SB Nation - Jacque Vaughn

San Antonio Spurs Season Preview

Wayne Vore (ATS) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:08:26 -0000

I know what you are thinking. Why today, ATS? Why today for a team preview when the preseason has just started? Well, today is my day. As part of blogger preview organized by Jeff at CelticsBlog, I've got the Spurs on Saturday, October 10th. So let's get down to it.

With the Spurs offseason acquisitions putting them well into luxury tax land for the first time, there is only one sufficient outcome to this season. Winning it all. Will they do it? Let's take a look.

Front court

The front court is where the Spurs have the most significant changes. I'm considering small forwards to be part of the back court. This may sound strange to non-Spurs people, but the Spurs use their 2's and 3's interchangeably. Roger Mason, Manu Ginobili, and Michael Finley are just as likely to be on the court as a shooting guard as they are as a small forward.

The Spurs have seven players on the roster for the two front court positions. Of those seven players, two played in a game for the Spurs last season: Tim Duncan and Matt Bonner. The Spurs added Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff, and Marcus Haislip in free agency. They picked up DeJuan Blair in the draft. Ian Mahinmi missed the season with an injury and has played about 23 total minutes in his NBA career. Those five guys will be replacing the contributions of Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto. With so many people around, minutes are going to be hard to come by. I expect Tim's minutes to be down, but not by much. Expect stiff competition for playing time in the Spurs front court this year. AND, a really big and, that stiff competition presupposes that Popovich doesn't play small ball with either Finley or Jefferson at the 4.

Backcourt

Richard Jefferson is the big new name. Bruce Bowen is now in retirement. Ime Udoka and Jacque Vaughn were not resigned. The Spurs just recently signed Keith Bogans. With the holdovers from last year and the signing of Malik Hairston this summer, the Spurs back court now consists of: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson George Hill, Roger Mason, Michael Finley, Keith Bogans, Marcus Williams, and Malik Hairston. Yes, that is 16 players on the roster. Williams and Hairston are both on unguaranteed contracts and one of them won't be on the team. Still, that's a lot of depth. How deep?

Well, George Hill IS the backup point guard. He and Tony will get all the point guard minutes this year. Manu and Jefferson will get the bulk of the minutes (I'm calling over half "the bulk") at the 2 and the 3. That leaves about 40 minutes per game for Finley, Bogans, and Mason with the winner of the Williams/Hairston battle getting nothing.

Offense

The end of the Bruce Bowen era and the addition of Richard Jefferson gives the Spurs a completely different look on offense. We no longer have a player the opposition can ignore on defense. That's not quite true. Teams couldn't ignore Bruce because he could bury that corner three. However, they could hide their worst defensive player very easily. You just had to be warm to be able to guard Bruce. Gone are the days where Steve Nash would spend his game covering Bruce. Now, he gets Richard Jefferson? I don't think so. The offensive balance and ability to attack mismatches will be something new for Spurs fans. We might see some different looks this year and a reduced role for Tim.

In his media day interview, Manu flat-out said Tony Parker is the offensive leader of the team. I don't think this year's Spurs will be running nearly as much offense through Tim in the low blocks. We had been moving away from Tim in the last few years, but I expect him to be much less of a focus this year. I think Tim will be getting the ball a lot more on the move and in the high post than as a set play down in the blocks.

The last couple years the Spurs have lived and died by their 3-point shooting. When they were on, they were hard to beat. When they were off, they couldn't win. Michael Finley, Roger Mason, Bruce Bowen, and Matt Bonner are all spot shooters. We routinely had at least two of them on the court at one time. Add in a Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto, who doesn't really shoot at all, and the Spurs played large chunks of games with three guys on the court who specialized in standing still and shooting.

This year, I think the Spurs will be able to be more consistent scoring the ball and less reliant on 3-point shooting. I'd like to think the additions of Jefferson and McDyess as guys who can put the ball in the hole will keep teams from forcing the ball out of the hands of our stars and putting it in the hands of one dimensional shooters.

Oh, and having Manu back healthy will be a huge lift on the offensive end. His ability to drive and create for his teammates IS what he brings to the team. This team will be good offensively. In fact, I think they will be one of the most efficient offensive teams in the league.

Defense

Defensively is where I have the biggest question mark for the team. Last year was a huge step back in team defense for the Spurs. Perenially one of the best defensive teams in the league, the Spurs in '09 were nothing but ordinary. Will the addition of Jefferson and a longer, stronger, defensive focused front court players turn that around? I'm not sure. I hope so, but this is the one thing the team will have to prove on the floor this year.

The additions of McDyess and Ratliff give the Spurs some extra rebounding and shot blocking ability. Shot blocking, or even shot challenging, was something we didn't get last year out of Thomas, Oberto, and Bonner. The addition of Jefferson adds some size and athleticism on the wing.

Last year, the Spurs didn't make teams uncomfortable. They played smart, position defense. If a team could hit the jumper, we were content to let them take it. Hopefully, this year, we can start making teams uncomfortable again.

Athleticism, Length, and Energy

Where I hope we see the biggest improvement in the team is in the intangibles. The new roster changes infuse the team with desperately needed athleticism, length, and energy. The additions of Jefferson, Ratliff, McDyess, and Blair; and the emergence of George Hill, should help the Spurs with all the smaller things we didn't do well last year. A team that scraps for offensive rebounds. A team that tips rebounds. A team that challenges shots in the paint. A team that collects loose balls. A team that creates turnovers. A team that gets some easy baskets. A team that can win a game against a good team without playing a perfect game.

The Spurs will be good this year. They will be very good this year. But, they will need to be great. Will we see greatness? That is the question to be answered and I really like our chances.

Who's Left?

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

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

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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)

What is a Point Guard?

Wayne Vore (ATS) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:10:08 -0000

RamblingSpur hypothesized in a recent Fanpost that Richard Jefferson could be our 3rd point guard behind Tony and George. It got me thinking, "what is a point guard and what do they do for the Spurs?"

Admittedly, the role of the point guard is something I have been thinking about for quite some time. In fact, I believe I had a long discussion about it with Mike Lisboa from BSotS in Las Vegas.

