NBA Top 50: Ben Gordon (No. 34)

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OtB is counting down the days 'til the NBA 2009-10 season tips off by ranking the top 50 players in the league. On Wednesday there are 34 days left.

Twenty players scored 20 points per game or more last season in the NBA. That's about par for the course. Among those twenty, there are of course the obvious scoring leaders such as Kobe, Dwayne, and LeBron. There are the perennial 20 ppg club members and the much publicized new comers Devin Harris and Danny Granger. And then there's Ben Gordon. Gordon's long been touted as instant offense, and far be it from me to dispute that. He puts points up, hands down. The question, though, is whether or not that's good for your team. He was fairly important to what Chicago was doing last year, and looks to be the same in Detroit. The jury, however, has been out since he got to the league. Is he too small? Does he give too much up on defense? His defense has been worse, according to Basketball Reference's defensive rating stat, the last two seasons, but that's probably attributable more to Chicago's coaching situation than to Gordon's actual prowess or lack thereof. And it's not like Gordon scores and does nothing else. Three rebounds and three assists a game won't set the league on fire, but it's serviceable.

The real question comes in how the offense flows in relation to BG. You might have a hard time naming all twenty players who went for 20 ppg last season, but presumably coming up with the twenty players who took the most shots last season would be easier. Or how about the top ten? Again, we would see Wade, Bryant, and James atop the list, joined by Nowitzki, and Durant as obvious entrants. The list is filled up with other, less obvious names that still make sense on this list: Brandon Roy, Joe Johnson, Antawn Jamison, and Vince Carter. (I guess the whole story about Carter giving it up for Devin Harris in Jersey was a bit blustery) But who fills in the ten spot? That's right, you guessed it, Ben Gordon. Should he be taking the tenth most number of shots in the league in any given season? I hesitate to rush encouragement. But let's take another measure to look at how Gordon contributes to a team.

Leaf Cutting Ants, originally uploaded by fen_snapz.

His usage was the lowest ever this year, which probably comes from relinquishing some of the ball handling pressures to the steady presence of Derrick Rose. Usage, if you're not familiar, is a calculation of how often a play ends in a field goal attempt, turn over, or trip to the free throw line for a player. Gordon went for 25% in 08-09. For comparison's sake, Dwayne, LeBron, and Kobe each used 36.2, 33.8, and 33.2 percent of their team's possessions, respectively. Derrick Rose used 22.6 percent. The interesting thing this season will actually be watching Detroit negotiate this, because new Gordon team mates Rip Hamilton and Charlie Villanueva each used more of their team's possessions than did BG last season. Having 80 percent of your offense used up by three players? That could be iffy.

So why is he #34? We're giving him a chance. He moves to Detroit in what should be an auspicious move for him, if not for the Motor City franchise. Would you rather have Kevin Martin on your team? Perhaps. But Ben Gordon has proven himself a solid contributor for teams that can push at the contending ranks. He has proven himself a 20 ppg scorer, which doesn't just happen. He's proven quite durable, which really helps his case. And he's 26, which means the bulk of his prime is ahead of him. Furthermore, Gordon simply holds a decent case of good karma for being a bit of a scape goat whenever Chicago felt it was skimping along. Did the other Ben in Chi-town without a pair of horns let the worries of the franchise keep him from producing? Nope. Perhaps as he goes forward, a bit more constraint and self-reflection will be a positive thing. One last stat indicates Gordon steadily improves in this regard, though. His field goal percentage and true shooting percentage have continued to get better. Last season, BG recorded a .573 true shooting percentage, which takes into account three point shooting and free throws. As in, yes, he can put it in from most spots on the court, and he's getting better at it. Hooray.

