Empty the Bench

By Brian Spencer

From out of the unbearable murk that has become the Detroit Pistons 2009-10 season, three updates on three Pistons covered in this space earlier this year:

- A little over 2 months ago I called out Tayshaun Prince for pulling an Ewok on the Pistons on the team’s youth movement and rebuilding process. I suggested that the team’s most vital, versatile glue player during the franchise’s most-recent glory years had morphed into a high-plains drifter, a man searching for a concrete role where one no longer existed.

Maybe I was too harsh.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve long been one of Prince’s biggest fans. (In the interest of full disclosure, for those not paying attention the last 3 years, I was born, raised, and remain a fierce Pistons’ supporter no matter how the wins-and-losses column reads.) I don’t particularly enjoy reading what I see as the writing on the wall for Prince (and Rip Hamilton, below), and of course wish he could forever be that beguiling 25-year-old talent with a flair for dramatic defensive stops and, most importantly, for winning. But while we can all forever appreciate what our aging heroes accomplished, only the delusional can dismiss the notion that Prince, now 30 years young, now has his better NBA days behind him.

That doesn’t have to mean, however, that he can’t stave off the inevitable a little bit longer than some might anticipate. Before the All-Star break, Prince was limited to just 19 games due a ruptured disc in his back, and his production during that stretch tumbled to near-career lows. Funny thing about injuries, though, is that even after they’re “healed”, they can still detrimentally impact performance.

That ruptured disc no longer seems to be a factor: in 15 games since the break, Prince has shot 50% from the field and is averaging 15.8 points, 5.9 boards, 3.9 assists, and almost 1 block and steal per. Though a small sample size, those would all be career highs if they were on the season. He’s become as aggressive on offense as I’ve perhaps ever seen him, shooting the ball with confidence, backing down overmatched defenders without hesitation, and essentially competing with Rodney Stuckey to become the team’s second-best scoring option behind Hamilton.

Trade Tayshaun Prince? Yes, sadly, I still think it can and should happen. Fortunately for the Pistons, his trade value this summer or next season has gotten much, much higher than it was at this year’s trade deadline, especially since he’s on the books for just one more season at $11.1 million.

Quick takes on Rip Hamilton and Jonas Jerebko after the break…

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By: Zachariah Blott

Imagine being an NBA coach, and your squad is about to face the Cavaliers. What do you do about LeBron James? Who do you have that’s willing to stick him, has the quickness to not get embarrassed on the perimeter, and has the size and strength to not get embarrassed in the paint?

Gameplanning for James’ offensive abilities is obviously a devastating thought, as it is when you face Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and a handful of other premier offensive centerpieces. But are you really that worried about any of these stars shutting down your offense? You popping any Advils thinking about who Kevin Durant might guard on your squad tonight?

Usually a team’s defensive system, not its individual players, is what you gameplan for on that side of the ball, but occasionally a coach has problems on his hands if the other club just happens to have Ron Artest and Shane Battier in their starting lineup. More often, a true stopper in the middle needs to be accounted for from an individual standpoint: Are we going inside against Chris Andersen? Eh, let’s roll the dice from the perimeter.

Rare is the player who opposing coaches have to consider and plan around because of both parts of their game. Dwight Howard pops out as the most complete WTF-do-we-do-about-that-guy player in the league. Not only is he far and away the most intimidating defender, altering and discouraging just about everything inside of 15 feet, his capabilities define how the Magic’s offensive scheme works to a degree that only Steve Nash’s relation to the Suns’ fast break can compare.

To see how difficult a task gameplanning for Howard is, one should examine what he provides in terms of offense and defense, and how important he is to what the Magic are trying to accomplish on both ends of the court.

Gameplanning for Howard’s Defense

It’s no big secret that Howard is the best defensive player in the league. He’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, the odds-on favorite to win it again this year, and his team’s Defensive Rating continues to sit right near the top of the league. In fact, Orlando’s defensive rating has ranked between 1st and 6th in the NBA for each of the past four seasons, including the current one. That would be every year since Howard turned 20 years old.

