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So I decided to compile a collection of paragraths regarding the state of some of our favorite Husky alumni. Some of you may not follow the NBA regularly, or even care about the NBA, so here are some of my thoughts on the twelve Huskies currently playing at the world's highest level.
Rip Hamilton: C- I'd say he ranks second to only Ray Allen in terms of Huskies that made the biggest impact on the league. He was a three time all-star, was the second best player on a Pistons team that went on one of the best runs of the decade, winning a championship, playing in two championships, and helping carry them to something like five straight Eastern Conference finals. During his nine year peak, he averaged 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists on 46% shooting - pretty impressive numbers. He's running on fumes right now, though, and looks to be on his way out of the league. He averaged only 10 PPG on 43% shooting and figures to ride the bench for a large portion of the playoffs.
Emeka Okafor: B Emeka mysteriously fell off a cliff upon leaving Charlotte (14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks with the Bobcats, 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 block since). I still believe he can start at center on the majority of NBA teams, though - he's a good defender, very good rebounder, and serviceable scorer. He's averaged a double/double since January 22nd and is putting up 13 points and 12 rebounds per 36 minutes. There was also an article published recently about the leadership burden he's taken on with the Wizards, which likely played a role in their second half resurgence. I'd be thrilled if he finds himself on a contender next season, as I believe he can be the fourth best player on a championship team.
Caron Butler: C Tough Juice isn't far behind Rip if we're evaulating our alums on the entirety of their body of work in the NBA - he's a two time all-star who strung together a seven year peak in which he averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists on 45% shooting. Unfortunately, the ACL injury he suffered in his final year with he Mavericks seems to have derailed his career, given he's averaged 11 PPG on 42% shooting since. Thankfully he's been blessed witht he toughness and basketball IQ to contribute to a playoff team in spite of what the ACL injury may have sapped from his athleticism.
Andre Drummond: A- Drummond put together a very impressive rookie year. He put up 8 points and 8 rebounds in limited minutes for the Pistons this year (14 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks per 36) and basically caused every GM that drafted before him who didn't take Anthony Davis or Damian Lillard many sleepless nights. Despite Lawrence Frank's baffling reluctancy to award him any consistent minutes for the vast majority of the year, he took advantage of the extra minutes he received laster in the season, putting up 12 and 10 over his final 5 games (not including tonight). Ultimately, Andre's only going to be as good as he wants to be - his super-human athletic and physical gifts are unmatched by virtually anybody not named LeBron James, but there have been whispers about his work ethic coming from the Pistons camp.
A.J. Price: C The fact that a 6'2 PG with underwhelming athleticism was able to overcome a potentially crippling ACL tear in the 2008 NCAA Tournament is an enormous testament to the kids character and his will to squeeze every last drop out of his ability. He should be considered a gigantic winner by simply playing four years in the NBA and making nearly $3 million doing so. But, given he took a backup job on one of the worst teams in the league and shot under 38% from the field, it looks like he may not see much in the way of guaranteed money next year. Regardless, he's been quite the success story and maybe the impressive performance he turned in tonight (along with a pretty solid 3.5 to 1 A/TO ratio) will convince somebody to take a chance on him.
Ray Allen: A- Some stars lose their athleticism instantaneously and are never heard from again, while others gracefully transition from stardom to specialism. Ray clearly falls into the latter category, as he shot 42% from three this season and provided Wade, James, and Bosh extra room to manuever. Given he's nearly 38-years-old and in his 17th NBA season, it would have been difficult to expect much more than what Ray provided this season.
Charlie Villanueva: D It would have been nice for Chuck to alert the Pistons he was retiring before he signed that deal with them back in 09. Since his career year in 08 with the Bucks in which he averaged 16 and 7 on 45% shooting (21 and 9 per 36 min), his production has been on a downward spiral. It doesn't look like his embarassing omission from the DR National team lit a fire under his ass like I had hoped, given he shot under 38% from the field. Sad to say, it seems like Chuck may be on his way out of the league unless he manages to get himself into shape this Summer.
Hasheem Thabeet: B- It's nice to see Hash managed to transform himself into a semi-contributor on an extremely good Thunder team. His stats across the board are the highest they've been since his rookie year, and Scott Brooks and the rest of the Thunder coaching staff seem to have instilled a better understanding of defensive rotations and floor spacing in him. I don't think Hasheem's disappointing NBA career is a matter of work ethic like some of our other alumni, I just don't think he has an adequate level of coordination or savvy to play more than limimted minutes in the league. I'm assuming he'll receive quite a few DNP's in the playoffs, but at least he's available to give a few fouls (and man is he good at fouling, check out his numbers), protect the rim, and grab some boards.
