Brandon Bass: What's The Attraction?
by 3.3seconds on Jul 5, 2009 1:35 PM EDT
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PrintHere's this week's showcased fanpost. 3QC member 3.3seconds elaborates on why he feels signing Brandon Bass - one of general manager Otis Smith's targets in free agency - might not be a good move for the Orlando Magic. - ER
There's been a lot of talk on this site about Brandon Bass. People are saying we should sign the guy. Honestly, I don't see it. I have to admit, I haven't seen him in action very much -- but statistically, he doesn't resemble anyone who I could see contributing to this team. I've got a number of problems with him.
Size/Position: Brandon Bass is a 6'8", 240-lb. power forward. That's not large for a PF, and it virtually precludes him playing any time at center. Moreover, he's not a SF either. Which leaves him as a one-position guy. And that position is already filled by Lewis and Anderson. So, if we were to get Bass, are we disrupting Lewis' game by moving him to SF part-time? Or are we leaving Anderson on the bench, and slowing the development of a promising young player?
Offense: One of the crucial tenets of the Magic's offense is the one in/four out arrangement, which features Dwight Howard in the middle, while the remaining four players take their spots behind the three-point line. Last year, we were forced to alter this arrangement on occasion, playing Tony Battie (who did not have three-point range, but did shoot the long 2-pointer) at PF alongside Howard. It was not a success; the long 2-pointer is by its nature an inefficient shot, and Battie did less to space the floor than a three-point shooter would have. In fact, you can tell Van Gundy was displeased with the results, by the way he repeatedly tried to insert Brian Cook into the lineup. (This failed, because Brian Cook is really not good.)
In Bass, we see another player who has no three-point shot. In fact, his offensive approach is distinctly reminiscent of Battie's:
Battie: 72% mid-range jumpers (41% shooting), 28% inside shots (70.8% shooting), 48.9% total FG shooting
Bass: 59% mid-range jumpers (44.5% shooting), 41% inside shots (56.9% shooting), 49.6% shooting total
Bass may be a slightly more effective mid-range shooter than Battie, and a rather more prolific overall scorer. But note that Battie was actually a more accurate scorer on the inside. This is in part because a startling 29% of Bass' non-dunk inside shots were blocked. (For all the other centers/PFs on the Magic and Mavericks alike, this number stands between 7% and 12%.)
Bass is also not a skilled passer; his assist-turnover ratio was .50 exactly (43 assists/86 turnovers); Battie was about equal in assists, and committed fewer turnovers.
In short, Bass is a slight upgrade over Battie on offense, but his skill set doesn't really include any weapons Battie's doesn't, and he is likely to suffer from the same clash with Howard that Battie did. (If not more so, given his less accurate passing and increased reliance on the inside shot.)
Rebounding: Let's get right down to it: for an inside-oriented PF, Brandon Bass is a very poor rebounder. He played 19.4 minutes per game last season, and averaged only 4.5 rebounds. That's one rebound every 4.31 minutes. Tony Battie averaged 3.6 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game... one rebound every 4.33 minutes. (You know who else averaged 4.5 rebounds a game? Marcin Gortat. Of course, Gortat only needed 12.6 minutes to do that...)
But maybe this per-minute stat is deceptive -- there's some kind of pace-based anomaly or shadow effect at work? Let's look at a fairly basic rebounding statistic: the percentage of available defensive rebounds gotten by Bass. (I'm limiting it to defensive rebounds because offensive rebounding can be so deceptive; it's so dependent on who is being called back to play defense, and who is assigned to crash the boards. Also, 82games.com doesn't have a combined stat for rebounding percentage, unless I'm missing it.)
Brandon Bass pulled in 15.8% of the defensive rebounding opportunities available to him. As compared to his own teammates on the Mavericks:
Nowitzki 20.4%, Dampier 19.8%, Singleton 17.4%, Diop 17.2%, Bass 15.8%, Kidd 14.8%, S. Williams 14.4%, Hollins 13.2%, J. Howard 12.5%
So all right... Dampier is a rugged rebounder, and Nowitzki is the team's star. You can expect that. But... DeSagana Diop? Small forward James Singleton? Kidd's one of the best rebounding PGs in the league, but this is ridiculous. Bass' defensive rebounding rate had more in common with little-used backup big men Shawne Williams and Ryan Hollins than with the team's most effective rebounders. And the Mavericks aren't even that great a rebounding team.
To put a more familiar spin on this, here's the Magic's top defensive rebounders.
Howard 26.5%, Gortat 23.3%, Battie 15.4%, Cook 14.0%, Turkoglu 12.7%, Lewis 12.4%
Again, we're looking at very Battie-esque numbers here. And on offense, Bass got 8.9% of the offensive rebounding chances, to Battie's 8.0%.
Meanwhile in New Jersey, Anderson averaged 16.9% of his team's defensive rebounding changes, and 8.4% on offense. Looks like he's already at least as good a rebounder as Bass.
In summary: Statistically, Bass looks like a slightly more prolific scoring version of Tony Battie who can't play center. You'll note I've omitted the question of defense; I have no interest in hacking through a bunch of defensive metrics in an attempt to prove the unprovable. I also have no interest in giving much more than the minimum to a version of Tony Battie who can't play center, even if he's the most fearsome defender the power forward position has ever seen.
One more note: what about potential? Bass is only 24, and some folks have talked about his signing in terms of his potential to improve. Well, it's possible he's got some , but... look at these two stat lines.
Player A: 19.7 MPG, 8.3 PPG on 49.9% shooting, 4.4 RPG, 0.7 APG, 1.0 TPG, 0.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG
Player B: 19.4 MPG, 8.5 PPG on 49.6% shooting, 4.5 RPG, 0.5 APG, 1.1 TPG, 0.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG
Player B is Brandon Bass in 2008-09, at the age of 23... Player A is Brandon Bass in 2007-08. It's not a good sign for his development that, when writing out his last year's stats, I saved time by copying the previous year's stats to the next line and then editing them slightly.
This FanPost was made by a member of the Orlando Pinstriped Post community, and is to be treated as the opinions and views of its author, not that of the blogger or blog community as a whole.
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Good stuff
My first question was how he was going to fit in with Rashard and Ryan ahead of him at the 4. Then I heard he played a lot of C for Dallas. Yes, he plays big, but I can imagine myself dreading the times Dwight gets in foul trouble and having to watch Bass trying to fill in for him.
I admit to not watching him at all, but if those rebounding numbers and year-to-year statistics really do equate to him not being a good rebounder and not having much potential, we need to look elsewhere for a backup C. Not to mention the big defensive drop-off when he subs in for Dwight (height and skill, alongside Shard and/or Ryan?).
Bass at center? I don't see it.
Offhand, I can’t think of a 6’8" guy who has had any success at center in the NBA in recent years. Of course, there was Ben Wallace at 6’9", 240 — but Wallace was a prodigious physical specimen with an insane rebounding touch, and that showed in his stats. What we see from Bass is that he doesn’t get a lot of rebounds, and he gets his shot rejected a lot. Now, I’m not saying these things are definitely happening because he’s getting outmuscled, but if he were getting outmuscled, those are things that would be happening…
Moreover, there’s a big difference between playing center for the Mavs and playing center for the Magic. And that big difference’s name is Dirk Nowitzki — a large power forward with a strong rebounding touch. There’s a chance the opposing center is guarding him anyway. (And if the opposing center isn’t a good scorer, he’s probably guarding that center…) Because the Magic’s power forwards are not strong rebounders, aren’t physically overpowering, and tend to ply from the outside, our centers need to be even more… “center-y” than most teams’ — capable rebounders with a big inside presence. Even if you believe Bass can do those things at the 4, it’s hard to argue Bass fits that profile out of position at the 5.
(One more note that I couldn’t quite fit into the previous: I did find one player whose layups and other non-dunk inside shots were blocked as often as Bass’. Unfortunately, that player is Ryan Anderson. Seems he’s not likely to move up to center any time either — even though he has 2 inches on Bass…)
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
"I have to admit, I haven't seen him in action very much"
That’s probably it. Brandon Bass is one of those players that seems to impress me every time I see him play. The one that hustles every play and always seems to have a big game against your team. He has those “intangibles” that everyone talks about. His stats may be similar to that of Battie but he’s much more of a banger. That being said, this past season was fairly disappointing as you pointed out. He doesn’t seem to have improved at all from the prior season. I still get the feeling though that given the right situation, he can blossom into something more.
That's fine
But it still doesn’t explain where we’re expecting him to play.
Intangibles are all well and good, but we’ve already got two power forwards. Either Bass or Anderson or Lewis is going to have to spend a lot of time at SF.
When I first heard this deal, I was “who’s Brandon Bass?” Then I looked at his stats and info and wondered why we’d want him, given his position. We’ve just dodged Battie’s contract for minimal impact, now we’re throwing money at a guy who is at best a marginal upgrade, in a position we’re comfortable in?
