Rocky Mountain high reward?

Rocky should be happy this season!

An examination of the Denver Nuggets 2012-13 roster shows a team that has a ceiling that is nearly unlimited. How so, you ask? Well, if you believe in efficiency - and I do, you might already know that the Nuggets boast a potential starting lineup where each player ranks in the top-eleven in the NBA at their position. 

Ty Lawson ranks eleventh at point guard. It is a educated guess that Andre Iguodala will ultimately play the majority of his minutes at the TWO, and Danilo Gallinari at the THREE, with Kenneth Faried, and JaVale McGee up front. The newly acquired Iguodala ranked sixth in efficiency at small forward last season, while Gallinari was tenth at the same position. Many teams consider their TWO's and THREE's interchangeable - labeling them simply "wing players". Iguodala can certainly guard opposing shooting guards and his play-making ability is ideally suited for a guard. 

What may shock some folks is that Faried was second in power forward, per-minute efficiency. Only Kevin Love boasted a higher rating. While some who have not seen Faried play enough may see his ranking for his rookie season as an anomaly, we don't think it is. If you watch Faried play - you easily see how his energy is a benefit.  

McGee guards the rim

McGee meanwhile holds his own as the tenth most efficient center in the NBA. The issue with McGee is not efficiency. The issue with McGee is that he must be viewed as a bit of a risk. He simply has not shown the hoops i.q. that is needed to play consistently winning basketball. The 24 year-old center has perhaps unfairly been labeled to the point of caricature for his "brain-fades" which are the laughing stock of Shaquille O'Neal and the TNT crew. It's true. McGee does some silly things. But he also blocks shots and has a high points per minute rate. 

The key with McGee in my eyes is that he HAS improved. And now George Karl will have him for a full training camp and full season. I'm not expecting McGee to challenge the likes of Andrew Bynum, Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, and DeMarcus Cousins for a spot on the All-NBA team at center, but I do think McGee is potentially capable of having a consistent positive impact on a team. There is no reason other than the mental part of the game why McGee shouldn't go from being tenth in center efficiency to battling to be a part of the top-five. 

Will Randolph stick in Denver?

Denver's bench has a "risky" player on it as well. Golden State, New York and now Minnesota have passed on the obviously offensively talented Anthony Randolph. Randolph's per-minute efficiency was good enough last regular season to rank as a "starter" (23rd). It could have been higher if Randolph would simply pass up some outside shots for shots in the paint. I'm betting George Karl improves this 23 year-old kid. 

If Karl can't make Randolph better - maybe backup point guard Andre Miller can. Miller is still getting it done at a high level and if he didn't have Ty Lawson as a teammate - Miller would probably be a starter somewhere. Miller is excellent at feeding players around the hoop, and Randolph is excellent finishing at the rim. They might make a good combination. 

Finally, we have noticed improvement in Kosta Koufos' game. He is only 23 years old and if he continues to improve at the rate he is going, he will be a regular starter in the NBA one day. Koufos' regular season per minute efficiency in 2011-12 was better than the rating of Roy Hibbert, Nene, Tyson Chandler, and Marc Gasol. 

The summary for Denver is that they have some cats that today's kids might call "sketchy". But if the old master George Karl imparts his wisdom and McGee, and Randolph soak it up and mature even a little, they will propel Lawson, Iguodala, Faried, Miller and Gallinari into a Western power not to be slept on. 

Las Vegas Summer League 2010 Awards

Each year following the Summer League - I look deeply at the stats for all players that played over 40 minutes. I call it a "stat audit". Basically I punch in all the numbers to come up with each players per minute efficiency. I then rank the players by their respective positions. I do this so that I can make up my OWN mind about what happened at Vegas (as opposed to being force fed what PR machines and monopolized media tell me.)

Every team is trying to take the positive route with their draft picks and they all will tell you that their picks played well. But of course, everything is relative and there is no shortage of teams and players in Vegas to compare your guys to.

In respect only to the games that were played in Las Vegas, the numbers do not lie. The sample size of minutes played is very small so it is important to never read too much into summer numbers. The data is simply one more piece to the overall puzzle.

What did the audit reveal? The usual. Without fail - efficiency wins ball games. The summer version of the Raptors was the most efficient team and they went 5-0.

