SB Nation - Bobby Jackson

Sacramento's Point Guards, 2008-09 vs 2009-10

Ziller — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:00:38 -0000

by Mark Weber - AP

A quick survey of Sacramento's point guard play last season, in comparison (err, in contrast) with this year's play at the position. Remember that PER has 15 set as the league average.

2008-09
Beno Udrih, 12.3 PER
Bobby Jackson, 12.4 PER
Bobby Brown, 7.7 PER

2009-10
Tyreke Evans, 17.4 PER
Beno Udrih, 16.2 PER
Sergio Rodriguez, 18.3 PER

The head of the dragon does a lot to dictate where the body goes. Clearly, this year's version has been a huge improvement.

Daily Links 10/24

FLCeltsFan — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:13:03 -0000

Herald Friday practice notes: Lue hired
NBA referees head to work
In Lue of playing
Globe Lue joins Celtics' staff
Doug Collins on the Celtics
Chemistry experiment
Bedtime story was court order
Celtics team up with Chipotle Mexican Grill

CelticsBlog   Big Baby Is Making A Big Adjustment
Welcome Our Newest Assistant Coach... Tyronn Lue?
C's Tired Of Old Questions
Loy's Place    ESPN Predictions....Not Much Celtics Love
Celtics Sign Tyronn Lue
Dimemag    Hostile Environment
Celtics 17    Tyronn Lue Added to Coaching Staff?
Red's Army    Perk's influences: KG... Eddy Curry... Kwame Brown. Wait, WHAT???
How to Get Courtside Seats
Doc: "I’m looking forward to sharpening our tools"
Celtics bring in Tyronn Lue
What Bill Simmons Thinks About The Celtics
Perkisabeast     The 2006 NBA Draft Revisited – Rondo vs Roy
Celtics Hub    Who is the 12th man? Hudson or Giddens?
Coach Lue?
ProJo    Ray Allen is in his final year of his contract but he's not worried
Celtics hope locker-room turmoil of last season is in the past
Celtics are excited for regular season to start
Celtics had locker room turmoil last year
Examiner    Three keys for Kendrick Perkins for the 2009-2010 season
North Station Sports    Celtics vs Cavs: Opening Night Prediction
NSS One on One: NBA Talking Heads - The Best and Worst Broadcasters in the NBA
Celtics Town   NBA Season Preview: Denver Nuggets
NBA Season Preview: Charlotte Bobcats
Fernsten's Follies    News Flash: The Celtics are Getting their Props
Lex Nihil Novi    Does Rasheed Wallace Replace Both Pose and PJ?
Celtics Take 4th Straight from Purple in NBAx (1983-84)
Have the Mighty Lakers Fallen? (83-84)
Wolves Post Best Preseason Record in Franchise History (1995)
Celtics Life    NBA News: Stephen Jax whining his way to Denver or Cleveland?
Isiah's Son Defends his Pops
Today's Video: Lester Hudson Preseason mix
C's chose Hudson, but bring in Lue anyway
Gino's Jungle    Opening Night Position Battles
3 Days Left - Countdown Starts NOW
ESPN    Celtics guard Rondo a favorite target of critics
The Boston Celtics are much deeper this season after offseason addtions
Sports Guy's three most intriguing Celtics
NBA referees approve two-year labor agreement
Bill Simmons NBA season preview and 33 most intriguing NBA people
Bill Simmons' NBA season preview and 33 most intriguing NBA people
NBA predictions: 2009-10 Defensive Player of the Year will be …
Fan Huddle    The Year of Rondo
Sharp Bettor Odds on all things NBA
Rich and Ava's Perspectives   NBA Preview: Beasts In The East (1st of 2 Parts)
Athlon Sports    NBA Power Rankings: Preseason
NESN   Celtics Suited for Another Title Run This Season
Celtics Name Tyronn Lue Director of Basketball Development
Boston Celtics Partner with Chipotle Mexican Grill
Whose Town Is Boston?
Bleacher Report   10 Questions As The 2009 NBA Season Tips Off
CBS Sports   Central preview: It's championship or bust for Cavs
Dueling Couches   Tyronn Lue Joins Celtics' Coaching Staff
Patriot Ledger    Celtics’ Garnett is ready for opening night
Oregon Live    NBA contenders prepare for 2009-10 chemistry class
Cleveland.com    Brown still revising Cavs' roster rotation Brown still revising Cavs' roster rotation
Green Street    KG on knee questions: ‘That [stuff] is getting old’
Davis rolling up sleeves to roll burritos
Baby Ok but Scal and TA doubtful for opener
Turn up the volume: C’s not living in past
C’s going with later practices, shootarounds
Lakers Blog   Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum out Thursday night
Ohio.com    Brown to experiment with Cavs rotation
AP   James, O'Neal make dynamic, dominant duo
Sporting News    10 NBA players who hold the key to 2009-2010
MLive It's still easy to root for Antonio McDyess
Dueling Couches    Glen "Big Baby" David Upset With Celtics?
Nets are Scorching    Scouting the East: Boston Celtics
FanHouse    ESPN Responds to Deadspin's 'Despicable' 'Rumor Mongering'
Most Likely to Ignite a Bench Clearing Brawl: Kevin Garnett
Empty the Bench    NBA's Most Depressing Players
The Sport Review    NBA: Can the Celtics be cream of the crop?
Warriors World    Q&A With Ric Bucher of ESPN
Inside Hoops     Rockets waive Brent Barry
Fox Sports    2009-10 preview: Celtics vs. Lakers matchup
The 4th Quarter   NBA Preview: Top Small Forwards (2009-10)
Yahoo    SL: Bobby Jackson to announce retirement; 'Big Baby' worried - Ball Don't Lie
Cleveland.com   Jamario Moon isn't a star, but Cleveland Cavaliers find a space for him

Who's Left?

Roy_Hobbs — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:53:42 -0000

For some reason, most of these guys are still available...

View full size photo »

Following up on Jeff's article yesterday about the 15th roster spot, here's a look at some of the remaining unrestricted free agents:

PGs: Carlos Arroyo, Chucky Atkins, Dan Dickau, Tyronn Lue, Stephon Marbury, Mike Taylor, Jamaal Tinsley, Jacque Vaughn

SGs: Juan Dixon, Bobby Jackson, Flip Murray, Rashad McCants

SFs: Gerald Green, Joey Graham, Stephen Graham, Darius Miles, Wally Szczerbiak, Ime Udoka

PFs: Raef LaFrentz, Mark Madsen, Stromile Swift, Antoine Walker

Cs: Mark Blount (pending release), Dwayne Jones, Courtney Sims, Robert Swift

Obviously, none of the names above are spectacular. However, there are a few players who could help teams that are in need of some depth.

For the Celtics' purposes, none of the above is a perfect fit, of course; if they were, they'd probably be here already. I really like Bobby Jackson as a player, but he's a bit long in the tooth, and one wonders if he could play beside Eddie House in the backcourt. Jamaal Tinsley is a mess. Chucky Atkins is ancient, and his game is in decline (although he's another guy I've always liked). Flip Murray can't stick with a team, and has always seemed like a "scoring first, second, and last" type of guy. Wally is... well, he's Wally. He's a good shooter, but he's not going to bring much else to the table, especially on the defensive end (although, in his defense, I will say that he played strong defense on Ray Allen in the playoffs).

So, in the end maybe none of them makes sense, and it's a better strategy to maintain roster flexibility to sign a free agent during the season or to take back players in a 1-for-2 deal.

Update: Dan Dickau has turned down the Celtics invitation to camp and will attend the Suns camp instead (Source: Globe)

Dreadlocked Man of Mystery: Jermareo Davidson

Ziller — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:47:23 -0000

In the wake of that workout video from Natomas the Kings dropped online last night, two major questions sprung up:

What is Bobby Jackson doing there?
Who is that tall lanky dude with dreadlocks?

