Still learning. Vegas lends clarity?

I am still learning basketball. ...Yes, I  said it. I do not know it all. 

I never thought that I did - although I'm quite sure my blogs come off very cocky to many who are actually employed by NBA clubs. My passion for basketball coupled with an obsessive personality can be easily confused for over-confidence in basketball knowledge. 

I am a FREAK. I study numbers - even on vacation. I've been doing this all of my adult life from the day I stumbled onto the TENDEX Efficiency Rating system. 

But I am still learning.

In recent years - I've accepted that efficiency isn't everything. I've looked closer at personalities, and body-types. I've come to have a better respect for defensive minded players. 

I know that Summer League is just that; a setting where the majority of players are in their first or second year.  That said, it was good to be reminded yesterday by Geoff Petrie, Sacramento Kings President of Basketball Operations that, "it's just summer league".

True. 

Teams ARE experimenting. I guess I just feel strongly that some teams are wasting time (which is not efficient) trying to see if player X can play position Y.  NBA executives at the highest levels often have not had the time to examine non-NBA players closely. They are too consumed with the grind of their own NBA team.

It is understandable.

My wish is for a team to have enough trust in a guy like me who can tell them, with a high degree of accuracy, that player X is not capable of playing position Y in the Association. I know this because I've watched the player and have meticulously scoured his career numbers.

Is the past always a predictor of the future? No. But if a guy had more turnovers than assists on a good team in his Senior year in the Big 12, I'll safely advise that the cat is not a Point Guard. It matters not what his size is or if he can dribble like Curly Neal. 

That is just one simple example.

I've been obsessing over the NBA since 1985. Twenty-five years later, as a married man with no children and a limited work schedule (TV - auto racing), I'm at a point where basketball player efficiency/evaluation is second nature to me. I simply do not have distractions that the average man my age does.

I've often wondered if I could hang with NBA personnel when it comes to evaluating talent. I'm confident now - even more so - after attending this Summer League that I can. I overheard some seriously questionable sentences uttered from the mouths of NBA coaches, and front office types while I was here. There are players playing way out of position. There are players with skill, and talent that are not playing while scrubbier guys are getting minutes.

Maybe someday someone other than (one unnamed NBA executive) will recognize that I actually know more about domestic talent aged 18-35 than a fair percentage of those employed. 

I would be cheaper than the wasted money on high picks that I knew would be busts. Not to mention that every time a team screws up a pick or a free agent signing they are just agonizingly prolonging their ineptitude. I'm not hard to get along with. I listen. And I would only speak up when I was overly confident that the team was about to do something really dumb (like draft Reece Gaines, or Antoine Wright, or Mardy Collins).

Anyone can spot the obvious talents. My specialty is finding that guy that can help a team and at the same time be a bargain relative to the NBA pay scale. Our latest successes reflect how much better we've become at talent evaluation. We were ahead of the game by leaps and bounds on Steph Curry, Ty Lawson, Joakim Noah, Danny Granger, Rajon Rondo, Carl Landry, Wes Matthews, and Marc Gasol to name a few.

As my wife reminded me - no one else is going to do my "public relations". So forgive me for for patting myself on the back and cheerleading in this blog tonight.

I just want a paying gig for my basketball jones. That is all. As James Brown said, "I don't want nobody to give me nothin'. Open up the door. I'll take it myself."

McGee living up to his promise in LV Summer ball

JaVale McGee was our Player of the Day for Friday at the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. The Washington Wizards Center is a beast of a physical specimen, standing 7'0" and now weighing a guesstimated 275 lbs. He has a terrific combination of power and finesse, and those qualities have benefited from playing alongside rookie phenom John Wall. Wall is getting the ball to McGee in all the right positions. McGee posted 29 points (13-16 FG), while snatching eight rebounds (five offensive) in the Wizards dramatic come from behind win over New Orleans at Cox Pavilion.

Lester Hudson hit a game winner as time expired for the Wiz. The final score was 90-89. 

Our All Las Vegas Summer League Team for day eight (with game efficiency rating): PG: Wall - WA .722,  SG: Wayne Ellington - MIN .647, SF: Landry Fields - NYK .857, PF: Kyle Hines - NO .964, C: McGee - WA .911. Bench: Guards: DeMar DeRozan - TOR .611, Maurice Ager - NO .593. Forwards: Greg Monroe (pictured)- DET .939, Samardo Samuels - CHI .760, Jeff Adrien - MEM .750. Centers: Jerome Jordan - NYK .857, Ed Davis - TOR .758.

