The Kings MVP?

by section214 on Mar 24, 2008 8:18 PM PDT in Numbers

For all intents and purposes, the regular season ended tonight, as we were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. With the rest of the season basically relegated to garbage and / or spoiler time, I thought that this might be a good time to select our MVP.

My criteria is quite unscientific. I looked at each game from the beginning of the season through tonight, and awarded each player (per game) in the following manner:
1 pt. for every point scored, rebound, assist, block and steal.
-1 point for every shot and turnover.

Based on these numbers, eight different players wound up being the best player for the night during the season:

Spencer Hawes did it twice.
Mikki Moore did it four times.
Beno Udrih did it five times.
Francisco Garcia did it six times.
John Salmons did it ten times.
Ron Artest did it ten times.
Kevin Martin did it thirteen times.
Brad Miller did it twenty times.

Oddly, this order doesn't change if you factor in the number of games missed. In other words, if you divide the number of games that these guys were the best player into the number of games they played, the percentages would have these guys in the same order. Brad would be at 30%, Martin 25%, Artest 20%, Salmons at 13%, and so on.

Now, there is a lot here that is not covered, such as how the opposing player did, + / -, awarding more for wins as opposed to losses (for example, Hawes was the leader in the blowout loss in Miami and the loss in Memphis), etc.

However, having said that, Brad Miller easily wins this competition. I must admit, I did this exercise to determine whether Artest or Martin was the MVK. It didn't dawn on me that it would be Brad. But from the beginning of December through the end of Frebruary he was the top player 19 times. Of course, had Artest and Martin not been hurt they probably would have cut into that number. But they were hurt. And as a result Brad was our best player the highest number of times.

Brad Miller, the 2007-08 MVP for your Sacramento Kings.

Begin discussion, and poll below.

Poll

The 2007-08 MVP For The Sacramento Kings Is:

Other

0 votes

K9(woof!)

2 votes

Ron Artest

13 votes

Francisco Garcia

2 votes

Spencer Hawes

1 votes

Kevin Martin

21 votes

Brad Miller

35 votes

Mikki Moore

2 votes

John Salmons

4 votes

Beno Udrih

10 votes

90 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I'm not surprised

I've been telling my brother and friends that Brad was their best player this season. He's really gone far beyond my expectations this year.

by RockRichmond on Mar 24, 2008 8:23 PM PDT reply actions

Wow!

I just wonder how much better some of those players do without the negative influence of Ron. For example, if John starts at SF it changes things. If Ron's not there to turn into the offensive black hole and the ball is passed more how many more shots does Marting get via Beno or Brad.

by vfettke on Mar 24, 2008 8:34 PM PDT reply actions

K9!!!

With K9 being inept at what he does, he left Reggie with no choice but to bench him and then the rest is history

The NBA Lottery: Where fans turning against their favorite team happens.

by kingme18 on Mar 24, 2008 8:36 PM PDT reply actions

Brad For MVP! I couldn't agree more...

could this be a sign of how truly miserable this team really is? oh screw it, i enjoyed watching him play at a higher level than ever, even if only for 3 months.

well deserved, mr. miller

"I think the Shaq trade will be the biggest mistake since movie execs cast Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze based on box office reputation"

by CrownUs93 on Mar 24, 2008 8:52 PM PDT reply actions

Yeah,

and if I could find the dang link to your article about trading Miller, I'd have put it here. I'm a lazy googler.

I think he's had a good year. Earlier in the season he had a great year. The thing that bugs me with all the "trade him now because he's at his optimal trade value" is this: a lot of fans wanted to keep Vlade that extra year when the Kings let him go, simply to keep him here to teach Brad more of his tricks. The team let him go to L.A. and it was probably the right decision given his outcome.

But even though Brad never learned the rest of Vlade's magician's bag o' tricks, he does have a few of his own.

So, my "what if's" thoughts.

What if the Kings had kept Vlade to continue to school Brad? How much better could he have been for this team?

What if the Kings keep Brad Miller around to school Shock and Hawes (hat tip to KFan and another 10 KRW in his bank account) and don't give a flyin' eff about his maximum trade value and instead concentrate on raising the future game value of their 19 year old current rookie? At least for the rest of Brad's current contract.

Miller, based on your current analysis, brings value to this team based on his performance this year. Possibly into the next couple of years and he could work with Hawes on teaching him his fairly brilliant passing ability. So the team finds somebody else to teach him to leap/defend, but he looks like he might be willing to do that already if it gets him playing time.

God bless you, Corliss. You always played as though you knew how expensive my tickets were. -section214

by KK on Mar 24, 2008 10:11 PM PDT reply actions

First thing first

I completely agree with your post. I would have gladly kept Vlade around 1 more year even if he just sat on the bench and cheered on the guys. I think the knowledge he broght was immeasurable.