Much more on Dwight Howard’s strangehold on the NBA after the break…

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“The self hatred that blinds you, binds you, grinds you, keeps you down,
The world falls down around you, you build up walls around you,
You wear disgust like a crown.” - Rollins Band, “Low Self Opinion”

By Brian Spencer

There’s been no bigger punchline in the NBA over the past 7 years than Darko Milicic.

He’s one of the biggest busts in the league history, and he’s done little to help himself in the public-pity department as he’s skulked, moped, and complained his way through the rosters of five different franchises. Each of them at one point believed in him and in his potential to be the uniquely dominant player he was once billed as as a 17-year-old phenom from Novi Sad, Serbia. They all thought that all it would take to tap that supposedly limitless potential was some hands-on coaching, a few extra minutes, and the right situation.

Darko just needed some love, to feel wanted, and once he got it… watch out. This kid was going to be something special. Except, he wasn’t, he isn’t, and though still just 24 years young, we know he never will be.

It’s easy to pile on Milicic. He’s made few friends in the NBA, he’s wasted every opportunity that’s been gifted upon him (and there’ve been plenty), and he’s done all of it while sporting one of the most consistently biting, petulent, and accusatory attitudes we’ve seen in this league in some time. And that’s saying a lot.

So, believe me, I know you don’t need another writer to tell you how miserable Milicic’s NBA career has been; his resume speaks for itself and he’ll vanish from our daily NBA consciousness soon enough once he hops on that plane bound for home this summer. There, he’ll make millions of more dollars on top of what he’s already made, likely suiting up for a mid-tier European team, ideally one where he can be the big fish in a small pond and be told how great he is and how mistreated he was in the NBA during the prime of his youth.

Poor Darko. Poor. Fucking. Darko. If only… if only what?

Let’s not get misty-eyed and reflective about Darko Milicic’s NBA failure. He made his bed, he deserves to sleep in it. Nobody sunk Darko’s prospects except Darko. Not Joe Dumars, Larry Brown, and the Pistons. Not the Orlando Magic, not the Memphis Grizzlies, not the New York Knicks. This one’s on Darko and Darko alone.

More on Darko Milicic, and a surprising apologist, after the break…

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By Brian Spencer

Two things we know in the aftermath of this past weekend’s trade between the Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards: first, the Dallas Mavericks are serious about competing for a title, now, or at least until the window closes on their core as presently constituted. More on that in a minute.

The second domino to fall in the deal that sent Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, and DeShawn Stevenson to Dallas for cap space and warm bodies is the Wizards’ long-harbored (delusional?) hope that they could be a winner, a contender, hell, even an Eastern Conference powerhouse with a team built around Butler, Antawn Jamison (who’s also on his way out), and Gilbert Arenas, whom you might have heard isn’t having such a great year. The Wiz, finally, conceded it was time to move on, cut bait, shift gears, and plunge into that nebulous NBA void that is “rebuilding.”

They’ll be essentially starting from scratch this summer, armed with ample salary-cap space, draft picks, an $80+ million debt to a player (Arenas) they’ve essentially disowned, and, um… Nick Young, Andray Blatche, and JaVale McGee. Good luck, Ernie Grunfeld. You’ll need it. Depending on how strongly his sales pitch resonates with this elite class of free agents, next year we could see the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets Redux.

But while we all debate the merits and foibles of this trade for both sides, lost in the shuffle are the two head coaches, both still new to these franchises, both relatively well paid, and both with semi-successful track records on their NBA resumes. Many similarities (including stints coaching the Detroit Pistons during their dominant run in the 00s), but now facing totally different challenges.

Much more on the post-trade Mavericks and Wizards after the break…

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By: Zachariah Blott

As we expectedly learned over the weekend, Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone are among the finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2010 class. Two of those 19 finalists, however, are quite unconventional: they’re teams. The 1992 Dream Team and the 1960 USA Men’s Olympic Team will be vying to become only the seventh and eighth teams enshrined in Springfield, MA.

