ESPN Has Scheyer On Front Page And Highly Overrated

It only occurred to me today to actually check Jon Scheyer's basketball statistics. You know, the quantifiable, measurable, numerical evidence that allows us to draw conclusions on athletes without biased, subjective opinions. With Duke in the final four for the first time since 2004, every media outlet is hyping up Jon Scheyer. Some have even claimed him as a legitimate national player of the year candidate. His reputation is even more pristine if you happen to reside in Chicago, his home town, because every conversation ends with us berating Bruce Weber for not keeping Scheyer in the state.

What if I told you that Scheyer is shooting 39% from the field this year? That's pretty low, especially for college basketball. And it is not an aberration. Scheyer has been a remarkably consistent 39% shooter for 3 out of his 4 years of eligibility. I think the only worse professional shooters are Jannero Pargo and Baron Davis. Yes, he is a great 3-point shooter at 38%, with more than half his shots coming from beyond the arc. Yes, he is a great free throw shooter(88%) and a decent distributor(4.8 assists). Since nearly all of his points come from outside the paint, with very limited ability to create his own shot, his shooting percentages are down. I'm pretty sure most NBA teams are not looking for anorexic white guys who can barely out-shoot Jannero Pargo in a game.

You may be screaming at the computer screen, "what about Stephen Curry? He's an anorexic white-ish guy who shoots 3's and made it in the NBA". Let's look at the numbers, shall we. In Curry's 3 years in college, he shot over 40% from 3 point land twice. Topping out at 44% his sophomore year. In addition, he shot between 45-48% from the field as a whole, much more impressive than Scheyer's 39%. This was mainly a result of Curry's ball handling skills and ability to create open shot and drive to the basket. Scheyer is white and has no such skills. Curry also outrebounded, assisted, and stole Scheyer while being the only player on his team that people worried about.

Jon Scheyer has had a very productive college career and god damn Bruce Weber for letting a jewish, chicago boy who played HS ball under Weber's brother go to Duke. But to inflate his game to legendary status the way ESPN and Coach K himself have done is misleading to say the least

A Look at the Chicago Bulls 2009……….The Bench

I have just looked at most of the Chicago Bulls players. When I looked at each player I talked about their role on the team. Now I am going to talk about the Bench, and more specifically the back-up for each position. I will not be going into every bench player. When I talk about the second unit I am referencing: Kirk Hinrich, Brad Miller, Jannero Pargo, James Johnson, and Taj Gibson. These are the five back-up’s and their respective positions. Players are interchangeable to play other positions if someone else is not performing, injured, or in foul trouble.

Kirk Hinrich and Brad Miller are the only two dependable consistent players the Bulls have off the bench. They are both veterans who know how to play the game and the Bulls will be relying on them to come off the bench and provide a spark. For Kirk Hinrich that will mean to come in and knock down some shots while playing with Derrick Rose, or handling the ball and giving Derrick Rose a break. He will be the primary back-up for both guard spots. Brad Miller will be backing up Power Forward and Center. He will need to come in and shoot. The staring Power Forward and Center are not shooter’s or proven yet in the case of the streaky Tryus Thomas. Thus it will be crucial that Miller can provide some offense at these two sports, because most of the Bulls big men are defensive oriented players. Hinrich and Miller will have to carry the Bulls second unit while the regulars get a rest.

The Bulls have veteran journeyman in Jannero Pargo. Pargo is a proven shooter and can score in a hurry, but as we learned in his first tour of duty with the Bulls he is very streaky. Some night he will come off the bench and look like Ben Gordon, but the other half he may have trouble getting in rhythm. He will give the Bulls an offensive option off the bench, but is not a proven or dependable player. I like Pargo and think he is a good pick up for the Bulls for his price tag, but it will be interesting to see how he fits in and is used.

The last two players who will be relied heavily on are the rookies James Johnson and Taj Gibson. James Johnson is supposed to be a good offensive player who can run the floor and knock down shots. From the tape I have seen on him he seems to run the floor well, but I think it will take him some time to develop his shot and become the important six men we need from him offensively off the bench. Taj Gibson is a defensive player which may provide some defensive energy off the bench, but the Bulls roster seems to be stacked with those types of players. I don’t see him getting much playing time and doing much as a Bull this season. Thus, it will be up to Hinrich and Miller to keep the game close when the starters are resting and James Johnson and Pargo will need to step it up and define their role with the team.

