Welcome to the third edition of 'McCready Malarkey'.  I'm your host Matt McCready, behind me is Phil Giroux, and with me always, the Keith Closs band.  In this issue we take a look at Atlanta?s acquisition of Mike Bibby, John JP Hollinger, and the young players of the Golden State Warriors?

How pumped must Bibby be?

Mike Bibby's reputation in the league was built in the playoffs years ago when he was the best player on a Sacramento team that nearly upset the Shaq-Kobe Lakers.  He got a max-contract out of it, and the deal wasn't even questioned at the time as he was considered one of the league's next great point guards.  However, he's never developed into the player many thought he would become since then, partially due to injuries and partially because he's not playing with a collection of all-stars like he was in those days.  His reputation has gone from a playmaker into more of a combo-point guard who would prefer to shoot than to distribute.

Well, there's maybe no better team to join to change that perspective than the Hawks.  The best athlete this guy has ever set up was probably at the very start of his career in Vancouver, when he was feeding hoops to a young, healthy, and motivated Shareef Abdul-Rahim.  That's totally changed now that he's playing with a group that from 5 to 2 are as athletic as any in the Association.

Joe Johnson finally gets the point guard he's been missing since he chose to leave Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns.  Johnson has a sweet shooting stroke, the best on the team,  so while his assist numbers should drop, his points per game should go up and his field goal percentage too as he should get easier looks at the basket while also not having to worry about creating shots for his teammates as much.  At small forward, Marvin Williams is a freak who continues to improve each year, especially in scoring.  Josh Smith is maybe the most athletic guy in the league, and Bibby's mouth should be salivating with the fast break attack he could release with him as I doubt he was throwing too many oop passes to Vlade Divac.  At center, Al Horford (my pick for Rookie-Of-The-Year) runs the floor well for his position and does the dirty work this team has needed since Mutumbo wagged his hitchhiking finger all the way to Philadelphia.  It seems that after years of having a roster filled with nothing but swingmen, Atlanta can finally make a serious run in the East.

This is the last hurrah for Bibby; can he make a go of it?  

Don?t go near John Hollinger's calculator.  It's... sticky

ESPN basketball analyst John P. Hollinger (JP) has carved himself an impressive niche in the basketball world as the statistical guru.  He has come up with a seemingly endless amount of statistics to prove pretty much anyone's worth on the court.   While these statistics can sometimes be interesting despite the fact that in this field he's ahead of the class, they can definitely cloud common sense.

JP argues in his latest column that the difference between Jason Kidd and Devin Harris is negligible.  He comes to this conclusion based only on statistics from this year, not even looking back as far as last summer or the 2007 playoffs.

Which player would you really rather have?  One who averaged a triple-double in the first round of the playoffs last year (Kidd) or one who was outplayed so badly in the first round last year that his team suffered the greatest upset in the first round of the playoffs in the last ten years?  On Team USA last summer, the team chose to start Jason Kidd in front of MVP candidate Chris Paul.  Somehow I doubt if he made the team that Harris would be in the mix for any playing time at all.

JP brings up the fact that Kidd's passing skills are lethal in the fast break and that those skills will not be utilized in Dallas as they run a very deliberate system.  Mavs' Coach Avery Johnson is no idiot, he's a former coach-of-the-year and he'll take advantage of the players on his roster and adjust his system accordingly.  The reason why Dallas' offense is so methodical is because Devin Harris' decision making cannot be counted on in the fast break.  That will change with the addition of Kidd.  Expect Josh Howard to benefit hugely from Kidd's arrival.

Kidd's shooting is down this year. He's never been a sure shot, but expect Harris' numbers to plummet now that he's working in a system with no big men to play with and fewer open shots without a Dirk Nowitzki being double teamed every possession.  

Is this a good trade for the long term future of the Mavs?  Of course not, but to suggest that Kidd will not be an upgrade on Devin is insane.

Veteran leadership and playoff savvy is not something that can be programmed into NBA Live.