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NBA Free Agency After 2 Days: Artest, BG & CV31, Gortat, and Ariza

Monday, I posted a list of the top 30 free agents this NBA off season, imho of course. Teams were permitted to begin courting free agents Wednesday. After two days, we know a great deal about how all this is going to shake out. Let's remember that none of these agreements go official until next week Wednesday, July 8th. Still most of the intrigue goes down in this week when talk can occur but ink stays off the dotted line. Updates after two:

• The big news today was Ron Artest heading for the bright lights of LA. He'll sign for the mid-level exception, about $5.6 million a year, though it's still unclear if it'll be for three or five years. Basically, I agree with the pessimism expressed by Kelly Dwyer, but you can find a more balanced analysis from Forum Blue and Gold's Kurt Helin. My concerns are whether Artest will choose to mesh with the triangle offense, whether he'll detract from shots Gasol and Bynum should be getting, whether he'll be able to guard point guards like Ariza did (he won't), and whether Phil Jackson's successor can handle Ron-Ron.
• The Detroit Pistons landed two free agent acquisitions in Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. This will probably effectively take them off the market for the summer, and could seriously curtail their flexibility next off-season. They now focus simply on whether or not to re-sign Antonio McDyess. My thoughts are they'll try to deal Rip Hamiltion before next summer, especially as he plays the same position as Gordon, but regardless it doesn't look like they're planning on signing any marquee 2010 free-agents. The marquee consists primarily of Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, and they play the same positions as Gordon and Villanueva, respectively. Unless Dumars plans to make a pitch at Lebron James...

Several other free agents who were leading the rumor mill early Wednesday look to have settled on teams. ESPN's Chris Broussard has been the man with the word today.

• Marcin Gortat has committed to Dallas, though Orlando says it'll match (Mavs management thinks it's a bluff). Gortat began to lean towards Dallas after Houston made it clear he would not receive their entire MLE.
• Trevor Ariza will most likely swap places with Artest. Word is Lakers management wasn't happy with the out and out way Ariza's agent David Lee (not to be confused with NY's restricted free agent) has handled negotiations. Ariza will most likely receive the entire MLE.
• Josh Childress has been back from Greece and met with Bucks management. Seems the bomb scare at the Greek finals spooked Childress, since he stands to lose money coming back to the NBA.
• The Thunder look to be waiting out the market on Paul Millsap, and it should be between OKC and the Jazz. If the Jazz hit the $80 million in annual salary mark to retain Millsap, they'll likely try to trade Boozer mid-season.
• Hedo Turkoglu seems to be headed to Portland. Nothing official yet, and the Raptors are still interested but want to hang on to Shawn Marion. I'm honestly not sure why.
  
• Boston heads the field for Rasheed Wallace. Reportedly, Doc Rivers, management, and the Celtics' Big 3 all went to Detroit to meet with 'Sheed.
  

On to the list. New developments appear below in red. Just to reiterate: until a player's destination is determined, they will be marked TBD (to be determined). Players who are restricted free agents or are only suspected to be moving through trades will be demarcated as such. There are a few other names floating (again, you can check ESPN's list), but for simplicity's sake we'll stick to these 30. I'm leaving a few of these as simply "verbal agreements" because sometimes those get reneged in the face of better offers. Stay tuned!

1. Kobe Bryant - Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe chooses not to opt out.
2. Carlos Boozer - Utah Jazz: Boozer exercises player option.
3. Ama're Stoudamire - TBD (trade?)
4. Ben Gordon - Detroit Pistons: Gordon will sign a 5 year deal for $55 to $60 million.
5. Paul Millsap - TBD (restricted)
6. Josh Smith - TBD (trade?)
7. Ron Artest - Los Angeles Lakers: Looking like they were going to lose Ariza, the Lakers one-upped the rest of the arms race field.
   
8. Trevor Ariza - TBD (verbal agreement with Rockets)
   
9. Chris Anderson - TBD
10. Lamar Odom - TBD
11. Jason Kidd - TBD
    
12. Hedo Turkoglu - TBD
13. Rasheed Wallace - TBD
    
14. David Lee - TBD (restricted)
15. Shawn Marion - TBD
16. Nate Robinson - TBD (restricted)
17. Kyle Korver - Utah Jazz
18. Charlie Villanueva - CV31 will sign with a five year $40 million deal with the Pistons.
    
