TheNorthCydeRises

Heck . . . if ESPN can come up with QBR . . .And the Weather Channel can start giving names to Winter storms . . .I can come up with the NJSI and NPIProve it to be wrong, if you don't like it.

And the NJSI NEVER LIES.Great shooting = .900 or aboveHighly consistent = .850 - .899Somewhat consistent = .800 - .849Somewhat inconsistent = .750 - .799Highly inconsistent = .700 - .749Horrible = Below .700Deron Williams16 - 23 ft: .3733 point: .299Total: .672 . . . . ( horrible outside shooting this year . . . is this a lie? )Kyle Korver16 - 23 ft: .4573 point: .438Total: .895 . . . . ( highly consistent, almost great outside shooting . . . is this a lie? )Lou Williams16 - 23 ft: .3833 point: .357Total: .740. . . . ( in the highly inconsistent shooting column, but close enough to be labeled as "somewhat inconsistent" . . . is this a lie? )The NJSI doesn't lie. You just can't accept the truth.Maybe I should name what I'm doing by comparing efficiency to minutes as the NPI ( Northcyde Position Index )

Can anybody explain anything in life, without first knowing at least a little of what it is about? The question is silly at best.The one thing that I DO know about the way the NBA calculates its efficiency stats, is that the more you play, and the more numbers you put it, the higher your efficiency is going to be.You cannot have a high efficiency under they way they calculate it, if you play limited minutes. But if you do put up real good numbers in a short amount of minutes, your efficiency number will be much higher than guys who play the same amount of minutes at that position.You keep talking about what is right and wrong to look at, but never disprove why anything I say is incorrect.Is it incorrect to say that Blatche is not having a good year, for the amount of minutes he's playing? How about Javale McGee? How about the flip side with Joe Johnson, who is playing a ton of minutes but producing even less than ever?You see no correlation in it because you don't want to see the correlation in it. I saw it last year with Kenneth Faried, even though he wasn't starting.20th in efficiency amongst PFs @ 15.335th in average minutes amongst PFs( +15 )This year he's 14th in efficiency @ 17.7And he's 21st in average minutes amongst PFs( +7 )It's definitely relative when you talk about paying a guy like Zaza anything over 5 million a year, and giving him a 5 year contract. He's just not worth that type of long term or monetary commitment. Zaza does things that doesn't show up in the box score, especially with his man to man defense. But he also does things that do show up in the box score . . . negatively . . . like all of the turnovers he commit and turnovers that are charged to other people because he fumbles a pass.If this fan base think that we can't find an upgrade over Zaza Pachulia, then we're definitely not going to win a championship anytime soon.

Josh is said to have small hands ( never paid attention to that ), which is why I guess he can't control the ball on the hook sometimes. Could the small hands also be the cause of his erratic shooting?

Useless stats that people can't counter with a logical argument of why the "useless stat" is wrong.

That's why I listed the top 30 guys in the league, and didn't compare him to max type players. Some of those guys are playing for far less than Zaza, and producing at a higher level.Why would you sign him to a 5 year contract? This is the exact thing that got us in trouble with guys like Marvin and Speedy. Even Bibby's modest 3 year contract ended up getting us in trouble in Year 2 of that deal.3 years at the max. I'd give him a player option in year 2, and have a team option in year 3.If we were to add a player like Al Jefferson to this team, along with keeping Josh Smith, the need for Zaza becomes non-existant.When Ferry talks about "flexibility", one of the things he should be looking at, are the non-star contracts on this team. If we possibly have to lock up both Smith and Teague to fairly long contracts to keep him here, no way can you give Zaza a 5 year deal.

Just to make sure people understand this ( because I worded it wrong ). The list is of the top 30 in efficiency ( as calculated by the NBA ). the number you see is his efficiency rating. Then I listed what that player ranked in minutes amongst centers. Then I posted a ( +/- ) number of ( efficiency at that position - rank in avg minutes at that position ).So if a player ranked 7th in efficiency amongst centers, but 5th in average minutes amongst centers, his number would be ( -2 ).Take Joe Johnson for example.Last year, he was #4 in efficiency amongst SGs and #3 in average minutes amongst SGs . . . making his number be ( - 1 )This year, he's #18 in efficiency amongst SGs but #2 in average minutes amongst SGs . . . putting his number this year at a whopping ( -16 ).

