BasslineSpin.com basketball blog by Bobby Gerould

 

February 18, 2009 A quick digestion of the Kings-Bulls trade says I like the Kings end of getting Drew Gooden, and Ike Diogu. However, I think John Salmons has become a legitimate NBA starter at Small Forward, and I hope the Kings don’t regret losing him. Salmons is shooting 41% from three point range while checking in as the 18th best SF in the NBA. Andres Nocioni just is not efficient enough. Nocioni plays hard but he gives up lots in terms of athleticism.  He is rated 46th at Small Forward. Ike Diogu is a guy that has never been given a REAL chance. His career efficiency is .513 which would rate among the top 30 among NBA Power Forwards. Cedric Simmons is horrible. He never has been or should be an NBA player. His career efficiency of .287 is extra stinky for a BIG.  I would waive Simmons well before I waived Quincy Douby. …The Kings saved money in the deal—and as stated before—if that helps them land some free agent help in the Summer, then that has to be a factor when evaluating the trade. ...Folks say the 2009 draft is not good. Actually that is true only if you are comparing the draft with the last two years. It does not mean that are not good players to be had. As I always preach, a “basketball quickening” is in full motion. There are dozens of players in the NCAA that will be good NBA pros, and a handful have a chance to be great if they fully develop. Because I study efficiency at the college and pro level—I know what the EFR’s of current NBA players were when they played college. In that relative sense - I can tell you there are lots of players that can have a career similar to that of a John Salmons. Jerel McNeal at Marquette is a Salmons clone.

 

February 16, 2009 ...So the word is that Terry Porter is already done in Phoenix as Head Coach. I think that is crazy. What a reactionary bunch in the leadership roles in the Valley of the Sun! Remember that the Suns were a Robert Horry gangsta foul away from the NBA Finals just two seasons ago. But when Amar’e Stoudemire left the bench (barely) - he was suspended and the Spurs went on to advance. Now the Suns have traded Shawn Marion, Raja Bell, and Boris Diaw while also getting in such a dispute with former Head Coach Mike D’Antoni that he too was exiled. They brought in Porter to lead but I’m not sure he was ever accepted by Steve Nash. Complaints about the Suns more deliberate style flowed from Nash, and the use of  Stoudemire was given a detour in favor of more touches for Shaquille O’Neal. Their winning percentage (.543) has since suffered but it also is not horrible either. It says here some of the losses this season can be attributed to the trade that saw 40% of the Suns starting lineup head to Charlotte for Jason Richardson. Personally, I like Richardson better than Bell and Diaw combined but anytime you mess with team chemistry there is an adjustment period. That had to cost Phoenix some games. Next Leandro Barbosa was in and out of the lineup due to the death of his mother. He missed ten days in November. That hurt. I’ll go as far as to say that a preseason injury to Alando Tucker was also a minor factor. Tucker was primed to play a role this year coming off the bench but he missed the start of the season and never rebounded to break into Porter’s rotation once healthy. Finally - the Suns lost some games because their backup point guard is Goran Dragic—a rookie—that has struggled mightily with his shooting percentage (.313).  I don’t view all of the above issues as things that could be controlled by Porter. But apparently the Suns are not going to axe Steve Kerr - their General Manager. 

 

February 10, 2009 ...It’s time to toot our own horn a bit. Last night Marreese Speights scored a career high 24 points in 24 minutes, while grabbing seven boards, in a convincing win over Phoenix. We remind that we were THE ONLY—and I MEAN ONLY - website that listed Speights FOURTH in the 2008 NBA Draft. ...This on top of being one of the very FEW who had Kevin Durant ahead of Greg Oden in the 2007 NBA Draft. ...We were the ones that were not in favor of the Quincy Douby draft choice or the Bobby Brown signing. We have long said Spencer Hawes is not nearly as good as the Kings hoped he would or will be. ...We were the place where you read last year that Tracy McGrady was no longer a superstar. (Finally today—it was acknowledged by ESPN on Pardon the Interruption—where they showed of clip of McGrady missing a dunk because he could not jump high enough.) …We warned the Mavs last year at this time to not trade Devin Harris for Jason Kidd. Harris is an All-Star this year. …Which brings me to this… I don’t know if reports are true that Amar’e Stoudemire is on the trading block. But if he is—and if I am in charge of the Kings—I would trade anyone on the roster for him. Yes, Kevin Martin too. Twice on Sunday for Jason Thompson. ANYONE. Even Air Slamson. Amar’e fu%*ing Stoudemire we are talking about here. He is one year removed from being the most efficient player in the NBA. His numbers are down this season but still better by far than any Kings player. And his numbers are down because coach Terry Porter has made Shaquille O’Neal option number one. A’Mare is only two months and change older than Martin.  The Kings should be trying to do everything they can to crown Stoudemire. … //// There are some great athletes in the college game today. Here is one you should know: Carlon Brown - Utah. He is a 6’5” 205 sophomore that can play either guard position. Check out this dunk by Brown.

 

February 3, 2009 ...I worked hard to  evaluate and rank players for the 2009 NBA Draft. Check out the latest list here. The biggest question you should have when you read my list is, why is Hasheem Thabeet not ranked higher? Here is the deal. He is improving rapidly and he absolutely changes games on the defensive end ...BUT he is pretty close to a ZERO at the other end of the floor.

He is not a great rebounder per minute, he has more than four turnovers for every assist in his career. His free throw percentage is 62% (career to-date). Thabeet may well, (I’d say it’s probable), move up on my list before it is all said and done but for now—his ranking is what it is. ...Darren Collison? Why is he not higher? His efficiency. Plain and simple. He is a career .423 EFR which history has proven to me—does not translate to NBA success. He still has time to raise that number, and I do like his game. Ultimately—he too will rise in my rankings. I love his shooting touch and defensive ability. I want him to go to the basket more often, and be more careful with the ball. He has the tools.

 

February 2, 2009 ...Back to the college hoops grind. I’ve been on it, watching games, analyzing statistics, and here are a few things that have not gotten enough ink. ...Marqus Blakely of Vermont may be the next small school phenom to bust out ala Rodney Stuckey. Blakely is a ridiculous athlete. ...Kansas State beat Texas at Texas. I was impressed by K-State freshman Jamar Samuels. Let’s keep an eye on him. Yes, it was Denis Clemente that went wild for 44 points—but Clemente’s overall game is revealed when you look at his CAREER stats to date. He simply is not as good as his one-day performance was. ...Paul George of Fresno State is someone who deserves more love than he is receiving. He is an exciting Freshman Small Forward. ...Dayton’s Chris Wright (not to be confused with the Georgetown Point Guard) is worth seeing. He is a sophomore Power Forward with a great NBA body.