I believe there are three separate roles the Spurs ask of their point guards. Well, three separate roles that they can ask their point guards to fill. In reality, you could have three separate people doing them. But, at any given time, these three things have to be getting done on the court. Sometimes, we ask the point guard to do them.

Point Guard Defense

This is the most boring and obvious one. Somebody has to defend the other team's point guard. Depending on the offensive strengths and weaknesses of the other team's point guard, we can put several different people on him. In the past, we have used Bruce Bowen against point guards for stretches and our PG has had to cover somebody else. I don't think we would have ever considered Bruce our point guard in these situations.

In a matchup with the Lakers this year, we could put Manu on Fisher if George is the other guard and he could spend time on Kobe. Or, in the past, we could have played Brent Barry against Fisher and Manu against Kobe.

My point is: you have to consider the defensive matchup when you talk about your point guard.

Create Offense

Brandon Roy creates offense. As do Kobe Bryant, Manu Ginobili, and LeBron James. Gilbert Arenas creates offense too, usually for himself. These guys all are used as an offensive catalyst on the perimeter. All of them can dribble. All of them can pass. All of them can shoot. However, this doesn't make them point guards. They are offensive initiators. It is their ability to beat their man and create shots for themselves and others that makes them exceptional.

Many teams use their point guard as the creator of their offense. Chris Paul, Steve Nash, and Jameer Nelson come to mind. This is where the term "point guard" gets mixed in with "scoring guard". However, a point guard doesn't have to create offense to do their job. Derek Fisher is the Lakers point guard and he's effective. Kirk Hinrich is a competent point guard. Jason Kidd is a very good point guard also.

Ball Handler

I believe the primary role of a point guard is to get the ball across half court and to get the team into their half court offense. It sounds simple, but I don't believe it is. The ability to do only that task is what kept Jacque Vaughn in the NBA for 48 years. What happens if you don't have somebody that can get that task done? I'll tell you what happens. Beno Udrih happens.

Yes, our good buddy Beno. Every Spurs fan who was around in 2005 remembers the Finals and what happened to Beno. I'm not here to say Beno folded. I'm not going to say that Beno was a terrible ball handler. I am going to say that it is the best example of the value of having a good ball handler. Ok, not a good ball handler. Beno was a GOOD ball handler. It's an example of NOT having an elite ball handler.

In the 2005 Finals against the Pistons, Detroit had Lindsey Hunter on their bench. Hunter's specialty was his harassing defense. When the Spurs took Tony Parker out of the game and went to Beno, the Pistons put Hunter on Beno for full court pressure, and their defense cranked up the intensity. In short, Hunter was a better defender than Beno was a ball handler. The result was that the Pistons got turnovers and layups, and the Spurs got routed nearly every time Udrih took the court. (This is one of the main reasons that full court pressure is so much more prevalent at lower levels of competition. The ball handlers aren't nearly as good.)

The Spurs were unable to get the ball up court and into their offense successfully. Obviously, a team can't score if they can't do this. How did the Spurs solve this problem? Some people might say they made Brent Barry the point guard. But that's not what they did. Or, at least, is was only part of it. What they did was come up with a rule. That rule was: If Tony Parker is not in the game, then whoever is NOT guarded by Lindsey Hunter has to bring the ball up. Or, to put it another way, our second best ball handler is now our point guard because Hunter is better than our best ball handler when that best ball handler isn't Tony Parker.

Now, to be sure, Lindsey Hunter is an extreme case. However, it's not just individual man-to-man pressure that a point guard has to handle. They also have to handle traps both full court and half court. At times last year, George Hill struggled with all three. Full court man-to-man. Full court traps. Half court traps. When he struggled, we ended up with Bruce bringing the ball up court or a turnover. Neither of which is conducive to the Spurs scoring.

Why don't teams do this against Tony? Well, a couple reasons. One, Tony is a very good dribbler. He is very difficult to trap because of both his handle and quickness. Because of this, he can frequently beat the trap on his own, which puts the Spurs in a 5 on 3 situation. If the other team puts full court man-to-man pressure on Tony, Tony is usually fast enough to blow by his man which leads to a 5 on 4 situation. In short. Tony is dangerous offensively. The Spurs run a lot of very high screens to be able to have him shake his man and attack a big at the free throw line. Why would the other team GIVE them this situation by employing a full court press? The answer is, they don't.

Therefore

So, when you ask "Who is the team's third point guard?" or, "Is Marcus Williams a point-forward?" then I want to know what you expect them to do.

For instance, in RamblingSpur's post about using Richard Jefferson he says that Manu and Roger can play off the ball. My question is, why have Jefferson bringing up the ball when Manu and Roger are better ball handlers? The only reason to have Jefferson getting the ball up court is if Manu and Roger are facing exceptional defenders or traps they can't handle.

In the case of Marcus Williams, who is he covering on defense? Can he handle the ball against Artest or Kobe? Can he handle a trap? I don't know the answer because I haven't seen him try. I'm just saying the point guard has several roles and you have to consider how they fit into each of them and which teammates are on the floor.

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.

Why C.J. Watson is No Longer an Option for the Orlando Magic

Ben Q Rock — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:00:27 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

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Not to rain on any Orlando Magic fan's parade after the all-but-official signing of small forward Matt Barnes, which you can discuss here, but we do need to explain how that signing eliminates the possibility of their signing point guard C.J. Watson to an offer sheet. An NBA source told Tania Ganguli of the Orlando Sentinel that the Magic will look at cheaper point guard options.

It is, as you might expect, a matter of money. A report by Tim Povtak of AOL FanHouse surfaced on Friday evening saying the Magic were preparing an offer sheet to tender to Watson, whose free-agent rights belong to the Golden State Warriors. Povtak said Watson could sign the offer sheet as early as the weekend, after which point the Warriors would have seven days to either match the offer, and thus retain him, or to let him join the Magic.