And when Zaza DID get the minutes last year, here's how his efficiency ranked, in relation to the amount of minutes he played23rd in efficiency: 13.416th in minutes: 28.3 min/gSo last year, he would've been a ( -7 )When the team really gets serious about contending for that chip, Zaza probably shouldn't be part of the squad. And if he is, he can't have a long term contract or more than 5 mill/yr.

As I said in that other thread, this SHOULD be Zaza's last year as a Hawk, IF we're serious about contending for a championship. Zaza is a good backup center, a solid rebounder, and a solid defender. But there are at least 20 centers in this league who are better overall centers than he is.A guy that people left for dead like Andray Blatche, is a much better center offensively than Zaza, and people would be ranting and raving about him if he were in ATL. Even a guy like Javale McGee is a better option at center than Zaza, because of his ability to run the floor and block shots..No way should the Hawks lock themselves into a long term contract with Zaza ( no more than a 3 year contract, with a team option somewhere in there ). And no way should the Hawks pay more than the MLE to keep him around.A thing that I've always looked at, is if a players NBA Efficiency ranking is at or above the amount of minutes he's playing, when looking at that player's particular position.With an 11.5 efficiency rating, Zaza ranks 30th amongst NBA centers. And at 23.4 minutes a game, he ranks 26th in minutes played amongst NBA centers. So let's say that Zaza is a ( -4 ) when comparing his efficiency to minutes played. These are some of the centers who give you more "bang" in efficiency in relation to the amount of minutes they play per night. Matter of fact, let's go through the entire top 30. I'll list the top 30 in NBA Efficiency and the amount of minutes they average per game, then put a ( + ) or ( - ) number beside that.1) Varejao . . . . 25.2 . . . . . 3rd in min . . . . . ( +2 )2) Noah . . . . . . 22.5 . . . . . 1st in min . . . . . ( -1 )3) Howard . . . . 22.2 . . . . . 4th in min . . . . . ( +1 )4) Horford . . . . .21.4 . . . . . 2nd in min . . . . ( -2 )5) Jefferson . . . 21.1 . . . . . 7th in min . . . . . ( +2 )6) M. Gasol . . . . 21.0 . . . . 5th in min . . . . . ( -1 )7) Bosh . . . . . . . 20.9 . . . . 6th in min . . . . . . ( 0 )8) Chandler . . . 20.7 . . . . .8th in min . . . . . . ( 0 )9) B. Lopez . . . .19.7. . . . . 15th in min . . . . ( +6 )10) Hickson . . . 18.9 . . . . 17th in min . . . . ( +7 )11) Monroe . . . . 17.8 . . . . 9th in min . . . . . ( -2 )12) Cousins . . . 17.7 . . . . 13th in min . . . . ( +1 )13) Pekovic . . . . 17.6 . . . 10th in min . . . . ( -3 )14) Garnett . . . . 17.3 . . . . 16th in min . . . . ( +2 )15) Gortat . . . . . 17.2 . . . . 11th in min . . . . ( -4 )16) Asik . . . . . . . 16.7 . . . . 12th in min . . . . ( -4 )17) Vucevic . . . . 16.6 . . . . 14th in min . . . . ( -3 )18) R. Lopez . . .15.4 . . . . .19th in min . . . . ( +1 )19) Kaman . . . . 13.8 . . . . .21st in min . . . . ( +2 )20) Hibbert . . . . 13.7 . . . . .18th in min . . . . ( -2 )21) Koufos . . . . 13.1 . . . . . 29th in min . . . . ( +8 )22) Jordan . . . . 13.0 . . . . . 22nd in min . . . ( 0 )23) Blatche . . . . 12.8 . . . . .35th in min . . . . ( +12 )24) McGee . . . . 12.7 . . . . . 40th in min . . . . ( +16 )25) Splitter . . . . 12.6 . . . . . 36th in min . . . . ( +11 )26) Drummond .12.4 . . . . . 38th in min . . . . ( +12 )27) Davis . . . . . . 12.3 . . . . . 37th in min . . . . ( +11 )28) Favors . . . . . 12.1 . . . . . 32nd in min . . . ( +4 ) . . . shouldn't be on this list, he's almost exclusively played PF this year.29) Okafor . . . . . 11.6 . . . . . 27th in min . . . . ( -2 )30) Zaza . . . . . . 11.5 . . . . . 26th in min . . . . ( -4 )All of the guys in bold are centers who give you more "bang" for your buck. And just by looking at this perspective, Zaza is one of 3 centers ( Asik and Gortat ) who perform overall at a less efficient rate, compared to the minutes they play.This isn't an "end all, be all" type of list. But it does kind of show where Zaza really stacks up, when looking at the entire league. If I were to look at these same guys, and rank them according to their Opponent Counterpart at Center, Zaza may be higher on this list. Maybe not much higher, but higher nonetheless.

