SB Nation - Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies- Going Back to Vancouver

Atma Brother ONE — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 13:00:29 -0000

From LA-LA land to Graceland. GSoM's got you covered!

Thunder's teddy bear when he was growing up as a pudgy kid in the East Bay.

Put a little mayo on it and... JUMP for a look at the 2k9-2k10 Memphis Teddy Bears!

Before we start counting the ways of the super lotto balls for the 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies, let's go back... way back.

You probably remember this:

Vancouver Grizzlies Primary Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies primary logo in use from 1996-200

A bear with a basketball under script

Or maybe even this:

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-200
A bear claw holding a basketball

But do you remember THIS?

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

FUN-ky piece!

Shout out to Chris Screamer's sportslogos.net for the Vancouver Grizzlies logo throwbacks.

AB1's Fav 5 Vancouver Grizzlies of All-Time

5. Bryant Reeves

The Grizzlies inaugural draft selection with the 6th pick in the 1995 draft was a big fella (7-feet 275 pound big) by the name of Big Country who had a pretty short NBA career ended early due to injury (i.e. the Oliver Miller problem). He's considered a bust with 6 year career totals of 12.5 ppg and 6.9 rpg and that insane 6 year $61.8 million contract [see Wikipedia for more].

Vansterdam Best: 2 seasons of 16 ppg and 8 rpg while sprinkling in a swat a game

I will take a second here and note the career averages of the #1 overall pick in that same draft were actually lower than Big Country's at 11.6 ppg and 6.7 rpg.

Who am I talking about? He'll be entering his 15th season in the NBA this year and he's no ordinary Joe! Well, I guess he was. Please put your hands together for...

Joe Smith: Sky was NOT the limit. Nice guy though.

via sports.tom.com

Who's a bigger bust in your book?

4. Mike Bibby

Before he was battling Shaq and the Lakers Bibby was a member of Canada's other NBA squad.

via cdn.bleacherreport.com

Vansterdam Career:

1998-1999 [age 20]: 13.2 ppg, 6.5 apg, 2.7 rpg, 1.6 stl
1999-2000 [age 21]: 14.5 ppg, 8.1 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.6 stl
2000-2001 [age 22]: 15.9 ppg, 8.4 apg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3

Oddly enough the closest Bibby ever got to those assist totals post-Vancouver was 6.8 apg with the Sacramento Kings in 2004-2005. During most of his post-Vancouver days his assist average was ~5 apg.

So why would you trade an up and coming PG with those kind of totals at that young age? If I remember correctly the Vancouver Grizz were in full blow-out mode and there was some serious beef between Bibby and fellow Pac-10 alum Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

3. Michael Dickerson

Before his sad early retirement at the age of 28 in Memphis [CBC Sports], Dickerson was a solid swingman teaming up with Arizona backcourt buddy Mike Bibby in the Vancouver backcourt. Because of injuries he only played a total of 10 games in his last two seasons with the Grizzlies when they moved to Memphis. It was abundantly clear that the hoops gods wanted Dickerson to be a VANCOUVER Grizzlie, not a MEMPHIS Grizzlie.

via www.grizzliesonline.com

Just ask the legendary Knick and Warrior John Starks.

Dickerson was quite the enforcer in Vancouver.

Vansterdam Best: 18.2 ppg in 1999-2000

2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Todd Bozeman's greatest Cal hoops recruit SAR was a supremely talented balla who took home Pac-10 player of the year honors as a freshman. Abdur-Rahim has had a very nice NBA career, but I was honestly expecting much more from him back in 1996. I was thinking potential Hall of Famer <sigh>, but things didn't exactly go down like that. His odd 1.5 season stint in Portland really seemed to be end of SAR's path to stardom. Back then any time spent in Jail(Blazers) would do that to you.

via www.slamonline.com

Vansterdam Career:

1996-1997 (All-NBA Rookie 1st Team) [age 20]: 18.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.2 ast, 1.0 blk, 1.0 stl
1997-1998 [age 21]: 22.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.9 blk, 1.1 stl
1998-1999 [age 22]: 23.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.1 blk, 1.4 stl
1999-2000 [age 23]: 20.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.1 blk, 1.1 stl
2000-2001 [age 24]: 20.5 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 blk, 1.1 stl

Quite a nice body of work from the young hoops prodigy who made a fun pit stop at The People's Republic of Berkeley. Compare SAR's early production to current and recent past young Warrior forwards and supposed "building blocks" of the mythically bright future... oh, I'll spare you the details.