DeMarcus Cousins was given a "T-Mobile Rookie of the Month Award" before the games at Vegas had concluded. (John Wall should have won.) Cousins' .410 EFR for the six games he played in - ranked behind rookie Centers Solomon Alabi, and Jerome Jordan. ...You may have also heard that Harvard guard Jeremy Lin was All-World at the LVSL. Actually - he was just very good. He finished as the seventh highest rated Point Guard which is good but not "All-World". Whatever the case - Lin was signed (smartly) by Golden State - which is sure to sell tickets. Asian pride will represent.

Best player on the best team: Bobby Brown – Toronto. …The Raptors went 5-0 and Brown was their most efficient player (.708); posting averages of 12 points (on ridiculously good .676 FG %), and four assists per game. Brown had 20 assists and just seven turnovers while shooting 89%FT for his five games played.


First Team All Las Vegas Summer League  


PG: Ty Lawson – Denver. …Lawson had the highest efficiency rating for the LVSL at .746. The Nuggs went 4-1 with Lawson scoring 16 ppg, and dishing five assists per game on 58% FG.

SG: Coby Karl – Denver. …Karl scored 14 ppg, with six rebounds, and three assists per game. He shot 40% from three. His team was 4-1. 

SF: DeMar DeRozan (pictured) – Toronto. …DeRozan’s Raptors were unbeaten with DeRozan posting the highest EFR among SF’s. DeRozan scored 21.5 ppg on 58%FG, with 4.5 rebounds per contest.

PF: Joey Dorsey – Toronto. …Dorsey is the KING of Summer League. This year: unbeaten again at 5-0 with averages of seven points and ten boards per game. Dorsey is 11-1 for his LVSL career.

C: JaVale McGee – Washington. …McGee scored 19.5 points per game (on 69% FG) while grabbing 9.5 rebounds per run. The Wizards were 4-1.


Second Team All Las Vegas Summer League:

PG: John Wall (pictured) – Washington. …Wall’s .643 EFR was third to only Lawson and Brown. Wall scored 23.5 points per game and dished 7.8 assists. 38% FG and 5.3 turnovers per game was the only downside. He was the official LVSL MVP.

SG: Landry Fields – New York. …Fields numbers (rounded up) were 16 points (53% FG), five rebounds, and two steals per game.

SF: Curtis Withers – D League Select. …Withers’ .542 EFR was 2nd best among Small Forwards. He averaged 13 points (51% FG), eight boards, and two assists.

PF: Othello Hunter – Denver. …Hunter showed he had the hands to play with Lawson. Hunter shot 62% FG while scoring 13 ppg. He added six boards and a blocked shot per contest.

C: Solomon Alabi – Toronto. The 7’1” BIG MAN averaged eight points, five boards and one blocked shot per game on great shooting numbers: FG .565, FT .938.


Top five players per position by efficiency. …78 minutes played minimum.

Point Guards: Ty Lawson .746, Bobby Brown .708, John Wall .643, John Lucas III .634, Lester Hudson .577

Shooting Guards: Coby Karl .602, Landry Fields .600, Aubrey Coleman .600, Sam Young .594, Reggie Williams (pictured) .541


Small Forwards: DeMar DeRozan .686, Curtis Withers .542, Ronald DuPree .505, Trey Gilder .491, Marqus Blakely .473


Power Forwards: Joey Dorsey .675, Othello Hunter .629, Tyler Wilkerson .598, Ed Davis .587, Alade Aminu .571


Centers: JaVale McGee .716, Solomon Alabi .587, Patrick O’Bryant .575, Hasheem Thabeet .545, Jordan Hill .538.

They didn’t play well: Here is a list of the five lowest efficiency ratings of guys that played at least 78 minutes: Donald Sloan – SAC .013, Josh Carter – N.O. .060, Trey Johnson – LAC .086, Ibrahim Jaaber – LAL .122., Richard Roby – DEN .147

They did well with the minutes they were given... Here are the top seven efficiency ratings of those who played between 40-77 minutes: Ekene Ibekwe (pictured) – POR .690, Jermareo Davidson – ATL .679,
Richard Hendrix – ATL .676 (Second straight year Hendrix has been in this category. Give the man some playing time!), Leo Lyons – NYK .635, Dwayne Mitchell – S.A. .615, Reyshawn Terry – POR .614, Marcus Landry – NYK .608.

