Archive for the 'Player Audit' Category

Quick, name the NBA's leader in minutes played over the past four seasons...

OK, turn in your answers!

I see a lot of Kobe Bryant... LeBron James... a stray Joe Johnson here and there. But the answer is actually:

Andre Iguodala.

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Dallas Mavericks newcomer Tim Thomas had arthroscopic surgery on his knee this week, and apparently it went well, which means he will be back on the court in no time. That's good news for Thomas and the Mavs, who spent about $1.3 million to acquire the forward this offseason, but I don't really want to talk about Thomas' present condition as much as I want to focus on his past, and a future that once seemed certain but never quite materialized... You see, Thomas was a superstar prep player for New Jersey's Paterson Catholic back in the day, a two-time Parade All-American who averaged 29 PPG & 12 RPG (and dueled Kobe Bryant in dunk contests) as a senior in 1995-96. While he didn't exactly challenge Kobe in that contest (or Corey Benjamin, for that matter), more than a few observers felt that Thomas was a better prospect than either Bryant or Jermaine O'Neal when it came time for their graduating class to choose between college and the pros. Longtime NBA Director of Scouting Marty Blake had this to say about Thomas back in 1996: "Let me say this, there are some people who felt [Thomas] was the best high school player in the country. The kid Bryant came out because he had a big-time deal with adidas. O'Neal came out because he didn't get the SAT. We had three high school kids come out [in the 1996 Draft]. Thomas was probably better than all of them."

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Go ahead, admit it. The sight of Stephon Marbury in a #8 Celtics jersey getting picked by Will Bynum at midcourt and missing 3 shots against Detroit Sunday brought back some bittersweet memories of another Employee No. 8, right? No, no, I'm not talking about Scott Wedman; I'm referring to the unforgettable, roller-coaster ride that was the Antoine Walker era in Boston.

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