Empty the Bench

By: Zachariah Blott

A decade ago, teams across the league were looking high and low for someone to defend Shaquille O’Neal in order to give themselves a chance at a title. Big centers made careers out of getting signed in order to guard O’Neal, creating the trend where teams would do anything to have multiple big stiffs around to hack him.

Now most coaches are concerned about high-scoring perimeter players who can take it to the rack and bomb it from outside (LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Joe Johnson, Brandon Roy, etc.), so a new trend has emerged. Teams will gladly bench a secondary scoring option if it means being able to start someone with the defensive chops to slow these stars down. In fact, a plethora of playoff contenders are currently employing this strategy.

Here are six clubs, three in each conference, who are starting a defensive-minded wing over a better scoring option. Note that three of them are international players and another (Anthony Parker) honed his game overseas for six seasons.

Western Conference

Denver Nuggets

- Arron Afflalo over J.R. Smith
Smith is third on the Nuggets in scoring at 15 points per. Although his shooting percentages are low this year, he’s still an absolutely fearless bomber who’s had more than his share of late-game heroics during his 6-year career. Coming off the bench each night this season, Smith has 9 games of over 20 points, including a 41-point you-can’t-stop-nothing game on Atlanta right before Christmas.

All of this, but Denver still turns to a third-year guy with only two 20-point outings in his career to start. That’s because the 6-5, 215-pound Afflalo is a heady defender (see also: Ben Howland was his college coach for 3 years) with the upper-body strength to handle the obstacle course of multiple screens and push-offs one must endure when guarding a star scorer. He subscribes to the Shane Battier school of thought that it’s better to stay at home and make your man shoot with a hand in his face than to gamble for steals (which often results in uncontested jumpers for the opposition).

Oklahoma City Thunder

- Thabo Sefolosha over James Harden
Harden was drafted third overall last summer because of one thing: his crafty ability to score a lot of points. He’s averaging 10 points per off the bench and has a trio of 20-point contests. For all of the young SG’s scoring talents, though, the Thunder don’t even blink when starting Sefolosha.

The 6-6 Switzerland product has started every OKC game next to Durant, Westbrook, and Green, averaging a lowly 6 points per. His perimeter D on twos and threes is the reason why he’s in the starting lineup. Sefolosha is athletic and intuitive, always in the right position and at the proper angle to make someone think twice about driving or pulling up for a jumper. His wingspan is immense, so he gets his hands all over the ball, registering 1.3 steals (top-25 in the NBA) and 0.7 blocks from the off-guard position. Not surprisingly, the Thunder’s Defensive Rating rocketed from 20th in the league a year ago to 6th currently.

Four more contenders turning to defense-oriented starters after the break…

Read the rest of this article »

By Brian Spencer

Last week we hit you with Part I of our two-part interview with D-League Digest brainchild Steve Weinman, who had just returned from this year’s D-League Showcase in Boise, Idaho, with a fresh perspective on the state of the NBA’s “minor-league system.” This time around, Weinman talks attendance, potential for growth, and the possibility of the NBADL one day attracting premier overseas talent.

Empty the Bench: You spoke with a number of NBA team presidents during the Showcase. Who stood out as the most enthused about the D-League’s potential and what did you talk about?

Steve Weinman: While all the people I spoke to were (predictably) quite positive about the D-League, Daryl Morey likely set the record for most uses of “great” and “fantastic” in a 3-minute span to describe the Rockets’ relationship with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, with whom the team shares a hybrid affiliation (the Rockets don’t own the team, but do oversee the basketball operations).

The most intriguing point that came out of my discussion with Morey was his confirmation of something I discussed with Vipers Head of Basketball Operations Alex Del Barrio: the idea that Joey Dorsey wasn’t in the D-League to expand his game so much as he was to focus on becoming more consistent at what he already does.

