SB Nation - Donyell Marshall

Kevin O'Neill and the Link on D to the 2009-10 Toronto Raptors

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:33:23 -0000

Way back in 2003-04, Marshall was part of one of the Raptors' best defensive clubs. Franchise hopes this coming season's incarnation can come close to replicating that feat.

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Franchise takes a look at the 2003-04 Raptors under Kevin O'Neill and wonders just how great of a defensive club they were...

Aaaah the Friday before Film Festival here in Toronto.

For about the fourth year in a row, I got up at the crack of dawn to try and get tickets, only to have the Film Festival's horrific online booking path crash.

You'd think by year four (or longer actually) they would have gotten this thing figured out by now right? I mean, it's not like suddenly this year there are going to be way less people trying to book online!

Talk about maddening.

And of course by the time I probably get through later today, the tickets will all have been snatched up.

So what does this have to do with our beloved Raptors?

Well nothing really...except that my plan today was to talk about the 2004-04 version of the Toronto Raptors and as I was typing I realized that there is a common link between the two:

Both were frustrating as hell to endure.

Remember this incarnation of the Raptors? Kevin O'Neill at the helm and an unbelievable 23 different players who donned a Dinos' jersey that year? It was a motley crew indeed, and one that had future NBA All-Stars like Robert Archibald, Mengke Bateer, Lonny Baxter, Corie Blount, Rick Brunson, Dion Glover, Jerome Moiso, Milt Palacio, and Chris Jeffries.

Yikes.

And did you remember that other names such as Roger Mason Jr., Rod Strickland, Michael Curry and Jannero Pargo were part of that group?

I know what you're thinking: "playground sensation Rod Strickland was a Raptor?"

It was a strange season and indeed a tough one on the fans.

Prior to the start of the season, there was actually new hope thanks to the arrival of coach O'Neill. Fans had lamented that previous coach Lenny Wilkens had been too soft on his troops and hadn't implemented any sort of defensive system. As a result, while the team (when healthy) was still a joy to watch, the results just weren't there in terms of wins and after previous success under Wilkens, the club's record plummeted to 24 and 58.

It was time for a change and GM Glen Grunwald did just that by essentially hiring Wilkens' opposite. KO was a defense-first, no-nonsense coach and the hope was that a healthy core of Carter, Williams, JYD and Davis, along with the addition of promising rookie Chris Bosh, would when combined with KO's philosophies, return the Raptors to the playoffs after a one year absence.

We all know how things turned out.

Davis and JYD were shipped to Chicago for a collection of players including Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall, and while the club won nine more games, the end of the season marked the end of both O'Neill's coaching tenure in Toronto, and Grunwald's General Manager status as well.

However historically, many look at the 2003-04 Raptors as the best defensive club in the franchise's history and recently, current Raptors' coach Jay Triano re-established a link to this era. He indicated that one of his assistants, Marc Iavaroni, would be implementing many of KO's old defensive philosophies from their time together in Memphis, and the assumption is that Raptors' fans will again see many defensive traits from that 03-04 club.

One of our readers remarked recently that KO's defensive system though could have been vastly overrated. To the agony of fans, O'Neill implemented a snail's pace scheme at both ends of the court meaning fewer possessions for both the Raptors and their opponents, and perhaps this was the real cause of defensive fortitude.

I thought this was a very interesting point and not only that, I remembered that back in 2003-04, the NBA style of play was still quite different as well; hand-checking on D was much more common, immobile big men were still the common theme in the post, and the game was not as dominated by the uber-athlete swingman.

Yes, Kobe was clearly one of the best in the game, but at this point he was still sharing the limelight with Shaq, and 2003-04 marked the rookie year for the likes of Lebron and D-Wade.

For proof of this, one only needs to gaze at the NBA Finals, where a non-star laden Detroit Piston club surprised the favoured LA Lakers and using a KO-esque slow-down pace and tough defensive style, captured the NBA title.

But getting back to the Raptors, was the club truly a great defensive team that year?

Gazing at some metrics from basketball-reference.com, it looks like yes, this was a very sound team on D. The club improved from a defensive rating of 26th in the NBA (fourth worst) under Wilkens to 7th, a huge leap. And considering that for a good portion of the year, players like Jalen Rose (not exacty a great defender) were key cogs in Toronto's system, it's hard not to say that O'Neill implemented a defensive system that was very effective despite his individual players' shortcomings. His club kept opponents from shooting above 43% offensively and across the board, the D was much improved over previous seasons.

But what about pace? Did KO slow things down to such a halt that it made the Raps' defensive numbers look better than they appeared?

Well this could be part of things for sure. Toronto that year played at the 3rd slowest pace in the league (27th out of 29 teams.) However that's not really a black and white resolution. The previous year under Wilkens, Toronto still played at a reasonably slow pace (7th slowest in the league.) So while it may have appeared that KO ground things to a halt, I think the reality was that he simply did a better job of installing defensive principles in his troops, something that admittedly is now a bit shocking considering the amount of personnel changes the club went through. It's one thing to have a full training camp with core players and teach them the ropes on D, it's another when most of those players get traded away a few months into the season and you have to constantly re-teach your philosophies.

So am I lauding the job KO did?

Yes, I suppose I am to a certain degree.

But more than that, looking over the stats from the 2003-04 has me admittedly excited to see just what coach Iavaroni can do to help this club's wonky D. Everyone agrees that Toronto should have one of the most potent offensive clubs in the league and if they can play some semblance of defence, then suddenly this could be a very dangerous club.