Jackson is there to keep in shape while waiting for a contract offer from one of the contenders out there. He happens to be a better option to run the point during a scrimmage than, say, Randy Brown. (If that joke escapes you, former assistant coach Brown had epic shooting contests with Kings players during his tenure here. There's something to be said about not having coaches who wish they were still players.)

The mysterious dreadlocked man is one Jermareo Davidson, former Bobcat and Warrior. Davidson was the 37th pick in 2007; the Warriors immediately traded him with Jason Richardson to Charlotte in exchange for Brandan Wright. Last season, Davidson got a cup of coffee with Golden State. He was actually on the roster a good deal of the season, though, which means he has a limited D-League ledger. What's there is good: 16/11 in 34 minutes with Idaho last year. (It's worth noting that current Kings assistant Bryan Gates coaches Davidson at Idaho.)

Davidson will be a participant in the Kings' camp beginning next week. He's in the same boat as Desmond Mason: no guaranteed roster spot, no guaranteed salary. (On that note, considering that Davidson is young, a D-League product and a center, I should offer a hearty applause to the Kings front office. This is what we need.) Sacramento may not even carry 14 players, so it's possible none of the nonguaranteed players could get a spot. But if Mason or Davidson (or any of the others who will come to town -- think Nik Caner-Medley in years past) win hearts, we'll have a 14-player roster.

Around the Associaton: 2009-2010 Miami Heat - Need to get the point.

Hash — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:00:37 -0000

Aaaahhhh the Heat. The team that logged the abysmal 15 and 67 record in the 2007-2008 season really did a decent job of turning things around last year. On the wings of Dwayne Wade's 30+ ppg as well as solid performances by Michael Beasley, Jermaine O'Neal, Udonis Haslem, and company these guys improved their wins by nearly 30 last year - landing as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference.

When you see improvement of that caliber from one season to the next, admittedly it can be hard to really determine what gaps need to be filled in order to further improve the caliber of this team. That being said, Pat Riley ain't no fool; even as I write this the Heat front office is likely still working on a few things to propel this team to the next level.

Can't say he's not doing his part!

What does the 2009-2010 Season hold for Miami? Make the jump to see our humble thoughts!

Offseason Moves - Miami Heat

Re-signed center Joel Anthony
Re-signed center Jamaal Magloire
Declined to match Jamario Moon's offer, sending him to the Cavs
Acquired Quentin Richardson from the Wolves (who got him from the Clippers - who got him from the Knicks) for center Mark Blount
Michael Beasley checked into rehab (granted not an offseason move - but worth bringing up.)

2008-2009 Rewind

Ended the regular season with a 43-39 record, an astonishing improvement from their previous years' record of 15-67.
Entered the NBA Playoffs as the 5th seeded team in the East.
Dispatched in the first rounfd by 4th seeded Atlanta Hawks in 7 games.

So far the biggeest move that the Heat have made this offseason is the acquisition of Quentin Richardson. While he certainly isn't a player that you can build a franchise around, with a career 11.5 ppg and 5 rpg, Q is definitely going to make a difference on the floor night in and night out for the Heat.

The major issue I see here is; this was the only notable move that they have made so far.

Fortunately, according to our brothers at Peninsula is Mightier, the Heat aren't done making the moves to becoming a better team this coming year. The front office is still churning and buzzing with filling a major hole in their starting roster. The need to find a solid point. No stones at Mario Chalmers here, but this team deperately needs a PG of a higher caliber to get the rock into the hands of Wade, Beasley, O'Neal and Q. And Riley knows it.

Check out this article outlining the Miami's scouting for available PG talent. Sadly, the article was written before A.I. signed his year with Memphis, so he is still considered an option in this read. But guards like Jamaal Tinsley or Bobby Jackson may still be viable candidates for the role.