I don’t get it.
by eltharion_doa on Jul 3, 2009 8:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Mostly PF I would expect
With Lewis sliding down to SF and Bass/ Anderson sharing PF duties. Against certain teams (Warriors, TWolves) Bass could play spot minutes at center in an ultra small lineup. This would seem to make the bench deeper as well.
Nelson/ AJ
Carter/ JJ
Lewis/ MP
Anderson/ Bass
Dwight/ ?
If Orlando could sign a true center backup as well, that seems to be a decent bench. Not the best in the league but at least good enough to not flat out lose games for the Magic. I put Bass as back up because I think his hustle and energy would be well served as a reserve.
Anderson wouldn't start in that scenario.
It’d be Lewis at the 4, Pietrus at the 3.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Exactly.
And we now have two backup PFs, both of whom would be, at best, playing out of position at SF or C…. and no backup SFs or centers. Why not fill a need we actually have?
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
Otis is trying.
.. Wallace is a target.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
That would be great.
Still don’t see why our primary targets are all big men and not SFs — but Wallace i the kind of talent you make room for.
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
So we're moving one of our top starters out of position...
…to justify playing a guy who we don’t even need to have? Lewis at PF is the key to this team. We have three, maybe four positions where our backup is worse than Anderson at PF. At two of those, we don’t even HAVE a backup. If we’re going to fill a position, why not fill one of those?
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
We need “center-y” players to backp Dwight. None of them are going to be as good a twin towers as Dwight and Gortat, so dont even try to do it. Get Rasho or someone big like that. And play Anderson alot of minutes behind Lewis so Lewis cannot be playing so much minutes, and we see what we got with RA, which will be good I think. Also would be good for Magic to ask Dwight Howard diectly what he thinks of all this, if he would like a PF/C who might play with him alot and take his space, but protect and defend, or if Dwight knows he can handle it alone in the post as he keeps improving and adding new aspects to his game.
Steve Kyler at hoopsworld.com thinks Magic may actually match Gortat, who I like more than Bass and most other FAs. Gives Magic the best backup C and possibly more twin towers looks. Tho if the Magic do match it, which is a nice move, why arent they throwing the full MLE at a FA they like more? I understand Gortat is one of the best FAs, but its still likely he is not seeing major minutes. I have to thiink if they feel there is a better FA out there who could give major min.s in a more open spot of the team, they would do it?
That article concludes Bass is only a slight improvement over Battie on offense by comparing FG%. That seems fairly imcomplete to me and doesn’t tell me really anything about Bass’ potential in this offense.
Here is Hollinger’s scouting report from the preseason:
“Scouting report: Bass has a strong build and is an above-average athlete, which he needs to be to operate as a 6-foot-8 frontcourt player. He makes up for his height with skills. Bass has a nice midrange shot and loves to take bigger players off the dribble with either hand when they crowd him; he’s also capable of scoring in the post off a turnaround, though he has a tendency to try to run over his defender. The Mavs gave him a lot of rope for a guy who was relatively unknown, running isolations for him even in fourth quarters. Defensively, Bass’ strength is an asset but he’s short for a big man at 6-8. Dallas often used him at center after the DeSagana Diop trade; now that Diop is back he can play more often at power forward, where his “short”-comings are less of an issue. But as with nearly all young players, he needs to learn more about positioning and help defense. "
The article’s FG% analysis would tell us nothing about Bass’ offensive skills, and the fact that he was often an integral part of the offense at the end of games, which is probably as far away from a description of Battie as one can find.
Also, the article relies on a simplistic the “one in/four out” description of the Magic offense. Anyone who watched the playoffs saw that, when the game mattered the most, Hedo had the ball at the top of the key and was in control of the offense; it wasn’t DHo posting up and funneling the offense out to 4 ready-to-shoot shooters. Would an additional offensive weapon during such times be an asset? Could we use an athletic 4 who can create his own shot against mismacthed defenders, and has proven to do so in the 4th, be an improvement over Tony Battie?
I say yes.
Dude is 24, athletic, has shown he has stones, and can be an intriguing piece into an offense that, frankly, needs some more diversity.
Go fishin.’
I think Bass is a perfect fit..
I hope Orlando can sign him.
"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z
You may have some points...
…but I don’t think usage is as crucial as you suggest. If you gave Battie the ball more, he’d have more usage. Simple as that. I will say Bass has the ability to get a good number of dunks. I’m not denying he might be able to be an effective scorer in the right system. (though he’d seriously have to do something about all those rejections.) But a) I don’t know that we need another scorer, and b) his skills don’t match up with our established offensive structure as well as Anderson’s.
