According to many Boston sources, Stephon Marbury will be a Celtic within the next few days. What does this mean for Boston? Can they really handle a player like Steph who, along with Knicks management, has been at the root of one of the longer-running soap operas in professional sports? To be as concise as possible, the short answer is "yes".
The Celtics are in an enviable position. They're one of the front-runners for the Larry O'Brien trophy, they're defending champions and everybody and their mother wants to play for them. Guys who are looking for a championship will sacrifice money, playing time and a big role just to play there. That's why Boston was able to sign veteran journeyman Mikki Moore and is in the process of acquiring former All-Star Stephon Marbury.
Let's be honest, Starbury's stock isn't exactly at its peak right now. He was disastrous in New York and doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to team chemistry. So why should we assume all will be well once he puts on that Boston-green? We should assume this because the man's ultimate goal, even more than winning a championship, is to change his image. Marbury needs to go from a me-first, team-second-type player to the person every team would welcome with open arms. That is the only situation where he can take on a large role - a role he's been accustomed to for the better part of his career. He'll go to Boston. He'll be a model citizen, and he'll help them in any way possible coming off of that bench, because Steph has his long-term interests in mind.
And it's not as if he won't be an important piece to the Celtics' puzzle. With point guard Rajon Rondo averaging 33 minutes and shooting guard Ray Allen logging 36 minutes, there will be about 20+ minutes nightly for Marbury to make a new name for himself.
Sticking to hypotheticals, let's say my bold prediction comes up short. What if he can't handle being a bench player with a limited role? What if he turns into "Me-bury" again and destroys team chemistry - That's the beauty of the situation from Boston's perspective. They're signing him for pennies on the dollar. They can afford to lose him without taking a financial hit because, with Marbury or without Marbury, they have a good shot at winning a title.
Whether Stephon Marbury will be an unequivocal success or an unmitigated disaster, one thing is certain - we're all going to be paying extra-close attention to the Celtics for the next few months, 'cause you never know what's going to happen when Starbury is in town.
The Miami Heat are currently sitting at 6th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 27-24 (0.529). If you've read this blog, you know that I think that Dwyane Wade is the second-most-valuable player in the NBA and is putting a fairly bad team on his back and carrying them to a respectable record. Their second-best player is Shawn Marion who, despite solid defense and rebounding, clearly doesn't fit in the half-court system coach Eric Spoelstra runs. And while Michael Beasley is an immense talent with a bright future in this league, he should not be a playoff team's third-best player which, on the Heat, he is. Meanwhile at center, they start Joel Anthony (usually followed by a "who?") for the sheer reason that he is tall and a decent defender. The makeup of their team is fairly poor.
But this could all change, soon.
As of today, February 12th, 2009, the Heat are major players in the NBA trade market. Potential moves that are in discussion are 1) a deal that would swap Shawn Marion for Jermaine O'Neal of the Toronto Raptors, and 2) a block-buster of epic proportions that would see disgruntled Suns' forward Amare Stoudemire call South-Beach his new home, with Michael Beasley and Udonis Haslem being shipped to Phoenix or potentially a third team. Without getting into how much I hate the idea of Phoenix trading Stoudemire (and I do H-A-T-E it), Miami is setting themselves up for success....big success.
For the purposes of this blog post, we're going to assume these two trades are agreed upon and that the Heat have a starting lineup that looks as follows...
pg: Mario Chalmers sg: Dwyane Wade sf: James Jones (or Daequan Cook) pf: Amare Stoudemire c : Jermaine O'Neal
Instantaneously, Miami is transformed from middle-of-the-pack Eastern Conference playoff team to NBA title contenders. That team contains every trait you would want out of an elite team with the exception of a deep and talented bench (which can be solved in one off-season). Amare Stoudemire provides a credible, efficient, effective and offensively dominant inside threat. His biggest fault is defense which, wouldn't ya' know it, is one of Jermaine O'Neal's strengths. Problem avoided. O'Neal also happens to be a perfect third-option scorer - something every contending team must have. Boston has Garnett/Pierce/Allen; San Antonio with Duncan/Parker/Ginobili; The Lakers feature Bryant/Gasol/Odom (and Bynum); Even Cleveland has James/Williams/Ilgauskas.