Assuming no other moves are made this offseason, the Heat really have to rely on some serious growth of golden child Michael Beasley. We've all seen talent liedormant until the second or third year in this league *cough Monta Ellis, Andris Biedrins cough*, so maybe there is a chance that Beasley's abilities will start to do the same.

Long story short - the jury is still out on the fate of the Heat. Are they a playoff team with the roster they have right now? Yes. Can they deviate from their first round exit performace without making any other major shake-ups to this squad? Without some serious growth from their youth this year, not likely. Either way, I'll be keeping my eye on this team as the season opens!

For more on the Miami Heat check out Peninsula is Mightier:

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: Going Back to Vancouver
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

Miami Heat still exploring trade options to fill veteran void

DolPhanDave — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 05:40:16 -0000

Who will these two be targeting in the coming weeks?

As training camp is slowly approaching, the Heat know they still have a void to fill. We all know that Miami is looking to add a veteran presence at the point, and while there are still options out there, its difficult to gauge what exactly is going to happen. Pat Riley has reiterated that the only way the Heat will add someone is through a trade, yet the rumors are still swirling about free agents Allen Iverson, Jamaal Tinsley, Bobby Jackson and a slew of others.

For arguments sake, we'll look at some of the trade options/rumors that have been thrown around the past few days. The Heat have reportedly spoken to the New Jersey Nets about acquiring either Keyon Dooling or Rafer Alston, who was shipped to Jersey earlier this summer in the Vince Carter trade. The question with this move would be ‘who is Miami giving up?'. The obvious choice would be Udonis Haslem, who would be an instant upgrade over Yi Jianlian, the Nets incumbent starter.

However, you have to wonder how willing the Heat would be to deal Haslem, which would mean that Michael Beasley becomes the starter. Now assuming that Beasley comes out of his rehab problems ready to start the season, I've got no issues with that. Sure, I'd miss Udonis Haslem, the hometown guy who gives 110% every second he is on the court...but I still firmly believe that Mike Beasley is going to be a star in this league and wouldn't mind him getting a starters playing time.

That may also mean that Joel Anthony becomes the backup power forward, but that's a topic to tackle another time.

Another possibility is a guy who the Heat showed interest in last offseason as well, Portland guard Steve Blake. The hometown shooter (born and raised in South Florida) who is capable of being a more then reliable bench scorer who handles the ball extremely well would be a great fit in Miami. He is a great passer who tied an NBA record last season with 14 assists in a quarter. He also is coming off his best 3-point shooting season of his career, hitting 42.7% of his shots from beyond the arc.

Blake may end up being the odd man out in Portland this season. With newcomer Andre' Miller obviously getting the starting minutes, many people think that the guy getting the backup minutes will be youngster Jerryd Bayless. Portland would also likely try to snag Udonis Haslem from the Heat, as they only have LaMarcus Aldridge to play power forward on their roster.

Another option that I have mentioned before is Orlando Magic point guard Anthony Johnson. For my take on this trade, you can check out this write-up from a few weeks ago.

How Jason Williams Compares to Orlando Magic Backup Point Guards of Yore

Ben Q Rock — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:00:21 -0000

I think most of us have effectively dismissed the notion that Jason Williams, the Orlando Magic's latest free-agency signing, will somehow challenge Jameer Nelson for the team's starting point guard job. Now is the time for a more worthwhile dialog, namely one focusing on how Williams stacks up against Anthony Johnson, the team's current backup.

Below, I've made a table comparing four point guards. One is Williams, one is Johnson, and the other two are players who have moved on to other teams, with their statistics coming from their last season in Orlando. I've included those two extra players in order to give us a better understanding of how Williams stacks up against recent Magic reserve point guards, to see how well he'll fit in (or not) with the team, in comparison to them. And I've removed their names (for now) in order to remove potential biases from our initial evaluations.