1. Steve Francis

Stevie didn't exactly give Vancouver the thumbs up to select him with the 2nd overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft.

Here's an often ignored fact for you. Stevie Franchise (questionable nickname) was turnover prone and made a ton of poor decisions with the rock during his stints in Houston (much to Coach Jeff Van Gundy's irritation which led him being shipped out), Orlando, and New York, but he didn't have a single of these during his (very brief) stop in Vancouver. The Grizzlies got the last laugh too [FanHouse].

I guess it all worked out in Graceland.

via media.commercialappeal.com

Vansterdam Best: ZERO turnovers

Which brings us fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you want to slice it with your Graceland bear claws) to the MEMPHIS Grizzlies...

Quick- which player would you rather have after seeing their rookie stats per 36?

Rookie A (per 36): 15.8 ppg (53.8 TS%), 12.9 rpg, 1.5 apg : 2.1 tov, 0.9 blk, 0.6 stl
Rookie B (per 36): 17.5 ppg (53.9 TS%), 3.6 rpg, 3.0 apg :

(Thanks as always to Basketball Reference for the stats.)

Before the season began the Grizzlies banked on Rookie B O.J. Mayo and the Timberwolves went with Rookie A Kevin Love. Who's the winner of this trade so far? Well, that's a tough one. Who will be the winner of this trade 5-10 years from now? That's another tough one.

(Like how I just completely avoided my own questions?)

Regardless of how much you Love your Mayo, I'd go joyriding in a white Bronco with this O.J. any day. This guy just looks like he has the makings to become a very savvy and solid starting backcourt fixture for years to come at this level. I don't expect any buyer remorse from the Grizz about this trade.

Rewinding 2k8-2k9 Season

24 wins - 58 losses

Good thing the Grizzlies stole Gasol from the Lake-show! It's already paying dividends.

One thing's for sure. The Grizzlies OWN the Warriors.

Projecting 2k9-2k10 Season

41 wins - 41 losses

You can do worse than a lineup of:

PG: Allen Iverson/ Mike Conley/ Marcus Williams

SG: O.J. Mayo/ Marko Jaric

SF: Rudy Gay/ DeMarre Carroll

PF: Zach Randolph/ Darrell Arthur/ Steven Hunter

C: Marc Gasol/ Hasheem Thabeet/ Hamed Haddadi

Not much worse defensively mind you, but offensively that ain't half bad.

29 other teams are going to feel dumb this season for not answering the call.

[photo: Grizzlies.com]

Allen Iverson: Maybe not THE Answer, but Definitely AN Answer

The biggest offseason news for the Grizzlies and during the annual super slow NBA September was Allen Iverson signing with the Memphis Grizzlies for a bargain basement 1 year rental fee of $3.5 million.

See SBNation.com story stream: Not Ready for the Rocking Chair: Memphis Introduces Iverson

The hoops world can be very funny sometimes. Somewhere along the way Chauncey Billups went from being a very solid and underappreciated point guard to the most overrated player in the entire NBA and Allen Iverson went from being a true warrior and one of the league's greatest players to spectaculary underrated. (See the discussion in Polling GSoM: Based on their stats Guard A or Guard B?)

Make no mistake. Age 34 Allen Iverson is not an age 34 Michael Jordan (last Chicago Bulls season + NBA Champion). Iverson is not going to lead a team to a title as the #1 guy. AI has some flaws in his game at this age, notably his defensive decline and intensity. He simply is not the ballhawk he used to be early in his career, routinely netting over 2.4 steals a game and being a regular menace of D. I think everyone knows that by know. But that doesn't mean he still isn't a very good NBA player. For the way NBA teams were avoiding him this offseason you would think he had the hoops skills of Mark Madsen.

Iverson is undoubtedly coming off the worst season of his NBA career (both in terms of hoops performance and team politics), but let's not forget that he is only one season removed from averaging 26 ppg (45.8% FG, 34.5% 3pt, 80.9% FT), 7.2 apg : 3.0 turnovers, 3.0 rpg, and 2.0 steals. If Warriors "building block" Monta Ellis dropped anything close to 26 ppg and 7 apg (with a 2:1 assist: turnover ratio compared to his lowly 1.37 ratio last season) we'd all be pleasantly stunned. Too bad it's not going to happen for Ellis and the Warriors.

