My beef with the NBA's Most Improved Player Award

(Photo from Yahoo)
Key: MIP=Most Improved Player Award

It's old news, but Aaron Brooks won the MIP this year after boosting his numbers from

11.2 points on 40% shooting, 3 assists, and 1.4 3pt made
to
19.6 points on 43% shooting, 5 assists, and 2.6 3pt made

Here's his recent career courtesy of his Yahoo Profile Page:

Recent Career					FG					3PT					FT					Rebounds					Misc
Year	Team	G	Min		M	A	Pct			M	A	Pct			M	A	Pct			Off	Def	Tot			Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2008-09	HOU	80	25:00		4.0	9.8	40.4			1.4	3.9	36.6			1.9	2.2	86.6			0.4	1.6	2.0			3.0	1.6	0.6	0.1	1.9	11.2
2009-10	HOU	82	35:36		7.0	16.2	43.2			2.6	6.4	39.8			3.0	3.6	82.2			0.7	2.0	2.6			5.3	2.8	0.8	0.2	2.4	19.6

True, these are improved statistics. But my beef with the award (along with a lot of other NBA arguments) is that statistics don't tell the whole story. Although... I will be using statistics to prove my point. But anyways, look at the minutes played. Aaron Brooks went from 25 minutes per in 08-09 to 35:30 minutes per this season. My argument is that Aaron Brooks' numbers are inflated due to an increase in minutes and that he was fully capable of averaging these numbers if given the chance, which he was this year. NBA sportswriters across the nation take a look at the RAW stats (simple player profile page with per game averages) and see who made the biggest jump statistically, and vote him as the MIP.

So the first thing we need to look at is the boost in minutes from 25 to 35:30. More minutes = more stats.

Read a little further and note that this Houston team is absolutely nothing compared to last years. Missing is Ron Artest, Tracy McGrady (played half the season when Brooks was on the bench), and the face of the franchise, Yao Ming. Added is Trevor Ariza who had his ups and downs this season.

Read a little further into this and note that although he played in 80 games last season, he only started 35, coming off the bench for Rafer Alston. When Alston was traded to the Magic for Brian Cook and Kyle Lowry, Brooks went into the starting lineup for only 35 games, meaning that a majority of his per game stats are BENCH stats. Here are the splits:

As a bench player in the 08/09 season, he averaged

• 20 minutes, 10 pts on 40% FG, 2.4 ast, 1.1 3pt made

As a starter in the 08/09 season, he averaged

• 31 minutes, 13 pts on 40% FG, 3.7 ast, 1.7 3pt made.

Even when he started, he's still averaging more minutes this year as a starter. So let's look at one of my all time favorite stats, the PER 36 MINUTES STAT.
If you're not familiar with the per 36 minute stat, it's a way to gauge how a player would perform based on the minutes he does play, if he played a 36 minute game (average playing time for an NBA player). Example: Two players both average 20 points per game, player A plays 10 minutes per game , player B averages 48 minutes per game. If you just looked at their per game stats, you'd say, "they're both averaging 20 points, whats the big deal?" The big deal is that it's taking player A 10 minutes to score 20 points, imagine if he played 36 minutes!

Here are Aaron Brooks per 36 minutes stat from last season (08-09) note: percentages stay the same as regular per game stats -

16 points, 4.3 assists, 2 3pt made

and his per 36 minutes stat from this season (09-10)

19.8 pts, 5.4 ast, 2.6 3pt made

(Stats from BasketBallReference.com)

Is this worthy of the MOST IMPROVED player award? Slight upticks in a new offense where he's the second best scorer for most of the season with Artest and Yao gone (but 24 games with Kevin Martin at the end of the season made him probably the third best scorer behind Martin and Ariza. See Tracy McGrady 3 team deal)? Well that's the debate. I don't feel that Aaron Brooks was the most improved player. He had the skill all along, he just needed the minutes to showcase it and the right team around him to get those stats. Oh, and by the way, the Rockets missed the playoffs this season, going 42-40. Again, no Yao and trying to integrate Ariza as the go to guy after a season being a role player on a championship team-- you're gonna have struggles.

What I wish is that the sports writers who vote for these awards actually look for improvement in game play and in defense. Not just defensive numbers but keeping your opponent from scoring. I personally think Zach Randolph could have been voted as MIP this year with his more efficient, all star caliber play this season for a Memphis team who looked like it was going to be terrible. In recent memory, I think Trevor Ariza last season should have gotten some consideration due to his improved 3 point shooting, a KNOCK on his game before the season (people saying he wouldn't be able to space the floor), but he IMPROVED it, started for the Lakers, hit his 3 pointers and helped win a championship (and then cashed in with the Rockets).
Aaron Brooks is still the same fast PG who can hit a 3 pointer that the Rockets drafted in 07. Not much improvement, only in statistical terms.

Why Send Thabeet to the D-League? So we don't have a blog called FreeHasheem

(Photo from Yahoo)
Here's an update about Hasheem in the D-League by Marc J. Spears. From the article:

People in the NBA are “definitely looking at it negatively,” Thabeet said. “ ‘He’s the No. 2 pick. He’s not supposed to be there. I can’t believe that guy is over there and he’s the second pick.’ But you got to go and work your way up there. I’m working my way up here, working on my confidence. “When the time comes, I’ll be able to answer the call.”

