ESPN Playoff Team Holes To Fill

[Admin]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=haberstroh_tom&id=6272651&addata=2009_insdr_mod_nba_xxx_xxx

With the playoffs on the horizon, teams have no choice but to go with what they have. Whether it's due to injury or a thin roster, each team has its holes. To win the title, it may come down to who successfully covers those holes down the stretch. Where are those holes? Let's break it down, for each of the 16 likely playoff squads, describing the size of each hole as either gaping, noticeable or overrstated.

Atlanta Hawks -- Center

The Hawks are going nowhere, and with that paralytic Joe Johnson contract, they're going nowhere fast. Their best solution? Flaunt Josh Smith to net a legitimate center. Doing so would slide their best player, 6-foot-10 Al Horford, to his natural position and eliminate any excuse to play Jason Collins, who makes Joel Anthony look like Hakeem Olajuwon on the block. The Hawks certainly have issues at point guard and small forward, but getting an impact center should be the tallest priority on the list.

Size of hole: Noticeable

Chicago Bulls -- Shooting guard

Most people would say: Keith Bogans, end of discussion. But this has been exaggerated. Yes, it stings the senses that Bogans has started every game for a potentially 60-win team, but the starter label is nothing more than a designation. Coach Tom Thibodeau platoons Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver at shooting guard during crunch time depending on what the team needs. In fact, Bogans hasn't even played fourth-quarter minutes in the team's past seven games. There's no denying the Bulls could use an upgrade at the 2, but Brewer and Korver offer a sufficient package of dueling talents.

Size of hole: Overstated

Boston Celtics -- Center

Employing a Big Four suggests there's also a Little One. It's not so little. When Kendrick Perkins was dealt to the Thunder at the deadline, it was assumed that the defense would suffer -- except when we look at the data, the Celtics haven't seen a drop-off with newcomer Nenad Krstic. The Celtics posted a 95.1 defensive efficiency with Perkins on the floor before he was traded away. Boston's defensive efficiency with Krstic on the court? 94.7. With Kevin Garnett and the principles of former assistant Thibodeau still very much in the fold, the Celtics' defense is still a machine.

Size of hole: Overstated

Miami Heat -- Center

The ultimate spackle roster. Consider the players who have started alongside the Big Three this season: two players bought out by lottery teams (Erick Dampier and Mike Bibby), two players signed to the bare minimum (Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Carlos Arroyo -- whom they disposed of after starting 42 games) and a player who averages 1.9 points per game (Joel Anthony). Yes, the Heat have holes, but none deeper than the one at the rebound-starved 5 slot. Dampier, the Heat's current placeholder there, has a lower rebound rate (12.4 percent) than Mike Miller (12.7). For the Heat, Udonis Haslem's return can't come soon enough.

Size of hole: Gaping

Orlando Magic -- Point guard

You could probably make a case that the presence of Dwight Howard makes every other position look like a hole, but none are more poisonous than the failed Gilbert Arenas experiment. The $18 million man is shooting a paltry 34 percent from the floor (26 percent on 3s), and when he's on the floor, he shoots more often than any other Magic player -- and that includes Howard. But the thing is, the Magic don't have a better alternative. They can't depend on Chris Duhon, who is more turnover-prone than a Belgian waffle maker.

Size of hole: Noticeable

Philadelphia 76ers -- Center

The decision to draft Evan Turner? Bad. Passing up the chance to draft DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors or Greg Monroe? Even worse. The Sixers are one injury away from starting Tony Battie and, really, that says everything you need to know.

Size of hole: Gaping

New York Knicks -- Center

The latest example of how desperate the Knicks are for a center: They opted to have Shawne Williams guard Dwight Howard instead of Amare Stoudemire on Monday night. And the saddest part is that it was probably the right call. The Knicks have the depth of a puddle at the center position, and that's not going to be an easy position to fill, especially if they plan to throw their spare change at Chris Paul.

Size of hole: Gaping

Indiana Pacers -- Power forward

Tyler Hansbrough is a serviceable backup but woefully under-qualified to start at power forward in this league. If the Pacers play their cards right this summer, they can put Hansbrough in his rightful place as a reserve. The front office will have about $30 million coming off the books after the season and could target potential free agents Zach Randolph, David West or Carl Landry to shore up that void. It won't turn the franchise around, but Indiana is one of the few teams that can make a big splash this summer.

Size of hole: Noticeable

San Antonio Spurs -- small forward

This squad is airtight; not many holes to be found here. But if you have to nitpick, it's the depth behind Richard Jefferson on the wing. The Spurs are fortunate that they can slide Manu Ginobili to the 3-spot when Jefferson sits, but there's a reason the Spurs have a revolving door at the wing bench spot.

Size of hole: Overstated

Los Angeles Lakers -- point guard

Derek Fisher is a soldier. He's a leader. He's a clutch performer. But the truth is, the Lakers wouldn't be in the position of needing that clutch shot if they had someone who wasn't so limited on the court. He's a matador defender, allowing his opponents to shoot 52 percent on isolations, the third-worst opponent field goal percentage in the league according to Synergy Sports data. Amazingly, Steve Blake and Fisher are signed through 2012-13.