I think a lot of time there’s a tendency to think of the D-League as a place for players to expand their skillsets, and certainly that’s a big part of it for a lot of players. (I know I’m guilty of thinking of it this way.) But some guys simply need to be more focused on doing what they do best. Dorsey is who he is: a banger who hammers the glass, plays defense, and will be capable of getting his share of points off second chances. As Morey said, “We’re never looking for him to shoot a mid-range shot or have any post moves. That’s not something we see in his role at the NBA level.”

ETB: Is the NBA not overly concerned with attendance? And if they are, shouldn’t there be more teams in bigger markets, as well as more marketing dollars behind the league? If you asked 50 NBA fans off the street to name three D-League teams, I’m guessing most of them couldn’t even name one.

Weinman: I’m sure the NBA would love to see D-League attendance increase, and I wouldn’t doubt that eventually, putting more money toward marketing the league will be a part of that. But while I’m sure I sound like a broken record on this, I think part of it is time. Remember, 9 years isn’t a long time for a sports league to exist.

The league totally overhauled itself after spending its first years based largely on the Southeastern seaboard, and several of the league’s teams have only been in their current location for a very short time. As the number of call-ups increases and the number of productive former D-Leaguers at the NBA level increase—dand likely as single-team affiliations increase—the D-League will gain prominence, and I think that will be big in helping attendance grow.

As for the issue of big markets, I would be cautious of getting too wrapped up in that. This country has supported minor league baseball in a lot of areas that didn’t exactly come next on the list after New York City, LA, Boston and Chicago. For a pertinent D-League example, the folks up in Portland, Maine, are selling out every night and absolutely killing it in merchandise sales.

More than just finding big markets, I think it’s important to find locations close enough to a parent team to have a strong connection to a NBA fan base, but far enough away to make going to D-League games not only more affordable but a significantly more convenient alternative to having to travel all the way to NBA team’s city.

More from D-League Digest’s Steve Weinman after the break…

Read the rest of this article »

By: Zachariah Blott

Sunday’s brilliant 90-89 contest between the Celtics and Lakers featured two of the most dominant big men of the previous decade: Kevin Garnett and Pau Gasol. And much like their quiet and efficient performances in the Laker victory (11-11 and 10-9), the careers of this pair are beginning to show a lot of similarities.

Starting with their entrances into the league and continuing into the recent titles they each helped deliver to their new clubs, KG and Gasol have trekked similar paths in the NBA. There is no question that Garnett is the bigger star and always will be, but there is also no question that the peaks and dips of their careers have more than a passing resemblance to each other.

Here are 25 common facts and themes shared by Kevin Garnett and Pau Gasol:

The Basic Back-of-a-Basketball Card Stuff

1. Their last names both start with G.

2. Their first initials use the same hand shape in American Sign Language.

3. Both are 7-feet tall. (Garnett has notoriously understated his height forever – I once read that he’s the first 6-13 player.)

4. Both are 225-ish.

5. Both are usually listed as PFs, but they can easily fill another position (Garnett, SF; Gasol, C).

6. Garnett played soccer in high school and follows the English Premier League. Gasol … well, he’s from Spain, so I’m just guessing there’s a similarity here.

Early Career, Original NBA Team

7. Garnett played for Mauldin HS in South Carolina (winning a state title) before transferring to powerhouse Farragut Career Academy in Chicago. Gasol signed with Cornella as a teenager before playing for Barcelona’s junior team (winning the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship).

8. Gasol was the MVP of the Spanish National Cup championship game in 2001. Garnett was the MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game in 1995.

9. Gasol was the first international player with no college experience to get drafted in the top 5 (#3 in 2001). Garnett was the first high-school player to get drafted in the top 5 in 20 years (#5 in 1995).

10. Gasol’s Memphis Grizzlies were 23-59 before he showed up, and 23-59 in his first season. Garnett’s Minnesota Timberwolves were 21-61 before he showed up, and 26-56 in his first season.

