Empty the Bench

Kirk Hinrich, PG, Chicago Bulls

If the Chicago Bulls scored 151 points in a single game like they did last night in Milwaukee, most anybody would guess that Kirk Hinrich bagged at least 20 of them. For the past four seasons, the dimunitive 2003 lottery pick has been the catalyst of the Bulls’ offense, averaging about 16 points and 6.5 feeds for the past three years. Outside of backcourt mate Ben Gordon, he’s also arguably been their best clutch shooter, willing to launch a three with the game on the line or take it to the hole in hopes of drawing a foul or kicking it out to a wide-open teammate. I’ve never been a huge fan of his, but will admit that his heady contributions to last years’ upstart Bulls team had me worried some in their Conference Semi-Finals matchup with the Detroit Pistons.

What happened between May and November of last year is anyone’s guess, but Hinrich has hardly been the same player this season. The blame for a terrible season in Chicago can be thickly spread upon the entire team like peanut butter on bread, but Hinrich’s disappearing act is one of the main culprits. Would you believe that Hinrich chipped in a grand total of 3 points to Monday’s offensive bludgeoning of the Bucks? Or that he’s scored more than 9 points in any given game during April just once in eight tries? Compared to last year, his per-game averages for points, assists, field-goal and three-point shooting, and three-pointers made are all down. It’s no coincidence that his team, and perhaps future in Chicago, is down too.

Ben Wallace, F/C, Cleveland Cavaliers

Father Time can be cruel to players whose success is largely based on pure athletic ability. Ever since Big Ben bolted the comfortable confines of Detroit, where he made a name for himself as one of the league’s most feared man- and help-defenders and one of its best rebounders and shot-blockers, things have progressively gotten worse. With the Pistons, Wallace knew his role well, as did his teammates, his fans, and his coaches. He was never asked to score or do anything he wasn’t capable of. That all changed, however, once he signed on the dotted line of Beelzebub’s John Paxson’s four-year, $60 million contract to move across Lake Michigan and join the Chicago Bulls. With the money came heightened expectations, new leadership responsibilities, and skeptical fans who’d gotten used to cursing and booing him as a member of the Pistons.

He must have felt like a fattened turkey walking into a lion’s den. It was a bad fit from the start, and the downward statistical spiral he experienced over his last few seasons with the Pistons continued in Chicago. The fans booed him like they always had (even though he now wore a Bulls jersey) and he just didn’t mesh with his teammates and coaches. And so, this season, he was shipped away to Cleveland, where he was supposed to help put the Cavaliers over the top. That hasn’t worked out yet, either. As for his stats… well, it’s pretty easy to see that Big Ben is now just Ben.

Three more players who struggled through the 2007-08 season after the jump…

Stephon Marbury, PG, New York Knicks

Note to Ron Artest: the idea might sound tempting, but in practice sometimes it’s better not to come home. While “Giant Snake Eggs” Artest ponders what life would be like as a New York Knickerbocker (best guess: circus sideshow), Starbury has long realized that any hopes of resurrecting his middling basketball career won’t be realized at MSGNY. Once the apple of Isiah Thomas’ eye, Marbury engaged in public spats of immaturity and finger-pointing with his embattled head coach dating all the way back to last summer. Once the season began, mysterious absences and benchings marked his 2007-08 campaign before his wish was finally granted to undergo ankle surgery. That’s not a joke—Starbury likely became the first athlete in history to ever go under the knife with a smile on his face.

The 12-year vet, who still hasn’t advanced past the first round of the playoffs, ended up playing in just 24 games this season, averaging an underwhelming 13.9 points, 4.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 41% FG—all regressions compared to last season. Though he’s still owed one year and $22 million on his current deal (that’s right, he’s the league’s third-highest player), Starbury’s future in New York seems murky at best. New GM Donnie Walsh is certainly intent on cleaning his hands of Zeke’s messy garbage, so a pricey buyout could very well be in store in the next few months. But don’t fret, Starbuy: there’s always Italy.

Eddy Curry, C, New York Knicks

Is it too cruel to list two Knickerbockers in succession? Considering that your ETB friends suffered through no less than 10 games at MSG this season (of which the Knicks won two, but that’s okay because we mostly went to see the other teams), I’ll answer that with a resounding no. It’s still seems completely unfathomable what Zeke gave up to acquire the services of Eddy Curry, a trade which by the way happened shortly after Curry’s irregular heartbeat scare. It was a handsome bounty to pay for the lumbering Curry, whose inability to stay in shape is as glaring a weakness as his lack of hustle and preference to not rebound or play defense are.

The first time we laid our eyes on the 2007-08 version of Eddy Curry was during a preseason game at the Garden against the Philadelphia 76ers. I don’t remember much from that one other than how FAT Curry looked. And it’s not like we were sitting courtside–it was blatantly obvious from our mid-100 level seats that the Knicks’ starting center had spent many an hour at the local family feedbag over the summer. And so it should come as no surprise that Curry’s on-court performance was simply no good this year: 13.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks. Yuck. [Post Script: Despite his size (6-11 or 7-0), Curry has averaged more than 1 block/per only once in his seven-year career.]

Mike James, G, New Orleans Hornets

We knew he was getting on in years, and that his banner season as the starting point guard for the Toronto Raptors in 2005-06 was somewhat of a fluke, but we didn’t think James would fall off into NBA oblivion so quickly. After averaging 20 points, 5.8 assists, 2 three-pointers, and 47% FG (all career bests) during his one year with the Raps, James signed a big contract offered by one of the most generous, dunder-headed GMs in all professional sports, Kevin McHale, and instantly became the starter for the Minnesota Timberwolves at the start of last season. Nevermind that his shoot-first, shoot-second mentality wasn’t a great fit, that at 32-years-old his best days were probably behind him, or that the team had just spent a lottery pick on guard Randy Foye. McHale wanted the veteran point guard, so McHale signed him.

The Mike James Experiment didn’t work out so well. He publicly sulked about his role with the team, was eventually benched, and begged and pleaded for a ticket out of town. Needing depth at PG, the Houston Rockets obliged… and a few months later, they too realized that James was more malcontent than team-first player, so midway through this season he was sent to New Orleans, another team lacking veteran PG depth. Right, so, yeah… you know where this is going. Since joining the Hornets, James has logged a handful of “DNP - Coach’s Decision” while averaging 2.5 points, 0.3 assists, 0.2 steals, and 35% FG in about 8 minutes/per. He wasn’t doing much better in Houston, either. But don’t worry about Mr. James: he’s still owed another $12.5 million after this season (thanks, Kevin McHale!), got a championship ring as a member of the Detroit Pistons back in 2004, and will always have that magical season in Toronto.

Tags: Kirk Hinrich, Ben Wallace, Stephon Marbury, Eddy Curry, Mike James