And while I have stated in the past that coaching in the NBA is overrated compared to the NCAA, I do feel that it's in areas like this that coaches can have a profound impact. No one would have picked the Magic to be the league's top defensive club last year Howard or no Howard and yet Stan Van Gundy coaxed a solid wall against opponents from a group that individually, weren't top notch stoppers.

Hopefully Mr. Iavaroni can do the same.

And hopefully the transition from one of the worst defensive teams in the league to at least one that can hold its own, for the viewing public, isn't akin to purchasing these film fest tickets...

...which over an hour later, I'm still unable to do.

FRANCHISE

RaptorsHQ Reader Collabo - Using Andrea Bargnani More Effectively

RaptorsHQ - Franchise — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:24:05 -0000

More photos » by Frank Gunn - AP

The Toronto Raptors need a more offensively efficient Andrea Bargnani this coming season...

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RaptorsHQ looks at a recent post by one of its readers and discusses the importance of a more offensively effective Andrea Bargnani...

One of the great things about the new site is that it allows readers to not only comment on our own blog entries, but to post entries themselves on a myriad of topics.

Recently, Yahoo Sports linked to one of our readers' fanposts and this morning, I thought it might be interesting to look at another; "How to Use Andrea Bargnani Better in 09-10."

Reader "bigwheeze" hypothesized that this season Raptors' fans could see a more effecient version of Andrea Bargnani thanks to Bryan Colangelo's offseason additions and went so far as to compare Andrea's current game to ex-Raptor Donyell Marshall. There is no question that there are indeed similarities in their games, particularly in terms of style of play, but what I found interesting was that Marshall, never one viewed as an All-Star candidate, actually had superior statistics in many areas!

Here's an outtake:

Andrea Bargnani's game (08-09) at times reminds me of Donyell Marshall in his second season (04-05) when we stuck him at the 3pt line in the corner (though Bargnani seems to prefer the long 3). Bargnani is clearly the more talented player offensively, but they duplicate two key similarities - great outside shot along with the ability to play C defensively.

We'll start off with a comparison of the two players.

Shot Selection (Jump/Close/Dunk/Tip)

- Marshall: 75 / 18 / 5 / 2 (61% 3PA, 15 FTA/100 FGA)
- Bargnani: 75 / 19 / 5 / 1 (30% 3PA, 28 FTA/100 FGA)

Almost exactly the same types of shot selection, though Bargnani takes half as many 3s (more 2pt jumpers) and makes it to the line twice as often as Marshall.

Scoring & Shooting Efficiency: Pts/36, FG/36, 3P%, eFG%, TS%

- Marshall: 16.3, 13.0, .416, .570, .591
- Bargnani: 17.6, 14.1, .409, .513, .559

Both shoot and score quite similar amounts, Donyell more efficiently due to his extremely high proportion of 3 point shooting. Of note is that Bargnani is already a rather efficient scorer.

Rebounding: Off. Reb %, Def. Reb %, Tot. Reb %

- Marshall: 6.4%, 23.3%, 14.7%
- Bargnani: 3.4%, 16.4%, 10.0%

Donyell, better across the board.

Other: Ast %, TO %, BLK/36, STL/36

- Marshall: 8.4%, 6.2%, 1.0, 1.2
- Bargnani: 6.4%, 11.2%, 1.4, 0.5

Surprisingly, Donyell has a higher assist % (likely because of Andrea's tendency to shoot than pass and the old Raptors' system which emphasized swinging the ball around the 3pt line - not because of any superior passing skill). He has a much lower turnover % which should occur he was primarily deployed as a spot up shooter compared with Bargnani occassionally catching the ball within the arc and being asked to create. In the defensive stats, we see Marshall with quicker hands and Bargnani as the bigger shotblocking threat.

Anyone else shocked by this analysis? The defensive statistics were to be expected I suppose but on the offensive end, really the only metrics that Andrea had a clear-cut advantage in were pure scoring!

Bigweeze goes on in his post to recommend ways for Andrea to improve his game this season, perhaps by even limiting his offensive role. I think in all likelyhood we'll see Bargnani's scoring average increase again this season but hopefully this will be attributed to more effecient scoring, not simply jacking up more shots.

However what really got me thinking was this statement by bigweeze:

The similarities are striking between the two. If Andrea manages to shore up his rebounding and defense, he should easily be able to provide what Donyell did that season, and even more if he makes a major leap.

Wow.

I think most fans would rank Bargnani light years ahead of Marshall but the stats don't lie. Right now a second-year Donyell is more valuable to this team, especially at the defensive end, then Andrea.

The key really is Bargnani's ceiling, one that appears to be much higher than Marshall's. Andrea not only needs to step up on the rebounding and defensive fronts, but also in terms of the manner in which he goes about scoring. As many bloggers have pointed out over Bargs' career, for someone who was advertised as being such a deadly offensive threat, he just wasn't that great a shooter until his final few months last season.

From bigweeze:

Becoming more efficient offensively is our ticket to becoming an elite offense. This means getting all 5 players on the court taking shots that they can drain with regularity, whether they are dunks, layups, free throws, or 3 pointers.

Again, totally agree.