To me, though, Bass comes down to two questions: can he play center, and can he be a prolific rebounder (i.e. can he fill Dwight’s position on the boards?) And I feel like the answers to both those questions are a resounding “no”.
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
Bass produces when he plays...
I don’t know if Bass is the perfect fit, especially with Anderson in the fold. But I will say Brandon Bass produces statistically for the limited minutes he has seen. He will get rebounds and work hard. Does he have a jumper, not really.
Orlando needs to find a center to back up Howard. The height is a little bit of an issue as the Magic’s interior defense was what was really exposed against the Lakers. The Magic need to find a way to bulk up inside — even if they will play small with Lewis at power forward most of the time.
Philip,
The Curse of the Big Aristotle
http://bigaristotle.blogspot.com/
If he's going to get rebounds...
…do we have any explanation as to why he DIDN’T get rebounds in Dallas? Because he didn’t get rebounds in Dallas — that much is clear.
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
Based on R/48, Bass was tied for 19th in the league among PFs
He averaged 11.2 rebounds per 48 minutes, tied with Thomas and Jamison. Yes, it was about the same as Battie (11.1). It was also about the same as Rasheed Wallace (11.0) and exceeded that of Big Baby (8.8), Michael Beasley (10.5) or Dirk Nowitzki (10.7).
I’m also not sure how Dallas is “not a rebounding team.” They were fifth in the NBA (behind LA, Indiana, Orlando, and Houston) in rebounds per game, and 8th in rebounding differential (Orlando was 9th). New Jersey was 25th in rebound rate and 23rd in rebounding differential.
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
That's among PFs, though.
We’d have to play him at center.
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
It gets harder to say how he'd rebound at center
He’d be giving up some size to most centers. If he stayed at 11.2, he’d be 26th in the league, just ahead of Mehmet Okur and behind Nene Hilario. He’s not a great rebounder, but he’s not a Darius Songaila or Hilton Armstrong.
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
It just seems to me...
…that we want a guy for whom rebounding is a plus skill. You know, the fact that he can drive the lane is nice (and would be nicer if 30% of his layups weren’t rejected), but he one thing we really need from our backup center is rebounds. And the fact that he’s not awful just means he’s a better choice than people who are awful. (I’ll concede that.)
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
6'8 240 lb PFs like Brandon Bass
could dominate playing next to Howard. I dont see the size being an issue, unles syou forget who plays center with him. Can Bass rebound? Yes. Can he give HOward some help defense down low? Yes. So why is size an issue? Because his player card says 6’8 instead of 6’9 or 6’10?
From what I understand Bass has a nice jumper. If he can ranghe 15-20 feet with it, I dont think spacing will be a problem.
I aprreciate your thoroough attempt at breaking this thing down, buut I disagree with almost all of it.
agreed
6’8" with a wingspan of 7’2" helps..
Bass has a great mix of strength, speed and terrific length with his 7-2 and ½ inch wingspan, which helps him to cover the Al Harrington’s of the NBA—something the Mavs were in desperate need of
"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z
Bass can't rebound, though.
The answer to that question is no. Bass is a poor rebounder, whose rebounding statistics last year were virtually identical to Tony Battie’s. Even if he is a better scorer than Battie — and I’ll concede that may be true — it’s tough to dispute that he just doesn’t get a lot of rebounds.
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
As far as his size goes
Doesn’t Chuck Hayes see time at the back-up center role for Houston. And he’s like 6’6. Good fundamentals, hard work and hustle can help overcome size. Dwight is no bigger than any other center in the league, but he’s the best rebounder in the game because of his athleticism, wingspan and desire.
As I said before, height is overrated.
Bigs can play small and smalls can play big.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
In theory, I would agree.
But in this case, we have a small guy who plays small — he’s not a good rebounder, and he gets his shot rejected a lot.
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
I think it goes both ways with Bass.
.. you make valid points, nevertheless.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
I still don't get how he fits into the rotation
Without moving Lewis permanently to small forward, or abandoning the Ryan Anderson experiment before it’s even started.
Either of those moves would be a major, major mistake.
SVG would make it work, theoretically.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
.
I could definitely see Anderson playing C if Battie could do it.
by zakattackthe on Jul 4, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
But Battie couldn't do it, really.
