I'll start with the obligatory disclaimer on any post of this type: Willie Green is, by all accounts, a great guy. With that out of the way, after the jump we'll discuss whether this year will be the year he's finally buried on the end of the bench.
Doug Collins has a chance to do something none of his recent predecessors had the nerve to do, bench Willie Green. The irony here is that Willie is coming off the best season of his career, statistically. He was bad last year, but not nearly as bad as he'd been in some of his worst seasons. Honestly, this isn't a post about how bad Willie is. That's well documented. This post is more about what he is, where he is in his career and where this team is right now.
Consider this: The Sixers have 96 minutes per game on the wing (at the 2 and 3). To play those minutes, they have the following players:
- Andre Iguodala
- Evan Turner
- Lou Williams
- Thad Young
- Jodie Meeks
- Andres Nocioni
- Willie Green
- Jason Kapono
Iguodala and Turner will probably combine for somewhere around 70 of those minutes, possibly less if Turner spends some time at the point and/or Iguodala spends some time at the four, so let's call it 65. Lou is probably going to take up at least 10-15, when you factor in the time he'll spend at the point. Best-case scenario, that leaves maybe 20 minutes to split among the rest of the players at the two position, and honestly, most of those remaining minutes are going to be available at SF and they're going to go to Thad or Nocioni, who's apparently been promised 20 minutes/game.
We're really talking about scraping the bottom of the barrel for the remaining minutes at the two, and I believe they simply have to go with Jodie Meeks. The Sixers made a trade to get Meeks and he's going to be a free agent next summer, they need to take a look at him. Never mind that it isn't a stretch to think Meeks will pass Willie this season as a basketball player, it just doesn't make sense to give those minutes to Willie. Unless something horrific happens, this will be his last season in a Sixers' uniform. I can't think of too many situations where he'd really be needed, Lou Williams will be the spark off the bench guard, if shooting is needed, you go with Kapono without thinking twice. If you need defense, you don't go to the bench at all.
Ultimately, this decision (and many others) will come down to Doug Collins ultimate goals. None of Jason Kapono, Willie Green and Andres Nocioni are part of this team's long term plan, or at least they shouldn't be. All three of those guys, however, could be in a position to take minutes away from young players, players who need to be either (a) developed or (b) properly evaluated, sooner rather than later. I guess the question becomes, will Collins look to get these "veterans" on the floor for extended minutes to squeeze out a couple more wins, or will he go with youth, with a larger eye toward the future than a run at the playoffs.
There's a happy medium in there somewhere, depending on the player. Kapono's long range shooting will definitely be needed from time to time. Nocioni is signed for another season and if he doesn't get his minutes he'll whine to the press and possibly disrupt the locker room. Willie, on the other hand, well there's really no point to making him a regular part of the rotation. By this time, everyone should know exactly what he is, everyone should realize that his level of production can be replaced VERY easily, probably by guys on the roster, and he's a class act.
What do you guys think? Is this finally the year that Willie doesn't crack the 1,000 minute mark?
I think Willie will play about 8 minutes a game. I think that his minutes will be very limited some nights and he may have 15 games DNPCD. The only time that he might reach 20 minutes is when his shot is consisently dropping and he is helping the team. He's streaky so I can see Willie getting extended minutes (25) occasionally. If he comes in and misses his first 3 shots then I don't see Collins going back to him for any reason.
I think Meeks will get about 15 minutes a game. I think that with Kapono and Nocioni on this team that one or both of them might be gone by the trade deadline since their will be several teams looking for shooters for potential playoff runs. I would hope that they can manage to get a solid center out of a deal that could move Kapono(or Nocioni) & Lou Williams. I would like Marcin Gortat which I think he'd be available. Orlando could really use Lou Williams. I'm also intrigued by 21 yr old DeAndre Jordan from the Clippers (averaged 11 RPG/27 min in April.)
Brian: your folly and wishful thinking blind you to the facts. Time and time again, you have been proven wrong. even Iverson's return did nothing to deter it; Willie Green will always find minutes. plenty...
from Cheeks to DiLeo to the Joran, WG has been a constant.
the scrappy hustle and spell binding moves that dazzle. who could resist? Willie is also blessed with an inordinate amount of toughness.
for another season, the excited squeal of Zoo will ring several times; WILLIE FOR THREE! WILLIE HITS THE FADEAWAY! STIFLING DEFENSE BY ONE WILLIE GREEN!