As Chris Black recently pointed out, it's highly doubtful that this club is going to be locking anyone down defensively which makes it all the more important for them to become one, if not the, most efficient offensive team in the league. Orlando ran such a club last year, the caveat of course being that they were indeed one of the best defensive teams in the league. But for a team without much of an offensively skilled low-post presence (I'm not counting Howard's put-back dunks or um..."hook shots") or slasher (Hedo was probably the closest thing) , they made opponents pay time and time again with their barrage of shooters and excellent spacing.

It's imperative that the Raptors do that this year and Andrea Bargnani has to be a big piece of that puzzle.

FRANCHISE

#8 The Secret Weapon

jsams — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:40:38 -0000

Donny-Ice meets Darth Vader.

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This specific game already had a certain buzz to it before it began. The fans and media were beating the Allen Iverson angle into the ground, and Elton Brand was out with a bum hamstring. Little did we know, a certain "secret weapon" would be unleashed and steal the show.

In the red corner, Allen Iverson. In the blue corner, the Ludacris look-a-like, the missing jersey, the King of +/-, the three-point assassin, the one, the only, Donyell "Donny-Ice" Marshall!

During what looked to be yet another depressing loss, head coach Mo Cheeks seemingly threw in the towel by inserting the elderly Donyell Marshall into the game with 13 minutes to play. Upon his insertion the Sixers were facing a deficit of 12 and had shown no signs of life through the first 35 minutes. Then the unthinkable happened.

During the next 13 minutes, Donyell scored 8 points on 3-6 shooting. He pulled down three rebounds, and even blocked a shot. But his contributions went far beyond the numbers. During Donny's 13 minutes, he helped the Sixers outscore the Pistons by a whopping 17 points en route to the Sixers biggest win thus far.

To this point in the season Donyell had played a total of 20 minutes. Obviously, none of us expected him to lead the Sixers to a comeback win. Coach Cheeks desperate substitution not only helped the Sixers win this game, but a handful of games throughout the season. Expect more appearances by Donny-Ice during the top 10 countdown.

Make the Jump.

#8: The Secret Weapon

Game Thead

Box Score

"I forgot what happiness felt like." -- Sexy T-Rex after the game.

That's how bad things were in Sixers Nation on December 5, 2008, and it shows with quotes like that, and recaps like this.

After reading my second recap, I realized Louis Williams played the Robin to Donyell's Batman in the comeback win.

He dropped 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and I had to check and make sure this was the 2008-2009 Lou-Will I was watching, because he looked a lot like the Lou-Will of last year, playing studly defense, getting to the rim with ease, making shots, making smart decisions. It was by far, his best game of the season.

Unfortunately, his success was not sustained.

Here are the highlights:

It's (still) that time of year...

SFBE.NF — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 01:34:02 -0000

So let's see... the MLB trade deadline has passed, Bill Clinton is proving to be an absolute magician abroad, and I have officially exhausted all the on-demand programming that HBO and Showtime have to offer.

The world of college basketball is slowing to a halt, but there's still things to pass along. Here is our second installment of the summer link dump.

John Wall might quickly become a YouTube sensation. A pair of videos (one and two) have surfaced of a pick-up game in Lexington that features little defense and lots of showmanship. We'll let you figure out which one is the Class of 2009's top point guard.

Duke is dabbling into the underworld of elite summer camps. When you can't sign 'em, join 'em, that's what the Blue Devils are doing. It's become pretty evident that the reason Coach K & Co. haven't sniffed the Final Four since 2004 is due in large part to a lack of athleticism (oh and letting Greg Paulus run the show for three years). Well now Krzyzewski is going to host his own elite camp with the hopes of luring prospects with serious hops to Cameron Indoor. There's some gray area here for sure, as Robbi Pickeral's piece details.

Maui Invitational/Old Spice Classic fields set. Arizona's new coach Sean Miller will get some early exposure out on the islands, as the Wildcats and Maryland Terps highlight this year's field out in Hawaii. But while the Maui carries the name, this year's Old Spice might carry the weight. Xavier, Michigan and Alabama (don't forget Anthony Grant is running the ship) headline the Thanksgiving weekend tournament down in Disney.

Syracuse reaching out to former Big East foes. Coming soon to a small market NBC affiliate near you...Donyell Marshall! Well maybe not, but the 'Cuse's famed Newhouse School is opening up their doors to current NBA veterans shrewdly thinking about their post-NBA life. Guys like Tony Battie, Mike James, and Anthony Parker are replacing basketball jargon phrases like "pick-and-pop, "dribble drive," and "trades predicated on expiring contracts" with "VO/SOTs," "run times," and "shoulder graphics," by getting a crash-course in broadcast journalism. The program is run by Matt Park and Dave Ryan, sportscasters who double as adjunct professors at the school.

Jeff Goodman wants to tell you about July. He's got 10 things he learned last month. It's likely the only time "Mel Gibson" and "Thad Matta" get named in the same column.

The Shopping List

atthehive — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:03:53 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Ike Diogu is one of the 50 front court options NBA teams have this summer.

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I took a look at our budget last post (1-2 million dollars to sign one player). Now, let's assess what people are going to cost.

I've tried to include every front court free agents (UFA and RFA) that I could find here, but if I missed any, let me know. Big thanks to this list from Depressed Fan and to ESPN player pages. Quick explanation of the table: Restricted refers to UFA/RFA status, competitors refers to projected number of teams that want the player, Salary projection is my estimation of the player's market value, and target refers to whether New Orleans can reasonably target the player (in parantheses is an explanation of why (expensive, etc)).