Should we be putting teams into the Hall of Fame? How do we weigh their credentials against players, whose careers we often feel more comfortable comparing? Well, let’s first look at the six teams that are currently in the Hall, then I’ll discuss the credentials of the ‘92 and ‘60 USA teams.

The First Team (enshrined in 1959)
Most people know James Naismith invented the game in 1891 and taught it to some young men: these were those young men. It was 18 guys training to become executive secretaries for the YMCA, and they were “the first team.” Uh, actually the first two teams. They played their initial game to a Larry Brown-pleasing 1-0 score. Their inclusion in the Hall is hokey, but they represent the spirit of the game.

The Original Celtics (1959)
They are neither associated with the current Celtics nor are they the original team in NYC named the Celtics; that’s where the complaining ends because they truly were a revolutionary team. The Original Celtics played out of Madison Square Garden in the 1920s and did quite a bit for the sport.

First, they introduced exclusive player contracts, which organized professional teams into consistent squads. They also invented zone defenses, switching man-to-man defense, and inside post play. And most importantly, they barnstormed 200 games a year nationally, spreading basketball’s popularity across America. This team dramatically increased the sports’ reception in America and how it is played to this day.

Buffalo Germans (1961)
From 1895-1925, this team from the Buffalo YMCA toured around the world, won the 1904 Olympic demonstration tournament, and basically laid waste wherever they went. The Germans were the first great team in basketball history, winning 111 straight from 1908 to 1910 and compiling an overall record of 792-86. This club became so famous for its dominating play (and stylish jerseys, deep hair parts, and collection of tea pots) that Chuck Taylor (yeah, that one) falsely claimed to have played for them.

New York Renaissance (1963)
Like the Negro League teams that would crush MLB squads with regularity in the 1930s, the Rens barnstormed from 1923-1949, destroying white professional teams across the country. Named after the casino that housed them, they were forced to barnstorm because no league would accept a black team.

The Rens were known for their brilliant passing, which resulted in a famous 34-25 victory over the National Basketball League champion Oshkosh All-Stars in 1939. They once won 88 straight over an 86-day period, making articles like this one about back-to-backs look humorous. They were quite influential in the racial integration of the game and augmenting the popularity of basketball within the black community.

The Globetrotters, Western Miners, and verdict on this year’s nominees after the jump…

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By Brian Spencer and Zachariah Blott

NBA All-Star Weekend is upon us. Time to take a deep breath, watch some light-hearted entertainment featuring the NBA’s biggest stars (or at least most of them), and to make up some trade rumors in preparation for next week’s trade deadline.

Yes, it’s a busy weekend with a total of seven events on Friday and Saturday before the All-Star Game itself caps things off on Sunday. I’ve pulled in ETB ace contributor Zachariah Blott to join me with a few quick thoughts on each of them.

Enjoy the festivities, and catch you next week.

Rookie Challenge

Brian Spencer: Thumbs Way Up
The highlight of the weekend and the one event you can record, save, and watch again and again. By sheer experience alone the format tends to favor the Sophomores–after all, the selection committee has had over a season’s worth of performance to weigh, as opposed to just a few months for the Rookies–but the end result matters not. It’s all about the highlights, the dunks, the energy, and showcasing the league’s best and brightest young athletes. The closest thing to a NBA-sanctioned And-1 format featuring NBA players.

Zachariah Blott: Thumbs Up
Unlike the real game, these guys are still trying to prove themselves worthy of playing on All-Star weekend. Some of these rookies surely like all the parties and buzz (and, ahem, groupies), so they want to be invited back for their sophomore season, and will actually play hard to make it happen.

Shooting Stars Competition

Spencer: Thumbs Way Down
I just don’t get it. It’s a silly concept, mashing current stars, old stars, and WNBA players together in a half-hearted competition executed at half-speed. By now we all know the WNBA exists, but unfortunately, the NBA still won’t accept that most NBA fans don’t care if it exists or not. Off with its head!

Blott: Thumbs Down
This is an atrocity that is somehow even less fun to watch than the WNBA, whose players the NBA is clearly trying to get you familiar with with this competition. One of the teams this year isn’t even a real team location: Texas. They got Dirk Nowitzki from Dallas, Becky Hammon from San Antonio (don’t worry, I didn’t know they had a WNBA team either), and Kenny Smith representing Houston of old. Chris Webber chucking up half-court shots will be the best part of this.