See the entire stat audit here.

Athletes abound. ...Summer League notebook - day five.

Notes from Tuesday’s NBA Las Vegas Summer League games. ...Ty Lawson (pictured at left) was schooling. He put on a Point Guard clinic - getting anywhere he wanted to go. If left open - he made shots. Lawson's 18 points, three rebounds, and four assists came in just 20 minutes as Denver waxed Chicago 99-71.  Lawson's Nuggets have yet to lose, bettering their mark to 4-0.

One player I didn’t know much about at all that has impressed me is Shane Edwards of the summer Nuggets. He runs the floor and finishes very well.

D.J. Strawberry impressed me Tuesday in the Las Vegas Summer League with his ability to apply pressure as a defender. He is a menace. ...Likewise the Kings’ Hassan Whiteside is having an impact by either blocking or changing opponents shots. ...I loved Wayne Chism stepping up to take a charge, just as he routinely did at Tennessee. ...Pooh Jeter looked like a certified NBA Point Guard Tuesday. His shot has improved and he already has the ability to run a team.

It’s too bad I never hear anything good about Joey Dorsey’s work ethic because the guy is a highly efficient BIG. I can’t remember the last time a summer team with Dorsey in the middle lost a game.

…We have watched 35 summer league contests from Orlando or Vegas in the last nine days.

Our Player of the Day for day five of the Las Vegas Summer League was DeMar DeRozan. The Raptors sophomore tore it up with 23 points (10-15 FG), and five rebounds in just 20 minutes - helping his team beat the summer Rockets 100-91. DeRozan is among the best athletes participating in Las Vegas but there is no shortage of high flying cats.

Rookie Terrico White - who is balling with the Pistons - sports a 40” vertical jump (and a sickening 3.7% body fat). Were we fielding a track team out of the athletes in Vegas - our club would have to include Ronald Dupree, DeRon Washington, Eric Bledsoe, Sonny Weems, and J.R. Giddens. Sprinters might be Roddy Beaubois, Ish Smith, John Wall, and Darren Collison.

Our “All Day Five Las Vegas Summer League Team” (their game efficiency rating). PG: Ty Lawson - DEN 1.000, SG: Mark Tyndale - DLS .739, SF: DeRozan - TOR 1.15, PF: Larry Sanders - MIL .764, C: Dorsey - TOR 1.142. Bench: Guards: Bobby Brown - TOR .814, John Lucas III - CHI .727, Aubrey Coleman - NO .678, Forwards: Tasmin Mitchell - CLE .789, Othella Hunter - DEN .700. Centers: DeMarcus Cousins - SAC .677, Courtney Sims - LAL .677.

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.

We are hearing that Portland offered Wes Matthews (pictured at right) a five-year contract at close to 34 million dollars. We were ahead of the game on Matthews when we listed him as a draft pick on our 2009 Big Board. He went un-selected but made the Utah Jazz team as a free-agent. 

The second day of the Las Vegas Summer League was forgettable with three of the four games being blowouts. It also was a bummer for Brian Butch. The former Wisconsin BIG suffered a graphically ugly knee injury that was initially diagnosed as a dislocated patella tendon. Butch was taken off the court on a stretcher.

Our Player of the Day for Saturday was NBA veteran guard Bobby Brown. His summer Raptors dismantled Phoenix 103-69. Brown had eleven points (5-6 FG), six assists, and three boards in 21 minutes. He looked totally at ease with ball in his hands and he did whatever he wanted to do against the hapless Suns. It says here that as long as the summer Suns keep featuring Earl Clark - they will not win a LV Summer League contest. In hindsight, Steve Kerr’s draft that yielded Clark, and Taylor Griffin was pretty much a waste of two picks.

Our “All Day Two Las Vegas Summer League Team” (their game efficiency rating). PG: Ty Lawson - DEN .741, SG: Brown - TOR .857, SF: DaJuan Summers - DET .640, PF: Othella Hunter - DEN .750, C: Ed Davis - TOR .800. Bench: Guards: Roddy Beaubois - DAL .676, Devin Ebanks - LAL .428, Forwards: Kim Tillie - GSW .700, Ronald Dupree - TOR .600, Andre Brown - GSW .523, Centers: Joey Dorsey - TOR .684, Omar Samhan - DAL .666.