Ric Bucher has always liked nothing more than breaking down guards, whether it be on a
playground or on paper. Here he does it for ESPN.com. We call it "On Guards" for obvious reasons. Look for this feature each Monday. Better yet, be on guard for it.
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| Stackhouse |
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| Allen |
This week's feature guards: Milwaukee's Ray Allen and Detroit's Jerry Stackhouse.
Life in the NBA is sweet, but it's particularly sugary for a 2-guard on a
team that doesn't have enough post presence to play straight-up defense or
initiate its offense with the ball on the block. Both Allen and Stackhouse
enjoy that existence, handling the ball as much or more than a point guard.
With that freedom, though, comes responsibility. Allen has a better cast
around him than Stack, but that doesn't quite cover the difference in their
decision-making.
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RIC'S GUARD RANKINGS
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THE WEEK'S TOP 10
1. Derek Anderson - League named him Player of the Week, who am I to argue?
2. Baron Davis - Bumped his scoring avg from 14 in Feb to 20 in March with
same number of attempts
3. Allen Iverson - Averaged 42 points over three-game stretch while shooting
45 pct.
4. Vince Carter - His shooting efficiency over recent nine-game stretch is a
season best
5. Ray Allen -- Two-game 8 for 14 trey mark showed he's league's best
high-volume bomber
6. Kobe Bryant - Outdueled Vince to start the week
7. Andre Miller - Upset Bucks with 13 assist, 0 TOs, 19 pts, 7 rebounds
8. Stephon Marbury - 4.75-1 Assist-TO ratio in last five games
9. Steve Francis - Averaged 11 rebounds over last five games
10. Jason Kidd - Floor leader takes hit for 28-point collapse to the Kings
despite near triple-double vs. Rockets
(Note: the weekly ranking is based on performances each week, not
overall)
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On the rise: Ray Allen
(22.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.6 stls, .474 FG, .894 FT, .435 3s)
It would be perfectly understandable if Allen's efficiency were spiraling
as the season has progressed since he got little rest last summer thanks to
being a vital part of the Dream Team that squeaked out gold in Sydney. But
his numbers have actually improved across the board, particularly in
three-point percentage, points, rebounds and assists without a significant
bump in turnovers. In the games I've seen Allen has developed a nice blend
of attacking the basket if a seam exists in transition, drawing and kicking
in the half-court offense and looking for his own shot. What I like most is
that the rare times his shot hasn't been falling, he has found other ways to
contribute. The Bucks' recent 101-94 win over the Celtics is a case in point:
Allen was 1 for 10 from the floor but grabbed nine rebounds, added six
assists and still finished with 14 points thanks to 11 of 13 shooting from
the free-throw line.
On the slide: Jerry Stackhouse
(29.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5.2 apg, 1.3 stls, .404 FG, .819 FT, .356 3s)
Having heard first-hand about Stackhouse's woeful marksmanship in a workout
for the Warriors before the 1995 Draft, I know how much he's put in to
developing a jump shot and three-point range since leaving North Carolina.
From what I've seen recently his catch-and-shoot accuracy actually may be the
better part of his game, for it's his dribble-drives that haven't been very
effective and have contributed largely to his league-leading 198 turnovers. A
star player's turnovers are bound to rise anytime his team has as many
significant offseason personnel changes as the Pistons had last summer, but
Stack's TOs, after a dip to 2.7 for February, are back at his season average
of 4 a game in March. His assists and field-goal percentage have slipped as
well. Detroit officials insist Stack isn't getting the calls he deserves, but
the larger problem is that his drives have become predictable, allowing help
defenders to cut him off or smother him before he gets his shot off. The Heat's
Anthony Mason did it three times in one game; Stack got the call the first
two times, but with No. 3 and the game on the line the whistle went in favor
of Mase. A couple days later, he had 11 turnovers in a three-point loss to
that same Heat team. Not blessed with Allen's athleticism to suddenly rise up
on or dart past a second defender, Stack has been forced to lean in and hope
to draw a bail-out call -- and it obviously isn't working.
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| Carter |
This week's guard to watch: Anthony Carter, Heat
With Eddie Jones injured, look for coach Pat
Riley to operate more two point-guard sets, in hopes of minimizing the loss
of Jones' athleticism. It can't hurt that over the last nine games, dating
back to before Jones' shoulder injury, AC had a 3.2-1 assist-turnover ratio,
a helpful mark playing for Riley, an absolute stickler for execution.
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ALSO SEE
On Guards (T. Hardaway, Atkins), March 5
On Guards (Marbury, K. Anderson), Feb. 28
On Guards (Terry, Hughes), Feb. 19
On Guards (S. Smith, R. Harper), Feb. 6
On Guards (Brandon and R. Strickland), Jan 29
On Guards (Hunter and E. Strickland), Jan .22
On Guards (Francis and Eisley), Jan. 16
On Guards (McKie and N. Anderson), Jan. 7
On Guards (Rose and McGrady), Dec. 28
On Guards (Bibby and Jackson), Dec. 18
On Guards (Stockton, Blaylock), Nov. 27
On Guards (Nash, A.Miller), Nov. 20
On Guards (Anderson, Billups), Nov. 13
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