A Second Opinion On Scott Skiles

A little over a week ago, to recap my 'retired jerseys' mini-series, I decided to utilize Benjamin Golliver's jersey retirement formula to figure out how each former Orlando Magic individual fared in the calculations. Since Scott Skiles was examined by request of the community, he wasn't included in the fun, until now. It would seem fitting to crunch the numbers and see how he would fare in a "test of worthiness."

So, without further ado.

Click after the jump for the results.

Introduction:

The majority of the calculations are no-brainers but in cases where awarding points isn't clear, I attached notes to explain my reasoning. If you're antsy or impatient [!!], feel free to skip to the bottom to see the point totals.

1. Criterion One: Connection with the Franchise

   Ben explains:

   To determine how closely a player is connected with a franchise, one generally assesses 4 conditions:

   1. Did the player play his most important years with the team?

   2. Did the player play the majority of his career with the team?

   3. Was the player drafted by the team?

   4. Did the player retire with the team?

   Skiles - 3 points (meets conditions #1, #2, and #3)

   Notes: Even though Skiles was technically drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1986 NBA Draft, he was still an original member of the Orlando Magic via the 1989 Expansion Draft.

   
   

2. Criterion Two: Success with the Franchise

   From Ben:

   Judging a player's relative success across generations can be tricky, but its clear two factors are important to consider: the maximum success his team's enjoyed and his role in creating that success.

   Ask yourself, "Can the story of the franchise's glory days be told without mentioning this player?"

   To weigh both the team's success and the player's role in that sucess, I gave 5 points to a star on a championship team, 5 points to a starter on championship team, 5 points to a star on a finalist team, 4 points to a role player on a finalist team and 4 points to a starter on a finalist team.

   Skiles - 2 points (courtesy)

   
   

   Notes: Skiles didn't meet any of the requirements, so he was given 2 courtesy points for bridging the gap between the start of the franchise and the Penny/Shaq era, where he played an important role in doing so.

    

3. Criterion Three: Statistical Body of Work

   Golliver:

   Ask yourself, "How dominant (and for how long) was this player?"

   In assigning the points in this category, I took into account: league-leading tallies, franchise/league records, double-doubles, 10+ year careers, and anything else that truly jumps out of the box score/ stat sheet.

   Skiles - 3 points

   Notes: Similar to how I deciphered how many points Darrell Armstrong deserved, I gave a similar point total to Skiles due to the fact he had similar statistical accomplishments to Armstrong. Skiles had yearly leader board appearances in free throw percentage, and periodically, in three point percentage, assists per game, assists percentage, & total assists. Because Armstrong didn't have any franchise records, but Skiles did (and an NBA record), that is the reason why I awarded the latter with an additional .5 point.

   
   

4. Criterion Four: Individual Awards

   Golliver:

   Ask, "What are the standout individual achievements on this player's resume and how do they compare to other franchise greats?"

   Skiles - 3 points

   Notes: Skiles received 1 point for winning the 1991 Most Improved Player Award, and received 2 points for setting the NBA record (which still stands, today) by getting 30 assists in one game against the Denver Nuggets during the 1990-1991 regular season. A special accomplishment deserves such recognition.

   
   

5. Criterion Five: The Intangibles

   Golliver:

   This section takes into account the player's personality, contributions to the community and investment in the organization.

   Ask yourself, "Is the player a credit to the organization, the city and the league?"

   [....]

   While this category is certainly subjective, it is only 20% of the overall picture so haggling over a point up or down should not make or break a candidate's application.

   Skiles - 5 points

   Notes: Skiles was an original member of the Orlando Magic, a fan favorite, a local legend, and more. Skiles left the organization with no negative feelings or sentiments, and was justly honored by the team in 2006 with a night remembering his accomplishments as a former player of the franchise. Skiles hasn't been able to do much within the Central Florida community, but that is due to the fact he is currently a head coach in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks (ironically, the team that originally drafted him). 

Conclusion:

Scott Skiles - 16 points

Notes: Cutoff for "eligibility" is in the 15-17 range on the scale.

To putt Scott Skiles' number in perspective, conducting the same test, Darrell Armstrong was alloted 15 points. There's almost no argument that Armstrong was a better player than Skiles with the Magic, but the main reason why Skiles ended up with an additional point was due to one thing and one thing only - his 30 assists game, which remains a franchise record AND NBA record. That accomplishment, alone, garnered Skiles more points, subsequently tipping the scale in his favor. In the end, the difference in point totals is minute, but it's worth discussing why the difference.

In the end, Skiles is like Armstrong, a "fringe" candidate to have his jersey retired by Orlando.