| Auditing The Bucks 2007-08 Season Authored by Christopher Reina - May 29, 2008 - 8:22 pm
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Their per game FIC differential was -12.4, which was 25th in the NBA, which was an improvement of 1.4 per game from the 06-07 season, but they were light years away from being the playoff team they were during the 05-06 season.
The Bucks had six players who we classify as being overpaid according to the Reina Value.
Player: Overall Rank, Season FIC, Per 40 FIC, Reina Value
- Andrew Bogut: 35th, 1047, 15.4, +149%
Bogut was easily the Bucks' most valuable player, averaging 14.4 points (on 51.1% shooting) while also grabbing 9.8 boards per night.
Bogut could sign an extension this summer and I believe he easily merits a long-term deal that pays him eight-figures annually.
If we were to redraft 2005, Bogut would easily be selected third or fourth depending on how impressed you are with Andrew Bynum's brilliant two-month stint to start 07-08.
- Michael Redd: 58th, 854, 12.6, -35%
Redd shot just 36.2% from beyond the arc and his FIC40 was down from his 13.5 in 06-07 and 14.4 in 02-03 when he was a 43.8% 3-point shooter. He has shot in the 30's in each of his past six seasons from beyond the arc, which may be one of the main reasons so much of his game is based on shooting off the dribble. Redd shot five three pointer per game, which left him behind players like Juan Carlos Navarro, Danny Granger and Rafer Alston, but he was 13th in the NBA in total shots per game.
- Maurice Williams: 71st, 786, 13.0, +9%
Mo Williams just barely outperformed the first year of his new contract. He is a very good scorer (48.8%) but not an ideal point guard in today's NBA. Fortunately for Williams he is signed through 12-13 and there isn't a pure point guard who will be available at the Bucks' draft slot unless they were enamored with D.J. Augustin.
Williams was 6th amongst point guards in points per game, but had a 2.3 assist/turnover ratio, which ranks him behind 35 other point guards in the category.
- Charlie Villanueva: 134th, 552, 12.1, +84%
Villanueva's minutes increased as the season progressed due to reality setting in on Yi that he was nowhere near ready for heavy minutes. He shot 43.5% from the floor and just 29.9% from beyond the arc.
The Bucks were 4.8 points per 100 possessions worse with Villanueva on the floor, as his defensive contributions continued to be weak.
To give Villanueva credit, he did improve as a rebounder this season.
- Desmond Mason: 182nd, 417, 9.8, -31%
The Cowboy returned to Milwaukee after a three-year absence and played in just 59 games. Despite the 9.8 FIC40, the Bucks were 4.5 points per 100 possessions better with Mason on the floor.
- Yi Jianlian: 196th, 389, 9.4, +12%
He shot 42.1% from the floor and 84.1% from the line and looks like he should develop into a serviceable forward. Yi is certainly a good shooter and proved himself capable of scoring in various ways and those scoring opportunities will become more frequently successful when he becomes mentally and physically stronger.
If Dirk Nowitzki is indeed the appropriate player to compare Yi to, the Dallas forward had an 8.1 FIC40 during his own rookie season, but he quickly became a 13.0 FIC40 player the following season.
- Charlie Bell: 202nd, 377, 9.3, -3%
The Bucks matched Miami's offer sheet to Bell was he was paid appropriately according to the Reina Value. His shooting percentage dropped 5.6 points but was a better per minute rebounder and assist man.
- Bobby Simmons: 235th, 306, 8.0, -74%
Simmons missed the entire 06-07 season, so just appearing in 70 games made the season a success of sorts for the Chicago native. Simmons had an 11.6 FIC40 when he was named the NBA's Most Improved Player of 04-05.
This season he shot just 42.1%, down from 45.3% in his first season in Milwaukee and 46.6% during his breakthrough season with the Clippers.
He has also regressed as a rebounder and overall as a playmaker. His five-year, $47 million contract is now three-fifths complete, but remains one of the worst in the NBA. That was the same summer in which they re-signed Redd and Dan Gadzuric.
- Royal Ivey: 250th, 242, 6.7, +165%
Ivey played about 19 minutes per game which made his presence on the floor altogether too frequent. The difference Ivey makes on defense are quickly negated by his shooting inadequacies and 2.1 assist/turnover ratio, which is far from his 05-06 3.2 aberration while with the Hawks.
- Michael Ruffin: 275th, 191, 12.1, +125%
Ruffin is one of the better non-offensive bigs in the NBA. He rebounds well, gets deflections and largely stays out of the way. While being far from their best three or four players, Milwaukee was 6.2 points per 100 possessions better with Ruffin on the floor; for a team that was outscored by 6.9 points per game (fourth worst in the NBA), that sort of impact is significant.
- Ramon Sessions: 279th, 178, 15.9, +287%
Sessions was a great second round find, appearing in 17 games. He had an excellent assist/turnover ratio of 3.5, which was in no small part due to his 20 point, 24 assist and 8 rebound night against the Bulls.
He shot 43.6% from the floor and 42.9% from beyond the arc and is one member of the club that they will be evaluating closely during the first parts of 08-09.
- Dan Gadzuric: 310th, 126, 9.4, -80%
The contract Gadzuric signed in 2005 has become one of the worst in the NBA. He was the far less effective version of Michael Ruffin, shooting just 41.6% and rebounding at a far worse clip.
- Jake Voskuhl: 344th, 80, 8.3, -74%
Voskuhl now has eight NBA seasons on the books and for the third time in his career he averaged fewer than 10 minutes per game. He rebounded as well as ever this season, but his shooting percentage is inexcusably in the mid-40's.
- Awvee Storey: 366th, 56, 8.7, 0%
Storey returned to the NBA following the ugly D-League incident with Martynas Andriuškevičius and shot a career high 43.8% from the floor, but just 48.3% from the free throw line. The Bucks' offense was very stagnant and ineffective when Storey was on the floor and though cheap, the club could do better to find another wing to round out their roster.
How The Bucks Were Acquired
- Bogut, Gadzuric, Redd, Sessions and Yi were draft selections.
- Bell, Ivey, Mason, Ruffin, Simmons, Storey, Voskuhl and Williams were free agent signings.
- Villanueva is Milwaukee's lone trade acquisition.
- Christopher Reina is the executive editor of RealGM and the creator of The Reina Value which determines the value of players in relation to their contract. |
