Iguodala, Iguodala and more Iguodala (Oh and a Tim Perry sighting?)

Yesterday we saw how badly Andre got robbed when he was named the NBA's 49th best player by Tom Ziller of Fanhouse. I thought 49th was a bit ridiculous, but anxious to see the 48 players supposedly "better" than Iguodala before getting too drastic. Numbers 47 and 48 came out today. Here they are:

Josh Howard-48

So we can look at the Josh Howard of February 2008 through the playoffs, or we can look at the Josh Howard of 2003-07. I'm willing to make the leap required to assume the end of last season was a bad, long fluke, caused in part by extraneous issues unlikely to repeat themselves. Which means ... we get the old Josh Howard back.

What is the old Josh Howard? A strong mid-range player, an elite rebounder for his position, an unassailable defender of twos, threes and some fours. A guy who doesn't turn the ball over. A player who, in theory, should benefit from the free-wheeling style of Jason Kidd. A player who, in practice, thrives in the sort of slow-down offense Avery Johnson provided and Rick Carlisle could very well continue. A wing who can take any opponent off the dribble, and keep most opponents from driving past him.

Ok, so the guy ranked ahead of Iguodala has shown a massive decline over the past year. And he's shown that decline as the second-fiddle on a good team, with on of the best distributors of all-time passing to him. He has a ton of off the court problems and isn't the same type of playmaker Iguodala is.

So, do I want an improving star, with no off the court issues, and his only weakness in the Iguodala/Howard matchup is the fact that Iguodala turns the ball over at a higher rate (Iggy-2.6, Howard-1.5 per game)? Or, do I want the guy who's four years older, smokes weed, admits to it, drag races and has declining career? I think I'll take Iguodala. As a matter of fact, it's not even close.

and Gerald Wallace-47

His two common nicknames make more sense than peanut butter and jelly: "Crash" and "Multiplicity." The latter comes from the surreal box scores Wallace collects: he has 18 career 4x4s -- games in which you tally at least 4 points, rebounds, assists and either blocks or steals. (All these plus two others with 4 blocks and fewer steals.) Maybe the perfect example of Wallace's explosive versatility is legendary January 13, 2006, game against Milwaukee: 21 points, 15 rebounds, 8 steals, 4 assists, 4 blocks

In Ziller's own criteria he says this:

* This has nothing to do with fantasy basketball. The skills which win basketball games and the skills which win fantasy basketball leagues are not the same. I'm no fantasy expert (seriously), so this has nothing to do with that.

I know first hand, Crash is an awesome player to have on your fantasy team, but just because he puts up big numbers doesn't mean he's a great NBA player, or better than Iguodala. Ziller even mentions some of his flaws.

From 2004-05 to 2006-07, his first three years as a starter in Charlotte, more than 25% of Wallace's rebounds came on the offensive end. Last season, his offensive boards accounted for only 15% of his total rebounds. (Also, his total rebounds fell quite a bit: you don't make up for lost o-boards by collecting more d-boards.)

Wallace had never taken more than 13% of his field goal attempts from behind the arc ... until last season, when 25% of his shots were threes. Wallace is not a good shooter (understatement), and every threeball launched is one less dunk attempt in a defender's face.

So, Wallace's three point attempts have increased, and his slot blocking (from 2.1 in 05-06 to 0.9 last year) and offensive boards (from 2.2 in 05-06 to 0.9 last year) have decreased. Those numbers will either remain the same or continue to decrease due to Wallace's concussion history. And he's ahead of Iguodala why?

Don't get me wrong, Wallace is a special player. He's a fun guy to watch and I guess you COULD argue that he's better than Iguodala, but you'd be wrong. To add the the argument, last season G-dub had a lower field goal percentage, more turnovers and less assists than Iggy. Then you say, but Wallace gets so many more steals and blocks! And I say, they had an identical 2.1 steals per game and Wallace has a mere 0.3 more blocks per game. Iguodala > Wallace. Numbers 46 and 45, you're next.

More Links:

There's been much speculation that Mr. Iguodala could play for team U.S.A. to 2012. Some people even have him in the starting five. Henry Abbott from TrueHoop disagrees.

So, without further ado, here are the returning players I'd want to see on Team USA in 2010 and 2012:

• Chris Paul: Runner-up for the NBA's MVP award. Good place to start.
• Deron Williams: Big, strong guard who can shoot, defend, and win.
• LeBron James: No one has any idea how to stop this man.
• Dwyane Wade: The revelation of 2008 faces a history of injuries, and free agency in 2010. But if he wants to play, he's welcome on my team.
• Kobe Bryant: He's not getting any younger, and he still looks awkward trying to be selfless. But there's no arguing his talent is supreme.
• Chris Bosh: The U.S. lost nothing on defense when he was on the floor, and he's very efficient with the dunks and layups that result from all the attention paid to James and Wade.
• Dwight Howard: One of the biggest and strongest players in the tournament was also one of the most nimble.

