The Other Men

With Jose Calderon finally a full time starter, the question of who’s the best backup PG in the NBA no longer has an automatic answer. Look here. Antonio Daniels? Probably; he just edges out Nate Robinson. At this point in his career, Nate would make a better starter anyway. Didn’t say he’d be a good starter, just that he’d perform better as a starter than as a backup.

Daniels has the ideal qualities for a great #2. Breadth of experience; any possible game situation is familiar to him by now. Acceptance of his place in the offense; he’s there first of all to set the table, but he can also bring home some scoreboard bacon and keep the defense honest. A value-added feature of A.D.’s game is the proficiency with which he gets to the FT line – because of both the points and the pressure put on the opposing defense. Emergency preparedness plan; with Arenas out, and when Daniels himself wasn’t hurt, the Wiz were business as usual. The ability to step up and play with the first team (and especially against first teams) is invaluable in a 2nd stringer. Antonio’s defense is acceptable – he’s not yet at the Sam Cassell level of decrepitude.

Plus Daniels once did this:

As everything related to the NBA, in my mind, revolves around the 17 time champions(that’s devastating domination, btw), so, ultimately, does this post.

The Cs could use a good backup at the point. House did a fair enough job last year, but we all like to tinker, and Eddie isn’t really a PG at heart.

Sam Cassell got the MVP stolen from him in ‘05-’06 as he single-handedly sculpted the Clippers out of clay and blew the breath of life into their lungs. Those days are gone, Nietzsche killed God(what?), and Sam’s legs are done. He’d like to keep playing, but it seems Ainge hasn’t made him a priority.

Which point guard can be had for nothing, Gabe Pruitt, or Scabz Scalabrine’s contract + a cash and pick combo? Where was Scalabrine in the Floor Burn Tournament? What’s your favourite type of cheese? For me: sandwich – swiss; ingredient – feta; meze and dip – blue. Don’t you like questionmarks?

Mustafa Shakur – Able player, performed well at Arizona, fell through the cracks. His Euro experience winning the 2008 Polish championship is a bonus. Ainge may consider him too inexperienced or too similar to Pruitt. ‘Staf’s a better PG than Gabe.

Travis Diener – The Pacers seem to like him as Ford’s backup, but their personnel moves rarely make any sense. Might be available if Indy buys into the Wonderful World of Tinsley again. Effective player in limited minutes.

Jamaal Tinsley – The Pacers supposedly hate him now but deep down they’ll always love him; they brought in T.J. Ford so it seems Indy’s moving on. He looks like this guy. NYC Point God with incredible game, which he often forgets to bring. I’m guessing he loses it while clubbing. Tinz most likely wants to start but is as durable as Vince Carter. If amenable to a backup role he might flourish on an established team like the Celtics.

Stephon Marbury – If the Knicks buy him out and he doesn’t go to Italy , he’d be a vet minimum addition for a contender. What he lacks as a teammate overshadows his talent.

Mike James – The Pitbull is a great slasher and decent shooter. He works his ass off on the court and is an underrated defender when motivated. Mike would be a great option for the Cs but with Pargo gone, New Orleans might need to keep him. The experience of Boston vs. the youth of N.O. makes James a better fit in Green rather than Teal. He is overpaid, however.

Kyle Lowry – The best PG available. The assumption that he’s available comes from Chris Wallace’s horrible track record as a GM. Even so, he might fetch a little bit more than dregs in a trade. Possible starter quality player on his rookie contract. A team guy, he sat behind Mike (T.J. Ford Jr.) Conley without complaining, even though he’s better than him. Lowry’s coming into his third year but his rookie season was spent absorbing the game from the sidelines because of a broken wrist. “Attack, attack, attack” – type guy on both ends of the floor. He’s an improving shooter but loves to slash to the basket and draw FTs at a high rate (again, extremely useful in a backup). Lowry’s only downside as a potential Celtic is his relative inexperience running an offense; he’s more of a creator than a quarterback.

My uneducated guess is that the odds are 3:1 that the Celtics start the season as is. The team can make do with the players on the roster. They can make do fine. A problem presents itself if Rondo has to miss extended time. There is no Other Man to slip into his place if he’s not around. In this particular case, that’s a bad thing.