Board at Work

Just at work, staring at my computer screen...it looks like I'm working... and I stumbled on a tidbit from Marc Stein on ESPN.com that got my little basketball pants excited.

"The Mavericks' No. 1 target in free agency? Folks in Dallas might have been expecting Mavs killer Matt Barnes, but I'm told it's actually Charlotte's Gerald Wallace. ..."

Wow!

I know it'd take an arm and leg to get him, he's def worth more than the Mid Level Exception, and we'd have to work out a sign-and-trade, and those never happen, but wow!

Imagine Wallace and J-Ho on the floor at the same time! Let the Suns get KG, I don't care. We'd kill the Spurs, 82-0 baby!! My fav Gerald Wallace stat; Since the league started tracking blocked shots in 1972-73, only three players have averaged at least two steals and two blocks per game. The first two were Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson ... and the third was Gerald Wallace!

Matt Barnes isn't in the same ballpark as this guy, aint in the same league, aint the same f---ing sport!

*****

Speaking of the Mavs, here's more on my love affair with Nick Fazekas. On our running draft recap, from which Bill Simmons stole everything!, I said this about Fazekas: Absolutely love this pick, we'll have more about it later but this a steal and a half! Of the 33 players taken ahead of him, he's def better than 10, maybe half! He's Keith Van Horn, but at a tenth the pay.

I really like the KVH comparison, and mean that as a good thing. Van Horn was a dominate, polished college player...like Fazekas. Both were big white power forwards with good inside-outside games, good shooters, good rebounders, very fundamentally sound. Heck both were even 3-time WAC POY's!

I know a lot of Mavs fans my remember the 8 point 3 rebound guy the Mavs had a couple seasons ago who made a billion dollars. Lest you forget, KVH has a 17/7 guy for his career, with highs of 22/8.5...that's a pretty darned good player.

Here's Van Horn's college stats, courtesy of BasketballReference.com

------------------MIN FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG TPG BPG SPG PPG
93-94 Utah ---29.6 51.6 44.3 77.5 8.3 0.8 2.2 1.6 0.8 18.3
94-95 Utah ---30.1 54.5 38.6 85.6 8.5 1.4 2.3 0.8 0.8 21.0
95-96 Utah ---30.9 53.8 40.9 85.1 8.8 1.0 2.3 0.7 0.7 21.4
96-97 Utah ---31.5 49.2 38.7 90.4 9.5 1.4 2.5 1.2 0.7 22.0
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----TOTALS ---30.6 52.2 40.1 85.1 8.8 1.2 2.3 1.0 0.7 20.8

Pretty darned good!

---------------------MIN FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG TPG BPG SPG PPG
03-04 Nevada ---26.9 52.8 35.8 77.1 7.6 0.5 0.9 1.3 0.5 12.6
04-05 Nevada ---31.5 50.2 32.7 78.9 9.4 0.9 2.2 1.6 0.6 20.7
05-06 Nevada ---31.8 52.9 29.0 84.6 10.4 2.1 1.8 1.5 1.1 21.8
06-07 Nevada ---30.3 56.8 43.1 84.8 11.1 1.8 2.0 1.5 0.8 20.4
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--------TOTALS ---30.1 53.2 34.1 81.5 9.6 1.3 1.7 1.5 0.7 18.8

Pretty darned good!

Fazekas is a much better rebounder/shot blocker and has much better ball skills, far fewer turnovers, and a bit better passer. Maybe he's not as good an athlete as Van Horn was coming out of Utah, and KVH was a much more consistant shooter...but if Fazekas is actually a 43% three point shooter, or close to it he's going to be stud! At the worst he's a good backup for Dirk.

Hollinger, who I hate, had Fazekas rated as the 7th best college prospect this year. Nick's college bio lists his personal info as "enjoys swimming and playing Nintendo...hopes to surf one day...an avid collector of Jordan brand basketball shoes." Nice to know about the former Colorado Mr. Basketball.