My post from a few days ago was relatively well-received at reddit, and one of the readers there said that he’d like to see the same graph for some of the all-time great point guards.
So with a little help from Basketball-Reference.com, I compiled a list of (all?) the Hall of Fame point guards: Oscar Robertson, Lenny Wilkens, Bob Cousy, Jerry West, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, Dennis Johnson, Tiny Archibald, Calvin Murphy, Pete Maravich and Walt Frazier. Unfortunately, the NBA didn’t start keeping track of turnovers until the 1977-78 season, so there’s no assist-to-turnover data for the first four (Robertson, Wilkens, Cousy, West) and the data for Archibald, Murphy, Maravich and Frazier is incomplete, so I could only use their post-1977 numbers.
I also compiled a list of the top non-HOF point guards who are both retired and still active: Jason Kidd, Mark Jackson, Steve Nash, Gary Payton, Rod Strickland, Maurice Cheeks, Terry Porter, Tim Hardaway, Andre Miller, Muggsy Bogues, Kevin Johnson, Derek Harper, Stephon Marbury (yes, Stephon Marbury), John Lucas, Norm Nixon, Mookie Blaylock, Sam Cassell, Avery Johnson, Baron Davis, Nick Van Exel, Allen Iverson, Chauncey Billups and Mike Bibby. All of these players have at least 5,400 career assists, which seemed to be the cutoff for players I was interested in using for this study.
Lastly, I added seven of the top current point guards who have yet to break the 5,400-assist barrier: Tony Parker, Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams and of course, Chris Paul.
I first tackled this subject two years ago, and settled on the shot-to-assist ratio to determine whether a player is “pass-first” or “shoot-first.” The higher the number, the more of a “shoot-first” player he is. To determine whether or not a player is “turnover-prone,” I calculated each player’s assist-to-turnover ratio. The higher the number, the better the player is at taking care of the ball, relative to what he’s asked to do as a playmaker for his team. The graph takes a gentle downward slope because assists are part of both calculations. (Note: While I do like FGA/A as the criteria for shoot-first/pass-first, I am not completely sold on A/TO as the criteria for turnover-prone. Perhaps (A+FGA)/TO would show shoot-first guards in a better light? Maybe I’ll try that next year.)
Sparing the NBA an embarrassment, Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash(notes) overtook exiled Houston Rocket Tracy McGrady(notes) in the final days of balloting to secure a Western Conference starting spot in the 2010 All-Star game, league sources told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday. McGrady played just six games for a total of 46 minutes until he and the team decided to separate from each other until the Rockets can work a trade for him.
The Philadelphia 76ers’ Allen Iverson(notes) was also voted into the Feb. 14th game in Dallas as a starter for the Eastern Conference, sources said.
At least Nash overtook T-Mac. This is the problem with having the fans decide the starting five. Allen Iverson has started 19 games and is averaging 14.4 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds for the fourth-worst team in the league. In no way, shape or form does he deserve to play in the All-Star Game this year.
You can see my picks here. With Iverson’s inclusion, someone far more deserving is going to miss the game.
Of all the superstars in the NBA, I don’t remember one struggling with his declining game as much as Allen Iverson is right now. He has made it clear that he is unwilling to accept a role off the bench, and his game is such (i.e. ball-dominant, volume-shooter) that’s it’s very difficult for a franchise to insert him into the starting lineup without completely rocking the team’s chemistry. Forget about any contenders wanting to roll the dice; he’s just too much of a wild card for that.
So Philly — with Louis Williams’ injury — looks like the best place for him. The franchise knows he’ll put butts back in the seats and he knows that he’ll get heavy minutes.
It’s a win-win, but will the Sixers win any games?
“In light of the recent injury to Lou Williams, which will sideline him for close to eight weeks, we felt that Allen was the best available free agent guard to help us at this time,” Stefanski said in a release.
This reconciliation was once thought foolish after their acrimonious split three years ago. Iverson’s last game with Philadelphia was Dec. 6, 2006 in Chicago. He refused to play the fourth quarter and was banished from the team two days later. He was eventually traded to Denver as part of the Andre Miller deal, and bounced to Detroit before landing in Memphis.
