4 2008 Signed guard Russell Westbrook and forward DJ White. June 28 2008 Tendered a qualifying offer to forward Robert Swift. Draft 2008 Selected guard Russell Westbrook (4th overall pick), forwards Serge Ibaka (24th overall pick) and Walter Sharpe (32nd overall pick) and centers Trent Plaisted (46th overall pick), Devon Hardin (50th overall pick) and Sasha Kaun (56th overall pick). Traded the draft rights to forward Walter Sharpe and center Trent Plaisted to the Detroit Pistons for the draft rights to forward DJ White; traded the draft rights to center Sasha Kaun to the Cleveland Cavaliers for cash. May 8 2008 Named Troy Weaver assistant general manager.
SEASON 2007-08
April 13 2008 Signed forward Ronald Dupree for the remainder of the season. April 3 2008 Signed forward Ronald Dupree to a 10-day contract. March 24 2008 Signed guard Eddie Gill to a 10-day contract. March 11 2008 Signed guard Mike Wilks to a second 10-day contract. February 29 2008 Signed guard Mike Wilks to a 10-day contract and waived forward Ira Newble. February 21 2008 Traded guards Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West to the Cleveland Cavaliers for forwards Donyell Marshall and Ira Newble and forward Adrian Griffin from the Chicago Bulls; waived guard Brent Barry. February 20 2008 Traded forward Kurt Thomas to the San Antonio Spurs for guard Brent Barry, center Francisco Elson and a 2009 first-round pick. October 26 2007 Exercised the contract options of centers Johan Petro and Saer Sene through 2008-09. October 22 2007 Waived guard Jermaine Jackson. October 1 2007 Signed guard Jermaine Jackson. September 27 2007 Named Paul Westhead assistant coach. August 29 2007 Named Bill Branch director of pro player personnel and Gerald Madkins and Frank Ross scouts. August 23 2007 Named Scott Brooks, Mark Bryant and Ralph Lewis assistant coaches and Brian Keefe player development assistant. July 20 2007 Traded a future conditional second-round pick and cash to the Phoenix Suns for forward Kurt Thomas and the first-round picks of 2008 and 2010. July 11 2007 Signed forward Rashard Lewis and traded him to the Orlando Magic for a conditional second-round pick and cash. July 5 2007 Named PJ Carlesimo head coach. July 4 2007 Signed forwards Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. Draft 2007 Selected forwards Kevin Durant (2nd overall pick) and Carl Landry (31st overall pick overall pick), center Glen Davis (35th overall pick). June 28 2007 Traded guard Ray Allen and the 35th overall pick to the Boston Celtics for guards Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and the 5th overall pick.

Like this post? 2009 NBA Draft Coverage: Hello, My Name is series (Click on a player card to view article)

Then check out more from our BDTStatistics Series (Click on a player card to view article)

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