19. Brandon Bass - TBD
20. Marcin Gortat - TBD (verbal agreement with the Mavs)
21. Allen Iverson - TBD
22. Andre Miller - TBD
23. Mike Bibby - TBD
24. Drew Gooden - TBD
25. Antonio McDyess - TBD
26. Grant Hill - TBD
27. Zaza Pachulia - TBD
28. Von Wafer - TBD
29. Stephon Marbury - TBD
30. Zach Randolph - Memphis Grizzlies: The Clips traded Z-Bo to the Grizz for Quentin Richardson, prompting the question: is Memphis a worse organization than the Clips?
    

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NBA Free Agency: Party Like It's '09

With NBA free-agent signings set to commence Wednesday (12:01 am if any GMs are really enthusiastic), it seems the appropriate time for OtB to bring you the top 30 players who might be moving in the coming months. With 30 quality players possibly moving and 30 NBA teams, it only makes sense to match each player with a prospective team, even if it most certainly won't shake out that way.

A quick update, before we get into the list. The teams with the most cap space are the Memphis Grizzlies, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Portland Trailblazers, and the Detroit Pistons. The teams with potentially the most players to lose to free-agency are the Lakers, Utah Jazz, and Pistons. Do the math, Detroit stands the change the most significantly this summer. You can check out ESPN's list to see all the players eligible this summer and next. It's been pointed out that big name teams are positioning to have loads of cap space next summer. Therefore, for smaller market teams like the Grizzlies, the time to make significant acquisitions might be now or never. Teams that have already made some serious moves this summer include the Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs, and Cleveland Cavaliers. On to the list!

1. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers: The best of this crop, Kobe can opt out this summer, but leaving the Lakers now couldn't do anything for his reputation or title hopes.
2. Carlos Boozer, Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizz don't have a history for making firebrand moves, but they are looking, as well they should be, to fill that power forward slot. The Grizz discussed a (failed, thankfully) trade for Zach Randolph, so Boozer would be a big pick up.
   
3. Ama're Stoudamire, Golden State Warriors: Though Don Nelson seems to be messing with Steve Kerr, the Warriors are still looking at STAT. There've been murmurings that Ama're won't be as effective after rehabbing his...eye.
4. Ben Gordon, Minnesota Timberwolves: Minny just traded away two shooting guards. The Brit would fit perfectly here.
5. Paul Millsap, OKC Thunder: Millsap is a restricted free agent, but OKC has been talking shop. He'd be great next to Durant, but the Thunder already have Jeff Green and are thin at the center spot. Perhaps a trade with Memphis for Marc Gasol? If the Jazz retain Millsap, teammate Okur could also be available. Just speculation here, though.
6. Josh Smith, Washington Wizards: Smith is not a free agent, but teams have been salivating over mention he might be available. Washington's Antawn Jamison is also rumored to be up for relocation. Swapsies?
7. Ron Artest, Houston Rockets: The Rockets have been getting it right lately, and though the team looks drastically different without Yao, they will most likely put a premium on brining Artest back.
8. Trevor Ariza, Cleveland Cavaliers: Ariza will most likely be back with the Lakers, but for the purposes of this exercise let's take note of the Cavs fleeting interest, especially because Cleveland would love to take a piece away from the Lakers.
9. Chris Anderson, Heat: The Heat boast plodding big men Udonis Haslem and Jermaine O'neal up front, but Dwayne Wade needs some horses to run with. The Birdman would be a perfect example. The Heat also have long standing interest in Boozer.
10. Lamar Odom, Indiana Pacers: Lamar loves the Lakers and vice versa, but if he can't get back Indiana would love to snap him up. Mike Dunleavy Jr. is out for the start of the season and Lamar would work perfectly as a complement to Danny Granger.
11. Jason Kidd, New York Knicks: Kidd might re-up with the Mavs, but New York and Mike D'Antoni (and Darko) have shown interest. Kidd could also take the mid-level to go play with Lebron and Shaq.
12. Hedo Turkoglu, Toronto Raptors: The Magic took on Vince Carter, and thus will not be able to pay Hedo what he wants. Also interested are the Pistons and Spurs, but something tells me Hidayet is going North of the border.
13. Rasheed Wallace, Orlando Magic: Orlando, however, is not staying still this offseason. They're looking to blow this weapons race out of the water by picking up the former Piston.
14. David Lee, Milwaukee Bucks: Lee could end up anywhere needing a good rebounder, including Memphis or, yes, New York. Milwaukee looks for the pick up by not extending a qualifying offer to Charlie Villanueva. Lee is a restricted free agent though, so could stay in NY.
    
