GDHQNBA15_f-Starmakers 4

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squad, like LaMarcus Aldridge, Anthony Davis, Dirk Nowitzki… You now see the point? It’s very possible—even likely—NBA coaches may again bypass the fourth-year Spurs small forward who only averaged 13 points and 6 rebounds in 29 minutes per game during the 2013-14 regular season. Forget the fact that Leonard posted the second-best postseason plus-minus in the 2014 NBA Playoffs, notching a +173 in 735 postseason minutes, finishing second only to teammate Manu Ginobili (+181 in 586 minutes) in the category. Forget the fact that his Spurs posted such a high plus-minus score while he guarded the most recent MVPs in Durant and James, playing pretty much every minute they did. Forget the fact that the 6-7, 230-pound forward posted a 19.1 Player Efficiency Rating in 2013-14 as a 22-year-old (Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond and Kyrie Irving were the only other young’uns able to top that). Forget the fact that Leonard carried a +2.66 Real Plus-Minus last season, which is rare for a player so young (not even Davis, Drummond, Irving or any NBA player so young did that). Indeed, behind-the-scenes advanced metrics show Leonard, now 23, is one of the game’s most special players—on both sides of the court—to come along in a long time. But that doesn’t mean NBA coaches are automatically going to vote the Finals MVP into an All-Star Game. After all, their ballot senses have swung more toward 20 pointsper game scorers, year after year after year. TAJ GIBSON CHICAGO BULLS POWER FORWARD A funny thing happened when the Chicago Bulls finally amnestied overpriced Carlos Boozer, which finally freed up the starting power forward position for unsung 29-year-old Taj Gibson to start alongside All-Star center Joakim Noah. Yeah, funny thing was the Bulls went out and signed another former aging All-Star in the talented 34-year-old Pau Gasol, who was then promised he would become the new starting power forward to play alongside Noah. Such is life with Gibson. When he finally gets his chance to shine, another star is brought in, so that Gibson can go back to cooking up that good, old thermonuclear fusion. That’s alright, though. The advancedmetrics community knows Gibson’s true worth. In the 2013-14, Gibson had the NBA’s 28th-highest Wins Above Replacement score (8.78), despite averaging only 29 minutes and starting eight games total on the season. Hidden on the second team, Gibson’s +4.16 Real Plus-Minus score was second only to Noah on the 2013-14 Bulls, while his +3.62 defensive RPM topped all NBA power forwards—including Serge Ibaka (+3.24 dRPM) and Amir Johnson (+3.14 dRPM)—who had played 2,000-plus minutes last season. Nonetheless, Gibson will take his 13-point, 7-rebound averages back to the bench and continue to do the dirty work only a select few on the Bulls truly appreciate. When it’s time to to select Sixth Man of the Year, hopefully votes don’t forget the great second-stringer. CHANNING FRYE ORLANDO MAGIC CENTER OK. Orlando is not a winner yet, but the franchise soon will be. If you don’t believe, just ask Phoenix for their opinion. Or did you already forget how that organization collapsed when stretch center Channing Frye suffered an enlarged heart in 2011-12 and had to sit out the entire season? If you need a refresher course, that lockoutshortened campaign was a season that saw the Suns drop from a .500 winning percentage to .305 after the squad lost Frye, Steve Nash and Grant Hill, and only returned Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley from the quintet that produced the NBA’s best D. Clarke Evans; Gary Dineen(2)/NBAE/Getty Images


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