B-52's Successful Run (So Far)

by Ziller on Jul 26, 2006 8:42 AM PDT in Commentary Comment 14 comments

When it was announced last winter that Brad Miller would be playing on the men's national basketball team, two immediate thoughts came to mind:

Oh crap, he's going to get hurt. He's aging, he's always tired because of long minutes, and he's not a guy who will ever likely play 82 games again. Also, he got injured in an All-Star game. We're going to have damaged goods in 2006, right?
This could be really great for Brad. He gets to learn under one of the greatest basketball mind in the world for a few months, while playing with the best players in the world. He seems to relish playing for the United States, and is one of the guys who has to honestly believe he'd never even be close to this level of athletic competition. Without doubt, Miller would be the wide-eyed feel-good story of Beijing 2008 for the basketball team. Keeping him in shape in the offseason can only help come November, right?

So far, there hasn't been any major injuries in Las Vegas. (Knock on wood.) Shawn Marion may or may not be gimpy, and Kirk Hinrich is desparately trying to make himself believe he's not gimpy.

And, according to Ailene Voisin in today's Sacramento Bee, our brightest hopes for B-52's summer campaign are coming true. He's lost some weight, he's learning some defense, he's staying active when on the floor. What were his biggest problems during his 2005-06 valleys, especially in the postseason? He was two steps slower and less athletic than usual, which is devastating for the type of player he is. He was getting more blocks than usual, but allowing more unimpeded layups than usual. And he was just standing around if he and Mike Bibby weren't working the pick-and-pop. As a result, he wasn't scoring, he wasn't rebounding, he wasn't defending, he wasn't contributing.

Shedding that weight is huge. Remember Bibby's different but not dissimilar weight gain before last season? MB10 bulked up, putting on some more muscle to help his finishing ability around the rim. What was the result? Bibby was incredibly slow all through preseason and into the first two weeks of the regular season. He couldn't get past the defender, he couldn't even pretend to keep up on defense. Speed is seriously one of the most overlooked attributes in basketball, and I think we've got two very different but very convincing cases right now.

For now, our fears about a limping Brad, a tired Brad are unfounded while our hopes about a fitter Brad, a better Brad are coming true. Let's hope it's still the case in November.

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Re: B-52's Successful Run (So Far)

I think it is great that he is playing. The way he came into last season was beyond disapointing. Maybe this experience will fire him up a little bit. He played passionless basketball last season, and he simply doesn't have the athletic ability not to play inspired ball.

by Kusian on Jul 26, 2006 9:44 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: B-52's Successful Run (So Far)

He needs to play some Mark Madsen inspired ball.

by evanmeagan on Jul 26, 2006 11:06 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: B-52's Successful Run (So Far)

I hope not, Madsen is easily one of the five worst players in the league.

by hammystyle on Jul 26, 2006 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: B-52's Successful Run (So Far)

the point was that Mark Madsen plays every game like it might be his last. Brad doesn't.

by evanmeagan on Jul 26, 2006 1:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: B-52's Successful Run (So Far)

there s a reason why every game might be his last
DNP-CD
point taken though

by kingme on Jul 26, 2006 1:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: B-52's Successful Run (So Far)

We've always had soft big men though.

by evanmeagan on Jul 26, 2006 11:07 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: B-52's Successful Run (So Far)

That's true. But at least Vlade played with a very high skill level as did C-Webb. Brad did the first couple of seasons as well. And the teams we had in those days allowed some flexibility in the "soft department." We aren't that good anymore, so everybody, Brad included, has to bring it.

by Kusian on Jul 26, 2006 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Re: B-52's Successful Run (So Far)

Too bad we couldn't get Jeff Foster in to help him bring it; I could picture the two of them on the same team & it raising Brad's 'ganas' to bring in a good garbage player that's his friend(c'mon...Bradster....you have kahonas when you're fishing & hunting...what else you got?).I also think it'll help him to work hard in the off-season.

by Rhondda Nunes on Jul 26, 2006 3:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Let's hope you are right TZ

Cause we still have a big hole in the middle of our defense that doesn't appear to be going away before the season starts.

I was looking at trade scenarios at ESPN.com and didn't see much we could offer for Magloire that would really interest the Bucks. KT and Hart would be sweet, but I doubt the Bucks would want to be on the hook for KT's contract.

Looks like we might need to prepare for another season of KT/Sharif tension.

by otis29 on Jul 27, 2006 3:20 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: B-52's Successful Run (So Far)

Can somebody explain to me the rules associated to the process by which teams at the beginning of last season were allowed to simply cut contracts of players and then somehow disassociate the player and the contract from the salary cap (e.g. Dallas cutting Finley). I don't remember the rules around this, but was just thinking it would be nice if we could somehow rid ourselves of KT. I don't think this process is allowed this year.

by Kusian on Jul 27, 2006 5:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Re: B-52's Successful Run (So Far)

The process is allowed this season if you didn't partake last season. The Kings did not, so they have until Oct. 1 to cut a player under the "Michael Finley rule." (It would've been the "Allan Houston rule," had Isiah Thomas not been an imbecile who didn't use the rule on the exact type of player it was intended for.

Here's how it works: The team still has to pay the player every red cent guaranteed by his contract. That money also counts against the salary cap every year it would have. The benefit is in the luxury tax - the team is no longer responsible for the cut player's salary in luxury tax dollars.

An example:

Luxury tax threshold is $65 million. (This is about right.) Kings payroll is at $70 million. (It's actually $60 million now, but this is for demonstration's sake.) Player Z is scheduled to receive $7 million this season and $7 million next season. The Kings invoke the "Michael Finley rule" on Player Z. The Kings pay Player Z $14 million over next two rules. (Player Z, like Finley, can also sign with another team.) Kings payroll is still calculated as $70 million - so they can't sign free agents outright except when holding Bird rights or using the mid- or low-level exemptions. But in luxury tax calculations, Player Z's waiver reduces the effective payroll his salary amount. So when the league calculates the Kings' luxury tax due, the figure it based on a $63 million for each season, which is below the luxury tax threshold. Had they kept Player Z and all other things remained constant, the team would pay the league $1 for every dollar over the threshold they were. If they are $5 million over the threshold each year, they pay $5 million each year IN ADDITION to the player's salary to him. So using the rule, the Kings would save $10 million over two seasons, while also losing the services of the player.

It's only meant to fit very special cases. The Kings are under the luxury threshold currently, and even if they go over, they still have until the trade deadline to get back under before penalties. If Petrie thinks he can't find a buyer for Potapenko (semilikely) or Williamson (unlikely) as expiring contracts before the trade deadline, and he doesn't think he can get under the threshold (even though he now is under it), I could see him exercising this rule by Oct. 1 on one of those players. But it's not likely, as Potapenko is currently the only NBA-ready backup center on the roster and Williamson is tradeable in February.

by Ziller on Jul 27, 2006 7:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs