Even Better Trad

Mutangclan wrote:

TheMagnus wrote:

What about Andre Miller?

Quote :

Andre Miller is playing in his 13th season in the NBA and the veteran point guard wants to play 15. Miller is currently the backup to starter Ty Lawson and he doesn't sound too thrilled with his role on the Nuggets.

“I want more minutes,” Miller told the Colorado Springs Gazette. “If we were losing I would really be complaining. But it’s going as it goes. ... I don't know how much longer they want me here. I definitely would like to contribute more. I’m not just going to sit back and settle in and be a backup and let my career just fade away. I’m competitive in that way.”

Miller re-signed with the Nuggets in September and his contract runs through 2014-15. He's set to make $5 million in 2013-14 and the last season has $2 million of salary protection of the $4.65 million cap number.

Miller could ask for a trade, however most teams view him as a backup. As a result Miller will likely finish up his final two years as a player with the Nuggets.

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/nba/rumors/

Miller would be freaking sweet as a place holder while we find a long term solution.

I'd much rather have Ridnour. Overall better player imo. Andre slightly better passer.

Not me, I think Miller is better in almost every way accept shooting the 3.


http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=1&p1=millean02&y1=2013&p2=ridnolu01&y2=2013

TheMagnus wrote:

Not me, I think Miller is better in almost every way accept shooting the 3.


http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=1&p1=millean02&y1=2013&p2=ridnolu01&y2=2013

Yea but Mag, thats over his entire career....how about NOW...... But Andre really is old man, he just is, despite how long he says he wants to play. Whats Andre doing now? Ridnour is still playing really really well.

Mutangclan wrote:

TheMagnus wrote:

Not me, I think Miller is better in almost every way accept shooting the 3.


http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=1&p1=millean02&y1=2013&p2=ridnolu01&y2=2013

Yea but Mag, thats over his entire career....how about NOW...... But Andre really is old man, he just is, despite how long he says he wants to play. Whats Andre doing now? Ridnour is still playing really really well.

Same story this year, Miller is kind of ageless...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&p1=millean02&y1=2013&p2=ridnolu01&y2=2013

TheMagnus wrote:

Mutangclan wrote:

TheMagnus wrote:

Not me, I think Miller is better in almost every way accept shooting the 3.


http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=1&p1=millean02&y1=2013&p2=ridnolu01&y2=2013

Yea but Mag, thats over his entire career....how about NOW...... But Andre really is old man, he just is, despite how long he says he wants to play. Whats Andre doing now? Ridnour is still playing really really well.

Same story this year, Miller is kind of ageless...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&p1=millean02&y1=2013&p2=ridnolu01&y2=2013

Oh. Well then. Very interesting, he's been playing better than I thought. Ok, you win. I'd take him. Maybe he gets a boost finishing his career in Utah too.

Mutangclan wrote:

TheMagnus wrote:

Mutangclan wrote:

TheMagnus wrote:

Not me, I think Miller is better in almost every way accept shooting the 3.


http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=1&p1=millean02&y1=2013&p2=ridnolu01&y2=2013

Yea but Mag, thats over his entire career....how about NOW...... But Andre really is old man, he just is, despite how long he says he wants to play. Whats Andre doing now? Ridnour is still playing really really well.

Same story this year, Miller is kind of ageless...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&p1=millean02&y1=2013&p2=ridnolu01&y2=2013

Oh. Well then. Very interesting, he's been playing better than I thought. Ok, you win. I'd take him. Maybe he gets a boost finishing his career in Utah too.

As long as Burks is not part of the deal. Kid played good in crunch time for not really having any so far. I think we trade Burk it'll come back and bite us in the butt!

Who was it that was saying Phoenix would be a good trade partner for the Jazz, and that Jefferson makes the most sense?

oh, ya, it was me...

Quote :

Jared Dudley's name came up this weekend due to the Suns apparent interest in the Knicks' Iman Shumpert. Dudley says he doesn't get caught up with all the trade speculation.

“Anytime you’re on a team that’s a losing team and they’ve got a lot of draft picks, it’s going to be up in discussions,” Dudley tells Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. “In the NBA, 90 percent of the rumors don’t come true. It comes with territory and doesn’t faze me at all.”