The full 50 player table after the jump.

Player	Restricted?	Last Salary	Competitors	Projection ($)	Target?
Rasheed Wallace	No	20.1M	3+	10-15	No ($)
Malik Rose	No	11.5M	0	Minimum	No (sucks)
Drew Gooden	No	3.0M	1-2	2-4	Yes ($)
Chris Wilcox	No	10.1M	1-2	2-5	Yes ($)
Stromile Swift	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes
Shawn Marion	No	20.1M	3+	12-18	No ($)
Ike Diogu	Yes	8.8M	0-1	2-4	Yes ($)
Lamar Odom	No	20.1M	3+	15-20	No ($)
Paul Millsap	Yes	1.6M	3+	unknown, but $$$	No ($)
Charlie Villanueva	Yes	10.3M	1-2	8-15	No ($)
Joe Smith	No	2.4M	1-2	2-4	Yes ($)
Shelden Williams	No	4.1M	0-1	Minimum	Yes
Maceo Baston	No	4.5M	0-1	1-2	Yes
Cedric Simmons	No	2.7M	0	Minimum	No (sucks)
Marcin Gortat	Yes	0.83M	0	Minimum	No (sucks)
Chris Andersen	No	0.83M	2-3	2-4	Yes (DEN)
Channing Frye	Yes	9.5M	0-1	2-4	No ($, sucks)
Hakim Warrick	Yes	6.4M	1-2	4-8	Yes ($)
David Lee	Yes	6.1M	3+	unknown, but $$$	No ($)
Steve Novak	No	1.0M	0-1	min-3	Yes
Donyell Marshall	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes (old)
Ryan Bowen	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes
Michael Ruffin	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes
Shavlik Randolph	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes
Leon Powe	Yes	0.83M	3+	Unknown, but $$	No ($)
Glen Davis	Yes	1.0M	2-3	3-7	Yes (BOS)
Raef LaFrentz	No	19.1M	0	Negative	No (sucks)
Rasho Nesterovic	No	12.6M	1-2	3-5	Yes ($)
Jason Collins	No	9.3M	0	Minimum	No (sucks)
Zaza Pachulia	No	8.0M	2-3	4-5	No ($)
Robert Swift	No	7.2M	0	Minimum	Yes
Aaron Gray	Yes	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes
Chris Mihm	No	5.0M	0-1	2-3	Yes
Saer Sene	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes
Jarron Collins	see Jason	4.1M	see Jason	see Jason	see Jason
DJ Mbenga	No	0.96M	0	Minimum	No (sucks)
Calvin Booth	No	2.7M	0	Minimum	No (sucks)
Melvin Ely	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes (sucks)
Ryan Hollins	No	0.83M	0-1	1-2	Yes
Lorenzen Wright	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes (old)
Adonal Foyle	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes (old)
Jamaal Magloire	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes (old)
Sean Marks	No	0.83M	0	Minimum	Yes (old)
Theo Ratliff	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes (old)
Johan Petro	Yes	5.9M	0-1	2-3	Yes
Jake Voskuhl	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	No (sucks)
Marvin Williams	Yes	14.1M	3+	10-15	No ($)
James Singleton	No	0.83M	0-1	Minimum	Yes (DAL)
Walter Herrmann	No	4.0M	0-1	2-4	Yes

So out of the 50 UFA/RFA big men of 2009, the Hornets can put 30 of them on their radar.

As you can see, there are a ton of guys out there. Not all of these guys (or even half these guys, I suspect) are going to find homes next season. Yes, there is a good deal of variance, but the supply is definitely greater than the demand.

There are four tiers the 30 players can be split into.

"Uh Oh, Everybody's Gone And/Or (Probably And) We're Broke."

Among the 30 potential signees, we can probably classify some of them as last gasp options due to suckage, old age, or some combination of the two. Of all the players I gave a 'yes' in the far right column, here are the ones I'd categorize as last resorts:

Steve Novak: The Hornets have gaping holes in their frontcourt, but specifically they need to target rebounders. When David West and Tyson Chandler hit the bench, Byron Scott won't appreciate a big man that spends 99.999% of his time between three point arcs. Novak's rebound rate is barely half of Hilton Armstrong's. Yeah. Consider this the last last resort.
Donyell Marshall- DMarsh is another three point specialist, but he's been a stellar defensive rebounder throughout his career. The issues clearly are that he's 36 years old, and he's nearing retirement. Toss in a recent comment about how he'd want to come in and mentor guys if he joined a new team (nothing on actually playing), and you don't have a great combination.
Michael Ruffin- He's undersized but a fantastic rebounder on offense and defense. The question with him is playing time. He only got 11 games last year, 46 the year before, and 30 before that. Nobody knows how he'd hold up over 82, especially now that he's on the wrong side of 30.
Ryan Bowen- Great hustle, but I don't think I need to elaborate much here.
Shavlik Randolph- Randolph only got in 89 games in his first 4 years in the league. But he's shown some serious potential on the boards. The risk is that if we pin our one rebounding hope on the 25 year old and he blows up, well, we won't be in great shape.
Robert Swift- Showed lots of potential, once upon a time. He's the madly tattooed, infinitely riskier Shavlik Randolph.
Saer Sene- 47 games in three years. He'll be mad cheap, but he's 7'0" and weighs 220 pounds. You tell me how that's gonna end up.
Melvin Ely- Yeah.
Ryan Hollins- I rank Hollins somewhere between Last Resorts and the next category. He's a great shot blocker with good timing, and while he isn't the most impressive defensive boarder, his offensive figures are nice. He brings great energy to both sides of the floor. With Eric Dampier rumored to be on his way out of Dallas, I wonder how much the Mavs will spend to keep him. My feeling is they like him a good bit... and Hollins is only worth it if he comes cheap.
Lorenzen Wright- With age, his offensive boarding figures have slipped badly. And last year, not one, not two, but three teams (ATL, SAC, CLE) tossed him in the their respective trash cans. He brings size (6'11), if not bulk (225), and he has a career full of good defensive rebounding. One of the better Last Resort picks, though it wouldn't be a flashy signing at all.
Adonal Foyle- And if you thought Lorenzen was the antithesis of all things stylish, well, apparently, you've never seen this guy. Most famous for clanging an open 7 footer off the side of the backboard, Foyle's actually a decent option. The problem here is that he spent most of last year injured. Not sure the Hornets are willing to gamble on a 34 year old's health.
Sean Marks- I think Marks is a last resort, not because of his play necessarily, but because it wouldn't go over well with the fans. Most Hornets' supporters are looking for a front court overhaul. The truth is, Marks' 9/18/13.5 rebounding split from last year wasn't shabby at all. An understatedly decent last resort option
Theo Ratliff- Ratliff hasn't been discussed in a basketball context ever since he legally changed his name to The Expiring Contract of Theo Ratliff some time in 2004. Though the dude is older than my pet rock, he provided Philadelphia some boards and some blocks last year. Overall, he's way too old to be considered a good signing.
Johan Petro- I'd rank the Denver center higher (his rebounding numbers are terrific) but he seemingly never plays, and he is straight up horrible at basketball. A center with a 43% true shooting percentage? Unbelievably atrocious.
Stromile Swift- From 2000-2008, SS was a serviceable player. Great rebounder, good shot blocker, coudl even put the ball in the bucket unassisted, once a month. Suddenly everybody forgot about him, and he played nineteen of the most anonymous games in NBA history with NJN and PHO last season. One of those guys where if he goes to the Knicks, everyone will rag on them for getting another overpaid bust, and if he goes to the Spurs, everyone will praise them for getting another underpaid overachiever. If he goes to New Orleans? Who knows.
Walter Herrmann- Imagine Hilton Armstrong with range. (If you can actually do this, I have just one question: are you on drugs?)

"Yeah If We Got Him, Sweet... But We're Not Getting Him"

Glen Davis- Boston is going to keep him. Danny Ainge will re-sign him. Kevin Garnett will continue to make him cry. I don't see many ways around this. Plus, his rebounding is mediocre, his offensive abilities are vastly overrated on the strength of one or two jumpers he made in the playoffs, and he really isn't that great at anything else. So "If we got him, sweet" would probably not be an accurate description of Glen Davis, now that I think about it.
Joe Beast- aka Joe Smith to those unacquainted with his hip hop skills. Smith is kind of like Davis in that his team is probably going to keep him (I can't see Cleveland performing a single action that does not directly contribute towards the appeasement of the Great One). Smith is also kind of not like Davis in that he's actually good at basketball.
Antonio McDyess- Dice is likely out of the Pistons' price range this summer, though they have said they want to keep him. He made 6 million+ last year. I know there's always the chance he takes a pay cut to join a contender... but who really considers the Hornets a contender now any way?
Chris Andersen- The league leader in block rate will be getting some sort of financial upgrade, and probably one from Denver. If not, there will be plenty of teams just salivating at the thought of overpaying the 31 year old.
Hakim Warrick- Warrick is another guy in line for an upgrade on his 1.5 million a year salary. He's not the most efficient scorer, but I'd say he's the most underrated foul drawer in the entire league (6.6 FTA/36, which would be 0.3 more than Chris Paul, without the aid of superstar calls). He's a decent rebounder too. If Memphis doesn't realize what they have on their hands, plenty of others will do the realizing for them.
Marcin Gortat- If recent rumors are to be believed, the Magic are in hot pursuit of Rasheed Wallace and/or Brandon Bass. It sure sounds like they're gearing up to lose their backup power forward. The Gortat situation is a tricky one to read. On the one hand, he made under a million dollars last year. On the other hand, he had a great postseason and pretty much the entire NBA now knows about him. Positives: beastly rebounder, very efficient scorer, brings terrific energy. Downside: fouls a lot, but who really cares. But all this misses a crucial point- several teams have already reportedly discussed offering Gortat a large part of their midlevel exceptions (five million plus).

"Maybe They'll Forgive Us For Not Taking Blair Now"