NBA D-League All-Star Game

Spencer: Thumbs Up
There are far less opportunities for basketball fans to see guys from the D-League, many of whom were stars in college, some of which have NBA experiences, many more of which are on the cusp of landing a spot in the big leagues, than they do of catching the WNBA, which will have 18 regular-season games broadcast on ESPN, plus the playoffs. How many does the D-League get? None (although you can watch all games live, for free, on NBA FutureCast.

I want to see the D-League flourish and continue taking baby steps towards expansion. This showcase might not be the best selling point on the general American public–the game will likely be five times as sloppy as the Rookie-Sophomore Challenge–but it’s a step in the right direction and totally worthy of exposure on this national stage. (And now, a shameless plug for our two-part interview with D-League Digest’s Steve Weinman, which is chock full of D-League goodness. Here’s Part I, and here’s Part II.)

Blott: Thumbs Down
No offense to the D-League’s ten fans, but nobody cares. Everyone knows we’re not witnessing good basketball this weekend, so it’s obviously all about satisfying the ADD/MTV fans, and that’s it. D-Leaguers don’t fit that bill. That being said, at least they now split the teams into the East and West Conferences, and not the Red Team and Blue Team like last year.

H-O-R-S-E Competition

Spencer: Thumbs Up
Love the overall concept and that The Durantuala headlines the bill, though Rajon Rondo and Omri Casspi are puzzling choices. How in the world was Monta Ellis not invited to compete?

Blott: Thumbs up (conditional)
Kevin Durant is obviously a good player for this type of competition, and I hope he doesn’t become too important for it too soon. That being said, this would be a great contest if and only if two specific players fill the other two slots: Kevin Love and Rasheed Wallace. Geico can go to hell, by the way, for bastardizing this kid’s game.

The Skills Challenge, Slam Dunk Contest, the All-Star Game itself, and more after the jump…

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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…

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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…

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By Brian Spencer

Good contracts are getting harder and harder to come by in today’s NBA, but they’re still out there. And I’m not talking about rookie deals, which are mostly done on scale and often provide great value for those teams lucky enough to hit on their pick. For the purposes of this piece, which serves as the sister companion to last week’s “Top Eight Cases of Buyer’s Remorse“, I’ve omitted all rookie deals and contracts that expire in the next season or two, and exclusively focused on eight of the top bang-for-your-buck contracts in the NBA.

Rajon Rondo, PG, Boston Celtics

There was a time last summer when Danny Ainge and Celtics brass toyed with the notion that Rajon Rondo, their 23-year-old point guard who’d just triple-doubled three times during the playoffs (and nearly did it another five or six times), was an expendable asset. A trade chip. Lucky for them, teams like the Detroit Pistons didn’t bite on the reported overtures coming from Boston, and Rondo stayed put. I’d now argue that once this season is up, and once that championship clock keeps ticking ever faster on the KG-Allen-Pierce era, Rondo will be the most valuable long-term asset the Celtics have.

And they’ll have him locked up at the right price.

After the book closes on this 2009-10 season, Rondo stands to make $55 million over the next five seasons, a span which, if it follows his career trajectory so far, should see him challenge for perennial All-Star status and blossom into one of the NBA’s elite players at the point. Actually, he’s sort of already there having elevated his game to new heights in this his fourth season out of Kentucky. His per-game averages in points (14.1), field-goals (53%), assists (9.6), and steals (2.5) are all career bests; take him out of the lineup, and you’re going to see the Celtics flounder more than, perhaps, they’ve floundered sans KG. He’s that valuable, and that he’ll make an average of just $11 million during his youthful prime is a steal for the Celtics.