Bold Prediction: A rejuvenated Allen Iverson fighting for his hoops legacy is going to put up better numbers than Ellis this season.

The Grizzlies bought low and I like what they did. In a league where the Boston Celtics added Stephon Marburry for a playoff run, it makes very little sense why none of the contending teams this year wouldn't even so much as take a chance on AI at such a low financial cost.

The Answer Vault:

Allen Iverson Age 20 vs. Stephen Curry Age 20

2009 NBA Free Agency: Warriors Expected to Use Midlevel Exception- Ramon Sessions, Jarrett Jack, Jason Kidd, and Allen Iverson

The Allen Iverson Trade: Throwing Up W's and L's

Rumor: Warriors Not Interested in Allen Iverson Anymore

Rumor: Warriors Could Be in on Multiteam Allen Iverson Trade

Why the Warriors Should Trade for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Baron Davis + Andris Biedrins for Allen Iverson Package Reports Were Bogus

Rumor: Warriors Could Have Allen Iverson for Jason Richardson

Rumor: Tony Mejia Thinks AI to the Warriors by Friday

Rumor: Warriors Offered Baron Davis, but Ready to Drop Out of Allen Iverson Trade Talks

Rumor: Tom Tolbert Says Warriors Out of Allen Iverson Trade Talks

Rumor: Sixers Targetting Troy Murphy and Jason Richardson

Rumor: Troy Murphy Not in Trade Talks

Rumor: Allen Iverson to the Warriors, Ben Gordon to 76ers, and Troy Murphy to Bulls

Rumor: Baron Davis, Andris Biedrins, and 3rd Unidentified Player for Allen Iverson and Steven Hunter

Rumor: Andris Biedrins, Monta Ellis, and Baron Davis for Allen Iverson and Steven Hunter

Rumor: Warriors Upped Offer for Iverson to Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, Ike Diogu, and a 1st Rounder

Rumor: Ric Bucher Says Warriors Out of Running for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors Dangling JRich and Adonal Foyle for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Stephen A. Smith Thinks the Warriors are the Frontrunners for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors Looking to Move Dead-Weight Contracts for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Allen Iverson to the Warriors for JRich, Monta Ellis, or Baron Davis

Rumor: Warriors the Front-Runner in AI Sweepstakes

Rumor: Celtics, Warriors, and Kings Most Likely to Acquire Allen Iverson

Rumor: Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, or Jason Richardson + Monta Ellis for Allen Iverson

GSoM Talks to Preetom Bhattacharya about Allen Iverson Rumors

Rumor: Warriors, Celtics, and Pacers in the Mix for Allen Iverson

Rumor: 76ers Contacted Warriors, Sonics, and Nuggets about an Allen Iverson Deal

Rumor: Allen Iverson Wants Out of Philly + Warriors Need The Answer

Rumor: 7-1 Odds on Allen Iverson for T-Double, Ike, MP2, and Zarko

Rumor: Sixers want Troy Murphy or Jason Richardson for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Iverson Will Play for Warriors

Rumor: 8 Team, 9 Player Super Trade brings Allen Iverson to the Warriors

Rumor: Warriors Won't Pursue Iverson

Rumor: Warriors' Youth + Bad Contract for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Sixers Listening to Troy Murphy Package for Allen Iverson

Rumor: 76ers Want a Troy Murphy Package for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors in the Mix for Allen Iverson

Rumor: Warriors Really After Iverson

Rumor: Allen Iverson to the Warriors

AN Answer for the Grizzlies

Pre-Iverson it would be all but a foregone conclusion that the 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzles (barring some unforeseen leap to superstardom by sophomore Mayo) would be sitting out the big spring dance in the West again. They would simply be fighting for the meaningless 10th spot in the West with the likes of the Timberwolves, Warriors, and Thunder. Sure the Grizzlies would be young and potentially exciting in the eyes of hoops junkies, but again it would be meaningless.

Iverson makes the 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies season non-meaningless (I think the word I'm looking for is meaningful, but that feels a little too strong for the Grizz so please excuse me). On paper the Grizzlies now look like they have what it takes to fight with the New Orleans Hornets, Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, and LA Clippers for the lower playoff seeds in the West. For a franchise that has won 22, 22, and 24 games the past 3 seasons that's a big upgrade. Are the Grizzlies Iverson's last stop in the NBA or will they just be a bridge to a glorious finish with a championship contender in 2010 and beyond? All eyes will be Iverson and the Grizzlies.