A Look at the Chicago Bulls 2009………. Jannero Pargo

Jannero Pargo will be entering his 7th season in the NBA after taking last season off and playing overseas in Europe for more money than he was offered here. Pargo has played with four teams in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and New Orleans Hornets. Now he will be entering his second stint with the Bulls after establishing himself as a good shooter off the bench with the Hornets from 2006-2008. During his two seasons with the Hornets he backed-up Chris Paul at point guard and shooting guard. Pargo can handle the ball well and play point guard if needed, but he is a shoot first, pass second type of point guard. The Bulls like good passers and distributors so Pargo will back-up Salmons at shooting guard and provide offense off the bench with the second team.

A Look at the Chicago Bulls 2009……….Shooting Guard

Ben Gordon departed as a free agent this past offseason and he was the heart and soul of this team’s offense. Ben Gordon starting or coming off the bench was the team’s best shooting guard arguably since Michael Jordan. The Bulls have a big hole to fill in Ben Gordon leaving after being the Bulls primary scorer and clutch shooter since he was drafted in 2004. Last season Gordon averaged 20.7 for the Bulls and 18.5 PPG in his Bulls career. The big question is can anyone currently on the Bulls roster fill the shooting void he leaves.

The Chicago Bulls will look to John Salmons to take over the load of Ben Gordon. Salmons came to the Bulls last year in a trade from the Sacramento Kings. Bulls fans quickly learned that he can shoot while he filled in at small forward for the injured Luol Deng. Now with Deng coming back and Gordon gone, Salmons will move over and start at shooting guard. John Salmons averaged 18.3 PPG as a Bull last year in 26 games. Thus, he is capable of starting and carrying the offensive load. Salmons is a late bloomer though and is only averaging 8.8 PPG throughout his seven year career. So there is some uncertainly if he is capable of handling the load for an entire season.

Backing-up John Salmons is former Chicago Bull Jannero Pargo returning for his second stint with the team. Pargo was a Bull for three years from the 2003-2004 season to the 2005-2006 season. He came off the bench those three years like he will again this time around. After he left the Bulls he went to the New Orleans Hornets and established himself as a very good shooting guard off the bench. Last season he went and played in Europe for more money than he was offered here. Now he is back in the NBA and with the Chicago Bulls. I like the Bulls bringing back Pargo and think he will do well in the role he will have. I remember Pargo with his first stint with the Bulls and watched him with the Hornets. He is a short guard like Gordon and has a similar game. I like both shooting guards the Bulls have in John Salmons and Jannero Pargo. Both are not established though and don’t have much history in being consistent so they will need to come through and prove it.

A Look at the Chicago Bulls 2009……….Point Guard

The Bulls have three point guards on the roster in starter Derrick Rose, back-up Kirk Hinrich, and veteran Lindsey Hunter who is more of a mentor to Derrick Rose than player at this stage of his career. Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich will mainly be the only players handling the ball and distributing it. We will probably only see Lindsey Hunter come in at point guard for a few minutes a game unless Rose or Hinrich are injured or in foul trouble. The Bulls also have Jannero Pargo who can handle the ball, but will be used as a shooting guard. If any of the three point guards get injured or two of them get in foul trouble in the same game then we would see Pargo handle the ball. Pargo is a small guard who can handle the ball well, but it a shoot first pass second player like Ben Gordon was. We brought Pargo back to be a back-up shooting guard, but he gives us a little extra flexibility if needed at point guard.

The Bulls should be in very good shape at point guard. We have a young guard in Derrick Rose who is still developing and will hopefully continue to blossom during his second season. In my opinion, Kirk Hinrich is a starting point guard, and would be starting on most teams. With Hinrich around we should be able to keep Rose fresh and not have to play him most of the game like we did last year when Hinrich was injured. I like the Bulls bench a lot, especially compared to many teams and this is because of Kirk Hinrich who will be the best player off the bench. It will be interesting if Hinrich and Rose will even play a little bit together. I think that could be an interesting combination for a few minutes during a game. This will depend on the other bench players though in Pargo and Johnson to give Vinny Del Negro that option.