Miami's interior scoring, rebounding and defense are all strong. Then we move to the perimeter. We all know about Dwyane Wade and what he provides. Suffice to say, they're fine at shooting guard. Chalmers is a rookie and therefore prone to rookie mistakes from time to time, but overall, he's a respectable starting point guard. He makes smart decisions. He can hit the perimeter shot with consistency and most importantly, he defends. The weakest position of their starting-five is small forward where either James Jones or Daequan Cook will get the nod. While neither are starting-caliber players, that shouldn't matter on this Heat team since they have such prolific players from Wade to Stoudemire to O'Neal. What they need out of Jones/Cook is a specialty - something they do really, really well that can help the team. And guess what? Both Jones and Cook are 3pt-shooting specialists. Jones is a career 39.2% 3pt shooter. He's having a down year, hitting only 21.4% of his long-range bombs but this can be attributed to an injury that has caused him to miss all but 14 games this season, thus far. Cook, on the other hand, has been fairly healthy and is shooting a blazing 40.5% from downtown, good for 5th in 3pt percentage for players attempting 250 or more 3pt shots this season.
When I heard that the Heat were in serious contention for acquiring Amare Stoudemire, I immediately thought it was a match made in heaven. A few years back, Kevin Garnett was still with the Timberwolves and Allen Iverson was being shopped by the Philadelphia 76'ers. I felt it was a horrible decision by Kevin McHale not to go after the superstar 2-guard and try to pair him up with 'The Big Ticket' because they would have complimented each other so well. Garnett was unquestionably the better and more complete player but was (and is) instinctively unselfish. Iverson, on the other hand, was lousy on defense but a bona-fide 1st-option scorer. Wade and Amare, like my scenario of Garnett and Iverson, would go together like peanut butter and jelly. The multi-dimensional, versatile unselfish franchise player, and the ultra-explosive scorer who would never go a game without as many good looks as he wanted.
We could potentially see a big change in how the Heat's system is run. Right now, they play solid, if not unspectacular defense, giving up 106.1 points per 100 possessions (good for 10th in the league), but struggle mightily on offense, averaging a paltry 106.2 points per 100 possessions (7th-worst in the NBA). They will likely take a hit on defense. Jermaine O'Neal and Shawn Marion are comparable defenders (both above-average) but Udonis Haslem is a much better defender of power forwards than Amare Stoudemire, known as a very poor defender. Joel Anthony (who?) is a good defender but he is now moving to the bench where he will receive limited minutes. I can see the Heat going from 10th in the league on defense to about 13th. But their offense will be nearly unrecognizable. They would have three credible go-to players and surround them with shooters who are bound to be open more times than not. Expect to see the 7th-worst offense shoot to 7th-best (though not cumulatively - that would require inhuman scorers).
If you are a Miami Heat fan, your life could potentially take a dramatic swing in the upcoming weeks. "Elite" is a word thrown around more than it should be, around NBA blogs and message boards, but there's no other way to categorize what a Wade/Stoudemire/O'Neal combo could become. If you're a Wizards fan, a Magic fan, a Bobcats fan or a Hawks fan, your life just got a little tougher.....potentially.
It was reported on February 3rd, 2009 that first-time All-Star and point guard for the Orlando Magic, Jameer Nelson, suffered a torn labrum and would be out indefinitely. This means three things - A) that the Orlando Magic are in serious trouble, B) that Jameer Nelson will not be able to take part in All-Star weekend activities and C) that a replacement would need to be chosen.