All eyes on the Grizzlies? I don't think that has ever happened. You have to give the Grizzlies front office a ton of credit for ending their streak of meaningless-ness.

Golden Predictions

You heard it (predicted) here first. The Grizzlies will trade Rudy Gay this season. He's uber-talented and has all the physical tools, but I'm not sold he will ever make that commitment to making that big step or turn on the defensive intensity to ever reach his potential. It's kind of sad really.
Allen Iverson puts up 20 points and drops 6 dimes per game. All through February, March, and April contending teams are kicking themselves for not picking him up at a bargain basement price. Talking heads around the league start calling him a big impact free agent in the 2010 free agent class.
O.J. Mayo raises his dime total to 5 apg.
Michael Conley becomes... Mike Bibby Lite.
Rookie Hasheem Thabeet barely plays, but ends up having a solid NBA career when it's all said and done.
Warriors outcast Marcus Williams barely plays, but at least he doesn't steal R Dizzle's laptop.
Zach Randolph puts up another empty 20-10, but blocks less shots than Charlotte point guard Raymond Felton. (Seriously look up last year's totals- what an oddity.)
Marko Jaric stays a very happily married man.
Hamed Haddadi is a Warrior Killer on Wednesday November 4, 2009, Tuesday December 22, 2009, and Saturday March 20, 2010, but not on Wednesday March 24, 2010. Fourth time's the charm for the Warriors defense!
Marc Gasol raises his stats from 11.9 ppg and 7.4 rpg to 14 ppg and 8 rpg. The "Kwame Brown trade"? I laugh. It was clearly a Gasol for Gasol trade with the Grizzlies just wanting to get younger. Clearly.
Sophomore power forward Darrell Arthur makes a lot of teams wish they didn't pass on him in the 2008 NBA Draft.

For more on the Memphis Grizzlies (and hopefully a little bit about the Vancouver Grizzlies) let me direct you to our brother site Straight Outta Vancouver...

I wonder what they'd do with their blog name if Vancouver somehow got another NBA team some day.

2009-2010 Around the Association

Introduction
Atlanta Hawks: Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. The Hawks are for real.
Boston Celtics: Sheed in Green + Another Answer
Charlotte Bobcats: They Do Exist
Chicago Bulls: Ring Around the Rose-y
Cleveland Cavaliers: Now or Never
Dallas Mavericks: The Curse of the Dampier
Denver Nuggets: If it ain't broke...
Detroit Pistons: The Return of the Bay Boys
Houston Rockets: Yao-ch!, that's gotta hurt
Indiana Pacers: A One Man Show
Los Angeles Clippers: Warriors South No More
Los Angeles Lakers: Big Brother, Little Brother
Memphis Grizzlies
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Jersey Nets
New Orleans Hornets
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Super Sonics
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia Sixers
Phoenix Suns
Portland TrailBlazers
Sacramento Kings
San Antonio Spurs
Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz
Washington Wizards
Rewind

Poll

What feels the most golden?

Vancouver Grizzlies

103 votes

Memphis Grizzlies

45 votes

San Jose Grizzlies

182 votes

Seattle Grizzlies

64 votes

Grizzlies? GRIZZLIES?! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GRIZZLIES MAN?!

141 votes

535 votes | Poll has closed

Fun Fact of the Day

dishingoutdimes — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 21:00:10 -0000

More photos » by Rick Bowmer - AP

Kevin Durant can score with the best of them. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Browse more photos »

In the 3-Point Era in the NBA (1979-2009), only 26 players have had a Player Efficiency Rating of at least 20 with at least 2000 minutes played in their 2nd NBA season. Kevin Durant is among them. In terms of points scored in their 2nd season, Kevin Durant ranks 7th among this group of players.

Who are the other 25 players?

Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, Vince Carter, David Robinson, Mark Aguirre, Tim Hardaway, Dwayne Wade, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Allen Iverson, Kevin Johnson, Grant Hill, Penny Hardaway, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Steve Francis, Pau Gasol, Elton Brand, Yao Ming, Shawn Marion, Andre Miller, Alonzo Mourning, Carlos Boozer, Chris Paul, Chris Webber, and Andrei Kirilenko.

It appears as though Durant is in good company!