15 more similarities between Gasol and Garnett after the jump…

Read the rest of this article »

By Brian Spencer

If C+C Music Factory were to redo “Things That Make You Go Hmmmm” for the purposes of this piece, they might title it “Players That Make You Go Arrrrrrgh.” Ahem. These guys routinely toy with your fandom, tantalizing with their potential and commanding adulation after a monster performance, only to promptly punch you in the gut with strings of maddeningly poor showings. They can do it all, and sometimes they do, but unfortunately they often don’t do anything.

Andray Blatche, FC, Washington Wizards

If Blatche ever gets his head screwed on straight and gets serious about fully exploiting his freakish natural talents, the sky’s the limit. I really believe he has All-Star-ish talent, but at the same time won’t pretend that he’ll ever make it that far. It kills me to see players like Blatche, brimming with upside and capable of doing things on a basketball court few can, let it all go to waste because of a lack of a focus. Because of that label that’s dogged so many guys over the years: headcase. That’s Blatche in a nutshell.

Like Villanueva, below, the 6-11 Blatche enjoys spells of semi-dominance that leave you thinking that maybe, just maybe, he’s finally straightened his shit out and is ready for a breakthrough. He handles the ball surprisingly well and is a remarkably gifted passer, can be an above-average shot-blocker and rebounder, and at times scores in bunches like it’s a trifling afterthought. God knows the Wizards can use that side of Blatche’s split personality, but unfortunately they’re usually stuck with the other one: a run-of-the-mill big man who tunes the game out and hurts his team more than helps it.

Now in his fifth season, but still only 23 years old, Blatche has 2 years and $5.5 million left on his contract after this year. It’ll be interesting to see where he’s at by the time that’s up: will he be averaging 15 points, 10 boards, and 2.5 blocks as a reliable starter for the Wiz? Could be. Will he have burned his bridges in Washington, been traded, and burned another bridge somewhere else? Not that unlikely. Your guess as to which scenario ultimately plays out is as good as mine.

Charlie Villanueva, F, Detroit Pistons

When he’s on, Charlie V can be one of the most explosive scorers in the league. He’s that rare 6-11 big man who’s just as comfortable dazzling with fluid turnarounds and baby hooks in the post as he is popping outside and draining high-difficulty threes. Therein lies part of the problem: he’s often far too content to drift around the perimeter and launch bombs bricks. Through 44 games Villanueva has attempted a career-high 3.9 three-point attempts per, and is hitting them at a near-career low 31%.

Like most of the guys on this list, a lack of consistency has bedeviled Villanueva since he was drafted seventh overall by the Toronto Raptors in 2005. One night he’ll go for 24 and 15 with ease, the next he’ll struggle his way to 9 and 8; this actually happened last season, when he was with the Bucks, on March 3 and 4. Villanueva endures long, listless stretches of little production that can sometimes last for a half, for an entire game, or even for a week or two. You just never know which player is going to show up: the remarkable offensive threat or the indifferent, ineffective, passive pattycake.

Al Thornton, F, Los Angeles Clippers

Disappointing to see Thornton, the 14th overall pick in the 2007 draft, regress this season. The one positive I see unfolding in the enigmatic forward’s third season is better restraint on three-point shots: he’s gone from averaging about 1.5 attempts per in his first two seasons to just 0.3 this year, which has helped inch his field-goal percentage up to a respectable 48%. That might be the only worthwhile takeaway so far though; Rasual Butler is a fine player, but Thornton should not be struggling to battle him off for a spot in the starting lineup.

With the arrival of Blake Griffin and the return of a healthy Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby, we knew Thornton wouldn’t play anything close to the 38 minutes per he logged last season, but even with Griffin shelved until next year Thornton has been unable to take advantage of the opportunity for more looks. After averaging 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and nearly 1 steal and block per last year, the 6-8 swingman has been extremely average so far, and those flashes of elite talent are happening with less frequency.

In other words, he’s a perfect fit for the Clippers.

More of the NBA’s hardest players to figure out after the break…

Read the rest of this article »