According to Coro, the Suns have shown some interest in Utah’s Al Jefferson and Gordon Hayward. There is a chance Dudley and Marcin Gortat could be part of an offer to Utah for Jefferson, who will be a free agent in July. Dudley is signed through 2015-16, although he could be a free agent in 2015 if he exercises the early termination option in his contract. Gortat will be a free agent in 2014.

“When my name came up before, I was a throw-in,” Dudley said. “Now, I think I’ve worked on my game where I could be a good piece or asset for the Suns or any team.”

Now, I'd rather have Dragic than Dudley, but Dudley isn't bad, and I'd demand Marshal in the deal if I was taking Dudley...

Deal looks like this...

Jazz get Gortat, Dudley, Marshall

Phoenix gets Jefferson, Watson (or Tinsley), and Murphy

That deal makes a ton of sense for both teams if you ask me.

...The best thing ever would be if we threw in Marvin and got back Dragic too, that would be freaking awesome, I'd throw in the GS pick to make that happen.

TheMagnus wrote:

Deal looks like this...

Jazz get Gortat, Dudley, Marshall

Phoenix gets Jefferson, Watson (or Tinsley), and Murphy

That deal makes a ton of sense for both teams if you ask me.

...The best thing ever would be if we threw in Marvin and got back Dragic too, that would be freaking awesome, I'd throw in the GS pick to make that happen.

I don't see PHO wanting the Dragic/ Marvin option, but the Gortat, Dudley, Marshall deal looks nice to me. The negative to that deal is that I doubt the Jazz resign Carroll if they take on Dudley , especially since they seem to be married to Foye. Also, getting Gortat might mean no resigning Millsap.

Picking up a young point with upside, like Marshall, plus a more than competent big, and a nice wing is a good deal for Al, if the Jazz choose to move him.

zero24gravity wrote:

TheMagnus wrote:

Deal looks like this...

Jazz get Gortat, Dudley, Marshall

Phoenix gets Jefferson, Watson (or Tinsley), and Murphy

That deal makes a ton of sense for both teams if you ask me.

...The best thing ever would be if we threw in Marvin and got back Dragic too, that would be freaking awesome, I'd throw in the GS pick to make that happen.

I don't see PHO wanting the Dragic/ Marvin option, but the Gortat, Dudley, Marshall deal looks nice to me. The negative to that deal is that I doubt the Jazz resign Carroll if they take on Dudley , especially since they seem to be married to Foye. Also, getting Gortat might mean no resigning Millsap.

Picking up a young point with upside, like Marshall, plus a more than competent big, and a nice wing is a good deal for Al, if the Jazz choose to move him.

Ya, I agree on both counts there, with Millsap though I think Gortat just provides insurance. I really believe that if the Jazz don't trade Millsap (same is true of Jefferson) they will want to keep him for the right price, if some other team overpays then they will let them walk.

Lets also not forget that the Jazz also have two draft picks, if you add those to the mix then two more players on the current roster have to go, and with Burks comming on this summer may be the time when the Jazz finally turn it over and let all of the vets, save maybe 1 or 2 go.

I can tell you that is what I would like to see, make a trade like this one, look to move Marvin, look to resign Demarre and Paul and maybe Mo if the price is right, draft another PG, look to steal a solid restricted FA from somebody, and call it a day.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1524822-ideal-potential-landing-spots-and-trade-scenarios-for-josh-smith#/articles/1524822-ideal-potential-landing-spots-and-trade-scenarios-for-josh-smith/page/5

Ran accross thought i would share and get fead back?

Richardale wrote:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1524822-ideal-potential-landing-spots-and-trade-scenarios-for-josh-smith#/articles/1524822-ideal-potential-landing-spots-and-trade-scenarios-for-josh-smith/page/5

Ran accross thought i would share and get fead back?

I don't know about this one ....