And a replacement was chosen - Ray "Jesus Shuttlesworth" Allen, star guard for the league-best Boston Celtics. Allen, who will join teammates Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, is one of the league's most feared shooters and 2nd only to my All-Time favorite, Reggie Miller, in terms of career three pointers made. He should certainly have been in the running for this selection, but was it the right choice?
It all depends on how you look at the situation. If you've read my blog before, then you know that I don't subscribe to any particular method in terms of All-Star selection. Rather, I attempt to use parts of each theory. That means I will be looking at team performence, individual statistics (both base and in-depth) and, for this particular installment, team need. I will be looking at each of the other candidates and directly comparing them to Allen. Think of it as a round-by-round Boxing match. Can Sugar-Ray come out swinging or will another player take the crown.
Round 1: Ray Allen vs. David Lee (pf, New York Knicks)
David Lee has taken full advantage of Eddy Curry piling up DNPs like it's nobody's business. He is one of the leading candidates for the NBA's "Most Improved Player" Award and has proven himself to be much more than a good 6th man. Surprisingly, Lee and Allen stack up more evenly than Joe Sportsfan would think. Lee has a 0.3 advantage in PER (due to efficient scoring and outstanding rebounding). Ray, however, has the advantage in +/- by a large margin. Oddly enough, Lee has a net +/- of -4.5 while Ray Allen is currently at an impressive +15.4. Lee statistically out-produces his counterpart (meaning the player who he guards and vice versa) by just 0.3 points, whereas Allen's advantage is as 8.3. When looking at team standing, as expected, the Celtics are sitting pretty while the Knicks are 11th in the Eastern Conference. Neither guy plays at the one position the Eastern Conference actually needs (point guard), so I'll throw that out of the window.
Ray Allen gets the "Check" from me on this one.
Round 2: Ray Allen vs. Mo Williams (pg, Cleveland Cavaliers)
I was almost certain that Mo Williams was going to be chosen as the replacement. After all, it's arguable that Jameer Nelson was better than him, and Cleveland had (and still have) a better record than Orlando. So when I saw that Nelson was out, leaving the Eastern Conference without a backup to Devin Harris, I figured Mo Williams already had his ticket stamped for Arizona. Well, that's not how it turned out, but is it how it should have been? Williams posts a PER of 16.9, a full point below Allen's. His defense has been solid this year, much better than his Milwaukee days, but Allen has him covered in that department, since the Celtics are by far the NBA's best defensive squad while Boston is 3.4 points better defensively when Ray is on the floor (compared to Cleveland, just 0.2 points better defensively with Williams). Team standing is eliminated from the equation. Boston has a slight advantage but it is so minimal that no one should be choosing one player over the other because of it. What keeps Mo alive in this comparison is the fact that he plays 67% of his minutes at the point guard position, and Allen plays all of his minutes at either shooting guard or small forward. However, it is of my opinion that this is not enough to give Williams his first All-Star selection when taking all of the other evidence that points to the contrary into consideration.
Another "Check" for ShaRayRay.
Round 3: Ray Allen vs. Vince Carter (sg, New Jersey Nets)
Vince Carter is no stranger to All-Star Weekend. He's been selected 8 times in his NBA career. He truly is half-man half-amazing, but unfortunately for him, highlight-reel slams get no points in my book. A PER of 20.5, however, will. With many fans predicting the Nets to own one of the worst records in the league, they've done better than expected, though still sub-par. Carter as the advantage on offense. Despite sky-high shooting percentages for Allen (eFG% and TS%), he does little else to fill up the box-score. Vince, on the other hand, is quite adept at this aspect, averaging 5 rebounds and 4.7 assists per-36 minutes. I think it's also fair to say that if you switch Allen with Carter on the Celtics, Boston wouldn't lose much, if any ground. There's also a strong likelihood Vince would see higher efficiency. Where Ray Allen makes a case for himself in this comparison is in defense. When Carter wants to be, he can play solid defense, but rarely do I see him have the focus and determination on that side of the court. He plays for the 3rd-worst defensive team in the league while the Nets are a full 4 points worse defensively when he is on the floor. Meanwhile, Allen, playing for the league's best defensive squad, has no problems playing consistent and markedly above-average defense. Team standing must also enter the conversation. Yes, I'm well aware that there is an obvious talent discrepancy but credit must be given to Boston and Allen for being on track to surpass last season's win total.