What a labyrinthine paragraph that was. Anyway, the comparative table:

Orlando Magic Backup Point Guard Comparison
Point Guard A	Point Guard B		Point Guard C	Point Guard D
Traditional
10.2	11.2	Points/36	13.2	12.2
3.6	2.5	Rebounds/36	3.3	3.2
4.9	5.9	Assists/36	6.0	6.2
2.0	1.7	Turnovers/36	2.1	2.2
40.4	38.4	FG%	38.5	45.1
39.1	35.3	3FG%	33.8	34.5
75.3	86.3	FT%	75.0	85.3
Advanced
10.3	12.7	PER	13.8	12.8
5.6	4.1	Rebound Rate	5.3	5.1
21.2	27.3	Assist Rate	27.0	26.6
16.4	13.5	Turnover Rate	13.3	16.4
15.5	17.0	Usage Rate	19.9	17.0
3.5	6.0	Pure Point Rating	5.5	5.4
47.2	47.2	eFG%	45.4	49.3
50.5	50.2	TS%	49.4	54.7
104	104	Offensive Rating	105	111
105	111	Defensive Rating	104	109
See the complete comparison at Basketball-Reference.com by clicking here

After the jump, the mystery players' identities revealed, and what the stats might mean.

Here, as promised, are the identities of the Magic's mystery point guards:

Point Guard A	Point Guard B	Point Guard C	Point Guard D
Anthony Johnson	Jason Williams	Rafer Alston	Carlos Arroyo

Judging by the statistics--just the raw numbers that I presented--Williams' best comparison is Alston, at least as a passer. They posted similar usage rates, assist rates and turnover rates in their last NBA season, although Williams ultimately wins out in Pure Point Rating. It's important to remember that Williams has toned down his flashy ballhandling, and thus has become a fairly reliable distributor. Like Alston, come to think of it.

Williams diverges from Alston as a scorer. Conveniently (for comparison's sake) he's highly comparable to Johnson in terms of shot selection. Check Johnson's and Williams' player profiles from 82games. Both players prefer to shoot off the dribble, with 81% of Johnson's shots classified as jumpers (85% for Williams); neither player gets much help, as Johnson received assists on only 42% of his jumpers, and Williams on 48%. Because of their infrequent forays into the lane, neither player attempts many free throws. And from the chart at the top of the post, one can see that Johnson and Williams have similar True Shooting and effective field goal percentages. Last season, Magic fans became familiar with Johnson's attempts to create shots for himself, seemingly in slow-motion. This year, it looks like they're in for more of the same, with Johnson and now Williams. It's almost uncanny.

Surprisingly, to me, is Williams' superiority to Johnson in catch-and-shoot situations. (For documentation's sake, let me note that all the statistics I've used in this paragraph come from scouting reports not available to the general public.) Last season, Johnson played (in practice, not in name) a handful of minutes at small forward when Hedo Turkoglu ran the second-unit's offense. Turk was especially adept at finding Johnson in either corner on a kick-out, and Johnson shot 54.7% (eFG%) in catch-and-shoot situations when unguarded; Williams, under the same circumstances in 2008, shot 57.0%, albeit with the dynamic Dwyane Wade doing the dishing. So what's the big deal? Williams' ability to convert at a high rate even under duress, or when guarded on a catch-and-shoot. Johnson was in the NBA's 27th percentile in this category last season, with an unremarkable effective field goal percentage of 36.7%. Williams, in 2008, with Wade usually doing the honors? An impressive 55.9%, in the 84th percentile. It remains to be seen who'll take over as the Magic's secondary ballhandler with the second-unit--Matt Barnes and Vince Carter are likely in the running--but when Williams plays away from the ball, and has opportunities to catch-and-shoot, he'll give the offense more of a lift than Johnson was able to.

If you believe in PER's ability to adequately quantify any given player's raw production, and if you believe Williams hasn't lost anything despite his year away from pro basketball, then the Magic can expect him to provide for this year's squad approximately what Carlos Arroyo did for the 2007/08 crew; their PERs differ by one-tenth of a point. Stylistically, Arroyo and Williams don't compare well, since Arroyo's much quicker, more likely to drive the ball, and a less reliable decision-maker.

