Yes, we know. We kind of let the whole "Phillies Playoff Hysteria" go unnoticed here. We've been busy. And by busy, I mean lazy. But that will cease to exist as of now, because it is our favorite time of the year: The NBA Pre-Season. It is finally time for the City of Philadelphia to rally together and truly get excited by an event: Willie Green starting at shooting guard for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The praise for Willie has been unending so far this year.
Maurice Cheeks - "I think Willie has been great"
Marc Narducci, Philadelphia Inquirer Beat Writer - "He (Green) has looked strong in camp, especially in taking the ball to the basket. In 2005-06 (Mark's Note: This year is the 2007-08 season), Green missed all but the final 10 games after recovering from surgery on his left knee."
Phil Jasner, Philadelphia Daily News Beat Writer: "Willie Green, who started at shooting guard, showed some of the willingness to drive hard to the basket that was missing last season, his first after knee surgery."
Well actually, that is all that has appeared in print. But it does seem like a lot of compliments for a player of Willie's stature. That stature being one of, if not the, worst player currently in the National Basketball Association.
In case you were wondering, the main reason that this blog started is because Jim and I would spend days emailing each other about how terrible Willie Green was last season. Before the season starts, we will put out a Debunking The Myths About Willie Green, but for now, I'll leave you with John Hollinger, NBA Expert, and his opinion on Willie Green.
Green had been in the NBA for four years without offering a shred of a reason why he belongs, yet the Sixers gave him a five-year, $17 million deal in the summer of 2006. What a country. Last season he started 36 games because the Sixers remain delusional about his talents, and he managed a career-best Player Efficiency Rating -- one that ranked him 55th out of the league's 66 shooting guards. Theoretically, Green is a scorer. He had one of the highest usage rates among shooting guards, but it's questionable whether this was a good thing.
Green can't make shots -- his true shooting percentage was the fourth-worst at his position -- and he lacks either the talent or the inclination to pass, as his assist ratio was a matching fourth-worst as well. His biggest weakness is a curious inability to draw fouls. Green drives to the basket a decent amount, as more than a third of his shots came in the immediate basket area, but only two guards earned fewer free-throw attempts per field-goal attempt than he did. He's a lousy finisher too, making 45.9 percent of his shots in that area.
Green did better from outside, hitting a respectable 42.3 percent of his long 2s, but if that's all you've got it's a tough way to make a living. He made only 32.5 percent of his 3-pointers and must vastly improve from out there or start drawing a few fouls if he's going to be a viable NBA shooting guard.
And for those of you keeping score at home, Willie took 10 shots against the Knicks in Game 1. And scored 10 points. You wonder why the Sixers are giving away tickets for free? Look no further than #33.
The praise for Willie has been unending so far this year.
Maurice Cheeks - "I think Willie has been great"
Marc Narducci, Philadelphia Inquirer Beat Writer - "He (Green) has looked strong in camp, especially in taking the ball to the basket. In 2005-06 (Mark's Note: This year is the 2007-08 season), Green missed all but the final 10 games after recovering from surgery on his left knee."
Phil Jasner, Philadelphia Daily News Beat Writer: "Willie Green, who started at shooting guard, showed some of the willingness to drive hard to the basket that was missing last season, his first after knee surgery."
Well actually, that is all that has appeared in print. But it does seem like a lot of compliments for a player of Willie's stature. That stature being one of, if not the, worst player currently in the National Basketball Association.
In case you were wondering, the main reason that this blog started is because Jim and I would spend days emailing each other about how terrible Willie Green was last season. Before the season starts, we will put out a Debunking The Myths About Willie Green, but for now, I'll leave you with John Hollinger, NBA Expert, and his opinion on Willie Green.
Green had been in the NBA for four years without offering a shred of a reason why he belongs, yet the Sixers gave him a five-year, $17 million deal in the summer of 2006. What a country. Last season he started 36 games because the Sixers remain delusional about his talents, and he managed a career-best Player Efficiency Rating -- one that ranked him 55th out of the league's 66 shooting guards. Theoretically, Green is a scorer. He had one of the highest usage rates among shooting guards, but it's questionable whether this was a good thing.
Green can't make shots -- his true shooting percentage was the fourth-worst at his position -- and he lacks either the talent or the inclination to pass, as his assist ratio was a matching fourth-worst as well. His biggest weakness is a curious inability to draw fouls. Green drives to the basket a decent amount, as more than a third of his shots came in the immediate basket area, but only two guards earned fewer free-throw attempts per field-goal attempt than he did. He's a lousy finisher too, making 45.9 percent of his shots in that area.
Green did better from outside, hitting a respectable 42.3 percent of his long 2s, but if that's all you've got it's a tough way to make a living. He made only 32.5 percent of his 3-pointers and must vastly improve from out there or start drawing a few fouls if he's going to be a viable NBA shooting guard.
And for those of you keeping score at home, Willie took 10 shots against the Knicks in Game 1. And scored 10 points. You wonder why the Sixers are giving away tickets for free? Look no further than #33.