I also think Brad could bring a lot of that to S&H, but some things make me nervous. I dont like "pouty Brad". I dont think whining to the ref's is a good idea, and I dont think dwelling on a percieved no-call until it leads to a technical is a good idea either. I guess I am just torn, I want Hawes to succeed so badly, but I dont want him to fall in to any traps either. He really has so much potential.

Wait....Why is everybody clapping? Everyone around me is clapping.... I guess I should be clapping too... GO LAKERS!!! I hate living in So Cal

by 27freethrows on Mar 24, 2008 11:06 PM PDT up reply actions

Agreed!

I agree completely but I am especially partial to your first paragraph. : )

I think in re: to your second paragraph Vlade may have changed some of that (although we could have seen more Floppy Brad).

God bless you, Corliss. You always played as though you knew how expensive my tickets were. -section214

by KK on Mar 25, 2008 11:12 PM PDT up reply actions

David Thorpe is that you?

Rookie watch agrees with you.

by Kfan in Korea on Mar 25, 2008 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions

LOL!

Maybe you should rephrase that question.

David Thorpe, do you read StR and base your analysis on stupid fans like KK? If so, she wants some of your ESPN income!

Thanks for the link, I hadn't seen it. No, I just really really wished (back in the day, not pining now) that the Kings had signed Vlade to that same one year (two?) deal L.A. gave him.

God bless you, Corliss. You always played as though you knew how expensive my tickets were. -section214

by KK on Mar 25, 2008 11:08 PM PDT up reply actions

Brad rocks

Does this mean that Hawes (not Martin) is our potential MVP in the future?

by kingme on Mar 24, 2008 10:12 PM PDT reply actions

I hope so

He will have to be if the Kings are ever to win a championship.

by Mityt on Mar 25, 2008 12:43 PM PDT up reply actions

King Bradly

When Brad has a great game will usually win. like a 15 points/10 Rebounds/ 5 Assist /1 Block kind of game we do really good. Thanks Brad for all the hard effort !!!

GO KINGS !!!

by maiku on Mar 24, 2008 10:56 PM PDT reply actions

I wonder

what the Kings record was in the games in which everyone led.

I agree, when Brad played well, we seemed to win.

He was my first-half MVP and although he has slipped a little lately, it's still a great choice.

by coolcatreportdotcom on Mar 24, 2008 11:04 PM PDT reply actions

Section?

Do you have the info on what the Kings record was in the games in which everyone led?

by coolcatreportdotcom on Mar 25, 2008 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions

No

But there was no real distinction. The Kings won and lost when Ron led, when Brad led, when Kevin led. By raw numbers they won more games with Brad as the leader than anyone else.

The Kings only winning month was January (9-6). Brad led six times that month, Martin four, Salmons three, Artest and Garcia one each.

The worst month was November (5-10 including the Oct. 31 loss). Martin led in four of those games, Udrih and Salmons three each, Artest and Garcia two each, Miller once.

SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!

by section214 on Mar 25, 2008 1:54 PM PDT up reply actions

Brad Miller!!!

I give my poll to Brad Miller. Though he is 32, he wowed everyone with a display of inside moves, his shotblocking ability, rebounding ability and above all that probably sets him apart most Centers in the league today. His passing skills. Even just through some photos that I found: http://dealstudio.com/searchdeals.php?deal_id=92639&ru=279 , I can find he is just like a guard. LOOOOOOL!

by Garykkolii630 on Mar 25, 2008 12:41 AM PDT reply actions

I don't want to vote for a "MVP"

for alot of reasons.

Brad hasn't been consistent recently, which coincided with the Kings getting worse
Artest is the best player, and isn't the "most valuable" by any reasonable basis
Kevin Martin is the same as 2 (except without Ron's total "talent" defensively)
John Salmons doesn't belong in any conversation until he can figure out how to come off the bench
Spencer Hawes doesn't belong in this conversation; even if used as a talking point to point out how drab this season has been
This team has so many LVP's, starting with the gray haired alzheimer's 60ish shooting guard, that it's pointless in naming a MVP unless a player was consistent throughout the season, and if management/coaching put said player/organization in a stronger position

The bottom line about this season was that Geoff Petrie failed this team. He failed this team in signing Mikki Moore, regardless of Moore's actual value, and he failed this team in not trading Ron Artest. He failed this team by not allowing it to adjust post-Ron Artest (an adjustment to be sure), and by cutting Reggie Theus' legs out from under him. Reggie was in a lose-lose position to begin with, and Brad Miller had nowhere to go but up. Kevin Martin is still somewhat stuck in the middle, partly because of Artest and the total team situation, and parly because of his own reluctance. Anyone that thinks watching a bad team playing hard every night and losing more often than not is worth less than watching an up & down uneven team with no real chemistry to speak of is crazy. Just flat out crazy.

I am the stone that the builder refused I am the visual, the inspiration That made Lady Sing the Blues..I'm the spark that makes your idea bright...

by pookeyguru on Mar 25, 2008 1:43 AM PDT reply actions