Changing Of The Guard

http://hoopshabit.com/2014/08/23/boston-celtics-changing-guard/



Boston Celtics: Changing Of The Guard
by James Holas 3h ago


It didn’t used to be this way. Once upon a time, impactful shooting guards who could change the complexion of a season or a series walked among the NBA mortals in abundance.

Even after Sir Jordan the Great hung up his expensive sneakers in the early 2000s, a plethora of prime time off guards once grazed in the NBA badlands. The mid-’90s ushered in the Era Of The Shooting Guard: Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Jerry Stackhouse, Michael Finley, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Ray Allen–these masters of the guard position all were in their prime around the same time.


The era crested in 2002 and 2006, when 11 shooting guards averaged at least 19 points per game (to put that in perspective, 2014 only saw five 2 guards exceed the 19 ppg threshold, four if you think Goran Dragic is a point guard … which I do).

What was the Extinction Level Event that has so thinned the ranks of big time shooting guards? How did we go from Michael Finley averaging 21.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 4.5 apg from ’98 to ’02 but only garnering two All Star selections, to fans being outraged that  one-dimensional Klay Thompson‘s 18 points a night weren’t All-Star worthy?

We can pontificate for ages on the reason the shooting guard position is so sparse, but we can’t ignore that there appears to be a shift in the trend.

Just as the drafting Steve Smith (1991) and Latrell Sprewell (1992) were portents of the influx of two-guard talent in the mid-’90s, the rise of all around threats like Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan and sweet-shooting, high-scoring Wizard Bradley Beal are a sign of things to come. There’s reason to be hopeful about a resurgence of the the NBA featured shooting guard.


The reason is 6 feet, 4 inches of concrete laid over a human form and charged with bad intentions. The reason is Marcus Smart.

I wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of Marcus Smart donning the Celtic green and white at first. The “Tank For Tim Duncan” fiasco still haunts me, and I just KNEW the basketball gods would gift Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge with the No. 1 pick.

Nope.

So I started watching tape on the guy who passed up millions in 2013 to go back to play for the NCAA for free. I saw a broad shouldered bully on the court who could finish with a defender draped over him like a blankie in nap-time.

I saw a crafty handle, a motor powered by plutonium, a fire plug with the guts to take and make big shots. I saw shades of Dwyane Wade, flashes of Brandon Roy, a bit of Bonzi Wells as Smart mercilessly abused smaller defenders in the post.

Sure, Smart was playing point guard in college … so what? I became dizzy picturing Marcus Smart and Rajon Rondo torturing opposing backcourts.

I dug a little deeper. The “eye test” told me that Boston had a certified weapon who could run either guard spot and defend like a demon, but how did he stack up against established NBA stars coming out of college?

The answer? Pretty damn well.

Dwyane Wade (Soph., Marquette, ’03) :  21.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.2 stls, 50% fg
Brandon Roy (Sr., Washington, ’06):   20.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.4 stls, 51% fg
James Harden (Soph., Arizona State):  20.1 ppg,  5.6 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.7 stls, 49% fg
Michael Finley (Sr., Wisconsin):  20.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.0 apg,  1.9 stls, 38% fg
Marcus Smart (Soph., Oklahoma St.):  18.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.8 apg, 2.9 stls, 42% fg

Yes, Smart’s sophomore year field goal percentage left much to be desired, but shooting can be taught, and Finley entered the NBA with worst percentages but ended up a dead-eye 3 point shooter.

The four established NBA stars listed above averaged 25.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, and 6 apg in their respective best NBA years. There’s no guarantee that Marcus Smart reaches those lofty levels, but if they’re setting the precedent and Smart approaches that level of production, that’s pretty damn good.

And can you guess how many players have matched Smarts 18-5.9-4.8-2.9 college stat-line in the last 17 years? That’s right. None.

I mean, college stats aren’t everything; we saw the likes of Adam Morrison and Jimmer Fredette put up huge college numbers, we saw Evan Turner draw oohs and ahs as a college star.  But Evan Turner wasn’t built like a rhinoceros that can dribble.

Ammo and Jimmer weren’t 240 lbs of aggressive muscle. I had a feeling Boston had someone special with the No. 6 pick; reading Bobby Gonzalez’s and Sam Amico’s reports of Marcus Smart holding his own against the upper echelon point guards in the NBA at Team USA camp in Vegas did it for me: Marcus Smart is the second coming of the great NBA shooting guard.

Call me a homer, call me crazy, but call me the fan of the next great NBA guard, Marcus Smart.



bob



.

I'm hooked.  How many of our centers have we wished weighed 240 pounds?  And, on Marcus, it's muscle.  I only hope Dwayne Wade totters around long enough for Marcus to do some terrible things to his body.  Of course, that wouldn't be a very nice trick on an old man....in other words, just what Wade deserves.

Go Marcus.