Take that however you want it, but I believe it. He's not getting playing time in Memphis and the Grizzlies are fighting for a playoff spot, so putting Hasheem in game action in the NBA to learn on the fly isn't quite an option at this point in the season.

I'll repeat that.

Putting Hasheem in game action in the NBA to learn on the fly isn't quite an option... at this point in the season.

People seem to think this automatically means that Hasheem Thabeet is a BUST and that the Memphis Grizzlies are dummies who should have picked Tyreke Evans or James Harden or ANYONE ELSE not named Blake Griffin. But for reasons already stated, hey it's just not happening AT THIS POINT IN THE SEASON. I keep saying that. Because people think that going to the D-League means you are in the D-League forever. False. Your team can call you up whenever they want you back, which for the Grizzlies is if they fall out of contention for the playoffs!

Let's look at some other players who after being drafted, were assigned to the D-League:

Jose Barea, January 17, 2007 (Wiki) - After appearing in only 12 games getting less than 5 minutes, the Dallas Mavericks sent their undrafted rookie to the D-League, called him back two weeks later. He still didn't get a lot of playing time, but he did get more, appearing in 21 games for the second half of the season. He now averages 20 minutes a game for a playoff bound Mavericks team. Again, undrafted. D-League success.

Aaron Brooks, December 6, 2007 (NBA.com) - After appearing in 2 games, getting 3 minutes in one and 30 seconds in the other, the Houston Rockets sent their 1st round 26th draft pick to the D-League, called him back a week later, and proceeded to play in every game for the next two and a half months. He had a bell curve going from 5 minutes to 10 to 20 at the top in the middle of January, and then back to around 5 minutes at the start of March. He now averages 36 minutes and 20 points as a starting PG for the Rockets. D-League success.

Jordan Farmar, March 31st, 2007 (NBA.com) - After getting sporadic play behind... Smush Parker, the Lakers sent Farmar to the D-League to get some game action. After his first D-League game, the Lakers called him back to the team, that day to play against the Kings. His second season, he played in all 82 games and averaged 9 points and 3 assists playing behind Derek Fisher. Now he's struggling on the bench not getting the bulk of back up PG minutes with Shannon Brown but he's still averaging 18 minutes. He also won a championship! I'd call this a D-League success. He's probably going to be the next starting PG for the Lakers.

Marcin Gortat, November 20, 2007 (NBA.com) - The 2nd round draft pick hadn't played in a single game. The Magic sent him to the D-League and didn't call him back until March. He still hardly played. The next season, he doubled his minutes to 12 per and was made famous in the playoffs and Finals against the Lakers. So much so that Dallas offered him the mid level exception to play significant minutes for the Mavericks who needed a big man behind (or even to start in place of) Erick Dampier! The Magic matched which was so idiotic (but I won't go into that again, see my previous posts: Orlando Offseason, Gortat Update). He can play, it's just the Magic only play him 12 minutes. I label this a D-League success.

I could delve into more draftees/rookies being sent from their team to the D-League and getting better (Brandon Bass, Ramon Sessions, Martell Webster). I could delve into D-League success stories where players started out in the D-League and got signed to NBA teams (Rafer ALston, Chris Andersen, Matt Barnes, Jamario Moon, Mikki Moore, Von Wafer). But my main point is that the D in D-League stand for development, not dog house, not dunce, not dumbass draft choice, but development. Of course we'd like to see Memphis play Thabeet but they have a chance at making the playoffs and he's not there yet. Sending him to the D-League gets him solid game action and playing time. He will NOT be another infamous #2 draft pick, such as Darko Milicic.

My tangent - Darko Milicic

(Photo from NY Times)
Why didn't Detroit send Darko to the D-League? Granted there were no D-League teams near Michigan at the time (Wiki), he seriously could have used the playing time. His rookie season he averaged 1.4/1.3/.2, 4:40 minutes in 34 games for the playoff bound (eventual champions) Detroit Pistons. Doesn't this sound familiar? Why would Larry Brown give him decent minutes to a young PF/C for a team trying to get into the playoffs and win a championship? Why would Marc Lavaroni Lionel Hollins give decent minutes to young C Thabeet, for a team trying to make the playoffs. Compare the numbers: Thabeet this season - 2.5/2.9/.1, 10 minutes in 50 games. Better than what Darko was putting up.

The D-League would have kept Darko in game shape and he would have gained valuable in game experience, which is exactly what Hasheem will get. Hasheem shouldn't be ashamed of going to the D-League. He should be thanking the Grizzlies for a chance at some real playing time. If he didn't go to the D-League, he'd still be laughing stock of sports writers and in 3 years, he'd be the next Darko. There is no blog called FreeHasheem and if Hasheem takes the D-League seriously, which it sounds like he is, there won't be need for one. He said “When the time comes, I’ll be able to answer the call." I believe him.

Read Between the Baselines, come on now.