Paul Millsap, F, Utah Jazz

A lot was made of the Portland Trail Blazers’ “toxic” contract offer to Millsap last summer during his restricted free agency. The Jazz, of course, had the right to match any offer no matter how big it was or how much it put them over the cap, but many thought they’d relent and allow their promising 24-year-old big man to walk. They couldn’t possibly decide to pay Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, and Millsap an excess of $9 – $16 million each, at least so the Blazers’ hopes went.

Well, they obviously did, and though they’re now left scrambling to ease the luxury-tax burden of their spending spree, in the long run Millsap should prove worth the upfront investment. Unfortunately, it probably won’t bear fruit this season as long as Boozer’s around, but barring a change of financial heart, the latter will be selling his services to the highest bidder this summer, and that bidder won’t be Utah. Enter Millsap, who in 38 games as a starter last season averaged 16 points, 10.3 boards, 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1 block per; big numbers for a guy who slipped to the middle of the second round on draft day in ‘06 due to ‘tweener concerns (he’s listed at 6-8).

We’ll see if he can replicate that production over the course of a full 82-game season as a starter, but in all likelihood we’ll find out next year… the first of three remaining seasons in which he’ll collect a modest total of $20 million.

Thabo Sefolosha, GF, Oklahoma City Thunder

The traditional preamble every time we’ve brought up Sefolosha over the past, oh, 3 years is that he’s an underrated gem in this league and one of our favorite players with untapped potential. Well, young Thabo is now a ripe 25 years old, in his fourth NBA season, and doesn’t look like he’ll ever be a dynamic scorer or shutdown defender. That’s fine, I’m not sure that he needs to be either one to make a sizable impact for the fledgling Thunder franchise.

We’ve said it something like 100 times, and I’ll say it once more: every team could use a Sefolosha (or two) on their roster. At a long 6-7, the Swiss Army Knife can lineup as a two or three, play above-average man defense on some of the league’s most deadly shooters, score opportunistic buckets, and cause turnovers. I’ve seen him get hot from the field on occasion, but those efforts have been few and far between and will continue to be with Durant, Westbrook, Green, & Co. dominating the offense.

Sefolosha is not a star, never will be, but he’s a multi-talented glue guy who plays hard and knows his role. If this team continues transforming itself into a Western Conference power, and works their way into the NBA Finals before the remaining 4 years and $13.8 million are up on Sefolosha’s bargain-basement deal, you can book him right now as a guy who makes a crucial play–a contested jumper, a steal, a block, something–to seal a game in the Finals.

Five more cases of NBA buyer’s delight after the break…

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By: Zachariah Blott

LeBron James’ statistics are amazing. He’s putting up 30 points, 7 boards, and 8 assists per for essentially the sixth season in a row, and there are exactly zero players who can get close to that trio of numbers for even one season. But he’s doing something else, just as consistently, that no one else of consequence is able to do: not get called for fouls.

Look at the personal fouls column for the top-10 scorers in the league. Nine of them collectively average 2.7 fouls per, falling within the range of 2.3 – 3.4. These nine include some of the NBA’s biggest names who obviously have “earned some calls,” guys who can easily score 10 from the charity stripe in a night while getting the refs’ attention for only their two most obvious hacks.

And the tenth player? That would be James, who averages 1.8–and that’s rounded up. Many people suspect the league helps protect the Wades, Kobes, Anthonys, and other marquee players who keep those turnstiles turning, but how in God’s green earth does LeBron absolutely smoke them all in not getting whistled for defensive misdeeds?

And this isn’t the first time he’s been in the referee’s good graces to this degree. Last year, James averaged 1.7 fouls per. Going backwards from there, you have 2.2, then 2.2, then 2.3, then 1.8, then 1.9… then he was at his high-school prom. Not only is 2.3 fouls per the worst of LeBron’s career, it actually marks the best in the careers of both Wade and Bryant.

Is James, who happens to be the most marketable guy in the league, just that much superior to everyone at not fouling players? We’ve all seen him play, and he’s obviously a very good defender, but he’s no Shane Battier, Ron Artest, Gary Payton, Dennis Rodman, or Bill Russell. James, however, has done a much, much better job than any of them at not being whistled.

