Celticsblog Mock GM Press Conferences: Southwest Division

[RebusRankin]

Is Garcia good enough to be a starting small forward?

[Roy Hobbs]

Is Garcia good enough to be a starting small forward?

Since Edgar isn't online, and since he and I conferred heavily on this draft pick, I'll give a preliminary answer for him:  Yes.

Yes, Garcia can be a starter.  In fact, he started 20 games last year.  In those 20 games, he put up 16.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.7 spg, and 0.7 bpg, while shooting 44.7% overall and 37.0% from 3PT.

The kid is one of the most underrated players in the league.  Edgar got a steal.

[Lucky17]

Is Garcia good enough to be a starting small forward?

Since Edgar isn't online, and since he and I conferred heavily on this draft pick, I'll give a preliminary answer for him:  Yes.

Yes, Garcia can be a starter.  In fact, he started 20 games last year.  In those 20 games, he put up 16.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.7 spg, and 0.7 bpg, while shooting 44.7% overall and 37.0% from 3PT.

The kid is one of the most underrated players in the league.  Edgar got a steal.

I think the wings are Edgar's weak spot in his lineup.

Tayshaun Prince-Josh Howard; Peja Stojakovic-Jerry Stackhouse; Kevin Martin-Gerald Wallace; and Rudy Fernandez-Randy Foye: those are the starting SF-SG tandems that Garcia and Dunleavy will have to face within their own division. I don't see how they'll be able to keep their opponents from scoring.

I am also entirely unconvinced that Jameer Nelson can be a consistent option at PG. Wildly inconsistent, prone to nagging injuries, capable of 20 points one night and virtual irrelevance the next. He's Jamaal Tinsely, version 2.0, with a slightly better attitude.

To Edgar's credit, the Mavs are a deep team. I think Bonzi Wells ought to start, with Garcia playing the 6th-man role.

[Roy Hobbs]

Tayshaun Prince-Josh Howard; Peja Stojakovic-Jerry Stackhouse; Kevin Martin-Gerald Wallace; and Rudy Fernandez-Randy Foye: those are the starting SF-SG tandems that Garcia and Dunleavy will have to face within their own division. I don't see how they'll be able to keep their opponents from scoring.

I'm not sure that Peja/Stackhouse and Fernandez/Foye are clearly better than Dunleavy/Garcia, especially when you take injuries and age into account. 

I agree on Nelson's inconsistency, though.  I would also say that Edgar's bigs are incredible offensively, but they leave *a lot* to be desired on defense.

The biggest downfall of Edgar's team, though, can be summed up as follows:

[Lucky17]

Tayshaun Prince-Josh Howard; Peja Stojakovic-Jerry Stackhouse; Kevin Martin-Gerald Wallace; and Rudy Fernandez-Randy Foye: those are the starting SF-SG tandems that Garcia and Dunleavy will have to face within their own division. I don't see how they'll be able to keep their opponents from scoring.

I'm not sure that Peja/Stackhouse and Fernandez/Foye are clearly better than Dunleavy/Garcia, especially when you take injuries and age into account. 

I doubt Peja will have much of a problem getting his shots off vs. either Dunleavy or Garcia.

True, Fernandez and Foye aren't much better, but both are quicker than either Dunleavy or Garcia, both of whom ought to have a hard time staying between their man and the basket. Foye, for instance, ought to repeatedly toast whoever draws the short straw.

[Roy Hobbs]

Tayshaun Prince-Josh Howard; Peja Stojakovic-Jerry Stackhouse; Kevin Martin-Gerald Wallace; and Rudy Fernandez-Randy Foye: those are the starting SF-SG tandems that Garcia and Dunleavy will have to face within their own division. I don't see how they'll be able to keep their opponents from scoring.

I'm not sure that Peja/Stackhouse and Fernandez/Foye are clearly better than Dunleavy/Garcia, especially when you take injuries and age into account. 

I doubt Peja will have much of a problem getting his shots off vs. either Dunleavy or Garcia.

True, Fernandez and Foye aren't much better, but both are quicker than either Dunleavy or Garcia, both of whom ought to have a hard time staying between their man and the basket. Foye, for instance, ought to repeatedly toast whoever draws the short straw.

I think you're underrating Dunleavy.  Why do you think he's a poor defender?  He's quick, has good lateral movement, stays in front of his man...  He's quick enough to defend SGs, and he's tall enough to defender SFs.  He's also a very good rebounder, an excellent shooter, and a skilled passer.  Seriously, the guy is a good player; I don't understand why folks get on his case.  I think it has a lot to do with 1) where he was drafted, 2) the college he graduated from, and 3) his appearance.  It's certainly not based upon his play on the court. 

Mike Dunleavy was a much better player than Peja last season, and frankly, it's not close.  He had significantly more points, more rebounds, more assists, more steals, more blocks, shot a higher percentage, and had essentially an identical eFG%.