Jazz give Millsap & Bell
Jazz get SF Devin Ebanks (Los Angeles), PG Luke Ridnour (Minnesota) and PF Derrick Williams (Minnesota)


I mean, IMO De.Williams will always be more of a "bust" than Marv will ever be, so he does nothing for me. So this is trading Ridnour for Millsap. Anyone feel that's a good deal? Maybe if the team was to pick up some draft picks, then I'd be more excited. But the idea of helping the Lakers in any way kinda turns me away from the offer.

Also, the Jazz would have to include another player (Murphy or Watson?) to make it work since they can't take on an extra roster spot.

The Nets are focusing on Utah's Paul Millsap or another power forward to add by the trading deadline. The Nets and Jazz have been trading partners in the past, highlighted by the Nets' bold move to get Williams at the 2011 mid-season deadline. But King also insists he hasn't given up on this group. New York Daily News

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/nets-thinking-big-trade-deadline-looms-article-1.1262038



On that note, please, PUHLEASE, can Utah for once get the BEST player in the deal, and not the worst?!!??!

Mutangclan wrote:

The Nets are focusing on Utah's Paul Millsap or another power forward to add by the trading deadline. The Nets and Jazz have been trading partners in the past, highlighted by the Nets' bold move to get Williams at the 2011 mid-season deadline. But King also insists he hasn't given up on this group. New York Daily News

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/nets-thinking-big-trade-deadline-looms-article-1.1262038



On that note, please, PUHLEASE, can Utah for once get the BEST player in the deal, and not the worst?!!??!

I was actually just thinking about the D-Will trade...and the Jazz absolutely killed that deal.

First off, lets look at trading D-Will for Devin Harris straight up. The Jazz had Harris for the same amount of time they would have had D-Will before he left, the half season was basically a loss for both so lets look at 2011-2012...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&p1=willide01&y1=2012&p2=harride01&y2=2012

Williams was better, but not that much better, he's battled injuries pretty much ever since we traded him and just has never returned his his top form.

But that was just the head to head, we also got Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and a draft pick we still haven't used. That deal looks better and better as time goes on, and I'd like to see another one just like it.

zero24gravity wrote:

Richardale wrote:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1524822-ideal-potential-landing-spots-and-trade-scenarios-for-josh-smith#/articles/1524822-ideal-potential-landing-spots-and-trade-scenarios-for-josh-smith/page/5

Ran accross thought i would share and get fead back?

I don't know about this one ....

Jazz give Millsap & Bell
Jazz get SF Devin Ebanks (Los Angeles), PG Luke Ridnour (Minnesota) and PF Derrick Williams (Minnesota)


I mean, IMO De.Williams will always be more of a "bust" than Marv will ever be, so he does nothing for me. So this is trading Ridnour for Millsap. Anyone feel that's a good deal? Maybe if the team was to pick up some draft picks, then I'd be more excited. But the idea of helping the Lakers in any way kinda turns me away from the offer.

Also, the Jazz would have to include another player (Murphy or Watson?) to make it work since they can't take on an extra roster spot.

This trade does nothing for the Jazz I just don't see it happening ever, Ridnour is not a PG that would take the Jazz into the future the guy is a back-up at best and the other two players have shown nothing at all.

TheMagnus wrote:

But that was just the head to head, we also got Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and a draft pick we still haven't used. That deal looks better and better as time goes on, and I'd like to see another one just like it.

I no no, absolutely. I was not referring to the Dwill trade. I'm well documented as we KILLED in that deal, when KOC struck when NJ was most vulnerable.

Was thinking more along the lines of less talented players. I just dont want to give up Al, and all we have to show for it is Humphries. I'm worried everybody is including Utah just because they have a good player to trade, and everyone else has contracts and minor players they want to get rid of.

Mutangclan wrote:

TheMagnus wrote:

But that was just the head to head, we also got Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and a draft pick we still haven't used. That deal looks better and better as time goes on, and I'd like to see another one just like it.

I no no, absolutely. I was not referring to the Dwill trade. I'm well documented as we KILLED in that deal, when KOC struck when NJ was most vulnerable.

Was thinking more along the lines of less talented players. I just dont want to give up Al, and all we have to show for it is Humphries. I'm worried everybody is including Utah just because they have a good player to trade, and everyone else has contracts and minor players they want to get rid of.