However, the Magic have chose Barnes over Watson, in essence. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that Barnes' deal is worth $3.2 million dollars, split evenly across two seasons, with the second season at Barnes' option. The $1.6 million comes from the mid-level exception money left over from signing Brandon Bass to a four-year deal worth $16 million--an even $4 million per year, according to Marc Stein. Orlando now has a mere $254,000 of the mid-level left to offer a free agent. That's roughly $200,000 less than the minimum salary for a player with no prior NBA experience. In short, that money will go unused.

In theory, the Magic could offer Watson a contract starting at $825,497, which is the minimum salary for a two-year veteran. Watson earned $711,517 last season, and is understandably seeking a raise. According to Marcus Thompson II of the Oakland Tribune, he rejected a one-year deal from the Philadelphia 76ers worth $2.3 million, because he wants a longer-term deal of at least 3 years. Even if we assume he'll take a slightly lower annual salary than Philadelphia offered him in order to ink a three-year deal, he probably wouldn't accept anything less than $6 million. According to Larry Coon's Salary-Cap FAQ (scroll down to the chart, just above Question 20), players signed to minimum contracts can only receive pay increases commensurate with their level of experience in the league--as opposed to some other contracts, where raises are made on a percentage basis--and can only sign for a maximum of two seasons. Thus, Watson would earn $885,120 in his second year with Orlando, Add it up, and you'll see the most he would stand to earn with Orlando is $1,710,617 over two seasons, which is less than one-third of the money he conceivably earn elsewhere, with one fewer guaranteed year. It wouldn't make sense for a player of Watson's age (25) to take such a drastic pay cut, which is why he's out of the Magic's realm of possibility.

So Orlando will go back to the drawing board, likely looking at bargain-bin veterans such as Anthony Carter, Juan Dixon, Brevin Knight, Kevin Ollie, and Jacque Vaughn in order to fill their third point guard role. Nobody else has the sort of dazzling appeal Watson--a young, three-point-shooting, foul-drawing, ace--has. But either way, Magic GM Otis Smith has addressed two dire needs this offseason, as Barnes provides competent backup at both forward positions and Brandon Bass gives the Magic a young, bruising big man to help them tangle with beefier front lines. Count the upgrade Vince Carter provides over Hedo Turkoglu and you'll see Orlando can boast an offseason as good as any other team's, at least so far. All that's left on the shopping list is a third-string point guard.

Otis doin' work, indeed.

After the jump, a look at the Magic's salary commitments for next season, presented without comment.

2009/2010 Orlando Magic Salaries, as of July 21st, 2009
Rashard Lewis	$18,010,791
Vince Carter	$16,123,250
Dwight Howard	$15,202,590
Jameer Nelson	$7,700,000
Marcin Gortat	$5,854,000
Mickael Pietrus	$5,300,000
Brandon Bass	$4,000,000
J.J. Redick	$2,839,408
Anthony Johnson	$2,062,800
Matt Barnes	$1,600,000
Ryan Anderson	$1,317,120
TOTAL	$80,009,959

2009 Orlando Pro Summer League, Day 3

erivera7 — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 05:51:30 -0000

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"I think, especially Otis, he understands ... he's an ex-player so he understands my situation. Playing here maybe 10 to 15 minutes a game and getting playing time over there [in Dallas] maybe 30 minutes a game or 40 minutes a game is definitely a different thing so he understands from a player's standpoint, I have a good opportunity to just improve my game and show what I can to. I hope the fans understand everything, too. If I'm going to Dallas, I'll never forget about the Orlando fans. Here I grew up as a basketball player and I improved my game and I got to experience a lot of things, going to the Finals, and playing with the best big man in the world [Dwight Howard], so I hope they understand. "

-- Marcin Gortat, Orlando Magic

Ben Q. Rock and I are covering the 2009 Orlando Pro Summer League at the RDV SportsPlex, this week. For the next few days, we'll be watching the Magic play, as well as check out the other teams in the event. Ben will recap the Orlando games and provide his usual insights, as he always does. Meanwhile, I will chat with various coaches, front office personnel, players, and others, gathering their thoughts on a variety of topics. I'm proud to kick off Day 3 of our coverage .. beginning, right now.

I was able to speak with ESPN.com's & Scout Inc's David Thorpe, Marcin Gortat, former Orlando Magic head coach and current Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, and Marreese Speights of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Click after the jump for the full transcript.

David Thorpe

Could you comment on Russell Robinson and talk about his game?

I think that he's one of those guys that, minor league kind of player, that's trying to move to the next level and he's going to have an easier time actually getting in the NBA, ironically, than getting into Europe because he's not a scorer. In Europe, typically they'll bring in Americans to score. Well, they do everything ... score included. He, to me, plays kind of like a Jacque Vaughn-type, another Kansas guy. I really liked what I saw, though. I just thought his energy, what he was doing, very crisp floor general, scored when he needed to, and I thought he defended and moved the ball great, so that's his game I guess. I've talked to some scouts, who have seen him play during the year in the D-League, and they said he keeps getting better. As a third-string point guard for someone next year, it's possible the way he played. The odds are always long when you're not drafted and you're coming in from the minor leagues.

How would you rate his jumper, right now?

I thought it looked good. He's not looking for it, that's the thing. In these Summer Leagues, it's even harder for a guy like him because he's not playing off Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, and [Hedo] Turkoglu ... he's got Ryan Anderson, and that's about it. Jeremy [Richardson], a little bit, too, so he's got to try to score more and kind of turn some heads. The reality is that his game fits as a back-up point guard in the league because he does defend, and because he does play with energy, and if he can play without turning the ball over and get a team in their offense, he's got a chance.

Let's say he signs with the Orlando Magic, how would he fit with the team?

He plays like an old player, like an Anthony Johnson, in that he is the floor general. He's not trying to make things happen for himself, he's trying to make plays for others. The difference is, veterans like Anthony Johnson, can go get buckets and I don't know if Russell can. Anthony, coming off the bench, can score and he's done it many, many times. Russell is ten years from being able to do that, probably, and it's just not in his personality so that's what makes it hard is you have the veterans who play just like Russell, not try to force the issue, but those guys can also get buckets and I don't know if Russell can.