Then I'd add in some players who could help on a long, athletic, multi-talented squad:

• Kevin Durant: The very definition of a long multi-talented athlete, and he'll be much better by 2010.
• Brandon Roy: If this young All-Star can stay healthy, he can be another powerful multi-skilled wing, and also the third point guard you'd need if someone gets hurt.
• Kevin Martin: Remember Michael Redd? Our zone buster? He didn't play much because his defense was low energy. Martin is one of the most efficient shooters in NBA history, and he has the speed and length to thrive in high-energy defense.
• Al Horford: A rapidly developing young big man who is a leader, a finisher, and a fine open-court athlete. About the only thing he lacks is an American passport. The Dominican has lived in the U.S. since he was a young child, and has expressed interest in doing the paperwork necessary to join Team USA.
• Shane Battier: He demonstrated during Houston's big winning streak that he is the best at stopping elite wing scorers. And he can hit the open shot, all while being a great veteran teammate.

So, that's my twelve.

But of course there is a good chance many won't be available. So waiting in the wings I'd have:

• Greg Oden: I would have stuck him on the main team, but for the one little snafu on his record: He has yet to prove he can play one game, let alone 100 or so NBA games. Signing him up for an extra summer season just seems mean, until he has been around a while.
• Carmelo Anthony: He has been a major part of this team for so long. And he has talked about missing his child. I'm guessing he might want some time off, which is why he's not the top twelve. But if he wants to play ...
• Tyson Chandler One of the best in the league at defending power forwards, he can also handle plenty of centers. On offense, if Chris Paul is there, it always seems like Chandler ought to be, too.
• Rodney Stuckey: In his first playoffs, the young Piston guard showed more than enough promise.
• Derrick Rose: I say give him a couple of years to get used the next level of the game, then sneak the "next" point guard onto the roster so he's ready to unleash his game on the world in 2012.
• Rudy Gay: He's showing all the signs of developing into the kinds of wing player that sets the U.S apart.

I love Iguodala, but I'm not completely sold on him being the right fit for Team U.S.A. I have no problems with anyone on this list ahead (I'm not saying they're better, but Olympic basketball is a little different) of Iggy except for maybe Rodney Stuckey and Rudy Gay.

Andre has recently updated his blog with a new post. He says all the right things about the off-season and praises all the Sixers moves and gives a nice shout out to my boys in Dallas and my man T.O. He also talks about his NBA Live experience and takes a tiny shot at Agent zero.

Here's a video of the 5 worst dunks ever. Two Sixers make the cut.

Marty Burns from SI breaks down the Sixers off-season.

Philadelphia 76ers

What went right:

Brand appeal.
In the league's biggest offseason free agent signing, Brand bolted the Clippers for a five-year, $82 million deal with the Sixers. If he's recovered from the Achilles injury that kept him out most of last year, the 6-9 power forward should fill a gaping hole for Philadelphia. Brand's ability to score in the low-post makes the Sixers a much more well-rounded club.

They re-signed Iggy and Lou.
The Sixers also opened up the checkbook to keep two of their own key players in Andre Iguodala and Louis Williams. Iguodala (six years, $80 million) will join with Brand and Andre Miller to form Philly's own Big Three to challenge the one in Boston. Williams (five years, $25 million) will try to reprise his role as the top scoring guard off the bench.

They shored up their bench.
Philadelphia bolstered its depth by signing veterans Kareem Rush, Royal Ivey and Theo Ratliff. Rush (Pacers) brings outside shooting, while Ivey (Hawks) provides solid defense in the backcourt. The 6-10 Ratliff (Pistons) returns to Philadelphia to help back up Brand and Samuel Dalembert in the frontcourt.

What went wrong:

Jason Smith got hurt.
The 6-10 reserve center tore his left ACL while working out in Las Vegas, and is out for the season. Last year he averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds as a rookie while playing solid D as Dalembert's backup. Ratliff should help fill Smith's role, but it's a setback nonetheless for the young player.

They spent a ton of money.
By shelling out almost $200 million on a bevy of free agents, GM Ed Stefanski has invested heavily in this roster. With the Sixers now well into the luxury tax, he might not have much in the way of flexibility. Brand and Iguodala, meanwhile, better live up to expectations or they will surely hear about it from those famous Philly fans.

Grade: A

Luring Brand was a major coup. One of the NBA's surprise teams of a year ago, the Sixers should be even better in '08-09.

Not surprising that the Sixers receive another "A". Ed for EOTY!