I think the most important part of your original prediction is when you stated this:"For the first time in years, 1 injury isn't a season ender."That looks to be true.If Horford goes down, Zaza can step in and at least hold his own at Center, and almost match the rebounding and defensive production that Al gives.If Smith goes down, Horford seems to elevate his game offensively at PF to compensate for the loss of Smith. This also normally gives Ivan more time at the backup PF, and he seems to always play well when given the extra minutes.Because we don't have a bonafide starter at the SF or SG position, one of those guys going down simply gives others the chance to play more and show what they can do. Korver, Stevenson, Morrow, and Jenkins are pretty much interchangeable at the SF spot, with even Tolliver possibly playing some SF. Lou and Harris can both play the 2, along with Morrow, Stevenson and Jenkins.And at PG, Teague, Lou, and Harris can all play the point ( in different ways ). But none of those guys are just flat out scrubs, like what we would have in year's past with people like Royal Ivey or an old Anthony Johnson or a failed young guy like an Acie Law.My concern at the beginning of the year, was if this team could hold up defensively. Because they HAVE, I think that's the biggest reason for our start. Good job by those guys for rising up to Drew's challenge to play good defense on a nightly basis, and a good job by Ferry for bringing in pieces that can round this team off.What Ferry can't be afraid to do, is to flip this talent for better players. That means we can't get emotionally attached to guys and hang onto them for dear life. If you have a chance to get a better player, go out and get him.

I've said from Day 1 that this kid should be starting, and playing at least 10 - 15 minutes a game. He's a better and more versatile scorer AND shooter than Anthony Morrow. At the very least, he should get all of Morrow's minutes, while we use Morrow and others as a trade chip to get a solid backup SF.I just hope that Drew uses him EXCLUSIVELY as a SG, and not as a pseudo-PG, like Woody did with Salim Stoudamire at times. Jenkins is taller and a little more crafty a scorer than Salim, so I hope Drew doesn't start getting cute and try to make some PG out of Jenkins.

Negative.Phoenix was supposedly the perfect system for him to play in, and he didn't perform well in that system.In Greece, he was paid like the 2nd coming of Jordan over there, and was arguably not even the best player on his Euro team.If Chill was a lockdown defender, maybe I'd be more for bringing him in. But at this point, I'd rather even see Damion James back on this team, than Childress. Maybe he can land somewhere like the LA Lakers, who need even marginal bench players, to help them out.

I would love to see that. That would give Teague even more confidence to enable him to perform consistently at that level more often.

I don't believe in the Great Pumpkin, but I would bet money that I watch a lot more of the NBA than you do. The term "overrated" means that ( deep down ) people KNOW that a guy is a good player, but they don't believe that he's a great player ( despite others believing that he is ). So calling Deron Williams and Joe Johnson "overrated" is actually an acknowledgement that they're both good players ( especially 3 years ago ). Had a Horford + picks for Deron trade had taken place say 3 years ago, the Hawks could've thrown this lineup at teams in crunch time situations PG - D-Will G - Jamal Crawford F - Johnson PF - Smith C - Zaza No Mike Bibby or Kirk Hinrich trying to run the point. No Marvin Williams playing the 3. Both would be coming off the bench. Zaza would start, and at least rebound at a pretty high level. That's 2 "overrated" All-Stars and a 6th man of the year, AND a guy that most Hawk fans have been snubbed from an All-Star vote for the past 2 years, that we could've thrown at people. Josh Smith would benefit tremendously by having a pass-first PG playing on the team that could also get out and run with him. His FG% would be higher and he'd still be a top 5 defensive player in the league. It may have not been enough to beat Orlando in the 2010 playoffs, but I'd definitely take this lineup vs the Bulls in the 2011 playoffs. And the Great Pumpkin did show up once

