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BasslineSpin.com January 29, 2009 ...The
Kings are a mess. They now own the second worst record in the NBA. So - would a trade for an expiring contract
(Raef LaFrentz) make
sense to speed up the rehabilitation process? It could. But what are you
giving up? I think John Salmons is worth more than an expiring contract and a
pick of some sort. If you were certain you could land 2009 free agents Jason Kidd, Trevor Ariza or Carlos Boozer with the freed up cap space - then I
could see Salmons in a Portland uniform. But the rest of the very thin 2009
free agent class is - in my opinion -
not worth giving up Salmons for. Here are a few of the rest of the 2009 free
agents that I like a bit: Antonio McDyess, Travis Diener, Lamar Odom, Hedo Turkoglu, Andre Miller, Matt Barnes, and Mehmet Okur. January
28, 2009 ...I have issues with the players chosen to play in
the Rookie-Sophomore game during All-Star weekend. And before you think this
might be a homer rant - I assure you that neither Jason Thompson nor Spencer Hawes deserves to have made it. Given
- the roster is a tough, tough call.
There are only nine spots for each team - but the problem lies in activity being confused for achievement (thanks
John Wooden).
Here is a news flash. I am all about using efficiency as a tool in evaluating
a player. Some guys with efficient
well-rounded skills were overlooked in favor of players with a higher scoring
average or minutes per game average. Apparently it matters not if you stack
up turnovers like a pastry chef and lose like the Clippers. ...Marc Gasol—who made the rookie roster -
averages seven more minutes per game than Kevin Love does.
Over 40 games that is nearly 300 more minutes that Gasol has had a chance to
compile extra stats. Love, per-minute, has better numbers in all aspects of
the game (other than FG%, and blocked shots) yet he was left off. Anthony Morrow’s numbers per minute are better than O.J. Mayo’s, Eric Gordon’s, and Rudy Fernandez’s. The latter three made it while
Morrow received no love. My other notable rookie omissions include Marreese Speights, and George Hill. ...On the Sophomore squad— Aaron Brooks made it and Ramon Sessions did not? WTF!!!!!!!!!!? Wilson Chandler started the season strongly but has
faded horribly—yet he made it in favor of Carl Landry? Al Thornton who is #7 in minutes played in the
entire league made the roster. He ranks 54th at his position by efficiency on
a team (the Clippers) with a .222 winning percentage. ...Food for thought. Joakim Noah who many have written off already -
ranks 24th in the NBA at Center efficiency. He was snubbed thanks to his
reputation as a hippie. Jamario Moon was
passed by despite being a wing player that ranks 19th at his position with a
two-to-one assist to turnover ratio. ...Finally - we will continue to write
that Brandan Wright will
one day be a player. Don Nelson rarely
plays the 6’10” Power Forward but the efficiency rating has always said that
Wright deserves better. If he played for Memphis and had the floor time that
other sophomore’s have - he would produce. January
27, 2009 ...Who should the coaches vote to add as All-Star
reserves? In the East - I would go with Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Danny Granger, Chris Bosh, Emeka Okafor (because
there HAS to be a second Center), Rajon Rondo, and Devin Harris. ...I just can’t endorse Antawn Jamison or Caron Butler because although they have played
well - their team stinks. The same could be said for Granger but he has
performed at a higher level than Jamison or Butler and his squad smells to a
lesser degree. The starters in the East as voted by fans are Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Lebron James, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard. Iverson being an All-Star is
laughable this season. ...In the West—if I had a vote for the bench
All-Stars—I would go with: Tony Parker, Brandon Roy, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O’Neal, Al Jefferson, and Chauncey Billups. The West starters will be Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, A’mare Stoudemire, Tim Duncan, and Yao Ming. January
26, 2009 ...The NBA efficiency ratings for the halfway point
of the season are posted (click on the links at left for each position).
...Some really interesting stats jump off the books… Allen Iverson is playing at an all-time
professional low EFR of .402. I never thought I would see the day when A.I.
was the 35th rated TWO Guard in the league. ...Also trending down: Steve Nash at .533 is still tenth overall at his
position but his efficiency is usually about 100 points higher.
...Philadelphia’s Marreese Speights is the
only rookie with an EFR over .600. He ranks as the tenth best PF or C. ...Kevin Durant—in his sophomore NBA season is up to
sixth at SF with a nice .534 EFR. Now would be a good time to point out again
that we listed Durant ahead of Greg Oden in
last year’s draft. Oden comes in at .531, 28th rated at Center. That means he
is worthy of being an NBA starter but at this point—his performance is pretty
pedestrian. …Jameer Nelson has
never been better. His .580 EFR puts him second at Point Guard to Chris Paul. ...The Warriors found a hidden gem
in Anthony Morrow. The
undrafted rookie has a .476 EFR that places him ninth among all shooting
guards. ...Common traits of winning teams: The
Lakers have the best winning percentage in the NBA—and they also have four
individuals rated in the top ten at their respective positions (Kobe 2nd at SG, Gasol 7th
at C, Bynum 9th
at C, Ariza 10th
at SF). ...Cleveland ‘s Lebron James is the
highest rated player overall at .807. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is
also in the top-ten at his position. ...Boston has Kevin Garnett (3rd at PF), and Rajon Rondo (5th at PG) - with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen just outside the top ten at their
spots. ...Orlando's Dwight Howard is the
#1 rated Center which combined with Nelson’s #2 status explains the Magic’s
33-10 record. ...San Antonio owns the fifth best record with Tim Duncan (2nd at PF), Manu Ginobili (3rd at SG), and Tony Parker (fourth at PG). |