How would you rate Ryan Anderson's game right now and who would you compare him to?

I called him Rashard Lewis-lite. I don't mean that by the color of his skin. He's just not as good as Rashard Lewis and probably won't ever be as good as Rashard Lewis but to me, what makes Lewis unique in the league is his ability to shoot the ball with his size and can make plays when you chase him off the [three-point] line. I think a lot of guys can really shoot the three and have size, but when you chase them off the line, they really become far less effective.

I think Lewis is still a very effective player ... he's not a guy that blows by you and dunks on you all the time or anything, but I thought in the playoffs, especially, you saw a guy that can score on one or two dribbles without dunking the ball. He can wrap you in and score in the post, which is something he really did well in Game 6 against Philadelphia [76ers] in the second half, he got himself into the paint and scored so I think Anderson is similar. I think ... he really loves to drive, he definitely doesn't just want to shoot threes, but that's what he's best at. But he also rebounds and makes plays in the paint on both ends and fights.

I liked him coming out of college and I think that sometimes teams want to bring in a backup that plays much differently than their starter. To me, he's going to be able to backup the 4 and kind of give you what Rashard gives you, just not as good.

I was at the press conference when Vince Carter was introduced to the Magic and Stan Van Gundy stated the reason he liked Ryan Anderson is because he brings the same skill-set, as you said, like Rashard Lewis. He felt like last year, when he subbed out Lewis, he didn't have that guy that could really spread the floor at the 4 so he felt like having Anderson on the team would be something that both parties benefit from.

Yeah, in the playoffs, when they brought in [Tony] Battie or even [Marcin] Gortat sometimes when they went really big, especially in the Finals, they just didn't guard those guys. You got to guard Ryan because he can really shoot. To play him with Dwight is a good fit and I think that he tries to rebound ... I'm not sure he'll be a very good rebounder in the NBA level, but when you play next to Dwight, it's not so important because he gets almost every rebound.

I think that Ryan is fortunate, because I think he's going to a really good spot for him. I also think his coach [Stan Van Gundy] is as good as there is in the league in figuring out how to take advantage of his talents. Ryan is going to have a very good year next year because his coach is going to figure out how to help him.

What is Anderson's ceiling, as a player?

I think he can be a starter in the league. He won't be in Orlando unless Rashard gets hurt. I think that his ceiling is a starting, face-up 4. He has to be with a monster 5, whether it's Yao Ming, who's injured right now, or Amare [Stoudemire] potentially ... guys like that, you play him where he was with Brook Lopez. He's a nice floor spreader, who like I said ... if he just could spread the floor and that was it, I wouldn't project him as a starter but the fact he can actually make some plays when he's not shooting threes, I think it gives him a chance to be a starter. It just won't be for a while because they got a pretty good 4 already [Rashard Lewis] and they're paying him pretty well, too.

Marcin Gortat

Are you excited to go back to Poland?

I'm excited but I'm not excited going back to Poland in that kind of situation where I don't know where I'm going to play, yet. It's kind of hard because every day it's going to be the same question, 'where are you going to play?' ... and I don't know the answer, so it's kind of hard to go in that kind of situation but I'm happy I'm going back to Poland.

If you were to leave the Magic, it seems that you and Otis Smith are leaving on good terms. What do you think?

I think, especially Otis, he understands ... he's an ex-player so he understands my situation. Playing here maybe 10 to 15 minutes a game and getting playing time over there [in Dallas] maybe 30 minutes a game or 40 minutes a game is definitely a different thing so he understands from a player's standpoint, I have a good opportunity to just improve my game and show what I can to. I hope the fans understand will everything, too. If I'm going to Dallas, I'll never forget about the Orlando fans. Here I grew up as a basketball player and I improved my game and I got to experience a lot of things, going to the Finals, and playing with the best big man in the world [Dwight Howard], so I hope they understand.

Are you going to get accustomed, if you were to go to the Dallas Mavericks, having Mark Cuban at all the games? Everyone knows that he's very involved as an owner and very into it with his players.

Yeah, he is into all the stuff and I mean, that will be good. If you got the main guy trying to help you out, then obviously he's big into talking with the referees ... he's going to help the team and he's going to help you, so that's good. That's awesome.

Is that very important to you, to be with an ownership that's committed to winning?

Oh, of course. If the main guy is trying to win, then you just got to do it. The guys ... he's just trying to win, he's trying to build the team to win, and you just got to help him because he's giving you this huge opportunity so you just got to use it.

Doc Rivers

If Rasheed Wallace weren't to start, how many minutes do you think he'll see each night during the regular season?

Oh, I don't know. I really don't, yet. I just want to see how his body looks. No more than 25 minutes. I hope they all play 20 minutes a night all year, that'd be terrific, but that's not going to happen so I don't know.

Are you going to make a concerted effort to pace your team, considering the NBA season is grueling and long?

It is a long season, but we kind of know our guys so I don't know Rasheed, yet, as far as that way so that'll be something I find out as the year goes on but I think we've done a pretty good job of pacing them, as long as we don't have injuries, then all that stuff goes out the window.

How's Kevin [Garnett] looking?

He looks great. I saw him last week and the first thing I told him is that it's good to see that he can walk normal again and talk more. He's definitely louder and happier, so Kevin is back.

Do you think Rasheed's and Kevin's personalities will mesh well, given that they're both intense competitors?

Yeah, I think that anybody's personality will be able to fit if they're there for the right reasons and I think everyone on our team ,,, they're there for the right reasons. I never thought, personally, personalities are that difficult to mesh when everybody's is trying to win one thing and I think they're very difficult to mesh when everybody have their own agenda.

If Grant Hill were to sign with the Celtics, do you think it'll be nice to be able to interact with him again since both your times with the Magic?

Well, it'd be nice to interact with any free agent so anybody out there, we'll interact ... there's no doubt, Obviously Grant and I have a relationship ... hell, I didn't see him play a whole bunch. I was with him a long time but I just know the character and I know who he is, and I think he'd be a good fit of any team trying to win a title. Any team that is trying to win a title right now, Grant Hill is going to help you.