Rudy Gay: C- Rudy's arrival in Toronto seemed to re-vitalize him to an extent, but as a whole, he definitely had his worst year as a pro since his rookie year. He shot under 42% from the floor, which in comparison to his 45% career mark, is a major regression, especially considering he's 26-years-old and should be peaking. You have to wonder if the injury he suffered a couple years ago (I don't recall the details) sapped him of some of his explosiveness, or if it's just a coincidence that he averaged 20 and 6 from 07 to 11 compared to 19 and 6 on 43% shooting the past two years. It's a shame he was shipped out of Memphis, because he was in a position to thrive there being the #1 offensive option on a team loaded with elite defensive players and frontcourt stars. If he was simply marginally better, he would have taken the Grizzlies from good to elite, and given the Western Conference appears wide open, Memphis may have made a run to the title.
Kemba Walker: A Kemba made significant improvements in nearly every area of his game in his sophomre season in the NBA. He scored at a far more efficient rate, climbing to 18 PPG on 42% shooting from 12 PPG on 37% shooting a year ago. His Player Efficiency Rating skyrocketed to 18.8 from 14.9 during his rookie season, and he became far more potent as a thief defensively, averaging two steals a game and setting the Bobcats single season record. I award Kemba an A primarly by virtue of his dreadful supporting cast - I watched 5-10 Bobcats games this season, and it's incredible how often Kemba's forced to create a shoot with five seconds or less remaining on the shotclock. His teammates also deprive him of 1-2 assists a game with their incompetence shooting the ball (Gerald Henderson is their only offensive player with a shred of offensive ability). While his game still needs improvements in certain areas, he's a tireless worker who, in only his second NBA season, has already entered the Lawson/Conley/Wall tier of NBA PG's in my estimation, though he is probably slightly inferior to those three players for the time being. Regardless, there's no more durable player int he NBA - he goes 100 MPH every play and hasn't missed a game in his entire NBA career. Remarkable.
Ben Gordon: D- I hate to be so harsh on one of my favorite all-time Huskies, but Ben's career has simply fallen off a cliff since he signed that big pay check following his career year with the Bulls in 2008. As much as I'd like to make excuses for him, and attribute his poor play to the flawed schemes and persennel of Detroit and Charlotte, he's far too talented for me to give him a pass. This is a guy who, during his three year peak with the Bulls, averaged 20 PPG on 45% from the field, 41% from three, and 88% from the line. Becoming a member of the 50/40/90 club wasn't out of the question for him. He had the capabilities to lift a team on his back for an entire playoff series, as we witnessed during his epic duel with Ray Allen (he averaged 24 PPG in that series). My hope is Ben can salvage his career as a sixth man on a contender, somebody who can come off the bench and provide instant offense and floor spacing. He's wasn't created to collect dust on the shelves of lottery teams, the kid lives for the big moment and thrives under the bright lights. Do the right thing, Ben, and after your current contract expires, sign with a contender.
Jeremy Lamb: N/A
Jeff Adrien: A We might as well end on a positive note. This guy has a choppy offensive game (to put it nicely), he's built like a linebacker yet is asked to guard everyone from LeBron to Kevin Garnett, and oh yeah, he's pushing 6'6 and offers absolutely nothing scouts envision in a prototypical NBA basketball player. Yet somehow the kid is averaging a solid double/double per 36 minutes for his career, he continues to leach onto NBA rosters, and he left enough of an impression on the Bobcats that the GM was willing to cut his own son to make room for him. I don't think anybody said a bad word about the kid in his time at UConn, and the furocity he played with is bascially the template for all incoming UConn big men. There's no doubt in my mind this kid winds up on the UConn coaching staff after his playing days are finished - he's basically the Kevin Ollie of big men.
While some of our alumni have floundered in recent years, you can count the schools on one hand whose players have made a larger impact in the NBA. Andre, Kemba, and hopefully, Rudy, look poised to snatch the torch from our more veteran alumni Caron, Rip, and Ray. Emeka and Ben will hopefully find their niches at some point over the next couple years, and Lamb, assuming he's granted a legitimate opportunity to play, looks like he has a bright future in front of him. If Ollie can continue to pump out NBA talent it will only expand our brand - just think of the impact a couple of potential all-stars in Walker and Drummond can have on a program.