When the Magic got set up, Gortat was their backup center. The way I see it, we need a big inside presence at backup center who can do some heavy rebounding, because that’s what we lose when Dwight goes out. As invaluable as he is for what he DOES do, Lewis isn’t going to block shots or crash the boards… and neither is Anderson.
Anderson was a slightly better rebounder than Bass last year, but only slightly. And like Bass, he got a lot of his shots rejected around the rim, which suggests to me that he doesn’t have the physical power to move up to C. We need a big, tough, physical guy at the 5 at all times — and neither Bass nor Anderson is that guy.
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
by 3.3seconds on Jul 4, 2009 6:40 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Battie couldn't play back-up C.
.. he got shredded, defensively.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
He split his time between PF and C almost right down the middle
16% of Orlando’s C minutes this year, and 14% of its PF minutes.
Opposing centers against Tony? 20.6 PER, 54.3% eFG%. Ouch.
i do like bringing in a dissenting voice
for all these bass lovers in here….(including me haha)
and you make some good points. but the fact that he will take minutes away from other players doesn’t negate the fact that we absolutely need a banger down low.
and having seen a good amount from bass, that is exactly what he is. the nice mid range jumper i have seen him take quite often is just icing on top.
He battles, he hustles .. I think Bass would make a nice fit.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Gosh, if I had known this would get posted on the main page...
I would’ve put a little more effort into editing it. Thanks, guys!
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
Urghh Brandon Bass....
Is another Tony Battie (albeit much younger)
We all saw how our system breaks down without players that space the floor. Bass and D12 won’t be able to play together effectively. Especially if were counting on him to make 15 ft. jumpers consistently.
If we want a big that CAN do that and still match up with athletic PF’s our best bet is Channing Frye from Portland. He played behind Aldridge and he has such a similar game as him that the coaching staff had a perfectly seemless transition between the two.
Plus Frye looks like he may develop some more range to his jumper. I dont see Bass being allowed to shoot very many corner 3’s
Frye is a 42% field goal shooter who barely averaged 2 rebounds a game last year. He’s horrible at everything.
Anyway, we’re looking for a backup to Howard, not someone to play alongside him. We’ve basically got Lewis and Anderson filling up all the minutes at PF; both of those guys can space the floor just fine, but neither one is a tough guy or a rebounder. We’re looking for a backup center who can get things one in the paint — think a replacement for Gortat.
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
Whoa! he's supposed to be a sub for Howard
then that should blow the deal completely. How many successful 6’8 Center’s do you see in the NBA. He’s not even a prolific rebounder like MIllsap to make up for his lack of size.
by Souwantmyname on Jul 7, 2009 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Frye would be worse at rebounding
He only projects out at 8.9 rebounds/48 minutes, which is a Nocioni or Hilton Armstrong level of rebounding. Bass is at 11.2 rebounds/48. Millsap (13.7) is about as much better than Bass as Bass is better than Frye.
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
If anyone else on the Magic averaged more than 5 rebounds a game I'd be ecstatic
especially if its Frye. I’m not saying Frye is the solution for Howard’s sub not at all. However, he fits into the Magic’s system ALOT better than Bass. Frye is a mobile 6’11 shooter that can block some shots and rebound.
He’s probably gonna be cheaper than Bass as well
by Souwantmyname on Jul 7, 2009 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Numbers per 48 minutes (based on 2008-2009 stats)
Stat – Frye – Bass – Wilcox (for comparison)
Offensive Rebounds – 2.85 – 3.96 – 4.26
Defensive Rebounds – 6.51 – 7.18 – 8.24
Total Rebounds – 8.95 – 11.13 – 12.78
Steals – 1.10 – 0.82 – 1.19
Blocks – 1.02 – 1.68 – 0.74
Turnovers – 1.87 – 2.62 – 3.41
Fouls – 6.83 – 4.28 – 6.28
Assists – 1.63 – 1.24 – 2.27
Points – 17.08 – 21.03 – 20.45
Frye should be cheaper than Bass – he fouls more, blocks less, rebounds less, and scores less. He is better at stealing and providing assists, but I’m not sold on Frye at all.
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
Actually, Frye and Battie are really close, except for foul rate:
Frye – Battie
OR – 2.85 – 3.69
DR – 6.51 – 7.38
Reb – 8.95 – 11.08
Stl – 1.10 – 1.05
Blk – 1.02 – 0.98
TO – 1.87 – 1.85
PF – 6.83 – 4.46
Ast – 1.63 – 1.23
Pts – 17.08 – 14.77
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
And that was a "surprised" actually, not a "contradicting you" actually
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
And rebounds.