Breaking down in great detail LeBron James’ “amazing” fouls rate after the break…

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By Brian Spencer

The NBA D-League is a good thing that has the potential to be a very good thing for professional basektball in the United States. We want to see it thrive, expand, succeed. Unfortunately, like most people, we rarely get to see anything from these games beyond the brief late-night highlights on NBA TV. ESPN and Fox Sports barely touch it, which means that casual b-ball fans barely even know it exists.

Enter writers like Steve Weinman, the thoughtful wordsmith behind D-League Digest who’s helping introduce the D-League to a wider audience and revealing its teams, players, and coaches through comprehensive coverage and analysis on the everyday happenings in the NBA’s still-developing minor-league system. The guy knows his stuff, and in the wake of the recent D-League Showcase in Boise, we’re fortunate to have a two-part Q&A with him here on Empty the Bench.

Let’s get to it… stay tuned for Part II.

Empty the Bench: I read a report that said NBA executives left this year’s D-League Showcase in Boise saying it was the worst crop of talent they’ve seen yet. What’s your take?

Steve Weinman: I saw that line from Marc Spears as well, and truth be told, I’m not sure what to make of it. As someone who followed the D-League peripherally in previous seasons and has become much closer to it over the last 2 years or so, especially now that I’m covering the league on a regular basis, I’m not I’m the best person to compare the overall talent distribution between this year’s Showcase and previous ones.

But what I do know is this: the executives I spoke to certainly sounded positive about the way the D-League is moving. With the Rockets’ use of the hybrid model in Rio Grande Valley, GM Daryl Morey and his crew from Houston have been very involved in bringing in the players there, and Morey said the situation with RGV has been fantastic from his perspective.

Between Morey and other executives I spoke with, there was plenty of chatter about an expansion of the D-League’s role and a desire to have NBA teams hold player rights outside of their 15 roster spots. One would think some of that excitement would have been tempered if the player crop were all that uninspiring.

None of that, however, is meant to dispute Spears’ report. One of the great things about the Showcase is that it simply crawls with team staffers, and I don’t profess to have had a chance to speak with all of them. Marc is a terrific reporter, and I have no doubt he talked to plenty of sources on this. Still, I didn’t leave the conversations I had with the same vibe that he did.

As for what my own eyes tell me about this year’s group of players, I think there are several players around the D-League capable of being at least fringe NBA players right now if the roster spots become available, and a few youngsters who will be at that point before too long as well. Speaking of which…

ETB: Spud Webb, the President of Basketball Operations for the new team in San Francisco that debuts next season, recently said he thinks there are “four or five guys [in the D-League] that are pro players.” Name the four or five guys you feel have the best shot at not just getting called up to the NBA, but making an impact and sticking around.

Weinman: Anthony Tolliver would be the easy front-runner for this list, but let’s rule him ineligible since he received his second call-up of the season last week, this time to Golden State. Tolliver is a do-it-all big man who posts up, crashes the glass, and defends, but can also handle the ball a little bit and shoot from the outside. Love watching him play.

Of players currently in the D-League, Mike Harris from Rio Grande Valley (he of the recent 48-24 performance) already received one call-up this season (to Houston) and will likely be back sooner or later. He’s a bruising forward who loves to bang around inside, pounds the glass (8.9 per game this year in the D-League) and is also developing his offensive arsenal from mid-range and beyond. The big question for Harris right now is position: playing in RGV’s three-guard lineup, he’s played something of a big-man role at times this year, and he’s been successful at it, but he’s also just 6-6. Whether Harris has the quickness and whether he will develop the outside game to be a successful small forward remains to be seen, but he does too many things too well to not get another good shot to stick in the Association.

Carlos Powell of Albuquerque is a terrific offensive player who can score from inside and out, and isn’t a liability at the defensive end either. In our last edition of the Randy Livingston Memorial Call-Up Rankings, hosted at Ridiculous Upside, I was the only one of four panelists to rank the southpaw as low as second on the list.

