Fastbreak Buckets 2.12.2009

This edition of Fastbreak Buckets will be an around the league edition since far too many Piston related topics are simply depressing right now.

- Individuals in the Cavalier organization, from the owner to the overpaid former Piston, acted as if a travesty had been committed when Mo Williams was left off the All-Star Team until two spots opened up due to injury. The gist of their argument is that the Cavs have a gaudy record, others teams with similar gaudy records all have multiple All-Stars, therefore they deserve multiple All-Stars. This theory is flawed beyond belief.

First off, the Cavs do have two players worthy of playing in the All-Star Game in LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Ilgauskas went down with an injury that kept him out most of January and thus submarined his chance of making the team.

With or without Ilgauskas on the team, Williams simply does not belong. The Cavaliers claim that their players should be rewarded for the team’s success, but the All-Star Game is simply not the correct venue. Teams that win games are rewarded for their success in the spring, when they earn a high seed in the playoffs. The All-Star Game is the prize for the individuals who have had the most success, regardless of their teammates.

The player that many analysts believe was undeservingly given Williams’ spot is Devin Harris. How they can make this claim is baffling. Harris is averaging four more points per game despite attempting just one more field goal a night than Williams. Harris is also well ahead in assists and steals. As a result, Harris’ PER of 22.7 puts the 17.0 mark of Williams to shame. To put that in perspective, that gap in PER is similar to the difference between Allen Iverson with the Pistons and Allen Iverson with Philly in 2002. The fact that Cleveland is 17 games ahead of New Jersey has nothing to do with Cleveland having a superior point guard and everything to do with the difference between playing LeBron James and Bobby Simmons at small forward. It’s bad enough that Harris – an elite point guard – plays for a borderline playoff team because of a lame supporting cast. Compounding his misery by keeping him off the All-Star Team because of that same supporting cast would be excessive.

-One player with a legitimate gripe about not making the All-Star Team is Kevin Durant. Few are paying attention to the lowly Thunder, but their second year small forward has been sensational of late. P.J. Carlesimo played Durant, out of position, at shooting guard last season and at the start of this one. Since Carlesimo was fired and new coach Scott Brooks moved Durant to his natural position – small forward – Durant has been one of the most dominant offensive forces in the game.

In 41 games since Brooks took the clipboard, Durant is averaging 26.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game on 48.8% shooting. He has also making an average of 1.6 three pointers and 6.6 free throws per contest during that stretch. In 16 games from January 9th to February 10th, Durant scored fewer than 27 points only twice. If Durant has not already passed Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pierce to establish himself as the best small forward not named LeBron James, he appears to be well on his way.

- The injury woes that have hammered the Milwaukee Bucks have come with a pair of blessings in disguise. Two of their young players have emerged as building blocks for the future of the franchise. Ramon Sessions might have been the steal of the 2007 draft based on his recent play. The 56th pick in ’07 draft has been starting in place of the injured Luke Ridnour. In his last five games, Sessions is averaging an incredible 24.8 points, 9.8 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game despite just taking 13.8 shots a night. He has done so by converting 53.6% of his field goal attempts and living at the free throw line to the tune of nearly 12 attempts per game.

The other Buck having a coming out party this season is Charlie Villanueva. After a lackluster first two and a half seasons in Milwaukee, he has exploded into 2009. Since the calendar turned, he is averaging over 20 points, nearly seven rebounds, and roughly a block and a steal per game, despite turning the ball over just one a half times per contest. He has made over half of his field goal tries and better than 40% of his 89 three point attempts during 22 games this year. The strong play of Sessions and Villanueva is the primary reason the Bucks are hanging in the playoff race despite a beaten up roster that was lackluster to begin with.