Free agents; who's left? Plus day three Vegas stars

Now that the major free agents have signed with their respective teams for the 2010-2011 season - we are left wondering - who is left? Here’s a quick breakdown of a handful of players we consider to be the best of the available lot.

You start with Nate Robinson. “Little Nate” (pictured at left) is a competitive guy that also happens to be a skilled NBA quality athlete. He is just 26 years old and is already ranked among the top 25 Point Guards in the NBA by per-minute efficiency.

I’m not a believer in signing a hurt guy or a guy coming off an injury so I would begrudgingly turn the other cheek on Al Harrington. But as a disclaimer I want to say that, if healthy (he had shoulder surgery at end of 2010 regular season), he would be the second choice over here behind Robinson as far as what is left.

Luke Ridnour has to be near the top of any remaining free-agent list. Ridnour had a fantastic 2009-10 season in Milwaukee where he rated 13th in PG efficiency.

Off the beaten path - if you wanted to gamble a bit - I like a few players that are basically still unproven in the NBA. Chief among the unproven lot is Ian Mahinmi who spent time with the Spurs and their D-League affiliate. Mahinmi’s efficiency is ‘through the roof’ but in a very small sample size. He could potentially be THE steal of free-agency if he can maintain his ridiculous NBA EFR of .738. His D-League EFR is also a potent .711.

Kyle Hines (pictured at right) is a Power Forward that was undrafted in 2008. He is only 6’6” which scares NBA personnel off. However - Hines has the shoulders of Atlas, the Greek God - coupled with a wingspan that actually is two inches longer than Kevin Love’s wingspan, and a two and a half inches longer than Darrell Arthur’s. Both Love and Arthur were drafted in 2008 as Power Forwards. Hines should have been drafted. Of course, if I like him - he is also efficient. As a matter of fact, Hines is one of six players in the history of the NCAA to score 2,000 points, grab 1,000 rebounds and block 300 shots. The others? Alonzo Mourning, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Derrick Coleman, and Pervis Ellison.

The next less obvious choice is a bit more of a “Hail Mary”. Why not take a good look at Aaron Gray? Gray’s EFR of .598 ranked 14th among all NBA Centers last regular season. Again, the sample size is small but Gray (25) put up similar efficiency numbers in college.

He is the classic undersized post man but Craig Smith (pictured at left) has been efficient his entire career. He can score and rebound and youth is still on his side at age 26. Smith rated 24th at Power Forward efficiency in 2009-10.

The next gamble would be to give some money to Shaun Livingston, the tall-skinny Point Guard who returned from a devastating knee injury to play reasonably well at the end of the regular season. Livingston is still only 24 years old.

Speaking of the oft-injured there is always Ike Diogu to turn to. Big Ike has yet to establish himself in the NBA but there is no question he can get it done offensively.

Okay—enough with hurt guys. I have grown to enjoy Louis Amundson’s hustle game. Lou is 27 years old and in my book is the perfect guy to be that first BIG off the bench. I wouldn't break the bank for Amundson but if the price is right - this guy will reward a team with energy and enthusiasm.

Five more for consideration: Patrick O’Bryant (pictured at right)  - efficient in minor minutes at age 24), Anthony Tolliver (a 25 year-old that would be a good BIG off the bench), P.J. Tucker (beefy power-guard that understands the game but is unproven in the NBA), Dominic James (former Marquette Point Guard has always impressed me as a team runner), and rookie Marqus Blakely (will play with the Clippers this summer.)

Day three of the Las Vegas Summer League included the debut of John Wall. However, the Player of the Day by efficiency was Ekene Ibekwe. Ibekwe, playing for the summer Blazers, came off the bench to score ten points (4-5 FG, 2-2 FT), grab eight boards, and block five shots in just 20 minutes.

Our “All Day Three Las Vegas Summer League Team” (their game efficiency rating). PG: Ty Lawson - DEN .939, SG: Reggie Williams - GSW .794, SF: Coby Karl - DEN .777, PF: Ibekwe - POR 1.200, C: Javale McGee - WA .838. Bench: Guards: Patty Mills - POR .814, Toney Douglas - NYK .771, Kenny Hasbrouck - MIA .656, Wall - WA .606. Forwards: Othella Hunter - DEN .625, Landry Fields - NYK .615, Center: Jarvis Varnado - MIA .526.