I don't think you need to worry, if there is one thing KOC and Lindsay (with the Spurs) have demonstrated it's that they don't really do those kinds of deals, they leave that to the teams with more money than brains.

Ramon Sessions is a better PG option for the Jazz and I think he could be gotten at a very good price in a trade, the Jazz send them Bell, Watson and a pick in return for him this gives the Jazz a PG that they can go into the future with IMO anyway.

TheMagnus wrote:

Mutangclan wrote:

TheMagnus wrote:

But that was just the head to head, we also got Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, and a draft pick we still haven't used. That deal looks better and better as time goes on, and I'd like to see another one just like it.

I no no, absolutely. I was not referring to the Dwill trade. I'm well documented as we KILLED in that deal, when KOC struck when NJ was most vulnerable.

Was thinking more along the lines of less talented players. I just dont want to give up Al, and all we have to show for it is Humphries. I'm worried everybody is including Utah just because they have a good player to trade, and everyone else has contracts and minor players they want to get rid of.

I don't think you need to worry, if there is one thing KOC and Lindsay (with the Spurs) have demonstrated it's that they don't really do those kinds of deals, they leave that to the teams with more money than brains.

I can't imagine a straight up trade between the Nets & Jazz that makes any sense for Utah. All the rumors say they are targeting Millsap, but what would work? Humphries makes 12 million for 2 years, Wallace makes almost 9 million for 4 years. Anyone think the Jazz would take on either of those contracts? Brook Lopez isn't going anywhere (4 years almost 14 million per). Deron traded? I don't think so. JJ for almost 20 million? ....that would almost take the contracts of Paul AND Al to make it work.

If Brooklyn really wants Paul there will have to be a third team involved that wants to unload a player the Jazz want in exchange for these Brooklyn contracts.

The only deal I can see that would be even remotely interesting would be Wallace & Brooks for Sap & Bell, but even that, due to the length of a declining Wallace's contract, isn't a good trade.

I just don't see it happening.

Now, if they want to swap Deron for Al ... I'd listen

Quote :

Ric Bucher: Update on the Utah Jazz trade front: While I noted several days ago that Paul Millsap appeared to be the likelier Jazz big man to be dealt before the February trade deadline, an opposing team executive said there is more league-wide interest in Al Jefferson. It is not a lock that either of them is moved before the trade deadline, but there's also no guarantee that only one of them is moved; the exec said it's very conceivable that both could wind up in a different uniform by next season

In other words as usual nobody, not opposing executives, not league "insiders", and certainly not over-eager reporters know what the hell is going on in the Utah front office. Every word you hear about Jazz players being traded is pure speculation.

I loved KOC's quote recently where he basically said that he tells other teams that if they talk about the conversations they have with him he won't deal with them. I wonder how many deals that has killed over the years? It really does seem like if you hear about something Jazz trade related in the media it's almost guaranteed NOT to happen, no matter how well founded it may or may not be.

TheMagnus wrote:

Quote :

Ric Bucher: Update on the Utah Jazz trade front: While I noted several days ago that Paul Millsap appeared to be the likelier Jazz big man to be dealt before the February trade deadline, an opposing team executive said there is more league-wide interest in Al Jefferson. It is not a lock that either of them is moved before the trade deadline, but there's also no guarantee that only one of them is moved; the exec said it's very conceivable that both could wind up in a different uniform by next season

In other words as usual nobody, not opposing executives, not league "insiders", and certainly not over-eager reporters know what the hell is going on in the Utah front office. Every word you hear about Jazz players being traded is pure speculation.

I loved KOC's quote recently where he basically said that he tells other teams that if they talk about the conversations they have with him he won't deal with them. I wonder how many deals that has killed over the years? It really does seem like if you hear about something Jazz trade related in the media it's almost guaranteed NOT to happen, no matter how well founded it may or may not be.

I agree if you here there could be a deal it aint gonna happen! Not the way jazz roll.