Forget the arithmetic, I dont know how it happens but it will. It always does....
** Its about the pictures man, the pictures!
You forgot to mention that Willie was our, "defensive stopper," last season. According to Cooney and Jasner, I believe.
I hope there is a good team interested in Willie and we can atleast snap a 2nd rounder. I actually could see Willie on the Lakers or Spurs bench. He's capable of contributing a very small role on a good team.
I don't know, I have a feeling if anyone is willing to take him, it's going to be the expiring contract they're interested in, rather than the player.
To be honest, the reason Green was bashed so much is the role he had on the team (similarly to the Igoudala situation). Green can definitely give you 10 quality minutes per game of the bench on a contender. The problem is the only value a team like ours can have is his expiring contract. And considering the ridiculus contracts handed out this offseason, he probably should've opted out. He could have easily gotten 10mil 4 year deal on a very solid team, maybe even the Heat...
I think you might be right. He might have been able to get a multi-year deal somewhere for something between two and three million a year. I also agree with you that he is overly maligned on this page.
I was thinking the same thing about Willie; i.e., Meeks would end up taking most of his minutes this season. I don't think the former coaches lacked the nerve to bench Willie. I just think they settled for playing him because of the choices they had and the fact that he was a veteran player capable of contributing something.
Calling him "bad" this year is a bit unfair. For him, I thought he had a pretty good year and Jordan actually used him better than all other coaches. I felt that the team ball movement was better on the whole when he was playing back up point instead of Williams whose domination of the ball tends to kill movement. Willie has had a pretty fair career for a mid second round draft choice. It's not his fault that he's played more than he should have on this team.
Maybe the other poster is right and the Sixers still might be able to get a decent second round choice for him. Maybe they should try Minnesota again since they just got a couple more first round picks in the Jefferson deal.
It's all relative. You can say he had a good year, for him, and you're correct. But what you're talking about here is Willie going from being historically bad. I mean just absolutely putrid three seasons ago (-0.7 win shares in 1,842 minutes), to just being one of the least productive rotational players in the league a couple years later.
And if I never see Willie Green playing the point again, it'll be too soon.
David Berri did an article on Willie Green a few years ago (3 years ago) and came to the conclusion he was probably the worst starter in the entire league (and was in the top 10 worst, period, starter or not).
http://dberri.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/the-left-tail-of-the-talent-distribution-in-the-nba/
Willie may have been better than bad this past year. For an 8th-10th man, he may be in the range of "average" now.
Make no mistake, though, there was a time that Willie was one of the single worst players to recieve a decent chunk of minutes in the entire NBA. I will make that argument until my death.
Disagree on the average part. Here's a comp to backup your other claim.
Statistics lie
It doesn't account for his stellar defense
It doesn't account for his leadership
It doesn't account for his clutch performances
It doesn't account for his overall good play
I can't wait till WG's contract is over and he signs with a new team. He will be a stud and you will truly understand what he meant to this team.
Statistics and my eyeballs, the two biggest liars in the world.
You should definitely get your eyes checked. Willie Green is such a good player and yet he is so humble. He could have opted out of his contract and made more money with a contender, but he chose to stay with the Sixers. Imagine if Lebron had Green instead of Williams when he was in Cleveland. They would have determinately beat the Celts last year. He would have shut down Rondo and Allen defensively and he would have schooled Rondo on offense. In the finals Cleveland could have put him against Kobe and he would have been the perfect player to run the floor and hit jump shots for Cleveland. It's a shame WG had to play with wanna be's like Igoudala, Webber, Salmons and Dalembert for the past 7 years.
It's like the twilight zone.
Ever hear that commercial for the company that makes sure you have good reviews on the internet? That what this seems like...
Maybe Willie's publicist or agent or something.
"you don't know how good you got it till it's gone". That's how I feel about Willie Green. He's a good defender, a good jumpshooter, a good passer and an all around good player. In fact I think he should be playing 20 mins a game. He plays both SG and PG pretty well. It's was in injustice to the team having him on the bench for end of last season. We could have won more games but Stiffanski wanted this team to tank to get a better draft pick. Willie Green is a much better player than Lou Williams. And I hope to God Stiffanski will extend Willie Green so that he can keep mentoring Jrue.
This post is so wrong it's actually disturbing. Do you mind if I ask how you found this site?
