http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/4534 Recent articles about Allen Iverson en-us As the Denver Nuggets desperately search for a point guard, one player comes to mind: Jose Calderon He's in the last year of his contract and www.rawsportsblog.com Thu, 15 May 2008 07:22:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267178 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267178 Over the next five weeks, I will go position by position and rank the top 30 players by total value. The NBA is a business, so it doesn't make sense to purely rank the players only by their talent or stats, or by some other qualitative measure (though those factors do matter). We must also look at a player's salary relative to his peers. Obviously, if a player is in the middle of a very reasonable contract, he'll get a boost in the rankings. To summarize a player's stats, I'll use the NBA Efficiency statistic, which is defined as: EFF = ((Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks) - ((Field Goals Att. - Field Goals Made) + (Free Throws Att. - Free Throws Made) + Turnovers)) I'll list Efficiency Per Game (EPG) for each player, which will give a nice snapshot of his stats. To compare two players that get vastly different minutes, I'll occasionally mention Efficiency Per Minute (EPM), which is simply the player's total efficiency divided by his minutes. I'll also consider a player's age and potential. All else being equal, a franchise would probably prefer a 25 year-old point guard to a 32 year-old point guard, right? Essentially, the order of this list comes down to this question – would you trade Player X for Player Y, assuming the goal is to win a title in the next three seasons at a reasonable payroll? To summarize, there are four major factors I'll consider: talent (statistical performance), contract, age and potential. Without further adieu, here are the top 30 point guards, ranked by total value: 1. Chris Paul, Hornets Age: 23 EPG: 27.8 Contract: two years, $10.6 M ($5.3 M per) Not only has Paul emerged as hands-down the best point guard in the game, he is still on his rookie contract, so he's a bargain to boot. 2. Deron Williams, Jazz Age: 23 EPG: 23.0 Contract: two years, $11.8 M ($5.9 M per) Williams is bigger and stronger than Paul, and is also a better outside shooter. But Paul has the edge in quickness, ball handling and court vision. 3. Tony Parker, Spurs Age: 25 EPG: 16.9 Contract: three years, $37.7 M ($12.6 M per) Parker is young, speedy and a proven player in the clutch. Plus, his salary is fairly reasonable for a player of his caliber. His defense is mediocre at best. (See the rest of the list after the jump.) Mon, 12 May 2008 14:39:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266125 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266125 After one and a half years with the Denver Nuggets and consecutive first round fallouts, Allen Iverson has now officially become eye candy around the league. Iverson averaged 26.4 PPG, 7.1 APG, and 2 SPG in the regular season and is third All Time based on points per game average. www.rawsportsblog.com Wed, 07 May 2008 21:36:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264571 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264571 No question about it, MVP Kobe Bryant is the best shooting guard and the best player in the NBA. He averaged 28.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.4 APG and 1.5 SPG, while leading his team to clinch the top seed in the West. He's one of the most explosive players in the league, and if you want the ball in anyone's hands in the 4th quarter, it's in his. Player (Current Team/Former Team) PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, BPG * = Best in Category (R) = Rookie Steals 1+ Shown 1. Kobe Bryant (LAL) 28.3*, 6.3, 5.4, 1.5, 1.2 BPG (Playoffs) 2. Allen Iverson (DEN) 26.4, 3, 7.1*, 2* 3. Tracy McGrady (HOU) 21.6, 5.1, 5.9, 1 4. Dwyane Wade (MIA) 24.6, 4.2, 6.9 1.7 5. Joe Johnson (ATL) 21.7, 4.5, 5.8, 1 6. Vince Carter (NJN) 21.3, 6, 5.1, 1.2 7. Jason Richardson (CHA) 21.8, 5.4, 3.1, 1.4 8. Manu Ginobili (SAS) 19.5, 4.8, 4.5, 1.5 9. Michael Redd (MIL) 22.7, 4.3, 3.4 10. Ray Allen (BOS) 17.4, 3.7, 3.1 11. Kevin Martin (SAC) 23.7, 4.5, 2.1, 1 12. Brandon Roy (POR) 19.1, 4.7, 5.8, 1.1 13. Monta Ellis (GSW) 20.2, 5, 3.9, 1.5 14. Rip Hamilton (DET) 17.3, 3.3, 4.2, 1 15. (R) Kevin Durant (SEA) 20.3, 4.4, 2.4, 1, 0.9 BPG* 16. Mike Miller (MEM) 16.4, 6.7*, 3.4 17. Leandro Barbosa (PHX) 15.6, 2.8, 2.6 18. Ben Gordon (CHI) 18.6, 3.1, 3 19. Jason Terry (DAL) 15.5, 2.5, 3.2, 1.1 20. Raja Bell (PHX) 11.9, 3.7, 2.2 21. Randy Foye (MIN) 13.1, 3.3, 4.2 22. Rashad McCants (MIN) 14.9, 2.7, 2.2 23. Cuttino Mobley (LAC) 12.8, 3.6, 2.6, 1 24. DeShawn Stevenson (WAS) 11.2, 3.9, 3.1 25. Larry Hughes (CHI/CLE) 12.2, 3.4, 2.7, 1.5 26. Anthony Parker (TOR) 11.4, 4.1, 2.2, 1 27. Ronnie Brewer (UTA) 12, 2.9, 1.8, 1.7 28. J.R. Smith (DEN) 12.3, 2.1, 1.7 29. Wally Szczerbiak (CLE/SEA) 11.5, 2.9, 1.4 30.. Willie Green (PHI) 12.4, 2.5, 2 Just Missed It Juan Carlos Navarro 10.9, 2.6, 2.2 Michael Finley 10.1, 3.1, 1.4 Jerry Stackhouse 10.7, 2.3, 2.5 Wed, 07 May 2008 13:35:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264312 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264312 I read today on the Denver Posts website that my boy Carmelo Anthony got pulled over and issued a ticket for going sixty miles per hour in a forty-five mile per hour zone. My response: Who gives a s***? I'm tired of stuff like this being news. Speeding? Are you kidding me? The article