Garcia is similarly better than Stackhouse, almost across the board.  He scores more points, has more rebounds, more blocks, more steals, and shoots *significantly* better, both overall and from three.

Dunleavy/Garcia destroys Peja/Stackhouse, and that's without considering injuries and age.

[BigAlTheFuture]

Although, Peja and Stackhouse are the guys on my team, I'd rather have Dunleavy and Garcia over them, any day of the week. To be honest.

[bucknersrevenge]

the Bogut/Bynum matchup is a wash, IMO.  Both have some improving to do, but Jsaad I think you're going a bit overboard in intimating that Bynum has never shown ANYTHING.  He's been inconsistent, but he's an NBA starting Center at a young age. (And that may be as nice a compliment you'll find me giving a Laker other than Derek Fisher  ).

Just to echo this point, I know I'm coming in late on this topic but Bynum's last 10 games before he went down he was averaging 17/10/3blks. The kid was getting better. I remember routine debating this with Laker fans during the Finals that tried to mitigate the effect Bynum was having on that team. I still don't buy WalkerWiggle's assertion that Bynum is an uptempo center(he'll be a fine trailer on a break every now and then but I wouldn't design an offense around him beating guys up and down the floor or anything) at all but he can definitely play.

[Lucky17]

I think you're underrating Dunleavy.  Why do you think he's a poor defender?  He's quick, has good lateral movement, stays in front of his man...  He's quick enough to defend SGs, and he's tall enough to defender SFs.  He's also a very good rebounder, an excellent shooter, and a skilled passer.  Seriously, the guy is a good player; I don't understand why folks get on his case.  I think it has a lot to do with 1) where he was drafted, 2) the college he graduated from, and 3) his appearance.  It's certainly not based upon his play on the court. 

Mike Dunleavy was a much better player than Peja last season, and frankly, it's not close.  He had significantly more points, more rebounds, more assists, more steals, more blocks, shot a higher percentage, and had essentially an identical eFG%.

Garcia is similarly better than Stackhouse, almost across the board.  He scores more points, has more rebounds, more blocks, more steals, and shoots *significantly* better, both overall and from three.

Dunleavy/Garcia destroys Peja/Stackhouse, and that's without considering injuries and age.

I guess I'm hoping for some sort of stats to help convince me that Dunleavy is quick enough to defend most SGs and strong enough to defend SFs. I've always been under the impression that he was a half-step slow and a little soft. Maybe he's improved since he's been in the league.

I'm not contending that Dunleavy and Garcia aren't good offensive players. It's their defense I'm worried about, particularly when the two of them are on the floor. Individually, they might be OK; I just don't like the combination. Dunleavy had the luxury this past season of playing alongside Granger, Garcia next to Artest.

I'd agree I'd rather have Dunleavy and Garcia over Peja and Stackhouse, mostly because I don't think Stack has much left in him at this point, and Dunleavy is clearly the most well-rounded player.

[bucknersrevenge]

Tayshaun Prince-Josh Howard; Peja Stojakovic-Jerry Stackhouse; Kevin Martin-Gerald Wallace; and Rudy Fernandez-Randy Foye: those are the starting SF-SG tandems that Garcia and Dunleavy will have to face within their own division. I don't see how they'll be able to keep their opponents from scoring.

I'm not sure that Peja/Stackhouse and Fernandez/Foye are clearly better than Dunleavy/Garcia, especially when you take injuries and age into account. 

I doubt Peja will have much of a problem getting his shots off vs. either Dunleavy or Garcia.

True, Fernandez and Foye aren't much better, but both are quicker than either Dunleavy or Garcia, both of whom ought to have a hard time staying between their man and the basket. Foye, for instance, ought to repeatedly toast whoever draws the short straw.

Garcia at 6'7 and Dunleavy at 6'8 should have ZERO problem shooting over Foye and Fernandez anytime they want as well. they can come off pin-downs and screens and rise up like Foye isn't even on the court.

I dont see Stack at his advancing age nor Peja as any world beaters on defense either.

Best swing combos there are Martin-Wallace(if Wallace can stay healthy) and Prince-Howard. Both of them are solid 2-way players.

[kw10]

Edgar, do you think your team has enough 3-point shooting, or rather, do you think you have a sniper from deep?

[Roy Hobbs]

I think you're underrating Dunleavy.  Why do you think he's a poor defender?  He's quick, has good lateral movement, stays in front of his man...  He's quick enough to defend SGs, and he's tall enough to defender SFs.  He's also a very good rebounder, an excellent shooter, and a skilled passer.  Seriously, the guy is a good player; I don't understand why folks get on his case.  I think it has a lot to do with 1) where he was drafted, 2) the college he graduated from, and 3) his appearance.  It's certainly not based upon his play on the court. 

Mike Dunleavy was a much better player than Peja last season, and frankly, it's not close.  He had significantly more points, more rebounds, more assists, more steals, more blocks, shot a higher percentage, and had essentially an identical eFG%.