Sam

I am not yet convinced that Marcus shot the ball well enough, especially from the perimeter, to be impactful offensively at the 2.  However I think he will have a big impact at the defensive end when playing off guard.  

dboss

James Holas can sure write and think well. Kudos. Now I'm really looking forward to this season. Sam, I echo your sentiments about Smart vs. Wade. Payback is a bitch! I hope Rondo's on the court to watch it happen.

sam wrote:I'm hooked.  How many of our centers have we wished weighed 240 pounds?  And, on Marcus, it's muscle.  I only hope Dwayne Wade totters around long enough for Marcus to do some terrible things to his body.  Of course, that wouldn't be a very nice trick on an old man....in other words, just what Wade deserves.

Go Marcus.

Sam

you sound like me

Around draft time I read that Smart was about 218, I think hes alot closer to 220 than 240, that being said, just seeing him run up and down that court he's obviously jacked. Muhammad Ali fought at around 212-215, they are both around 6'3", if Smart chose another path as a kid, he sure could have excelled as a boxer/MMA fighter.....just saying.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Around draft time I read that Smart was about 218, I think hes alot closer to 220 than 240, that being said, just seeing him run up and down that court he's obviously jacked. Muhammad Ali fought at around 212-215, they are both around 6'3", if Smart chose another path as a kid, he sure could have excelled as a boxer/MMA fighter.....just saying.

cowens,

Draft Express has him weighing in at this year's NBA Draft Combine at 227#.

When Ali fought George Foreman in '74, in the Rumble in the Jungle, he was 216#. Foreman was 220#. When he fought Frazier in '75, at the Thrilla in Manila, he was 224#. Frazier was 215#. I always thought of both of those opponents as being much bigger than Ali, but they weren't. Big George just had extremely heavy hands that could poleax you with a single punch and Smokin' Joe was a bobbin' weavin' buzzsaw that only knew one direction, forward.

Back on topic, Muhammed Ali, at his heaviest of 226#, was never as heavy as 20 year old Marcus Smart.

I hope he turns DWade into South Beach jam.

Considering how much you like physical players (me too!) you gotta be loving this pick. He's a rhinoceros that can dribble.


bob



.

Cow,

Draft Express said 227.  I believe I read 240 somewhere on this forum, which of course doesn't make it official but is good enough for someone as lazy as I am.  And, as for sounding like you, don't worry.  I promise to change.  LOL.

Oops, sorry Bob.  I didn't realize you had posted the 227 thing...just went off searching for Draft Express.  But I have a thought.  If we both think he weighs at least 227, does that mean he could really weigh 454?  Who was that Hamilton guy who had a cup of coffee with the Celtics and resembled Fat Albert?

Sam

227 is more than some centers in the league

worcester wrote:227 is more than some centers in the league

worcester,

I don't know about centers, but Paul Pierce was always considered to be a pretty powerfully built SF and he's 6'7" (3" taller than Smart) and 235# (only 8# heavier).

DWade was considered a brute at the SG position at 6'3", 220#.  Smart could run over him like a Hummer over a Prius.

Paul George is one of the top SFs in the league (I'm being nice and using the present tense) and he's only 220#

Ersan Ilyasova, of the Bucks, is a 6'10", 235# PF.

Ol' Unibrow, Anthony Davis, is 237#.

Bosh, 235#


Part of Bradley's problem is that, while he's very quick and aggressive and that allows him to guard PGs, he's not built to take punishment from SGs, especially the bigger ones.  Marcus Smart is built to take the punishment and to dish it out too.



bob


.

Jujuan was less than 225. Joachim came into thte NBA at 220, didn't he?

A player's weight is very difficult to know accurately once they're in the league. They get measured as part of the pre-draft process, but then after that, it's whatever they want to say.

Using the eye test, I don't see any way that Paul George and Dwyane Wade are the same weight. Maybe it's an illusion with all the padding and gear, but Wade looks much heavier than Paul George. My guess is that Wade is in the 240-250 range. He looks bulkier than other guys out on the court.

LeBron has been listed for a while as 250, but Brian Windhorst confirmed what I've thought for a while, that he's been well over that weight:

The other thing that motivated LeBron's weight loss, according to Windhorst, is his self-consciousness at people thinking he weighs over 270 pounds. From Windhorst:

"He has actually been in the mid-260s and sometimes over 270 in his career. He doesn't like talking about it. I don't even know what they list him at. I think they might list him at 250. He has been a little self-conscious about that in recent years, so I think there's a secondary reason as well."

http://www.businessinsider.com/skinny-lebron-james-2014-8#ixzz3BR3VYC9c

"Skinny" LeBron might actually be 250.

Wade has also apparently gone on a diet to lose weight this summer. It only makes sense, considering the literal impact all that weight has on his knees.

Wade's a lightweight in every sense other than his girth.

Unimportant species.

