BasslineSpin.com

May 3, 2010 ...I feel compelled to speak on a few things I’ve read recently. Chad Ford of ESPN.com had this to say about players who should go back to school.  On Arnett Moultrie from UTEP: “Now that Tim Floyd is at UTEP running the show and Derrick Caracter has left for the NBA, Moultrie should be featured more offensively.” I’ll disagree. It’s not that I think Moultrie is a guy that should be drafted for sure but I would never say that going to a Tim Floyd coached team could help one’s draft stock. Floyd plays slow-ball and his players statistical output always reflects that. If Moultrie returns to UTEP - his already pedestrian numbers could take a hit and that will not improve his draft stock.

...Two players I like more than the average scout: Luke Babbitt of Nevada, and Robert Glenn from IUPUI. ...I feel bad for Tim Welsh - the former ESPN commentator who had just taken the head coaching gig at Hofstra. Welsh was arrested for driving drunk on Friday and he has since resigned as Hofstra’s coach. I’ve always enjoyed Welsh as one of the most honest analysts in the game and if he is honest with himself in this situation he will realize that as bad as his current predicament is it pales in comparison to what could have happened had he continued to drive drunk. ...The first round of the NBA Playoffs had only one surprising result to me. The Utah Jazz beating the Denver Nuggets was not something I saw coming. Deron Williams continues to be the poster child for NBA guys that were good but not GREAT in college. Many considered Dee Brown the star of the Illinois team that also included Luther Head. ...Who put Stephen Jackson fifth on their ballot for MVP in the NBA post-season voting? They should have their right to vote revoked for life. It was probably the same person who was the only one to list Lebron James third on their ballot. ...The voting also reveals that Tim Duncan is no longer viewed by the media as an elite player. He did not receive one point in the voting that allows for listing your top-five players in order. Duncan’s minutes may be down in the regular season but the truth is—he was more efficient (that’s per-minute across the board) than Dwight Howard was in the 2009-10 regular season. Howard finished fourth overall in the voting.

 

April 17, 2010 ...Our big batch of work to come up with the Efficiency ratings by position for the 2009-10 season can be found here or at any time on the left hand column of the front BLOG page. ...Did you know that Ronnie Brewer—who was traded by the Jazz to the Grizzlies - had the 19th best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA this season? Brewer played some Point Guard in college so maybe that is where Memphis should give him a look going forward. He doesn’t score enough to be an effective TWO and he doesn’t really shoot well enough to thrive as a THREE. (Hey—at least I’m thinking over here). Brewer at PG would be a more efficient option than Marcus Williams. I’m just saying. ...You can count on one hand the guys in the NBA with the skill set and the body to effectively play Point Guard, Shooting Guard and Small Forward. You start with Lebron James, and follow with Joe Johnson. You might think Vince Carter would be a stretch at PG but he does own a healthy 2.23 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

April 16, 2010 ...The problem in Philadelphia was not Eddie Jordan. The problem is their roster. They have legit NBA starters in Lou Williams, Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert but they do not have a superstar. Heck—they barely have a star. Iguodala would be the closest thing to a star. Marresse Speights is efficient but his hoop IQ is suspect.  They have solid rotation players in Elton Brand, and Thaddeus Young. Willie Green is actually still getting better as is Rodney Carney, and young Jrue Holiday shows promise. But after that? Jason Kapono? Please. A player has to be able to do more than shoot spot up shots for a team to win. Jason Smith has not recovered from his knee injury to be effective. Rookie Jodie Meeks does a bit more than Kapono, but not much more. Of course, Brand is a huge part of the issue as well. His  contract eats up cap space but his production/efficiency is that of a 6th, 7th, or 8th man. ...Over in Chicago - how about Brad Miller playing in all 82 games for the first time in his eleven year career? ...Guess which member of the Spurs played in all 82 this season. How about the guy with no ACL’s in either knee; DeJuan Blair. ...Since in the past I have not exactly praised Jarrett Jack - I have to come clean and admit that I was wrong about him. He is a better player than I ever gave him credit for being. He plays hard and his shooting has improved to the point that he is now efficient. ...To see the list of all the guys that played in all 82 regular season games— go here.

 

April 15, 2010 ...I want to throw some love in the direction of Martell Webster. The Blazers wing player played only five minutes of one game last season before suffering a season ending foot injury. This year—Webster joined teammate Andre Miller as the only Portland players to play in all 82 regular season games. ...Who do you think had more field goals made this season for Utah: Andrei Kirilenko or rookie Wesley Matthews? That’s right - I would not have asked the question were it not Matthews. The Marquette product made 273 FG’s to AK’s 244.

 

April  14, 2010  ...Happy to be back after computer issues had us on the inactive list for nine days. ...The NBA season is over and I’m at work as fast as I can (without making mistakes) on the final NBA stat audit. As I do the audit - I stop to blog about anything that catches my eye. First off –here is a weird one. Dominic McGuire of the Kings/Wizards played over 300 minutes and never made a free throw. ...The Denver Nuggets only used 13 players all season. ...Travis Diener—who we said we think is ready to be a minutes playing Point Guard in the NBA - landed in Portland after being waived by Indiana.