Garcia is similarly better than Stackhouse, almost across the board.  He scores more points, has more rebounds, more blocks, more steals, and shoots *significantly* better, both overall and from three.

Dunleavy/Garcia destroys Peja/Stackhouse, and that's without considering injuries and age.

I guess I'm hoping for some sort of stats to help convince me that Dunleavy is quick enough to defend most SGs and strong enough to defend SFs. I've always been under the impression that he was a half-step slow and a little soft. Maybe he's improved since he's been in the league.

I'm not contending that Dunleavy and Garcia aren't good offensive players. It's their defense I'm worried about, particularly when the two of them are on the floor. Individually, they might be OK; I just don't like the combination. Dunleavy had the luxury this past season of playing alongside Granger, Garcia next to Artest.

I'd agree I'd rather have Dunleavy and Garcia over Peja and Stackhouse, mostly because I don't think Stack has much left in him at this point, and Dunleavy is clearly the most well-rounded player.

Dunleavy is an above-average defender.  He's not lockdown, by any means, but he's above average.  Indiana played a very quick pace last season, and lacked any type of interior defense (other than Jeff Foster) and not a lot of defense on the perimeter to take pressure off of Dunleavy (Granger is decent, but not a game-changer; he's becoming quickly overrated, especially on the defensive end).  Despite that, Dunleavy had very respectable "Opponent's PER" at both swing positions (it's a flawed stat, in that it's usually overly dependent upon team defense. 

The fact that Dunleavy outperformed his team defense shows he was making a positive impact on an individual level).  The Pacers also scored more points while Dunleavy was on the floor, and gave up fewer points when he was out there.  It's not like this guy was a turnstile; he did a good job. 

(Source of all stats:  82games.com)

[Lucky17]

Garcia at 6'7 and Dunleavy at 6'8 should have ZERO problem shooting over Foye and Fernandez anytime they want as well. they can come off pin-downs and screens and rise up like Foye isn't even on the court.

I dont see Stack at his advancing age nor Peja as any world beaters on defense either.

Best swing combos there are Martin-Wallace(if Wallace can stay healthy) and Prince-Howard. Both of them are solid 2-way players.

No real argument here. Memphis has committed to small-ball, so they'll live and die with an undersized SG.

I'm just having a hard time envisioning the Mavericks as being able to stop their opponents from scoring when it really matters.

[Lucky17]

Dunleavy is an above-average defender.  He's not lockdown, by any means, but he's above average.  Indiana played a very quick pace last season, and lacked any type of interior defense (other than Jeff Foster) and not a lot of defense on the perimeter to take pressure off of Dunleavy (Granger is decent, but not a game-changer; he's becoming quickly overrated, especially on the defensive end).  Despite that, Dunleavy had very respectable "Opponent's PER" at both swing positions (it's a flawed stat, in that it's usually overly dependent upon team defense. 

The fact that Dunleavy outperformed his team defense shows he was making a positive impact on an individual level).  The Pacers also scored more points while Dunleavy was on the floor, and gave up fewer points when he was out there.  It's not like this guy was a turnstile; he did a good job. 

(Source of all stats:  82games.com)

Yeah, my beef isn't so much with Dunleavy; it's more with Garcia alongside him, which takes us back to the initial question raised by Rebus. To me, whichever of them is asked to play SF ends up playing out of position.

[Roy Hobbs]

Dunleavy is an above-average defender.  He's not lockdown, by any means, but he's above average.  Indiana played a very quick pace last season, and lacked any type of interior defense (other than Jeff Foster) and not a lot of defense on the perimeter to take pressure off of Dunleavy (Granger is decent, but not a game-changer; he's becoming quickly overrated, especially on the defensive end).  Despite that, Dunleavy had very respectable "Opponent's PER" at both swing positions (it's a flawed stat, in that it's usually overly dependent upon team defense. 

The fact that Dunleavy outperformed his team defense shows he was making a positive impact on an individual level).  The Pacers also scored more points while Dunleavy was on the floor, and gave up fewer points when he was out there.  It's not like this guy was a turnstile; he did a good job. 

(Source of all stats:  82games.com)

Yeah, my beef isn't so much with Dunleavy; it's more with Garcia alongside him, which takes us back to the initial question raised by Rebus. To me, whichever of them is asked to play SF ends up playing out of position.

I don't think Dunleavy is out of position at small forward, at all.  He played 50% of his minutes there last year, and was actually more effective than he was at SG.  He's also 6'8" or 6'9" depending upon where you look, so he certainly has the size to play SF.

As for Garcia, I didn't watch him enough to really scout his defense.  He played the majority of the season at small forward, and statistically, his defensive stats are nothing special.  Without having observed him more closely, though, I can't tell if he's average defensively, or terrible.  I think it's safe to say that he's not overly good, though.

Dallas' issue is definitely going to be on the defensive end, and also at point guard.  In terms of their offensive talent, though, I think they can score with anybody in their division (and it's not like there are a lot of defensive powerhouses in the Southwest...)