actually, in a very tiny correction to the above, neither of them look to be very good passers so far.
powe posted assist averages of 0.2 and 0.3 his first two years.
davis put up an average of 0.4 assists his first year.
this is strictly recollection and anectodal, but i recall powe mostly as getting the ball down low and working like heck to get off a shot. i dont recall him passing much to other players who then scored. maybe not totally a black hole, but he doesnt seem to be good creating scoring opportunities for teammates so far.
i know this is not his primary job, and he has only 2 seasons. but assist averages of 0.2 and 0.3 aint nothing to write home about.
davis, if my poor memory serves correctly, plays farther away from the rim then power, which one could argue would increase the number of assists. but the stats still dont support that idea.
still, this is a small point for comparing two backup PF i guess.
How could either one of them get any assists out there on the floor?! They were playing with Cassell. IF Sam passes you the ball you know you better shoot it immediately. It ISN'T coming back to you again!
Don't hate on Sam. I remember reading an interview of his talking about how Doc Rivers actually wanted him to shoot like that b/c usually when Cassell was on the floor, there we no shooters around him. No one seems to notice that House played almost that exact same role. Shoot first then pass, if you pass, run to an open spot for the ball back to shoot.
Hating on Sam is very easy. He was a huge bust signing last year. He did absolutely nothing but take House's minutes away. House was also NOT a shoot first player. He always looked to move the ball and go set a pick before sitting on the three point line. Then if someone drove and needed to dish he was there. Sam was shoot first, second, and third. If the team was so enamored with the play of Sam he would be on the squad right now. They realize as well that Sam did not fit into our team like they had hoped. Best non-signing of the off season.
In directing it back to the topic, I guarantee that if he had dropped the ball into either one of these guys in the post, especially Powe, that he would have had 2-3 more assists a game and a lot more happy teammates and fans. Both players are good options on the block.
Sam played his role perfectly, and did the best he could at the time he was brought in. House's numbers will look better as well as his chemistry b/c he signed before they played 82 games. The PG position is arguably the hardest position to just pick up and run with. Just an example, look at Jason Kidd. Some say he's still the best PG in the league, or at least top 3, which I'd agree. BUT, even with the right pieces around him, he still couldn't produce great numbers in Dallas so late. Don't get me wrong, Cassell and Kidd aren't nearly the same in skill level, as Sam is a shoot first PG, and Kidd will pass without a shot for games on in, but they both were put in similar situations. Kidd, take on the starting PG and take us to the finals. Cassell, take on the backup PG, help Rondo and our team make it deep into the playoffs. The other big key to seeing Cassell not "wow" everyone, not only did he play the point, but he's coming off the bench. Compare his numbers to any other backup PG and see which player made a difference. As for him not coming back, 2 things. The season hasn't started yet, and for his age he could be signed late December or January AND he helped start the new Dynasty by getting us number 17. He made a point of wanting to get into coaching sometime, most likely with Denver and Coach Karl. Don't be surprised to see our eldest Celts back on the roster(PJ and Sam)