Stat comparison

[Mark Piotrowski <markp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At the risk of trying to match Ray for # of posts in one day (like I 
said I'm nervous about this trade if for no other reason than the fact 
Ray seems to be ecstatic about it...)here's a way-too-early subjective 
look at the players' stats.  And while its a bit like comparing apples 
with oranges maybe its not too early to take a look at the similarities 
& diff. in Walker's and Lafrent's stats (though I guess we need to 
throw in Delk & Welsch (negligible so far) too).


Points
---------
Walker (20.1 in 2002-03, 20.8 career)
Delk (9.8 in 2002-03, 9.1 career)
LaFrentz (9.3 in 2002-03, 12.2 career)

Obviously both Walker and Delk are better scorers, but I'm less worried 
after I took a look and was reminded that Lafrentz numbers went down 
after coming to Dallas -- where he was the 5th or 6th option.

Way-too-early-Verdict -- Celtics take a step back and LaFrentz, Brown, 
Jones, Battie will have to step up their games for the C's to score 
consistently and not burn Pierce out.  But i think this will make the 
C's a better team in the long run.

Rebounds
----------
Walker (7.2 2002-03, 8.7 career)
Delk (3.5, 2.6)
LaFrentz (4.8, 7.1)

Again LaFrentz's career numbers are much closer to Walker's if you 
account for the fact he played 8-10 fewer mins/game in Dallas than in 
Denver.  Its been pointed out often taht Walker's rebound numbers have 
been sliding as he's become more enamored with the 3-pointer and asked 
to do more with the ball as a "point" forward.

Verdict -- Lafrentz should replace Walker's rebounding and possibly 
slightly improve on it.  LaFrentz/Battie/Baker/Blount must average 30 
rebounds/game for the running game to take off.

Assists
--------
Walker (4.8 2002-03, 4.2 career)
Delk (2.2, 2.0)
LaFrentz (0.8, 1.1)

Here's where we may lose the most.  7.0 combined assists is not what 
you'd want from your 2-headed PG, but can Banks/James pick up the slack 
or improve on it?  This becomes less a problem when you remember that 
Walker had 1.3 asst/TO ratio while Delk was only slightly better.

Verdict -- Lose a lot here.  The season may hinge on James' and Banks' 
ability to get the ball out and run.

Blocks
-------
Walker (.45 2002-03, .55 career)
Delk (.15, .16)
LaFrentz (1.32, 2.22)

LaFrentz was averaging 3.00 blk/gm when he was traded to Dallas and 
despite being a bit soft has been one of the leading shot blockers.  I 
really hope he'll fit right into the Boston defensive scheme.

Verdict -- obvious improvement

Shooting %
-------------
Walker (38.8% 2002-03, 41.2 career)
Delk (41.6%, 40.7)
LaFrentz (51.8%, 46.9%)

LaFrentz is the better shooter, but obviously is asked to do less on 
his own than Walker or even Delk.  All three players shoot over 33% 
from 3pt line with LaFrentz shooting the best (40.5% last year, 37.2 
career) though he attempted about as many (116) as either Walker or 
Delk.

Verdict -- again, have to hope this is an area we make up for the 
others in, i.e. becoming a more efficient offensive team.


I guess overall this trade is growing on me, but the only thing that 
matters is whether it makes the Celtics a better team.  Can't wait for 
the season to start.

(the other) mark -- making his final post for the day.