Posts tagged AmirJohnson at FanHouse

You really can't blame Joe Dumars. I mean, if you're a highly successful NBA general manager who's built an annual championship contender through shrewd cap management and a core of team-first players and supplemented with quality development projects like Amir Johnson and cheap veterans, you're going to have little pet projects.

Apparently Joe's newest obsession is signing the greatest draft busts of our time. First Darko Milicic, now Kwame Brown has been added to the "bargain"of $8 million for two years. That's right. Kwame Brown makes $4 million next season. The guy that got booed by the fans of his own team will make $4 million. And people wonder why I'm big on the D-League.

The immediate comparison everyone is jumping to is that of Rasheed Wallace, a former Washington draft pick that initially struggled who goes to Detroit and succeeds. That's the best part about current Pistons fans. Drinkin' the Kool-Aid is almost a religion to them. And this time, it's Kwame flavored!

Oh, and if you're wondering why a picture of Wilson Chandler is attached to the post, just look below to the gentleman auditioning for one of those tasteless Nike ads.

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

It's been three years since Amir Johnson was drafted ... and he's still only 21 years old. I caught up with him on Thursday and talked about what it's like being such a young old hand and how he's preparing for the 2008-09 season.

Matt Watson: It's your third year in Summer League. You're kind of a grizzled vet right now.

Amir Johnson: (Laughing) I'm a young, young vet. I feel like it a little bit, yeah.

MW: Do you feel like you're in a bit of a leadership role, taking some of the young guys and telling them what to expect?

AJ: Exactly. When I came in first as a rookie, [the veterans] told me what was right from wrong, and I'm kind of being that same guy to help these guys, telling them right or wrong, and they're kind of looking at me for advice from me. It sounds surprising because I'm the youngest one still on the team, but I've just got experience, and I'm really helping the guys.

Joe Dumars took the high road when announcing Flip Saunders' dismissal last week by refusing to dwell on Saunders' failings. One thing he did let slip, though, was how disappointed he was in Amir Johnson's playing time in the playoffs and the regular season.

Michael Curry will be introduced as Saunders' successor later today, and I don't think it's a stretch at all to assume a prerequisite for the job was sharing Dumars' hopes for Johnson to see more time in 2008-09. Why does a 21-year-old reserve merit so much attention? Because he's the most athletic player on Detroit's roster, and despite extremely inconsistent minutes, he's one of the most productive players in the entire league.

Wait, one of the most productive players in the league? Indeed, and that's not an exaggeration. This made it's rounds on the blogosphere a couple of weeks ago, but the blog Count the Basket compared seven different advanced metrics for evaluating player performance independent of playing time, and Johnson rated favorably in almost all of them:

Another eye-popper is seeing Amir Johnson, the 21-year-old Detroit power forward who's been riding the pine in the playoffs, ranked first in the league in Adjusted Plus/Minus. This actually isn't as great an anomaly as might be expected - Johnson rated rather well across the board. His consensus ranking was 15th. He was rated lowest by PER (64th), but he ranked 11th in Win Shares and 20th in Statistical Plus/Minus. Obviously one has to use some caution considering he played under 800 minutes on the season, but the fact that he rated well in several metrics could be a good sign for the future.

The Pistons are against the cliff, now. They're at home, but they no longer have the luxury of any more "off games." The switch has to be "on' from here on out. And with the Celtics smelling the Finals, pushing this back to Boston will be difficult. But if anybody has the experience to kick this brutal series back to seven, it's the Pistons. In another of our continuing series, here's our look at 5 things to keep an eye out for tonight in Pistons-Celtics, Game 6.

1. Pierced Lung: Paul Pierce provides the oxygen for this Celtics squad. When his stroke is in rhythm, it's all over but the shouting. In order for Boston to end this thing, Pierce has to get more into a scoring role and concentrate less on other areas. The Celtics can live with Tayshaun Prince going a little nova if they can counter with Pierce, a la Game 7 from the Cavaliers series. What can't happen for the Celts, and what the Pistons need is ...

2. You Don't Know Rip: Rip Hamilton and his offensive versatility is on display late in May. Again. And the Pistons' season hinges on his ability to carry them. Again. And he still won't get enough of the credit. Unfortunately, Rip's got an elbow issue and won't be close to 100%. With the elbow injury, Hamilton's post game is going to be limited with how much he uses his elbows to create space. The Pistons' season hangs on Hamilton and his elbow tonight.

That Spurs draftee Tiago Splitter has reportedly decided to choose Spain over San Antonio qualified as a minor defeat in the face of last night's Game 4 failure. It has gotten attention -- notably from TrueHoop and The Sporting Blog -- but obviously takes a backseat to Barry/Fisher. But something's been ignored in all the frim-fram over the loss of Splitter: his would-be training camp competition, current Spur Ian Mahinmi.

By my watch, Mahinmi is a better Spur today, tomorrow, and in three years. Remember Amir Johnson? As a D-League youth, Amir set the midwest ablaze, creating a spectacle of brimstone and glory which had locals speaking in tongues. He graduated to the Pistons this year and in limited minutes proceeded to light up every player rating system known to Man, according to the awesome Count the Basket (via Shoals).