Size of hole: Noticeable

Dallas Mavericks -- small forward

The Mavericks have to be ecstatic that the Toronto Raptors found no use for Peja Stojakovic. The Mavericks were desperate for some depth behind Shawn Marion after Caron Butler went down, finding out the hard way that Sasha Pavlovic isn't the answer. But the Mavericks are skating on thin ice considering Stojakovic is always one awkward step away from a season-ending back injury.

Size of hole: Overstated

Oklahoma City Thunder -- shooting guard

By trading for Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed at the deadline, the Thunder filled a hole and made it a mountain. Looking at the depth chart, the only position that could be considered a soft spot is the 2-guard. But then we note that super-sub James Harden has averaged 16.6 points per game in March. As one exec relayed to me earlier this season, if the Thunder could swing a deal for a point guard good enough (Steve Nash?) to slide Russell Westbrook to the 2, watch out, NBA.

Size of hole: Overstated

Denver Nuggets -- shooting guard

This team is stacked top to bottom. Remarkably, the Nuggets have two players worthy of a starting gig at each of the five positions. The only slot that could be seen as a weakness is at the 2 with Arron Afflalo and J.R. Smith. But the Nuggets have been creative at that position, playing Raymond Felton and Danilo Gallinari there if need be. Stunning stat: With a Ty Lawson and Raymond Felton backcourt, Denver is outscoring opponents 463-365. What hole?

Size of hole: Overstated

Portland Trail Blazers -- center

Not counting Greg Oden, the Blazers have employed five different centers this season and Marcus Camby is the only one who remains standing, if barely. And even Camby has been demoted to the reserves. With Gerald Wallace lighting it up in Portland, the Blazers have gone small, deciding to bring the 37-year-old Camby off the bench for the time being. The new center-less starting lineup of Andre Miller, Wes Matthews, Wallace, Nicolas Batum and LaMarcus Aldridge has blown out opponents by an average of 14 points every 100 possessions. They might be small, but they certainly don't play that way.

Size of hole: Noticeable

New Orleans Hornets -- small forward

The Hornets parlayed Darren Collison into Trevor Ariza, one of the least efficient wing players in the NBA. Ariza continues to live off of his 2009 postseason with the Lakers. Other than being a menace in the passing lanes, Ariza takes away more than he brings to the table. Meanwhile, former Hornets wing Peja Stojakovic is providing big minutes for the title-chasing Mavericks.

Size of hole: Gaping

Memphis Grizzlies -- small forward

How devastating was Rudy Gay's season-ending knee injury? Interestingly enough, not all that bad, as the Grizzlies have won 10 of their 17 short-handed games. Offensively, the Grizzlies haven't skipped a beat with Gay sidelined, scoring 4.5 points more per 100 possessions since he got hurt. With Shane Battier and Sam Young, the Grizzlies strung up a pretty tight safety net beneath Gay, and it's certainly paid off.

Size of hole: Overstated

Tom Haberstroh covers the NBA for ESPN Insider and ESPN The Magazine. He is also writing about the Miami Heat this season for the ESPN.com Heat Index and contributes to Insider's college basketball, college football and baseball coverage. He contributes to ESPN The Magazine and ESPNNewYork.com and previously worked as a consultant for ESPN Stats and Information and as an analyst for Hoopdata.com. You can find his ESPN archives here, and follow him on Twitter here.

[EazyRoc]

I dont understand. Why on earth would anyone want to make Russell Westbrook a 2 ?

[benhillboy]

The thought of the Pacers getting Z-Bo is interesting. And with the Sixers and Heat needing a center just as bad as we do, where do you think the best two available will choose to go? Not here.

"Paralytic" Johnson contract. Never heard that word used to describe it before. Nice.

Edited March 30, 2011 by benhillboy

[RedDawg#8]

Yeah, Westbrook is coming like a mix of Rose on offense and Rondo on defense. He's a guy you want with the ball in his hands at all times and that's saying a ton considering he plays on the same squad as Durant.

[Admin]

Yeah, Westbrook is coming like a mix of Rose on offense and Rondo on defense. He's a guy you want with the ball in his hands at all times and that's saying a ton considering he plays on the same squad as Durant.

I REALLY like Westbrook but he's not in the same league as Rose offensively because he is an average outside shooter at best and he's a turnover machine who plays out of control far too often. Even with that being said I'd trade anyone on our team outside of Horford to get him here.

[EazyRoc]

I REALLY like Westbrook but he's not in the same league as Rose offensively because he is an average outside shooter at best and he's a turnover machine who plays out of control far too often. Even with that being said I'd trade anyone on our team outside of Horford to get him here.

I would trade anyone on this team for Westbrook. Westbrook is a future star, and his turnovers will go down with time. I don't think he played PG in college, right ?

[Admin]

I would trade anyone on this team for Westbrook. Westbrook is a future star, and his turnovers will go down with time. I don't think he played PG in college, right ?

They will probably go down some but he's a physical freak that likes to play out of control since it's usually to his advantage. I think I read that he's had 4 or 5 games this year with at least 7 turnovers! But again I'd love to have him on the Hawks ... although I wouldn't trade Horford for him and I'm sure the Thunder wouldn't make that trade either.

[APE]

I don't think he played PG in college, right ?

Nope. Darren Collison was the PG.