Durant is also only the 37th player in the shot clock era (1954-2009) to score over 1800 points in his 2nd NBA season, only the 17th player to do so in the 3-Point Era, and only the 11th player to do it since 1990 (basically the last two decades).

Considering Context in Otis Smith's Prior Words and Vince Carter's Prior Actions

Ben Q Rock — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:00:12 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

Browse more photos »

Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith certainly has a way with words. He's not the type of guy who tries to speak in sound-bites, but almost everything he says winds up quoted somewhere, because it just sounds good. Indiana Pacers executive Larry Bird is the same way.

He's also famous for obfuscation, as many other GMs and basketball executives are. Just a few days before sending the expiring deals of Rafer Alston and Tony Battie, along with talented rookie Courtney Lee, to the New Jersey Nets for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson, he downplayed the value of expiring contracts in today's trading market. Kyle Hightower of the Orlando Sentinel has the paraphrase (and if anyone can find the actual quote, please pass it along):

Smith contends that the expiring contracts of players [...] aren't as valuable as they would have been in previous years, though.

And some comments he made a few years ago about Carter have circulated around the internet, as the internet enables such things to do. Dave D'Alessandro of The Star Ledger refreshed everyone's memory last night. Here's Smith, in 2007, explaining why he didn't acquire Carter when he could have had him for Hedo Turkoglu, Darko Milicic, and J.J. Redick:

"I'm not going to take a step back and fall for what I call fool's gold," Smith said then. "It shines and it glitters, but it just doesn't stick or pass the test."

In response to that quote, Andrea Adelson of the Orlando Sentinel wrote this column panning Thursday's deal. Her sentiments seem to echo those of many Magic fans, who haven't yet come around on the trade. Here's an excerpt from Adelson on which I'd like to focus:

So if Carter was fool's gold then, has he somehow polished himself up and turned into solid gold now despite two more years of wear and tear on his body?

NBA pundits have praised the Magic for going all in with the blockbuster deal Thursday because it proves how serious they are about winning a title. But it was just two weeks ago the Magic were actually playing for said championship.

This squad was not the Knicks. They were not the Clippers. The last two weeks may have felt interminable, but the Magic did finish second in the entire league, right?

Yet management felt the need to nuke the roster in its attempt to win now. So it got rid of a promising player in Courtney Lee and help for Dwight Howard in Tony Battie, all for an aging former all-star who has a history of injuries.

These are valid points. Two years ago, Carter was "fool's gold." Now the Magic have dumped 40% of their starting lineup in the NBA Finals for him and Anderson, a number which will increase to 60% once Hedo Turkoglu departs, as is more-or-less inevitable.

But there's something missing here. Let's remember context. At the 2007 trading deadline, the Magic's record stood at 27-28. Acquiring Carter for Turkoglu, a solid starter at small forward, although not nearly the player he became under Stan Van Gundy the following season; Milicic, the prize of the 2006 deadline and a free-agent-to-be whom they hoped to re-sign; and Redick, a rookie whom the Magic drafted in the lottery in June; would have been a lateral move at the very best. They wouldn't have finished much better than 40-42; wouldn't have won more than 1 playoff game; and wouldn't have been able to sign Rashard Lewis in the offseason, as they wound up doing. They'd probably want to commit long-term money to Carter, or at least to Milicic. Let me put it this way: it's one thing for a mediocre team to trade all its assets for a 30-year-old All-Star. It smacks of "just being happy to be there," of just wanting to please the hometown fans with a crowd-favorite, even if it means the team won't actually improve.

This is the key difference: it's quite another thing for a championship contender to do the same thing for the same player, albeit 2 years older. Say what you will about Vince's age--he's 2 years older than Turkoglu is now, and he'll take over his role as the secondary ball-handler and primary perimeter scoring option--but it's irrefutable that he's a better player than Turk, and a likely Hall-of-Famer. I didn't ask Otis this question directly, so maybe I'm mistaken, but to me, the "fool's gold" remark meant that Carter was fools' gold for a borderline lottery team, as the Magic were when he made that comment. But for a championship contender? Not pyrite. The real thing.

