Total Performance ratings- Atlantic Division

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Atlantic Division TPR    
By: Joe Schaller
Date: January 2, 2003

TPR scale: 120+ superstar, 100+ allstar, 80+ starter, 65+ bench, 60 = min
wage



New Jersey
Good News: Despite injuries to key players Kerry Kittles (137) and Dikembe
Mutombo (83) the Nets keep rolling.
Jason Kidd(167) has elevated his game to the MVP status which he fell short
of last year. His .466 shooting is largely responsible for his improvement,
an area which has been a previous weakness. Odd that he's not mentioned in
the MVP mainstream buzz like last year.

Richard Jefferson (117) has taken that giant leap from a rookie season which
showed the potential without the results.
Lucious Harris (103) continues his stellar play after being one of last years
"Most Improved" to make the most potent guard rotation in the league once
Kittles returns.

Bad News: Kenyon Martin (80) continues to scowl under the media spotlight
however he still racks up too many fouls and is no better at rebounding than
quick forward Jefferson.
Rodney Rogers (82), Jason Collins (46), Aaron Williams (55) and Mutombo are
off to slow starts.


Philadelphia
Good News: Depth and balance are the club's strengths. Brian Skinner (87) has
been a pleasant surprise while Eric Snow (88), Keith Van Horn (87), Aaron
McKie (91) and Derrick Coleman (84) are playing at expected levels. Kenny
Thomas (64) and Greg Buckner (71) should be showing continued improvement.

Bad News: With Allen Iverson (97) barely shooting 39% the team is going
nowhere. He is back to the borderline allstar level of 3 years ago. Todd
MacCulloch's (81) plantar fasciatis is keeping his minutes and TPR down.


Orlando
Good News: Tracy McGrady (162) has clearly separated himself from Kobe and is
an early MVP favorite along with Kidd. The minutes Grant Hill (124) has been
able to play have been very impressive.

Bad News: With Darrell Armstrong's (84) aging the depth of the club declines
from bad to worse. Mike Miller (77) has some spectacular moments however
where is he the rest of the time?
Shawn Kemp (70) has been barely adequate and the rest of the cast is
horrible: Pat Garrity (50), Jacque Vaughn (32), Pat Burke (23), Andrew
DeClercq (47), Jeryl Sasser (39) and rookie Ryan Humphrey (-17).
Despite Hill's success on the court it appears the ankles will be a chronic
problem.

If the opportunity arises Orlando should not hesitate to trade Miller for
either Stromile Swift or Zach Randolph.


Boston
Good News: Eric Williams (106) is one of the early leaders for Most Improved
while Tony Delk (95) and Shammond Williams (85) have performed above
expectations. Tony Battie (93) as always is solid in the middle.

Bad News: With both Paul Pierce (123) and Antoine Walker (91) shooting under
39% the team will struggle. Pierce makes up for it by getting to the foul
line however Walker is so inconsistent he single handedly loses more games
than he wins.
As for Vin Baker (40), Brent Musberger's comments were right on target- "He's
such a nice guy!". Walter McCarty's (65) steals to turnover ratio- 1.79 to
Baker's .18- makes him the asset on the court.


Washington
Good News: Larry Hughes (100) joins the list for Most Improved with 49%
shooting. Jerry Stackhouse (102) continues to get to the foul line.

Bad News: Last year Michael Jordan's (107) presence seemed to elevate the
performance of his young teammates to career highs. This year 3 veterans
carry the club while the supporting cast has watched rather than elevated.
And with Christian Laettner (73) receiving more minutes there is less time
for young talent like Brendan Haywood (70), Kwame Brown (75) and Etan Thomas.
If somebody in the power positions doesn't step up the Wiz will be one of the
biggest disappointments.
Other TPR: Tyronn Lue (73), Bryon Russell (61), Jared Jeffries (55).


Miami
Good News: Eddie Jones (110) and Brian Grant (105) carry the club with
allstar performances. Jones continues to be overlooked by the media. Mike
James (82) has been a pleasant surprise.

Bad News: Travis Best (67) is still adjusting and Caron Butler (65) has been
forced to play huge minutes as a rookie. As another team with depth problems
the supporting cast is weak: Malik Allen (45), Vladimir Stepania (71), Rasual
Butler (35), Eddie House (58) and Laphonso Ellis (55).


New York
Good News: Though not a good team there is some quality depth. Kurt Thomas
(97) has easily been the club MVP.

Bad News: The depth isn't all that great. Allan Houston (81) and Latrell
Sprewell (77) are supposed to be stars yet are far from it. Charlie Ward (84)
has the team's #2 TPR.
The depth includes Howard Eisley (75), Clarence Weatherspoon (78), Shandon
Anderson (66), Othella Harrington (44) and Lee Nailon (62).


Total Performance Ratings (The Total 12)

Scoring

Scoring Efficiency

Ballhandling

Rebounding

Disruptive Defense

One on one Defense

Team Defense

Team Game Pace

Positional Norms

Schedule Strength

Projected Improvement or Decline

Teams Wins Adjustment
Ratings indicate productivity per minute played. See my feature "The TPR
Formula" for more information.