Chris Sheridan says Wiz will likely do Blake/Outlaw for Haywood at last minute

Don't get your hopes up here...The Wizards will assuredly find a better deal than what POR is offering by the dealine...Either that or Pritchard will suddenly get cold feet...

 

thanks for getting back to me. My question was about your claim of multiple players who didn't hit their stride until their 30s. I don't know why you'd list guys like Ben Wallace, Kevin Willis, or Camby who enjoyed their high water marks in their 20s in trying to prove that point. Many of the players you listed (like McHale, DDavis, Smits, Big Z) performed at equal or at least hairsplitting comparable levels in their 20s... hell, Z's 3rd best year was his rookie season at age 22. In listing "late 20's guys" you included guys like Shaq & Parrish, so I guess you're saying everything past 25 is late 20s... to me late 20s would start like age 28.

Dikembe and Malone are good examples but I still think your claim that this is a common occurrence is pretty shaky. What I have seen as a common trend is guys bumping up their production when they're in a contract year only to slump back to their mean the following season.

Haywood isn't having a career year at age 30. His best year was at age 28 and his next best was at 24... going by PER this is his 4th best season. Dude is in a contract year though.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/haywobr01.html

STOMP

 

Sure looks like a career year to me. He's averaging 10.3 RPG. His previous career best is 7.3 RPG. He did average slightly more PPG at 28 (10.6 vs. 9.8), but he only averaged 7.2 RPG that season. For a center that's not known for his scoring, I think 9.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG and 2.1 BPG is a better season than 10.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 1.7 BPG.

Do you really consider his averages of 7.0 PPG and 5.0 PPG at the age of 24 better than his current averages of 9.8 PPG and 10.3 RPG at the age of 30? His PER may have been higher, but he was in a lesser role and his per game averages were a lot less.

BNM

 

yes he does have a bigger role now then 2 seasons ago getting 5 minutes more per game and there is some merit to that, but there is also merit to having decidedly better overall per minute stats and doing so on a winner rather then one of the worst teams in the league. They lost in 6 game in round 1 that year, but dude did average 30 minutes and a 19.7 PER. Comparing that to the games of garbage time he is racking up this 17-33 disaster...

what I don't get is why what a center is known for should matter 1 iota in evaluating what sort of season they had? I'm all for a guy improving on their weaknesses and don't see why that doesn't warrant equal recognition to improving on their strengths a similar amount.

STOMP

 

I value defense and rebounding in big men. Scoring is a bonus for a guy like Brendan Haywood, Joel Przybilla, Ben Wallace, Dikembe Mutombo, etc. He's currently scoring at a near career high and his RPG is almost 50% higher than his previous career best. If you don't want to call that a career year, that's your choice. If you think the year he scored less, rebounded less and blocked fewer shots in fewer minutes was a better year, that's, again, your choice. I respectfully disagree.

BNM

 

I value defense and rebounding from the center position, but I also value other things that contribute to winning hoops... winning hoops is the goal right? Scoring points, getting to the line, Assist/TOs, stuff like that all matters if the goal is to win.

Per minute his rebounding is up 18% this year over 2007/8 and he's also blocking 9% more shots. But his scoring is down 22%, as is his FTA's 21%. I think that matters as does his now shooting 9% worse from the line... you've got to hit your free throws. Considering the comparison of the circumstances of the teams that those stats were accumulated on and it's curious that you'd claim 09-10 season as clearly his peak. Though I'd disagree, I think you have an argument that this season to 07-08 was equal, but his best? To each their own indeed.

STOMP