In the closest round thus far, the "Check" goes to Allen.
Final Round: Ray Allen vs. Rajon Rondo (pg, Boston Celtics)
What? Rajon Rondo an All-Star? I must be smoking something good, right? Not necessarily. The 3rd-year point guard is having a career year. He's gone from being a liability on offense to a threat, ala Tony Parker of yesteryear. He does precisely what the Celtics need from their point guard - score efficiently, play defense and know your role. As has been mentioned, Ray Allen's shooting percentages are out of this world, but his PER is at 18 because he averages just 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per-36 minutes. Rondo is the opposite. He struggles with mid-range shooting (though his interior scoring/finishing is fantastic) but averages, per-36 minutes, an impressive 9 assists and a staggering good 5.5 rebounds. When your point guard averages this many rebounds, the lives of teammates becomes that much easier. Fast-breaks can be started and finished faster than normal and efficiency sees an increase as well. Defensively, both players contribute to Boston's #1 defense in big ways. Statistically speaking, Allen has the advantage. He holds his counterpart to a lower PER and a lower average. However, this may be a case of statistics being a bit deceiving. Rondo is one of the better thieves in the league, averaging 2.3 steals per-36 minutes.
In terms of statistics (points, assists, rebounds), Rondo has the edge. If you look purely at scoring, Allen has the advantage. Defensively, I'll call it a wash. Team standing won't make an entrance in this comparison for apparent reasons. So what is the last criteria I could use to differentiate these two comparable Celtics? - team need. The Eastern Conference, whether fans want to believe so or not, needs a backup point guard, if for no other reason than balance. Yes, we can all point to the Jamaal Magloire selection of years' past and try to use it for every "team need" scenario, but that's a bad way of looking at it, in my opinion.
Rajon Rondo with the knockout punch on Sugar Ray.
I don't believe an egregious error was made, considering my vote was based on a tie-breaker, but if I was given the opportunity to select one player to replace the injured Jameer Nelson, Ray Allen would not be the guy.
Let me preface by saying that if your favorite player is not ranked #1, it is not because I hate them. It is not because I hate their team. It is not because I hate you. These rankings are based on a variety of criteria including per-36-minute averages, PER, on/off data (both offensive and defensive), counterpart statistics, team standing, how much help said player has, etc. Now, without further ado, here are my top-10 MVP candidates half-way through the 2008-2009 NBA Season....
#10: Chauncey Billups (pg, Denver Nuggets)
Explanation: This is one of those cases where you look at A) "record before" and B) "record after". Chauncey is not the most talented player on his own team, but he's the motor that keeps the Denver Nuggets running. His statistics are very solid, as always, but nothing that would blow you away. You're not going to see 19pts, 7asts, 3rebs and say "MVP Candidate" but the man knows how to run an offense. For as much as he handles the basketball, 2.3 turnovers per-36 minutes is just what you want from your point guard. He rebounds well for a point guard, meaning he can facilitate the fastbreak. His defense is consistently around the best in the league among guards, as well.
#9: Dirk Nowitzki (pf, Dallas Mavericks)
Explanation: Say what you want about Dirk Nowitzki being "soft" or whatever unsubstantiated claims you may have but the Diggler is still one of the NBA's best power forwards. Per-36 minutes, he is averaging nearly 25pts, 8rebs and 2.3asts with a PER of 23.6, down slightly from last season. If you're looking for the reason he isn't ranked higher than 9th, look no further than defense. The Mavericks give up 3.9 more points per-100 possessions while allowing their opponents to shoot an eFG% 4.9% higher when Nowitzki is on the court. He's not horrible on D, since counterpart data suggests that he holds opposing power forward to a PER of 13.8, though. I'll give him a pass on the less-than-inspiring rebounding numbers considering he's playing with one of the best rebounding guards in league history (Jason Kidd).
