Boom Dizzle vs. Dre

Baron Davis and Andre Miller have more in common than just conditioning issues. These two cool cucumbers have had remarkably similar careers. Each peaked at 25, posted borderline all-star seasons, revitalized numerous franchises, and exhibited great court vision. Despite all of their accomplishments, they were criminally underrated throughout their careers, and have bounced around to 5 different teams.

Shooting

Though neither can shoot well from distance, Baron fell in love with the three ball, while Andre Miller eschewed the shot. As a result, Andre Miller’s FG% is considerably higher, and leads some to think Baron has hurt teams by shooting just 41%. Actually, his effective field goal percentage is identical to Dre’s, since those low percentage (30%) three pointers are worth the same as two pointers made at a somewhat higher percentage (45%). If we take their shooting percentages one step further and include FT%, Miller pulls ahead once again with 53% TS%, compared to 50% for Baron Davis.

Passing

Ah, passing, their bread and butter. As point guards, their main responsibility is distributing the basketball. They do not disappoint as they find the open man in the ideal positions. In fact, Baron Davis and Andre Miller had the most valuable assists last season. Assist value considers the average value of each shot, as the average dunk is worth more than the average jump shot since there is a much better chance of scoring. Even after Baron Davis was exiled to the sorry Cavaliers team without any big men, his assist value did not change at all. More than half of his assists were layups or dunks, compared to the league average of 38 percent. Only 26.3 percent of his assists were from 2-pointers away from the basket, which is a low percentage shot most players should avoid.

Here are their career highlights:

Head to head, Andre has a clear advantage, and perhaps demonstrates defensive prowess.

Now relegated to backup duty behind dynamic young guards, each PG is playing with the goal of reclaiming a starting spot next season. If you were a GM, would you roll the dice with either of them? Keep in mind that although they entered the league the same year, Baron is three years younger. Yet his injury, conditioning, and motivation concerns are probably why he lost the first ever gauntlet.

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Follow the Leader

These six young point guards have been considered players who can instantly make a franchise relevant. If they were all available (and it seems most of them have been on the market), who would you pick to be the face of your team for the next 5-10 years?

The two players with the most votes will face off next week for PG supremacy.

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CB4 vs. Stat

The 2010 NBA Offseason enticed fans and general managers with the greatest collection of free agent power forwards ever. Chris Bosh, Amar’e Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, and David Lee all switched teams (Brian Scalabrine is still looking for a team). Bosh was widely considered the best of the bunch, but LeBron James and Dwyane Wade might have chosen the wrong third banana.

Amar’e Stoudemire has had a more productive career, based on PER, Win Shares, and honors. Although Bosh and Stoudemire have both been All-Stars five times, Amar’e has been All-NBA four times, compared to only once for Bosh. Although Amar’e is criticized for his rebounding, his career rate is similar to that of Chris Bosh. Additionally, the injury-prone label appears to be inaccurate. Amar’e has played over 78 games in a season five times, while Chris Bosh has only reached that mark once.

In the eight games where Stoudemire and the Suns played against Bosh and the Raptors, the results were not very close. The Suns record was 7-1, and Amar’e led the way with his high percentage shooting and defense. Amar’e shot 63%, compared to 51% for Bosh. Amar’e swatted two shots per game, while Bosh blocked just 0.8.

Amar’e Stoudemire will be making more money before taxes this season. So is he worth it, or was Chris Bosh the biggest prize?

Most stats will lead you to believe that Bosh was the better player last year, but Amar’e wins the Win Share battle on the strength of his shooting percentages. Of course, his percentages were likely helped by playing on a Suns team with Nash directing an efficient offense. If you were the general manager of your favorite team, and you had the money to spend, who would you have pursued?Similar Posts:

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Rooster vs. EJ, the nickname challenged

With the 6th pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks selected Danilo Gallinari, a 6’10″ forward with a sweet stroke, questionable defensive ability, limited assists, and a health issue. Some experts clamored for Eric Gordon, the 6’3″ guard with a sweet stroke, questionable defensive ability, limited assists, and a health issue. Danilo was 225 pounds and too thin to defend other forwards. Eric was 225 pounds and too heavy to defend other guards.

