but if Baron's leaving and Chauncey's arrival in Denver (George Karl, Nellie disciple) has proven anything, it's that this system is one good PG away from a quantum leap in production.

look at D'Antoni and the Suns 21-40 (under him) the season before Nash and a one year wonder in Denver at 14-36 (50 game season). that Suns team was 29-53 - though it had the trade of Marbury, Penny & throw-ins for McDyess, Eisley, Ward & throw-ins - they still had Amare for 55 games, Marion, Joe Johnson, and Barbosa. guys who were scorers at the time, but not playmakers (though JJ has gotten better at this through the years). it wasn't a change in style - the pace went from 92.6 (5th in the league) to 95.9 (1st) that made a 29 win team a 62 win team.

a good PG isn't about assists, it's about puting all the dubs in their correct spots position and court wise. it's about allowing them to work less for good looks. follow me for a 2nd, i've noticed AB's defense has dipped this season. Jack's too. (Nellie pointed out and Lepper confirmed that Andris was having trouble defending screen-roll and Andris defensive rebound rate has dropped from 26.2 to 24.9). Jack is one thing, but why would AB's effort on d drop? could just be the 4 more minutes per game, but it also could be what he's doing in those minutes - expending tons of energy on offense just to get up shots.

this coming draft, while supposedly not as hyped, has some PG prospects. obviously, no guarantee that we draft the right guy or that he's ready in year one, but there is a realistic chance to pick up a decent PG in the next lottery. although it's always possible that management (no matter whose in charge) screws it up and drafts another swing man. and it doesn't mean we should go out and buy season tickets b/c we drafted a PG - it's easier to punish ownership for this season by not reupping or purchasing them the next. doesn't mean we'll be 33 games or even 16 games better, but we will be better. how good? depends, looks like a Baron level guy could get you to the 40-50 win range in this system and looks like a Nash could get you in the 50-60. Hardaway? maybe 35-45. some believe Monta can do it. i'm not convinced either way on that one. btw, it's not a tanking or not issue. we have 2 or 3 so-so Barbosa level creators and a team full of guys who are built to finish with no one to create those opportunities for them. we don't even have a Kobe or AI level guy that can get Turiaf easy buckets... and this entire post is all moot if we switch systems.

D'Antoni coaching record, http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/dantomi01c.html

Lepper defensive rebounding rate, http://48minutes.net/2008/12/18/thoughts-on-game-no-26-pacers-127-warriors-120/

Lepper AB's screen roll, http://48minutes.net/2008/12/16/thoughts-on-game-no-25-magic-109-warriors-98/