He's a punk rocker without rocking ability.

Sam

So in Wade's case, with his dieting, it could be Changing of the Gourd or Changing of the Gordo, as they say in Spanish.

Outside wrote:A player's weight is very difficult to know accurately once they're in the league. They get measured as part of the pre-draft process, but then after that, it's whatever they want to say.

Using the eye test, I don't see any way that Paul George and Dwyane Wade are the same weight. Maybe it's an illusion with all the padding and gear, but Wade looks much heavier than Paul George. My guess is that Wade is in the 240-250 range. He looks bulkier than other guys out on the court.

LeBron has been listed for a while as 250, but Brian Windhorst confirmed what I've thought for a while, that he's been well over that weight:

The other thing that motivated LeBron's weight loss, according to Windhorst, is his self-consciousness at people thinking he weighs over 270 pounds. From Windhorst:

"He has actually been in the mid-260s and sometimes over 270 in his career. He doesn't like talking about it. I don't even know what they list him at. I think they might list him at 250. He has been a little self-conscious about that in recent years, so I think there's a secondary reason as well."

http://www.businessinsider.com/skinny-lebron-james-2014-8#ixzz3BR3VYC9c

"Skinny" LeBron might actually be 250.

Wade has also apparently gone on a diet to lose weight this summer. It only makes sense, considering the literal impact all that weight has on his knees.

Outside,

George is 5-6" taller than DWade, more length to spread the weight over.  I posted a video of Smart and Randle having a dunk-a-thon.  Smart looked MUCH bigger than Randle, his shoulders looked 50% wider.  Then they stood next to each other and you saw that Randle was a good 4" taller.

Smart's shoulders were still 50% wider.


bob



.

bobheckler wrote:George is 5-6" taller than DWade, more length to spread the weight over.  I posted a video of Smart and Randle having a dunk-a-thon.  Smart looked MUCH bigger than Randle, his shoulders looked 50% wider.  Then they stood next to each other and you saw that Randle was a good 4" taller.

Smart's shoulders were still 50% wider.

According to Draft Express, George was only 4" taller, but point taken. I didn't realize that Paul George was that much taller. He's a half-inch taller than LeBron, though LeBron may have grown since then since he came straight out of high school.

Outside wrote:

bobheckler wrote:George is 5-6" taller than DWade, more length to spread the weight over.  I posted a video of Smart and Randle having a dunk-a-thon.  Smart looked MUCH bigger than Randle, his shoulders looked 50% wider.  Then they stood next to each other and you saw that Randle was a good 4" taller.

Smart's shoulders were still 50% wider.

According to Draft Express, George was only 4" taller, but point taken. I didn't realize that Paul George was that much taller. He's a half-inch taller than LeBron, though LeBron may have grown since then since he came straight out of high school.

If they did a tale of the tape. Believe his legs are appreciably bigger than most players regardless of position. Check the thighs and the calfs. Smart is build up top, and on the bottom.

beat

Sort of like us, Beat.

Sam




[url=#][/url]
Ads by GoPhoto.it V9.0[url=#][/url]
Ads by GoPhoto.it V9.0

bobheckler wrote:

cowens/oldschool wrote:Around draft time I read that Smart was about 218, I think hes alot closer to 220 than 240, that being said, just seeing him run up and down that court he's obviously jacked. Muhammad Ali fought at around 212-215, they are both around 6'3", if Smart chose another path as a kid, he sure could have excelled as a boxer/MMA fighter.....just saying.

cowens,

Draft Express has him weighing in at this year's NBA Draft Combine at 227#.

When Ali fought George Foreman in '74, in the Rumble in the Jungle, he was 216#.  Foreman was 220#.  When he fought Frazier in '75, at the Thrilla in Manila, he was 224#.  Frazier was 215#.  I always thought of both of those opponents as being much bigger than Ali, but they weren't.  Big George just had extremely heavy hands that could poleax you with a single punch and Smokin' Joe was a bobbin' weavin' buzzsaw that only knew one direction, forward.

Back on topic, Muhammed Ali, at his heaviest of 226#, was never as heavy as 20 year old Marcus Smart.

I hope he turns DWade into South Beach jam.

Considering how much you like physical players (me too!) you gotta be loving this pick.  He's a rhinoceros that can dribble.


bob



.

yeah bob I am loving this pick, at first I thought Exum was a Kobe clone and wanted him, but seeing him in SL he didn't look all that great, he didn't stand out. Smart despite his sporadic shooting always showed me something, he never tried to dominate the ball too much and his defense was as advertised, hes a guard that loves to do the dirty work. I think were gonna be seeing one of the strongest 6'3" players ever with enough speed and skill to really punish and be effective both ends and both positions.....also love what I read about his holding his own working out with the Olympic team. Seems like we got really lucky, this kid could have been the 2nd pick in last years draft.