said that this ticket adds to the woes of Melo. Talk about the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. It's an effing speeding ticket! I'm from the small town of Rapid City, South Dakota. I drive the speed limit. However, when I'm in Denver, my favorite city in the world, I don't drive the speed limit all the time. In a big city, I drive with the flow of traffic. If the speed limit is forty-five, it's likely that I could be going sixty and not even realize it because I'm driving the same speed as everyone else. And from what I hear, according to the comments to the article in the Denver Post, most people speed in that part of town, on that particular street. Its just the way the traffic flows. I'm not going to say that the Denver PD are targeting Melo, but let's be serious for a minute. Why pull Melo over when everyone else is speeding too? Is it because he's black, or maybe because he drives a Mercedes Benz and a Range Rover? Who knows? And when he does get a ticket, why does the Denver Post make it national news (or even city or regional news)? Money, celebrity obsession, etc. What I'm saying is, get off Melo's back. Before he came to Denver the Nuggets were the laughing stock of the NBA. Since he's been in Denver, the Nuggets haven't missed the playoffs and are one of the top teams in the league when it comes to nationally televised games. Most of this can be attributed to Carmelo Anthony. He's saved a franchise. Time for all of the "fans" of the Nuggets to quit talking about Melo needing to leave Denver. I've expressed my feelings toward this in a past article and I still don't like it. Say goodbye to Melo, say goodbye to the playoffs, NBA Championships, and possibly the Denver Nuggets as a whole. Does anyone honestly think that if Melo leaves the Nuggets will improve next year? Nobody should think this. If Melo leaves, Iverson has the option to opt out of his contract. Iverson will leave if Melo leaves. There's no point in Iverson staying if he can't win. Iverson is nearing the end of his career (so some people think) and Melo leaving does not help the Nuggets case for keeping him. Melo, please don't go anywhere. I promise you ninety-nine percent of Nuggets fans love you. Don't listen to the one percent who don't even deserve to call themselves Nuggets fans. Back to the speeding ticket: I couldn't give less of a s***. And nobody else should either. Wed, 07 May 2008 12:54:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264296 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264296 5'11' (Barely). 165lbs (Barely). Quickest guy on the court. Durable. Never tires. Scores at will. Love him or hate him, is there a better pure athlete of our time? If you think so, watch this video. Tue, 06 May 2008 23:03:33 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264123 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/264123 Thoughts on what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen in the 2008 NBA Playoffs. Tue, 06 May 2008 09:23:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263878 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263878 lets step out of the court for a while and see who has the most iconic hairs among the active NBA players today. 10. Dirk Nowitzki his unruly curls is his lucky charm(i just assumed that) 9.Josh Childress is he a Michael Jackson fan?maybe he is 8. Ronnie Turiaf his do is a big factor in his goliath look! 7.Baron Davis beards are still hairs right! and whos got the most recognizable ones in the nba? 6.Andersen Varejao white guy with afro, how cool is that? 5.Carmelo Anthony his so thug-ish hair made him tough,imagine melo minus that!hed be looking much of an immature kid. his braids are indeed plus popularity points 4.Steve Nash this man doesnt look like hes friends with the comb but he still could pull sweet jumpers off with his hair flowing loose! 3.Pau Gasol his cave man look boast his Spanish ethnicity! His Pau-werful do make him even moe intimidating like a gladiator(i know gladiators arent Spanish) 2.Allen Iverson the poster worthy corn rows had travel to Denver and never failed to make him look as smooth as his drives 1. Ben Wallace he had chaged his team for numbers of time, but never his hair. It made him even more beastly(nothing negative intended) and tough. And he said "I love this game because I can let my hair down" (?) and with special commendation to Dennis Rodman for his colorful and innovative dos(whoever thought of making hairs as a canvass?) that shall forever be remembered! Mon, 05 May 2008 02:33:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263475 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263475 After a successful career at Memphis, Joey Dorsey is entering the 2008 NBA Draft. Who should draft #3? www.rawsportsblog.com Sat, 03 May 2008 00:51:54 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263023 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263023 Ladies and gentlemen...Allen Iverson is an unrestricted free agent... I think we all know that the denver nuggets, as much as an all-star roster they have, will never amount to anything. They can't stop anybody, and they are never going to make a decent run in the playoffs with the gameplan "we will outshoot you to death." With that being said, As an avid die-hard bubbachuck fan you could see in his face that he wasn't happy with the teams performance. Bring him home... he belongs back in philadelphia..... and with the sixers success in the second half of the season... they can ball...it's perfect Fri, 02 