Statistical gurus like John Hollinger projected bad things for each of them. Danilo’s shot wouldn’t translate to the U.S. Eric Gordon’s game would fall short of NBA standards, considering his poor shooting percentage and abundant turnovers. Of course, his projections didn’t consider Eric Gordon’s injuries or his style of play.

Each player shows tantalizing potential this season, with increased minutes and excellent shooting percentages. Some still claim the Knicks should have gone with Brook Lopez, who would have transformed the Knicks, at least in theory. If he’s such a good defender, why have the Nets been 24th in the league in defense the past two seasons?

There were two other guys the Knicks should have considered drafting or acquiring. Marreese Speights, picked 16th by Philadelphia, has been the statistical stud of the draft so far. Anthony Randolph has received rave reviews down in Golden State.

Yet since they were focused on a three point shooter to spread the floor, who should they have chosen?

Maybe it’s too early to tell, since number one pick and last year’s rookie of the year, Derrick Rose, is playing like trash. But even if we can’t put too much stock in the current numbers, you can see their abilities. You can imagine their potential. That’s what makes projections fun. Also, don’t say nicknames are pointless. Nicknames are marketable, and a team wants to be able to market its players.

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Tayshaun vs. Deng

Tayshaun Durell Prince grew up in Compton, and moved on up, sorta, to Kentucky and now Detroit. This must have hardened him up, since he has a quite a reputation as a durable defensive specialist.  He parlayed this onto a spot on the US Olympic team, and won a gold medal. Clearly, Prince is a glue guy who would be a welcome addition to any other team, right?

A certain Chicago Bull might contest that idea. The Bulls’ starting small forward was once considered one of the top young players in the game, and was part of a proposed trade for Kobe Bryant. However, after one down year, he is now off the radar.  He too has an interesting background. Luol Deng is from Wow, Sudan (which sounds pretty exciting). He was overrated, and his defense is nothing special, right?

Well, maybe Tayshan and Luol are a better gauntlet pairing than you may think. Check out the vital stats first:

In 14 head to head games, each player’s team won 7. Deng, perhaps underrated defensively, has held Prince to 37% shooting. He has drawn two fouls per game from Prince, who normally only fouls about once a game. All evidence points to Deng being underrated, and Prince being supported by some reputation that he has never earned.

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Ron vs. Caron

They’re both 28 years old, prone to missing games, spent two years in college, have been traded a couple of times, and are members of high-powered trios. Artest joins McGrady and Yao this season, while Caron continues to play with Arenas and Jamison.

They each also rank among the league leaders in steals, although Ron Artest is more heralded for his defense.

They each have a somewhat menacing appearance, with Ron sporting large muscles and words shaved in his head, and Caron showing off some ink of a skull on his arm.

These two players have much in common, but their names are not among the similarities.

Ron, short for Ronald, from Queensbridge, NY. He says he grew up in the streets and always follows that code of honor. No one, including fans, may disrespect him or his friends.

Caron is Mr. Butler’s middle name. James Butler, born in Wisconsin, went to high school in Maine and college in Connecticut, does not sound like a very dangerous sort of guy. Naturally, he went with Caron and got the aforementioned skull tattoo.

Background aside, who would you rather have on your team right now?

In 11 head to head games, Artest has held Butler to 37% shooting. Last season, Butler shot only 29% against Artest. Defense matters quite a bit. Oh, by the way, Ron Artest is now named Metta World Peace.

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Paul Pierce vs. Carmelo Anthony

The Truth vs. Melo

In this battle we have the self-proclaimed “best player in the world” against the versatile young snitch-hater.

When Paul Pierce was interviewed by the Spanish newspaper Marca, he revealed that he thinks he is the best player in the world. He attributes this statement to confidence, not conceit.

He also said that LeBron is the most difficult player to defend, Magic Johnson is one of his idols, and his teammates are his favorite players.