15. Shawn Marion, New Orleans Hornets: CP3's team needs depth everywhere but pg and pf. Peja Stojakovic has been tailing off, so they need to pick up someone to play the 3.
16. Nate Robinson, Sacramento Kings: Though the Kings just picked up Tyreke Evans, Krypto-Nate has shown his ability to play with other points-guards, even behind them, just not in D'Antoni's system. Robinson is also a restricted free agent.
17. Kyle Korver, Utah Jazz: the Jazz stand to lose the most this summer, but they should hold on to at least some of their free agents, of which Korver is one.
    
18. Charlie Villanueva, New Jersey Nets: Powder's just 24, so would complement New Jersey's youth movement nicely, and would play well next to Brooks Lopez.
19. Brandon Bass, Chicago Bulls: The Bulls have needed a banger ever since Elton Brand left town. Bass would fill that void. Orlando also seems interested.
20. Marcin Gortat, Boston Celtics: The Celts were so desperate for depth up front that they signed Mikki Moore last season. They'd much prefer the Polish Hammer.
21. Allen Iverson, Charlotte Bobcats: I have no idea what the future holds for the answer. The only straw to grasp on now is word that Iverson wouldn't mind playing for Larry Brown again.
22. Andre Miller, Philadelphia 76ers: Similarly, I have no idea where Miller will end up. Someplace that needs a back up pg? Let's just say he goes back to Philly, since I can't imagine Jrue is really ready to be the full time distributor.
23. Mike Bibby, Portland Trail Blazers: I'm looking to Portland to make splashes through trades rather than free agency, and then perhaps make an impact next summer. Though really I have a feeling they might fumble all that talent they've stockpiled. They've been looking for a point, and Bibby can be off the ball enough to play with B-Roy.
24. Drew Gooden, San Antonio Spurs: If the Spurs don't pick up any of the bigger name big men this summer, look for them to retain Gooden.
25. Antonio McDyess, Detroit Pistons: Dumars strikes me as a guy moving through trades, so I'm not looking for big acquisitions this summer in free agency. McDyess will probably retire if he doesn't get resigned by the Pistons, so we'll put him here.
26. Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns: See above, McDyess. Substitute Kerr for Dumars.
    
27. Zaza Pachulia, Dallas Mavericks: I originally included Zaza on this list just because his name is awesome. But The Mavs don't have much beyond Dampier at the 5, so Pachulia could be a good hire.
28. Von Wafer, Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets should really stand pat this summer and just focus on re-signing the Birdman, but if they lose him Von Wafer could be a nice scorer behind Billups. Anthony Carter might not return for back up duty.
29. Stephon Marbury, Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks are thin pretty much everywhere, and need to not start Maurice Evans on one of the wings, but after acquiring Jamal Crawford, the Hawks just have to figure out what's really good with Josh Smith. Starbury could be back with the Celts, but House will probably return too.
    
30. Zach Randolph, Los Angeles Clippers: Randolph makes this list simply because the Clippers need to get rid of Z-bo and make room for Blake Griffin. Randolph's not a free agent, but their failure to move him will simply confirm that the Clippers continue to be the worst franchise in the history of sports. How did they get Boom Dizzle to sign last summer? Geez.

Honorable mention: Wally Szczerbiak, who doesn't make the list because without his albatross contract still set to come of the books, he loses a whole heap of value. Maybe Larry Bird will pick him up. Just kidding.

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