Radoslav Nesterovic- aka Rasho to those unacquainted with Slovenian. Nesterovic is one of the few 30+ options I wouldn't mind. He has size (7'), bulk (250), and the career rebounding split (10/17/13) to warrant a serious look. The biggest issue would be salary. He made 7 million+ last year alone, and he hasn't earned below 2.5 mil since 2002-2003. If he agreed to take a pay cut with us, that'd be terrific.
Aaron Gray- It's universally agreed that Aaron Gray sucks, but he could help us out big time in the rebounding department. With a 14/22/18 split last year, he would bring rebounding figures that very few free agent bigs could match. He should be dirt cheap (making less than half a million last year on a second rounder contract). With a lot of teams looking at the flashier names, we're likely to receive less competition to sign him. And of course, the kicker is that he's a big from the University of Pittsburgh, something a lot of people seemed to want around these parts.
Shelden Williams- I've always loved Williams. Seemingly not in possession of a neck, he'd be the perfect complement to Hilton "The Ostrich" Armstrong. He posted super awesome terrific rebounding figures with ATL his rookie year before they moved him to Sacramento. He finished last year in Minnesota. He seems universally unwanted, but he'd be a tremendous bargain for the Hornets.
Maceo Baston- Baston's first salary was 20,000 with the Chicago Bulls in 1999. So I'm thinking he might be down to make a couple million with us next year. Last year with Toronto, he posted an 11/15/13 rebounding split in 27 games. He draws fouls at a decent rate and has a nice offensive game. He can also block a few shots here and there. The biggest problem is his size- 6'9" and 215 pounds; I don't know how long he can hold up.
Chris Mihm- Mihm has posted very, very nice rebounding numbers throughout his career. (a career 11/19/14 split). I thought we'd seen the last of him after his sparring session with D.J. Mbenga, but who knows. Could be an attractive option, given the lack of competition and low price.
Jamaal Magloire- 14/24/19 rebounding split last year. That's all you gotta know about the Big Cat. He will rebound the hell out of that ball.
James Singleton- Thanks to reader Scott for e-mailing to me about Singleton. Personally, this would be one of my favorite signings if it happened. Singleton, who broke into the League as a swingman, has seriously bulked up in recent years. He posted a 12/21/16 rebounding split with Dallas last year, terrific numbers for any player, let alone one making the minimum. He was also very efficient at putting the ball in the bucket (the most efficient out of any of the 30 on this list). Want more? He didn't turn the ball over, and Dallas put a fair bit of responsibility on him when he was in the game. And, oh yeah, he has three point range. Unfortunately, it appears we have compeition. Both my Dallas contacts confirmed that the Mavs have definite interest in bringing him back next season, and Singleton seems to like his situation there too. Don't know if it will happen, but Singleton would be an amazing, cheap add.

"The Heavens Have Smiled Upon Us"

Chris Wilcox- Wilcox parlayed a terrific contract year with the Clips into an overpaid two year stint with the SuperThunder. This summer, he's likely to return to his rightful tax bracket, and if so, the Hornets stand to benefit. At a career 9/20/14 rebounding split, Melvin Ely's twin would make Melvin himself a distant memory. Wilcox can also jump out the gym, so Chris Paul could still have an alley-oop partner when he's on the floor with the bench and Tyson's off. Wilcox's defense has been questioned repeatedly... but dude's trying to make the New Orleans Hornets' bench, not the All Defense team. I'd take him in a heartbeat, providing he agrees to slash his salary to the 2 million range.
Ike Diogu- Enter Mr. Diogu. I like Ike, and you should too. He never really got a chance with the GSW, or the IND, or the POR. Finally, he got some minutes with SAC last year, and they were predictably glorious. In the last two games, he dropped 32 on Denver, and 28 on Minnesota (oh, what's that you say about Denver resting its starters and Al Jefferson being injured? I can't really hear you, you're going to have to speak louder). He can rebound, and he draws fouls like a maniac. While he's kind of foul-prone, he doesn't turn the ball over. The kicker? His full name is Ikechukwa Somotochukwa Diogu. Pau Gasol is already recoiling in fear.
Drew Gooden- For a while there, it appeared Gooden's basketball ability had taken a back seat to him cultivating that ridiculous beard. But now all is well. Ever since he left the company of the Great Shining Internationally Renowned Supreme Basketball Talent, Gooden's been looking on the up and up. Rebounding last year? Try 10.4/22.6/16.6. 52.6% true shooting. 11.7% turnovers. 4.0 FTA/36 minutes. The one flaw is that he's lost all ability to put the ball in the bucket from the floor... but I can excuse that. Another downside: Signing the 27 year old Gooden would probably cement Jeff Bower's place as the Greatest GM in the History of Western Civilization.

So there you have it.

50 options -> 30 reasonable options -> 25 actually reasonable options -> 9 actually reasonable and good options -> 3 actually reasonable and very good options. Happy shopping.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You might like our EOS Series too! (Click a Picture below to read our Final Evaluations)

Making A List (and Checking It Twice)

Jeff Clark — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:12:11 -0000

More photos » by Thearon Henderson - AP

One Grant Hill please.

Browse more photos »

Here's a very handy list of all the free agents that will be hitting the market in July. They even have a page sorted by position.

Why don't we pool our collective wisdom and start picking some favorites? As you make comments, I can update this list.

So far I've just tried to narrow the list down to guys that interest me and start lumping them into vague groupings.

(r = restricted | eto = early termination option)

We Want You Back!

Glen Davis
Leon Powe

Probably too rich for us:

Jason Kidd
Allen Iverson
Shawn Marion
Mike Bibby
Lamar Odom
Rasheed Wallace
Ron Artest
Ben Gordon
Paul Millsap - r
Carlos Boozer - eto
Hidayet Turkoglu - eto

Will He Take The MLE?

Trevor Ariza
Ramon Sessions - r
Marvin Williams - r
Raymond Felton - r
Charlie Villanueva - r
David Lee - r
Josh Childress - r

Already on the CelticsBlog most wanted list

Grant Hill
Chris Anderson
Marcin Gortat
Antoino McDyess

Hey, he sounds familiar - can he still play?