I'm a huge Sixers fan and I appreciate TALENT. I typed sixers blog in google and your site popped up. You bloggers think you know everything about basketball but you don't. Any real Sixers fan outside of this blog would tell you that Dalembert is a stiff, Igoudala lacks basketball fundamentals, and Willie Green is a good player. Just ask the players who analyze and play the game and they will tell you that Green is a good player.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTc5y8ok5W8
Remember when WG was injured in 2006? WE MISSED THE PLAYOFFS!
This what BK, a basketball GM had to say about WG that year:
“It gives me great pleasure to announce the re-signing of Willie Green,” King said at a press conference Thursday. “I think we sorely missed Willie last year for his toughness on defense, his ability to score the ball and his leadership. I’m excited [about] the hard work that he went through to get back on the court. We were able to get a contract that works for him and works for us. I’m just excited that now that he has signed, he can go play 5-on-5.”
Holy crap! I didn't realize a failed GM said positive things about him in a press release AND someone made a mix tape on YouTube of him. My bad, he's good.
I think you have the fish hook Brian ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHOZpDCcQqE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKKgcr63rjo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abmNlUaIP5I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58eTfDBk_S8
i think its safe to say EVERYONE has a mixtape.
Me myself I'm 15 years old and I can be a way better analyst then Stephen a smith or any other of the so-called analysts. And I disagree with u don about Willie green. U couldn't possibly think Willie green could have helped the cavs. He is a bad defender and is a tweener guard that can't be consisent on an every game basis.
Igoudala vs. The Big 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPrED0VjOLg&feature=related
Holy flying shit!!!!
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/nba/07/14/billy.king.ap/index.html?eref=sihp
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
Say "do svidaniya" to your billions, Prokhorov!
I wonder if this is going to change Simmons's view of him from "Most Interesting Owner" to "Most Incapable Owner" ...
"He has all of the qualities we've been looking for in a candidate: professionalism, good relations with the league, players and agents, and strong communications skills, . . ." -- except for talent!
Saw this on ESPN Insider. I dont think everyone has it so I thought I'd put it on here.
Chad Ford did a column on the best FA's for next offseason. In the restricted FA section there is of course a write-up on Thad:
5. Thaddeus Young, Sixers
Young continues to tantalize with his combination of versatility and athleticism. He can play both the 3 and the 4 and continues to improve his perimeter game. While it's tough to gauge whether he's a star given his limited role with the team, he'll get a big offer from someone if the Sixers don't lock him up.
I'm surprised at how convinced Ford seems to be at this point. I thought his description of Thad would say something about needing to work on his defense and three point shot. More along the lines of, he has something to prove this year. At this point I'm not so sure we should lock him up for a big contract. I'm hopeful, but not convinced. Considering the depth we have at the wing position, we should evaluate him and either trade him before the deadline or if we think he is part of our future plans, lock him up.
Just wrote a post on this.
I dislike Willie Green for the fact that before his injury in 2005, he was the kind of player that any team would love on their bench (at least on the offense). He made a stupid decision to play a pickup game ON THE DAY HE WAS TO SIGN A CONTRACT no less and he's been a shell of himself since.
He's not unlikeable as a person obviously but his game leaves something to be desired. "The next time Willie Green plays defense will be the first time."
Brian I can't tell if these are the funniest or saddest comments I have ever read on this blog.
Bleacher Report here we come!
It's depressing, huh?
This site has been more defensive of Willie than many sites I have read. But, Willie Green is only on this team and plays because he has pictures. The only possible reason.
Willie is a nice guy and could be a good bench player but the sooner he is history, the better. There is no question that Meeks was signed to replace Willlie and the time has come to go young.
id be fine with will playing anywhere from 5-8 minutes a night. Anything over would be outragous for a player of his ability. But I do agree with you that he is a great guy
The sixers lack toughness. If you want to win in this league you have to fight and play hard every night. If you don't play hard and smart DC will not play you. That is why Nocioni has been promised 20 minutes a game. Nocioni will also be the vocal leader on the team as we haven't had a leader in years (Brand will help lead under DC). Willie, Lou and Kapono will all see very limited minutes unless they play better defense (Kapono), smarter and harder (Lou) and more consistent (Willie). I don't see either of thore scenarios happening.
Holiday 35 mins
Nocioni 25 mins
Turner 20 mins increasing as year progresses.
Meeks 8 mins
Williams 8 mins decreasing as year progresses.
Lou may play more early taking time from Turner and or Nocioni but as seaon progresses absent of an injury Lou's minutes will dwindle.
That's how I see it.
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