#8: Brandon Roy (sg, Portland Trailblazers)
Explanation: It's hard to believe this is just Brandon Roy's third season in this league. Half-way through the season, the Blazers guard is putting up 22pts, 5asts, 4.5rebs per-36 minutes with a PER of nearly 25. It also helps that he's a rock-solid defender and leading his team to a 29-17 record - far better than I expected them to do this season.
#7: Yao Ming (c, Houston Rockets)
Explanation: The Great Wall of China checks in at #7. The Rockets have not lived up to the hype this year, partly due to injuries and partly due to questionable chemistry, but Yao Ming has been doing everything in his power to keep the Rockets at a respectable record. T-Mac, no T-Mac, Artest, no Artest - it doesn't matter. Yao is still able to score both effectively and efficiently. But unquestionably the most underrated aspect of his game is his defense, both post and help. The Rockets, an already top-notch defensive squad, give up 5.9 less points per-100 possessions when he is on the floor while the eFG% of the opposing team decreases by a substantial 4%.
#6: Tim Duncan (pf/c, San Antonio Spurs)
Explanation: There have certainly been better statistical seasons for Spurs' big-man Tim Duncan in his illustrious career, but this one might be the most impressive. San Antonio has been one of the more injury-ravaged teams in the league. Through the first half of the season, Manu Ginobili has missed 12 games while Tony Parker found himself on the sidelines for 9 games, and worst of all, they coincided. So the Spurs featured a starting lineup with rookie point guard George Hill, free-agent guard Roger Mason, what's left of Michael Finley and, depending on the night, one of Kurt Thomas, Fabricio Oberto or Matt Bonner, along with Duncan. Yet, they were able to overcome the adversity with 'Timmay' leading the pack. To go along with his always-stellar defense, Duncan is averaging 20.9pts, 10.6rebs, 3.8asts and nearly 2 blocks per-36 minutes while maintaining a PER of 25. Simply incredible for a player many thought was in the decline just a few seasons ago.
#5: Dwight Howard (c, Orlando Magic)
Explanation: He is the NBA's leading rebounder and shot-blocker, an improved man defender and posting a PER of 25.8 for the 36-10 Orlando Magic, one of the league's biggest surprises. I actually feel dirty putting Dwight at #5 instead of the top-3, but there are simply too many elite-level players this year and I believe Howard to have the most flaws in his game, albeit few. I would like to see a bit more versatility on the offensive end of the floor, in addition to a higher ft% and more consistent offensive outings.
#4: Chris Paul (pg, New Orleans Hornets)
Explanation: This was a tough choice to make because Paul and Howard are statistically very similar but CP3 is just a freak of nature. He breaks the rules of PER, which usually slights point guards. Chris Paul's PER is currently set at 30.3 while he throws out sick numbers each game for a Hornets team that's been hit with the injury bug this year. This is up nearly 3 from last season (27.82). Try to comprehend this - the Hornets rank 28th in pace, and yet, Chris Paul's per-36 numbers would lead you to believe they ran faster than the Phoenix Suns of 2004-2005. He's putting up 20.8pts and 5.2rebs (which, for a guard on a team as slow as New Orleans is just ridiculous) while leading the league in assists (10.9 per game, 10.4 per-36) and steals (2.8 / 2.7). And for as much as he controls the ball for the Hornets, the man averages just 3 turnovers per 36-minutes. He's a statistical phenomenon.
#3: Kobe Bryant (sg, Los Angeles Lakers)
Explanation: Kobe is having yet another MVP-caliber season. His team is easily the best in their conference and Kobe is easily the best player on his team. Looking at per-36 minute data, he has dropped off from last year (3 less points, 1 less rebound and a slightly lower assist average) but his PER has increased. The easiest explanation for this conundrum is a better team. Keep in mind that through the first half of last year, Bryant was without Pau Gasol (traded mid-season) and Andrew Bynum (injured for large portion). With a better team, his PER has ballooned. So why #3, right? Well, I'm of the opinion that if a player has great teammates who can really help carrying the load, that player's importance (see: value) becomes lower. It's not a slight towards Kobe more than it is a compliment to the Lakers.