Defensively, Williams has to be the worst of any of these players. That's not meant to be a slam, but even if he's as slow as Johnson, he's not as adept. Can Williams keep his man in front of him? Probably not, in most cases. What's more important, and something of which to take note during the preseason, is how competently Williams can funnel his man to a help defender.

A final note, or an asterisk, regarding Williams' modest season with the Heat in 2008: that team stank. It won 15 games; fielded what amounted to a D-League roster due to injuries; and ranked 30th, 24th, and 22nd in offensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage, and pace, respectively. The Magic team he'll join should win at least four times as many games; has a full complement of offensive weapons with whom Williams can work, provided he plays a few minutes with the starting unit; and will play at a faster pace. Williams said about as much yesterday when he indicated during the media availability session that he could stand to improve from his last season solely because of the Magic's superiority in terms of personnel:

"I can be as good or better [than before retirement] because my teammates, look at those guys, how good they are."

Indeed, the scoring prowess of Marcin Gortat and Brandon Bass trumps that of, for instance, Mark Blount and Udonis Haslem. So let's bear these potentially mitigating factors in mind when attempting to assess what Williams can contribute for Orlando. Which is, appropriately enough, the topic of my concluding paragraphs.

Overall, it appears as though Jason Williams is most similar to Rafer Alston as a passer, and Anthony Johnson as a scorer. Of course, this assessment hinges on the assumption that Williams hasn't lost a step since 2008, which is a pretty large assumption. But then again, the Magic hosted a private workout for him, after which coach Stan Van Gundy said, "He still looked like Jason Williams."

I've maintained the position that Williams wasn't the Magic's best option as a third-stringer; among minimum-salary candidates, I preferred Anthony Carter, Bobby Jackson, and (yes, even) Tyronn Lue. Williams, though, isn't a far cry from any of those guys, and from that standpoint it appears as though Smith has chosen adequately.

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

More photos » by Steve Yeater - AP

Browse more photos »

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Still waiting on that point guard ...

Nate Timmons — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:25:01 -0000

The title above is a homage to my days working in restaurants ... "Still waiting on that meatloaf Mark!" And we Nuggets fans are still waiting on that third point guard. Who will it be? Check the jump for more maddening discussion.

My gut (which seems to be growing over the years) tells me that Anthony Carter will be brought back ... I'm about 73.1% sure of it, for those of you that are really paying attention later on ... that's the same percentage as A.C. from the foul line last season. I discussed all the plusses and minuses to bringing A.C. back earlier in the month.

The reason I bring this back up now is because the list of potential available point guards is shrinking by the day.

The List:

Stephon Marbury ... no thanks.
Jason Hart ... there could be worse options (see Marbury, Stephon)
C.J. Watson ... bringing in the young kid makes no sense with Ty Lawson aboard, plus he rumored to be heading to Orlando.
Ramon Sessions ... again we run into the Ty Lawson being the young guy thing and even if Denver offered this restricted free agent a deal it'd be laughed off the table because Sessions is looking for the full MLE and may get it from the Knicks.
Nate Robinson ... an even smaller version of Lawson!
Brevin Knight ... I'm willing to bet that I could beat him at H.O.R.S.E. at least twice.
Jacque Vaughn ... if he's still even alive I demand proof.
Tyronn Lue ... maybe ... if I'm running a lottery team.

Aside from Watson, Sessions, and Robinson (whom Denver can't sign if they want to develop Lawson) the list above looks about as appetizing as Rocky Mountain Oysters. The way I see it there are really only two options for the Nuggets:

Re-sign Anthony Carter and let him battle for minutes with Lawson.
Sign free agent and former Nugget Bobby Jackson.

To quickly reiterate ... Carter will bring you fairly solid defense, the willingness to share the ball and get his teammates involved, and the ability to perfectly inbound the ball from out of bounds. (too soon?)