Marreese Speights

I know it's a bit different for you since you're sharing a team with the New Jersey Nets. How's that been going for you?

It's been going pretty good to play with a different team. It's the first time I ever did it but it's a pretty good experience.

How do you like the play of your teammate, Jrue Holiday, so far?

He's young, but he's getting better and better every game with confidence. He'll be good by the time the season comes.

What certain things in your game are you trying to work on in the Summer League?

Just trying to be a little tougher down low, making more post moves and just play harder down low.

What do you think your new head coach, Eddie Jordan, will be able to bring to the table?

He should be able to bring a lot to the table as a coach. There's a lot but he's been a pretty good coach in the NBA, so he should be good.

Stay tuned for Ben's recap of the Magic v. 76ers/Nets game.

The Knicks' offer to Grant Hill is a little beefier than we thought.

Seth — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:48:33 -0000

Contrary to a speculative report from yesterday, the Knicks will not be offering Grant Hill a one-year deal for about half the mid-level exception. Instead, they're giving the 36 year-old a couple of options. Says Frank Isola, Hill can either latch on for one year for $5 million, or stick around for three and reel in $10 million. Before you go fetch your pitchfork, remember that: 1. Hill's offer is just over half of what Jason Kidd's was. 2. He's not Jason Kidd. Donnie Walsh has now made it abundantly clear that he's willing to pay through the earholes for veteran savvy, and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. At least Hill's still a half-decent baller and an awesome human being. Walsh and D'Antoni have seen far more of the locker room than we have (unless someone here is withholding some unprecedented access), and must feel it necessary to have some wise, wizened warriors around, especially with the departures of Malik Rose and Quentin Richardson. Personally? I say you toss a couple MLE bucks at Jacque Vaughn, who battled the Bulls with Stockton and Malone and won rings in San Antonio, and call it a day. But that's just me. I'm crazy like that.

It troubles me slightly that Walsh is willing to sign multi-year deals, but hasn't pursued Ramon Sesssions or anyone who, you know, will probably still be playing basketball competently three years from now. Maybe that's the next move.

Anyway, if Grant Hill joins the Knicks, it'll be for more bank than we expected. If management really believes that veteran leadership is New York's paramount concern, then so be it. It could be much worse. As today is the first day that free agent contracts can actually be signed, keep checking back for updates. Hopefully we'll be hearing more on this front, as well as the David Lee and Nate Robinson situations, later on.

San Antonio Spurs Guide To Free Agency and Free Agent Primer

Wayne Vore (ATS) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:17:36 -0000

Free agency kicked off Tuesday night at 11:01 SPURS time. At this point, all they can do is talk and make offers. No contracts can be signed. Here's my rundown of the situation. What we have? What we can spend? Who we want?

What do we have?

With Michael Finley exercising his player option, we have upped our current roster to 10.

We also have our draft picks and old draft picks. None of those guys, however, are signed to contracts and should be considered iffy.

What Can We Spend?

My trusty bean counter at Sham Sports tells me that the salaries for the above 10 players comes to $72,054,727. We are WAY over the salary cap area and almost assuredly over the luxury tax already. While the numbers won't be official until about a week from now, last year's luxury tax was in the $71 million range and it is expected to go down.

What does that mean? Well, it means we are limited to using the mid-level exception, the biannual exception, and the veteran minimum to sign guys. The mid-level exception is about $5.5 million (again, the number won't be official until the next week), the biannual dohickey was $1.9 million last year, and the veteran minimum was $1.2 million.

What can I take from this? We can sign one decent to good player for the $5.5 million. Then we can sign as many scrubs as we can find for the minimum. OR, we can spend the $5.5 million on two OK players. Then sign as many scrubs as we can find.

Who Do We Want?

Well, 'who' is really dictated by 'what'. What we need are big men. And more than one. If you look at the guys I listed on the roster, you'll see that we have 3 -- yes, 3 -- big men. We normally carry 5-6 big men. In 2008, we have Tim, Horry, Bonner, Fab, KT, and Ian. Last year, we had Tim, Bonner, Fab, KT, Drew, and Ian. Right now, we have Tim, Bonner, Ian. That won't fly. We need three bigs. One or two will come from the draft guys though, so we'll probably target just one big man in free agency. The free agent list is LONG. Peruse at your leisure.

What Bigs Will We Get?

That $5.5 million MLE is going to the best big the Spurs can attract. I think #1 on their list will be Rasheed Wallace. He fits EVERYTHING the Spurs like in a big man next to Tim. 1) He can shoot the three. 2) He's a solid defensive player. 3) He has a very high basketball IQ. 4) He's old as dirt. Do you guys realize that Tim is the second oldest player on our roster and Manu is the third? Pop isn't going to let that fly.

If we can't snag Rasheed, I'm not sure where we go. I give the thumbs down to McDyess. I think he has less in the tank than Rasheed. Gortat seems like a guy who will be overpaid. Rasho wasn't that good when we traded him 3 years ago. Birdman...please.

I'm firmly on the Sheed bandwagon, but I think McDyess might be the next best fit. Don't discount Drew Gooden. I could see the Spurs going with him if they could get him on the cheap. A combo of Pachulia and Gooden might be interesting.

What About the Non-Bigs?

I want Bruce back. I think Bruce, at the veteran minimum, as the back up small forward would be fantastic. We don't really need another guard. Tony, Roger, Manu, George, and FinDog (FinDog is more of a SG than a SF) should be more than adequate. I think with the emergence of George, and Roger's and Manu's ability to run the point in a pinch, we don't need the Jacque Vaughn veteran-savvy third point guard this year. With the addition of Jefferson, there is no way we are spending any money at the small forward position and whoever we bring in will have to be dirt cheap.

Unless the Spurs pull off another trade, I really don't see us doing much in free agency besided chasing a big man and signing a few guys for the minimum. I'll bet those minimum guys are familiar faces.