#2: Dwyane Wade (sg, Miami Heat)
Explanation: Dwyane Wade at #2 is a great example of my personal theory to ranking MVP candidates. Are the Heat elite? Nope, but it's not D-Wade's fault. He's doing about as much as one player can possibly do (well, save for one other guy) to help his team. Comparatively speaking, Wade means more to the Miami Heat than Kobe Bryant does to the Los Angeles Lakers. Miami's second-best player is Shawn Marion who, despite strong defense and rebounding, is having the worst season of his professional career and an overall bad fit for the Heat. They don't have a starting-caliber center, and they are relying on rookie Mario Chalmers for full-time pg duties. Save for Wade, this team just isn't very good. And yet, they find themselves 5th in the East and about to take over 4th. They are able to do this because Wade is having an incredible season. Wade, the leagues top scorer, is averaging (per-36 minutes) 27pts, 6.7asts and 4.8rebs. His biggest improvement, however, is at the defensive end where he's gone from being a good help defender to a great help defender, and from an average man defender to an above-average man defender. Just to give everyone an idea of how important Wade is to the Heat, the league average for PER is set at 15.5. Other than Dwyane Wade, no other player on Miami's roster is at or above 16.
#1: LeBron James (sf, Cleveland Cavaliers)
Explanation: The way I just waxed poetic about Dwyane Wade, you'd think that he was the run-away winner of the MVP trophy, right? I mean, no one can possibly top all of that. Not possible. Oh wait, there's this kid who plays for the Cavs. Goes by the name James...LeBron James. He is easily the Most Valuable Player in the league right now, and this is coming from a Washington Wizards fan. James' per-36 numbers are on par with the all-time greats this season, as is his PER. At 31.6, LeBron's PER ranks 6th in NBA history behind just Wilt (2 appearances) and 'His Airness', Michael Jordan (3 appearances). But this isn't the old LeBron James who knew how to put up the numbers but was unspectacular on the other end of the floor. He has molded and shaped himself into an elite-level perimeter defender.
So what's left? Team performance. And, yeah, the Cavaliers are tied for the league's 2nd-best record behind the Big 3 in Boston and tied with the star-laden Lakers squad, despite going without one of the top centers in the league, Big Z, and starter Delonte West for long stretches. Half-way through the 2008-2009 NBA Season, my pick for MVP is, without a doubt, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
NBA All-Star Weekend is one of the more entertaining mid-season celebrations in professional sports. There is the Rookie-Sophomore game, various skills challenges, the battle for long-range accuracy in the 3-pt Shootout and the ultimate test of high-flying creativity better known as the Slam Dunk Contest presented by Sprite. But the pièce de résistance is unquestionably the NBA All-Star Game where the best of the best from each conference duke it out for bragging rights. But, are they really the best of the best? Who decides who is best? Are they qualified? These are some of the nagging questions of those opposed to the current selection process of the NBA All-Star Game.
Before I detail exactly what my stance is, let me briefly explain how things are currently done. The starters are chosen through a fan-vote on nba.com - two guards, two forwards and one center are voted in for each conference.
All-Star reserves are chosen by the coaches. Their criteria can range from 'most talented' to 'best statistics' to 'best record' and anywhere in between.
But is this how the process should be done? Well, I'm alright with some aspects while others do indeed bother me. What I do like is the fan vote, despite many NBA purists who feel the opposite. They want the All-Star Game to be about who deserves to be there - the 'best of the best', whatever that means. Me? I like the fan vote for the simple reason that, when you look at the essence of the NBA All-Star Game (and All-Star Weekend in general), it should be about the fans; It should be about pure entertainment and not to be taken all too seriously. If the fans want to see Allen Iverson start at point guard for the Eastern Conference despite The Answer having one of the worst seasons in his acclaimed career, then by all means, vote him in. This doesn't bother me like it does many others.