Sitting on top of that call-up rankings list before Powell usurped the top spot was Dontell Jefferson from Utah. Widely expected to fill the Jazz’s need for a backup point guard before some late-breaking concerns about the health of his knees led to Idaho’s Sundiata Gaines getting that call (and please remember to go ahead and ask the Cleveland Cavaliers how that one turned out), Jefferson is a 6-5 point guard with the skills and size to play both backcourt spots. He’s a dynamic slasher who also scores from the outside, gets to the foul line with regularity, and distributes the ball unselfishly. His height, length, and quickness allow him to defend ones and twos, and that would allow an NBA team to use him to cross-match defensively if need be.

While four people does not a complete list make, and there are several other guys who deserve to be in this discussion – Rod Benson (Reno) has been around and offers size and defense (though I’m not enamored with him), Morris Almond (Springfield) is a super-dyanmic scorer who we’ll get to later, Mustafa Shakur is doing a terrific job in Tulsa, Dwayne Jones (Austin) has NBA size and eats up offensive boards, and I’m sure there are a few noteworthy folks I’m omitting here to boot – I’ll stray a bit from the beaten path with a personal favorite for my final selection here: Rio Grande Valley’s Antonio Anderson.

He may not be at the top of the call-up list right now, and he has slumped through January after earning performer-of-the-month honors in December, but Anderson’s versatility makes him really promising. He’s a 6-6 off-guard by trade, but he handles the ball plenty for RGV and is a terrific passer. In fact, Vipers brass believe he’ll even be able to get a spot at the next level as a second or third-string point guard.

That’s not to mention that the guy who garnered all sorts of defensive accolades during his collegiate tenure at Memphis has made a successful transition to the D-League game at that end of the floor as well. AA needs to become a more consistent outside shooter, but his mid-range game is already improving, and he’s just a smart decision-maker on the floor. I’m buying him as a permanent NBA player within the next two seasons.

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

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By: Zachariah Blott

Brandon Jennings will be associated for quite a while with a single number: 55.

Back on November 14, in only his seventh NBA game, the rookie point guard hit 21 of 34 shots, connected on 7 of his 8 threes, and in all dropped 55 big ones on the Golden State Warriors in a winning cause for his Milwaukee Bucks.

After this performance, approximately 90% of NBA fans instantly named him the Rookie of the Year; he followed it up by averaging 25 ppg over the next four contests, cementing his status as one of the most dynamic pros and the top scoring—therefore best—first-year player.

For the first 3 weeks of his career in the league, he did one thing well—score points. Jennings was averaging 20 field goal attempts per game, hitting a decent 48% of those shots (and a spectacular 49% of his trifectas), and ranking beside LeBron and Durant with 25 ppg.

There is no question Jennings is fast as hell and was using that speed to put points on the scoreboard. Through 11 games, he weaved through traffic to go at the big guys near the bucket, he buried those leg-kicking slingshots he calls a 3-point shot, and he regularly connected on his one-handed running shot puts from 10 feet. People started saying names like Allen Iverson and Monta Ellis when describing his game, and Bucks fans (finally) had something to talk about other than the Packers.

For all of his scoring exploits, though, he was still the Bucks’ point guard, and he was having trouble getting assists without turning the ball over. Although Jennings was good for 7, 8, 9 assists fairly regularly, he was quite turnover prone, earning a sub-par 1.6 A/TO rate.

The league rate is around 1.4, but guards are expected to be near 2, especially point guards who handle the rock all game and are supposed to make good decisions. Looking at the nine PGs in the league who average at least 6 apg, the group averages a 3.0 A/TO, and Chris Paul is currently doing what Stockton and Magic never did in this category: handing out 4.8 assists for each turnover.

Well, Jennings topped the acceptable-for-PG’s 2:1 ratio only four times in those 11 games (when also collecting at least four assists), with top games of 7-3, 8-2, 9-4, and 4-2. He was scoring points alright, but his actual point-guard play was looking mighty suspect.

But then a funny thing happened: Jennings completely changed his game. After three horrid outings between November 23 and 27—all of which were Bucks losses—Jennings realized the league now knew how to stop him from scoring (make him toss contested jumpers), and he decided to focus on ball control.

More on Brandon Jennings’ transformation after the break…

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