The Karl Malone Express

Q:

I really enjoyed your recent article on RealGM about the balance of power in the West and the Lakers' and Blazers' incipient rise.  One gripe...  I'm a homer and I have to throw in the Warriors.  I can understand why you didn't mention them.  The Warriors heavily rely on two guys closing in on 30, Capt'n Jack and B. Davis.  With that said I guess I just want your opinion on the Warriors' youth.  Monta is an obvious stud.  Andres is another guy who is only going to get better once he learns to score turning left shoulder.  Dwight, Bynum, and Oden all my have more potential, but he's as good a defender as anyone of those guys, runs the floor better than any of them (Judging from Oden's college days), and his energy will leave them in the dust.  

Here are where the question marks arise: the rookies.  Marco Belinelli has the potential to be a Ginobili type assassin.  His stroke off the dribble is incredible.  His handles and passing ability make it possible for him to play the point if the need rises.  His defense needs some work, but several articles I've read say that he actually had the task of guarding the opposing team?s best player in Europe.  On top of that he's cold blooded (not influenced by pressure), and he has a high basketball IQ.  Brandan Wright might be the key ingredient for the Warriors to eventually reach elite status.  He's as long and as athletic as anyone in the NBA.  He runs the floor beautifully, has a solid handle for a guy his size, rebounds, blocks shots, and has a lefty hook that's un-guardable.  He obviously needs to put on a few (20) lbs., but there is no reason to think he can't become a Bosh-esque player.

Once again I can understand why you didn't mention the Warriors' and how you could see my relying on a couple of youngsters who have seen minimal playing time opportunistic.  The times I've seen them get extensive minutes in college, Europe, and the Summer league leads me to believe these guys are going to be special, and Monta and Andres are only going to get better.

If you got this far, thanks for reading.  I'd love to hear your analysis if you get the time.

- Nick Beltramo

A: To be honest, I haven't seen the Warriors play much this year which is why I haven't written too much about them.
 
There's no doubt that the Warriors are one of the up-and-coming teams of the league. Every time I see Monta Ellis play I'm impressed. His ability to stop on a dime and release that mid-range jumper is beautiful. His quickness is absurd, and his ability to finish at the basket is impressive.  He's got a bit of Iverson in him (albeit he has a way to go to reach that guy's potential), but he's still a defensive liability.

I love the lanky Latvian Andris Biedrins.  Mad athletic, good defensively and you pointed it out, he has a motor that doesn?t stop.  I don?t know if he runs the floor better than Dwight, but he definitely doesn?t have the bulk to match up with him or Bynum and who knows what Oden will play like when he finally gets on the court.  He?s a keeper, but he?s just a notch below the elite young centers of the NBA.

I'm not too sold on the Belinelli/Ginobili comparison. Ginobili is one of the best players in the world, putting up insane numbers in one of the most restrictive systems (San Antonio) in the league.  There's a good chance that Belinelli might end up being more of a Kareem Rush than a Ginobili.  I?ve also heard nothing about him being a defensive stopper in the EuroLeague.  From all accounts he?s below average when it comes to having the lateral quickness required to guard at the NBA level.

This is hopefully where I can put an end to the Chris Bosh/Brandan Wright comparisons.  While their body structures and athleticism are similar, the reason I hate the comparison is that Bosh has a silky-smooth jumper, one that players must respect.  His ability to stick jumpers in the face of defenders forces them to play him more closely, allowing the gangly Texan to use his quickness to drive to the basket easily and draw more fouls.  Wright, on the other hand, has a stroke that resembles Biedrins more than anyone else's.  Wright might develop into a more post-oriented offensive player as that hook shot is sweet, but he's not the same type of player as Bosh and I doubt he ever will be.

Thanks for writing, it's easy to overlook the Warriors in the awesome Western Conference.  It?s also deadly to overlook them, as Devin Harris would tell you?  

Random Thought of the Day... was Gerald Green's 'ladder' dunk the worst dunk in the history of the Slam Dunk competition? Also, couldn't they have used that ladder somewhere constructively in New Orleans?

Questions?  Comments?  Probes?  Cheap herbal Viagra offers?  Email Matt McCready at mattmccready@gmail.com