So that covers my opinion on the starters but what about the reserves? Well, this is where everything gets a bit foggy. It is, literally, impossible to make a majority happy with the reserve selections because there is no set criteria in which they are chosen. At least with the starters, we know why they are selected as they are - entertainment value. Aside from the few die-hard NBA fans who will closely look at each candidate statistically or look at how their ball-club is seeded, they will, instead, say the following "Man, his dunks are ridiculous" or "He has the most killer crossover" - and this is fine, in my honest opinion.
But the reserves? Not so simple - I know of a few coaches who subscribe to the theory that, if a player isn't leading his team to a .500 or above record, he does not earn the right to go to the All-Star Game. Is this legitimate? Well, it's circumstantial. Kevin Durant of the Okalahoma City Thunder is putting up a healthy 24.8pts, 6.7rebs and 2.7asts while maintaining a PER of nearly 20, an eFG% of 50.4 and a TS% of 57%. However, his Thunder are an unimpressive11-36. So should the blame for this record lie on the shoulders of Durant, or would it be a bit more wise to look at the players around him? I'll go with the latter. The 2nd-best player on Okalahoma City's roster is most likely Russell Westbrook (or Jeff Green depending on who you ask). Russell wouldn't even start on most teams in the association. Why punish Kevin Durant for an awful team? Isn't it bad enough that, despite his All-Star-caliber play, he has to watch his team falter on a nightly basis? It is to me. God knows how bad the Thunder would be without Durant.
Another theory I've heard being thrown around is that players who put up the best base-statistics should go, record be damned. This would certainly get Durant in the game, which I like, but unfortunately, it would also put a player like Caron Butler (SF, Washington Wizards) in the conversation. Listen, as a Wizards fan through and through, I'd love nothing more than to see some D.C representation in Phoenix, but I'm also a realist. Caron has mailed it in this season. His 'base numbers' look pretty good with the naked eye, but if you dig a bit deeper, you can see why his team is tied for the league's worst at 10-37. He (Butler) is posting a PER of 18.1, down big from last season. He's putting up an eFG% of just 47.8% and a TS% of 54.4%. In addition to his unspectacular offense, he's also taken his defense from slightly-above-average in 07-08 to "Is he trying to lose this game for us"-defense currently.
To sum it up, I'd like coaches to use a combination of ways to guage players- I'd like them to look at each situation independently and not believe that one theory fits all. Or they can make a total travashamockery of the game and vote Stephon Marbury. Say it with me - STEPH 10'!
Hello. My name is Alex George and I am an unabashed, unrepentant die-hard fan of the National Basketball Association, sometimes referred to as the NBA. I've been watching the league for the better part of 10 years and am currently in college to pursue a career in sports broadcasting (and if I get lucky, NBA Broadcasting).
My team is the Washington Wizards (so just get your laughs in right now) but I keep a weather eye on the other 29 teams as well. I try to be as objective as I can and attempt to justify my opinions based on a combination of in-depth statistics and good ol'-fashioned use of the eyes.
Posts in this blog will mainly be centered around hot topics in the association, whether it be about off-season acquisitions/trades/firings, potential big-name draft prospects, monumental in-season games, playoff races, etc. Think of me as a lesser known Sports Guy (from ESPN), except with a modicum of basketball knowledge and the ability to see the world without those damn green glasses.
I created this blog because I have discovered, after years of self-introspection, that I actually enjoy writing, but only about things that moderately peak my interest. Want me to write a book report on "Of Mice and Men"? Not happening, buddy boy. Luckily for you, classic literature just isn't my thing. So here I am, writing about the NBA. And here you are, anxiously awaiting the next great blog. Coincidence?