Think of it this way: the San Antonio Spurs have angled for Carter since at least this year's trading deadline, and only settled for Richard Jefferson, his former Nets teammate and an inferior player, earlier this week when the Nets made it clear they wanted more than just expiring deals for him. The Spurs have one of the best and brightest front offices in all the NBA, if not all of professional sports. If they're targeting a guy, especially a perimeter guy to surround a franchise center, then there's a damn good reason for it. If he's good enough for the Spurs, he's definitely good enough for anyone else. Surely some Magic fans on the proverbial fence regarding Carter can acknowledge that much.

More commentary on the Carter trade follows the jump.

Adelson's second point, that media praise of the Carter deal rings hollow because Carter doesn't actually improve the team, just doesn't sit right with me. As we've explained in prior posts, Carter is an upgrade over Turkoglu; ditto with Anderson and Battie. Throw in the fact that Mickael Pietrus is better than, just not as consistent as, Lee; and the fact that management will go into the luxury-tax to pay for the right players; and every indication is that the team will likely be even better than the version that went to the Finals. There's no guarantee that Turkoglu would have returned before the Carter trade. Even if he had, there's no guarantee the Magic would have been any better off. Marc Stein said it better than I ever could:

In a step up from what Atlanta did with its deal for Jamal Crawford -- which should allow the Hawks to cope just fine if re-signing Mike Bibby gets too pricey -- Orlando didn't just protect itself against Turkoglu's departure. The Magic have potentially upgraded even if he leaves.

I've always believed Turkoglu is supremely underrated in terms of his importance to the Magic, but Carter's arrival [...] gives them an accomplished driver and defender whose homecoming to central Florida will enable Stan Van Gundy to flank Dwight Howard with three All-Stars (Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson and Carter) and defensive specialist Mickael Pietrus. Orlando can focus its free-agent business on hanging onto Marcin Gortat, which also is bound to be a bidding war but on a more palatable scale.

Think of this NBA offseason as a bizarre baseball game in which three teams compete. The Magic are 2 runs up on the Boston Celtics and 3 up on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Trading for Carter and Anderson while letting Turk walk could be, in baseball parlance, an "insurance run" tacked on. Two prominent NBA writers have, however, used more glowing terms to describe it. ESPN.com analyst Chad Ford called it "a home run," while Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo! Sports specified the length of said jimmy-jack, saying it's "a 450-foot" shot.

Enough garbled metaphors (3-team baseball game? what?), though. There's one more point to address, one which Adelson has mentioned and many others have echoed, essentially that Carter is past-his-prime and a quitter.

I can't say that I blame a fanbase of being wary of its team dealing a 24-year old rookie in order to replace him with a 32-year-old veteran, even a Hall-of-Famer, who used to be noted for his astonishing athleticism. I also can't fault Magic fans for being wary of Carter's decision to quit on the Toronto Raptors five years ago, when he tanked the first 20 games of their season by shooting 41.1% and scoring only 15.9 points per game--a year after averaging 24.5--in order to force a trade. Carter's cousin, Tracy McGrady, sulked through a similar season in Orlando the year prior. Once bitten, twice shy, etc. But again, let's remember context. It's never excusable to quit on a team, so don't misconstrue my comments as trying to let Carter off the hook for what amounts to giving the finger to his team and its fans. With that said, he had grown tired of the Raptors' empty promises to surround him with winning talent. He was sick of being The Man on a crappy team.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Carter, the millionaire athlete, and his first-world problems. Woe is him. But at 28, the prime of his career, he got fed up with losing. I'm sure he's not proud of that experience now, especially since it resulted in a few futile years with the Nets in which he had better teammates, but hardly any playoff success.

But let's contrast that situation--prime of his career, crappy team, sick of not having help--to his present one in Orlando. He's near the end of the line; near his hometown; playing for a contending team, as likely its second offensive option; with three other All-Stars, including the first reliable center with whom he's played in his 11 professional seasons. That's a stark difference in fortune. Could there be a better situation for him in the entire league than the one he's in now? And could there have been much worse of one than in Toronto in 2004? Again, I don't mean to make excuses for the man. Shareef Abdur-Rahim played his heart out in each of his 28,882 minutes in the NBA, and for awful teams. He didn't reach the playoffs until 2005/2006, his 10th season, managing all of 126 minutes before his Sacramento Kings bowed out against the Spurs. That's how one is meant to handle adversity in professional sports, not by forcing a trade, as Carter did. With that said, he's in an ideal situation here in Orlando. Once you consider the context, there is quite literally no rational reason for Magic fans to question his effort.