What did you think of his shot selection tonight? ( or last night, seeing that it's past midnight )

Josh Smith would be an All-Star lock, if he had a pass first PG like Deron passing him the ball.Let's not get things twisted about what is happening in Brooklyn. That's basically a brand new team that they have ( like ours ). The difference, is that they're not a defensively built team, especially on that frontline. In the long run, they'll be OK, but they may not be as good as people thought they "could" be.Deron + JJ + Josh . . . 3 years ago . . . would've been a formidable trio to deal with.

And I'm definitely keeping Al Horford over Demarcus.

Diesel . . this isn't like the argument you made back in the day, when you said that you'd trade Zach Randolph ( before he went to Memphis ) for Josh Smith. Zach was always a good and efficient player, just a perceived head case.Demarcus is totally different. Go and actually watch that kid play an entire game, not just highlight clips. That dude is as inefficient of a big man ( with talent ) than I've ever seen. It's a reason why his team is still sorry. And a lot of it has to do with him and his shot selection and his wildness.Give me Josh Smith anyday of the week over Demarcus.

Right now, the leading vote getters are Lebron, Melo, and KG. Out of that group, obviously KG shouldn't be in there. But if he is, that causes major problems. Because here's the reality.At the most, the coaches will name 4 reserve frontline players to the All-Star Game.- Chris Bosh is a LOCK to make it. He plays on the league's highest profile team, and is the glue of that team.- Paul Pierce is a LOCK to make it. He's having a pretty good season, despite Boston struggling as a team.That's 5 frontcourt players. 2 spots left out of these guys- Josh Smith- Al Horford- Tyson Chandler- Joakim Noah- Anderson VarejaoIf KG wasn't in that top 3 vote, you could argue that all 5 of these guys could make it over KG. But because Garnett is so popular, he's going to knock one of these guys out, along with 2 who wouldn't have made it anyway.Maybe the coaches only name 4 guard and take 8 frontline people ( 3 SF's and 5 F/C ). If that happens, Smith and/or Horford may get in. Because the only guards that deserve to go as of right now, are these guys- Dwyane Wade ( top vote getter amongst guards )- Rajon Rondo ( 2nd )- Kyrie Irving- Jrue HollidayIf JJ or Deron have a strong January, maybe one of them could sneak in this group and knock one of them out, or be added to this group as the 5th guard.But as for Josh Smith making the All-Star team, the vote could very well come down to Josh vs Al.Who do the coaches take then?

He shoots bad jumpers at possibly the worst times of the game. That's why people keep talk about his jumpshooting.

I got to agree with this.Maybe 5% of fans thought we would be winning at a 65% clip and on pace to win 54 games. 54 wins probably puts us #2 or #3 in the East. Very few, if any people were predicting that.The schedule has enabled us to get out to this great start, and I'm not mad at that at all. And we've taken care of business vs the lesser teams. We're 7 - 7 vs teams who are .500 and above.Beginning with the return of the Celtics to Philips Arena next Saturday, this schedule is about to ramp up big time. Hopefully we can keep playing at least .500 ball vs those winning teams.

This should definitely be Zaza's last year as a Hawk, if we're really serious about getting to the next level. There are plenty of big men out there that would be an instant upgrade over Zaza.

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BROOKLYN vs DETROIT Just to give Piston fans another reason to hate JJ, he gets them again with a buzzer beater . . this time to beat them. JJ must've been watching Jordan vs Russell in the 1998 NBA Finals, with the slight push off JJ did on Tayshawn Prince.

OK . . let's reboot this thread and try it again. PRESEASON JJ with the nice no-look pass to Andray Blatche. Basic play. BROOKLYN vs BOSTON Regardless of what you think about JJ, anytime anybody can make that crybaby Paul Pierce look stupid, you have to love it. JJ has has many ball handling highlights, but this may top them all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GDEsB_Fwy0