Odds and Ends

The Pistons have a TON of cap space. Do you think they'll sign Artest? Please, pretty please.
What's up with Allen Iverson? I haven't heard anything. Nothing. Zero. About anybody being interested in him.
Jerome James is available. I think Tim would like it if we signed him.
Several former Spurs big men are available: Rasho, Malik, Sean Marks, Francisco, Melvin Ely
Anybody heard anything about Shawn Marion going somewhere? Me neither.
Do you remember how the Suns fans were all stoked about the signing of Matt Barnes? They can't wait for him to get out of town now.
Chris Wilcox is a free agent. If the Spurs are looking for a talented guy who needs a fresh start, he might be the man. He'd be cheap.
Hmmmm, what about Joe Smith?
Or Anderson Varejao? Hold it he's now #2 on my list ahead of McDyess. I forgot about him.

2009 NBA Draft Open Thread (Beware The Spurs Ninja)

LatinD — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:17:32 -0000

Let's stash him in Europe for 15 years as he develops

It's the 2009 Draft! Are you excited?!

...That's great, because I'm not so much. The good regular season records from the Spurs through the last decade and the proclivity of the front office to trade away our first round picks mean that I'm usually not able to muster enough interest in the proceeding to sit through the hours of insipid ceremony. Draft night is not Spurs night.

However, our fearless leader will be going to the Austin Toros draft party (and I'm sure he'll look away whenever a Capital City Dancer walks past him), so it became my duty to write a post about this momentous occasion. Considering I haven't followed the mock drafts and don't watch much NCAA basketball, the more knowledgeable PTR regulars might notice I'm talking out of my derrière. I apologize for that, and welcome anyone that has some accurate information to write a fanpost that I'll afterwards cannibalize to update this one.

Without further disclaimers, let's start plagiarizing Draft Express:

The Spurs Play In The Second Round

How unlike the playoffs. Zing!

The Spurs have 3 second round picks: numbers 37, 51 and 53. With Jefferson in black and white, I would imagine that the FO will do their best to plug our holes in the frontcourt, despite having two young bigs already signed (Tiago and Yawn). A serviceable rookie center or power forward would be perfect for us, but Draft Express says that the group of centers available leaves a lot to be desired. Check their post on the subject to see more stats you can shake a Hollinger at. (And here's their take on the power forwards crop.)

As ATS explains here, a possibility open to the Spurs is moving up into the low 20s, or use his trade assets (all Romaju of them) to move even higher. The truth is, the fact that the owner is willing to pay the luxury tax has ruined every pundit's predictions. Moving into the first round would mean that the Spurs would be even further beyond the cap, but I'm starting to think our beloved leaders our going for broke this year.

Okay, I'm sort of excited after all.

The Wealthy Kids

Let's get to know the top 5 picks, according to Draft Express.

Ouch

Blake Griffin PF/C - Oklahoma, Sophomore

I started paying attention to this big lug during March Madness, when someone went all Karate Kid on him and flipped him over his shoulder for one of the most spectacular fouls I've seen. Here's the .gif image, or you can go watch it over at YouTube. A few days later he did what you see above - he elevated for a slamma-jamma, hit his head on the side of the backboard and still made the dunk. No, really.

DE's take on the manbeast:

Blake Griffin’s spot at the top of draft is more than justified by breaking down his advanced statistics, as it truly emphasizes just how impressive a prospect he is from a physical standpoint.

Not only did Griffin garner the most possessions of any PF in the draft at finishing around the basket per game (7.9), but he's also the #1 finisher as well, connecting on an outrageous 75.5% of his short range attempts, not including post ups. While his overall points per possession (PPP) of 1.08 ranks fourth, thanks to the fact that he’s fouled on 18.5% of his possessions, has finished 51 of his 61 attempts in transition, and ranks amongst the best finishers when cutting to the rim at 1.52 PPP. Athleticism, strength, and tenacity aside, those numbers alone go a long way towards explaining why he’s such a coveted prospect considering he’s managed to generate 20.2 total possessions per game (good for 3rd on our list) while still getting the job done in the post (53% on 7.9 Pos/G).

Too many stats... Whatever. Anyone able to do things like this is okay in my book. Then again, I'm biased.

Dashing

Hasheem Thabeet C - Connecticut, Junior

Who is this guy? Don't look at me, I have no idea. Apparently he plays basketball and loves balloon hats.

DE to the rescue:

Hasheem Thabeet’s value comes from his defensive ability, but the development of his offensive game will be integral to his success in the long-term and determine how he is viewed as a player.

Thabeet is going to block shots next year, pull down some rebounds, and face an uphill battle to become a bigger offensive threat than he already is.

[...]

Its more than a bit concerning that Thabeet was already having trouble making his presence felt on the offensive end on the NCAA, however efficient he may have been. He was after all, essentially a giant in a land of midgets. He won’t have anywhere near as big a physical advantage in the NBA as he did in college, which will make things even more difficult on him moving forward.

Thabeet struggles badly trying to create opportunities for himself, being incredibly reliant on the talent and generosity of his teammates to generate offense for him. When he was able to get the ball in scoring position, though, he was a major force. Thabeet scored a point on 62.7% of his half court offensive touches, ranking him first amongst all players we looked at. The problem is that he received such few touches, his 11.8 possessions would place him 25th amongst the power forwards we previously examined.

You can watch him answering questions during the Draft Combine here. He has a bit of Mutombo in his voice. Watch him block shots, rebound, hustle, make dunks, oop some alleys and jump really high in this video. Considering we don't need another scorer, we could really use some of that, eh?

Eat the head, Ricky

Ricky Rubio PG - DKV Joventut, International

Ricky, at 18 years old, is the youngest of the 5, and probably (hack!) the youngest in the entire draft. I've seen him play for the Spanish national team for a few years now, and I must say he's everything people say he is (even what this guy says rings true). He has played in high pressure situations since he was 15 years old, and he's a gifted passer. If he can develop a deadly jumper and learns to finish at the rim like Tony, he could be the next Steve Nash. (Big ifs, eh?)

