| Filling In, Or Replacement? Authored by Derek Flack - January 9, 2009 - 2:41 pm
| Current Featured Columns | | Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
A Melo Behind The SuperstarsCarmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
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Millsap’s name isn’t even on the All Star ballot because two months ago he was a sixth man, a reserve that came off the bench for the Utah Jazz to spell Mehmet Okur or Carlos Boozer, but it all changed November 19th when Boozer injured his knee against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City.
Boozer’s injury opened up a door of opportunity for Millsap, who has started at power forward for 20 of the games that the Jazz have played since that night. He has filled in more than adequately; he has played like an All Star and has helped keep the injury plagued Jazz afloat in the tough Western Conference.
Millsap’s play as a starter has been superb. In the 20 games he has started he has averaged 18.5 points and 11.7 rebounds. Not only has he averaged a double-double, but he has had 19 consecutive double-doubles, the longest streak in the NBA since Kevin Garnett had 33 straight in 2006.
Millsap will look to extend his streak of double-doubles to 20 as the Jazz fight to climb back into the upper echelon of the Western Conference when they host the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.
Listed at 6’8”, though he may even be shorter than that, Millsap is undersized for an NBA power forward. But he has a tremendous work ethic on the court and constantly out hustles his opponents for great rebounding position and loose balls. Despite his lack of size Millsap, who led the NCAA in rebounding for three straight years, is one of the best rebounders in the NBA.
He is always in the right spot for rebounds and knows exactly where to position himself to snatch the ball out of the air. In a league where boxing out is sometimes optional, Millsap is an assassin. When opponents fail to put a body on him for defensive rebounds, he has a way sliding past the defender and out working them for an offensive rebound.
He gets a lot of his points from the offensive glass, but does have a post game as well. He has an excellent handle and great footwork and quickness, which gives him the ability to face up bigger opponents in the post and drive past them towards the basket.
Millsap is also very powerful, so when matched up against smaller, quicker opponents he can bang them in the paint and get great post position near the basket. His excellent body control and unique ability to hang in the air get a shot off just before his feet fall back to the court make him a great finisher too.
Perhaps the best attribute Millsap has, however, is toughness. He has shown he is not afraid of contact and will guard anybody, even Shaquille O’Neil and Tim Duncan in the post. Even though he is much smaller than those players he fights for position and forces those players to catch the ball in uncomfortable positions farther from the basket than they are used to, which is something that Boozer never does.
Millsap is also versatile enough to defend wing players. He slides his feet very well on defense, which allows him to switch out and defend players like Paul Pierce and Tracy McGrady. Though you wouldn’t want Millsap guarding those players for 40 minutes, he is adequate enough to shut them down for 5 minute stretches, which he has done numerous times during his young NBA career.
Millsap, who was drafted in the second round by the Jazz in 2006, is putting up huge numbers even though he is the lowest paid player on Utah’s roster. He is currently making less than $800,000 this season; his check is good for the league minimum for a player in his position. His strong play so far this season will certainly earn him a raise that will compensate him appropriately for what similar players are making around the league when he is up for a new contract this summer.
Because his pending free agency in the upcoming offseason aligns with that of Boozers opportunity to opt out of the final year of his contract, Utah may have a tough decision to make next summer. If Boozer opts out and bolts for Miami, as rumors suggest, then the Jazz will be able to give Millsap his raise and still have a great power forward.
However, if Boozer opts out but wants to retain his Jazz status, Utah may have to choose one of them and watch the other walk. Utah will be approaching the luxury tax threshold next season, so offering both players significant raises is an unlikely scenario.
If the Jazz have to choose between the two, Millsap might be the right pick. He could be signed for much cheaper than Boozer since he is only his third NBA season; a max contract for Millsap pays significantly less than one for Boozer, who would be looking for the second large contract of his career.
According to the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), Boozers tenure in the NBA allows him to sign for more money. This diction in the CBA explains why Stephon Marbury is able to make 21.9 million this year and LeBron James makes 14.4 million, even though both players are playing on maximum contracts. When a player has been in the league long enough to earn a second max deal, the monetary value of the contract steadily increases, which is why Millsap could be retained for a cheaper price than Boozer.
If Utah does lose Boozer but keeps Millsap, it would obviously be a blow to the team, but it could be a positive situation in the long run.
Boozer is a go to offensive player; Millsap hasn’t quite reached that level yet. However, Millsap plays with more energy and is an outstanding defender. Boozer, on the other hand, reserves his energy for the offensive end of the floor and is a below average defender.
One other significant advantage Millsap has over Boozer is his health. Millsap has only missed three games in his career, all of which were this season when he coincidentally injured his knee against the Bucks, the same team Boozer was injured against.
Boozer, however, is a much different story. His current injury, which required surgery, is the third major injury he has had since he signed with the Jazz. This is his fifth year with the team and he misses games every season due to injuries. It would be hard to pay big money to an injury prone player, even if they are an All Star, just look at the Washington Wizards and Gilbert Arenas. Arenas a large contract with the team last summer despite having missed large chunks of the previous seasons, he has yet to play a game for this year because of injuries.
For a cheaper price, resiliency, defense, and the all-out hustle he plays with, Millsap might have much more value than Boozer, which could make him the right man for the Jazz.
For any questions or comments contact me at derek_flack@msn.com |