Why does this matter? Because Monsieur Mahinmi set the midwest ablaze as a D-League youth this season. He finished third in PER for his work with the Austin Toros, shooting extraordinarily well from the floor, drawing fouls and hitting FTs, racking up steals and blocks, all while offering 17 and 8.

Splitter played just fine in Spain this season, but he's a season behind on American/San Antonio integration (Mahinmi spent training camp, early November, and May with the big club) and a step back on adjusting to the NBA-style game (which is employed at some scale in the D-League). The Spurs would love to have both Tiago and Ian in the fold as Robert Horry retires (we can pray) and Tim Duncan walks closer to retirement (not too fast, Big Fun). But Splitter's resistance isn't the death of San Antonio big men of the future. Mahinmi will represent just fine.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Magic-Pistons game tonight.

1. Superman Vs. The Automatons: Chris Webber said on Inside the NBA after the Magic eliminated the Raptors that the Pistons would not choose to double Dwight Howard. That's a matter of some debate in the Pistons camp, and it looks like they have decided to bring the double. The thinking here is pretty clear. We shut down Dwight Howard, and this team is without competent weaponry. Howard has to be on his game for every single game in this series. He needs to take advantage when he gets a step, an opening, or a mismatch. He needs to control the boards at both ends of the floor. But most importantly, he needs to make the pass to the open shooter on the perimeter. From there the question gets a little more dicey for the Magic ...

2. .Better Be Good: If the Magic perimeter shooters aren't on target in this series, it could get out of hand very fast. They are going to get open shots. The Pistons are willing to accept shots from Jameer Nelson, from Maurice Evans, from Keith Bogans. As long as it's not Howard dunking on them or Turkoglu slicing to the basket, they'll take their chances with their ability to closeout and put pressure on shooters. Keith Bogans was 12 of 14 against the Pistons this season, and he has to keep up that kind of accuracy to force the Pistons out of the double-team.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Pistons-Sixers game today.

1. You Can Exert That Poise Anytime, Fellas: Before the series it was a no-brainer that the Pistons would obliterate this young Sixers squad. They had the experience, they had the talent, they had the killer instinct. Well, down 2-1 and on the road in Philly for Game 4, the Pistons are still maintaining they have the mental edge. If they're going to exert it, now would be a good time. This is being described as a must-win by Pistons fans. If the Sixers come out and out-class the class of the Central division, it's curtain call time.

2. Told Ya. Sammy: Before Game 3, I said Samuel Dalembert has to make an impact if the Sixers were going to win that game. He poured in 22 points, 16 rebounds, and 2 blocks. That's the formula for closing out this series. The Sixers took Game 1 where Dalembert was quiet and Rasheed Wallace was loud. Now they've taken one where Dalembert played his game. If the Sixers can blow the doors off the hinges and use their game in the paint to punctuate the momentum, the Sixers will be in position to sweep the leg.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Pistons-Sixers Game 3 tonight.

1. The Road Home: So it appears that Philadelphia is starting to get all excited about the Sixers again. Which is fun for them. And important. If the Sixers can't protect their home court in Game 3, this series can get out of hand quickly. The Pistons can snap the trap if they smell blood, you don't want to wake them up. The Sixers also need to come out and hit shots to get the crowd excited. What you don't want is to let Detroit hang around. Put them down hard and fast, or they will close on you. You won't be sneaking up on them like you did in Game 1.

2. Iggy No Biggie: All year long I hear about how great Andre Iguodala is. Every game I watch, he's marginal. He can fill a stat sheet fine, but the Pistons have completely swallowed him whole this series. The Sixers need to break 95 to win tomorrow night, and they wont' get there if Iggy doesn't have a breakout game. The Pistons have actually turned to the ridiculously long Tayshaun Prince to contain him and it's been effective. Pick and roll plays are in desperate need of improved efficiency, and Samuel Dalembert may want to stray from the lane to set the pick more in order to create the separation Iguodala needs.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Sixers at Pistons game.

1. Let's Get Technical: The Sixers may be the best description of "scrappy" of any team in the playoffs. And I think we're all familiar with Rasheed Wallace and his, ahem, antics. Though Wallace has mellowed as he's matured, this has a pretty high potential to get nasty really quick. Keep an eye out to see who establishes themselves on that front and who loses their temper.

2. Youth Versus Youth And Experience: The Sixers are a very young team, led by Andre Iguodala and rookie Thaddeus Young. The Pistons, meanwhile, have a core of players stacked with veterans, but where they've made strides is in a very young bench. Aaron Affalo, Amir Johnson, and Jason Maxiell have all gotten quality minutes this season, and can play with just about anyone. The Sixers are going to have to play with both poise and energy for a full 48 to keep this thing close.

3. World, Andre Miller. Andre Miller, World: Miller's been explosive for the Sixers this year, averaging 17 points and 7 assists this season. He's got a tall order in this series against Chauncey Billups, but if he can use his speed in transition, he should be able to find some success. If the Pistons put Rip Hamilton on him, however, there could be issues.