With Williams out two months after surgery to fix his broken jaw, the Sixers were faced with the possibility of handing the keys over to rookie Jrue Holiday, who is only playing 13 minutes per game. Given their 5-13 starts, it’s clear that Philly is in desperation mode and felt that bringing Iverson back was the best choice.
There is too much talent on the Sixers’ roster to miss the playoffs, but unless Iverson is a good fit, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.
The saga of Allen Iverson and the Memphis Grizzlies lasted less than two months. Monday, the two sides agreed to release the 34 year old from his one-year contract, meaning Iverson will become a free agent when he clears waivers.
Iverson, who’d signed a $3.5 million contract in September, had been away from the team for the past 10 days, taking a leave of absence from the team to deal with what both he and the team called a private family matter. But it also was crystal clear that Iverson was not going to abide by the team’s decision that he come off the bench instead of start, and that meant a long-term relationship between the two was ultimately going to be impossible.
Allen Iverson was granted permission to leave the Memphis Grizzlies to deal with a personal matter, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported on Saturday.
Iverson had a meeting with Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley Friday night after the team lost 114-98 to the Los Angeles Lakers, the newspaper reported.
Iverson met with Heisley again Saturday morning and then left for Atlanta, the Commercial Appeal reported. Iverson lives in Atlanta during the offseason.
Allen Iverson will miss three weeks with a partial tear in his left hamstring, the Grizzlies announced before Wednesday’s preseason game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That means Iverson will be sidelined for the rest of the preseason — and his availability for the team’s regular-season opener against the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 28 is in jeopardy.
Iverson suffered the injury coming to a jump stop during the team’s open intrasquad scrimmage at Birmingham Southern College on Sunday. He said the entire back of his leg turned “black and purple,” and he underwent an MRI on Wednesday morning that revealed the damage.
Ouch, that doesn’t sound good. The AI era in Memphis is off to an inauspicious start.
Free-agent guard Allen Iverson informed the Grizzlies this morning that he will accept a one-year offer to bring his explosive scoring to FedExForum this season, according to an NBA source.
Iverson’s decision came following a Monday night meeting in Atlanta with Griz owner Michael Heisley, general manager Chris Wallace and head coach Lionel Hollins. Iverson, a 34-year-old, 13-year veteran, will play for a contract that pays $3.5 million (what the Griz have left under the salary cap) and the deal will be loaded with incentives.
Iverson confirmed his decision on Twitter.
Iverson will join MIke Conley and O.J. Mayo in the Grizzlies’ backcourt. Coming off the bench hasn’t worked for AI in the past, so I’d expect a deal was made that would have Iverson start, likely alongside Mayo.
AI is a veteran with a unique skill set, so the fact that he landed with the Grizzlies instead of joining a contender is a testament to the current state of the economy and his unwillingness to accept a lesser role to play for a winner.
It’s that time of year in the NBA. Free agency is winding down, training camps are still a few weeks away and the news is generally slow.
So when the worst team in the league makes an offer — doesn’t sign, mind you, only makes an offer — to a 34-year-old former MVP whose best years are behind him, it becomes the lead story on ESPN’s NBA page.
Iverson is one of the most high profile, unrestricted free agents remaining on the market, and there were reports in recent days that he was leaning hardest toward reuniting with his old coach, Larry Brown, with the Charlotte Bobcats.
But the Bobcats are for sale and are under severe financial constraints, and Iverson’s other strongest suitor — the Miami Heat — is already more than $3 million into luxury tax territory and has not been willing thus far to make Iverson a substantial financial offer.
Memphis is approximately $3.5 million under the salary cap for the 2009-10 season and thus could easily outbid Charlotte and Miami for the services of the 10-time All-Star, whom Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley sees as a strong gate attraction.
Iverson could help a contender, but his stint in Detroit leaves the impression that he doesn’t play well with others. This is why teams like Charlotte and Memphis are in the running for his services.