Before concluding, an admission by way of an aside: I was not a Carter fan in 2007, when the Magic could have pursued him in free agency, and deemed him the team's fifth-best option, behind Mo Williams, Chauncey Billups, Gerald Wallace, and Lewis. Here are excerpts from my appraisal of Carter, dated June 25th, 2007... or two years to the day before the Magic traded for him:

Vince Carter is overrated.

[....]

Once joining the Nets in a trade in December 2004, Carter's scoring, shooting, rebounding, and assists totals increased. Although it's true he played more minutes, the nature of the comments he made makes one question whether he just "flipped a switch" and decided to play hard. That has to trouble Carter's potential suitors because it demonstrates that Carter is capable of holding himself back considerably and to the detriment of the team.

His ability to play well in clutch situations should also be in question, especially after last season's mental lapses in the Nets' playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers [....]

[....]

[....] Carter's age makes him less than ideal as a free-agent, at least as far as the Magic are concerned.

[....]

Maybe I'm being too harsh in my assessment of Carter. He has been an All-Star in each of the past eight seasons and is one of the league's premier scorers. But he distinguished himself not with stellar play during games, but with jaw-dropping dunks during one of the league's more memorable All-Star Weekends. And that's not something I can get over.

[....]

Would I be sad to see Vince Carter in a Magic uniform? No, because he's still talented. However, I would be disappointed knowing that the Magic could have done better.

Additionally, I expressed satisfaction ("It's just as well [....] Carter's age and attitude would have made him a questionable choice") when Carter agreed to re-sign with the Nets. Orlando is now on the hook for that contract. Funny.

I mention these quotes not to undermine my own argument in this post, on this date--although that might be an ancillary result--but only in the interest of full disclosure. I was as against the Magic signing Carter then as many fans are about trading for him now. And I thought it was important, in the interests of my own credibility, to acknowledge as much in this post lest I face accusations of hypocrisy down the line. Hey, if I rail against people for the attitude/age issue now, it's not fair for me to try to sweep my own past criticism of Carter--on the same grounds, no less--under the rug.

And so what began as an exercise in how to read Smith ends reading more like an exhaustive defense of the man for whom he traded two days ago. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I suppose. The takeaways are, in whichever order you choose: that GMs are secretive by nature, and that we must consider context when ripping Carter--or anyone--for his past mistakes. With those factors accounted for, we can better understand Smith's prior comments on Carter, and why this deal looks like a better one than many Magic fans are willing to believe.

Stonebreaker: A Shareef Abdur-Rahim Retrospective

Ziller — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:09:34 -0000

Now is done thy long day's work;
Fold thy palms across thy breast,
Fold thine arms, turn to thy rest.
Let them rave.
Shadows of the silver birk
Sweep the green that folds thy grave.
Let them rave.

- Lord Alfred Tennyson, A Dirge

Far too many NBA players are judged by their lack of championship pedigree or blank postseason ledger. As argued ad infinitum, basketball is a team sport. The results foisted upon Player A depend a whole hell of a lot on the efforts of Players B-G, no matter how singularly awesome Player A performs. (Ask Kobe 2004-2007.) This is a dependent sport. Independent brilliance isn't enough.

So all those vomit-worthy slanders levied against Shareef Abdur-Rahim's name in the early part of this decade, those made me sick. Reef wasn't without a playoff game because of anything he did, just as Elton Brand suffered the same fate not due to his own effort or talent. Reef's magick berth in '05-06 in a Royal Purple jersey was magnificent not because it validated his career, but because it made the idiotic, black-white, depthless pundits shut the hell up.

Not 100 players in the history of the NBA have averaged more points per game than Shareef. Only 76 players have a higher career PER, only 78 have more defensive rebounds, only 87 have more offensive rebounds. These are, for the most part, counting stats: numbers you earn by playing a really, really long time. But Shareef didn't play some absurd long time, only 11 full seasons (one of those shortened by the lockout).

He was remarkably dependable in two senses: he rarely hit the injured list (never, until Portland), and he always produced. This isn't a feast-famine high-scorer. Reef scored and rebounded EVERY DAMN NIGHT. He's the basketball version of clockwork: you put him in the game and you know exactly what you're getting. Some referenced that fact as a knock, as in "Shareef will never wow you." Another thing Shareef would never do: disappoint, underperform, fail.