Rip Hamilton: C- I'd say he ranks second to only Ray Allen in terms of Huskies that made the biggest impact on the league. He was a three time all-star, was the second best player on a Pistons team that went on one of the best runs of the decade, winning a championship, playing in two championships, and helping carry them to something like five straight Eastern Conference finals. During his nine year peak, he averaged 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists on 46% shooting - pretty impressive numbers. He's running on fumes right now, though, and looks to be on his way out of the league. He averaged only 10 PPG on 43% shooting and figures to ride the bench for a large portion of the playoffs.
Emeka Okafor: B Emeka mysteriously fell off a cliff upon leaving Charlotte (14 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks with the Bobcats, 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 block since). I still believe he can start at center on the majority of NBA teams, though - he's a good defender, very good rebounder, and serviceable scorer. He's averaged a double/double since January 22nd and is putting up 13 points and 12 rebounds per 36 minutes. There was also an article published recently about the leadership burden he's taken on with the Wizards, which likely played a role in their second half resurgence. I'd be thrilled if he finds himself on a contender next season, as I believe he can be the fourth best player on a championship team.
Caron Butler: C Tough Juice isn't far behind Rip if we're evaulating our alums on the entirety of their body of work in the NBA - he's a two time all-star who strung together a seven year peak in which he averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists on 45% shooting. Unfortunately, the ACL injury he suffered in his final year with he Mavericks seems to have derailed his career, given he's averaged 11 PPG on 42% shooting since. Thankfully he's been blessed witht he toughness and basketball IQ to contribute to a playoff team in spite of what the ACL injury may have sapped from his athleticism.
Andre Drummond: A- Drummond put together a very impressive rookie year. He put up 8 points and 8 rebounds in limited minutes for the Pistons this year (14 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 blocks per 36) and basically caused every GM that drafted before him who didn't take Anthony Davis or Damian Lillard many sleepless nights. Despite Lawrence Frank's baffling reluctancy to award him any consistent minutes for the vast majority of the year, he took advantage of the extra minutes he received laster in the season, putting up 12 and 10 over his final 5 games (not including tonight). Ultimately, Andre's only going to be as good as he wants to be - his super-human athletic and physical gifts are unmatched by virtually anybody not named LeBron James, but there have been whispers about his work ethic coming from the Pistons camp.
A.J. Price: C The fact that a 6'2 PG with underwhelming athleticism was able to overcome a potentially crippling ACL tear in the 2008 NCAA Tournament is an enormous testament to the kids character and his will to squeeze every last drop out of his ability. He should be considered a gigantic winner by simply playing four years in the NBA and making nearly $3 million doing so. But, given he took a backup job on one of the worst teams in the league and shot under 38% from the field, it looks like he may not see much in the way of guaranteed money next year. Regardless, he's been quite the success story and maybe the impressive performance he turned in tonight (along with a pretty solid 3.5 to 1 A/TO ratio) will convince somebody to take a chance on him.
Ray Allen: A- Some stars lose their athleticism instantaneously and are never heard from again, while others gracefully transition from stardom to specialism. Ray clearly falls into the latter category, as he shot 42% from three this season and provided Wade, James, and Bosh extra room to manuever. Given he's nearly 38-years-old and in his 17th NBA season, it would have been difficult to expect much more than what Ray provided this season.
Charlie Villanueva: D It would have been nice for Chuck to alert the Pistons he was retiring before he signed that deal with them back in 09. Since his career year in 08 with the Bucks in which he averaged 16 and 7 on 45% shooting (21 and 9 per 36 min), his production has been on a downward spiral. It doesn't look like his embarassing omission from the DR National team lit a fire under his ass like I had hoped, given he shot under 38% from the field. Sad to say, it seems like Chuck may be on his way out of the league unless he manages to get himself into shape this Summer.
Hasheem Thabeet: B- It's nice to see Hash managed to transform himself into a semi-contributor on an extremely good Thunder team. His stats across the board are the highest they've been since his rookie year, and Scott Brooks and the rest of the Thunder coaching staff seem to have instilled a better understanding of defensive rotations and floor spacing in him. I don't think Hasheem's disappointing NBA career is a matter of work ethic like some of our other alumni, I just don't think he has an adequate level of coordination or savvy to play more than limimted minutes in the league. I'm assuming he'll receive quite a few DNP's in the playoffs, but at least he's available to give a few fouls (and man is he good at fouling, check out his numbers), protect the rim, and grab some boards.
