Wondering what will be the effects of all the major deals prior to today’s deadline? Well, worry no more as Justin and I are here to help clear up any confusion. I’ll handle the relevant fantasy perspective while Justin will tackle the realistic implications in a subsequent article. If we happen to miss anything or you simply have a question, as always, feel free to leave a comment below.
All the hype surrounding the collaboration between Mark Cuban and Jerry Jones in bringing the 2010 All-Star Game to Dallas wasn’t completely misguided, as the event drew a record crowd of 108,713 people to Cowboys Stadium. The entirety of the weekend proved to be more of a letdown than anything though, with two events in particular standing out as big-time busts.
Photo by Matthew West
Chicago’s veteran center Brad Miller was acquired from Sacramento last February in a trade that also netted fellow playoff standout and fantasy waiver wire standout John Salmons. In return, the Bulls sent Andres Nocioni and Drew Gooden. Both players would play vital roles in what would become one of the greatest, and longest, playoff series of all time.
That series was really a coming out party for Salmons. Prior to the trade to Chicago, Salmons had been wallowing in basketball hell.Where is basketball hell, you ask? Of course it’s Memphis Charlotte Sacramento.
In his first significant minutes in the playoffs of his career (the eight games with the Sixers don’t count; he only played 20 minutes total), Salmons proved that he deserves a starting spot on a contender in the NBA. And at 29 years of age, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Salmons (more or less) maintained his regular season averages of 18 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. However, his efficiency from the field suffered. This is most likely a result of playing the Boston Celtics, which is known for having one of the better defenses in the league (good for second in the league in terms of defensive efficiency in 2008-09), despite Kevin Garnett’s absence.
Beyond the numbers, what was really impressive about Salmons from watching the Bulls-Celtics series was his composure, execution under pressure and hustle on both ends of the floor during the series. He played as a veteran should, despite it being his first (real) appearance on the national stage, and his play warrants universal recognition and respect among basketball fans and analysts.
Salmons’ teammate in both Sacramento and Chicago has faced a similar combination of disrespect and neglect throughout his career. At his prime, Miller was an All-Star caliber center, although not one of the top tier big men. From the recent aforementioned playoff series, Miller is most likely remembered for getting mugged by Boston’s Rajon Rondo in crunch time. And then also for subsequently bonking two free throws. It’s hard to blame the guy as he was visibly shaken from the flagrant foul hard foul from Rondo and subsequent medical treatment.
But people often overlook his follow-up performance in Game Six: 25 points while shooting 8 for 9 from the field, 2 for 2 from deep and 5 for 5 from the charity stripe. Oh, and he also chipped in 10 boards, 1 assist, 0 steals and 2 blocks with four turnovers. And Salmons also dropped 35 in that same game, which would end up being a one point victory for the Celtics extending the series to a much anticipated and ultimately slightly disappointing Game Seven in Boston.
After close examination of Miller’s advanced statistics, it is clear that he is quite valuable to the Bulls. According to 82games’ statistics by position, Miller was good for a +7.4 PER advantage per-48 minutes than his counterpart on opposing teams. Compare Miller’s net gain with Drew Gooden’s positional statistics from last season while playing for the Bulls. At the power forward position, Gooden was a -4.4 PER drain on the team and an even worse -5.8 when playing the center position. Considering that these two players were swapped in the same trade, the statistical difference becomes even more clear.
Miller’s on/off court statistics from his time in Chicago were impressive as well. The on/off court statistics from 82games provides a comparison for how the team performs with a certain player on the court and how they performed without a player on the court. On a per-48 minute basis, the Bulls had a net gain of +7.2 points per-100 possessions. Chicago also had a net gain of +2.1 defensive rebounds per 100 possessions. In terms of per-100 possessions, these gains are actually quite significant.
In a nutshell, Game Six helps illustrate how valuable both Salmons and Brad Miller can be in the right system and with the right supporting cast. In hindsight, it is quite clear that Chicago hit the bulls eye with the trade that netted them Miller and Salmons from the Kings.
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