But there will probably be a sneaking suspicion from the Denver fans about the return of A.C. as reader Running Donut pointed out nicely the other day:

Running Donut: "Should AC return, I expect he would want to be given the same role as last season. Depending on Ty Lawson's performance, that may be nearly impossible. This combined with GK's affinity for Carter is very troubling to me. Personally, I see the potential for a dangerous conflict of interest that could be a dividing force within the team and organization."

(Running Donut ... I know you'll probably read this, so, please inform us on the handle name if you want.)

These same fears have crept into my head as well, so I feel safe assuming that the above is a shared feeling across Nuggets Nation. If A.C. is brought back ... how much will that hurt the benefits that Ty Lawson may bring?

George Karl will be asked to balance this out and it's really not a very easy task ... at least not to an idiot like me!

The entire A.C. dilemma feels like getting off crutches for the first time. You know your injury may be healed, but if you give up your aide too soon you may fall flat on your face. On the other hand, you are continuing to weaken your new leg/ankle/knee by using the aide of a crutch for too long.

Though the question of "When to give up the crutches?" is probably better asked next season when we see how Lawson performs in the league ... it's not a bad one to consider now. Whomever Denver elects to bring in knows they are probably in a lame duck position. The guy Denver signs will almost surely get a one-year deal and know that at some point the minutes may not be there as soon as mid-season if Lawson excels. So, if there is a multi-year offer out there then one must consider the age old wacky NBA question ... winning or money?

It's a great thing when you can get both, but at least in this situation it may not work that way as Denver is lacking in the money department.

And that brings me to Bobby Jackson. In order for him to come back to Denver he'd have to be willing to take a huge pay cut from $6.4 million last season to the minimum of $1.3 million this season (unless Denver offered up the bi-annual exception of $1.99 million.)

The reason I'm looking at Jackson is simple ... Denver may require some scoring off the bench if Linas Kleiza does not return to the team ... heck, even if L.K. is back it wouldn't hurt to adding a little scoring pop to the bench. Jackson has played the role of 6th Man basically his entire career. The most games he has ever started is 53 during his rookie season, ironically, with the Denver Nuggets in the 1997-98 tilt.

B-Jax knows how to score the ball. Entering his 13th season he has averaged double-digit scoring seven times, topping out at 15.2 point per game with the Sacramento Kings in the 2002-03 season. Anthony Carter's career mark was set with Denver in the 2007-08 season when he started 67 games (played in 70) and averaged 7.8 points per game. Let's dive into a head-to-head look at Carter and Jackson from last season:

	Anthony Carter	Bobby Jackson
Age	34	36 turns 37 in March
Height	6'2''	6'1''
Weight	195 lbs.	185 lbs.
2008-09
Games	78	71
Minutes	22.9	20.9
FG%	43.3% (167-386)	39% (193-485)
3-pt%	23.9% (21-88)	30.5% (60-197)
FT%	73.1% (57-78)	85.1% (86-101)
Assists	4.7	2
Turnovers	1.99	0.93
Steals	1.23	0.87
Points	5.3 ppg	7.5 ppg

Again, I see the move of inking Jackson over Carter as one that would allow Denver's bench more offensive punch. Carter is known as a great effort guy and works his ass off on defense. But if Lawson can shoulder some of the load and become a capable defender then Jackson may be called upon to help stretch the floor, a career 35.4% three-point shooter, and give the Nuggets a reliable scoring guard off the bench when needed.

When Billups was not on the floor the Nuggets offense struggled to find the same cohesiveness that old #7 brought. The second unit was hindered by Carter's lack of ability to create his own shot when called upon to do so. Jackson is at the point in his career where he doesn't have a lot of time left to chase the title. I love upgrading the bench with his scoring and he's not that much of an upgrade over A.C. to be a detriment to Lawson.

If Jackson were to sign ... it'd at least finally quiet the chatter around Nuggets Nation as to whom the third point guard will be.

via www.merlotmarketing.com