DE speaketh:

Ricky Rubio doesn’t have overwhelming stats, but he’s the youngest prospect on our list playing against by far the strongest competition, and thus isn’t as weak in some areas as people may imagine.

[...]

Always better known for his creativity and playmaking ability, it doesn’t come as a shock that Rubio looks good in transition. He is shooting 69% on his transition opportunities on just 13 attempts this season –which is a bit misleading since he doesn’t take many attempts more because he knows when to give the ball up than because he isn’t pushing the tempo. In contrast, his limited isolation possessions are indicative of some issues, as he’s not going to produce a ton in pure one-on-one situations. Fortunately, Rubio, like most European point guard’s we’ve evaluated, is effective on the pick and roll. With 27% of his touches coming from the two-man game, Rubio could have a mutually beneficial relationship with the post players he is teamed with in the NBA, since they’ll likely make his life just as easy as he’ll make theirs.

I'm going to enjoy watching this guy play basketball in the NBA (wrap around galore!). Especially if he doesn't become a punk female dog like Paul.

He can (and will) kick your butt

Jonny Flynn PG - Syracuse, Sophomore

Another unknown for me, even though I watched him play during March Madness a couple of times. First thing that strikes me about this kid: he looks strong. Seriously strong, lamentations-of-your-women, green-skin strong. I had saved this dunk on poor Mike Rosario for my blog, but it's perfect to illustrate my point: that's something else. (Here's a mix of his best plays for your enjoyment.) He's short, but I think he has it in him to become an effective NBA player.

DE educates us:

Jonny Flynn was fast enough to compensate for his size on the NCAA level.

Flynn was a standout in two areas: his ability to get to the rim, and his one-on-one skills. Thankfully for him, those are two skills that the NBA values dearly. Clearly, his productivity is grounded in his first step. Flynn got to the rim 8.8 times per game, which accounted for a lot of his scoring, but his 1.24 PPP in unguarded catch and shoot situations and .94 PPP on pull up jumpers are both very respectable. His 4.3 possessions per game on isolations are amongst the best amongst big-conference players, and his 41% shooting on those plays isn’t awful. Couple those tools with his capacity to drive in both directions and his ability to draw fouls (16.1% SF), and it becomes hard not to think that Flynn could be, at the very least, a high quality backup if he improves his efficiency, especially once he masters the pick and roll (.84 PPP).

That's no-h Jonny for you, guys. Watch him in a Draft Combine interview here, and during workouts last month. Let's move on.

Should fit right in

James Harden SG - Arizona State, Sophomore

James Harden. James... Harden. Just a second... ...aah, here we go. YouTube Mix of James Harden. It's pretty helpful, considering it's titled "Get to know James Harden". Judging from the level of skill shown in this video, he might be the next Kobe. Or the next next Jordan.

DE with the save:

James Harden’s situational statistics should ease many of the concerns teams have about his game. It appears that he's one of those players who "finds a way to get by" despite his shortcomings.

Very efficient, while maintaining fairly high usage rates, Harden made 47% of his shots in logged possessions –an excellent percentage for a two. [...] A lot of Harden’s efficiency comes from an area that most probably wouldn’t expect it to. In spite of his perceived athletic limitations, Harden was a terrific finisher around the basket this season.

[...]

Harden's biggest shortcoming ended up being in the perimeter shooting department. He was terrific on the very few catch and shoot opportunities he received with his feet set (2.4 Pos/G), but really struggled when being contested (.85 PPP) or shooting off the dribble (.73 PPP).[...] Fortunately for Harden, this is clearly a part of his game he can work on, but he'll have to put in the appropriate time in the gym. [...] Harden's intelligence and excellent skill-level really shine through in his ability to score in transition--which was an important part of his game in college.

Just Another Role Player, I guess. Considering he's the 5th pick, well, that should tell you something about the overall quality of this draft. That's why I was so mad that some people suggested trading Manu freaking Ginobili for a 5th pick. Really? Manu for James Harden? Shooting guard for shooting guard? You can see him all dressed up in this Draft Combine interview.

Oh, and I almost used this photo for James. I think it took me 5 minutes to decide, they were both so good.

The Merely Rich Kids

Pay attention, because if we trade up, the future Spur will be among these guys.

Stephen Curry PG/SG - Davidson, Junior
Jordan Hill PF - Arizona, Junior
Tyreke Evans PG/SG - Memphis, Freshman
Jrue Holiday PG/SG - UCLA, Freshman
Demar DeRozan SG/SF - USC, Freshman
James Johnson SF/PF - Wake Forest, Sophomore
Terrence Williams SG/SF - Louisville, Senior
Ty Lawson PG - North Carolina, Junior
Earl Clark SF/PF - Louisville, Junior
B.J. Mullens C - Ohio State, Freshman
Gerald Henderson SG - Duke, Junior
Brandon Jennings PG - Lottomatica Roma, International
Sam Young SF/PF - Pittsburgh, Senior
Jeff Teague PG/SG - Wake Forest, Sophomore
Tyler Hansbrough PF - North Carolina, Senior
DeJuan Blair PF/C - Pittsburgh, Sophomore
Austin Daye SF/PF - Gonzaga, Sophomore
Eric Maynor PG - VCU, Senior
Toney Douglas PG/SG - Florida State, Senior
DeMarre Carroll SF/PF - Missouri, Senior
Omri Casspi SF/PF - Maccabi Tel Aviv, International
Taj Gibson PF - USC, Junior
Jonas Jerebko SF/PF - Angelico Biella, International - Here's The Painted Area's take on him.
Nick Calathes PG/SG - Florida, Sophomore
Darren Collison PG - UCLA, Senior

Here's a list of all the players eligible for this draft.

The Pecking Order

Yes, I will go all the way to the Spurs' 37th pick. That's how professional PTR bloggers are. And for the record, I typed this team by team. (Efficiency fail.)

