Comments on: Rip Hamilton finishes at 126, Greg Monroe at 132 in ESPN #NBARank

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:22:07 +0000

Yeah, def. Interested to see how many other teams are shut out of the top 100. Charlotte has to be a lock. Maybe Cleveland too (haven’t seen if Varejao was ranked yet … he’d be their only possibility I think now that Jamison and Davis came off the board today … not that those guys should be top 100, but name recognition is huge in this).

By: tarsier

tarsier — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:14:38 +0000

Wow, amazing how close the last three ended up being ranked. I guess Detroit gets a top 100 goose egg.

By: tarsier

tarsier — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 23:45:01 +0000

Agreed that Stuckey is at least as good as Prince at this point. But I still can’t see him winding up higher in the rankings.

By: Patrick Hayes

Patrick Hayes — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:57:29 +0000

You overrate Prince, but we've had that discussion before. He doesn't get to the line, he doesn't score without having the ball in his hands like 21 seconds per possession and his defense has been just average or a little below for a a few seasons now. Stuckey is no prize either, but he does get to the line and his ability to slash does create open shots when he bothers to pass.

I mean, if either guy is your best player, you're screwed. But I think Stuckey was measurably a bit better last year. And honestly, I think Greg Monroe was better than both of those guys last year, but I didn't expect Monroe to do as well as he should have in the rankings.

By: Laser

Laser — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:44:32 +0000

i don’t see how stuckey could possibly rank above prince. now that monroe’s been listed, prince should be the highest rated piston. hands down.

By: tarsier

tarsier — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:06:23 +0000

*bag 35 anytime they want (not 355)

By: tarsier

tarsier — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:05:47 +0000

Ok, let me rephrase. If a player can get 35 any night he wants, why would he choose not to do it every night? Kobe and Dirk et al could get 35 somewhat regularly but being able to do it one night in 4 or 5 is far from being able to do it whenever you want. That would be like saying Dwight Howard can grab 15 boards any night he wants. I bet you he wants to grab at least that many every night. Sometimes he manages to, sometimes he doesn’t.

I agree wholeheartedly about the efficiency thing. but that is also why I don’t think that if Rip was taking more attempts I would agree he hasn’t lost a beat. I don’t care that his scoring average has come down. But in his prime, he’d hit around 47-48%–that’s good stuff. Now he shoots around 40-42%–that’s inefficient. And while he doesn’t appear to work as hard on either end, it often means defenders slough off him a bit. Most of the time, his shots are as open as ever. Namely, if he shoots right away when he gets the ball, it’s an open midrange shot. If he holds on to it, the defenders closes. But that’s what he’s built his career on. And don’t tell me he just doesn’t shoot enough to get in a rhythm. Because his percentages never seemed to be skewed toward after he’d taken 5-10 shots.

But yeah, my main point is what player who can bag 355 anytime they want, wouldn’t choose to average at least 35?

By: RyanK

RyanK — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:15:30 +0000

Tarsier, there have been a lot of guys who can bag 35 anytime they want. Dirk, Bird, Kobe, Shaq, Hakeem, Reggie…

I don’t mean average 35, I’m saying go out and get it if Rip wanted to. It would be easier for him to do it on a given night than Kobe, because no one expect him to take 25 shots. But if he did he could bag 35-40 no problem.

It frustrates the hell out of me when people think hitting a certain number of points scored means a player is good. If the player can do it efficiently is the question. Rip can’t load the team on his back for an entire season and have success…but he couldn’t do that in his prime either. Rip is solid and if he was taking more shot attempts per game you’d agree he’s as good as he used to be.

By: Mike Payne

Mike Payne — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 05:24:53 +0000

@RyanK: mad respect for you sharing your opinion and all, but I think it would be wise if you took off your Rip jersey and official Rip mask when doing so. I’m saying this without my Dumars boxers on, so you can understand that I’m coming from a place of mutual understanding.

By: tarsier

tarsier — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:41:25 +0000

Furthermore, he scored 35 once last season and locked down his guy maybe 3 times. From that, you are able to conclude he can do it anytime he wants.