Basketball Free For All

With yet another NBA trade deadline coming and going, a lot of excitement and hope was generated among the fans and media.  Some teams were looking for that final piece that makes them championship material.  Others simply were looking for a player that helps them get into the postseason.  Lastly, there were a few who look at this time of the year as the highlight of the season as their team struggles to even be competitive on a nightly basis so might as well position themselves for the upcoming lottery.  Whatever the reasons, all fans hoped their team would have made a trade or two that improved future prospects.  Question is, how often can these deadline deals really be coined successful?

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The Orlando Magic’s Jameer Nelson made his return to action from shoulder surgery in game one of the Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. The results were not encouraging, although Nelson’s return to action is certainly not the sole reason. Nelson’s return had a negative effect on starting point guard Rafer Alston.

Rafer Alston helped guide the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals, then helped them take a lead after the first quarter of Game 1.

Then he sat, for a long time — way too long.

By the time Alston got back in the game, his rhythm was gone, and so was Orlando’s lead. He never recovered and neither did the Magic, whose strong start quickly turned into a 100-75 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

On Friday, Alston acknowledged the difficulty of sitting the entire second quarter while Jameer Nelson played all 12 minutes — a decision Stan Van Gundy admitted was a mistake — in his return from a shoulder injury.

“It was odd. I mean, I think everyone can see that. That’s unusual to start the game and then you don’t even touch the court in the second quarter,” Alston said.

Source: Associated Press

As feared, Nelson’s return to the Magic’s rotation upset Alston’s rhythym and also affected his mental disposition. As mentioned earlier on these pages (A Finals Jameeracle?, May 31, 2009), not knowing how many minutes a player will get from game-to-game can have a serious negative effect on the player’s production. These negative mental side effects are compounded by the effects on the player’s rhythym. In short, Nelson’s return took something that wasn’t broken and busted it up. The fault for this is not Nelson’s; it actually lies on the Magic’s head coach Stan Van Gundy.

Van Gundy should definitely been more aware of how Nelson’s return would affect Alston. As a coach, Van Gundy has always been quick to admit when is wrong and he has already taken responsibility for not managing Nelson’s minutes effectively in game one. After all, Nelson and Alston have never played together in the same game on the same team as Rafer was acquired after Jameer’s regular season-ending shoulder injury.

Again, trying to rotate three players for one position is not an easy task and the simplest solution to the dilemma is to reduce the rotation to two players. This is precisely what is meant when a coach is said to be tightening up their playoff rotation. So who should be the odd man out between Nelson, Alston and Anthony Johnson in the Magic’s point guard rotation for the 2009 NBA Finals? As I’ve argued earlier, Nelson should be the odd man out and be used primarily as injury insurance to one of the two point guards that helped the Magic advance at each stage of the postseason. However, the damage is already done and it is up to Van Gundy to correct his error.

Let’s just hope this miracle mistake doesn’t end up costing the Magic franchise it’s first Larry O’Brien trophy.

There is ample reason to celebrate in Orlando tonight with the Magic making their first NBA Finals appearance since 1995 when they had a young center named Shaquille O’Neal. Nowadays, the Magic have another young center roaming the paint but may have just been given another reason to celebrate. Rumors now have point guard Jameer Nelson possibly making a Finals appearance as he has made great strides since he dislocated his shoulder in February.

They are encouraged by Nelson’s rehabilitation so much that they will evaluate the possibility of the all-star playing if the club reaches the NBA Finals against the Lakers, the Sentinel has learned.

Vander Weide said the team is exploring whether Nelson can return after undergoing shoulder surgery Feb. 19. He hasn’t played since he was injured Feb. 3 against the Dallas Mavericks.

Although Nelson wouldn’t be in prime condition, Vander Weide said, “the chance to get an all-star point guard on the floor for 15 minutes a game…you’d have to look at that.”

Source: Orlando Sentinal

With the Magic playing incredible basketball right now, the question arises of whether the Magic even try and play Nelson at all? After all, if it ain’t broke then don’t break it. Both starting point guard Rafer Alston and backup veteran point guard Anthony Johnson have played well throughout the postseason. Is it worth messing with the successful tandem that has anchored the Orlando backcourt to bring Nelson back into the mix?

This past season Jameer was putting up really nice numbers, averaging16.7 points on 50.3/45.3/88.7 percent shooting, 3.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.1 blocks and 2.0 turnovers per game.  He scored efficiently from the field and was especially deadly from behind the arc. Most impressively, however, was Nelson’s defensive presence on the floor (compare Nelson with his counterpart’s per-48 minute production).

There is a serious risk in bringing Nelson in at this stage in the game. He is obviously going to be very rusty and will most definitely not be in game shape. With over four months of rest, Nelson may not be mentally prepared to step into the pressure of the Finals without having a few full contact practices under his belt. Also, trying to rotate three players for one position (see the Lakers with Derek Fisher, Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar; they can really only expect solid production from one of the three on any given night). When players do not know how many minutes there are going to play on any given night, it can have a negative effect on their play.

Another Lakers parallel seems relevant here. The 2007-08 Lakers trying to work Andrew Bynum back into the rotation during the playoffs had mixed success. There are mentle hurdles that players must overcome in order to truly play at full strength on a recently injured body part (for example a player can favor the healthy leg and actually damage their healthy leg in the process). Although the doctors may have cleared Nelson’s body to play basketball, there is no telling whether he is mentally prepared to play at full strength effectively.

Both Alston and Johnson have been effective enough to believe that the Magic can legitimately challenge the Lakers in this year’s NBA Finals with or without Jameer Nelson. Although Nelson would probably be the best suited to defend Derek Fisher, the Lakers’ point guards do not play as integral of a role in the Lakers offense than other point guards in the league. However it would probably be wise to get Nelson into the best shape possible to insure against an injury to either of the Magic’s other point guards. It’s hard to fault a team for having too much depth at the point.