Andre Miller
Radoslav Nesterovic
Drew Gooden
Bobby Jackson
Chris Wilcox
Jason Collins
Desmond Mason
Joe Smith
Anthony Parker
Zaza Pachulia
Brevin Knight
Jason Hart
Rodney Carney
Juwan Howard
Jacque Vaughn
Quinton Ross
Donyell Marshall
Matt Barnes

He's Tall, That's Worth Something, Right?

Robert Swift - like a bad penny...
Shelden Williams
Jamaal Magloire
Jarron Collins
Calvin Booth
Jake Voskuhl
Michael Ruffin

Been There, Done That (no thanks)

Stephon Marbury
Gerald Green
Darius Miles
Patrick O'Bryant
Theo Ratliff
Wally Szczerbiak
Raef LaFrentz
Justin Reed
Mikki Moore
Chris Mihm

These guys are restricted - so who knows?

Channing Frye
Ike Diogu
Sean May
Rashad McCants
Joey Graham
Hakim Warrick
Nate Robinson
Jarrett Jack
Luther Head
Johan Petro
Linas Kleiza
Aaron Gray
Brandon Bass
Jamario Moon
Carlos Delfino

Who did I miss? What would you change? Talk to me.

(note: I left out most of the ETO guys)

Halftime in Philadelphia: 76ers 60, Magic 49

Ben Q Rock — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:34:05 -0000

If the Orlando Magic hope to win Game 3 against Philadelphia tonight, they're going to have to really ramp up the intensity on both ends of the floor.

Team	Pace	Efficiency	eFG%	FT Rate	OReb%	TO Rate
Magic	45	108.8	50.0%	48.5	11.8	17.8
76ers	45	133.3	60.0%	30.0	21.4	13.3

About the only thing they're doing well is consistently attacking the basket. Orlando has played horrid defensively save for one possession at the start of the second quarter, when it forced Andre Miller into a contested jumper with the shot-clock winding down. Philly is scoring in transition, but more impressively, finding ways to score in the half-court, which has been one of its bigger weaknesses this season. Miller and Andre Iguodala are breaking the Magic down off the dribble, combining for 31 points on 12-of-20 shooting. They're not the only ones getting it done for the Sixers, though. Lightly regarded Willie Green has made all 3 of his shots for 6 points in 9 minutes; and Donyell Marshall has come off the bench to drill a three-pointer (expected) and to throw-down an alley-oop (most unexpected). Every Sixer to play has scored. Additionally, Thaddeus Young (1-of-5) and Royal Ivey (0-of-1) are the only Sixers not shooting at least 50% from the field. It's easy to understand why everyone else is sizzling from the field, as the Sixers made their last 4 shot-attempts--all layups--to end the half.

The Magic have their work cut out for them. Their offense hasn't been much better than their defense, although they did a much better job moving the ball and creating open looks near the end of the first half. That said, Dwight Howard is the only Magic player to really assert himself on that end, with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The conventional wisdom was that Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu would finally get back on track and have a big game. It hasn't happened, with the pair combining for 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting to go with 4 turnovers (all Turkoglu's). The three-pointer has been kind to the Magic, in terms of percentage (42.9), but Orlando has only been able to uncork 7 treys against a solid Philly defense.

In short, not much of anything is going right for the Magic, and it's going to be incredibly tough for them to come back and win this one, as resilient as they've been on the road during Stan Van Gundy's tenure. The D has to improve. The O has to improve. The effort--check out the offensive rebounding in the chart above--has to improve.

Orlando Magic News for April 20th: No Need to Panic in Wake of Loss to Philadelphia

Ben Q Rock — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:57:53 -0000

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

Browse more photos »

The consensus around the internet regarding the Orlando Magic's stunning loss to the Philadelphia 76ers yesterday, in which they squandered an 18-point lead, seems to be that the Magic shouldn't panic. To wit:

Magic center Dwight Howard, in his blog:
There's no need to panic. It's just the first game. But we do need to come out with a better effort on the defensive end. We have to get back on defense and cut our turnovers down because Philly loves to run. And we have to keep both Andres out of the paint.

I hope Dwight wore glasses as he blogged, because nobody wants his eyes to be more sore than they already are after receiving an unintentional poke from Samuel Dalembert.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel:

Sure, fans have reason to be after the Magic dropped Game 1 to the Sixers.

We live in-the-moment and in a world of instant gratification, of course, but don't forget this is a formidable basketball team.

Everyone is jumping on them, and after blowing a late 18-point third-quarter lead and an even later 14-point fourth-quarter lead, the Magic deserve the boo-birds.

But you don't win 59 games and 27 on the road and suddenly go soft.

A fair point--the Magic have not blown many double-digit leads this season, and were 52-1 in the regular season when leading with 5 minutes to play--but it's worth noting that Jameer Nelson was starting in most of those wins. The team has not been as clutch since Rafer Alston took over. (I'm still trying to forget Anthony Johnson's turn as a starter.)
Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie:

Apologies for spending all this time on the Magic, but that's where the story is. The Sixers played a hell of a game, they should be commended for the comeback, and they should be commended for even making the playoffs without the services of their best player. Rip on Elton Brand all you want, but the cat can play, and the Sixers also overachieved to get where they're at.

I just don't see Philadelphia shooting 51 and 58 percent from the floor and three-point range again. Then again, I don't see the Magic finishing another game in this series with only 10 turnovers. Defense was the problem for Orlando on Sunday, but they are going to have to address the offense at some point, and there will be a byproduct (read: turnovers).