Where, again, Battie is virtually identical to Bass…
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
Yeah - Bass is basically Battie with more offense
Of course, Bass shoud also still be improving
"When you make your final stand
I'll be right there
I'll never leave
And all I ask of you is
Believe"
Except that he's not...
…at least not in any way that his stats reflect.
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
Frye, to put it frank, sucks.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Garbage minutes... what do you think Bass will play with Howard and Lewis
The point I’m trying to make is it would be stupid of the Magic to waste 6 million dollars on a guy that will play 8 minutes a game and will have to change the offense once he comes in. In which he will be overmatched physically versus nearly every center in the league.
With the kind of payroll the Magic have we don’t have the flexibility to make any mistakes with our cap. So committing to a player with as many ???’s that he has is a problem
That's THE problem.
Magic (pretty much) has it’s starters,and is in lux. It’s well known that they aren’t going deep into it.
All the guys that come in now would be just backups,and therefore not worth big money,in our situation,of course. That’s the point. Who said “bring the duct-tape?”
Bass isn't going to sign with Orlando.
Relax .. from what I’ve heard, it’s unlikely he lands with the team.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
Light bulb idea
Get players on 1 yr deals and shop with a way bigger bargain/mid market next summer than wasting it on the last guy or two left now. Altho to be fair, Magic have been looking at Bass for a long time, so its clear they like the player and fit.
Brandon Bass
Magic fans you got a good player. Brandon Bass is an up and comming power forward in this league. I read the post where the blogger said all Bass is a small power forward and thats it. Bass played most of his minutes last year at backup Center. Bass is a great energy guy who will take the ball to the hole. He does get his shot blocked a few times , but he also goes to the free throw line. and shoots over 85%. He’s a tough kid who’s not afraid to mix it up if he has to. I don’t know if he’s a 35 minute a game player. but when he’s in there he give it his all
Marcin Gortat
What can the Mavs expect from Gortat?
Looks like the Mav's aren't gonna get him either..
There’s a rumor that the Magic are gonna match the offer sheet.
Anyway what I like about Gortat:
- He’s a fantastic rebounder. I am almost sure that he can be a better rebounder than Dwight given the PT.
- Soft hands. He catches everything thrown at him and goes into his moves smoothly. Pick and roll with him slashing to the basket is really effective and an easy way to score
- Great locker room guy. He is an extremely funny, fun loving guy evidenced by this great video. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Video-Marcin-Gortat-can-hook-you-up-with-old-so?urn=nba,137776
There is alot to like about Gortat and whether he stays or goes I will be a fan of his
by Souwantmyname on Jul 10, 2009 10:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Likable guy, hard worker ..
.. his blocking rate and rebounding rate is similar to Dwight Howard’s, so he’s definitely a guy that will give you a double-double night in and night out, as long as he gets the minutes to produce on the court.
He’s an efficient player, offensively. For his contract, Marcin Gortat is great value.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
exact opposite of Dampier
Good feet, hands, he rebound, and defend. The part I like the most is he can get out and run.. Plus, he can finish.. too me in the right scheme can be a top 5 center.. Says a little about how thin the center spot is in the nba, but a lot about his skill set.
"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z
Double Double every night and can block shots, plays hard.
And his offense will improve with minutes. Will be a force one day.
The Surfdog
You mean Gortat, right?
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
I think that's who he was referring to.
I'm the other guy at Third Quarter Collapse, with a Twitter account.
"Never hate your enemies. It affects your judgement." - Michael Corleone
personally
I like Howard, Bass, Lewis better then Howard, Lewis, peitrus.
"No matter where you go, you are what you are playa"-Jay Z
I like Howard, Anderson, Lewis better than either.
More three-point shooting, more rebounding, more height.
Of course, we’ll probably see all three combinations at SOME point next season. So we can decide what’s best after that.
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
im excited
that the magic scored gortat back, and that makes this whole bass thing work i think. not having to worry if he can backup dwight and letting him play pf and do his thing.
nelson
carter
lewis
bass
howard
i watched some mavs games this year and i thought bass was impressive, and not like battie. this dude is explosive and runs the floor well. orlando def have two of the strongest players in the league now.
Were gonna be better on defense than last year
With all the bodies that we have we can afford to be very aggressive on defense. Not to commit obvious fouls but contest everything because we have the luxury of depth at the SF
We were already the best defensive team in the league last year.
There’s not really a lot of room for improvement…
Yeah, and we broke your damn shot clock too.
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