May 2008 15:18:46 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/262835 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/262835 all of us nba fans who patiently reads most of the nbs articles might have read this article already heres what i have to say about it i think i agree with the changes but then the big change that has to be done in my humble opinion would be "george karl out" but then i guess it wont happen this season, hes secure for now, he must do something bout his feuding team ,its just to depressing to see a team with talented players but unorganized and it seems they luck supervisions.. they are all relentless players who still needs to learn TEAM effort, iverson is not a team player, so is melo. i kinda want iverson out also, they could do better than him, but hes staying, melo on the other hand should clean up his acts, do better i know he can he doesnt show it in the play offs, wheres the melo we saw during that play off push they did late march? i think marcus camby should have a champ ring before he retires he deseve one being a good player,well im supporting them, next season and for the nexr seasons,i just hope they deserve my support! GO denver! revamp next season! Fri, 02 May 2008 03:48:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/262597 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/262597 Nine Days. That's how long the Nuggets playoff run lasted. The first time the Nuggets Organization has ever been swept in a playoff series. It's time to say goodbye to these Nuggets as they go off to their summer time pleasure, Iverson to make another horrible rap album, Nene to play soccer on the beaches of Brazil, Martin to bed down the rest of the Nuggets Dance squad, and Carmelo to shoot pro-drug, oops, I mean anti-drug videos (not to mention his impending court date). This will not be the same team next year. Silent Stan did not spend $80 million to have the team finish 8th once again. The stated goal of this team was to win the series they failed to do last night. Hopefully, it's over for this crop. If the Nuggets brass fails to make moves to shore up the defense, i.e. still think that the current team is good enough to win, then I will firmly believe my long-standing suspicion that this is a cursed basketball city. Denver is incapable of having good basketball teams because of the lack of oxygen deprives the minds of basketball GM's to make quality decisions. To wrap up this series: Kobe Bryant owned the Nuggets. There that's it. When it mattered he put the dagger in the heart. Hitting sick jump shots both open and with a hand in his face. When he wasn't scoring he was dishing the ball to other Lakers who would score in bunches. The Nugs were focused on Bryant that they forgot about Gasol, Odom, and Walton, not to mention pesky Derek Fisher. I can break it down even further for you Nugget apologists with a word association: Kobe is to Clutch Superstar, as Melo is to ______? Any guess? That's right. LOSER. We have an exclusive here. Kobe Bryant had some words for Melo after the game. Through secret micro phone we were able to determine that Kobe said, "Get the hell out of this town as soon as possible. Get away from Martin and Camby and George Karl. Don't become another victim of playing Karl's loser ball." Heed the old hand's advice young one. So where do the Nuggets go from here. Melo will be back, he's still the face of the franchise. AI will be back because no other team would take him. Camby will be back because the Nugs brass is still under the ridiculous delusion that he can play defense. Martin will be back because they can't trade his salary away. JR Smith will be back because he's young and developing. Nene will be back, he still has yet to play a healthy season, so not team would trade for his unproven salary command. Karl will be back, but if this happens again he's gone. And if the team struggles in the middle of the season, he'll leave. Role players Najera and Carter are probably gone, and I'm not sure about Kleiza. In essence, the team will remain the same. And everyone will be high on the Nuggets again next year. But it will be the same old show. It's just a matter of when Kroenke will pull the final curtain closed. Thu, 01 May 2008 14:47:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/262340 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/262340 What can I say about the Denver Nuggets? A few words come to mind. Attrocious, sorry, terrible, underachieving, and embarassing; the perfect adjectives. www.rawsportsblog.com Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:36:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261899 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261899 The Los Angeles Lakers strolled into Denver up 2-0 in the best of 7 series and were looking for win #3 against Denver. Well they got it. Kobe Bryant had a game high 22 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds and Pau Gasol had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks to push L.A. past the Nuggets 102-84. www.rawsportsblog.com Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:13:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260198 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/260198 Allen Iverson and Bill Gates together at last! Well, not quite, but this limited edition sneaker is definitely one of a kind. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:39:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/255542 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/255542