I tend to agree with KD here. Philly will regress to the mean shooting the ball, while Orlando's percentages will rise. Those two things are likely to mitigate the gains Philly will make when it forces more turnovers and is able to get out on the break. Think of it as Philly exchanging three-pointers for transition two-pointers.
Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus:

Remember, this time a year ago we were marveling at the 76ers going into Detroit and winning Game 1. Remind me how that series played out. Orlando's got some things to clean up going into Tuesday night, but ultimately the Sixers came back almost entirely on the strength of their biggest weakness, long-range shooting. Louis Williams was perfect in three tries behind the arc and Philadelphia went 7-of-12 as a team. Don't count on a repeat performance in Game Two.

Detroit won 4 of the next 5 games to take the series from the Sixers. I have little doubt that Orlando can do the same. The problem is the Sixers' confidence might be at an all-time high. I can't be the only one hoping they'd go down without a fight, right?
John Hollinger of ESPN.com:

The Sixers aren't going to shoot 3s this well the entire series, even if a heavier use of Donyell Marshall improves their percentages from their regular-season numbers. And the Magic are unlikely to shoot so poorly from distance, with the caveat that Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis (a combined 1-of-6 from distance) need to prove they're past their late-season injuries.
Bethlehem Shoals of The Sporting Blog:

Not to take anything away from Philly, especially Iguodala's buzzer-beater. But their win over Orlando had an awful lot to do with the Magic's late collapse, an injury-related Dwight Howard absence, and poor shooting from Lewis and Turkoglu.

This sentiment really echoes what Dwyer, Pelton, and Hollinger said, and I merely include it for emphasis.
However, not everyone believes the Magic will be okay. Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel sums up the dissenting view:

It was the first game of the playoffs, the sellout crowd was going nuts and the Magic - by their own admission - lacked focus, intensity and effort? For crying out loud, this is a team that has talked about winning a championship this season. Champions bring their intensity and focus onto the floor; they don't leave it in the locker room.
Did you see what the Lakers did to the Jazz Sunday? Did you see what the Cavs did to the Pistons Saturday? That's what real championship contenders do to overmatched opponents. They attack when they see blood; the Magic fainted at the sight of it Sunday.
[....]
Blue and White ... good night.
Regardless of which side of the optimism/pessimism scale you're on, you have to agree that the Magic need to make some adjustments before Game 2, which is Wednesday. Orlando Magic Daily--which tends toward optimism--offers its suggestions in this post.
Finally, reserve center Marcin Gortat told a Polish newspaper this week that coach Stan Van Gundy's sideline histrionics are harmful to the team, which Howard suggested in a blog post a few weeks ago.
Panicky or not, Van Gundy finished third in this year's Coach of the Year balloting. Cleveland's Mike Brown won the award, with Houston's Rick Adelman finishing in second.

What Went Wrong?

erivera7 — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:00:17 -0000

For Orlando Magic fans, yesterday's game versus the Philadelphia 76ers was a tough pill to swallow. What appeared to be a Game 1 romp as the third quarter wore on, turned into a Game 1 nightmare as the fourth quarter took shape. As some have suggested, maybe we should change the name of the site to 'Fourth Quarter Collapse' after last night.

Anyways, the question some of you may be asking is, what went wrong? The first thing I want to address is the fact Orlando was playing on more than three days rest. Why does that matter? If you remember, the Magic are 27th in efficiency differential when sitting out for that long. Certainly the proof was in the pudding, as the team didn't play its best game versus Philadelphia.

Well, with the help of a visual (courtesy of NBA Graphs), I can provide the main answer to the aforementioned question (I'm concentrating on the fourth quarter).

I'm sure everyone here is familiar with Popcorn Machine's flow chart, which shows the viewer a colored bar highlighting the impact a player made statistically, using help value, plus/minus, etc. Well, the premise behind NBA Graph's is similar but simpler, where the picture shows plus/minus in color gradients (yellow/red is plus, green/black is minus). It's a great way to visualize the positive or negative impacts of a team using the naked eye and provide a nice change of pace from staring at numbers all the time.

As you can see above, Donyell Marshall and Theo Ratliff made positive impacts in the fourth quarter for the 76ers. If you watched the game yesterday, Marshall's red bar should come as no surprise since he was lethal in limited playing time (11 points [3-4 from three-point range] in 11 minutes). His presence was definitely felt emotionally and statistically. However, Ratliff didn't light up the box score. No matter, because Theo did his thing in other ways - blocking shots, providing energy, rebounding the ball, etc.

Conversely, if you look closely at the graphic, you'll notice that Hedo Turkoglu had a negative impact for the Magic in the final frame (though he wasn't alone). Turkoglu tried his best to turn his switch on in the fourth quarter offensively but he was more preoccupied trying to contain Andre Iguodala defensively, who was pushing the pace for the Sixers at every opportunity. Credit Turk for playing Iggy perfectly in the final seconds of the game, though. Iguodala just made an incredible shot, nothing you can do about it if you're Turkoglu.

Overall, the Sixers just got hot at the right time (ironically, with three-point shooting), with Marshall and Ratliff as the main catalysts of the run (Louis Williams, too). Turkoglu was starting to get his legs back in the fourth quarter, so expect him to bounce back with a strong performance in Game 2. As for everyone and everything else, better hope the events of Game 1 woke Orlando up.