He got knocked out in December '05 by a rabid Zach Randolph elbow. We had some great moments in '05-06 -- there was this dismissal of Tim Duncan by Bonzi Wells, and of course Kevin Martin's first appearance on SportsCenter. But Shareef's valiant return against the Lakers might have been the best.

Reef had his mouth wired shut. He could eat only smoothies. He missed just a few games, and played as soon as he learned to breathe through a centimeter of space between his teeth. The biggest struggle, Rick Adelman told the media, was keeping his breath for more than a few minutes and communicating on defense. Understandable: his jaw was wired shut.

That first night, Shareef earned a technical foul for arguing a call. WITH HIS JAW WIRED SHUT.

Unfortunately, that season was roughly the end for Shareef. His legend as a player wasn't built out much further here. Hopefully as a coach or coaching influence to Spencer (his closest comparison), Jason and Shelden, he can develop his NBA legacy some more. His legacy doesn't need any frills: he goes down tonight as one of the best forwards in modern history, and a damn fine player. He'll never get the press some of his contemporaries draw -- fair in some cases, not in others -- but none of that matters. Fans know Shareef, and we'll never forget him.

BREAKING: Shareef Abdur-Rahim Retires

Ziller — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 23:17:23 -0000

:-(

Amick:

For the last 18 months, the Kings forward had been unable to recover from two arthroscopic knee surgeries and was faced with the reality of retirement far sooner than he had anticipated. But after saying in July that his body would make the decision for him, the answer was not what he had hoped for.

"I've been in a situation where I've been trying to get healthy over the last year and a half," Abdur-Rahim said in a statement. "I came to grips with the fact that, health-wise, I won't be able to get back to the condition and level that is needed to play in the NBA. My right knee has become arthritic over the years and is to the point where it won't allow me to do the things and play at the level in which I'm accustomed to playing. As tough as it is to come to grips with, it's the reality."

Because I respect Shareef so damn much, I will not discuss the positive salary cap ramifications until at leat 6 p.m. Pacific.

SB Nation - Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies- Going Back to Vancouver

Vancouver Grizzlies Primary Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies primary logo in use from 1996-200

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-200
A bear claw holding a basketball

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

AB1's Fav 5 Vancouver Grizzlies of All-Time

5. Bryant Reeves

2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim

1. Steve Francis

Rewinding 2k8-2k9 Season

Projecting 2k9-2k10 Season

Allen Iverson: Maybe not THE Answer, but Definitely AN Answer

AN Answer for the Grizzlies

Golden Predictions

2009-2010 Around the Association

What feels the most golden?

Vancouver Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies

San Jose Grizzlies

Seattle Grizzlies

Grizzlies? GRIZZLIES?! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GRIZZLIES MAN?!

Fun Fact of the Day

Considering Context in Otis Smith's Prior Words and Vince Carter's Prior Actions

Stonebreaker: A Shareef Abdur-Rahim Retrospective

BREAKING: Shareef Abdur-Rahim Retires

SB Nation - Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Around the Association: 2009-2010 Memphis Grizzlies- Going Back to Vancouver

Vancouver Grizzlies Primary LogoVancouver Grizzlies primary logo in use from 1996-200

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate LogoVancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-200 A bear claw holding a basketball

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate LogoVancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199 A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate LogoVancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199 A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

AB1's Fav 5 Vancouver Grizzlies of All-Time

5. Bryant Reeves

2. Shareef Abdur-Rahim

1. Steve Francis

Rewinding 2k8-2k9 Season

Projecting 2k9-2k10 Season

Allen Iverson: Maybe not THE Answer, but Definitely AN Answer

AN Answer for the Grizzlies

Golden Predictions

2009-2010 Around the Association

What feels the most golden?

Vancouver Grizzlies

Memphis Grizzlies

San Jose Grizzlies

Seattle Grizzlies

Grizzlies? GRIZZLIES?! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GRIZZLIES MAN?!

Fun Fact of the Day

Considering Context in Otis Smith's Prior Words and Vince Carter's Prior Actions

Stonebreaker: A Shareef Abdur-Rahim Retrospective

BREAKING: Shareef Abdur-Rahim Retires

Vancouver Grizzlies Primary Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies primary logo in use from 1996-200

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-200
A bear claw holding a basketball

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle

Vancouver Grizzlies Alternate Logo
Vancouver Grizzlies alternate logo in use from 1996-199
A Native American Bear with a basketball on a circle