In response to a question, he said that Gilbert Arenas is better than Jose Calderon because Calderon has room for improvement, but Arenas is already a superstar. Those years in Spanish class really paid off.

Carmelo has among the most egomaniac websites around. He enjoys photography and blogging, and recently was published by the NY Times. To be fair, many would be doing the same things if in his position.

Last year, Pierce and Anthony were voted All-NBA (3rd team). Their PER and scoring numbers over the past few seasons have been similar. Let’s see the argument for each:

To level the playing field a bit, consider that Pierce could not put up as great numbers as usual since he was on a team filled with all-stars. In addition, the Denver Nuggets played at one of the fastest paces, which allowed Carmelo to score more often and collect more rebounds.

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Black Mamba vs. King James

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James routinely factor into the discussion for MVP candidates. Each year, they have among the highest scoring averages, PERs, Win Shares, and any other metric commonly used to determine the best basketball player. They also both gave themselves nicknames, which is kind of pompous and uncool.

Last year, LeBron flirted with a triple double for the season, but slowed down a bit as the season progressed. Even so, he still ended up with numbers that would often win the MVP. Unfortunately for him, many players had compelling arguments for the MVP award. The highest rated by many metrics were Kobe and LeBron.

Did MVP voters made a mistake?

The MVP just counts the regular season, so how do they compare in the postseason?

They have each carried their teams through the playoffs, but could not win a championship without an all-star sidekick.

In NBA Finals, each man faltered when confronted with stifling defense.  LeBron and his Cavs were swept in the 2007 NBA Finals by the Spurs, who had won four championships in nine years. Kobe and the Lakers could not handle the intense pressure applied by the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals.

If we just compare how each man’s team did against the Boston Celtics last year, LeBron has a definite edge. LeBron and the Cavs pushed the Celtics to 7 games.

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Pookie vs. Agent Zero

This is from 2008 and it’s hilarious how absurd this argument is now.

Born just 11 days apart, a case can be made for each player.

Dwyane Wade carried the 2005-2006 Miami Heat to an NBA championship, but his frequent injuries and inefficient three point shot have held him back.

Gilbert Arenas, a prolific blogger and Halo player, also happens to put up great stats. He missed most of the 2007-2008 season with a knee injury, but has been durable for most of his other seasons.

Since half of Gilbert’s games played last season were basically a rehab assignment, we’ll use 2006-2007 stats to compare the two. In that season, Arenas was All-NBA 2nd team, Wade was All-NBA 3rd team. The previous year, the honors were reversed.

Wade: 27.4 PPG, 7.5 APG, 4.7 RPG, 2.1 SPG

Arenas: 28.4 PPG, 6.0 APG, 4.6 RPG, 1.9 SPG

These numbers are certainly comparable. If you add in an argument about Wade’s higher FG%, you can counter with Gilbert’s better 3PT%. Wade assisted on a higher percentage of his possessions, but also turned the ball over far more.

Many of Wade’s teammates on the US Olympic team say he’s healthy and better than ever. But could he break down again? Arenas had a summer to recover from his latest injury. Will the upcoming season be a showcase of each star’s return to prominence?

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Boom Dizzle vs. Mr. Big Shot

In this gauntlet matchup, we have the point guard who left his Warriors at the altar for the Clippers going against the PG who disappeared for the Pistons in the 2008 playoffs. That said, each floor general has had remarkable success over the past few years after spending years unable to capitalize on their talent.

Last year, each player put up all-star stats:

Based on the numbers NBA.com highlights, Baron Davis is a much better player.

However, Chauncey Billups excels in less-heralded stats such as True Shooting Percentage.

Plus, although Baron Davis racks up more assists per game, he also has many more possessions, and gets assists on a smaller percent of his possessions. So, which do you think is more important- getting an assist each time you have the ball, or having the ball more often because your team needs you to?

As a result of higher shooting percentages, lower turnover rate, and higher assist rate, Billups actually accumulated more Win Shares and Player Efficiency Rating. Unsure what that means? Check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

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