TheMagnus wrote:

zero24gravity wrote:

TheMagnus wrote:

Looks like the Pistons were the ones to jump in and make this thing work....


http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8898673/sources-memphis-grizzlies-agree-principle-trade-rudy-gay-toronto-raptors

That's a shame, either Memphis wasn't interested in what the Jazz offered or the Jazz never offered.

I wonder if it is Bryan Colangelo's goal to assemble all of the NBA's worst contracts on to a singe team. How he hasn't been fired already is beyond me.

I'm surprised. Seems like they could have gotten more for Gay. I'm even more surprise that the Pistons are taking on Calderon. They already have Stuckey, Bynum and recent lottery pick, Knight.

Ya, the Pistons surprised me to, but they were probably just looking to dump Prince more than anything, and if the Jazz did put Marvin on the table it is easy to see why the Grizzlies would go with this offer instead. Prince is as good as Marvin but cheaper and Day replenishes the depth they lost in their last trade with the Cavs and then comes off the books at the end of the year.

These deals the Grizz are making have John Hollingers fingerprints all over them, we'll see if painting by numbers is a viable strategy, or if it backfires. Because as much as I'm a numbers guy, I also recognize the value of chemistry and roles. Gay was like by his teammates, he was a good defender on a team with a defensive identity, and he was really the only volume shooter on the team, losing him could have serious unintended consequences....

That being said, I thought the Grizz absolutely killed this deal, just killed it, they raped Toronto and made them say thank you for the pleasure. Gay has one of the worst contracts in the NBA, he's really not any better than Gordon Hayward, in fact this year he's probably worse and Hayward is only getting better, but he's making over 16 million a year over the next 3 years. They not only unloaded that contract (plus about 4 million in salary this year and 10 million next) but they also brought in a solid veteran replacement in Prince, a decent young role player in Daye, the best player in the deal in Ed Davis, AND a second round pick. Seriously, Toronto is the worst run franchise in the NBA now that the Kings have been sold.

Thought I'd revisit this briefly now that we have had a chance to see how this is working out...

And I have to say, I think I was spot on. Memphis is BETTER after the trade that most people thought they made as a salary dump. Most importantly the improvement has been on the offensive side of the ball, where everybody said it would hurt the most.

From Tom Haberstroh

Tom Haberstroh wrote:

Grizzlies better without Rudy Gay?

OK, Memphis. You have our attention.

When the Grizzlies shipped Rudy Gay, their leading scorer and highest-paid player, ahead of the trade deadline, it was commonly framed as a financial decision. After all, teams aren't lining up to trade their No. 1 scoring option. Given he was being paid more than LeBron James this season and next, it must have been purely a cost-cutting measure, right?

Not so.

The Gay trade may have been driven by Memphis' bloated books ahead of a more punitive tax structure in 2013-14, but make no mistake about it: This was very much a basketball trade. In wake of the deal, the Grizzlies have won 14 of their past 15 games and now have ownership of the No. 3 seed in the West.

How have they done it?

Think of the deal as an overdue detox for Memphis. Gay no longer had any business being the go-to scorer on this Grizzlies team. Of the four players on the Grizzlies who took at least 10 field goal attempts per game, Gay had by far the worst true shooting percentage at the time of the trade (a below-average 47.8 percent). Making matters worse, Gay took far and away the most shots on the roster. That's a recipe for disaster, and on most nights, that's what the Memphis offense looked like.

What we're seeing now with the scorching-hot Grizzlies, winners of six in a row, is a demonstration why basketball is a different animal than baseball. Remove Miguel Cabrera from the batting order and you can measure that impact by his replacement. But basketball, a network-based sport, doesn't work that way. The Grizzlies are filling in by committee, and more worthy players are stepping up to the plate.

By sending Gay and his woefully inefficient play packing, the Grizzlies saw an opportunity to put the ball in better hands. Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley can score, but oftentimes they were shut out as Gay flung up errant jumper after errant jumper. (Sorry, Toronto fans.)

The cleansing has yielded a much healthier offense without Gay, scoring 105.3 points per 100 trips down the floor since the trade. That's up from a pre-trade rating of 100.1 points per 100 possessions, which was 22nd in the NBA at the time.