Rudy Gay: C- Rudy's arrival in Toronto seemed to re-vitalize him to an extent, but as a whole, he definitely had his worst year as a pro since his rookie year. He shot under 42% from the floor, which in comparison to his 45% career mark, is a major regression, especially considering he's 26-years-old and should be peaking. You have to wonder if the injury he suffered a couple years ago (I don't recall the details) sapped him of some of his explosiveness, or if it's just a coincidence that he averaged 20 and 6 from 07 to 11 compared to 19 and 6 on 43% shooting the past two years. It's a shame he was shipped out of Memphis, because he was in a position to thrive there being the #1 offensive option on a team loaded with elite defensive players and frontcourt stars. If he was simply marginally better, he would have taken the Grizzlies from good to elite, and given the Western Conference appears wide open, Memphis may have made a run to the title.
Kemba Walker: A Kemba made significant improvements in nearly every area of his game in his sophomre season in the NBA. He scored at a far more efficient rate, climbing to 18 PPG on 42% shooting from 12 PPG on 37% shooting a year ago. His Player Efficiency Rating skyrocketed to 18.8 from 14.9 during his rookie season, and he became far more potent as a thief defensively, averaging two steals a game and setting the Bobcats single season record. I award Kemba an A primarly by virtue of his dreadful supporting cast - I watched 5-10 Bobcats games this season, and it's incredible how often Kemba's forced to create a shoot with five seconds or less remaining on the shotclock. His teammates also deprive him of 1-2 assists a game with their incompetence shooting the ball (Gerald Henderson is their only offensive player with a shred of offensive ability). While his game still needs improvements in certain areas, he's a tireless worker who, in only his second NBA season, has already entered the Lawson/Conley/Wall tier of NBA PG's in my estimation, though he is probably slightly inferior to those three players for the time being. Regardless, there's no more durable player int he NBA - he goes 100 MPH every play and hasn't missed a game in his entire NBA career. Remarkable.
Ben Gordon: D- I hate to be so harsh on one of my favorite all-time Huskies, but Ben's career has simply fallen off a cliff since he signed that big pay check following his career year with the Bulls in 2008. As much as I'd like to make excuses for him, and attribute his poor play to the flawed schemes and persennel of Detroit and Charlotte, he's far too talented for me to give him a pass. This is a guy who, during his three year peak with the Bulls, averaged 20 PPG on 45% from the field, 41% from three, and 88% from the line. Becoming a member of the 50/40/90 club wasn't out of the question for him. He had the capabilities to lift a team on his back for an entire playoff series, as we witnessed during his epic duel with Ray Allen (he averaged 24 PPG in that series). My hope is Ben can salvage his career as a sixth man on a contender, somebody who can come off the bench and provide instant offense and floor spacing. He's wasn't created to collect dust on the shelves of lottery teams, the kid lives for the big moment and thrives under the bright lights. Do the right thing, Ben, and after your current contract expires, sign with a contender.
Jeremy Lamb: N/A
Jeff Adrien: A We might as well end on a positive note. This guy has a choppy offensive game (to put it nicely), he's built like a linebacker yet is asked to guard everyone from LeBron to Kevin Garnett, and oh yeah, he's pushing 6'6 and offers absolutely nothing scouts envision in a prototypical NBA basketball player. Yet somehow the kid is averaging a solid double/double per 36 minutes for his career, he continues to leach onto NBA rosters, and he left enough of an impression on the Bobcats that the GM was willing to cut his own son to make room for him. I don't think anybody said a bad word about the kid in his time at UConn, and the furocity he played with is bascially the template for all incoming UConn big men. There's no doubt in my mind this kid winds up on the UConn coaching staff after his playing days are finished - he's basically the Kevin Ollie of big men.
While some of our alumni have floundered in recent years, you can count the schools on one hand whose players have made a larger impact in the NBA. Andre, Kemba, and hopefully, Rudy, look poised to snatch the torch from our more veteran alumni Caron, Rip, and Ray. Emeka and Ben will hopefully find their niches at some point over the next couple years, and Lamb, assuming he's granted a legitimate opportunity to play, looks like he has a bright future in front of him. If Ollie can continue to pump out NBA talent it will only expand our brand - just think of the impact a couple of potential all-stars in Walker and Drummond can have on a program.