First Round

Clippers
Grizzlies
Thunder
Kings
Timberwolves
Timberwolves
Warriors
Knicks
Raptors
Bucks
Nets
Bobcats
Pacers
Suns
Pistons
Bulls
76ers
Timberwolves
Hawks
Jazz
Hornets
Mavericks
Kings
Trailblazers
Thunder
Bulls
Grizzlies
Timberwolves
Knicks (via Lakers, according to ESPN)
Cavaliers

Second Round

Kings
Wizards
Trailblazers
Nuggets
Pistons
Grizzlies
Spurs - "Yay! We'll take... Ricky Rubio! ...Oh? Already taken? ...Hmmm... Blake Griffin? ...Oh, first pick? Hmm..."
Trailblazers
Pistons
Bobcats
Bucks
Lakers
Heat
Pistons
Timberwolves
Cavaliers
Timberwolves
Suns
Hawks
Jazz
Spurs - "Jonny Flynn? No. Tyreke Evans? No. Sam Young? No. ...Anyone? Please?"
Pacers
Spurs - "How about Jacque Vaughn? ...Ah, not in the draft, and he retired... Duncan?"
Bobcats
Trailblazers
Trailblazers
Suns
Celtics
Lakers
Heat

The Recommended Reading

You mean this exhaustive post wasn't enough? Ah well, check these out, then:

48 Minutes of Hell

We all know Tim Varner and Graydon Gordian by now, and we all read and enjoy their blog. They've been doing outstanding work during the offseason, and I see a bright future ahead of them. (They're already better than 90% of the so-called professional NBA writers.) I only wish they dropped by for the game threads... (Eeh, Tim? Eeeh, Graydon?) Regardless, here's a list of their Draft Prospects series, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Spurs select one of these kids:

            Jonas Jerebko
            Victor Claver
            Vladimir Dasic
            Sergio Llull
            Danny Green
            Omri Casspi - check out Tim's interview with him
            Sam Young
McDonald: Spurs' makeover continues with draft
RealGM: San Antonio draft preview
Truehoop: Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin, and Hasheem Thabeet: Inside the Numbers
Fanhouse: Which Prospects Deserve the Hype?
Sporting News: Rubio Shouldn't Get a Free Pass
Basketball Prospectus: Breaks down the guards in the draft and gives their projection for the first round
Blazers Edge: Memorable moments in NBA Draft outfit history
Ridiculous Upside: 2009 NBA Draft Preview: in Poetry
Supersonicsoul: Graphing the draft, part 1, part 2, part 3

Remember, guys: it's draft day. And draft day has been good to us in the past.

Once in a lifetime?

Team Needs: Backup Point Guard

Jeff Clark — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:09:42 -0000

The final installment of our team needs series. (Also see Backup Small Forward and Center/Big Man)

You can tell me all day long that Rondo is going to get traded, offer me whatever proof you want, lay out the rationale all you like, but I still won't believe it until it happens. Danny Ainge himself could tell me that he's shopping the guy for pennies on the dollar and I wouldn't believe him. Call it homerism, call it wishful thinking, call it delusion for all I care. I don't believe he's being traded.

With that out of my system, lets get back to the point [believe it or not, there was no pun intended, but now that I see it, I like it]. He needs a reliable backup. I'd prefer a veteran who can run the offense and knows a few tricks to keep opposing PG's honest. I'd very much prefer a legit point guard, and not a combo guard, or undersized shooting guard.

For the last two years, we've made due with Eddie House until after the trade deadline. Then we picked up cast-offs Sam Cassell and Stephon Marbury, both with mixed (at best) results. This year it would be nice to bring someone in for a full training camp and a whole year of playing in the system to be ready for the playoffs without using the final two months as spring training.

So what are our options? See after the jump.

Free Agents (see my list of potential free agents for reference):

Raymond Felton - Felton seems talented (if erratic) and could be a nice addition coming off the bench. It looks like the Bobcats are committed to DJ Augustin so they might be willing to let Felton go. However, he's a restricted free agent and the Cats have offered him a $5.5 M qualifying offer (confusing at least one Cats blogger to no end). So I'm not sure what his pricetag will end up being.

Ramon Sessions - He had a breakout year with the Bucks (even if nobody noticed because he was playing in Milwaukee). Again, he's a restricted free agent, but the Bucks are sending out mixed signals about how willing they will be to sign him.

Andre Miller - He has been the steady hand and driving force behind the surprising Philly 76ers the last couple of years. I'm not sure if he'd accept a backup position but he is getting up there in age and he may wish to finish out his career on a legit contender.

Stephon Marbury - Hey, sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don't. I'm on record as saying I'd like to hold off making any promises to him until we see what else is out there. However, you never know what could happen with a full training camp and more practice time with the team could do for him.

Others: Bobby Jackson, Jacque Vaughn, Jarrett Jack (r), Carlos Delfino (r), Tyronn Lue

Draft:

This years' draft is supposed to be one of the weakest in recent memory. On the flipside, it is seen as one of the stronger PG drafts we've seen in a while. But don't take my word for it. Here's what Ian Thompson had to say:

This is an undersized draft heavy with potential point guards. The highest-rated prospects are young -- Rubio is 18, Evans is a freshman and Flynn is a sophomore. But upperclassmen Ty Lawson and Eric Maynor can be had later in the first round, and Florida State senior Toney Douglas is a first-round talent. "Any one of them could turn out to be better than those guys [in the lottery]," an Eastern Conference team president said.

Trades:

We might just wait to see who drafts a point guard and see if we can pick up the guy that is cast off. It sounds like Portland is trying to move Sergio Rodriguez. If they can't I wonder if Steve Blaker would be available. Thought I'm not much of a fan of Skip To My Lou, with Jameer Nelson making a return to the lineup next year, Rafer Alston could be available. If not, how about the sold-but-savvy Anthony Johnson? After those few names, your guess is as good as mine.

Gabe Pruitt: He's on the team already, ...so he's got that going for him... which is nice. We'll see if he's still on the league long after Summer League.

Bottom line is that I don't have a very strong opinion on who I want to fill this position because I don't have a very good feel for any of these guys. The best point guards aren't going to be available and the ones that can't lock down starting spots have fundamental flaws in their games. But that's what you get with a backup point guard. I just want someone in early that holds down the position all year.