For basketball traditionalists, this might not make a lick of sense. How could a team improve its offense by trading away its best scorer? Well, because points per game shouldn't be the measuring stick for best scorer, much in the same way batting average is ill-fitted to be the standalone rubric for batting proficiency in baseball. The truth is that Gay's 17.0 points per game scoring average told us more about his ability to take shots, not his ability to make them.


http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/PerDiem-130314/nba-memphis-grizzlies-better-rudy-gay

So why does this matter to the Jazz?

Take a look at this, taking particular notice of the Usage and TS% in the Advanced Stats section...

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/UTA/2013.html

And now I want you to go back and re-read that clip from Haberstroh, only this time replace the word Memphis with Utah and the words Rudy and Gay with Al and Jefferson...

And now tell me how that doesn't apply, in spades, to the Jazz right now.

TheMagnus wrote:

And now I want you to go back and re-read that clip from Haberstroh, only this time replace the word Memphis with Utah and the words Rudy and Gay with Al and Jefferson...

And now tell me how that doesn't apply, in spades, to the Jazz right now.

Well, Mags, you certainly have won me over to your way of thinking on this. You know I was a huge Al J supporter ending last year and beginning this year, but I have been won over with your analysis. Plus, I have been following Locke's analysis, (I know, your least favorite guy), but without saying it out loud he is pretty much saying the same thing - the team is worse with Al on the floor. The Favors/Al combo particularly heinous, and the Kanter/anyone the best. Sap is kinda a mixed bag by the numbers and that is due to what we already know is his only known flaw and that is lack of consistency. If he could bring his "A" game every night it would be different, but on too many nights he kills efficiency with poor shooting, he doesn't know when not to try and shoot his way out of a slump versus focus on facilitating, rebounding, steals, etc, where his game is most natural.

MTJazz wrote:

TheMagnus wrote:

And now I want you to go back and re-read that clip from Haberstroh, only this time replace the word Memphis with Utah and the words Rudy and Gay with Al and Jefferson...

And now tell me how that doesn't apply, in spades, to the Jazz right now.

Well, Mags, you certainly have won me over to your way of thinking on this. You know I was a huge Al J supporter ending last year and beginning this year, but I have been won over with your analysis. Plus, I have been following Locke's analysis, (I know, your least favorite guy), but without saying it out loud he is pretty much saying the same thing - the team is worse with Al on the floor. The Favors/Al combo particularly heinous, and the Kanter/anyone the best. Sap is kinda a mixed bag by the numbers and that is due to what we already know is his only known flaw and that is lack of consistency. If he could bring his "A" game every night it would be different, but on too many nights he kills efficiency with poor shooting, he doesn't know when not to try and shoot his way out of a slump versus focus on facilitating, rebounding, steals, etc, where his game is most natural.

Never really saw it that way with Millsap. Usually when he shoots poorly he shoots less, but rebounds and defends more, and unlike Jefferson he's always drawing fouls too, which means he's scoring even when he isn't hitting shots (see the Box score for the Thunder game for an example). I posted some pretty detailed analysis comparing him and Jefferson's "consistency" in an earlier thread, and I don't want to go through all of that again, but in summary as far as I can tell the only difference between him and any other player on the Jazz right now in terms of consistency is that when he does truly bring his "A" game he really hustles and puts up Elite numbers on both ends (like 25/10/4/3/2 on 65% shooting), add the fact that he is critically important to this team and is the best all around player, the difference between that and his normal hard hat nights is more noticeable in the team performance and creates an impression of under-performance.

I'm not saying that he doesn't go through stretches where he struggles, especially offensively, but when you look at his performance and compare it to other players around the league he's really no different than any other player in terms of his consistency, in fact for the most part he's better.

I would also note that "consistency" has to be measured in both directions. Millsap's consistency is most evident in the box score because it's his offense that suffers, Jefferson's consistency doesn't really show up in the box score because his offensive game is one of the most consistent(...ly average) in the NBA, but his defensive consistency is one of the worst in the NBA, and that is most evident in the teams performance when he is on the court, as it has been since the All-Star break.