Detailed Player Profile For Last Roster Spot

[Sunsman44]

HoopsHype has an interesting take on all the players. Kind of fun to read them to see if they are true. Mostly accurate.

Here is a HoopsHype Player Profile description of all the guys the SUNS are looking into filling the final big man roster spot with:

PJ Brown, 6-11 center
age 38, mulling over retirement

One of the toughest defenders in the league. Very good defender. One of the best setting screens. Will make no mistake from charity stripe. Works hard. Very average offensive player.

Melvin Ely, 6-11 center
age 29, free agent

Has above-average physical skills, but must improve his attitude. Strong build. Runs the floor well.

Malik Allen, 6-10 center
age 29, free agent

Works hard. Good offensive player. Nice post up jumper. Very good size.

Brian Skinner, 6-9 center
age 31, free agent

An athletic banger. Very strong. Good rebounding ability. Very active defender. Decent offensive ability. Bad from foul line.

Mike Sweetney, 6-8 center
age 25, free agent

Decent rebounder and down low scorer. Good hands. Great wingspan. Must develop a face to basket game. Not good in the open court. Poor conditioning. Has underachieved.

Austin Croshere, 6-10 power forward
age 32, free agent

Good shooting touch. Good rebounding skills. Pretty strong and explosive. Very good first step. Not consistent enough.

Michael Ruffin, 6-8 power forward
age 30, free agent

Plays bigger than his size. Good defensive player. Very strong and athletic. Excellent leaping skills. Runs the floor well. No offensive skills. Awful free-throw shooter.

James Singleton, 6-8 power forward
age 26, free agent

Quite an athlete. Great dunker. Very aggresive rebounder (first in NBA rebound percentage). Has played very well in Europe.

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Based on what the SUNS like to do with regards to the run-n-gun, a few of the names up there should be deleted including PJ Brown, Mike Sweetney, and Malik Allen.

Melvin Ely is not a great choice either because he's had the chance to succeed and has looked below-average at best with the Clippers, Bobs, and Spurs. Teams keep giving him up. What makes him fit the Suns?He does have attitude problems and that's someone Kerr won't bring in.

Suns want somebody that is smart, athletic, rebounds extremely well, and can run the floor.

With that said, Skinner, Ruffin, and Singleton are your top three choices without a doubt.

I threw in Austin Croshere in that list because I think he should get the minimum contract in addition to a Skinner, Ruffin, or Singleton. Suns can always use a 6-10 three point gunner who can rebound at times.

Now it's time for Kerr to make the big call and get a couple of the guys in here before it's too late.

 

[Gaddabout]

It just dawned on me that PJ Brown is only 5 mos. younger than me. I retired from driveway basketball like 15 years ago and it's been all downhill ever since. PJ should call it a career, too.

 

[Sunsman44]

It just dawned on me that PJ Brown is only 5 mos. younger than me. I retired from driveway basketball like 15 years ago and it's been all downhill ever since. PJ should call it a career, too.

Well, PJ has been one of the least injured players in the NBA. He is going to be 38 and he plays younger than a handful of NBA players in their late 20s and early 30s such as Croshere, Marks, Malik Allen, and even Ely.

But yes, I think PJ should retire only because I don't want to see Phoenix pick him up. He is a bad fit for the Suns. Doesn't run the floor.

Brian Skinner does. He rebounds just as well, has authority and dunks really well. All for Skinner.

 

[dodie53]

i think the suns should sign james singleton..

he's young and ahteletic..

 

[Divide Et Impera]

Man, I wish there were a way to get Allen and Singleton....

 

[Sunsman44]

Man, I wish there were a way to get Allen and Singleton....

Yeah Singleton is fantastic. Would compete with Marion and Amare in most dunks; okay not really, but u get the idea: the man can fly!

Only thing is that his fg % is horrible (36%). And he never shoots jumpers. This means that he misses a whole lot of easy layups in the paint. Something Suns don't want.

Other than that - he is one of the quicker forwards in the NBA. Can dunk. Can jump higher than anyone. Can run super fast. Can rebound the hell out of the ball. Leads NBA in rebound percentage / minute.

Go Singleton or Skinner.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

My vote would go to Ely, who actually has the size we need.

 

[Errntknght]

Sunsman44:

Leads NBA in rebound percentage / minute.

I don't think you can get a meaningful statistic of the form "percentage / minute" - and "rebound percentage" itself is a weird statistic for an individual. Assuming you mean rebounds per minute, leaves me wondering, too, since Singleton doesn't even lead all SFs, which he is listed as, in that stat. He is ninth in rebounding rate among SFs and about 60th among all NBA players.

 

[azirish]

Sunsman44:

I don't think you can get a meaningful statistic of the form "percentage / minute" - and "rebound percentage" itself is a weird statistic for an individual. Assuming you mean rebounds per minute, leaves me wondering, too, since Singleton doesn't even lead all SFs, which he is listed as, in that stat. He is ninth in rebounding rate among SFs and about 60th among all NBA players.

Rebounds per minute are useful if the guy plays enough minutes to be relevant, but below about 18 minutes the stats are too easily distorted. Pat Burke had the same rebounds per minute number as Singleton in the same number minutes per game (fewer games). Singleton averaged 7.1 minutes a game (376 for the year) on a bad team. Marcus Banks played a lot more than Singleton last season.

 

[Gaddabout]

I don't think you can get a meaningful statistic of the form "percentage / minute" - and "rebound percentage" itself is a weird statistic for an individual.

If you can see that and I can see that, it makes you wonder why NBA types put so much weight in that kind of stat. It requires too much clarification to stand alone: Does the player get meaningful minutes?; Is he a combo forward that gets more rebounds as a power forward than a small forward?; Are they offensive or defensive rebounds, and does it actually show a deficiency if he's one-sided?

The per-40 stats are much better if you're looking for lightning in the bottle, IMO. You can take a player who plays 15 minutes and project with decent accuracy how they'd fair in 30+ minutes, but probably a declining rate of accuracy once you get beyond 34 or 35 minutes.

 

[azirish]

When looking at a backup's stats, it is useful to look at the variance from game to game. This seems to work better when looking at rebounding than scoring (backup point guards don't always pass the ball).

A solid rebounder will generally get a fair number of rebounds per game no matter what, while some guys get a bunch one game and nothing the next. Jahidi White was like that.

There are a lot of factors to look at when examining stats:

1. How does the player's stats related to the rest of the team? For example, the Suns get a huge number of rebounds but give up an even larger number; while some teams play very slow and their total rebounds are far fewer.

2. Is the player on a winning team? Bad teams often shoot badly, so there are a lot of offensive rebounds due to the misses. Also, backups on bad teams are often playing against backups because they are so far behind. Also, playing on a team with a bunch of great rebounders can limit a player's stats.

3. Slow teams tend to rebound better because no one is leaking out on the fast break.

4. Some guys play inside on offense but outside on defense or vice versa, so it is not always clear what position they are playing.

5. Look at how the player's stats are effected by number of minutes played. Some players stats decline with the number of minutes played and some have their stats improve. This may mean the player needs to play more to play well; but it can also mean that he only plays a lot when he plays well.

None the less, if you are looking a guy with a 0.30 rebounds per minute compared to another guy with a 0.15 rebounds per minute, it is very likely the first is just a better rebounder.