Who is the Best Shooting Guard in the NBA?

Written by Dylan Hunter Carter

Over the past few weeks of NBA Basketball, we’ve witnessed some of the best competition at the Shooting Guard position since the primes of Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady. Although the position may not have the immense depth of other positions, it certainly has the talent to match. Young talents such as Jimmy Butler and Klay Thompson have taken the league by storm with their explosive styles of play while familiar faces such as Dwyane Wade and James Harden continue to lead their respective teams toward victory. While each player is holding their ground, only one can be named the best shooting guard in the NBA. Here are the NBA’s top 5 shooting guards.

Honorable Mentions:

Victor Oladipo, Bradley Beal, C.J. McCollum, Manu Ginobili, and Khris Middleton

5. Dwyane Wade

Although we are far past the glory days of Dwyane Wade, he still remains one of the top players at his position, even at 33 years old. In 30 MPG, Wade is averaging 18.1 PPG with 4.6 RPG, 4 APG, and a steal. Wade also has the fourth higher PER at the SG position with 20.55. Although his stats are not spectacular, there is no number value to prove Wade’s worth as a leader, competitor, and spark plug for the Miami Heat. Wade’s resurgence in his 12th year in the league has been an invigorating experience for basketball fans everywhere.

4. DeMar Derozan

For years, DeMar Derozan has put up consistently strong numbers without much recognition. Even as the Raptors have emerged as a strong contender in the Eastern Conference, Derozan has been overlooked by the rest of the league. Now, through 37 games player, DeRozan averages a solid 22.8 PPG on 44% shooting along with 4.6 RPG and 4.1 APG. He also has the 3rd highest PER at the shooting guard position and 29th in the league. DeRozan’s fast paced and athletic play style makes him a matchup nightmare for any defender.

3. Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson’s shooting prowess is nearly unmatched at this point in time. His ability to create shots and to extend above defenders to release his is a sight to behold. Although he is primarily known for his shooting abilities, Thompson is actually an incredibly skillful all-around player. Thompson is currently averaging 20.5 PPG on 46% shooting and a stellar 44% shooting from 3 Point territory. Thompson’s size, quickness, shooting abilities, and defensive capabilities make him one of the best underrated players at the shooting guard position.

2. James Harden

Although he has had ups and downs in his 4 years as a Houston Rocket, there is no question about James Harden’s scoring abilities. Whether it be in isolation, catch and shoot, or fast break scenarios, Harden is always a threat to the opposing defense. Harden currently leads all shooting guards in PER with 24.35 in his 45 games played. Harden currently averages 27.6 PPG on 42% shooting along with 6 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game. While his stats do portray his fantastic offensive prowess, they do not reflect his atrocious on-ball defense. Harden and his defense have become a laughingstock amongst NBA fans and players everywhere. If Harden could push himself to improve as a defender, he could easily solidify himself as a top 5 player in the NBA, but he will not reach that status until his defense improves.

1. Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler is often criticized as “overrated” or a “system player”, but the past few weeks have been a true testament to the skill of this young shooting guard. In the month of January, Butler is averaging 26.5 PPG on 46% shooting from the field along with 5.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists. Through the downfall of a once dominant Bulls team headlined by Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah came the growth of Butler as a player and as a leader. Butler’s ambition, leadership, and Basketball IQ have all grown immensely in his 4 years as a Chicago Bull. Butler’s defensive abilities and strong all around presence have defined him as the best at his position.

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There Must be a Change in the All-Star Game

                                                      Written by Taylor Odenat

As of January 21, 2016, the All Star Starters for the 2016 NBA Star Game in Toronto, Canada were announced for both conferences. The starting lineup for the Eastern Conference will be: Kyle Lowry and Dwyane Wade in the backcourt, followed by Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul George in the frontcourt. For the Western Conference, their starting lineup will consist of: Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook in the backcourt, followed by Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Kobe Bryant in the frontcourt.

Every year there is a problem with what the fans have decided through their voting. Last year, it was Kobe Bryant starting over MVP-candidate James Harden. This year, the popularity contest strikes again, as several worthy players were not voted into the starting lineup. Players such as Andre Drummond, Hassan Whiteside, DeMarcus Cousins, and MVP-candidate Draymond Green will all miss out on the joys of being voted by the fans to be the first five on the court. Andre Drummond is averaging career numbers across the board. He’s pulling down a career-high 15.5 rpg to go along with a career-high 17.7 ppg. Not to mention his Detroit Pistons are sixth in the Eastern Conference at this point in the season. Hassan Whiteside has blocked the most shots in the league and leads the league at a massive four blocks per game. Draymond Green may be on a team with current MVP Stephen Curry, but he is the Most Valuable Player on that roster by far. He can score, pass, rebound, and defend at a high level, and is redefining his position.

Fan favorites Jeremy Lin and Kyrie Irving both almost snuck their way into the All-Star starting lineup as well. So on top of the first five having a lack of centers, they would also have a player who comes off the bench for his team, and a player who has only played 15 games this season. At some point, the mantra “All-Star Weekend is for the fans” gets a little out of hand when players who have barely played or don’t start for their teams can almost crack the starting lineup.

A few seasons ago, the NBA wiped away the center position from the All-Star Ballot, thus making it harder than ever for an actual big man to be selected in the big game. Granted, there are spots coming off the bench for players to be chosen, where coaches decipher who they believe is worthy of being a reserve. Nevertheless, even that is not enough; there will still be deserving players who will be shunned in the eyes of the coaches.

The NBA should revert back to its original voting of each position, instead of combining the positions into frontcourt and backcourt. In that format, big men who work hard every game for their teams receive some recognition. Especially the big men who are actually heading their team to a playoff spot, unlike a forward such as Carmelo Anthony starting; whose team is sitting behind the Miami Heat at ninth in the Eastern Conference. To give Anthony credit he is finally learning to distribute the ball, averaging a career-high 4.1 apg. However, him nor James should be receiving minutes at the five when there are eligible and more deserving players who could take his place.

Additionally, fans shouldn’t have as much total influence in the voting of the All-Star Starters as they do now. Regardless of who is the first five to play, the game will be entertaining to watch. There will no defense played, alley-oops thrown, and ESPN highlight-reel plays no matter who's on the court. Fans should have weight of who gets selected, but players should also have a say in who is chosen. The players can select who they believe should be starting and they can’t chose themselves or players on their own team. That way, it's a mixture of the fans and the players and the results will lead to a starting lineup of personnel who have played top notch basketball for the first half of the season.

While changes may never be made to the popularity contest that is All-Star voting, Adam Silver and the fans need to understand that although it is a weekend “for the fans”, the players who play and make the league millions of dollars earned some recognition on the big stage as well. The popularity competition needs to cease; effective immediately. Hopefully with the leadership of Adam Silver, the NBA will find a compromise so the game is based on merit and not entirely on fan favoritism.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba-news-basketball/archives/4, http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2016/01/21/all-star-starters-announced/, http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/i/irvinky01.html, http://www.nba-allstar.com/ballot/how-complete-coaches-nba-all-star-reserves.htm, http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/whiteha01.html, http://www.hothothoops.com/2016/1/5/10707322/100-games-hassan-whitesides-greatest-statistical-accomplishments

Fixing the Milwaukee Bucks

                                                        Written by Taylor Odenat

Just a season ago the Milwaukee Bucks were a team on the rise. They finished the 2014-2015 season with a record of 41-41, and entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. That playoff berth was the franchise’s first trip to the postseason since getting swept by the Miami Heat two seasons prior. Coming into this season, it would be expected that the Bucks would build on their semi-successful season; however, that would not be the case. Their record at this point last year was two games above .500 at 21-19. Currently, their record is 18-25, and they are on the outside looking in of the playoff picture. There has to be changes in Milwaukee before the trade deadline approaches, otherwise the Bucks will fall back into their strong habits of being mediocre and non-threatening in the Eastern Conference.

The Bucks have an apparent fear of shooting three-pointers. They shoot 15.9 threes per game, which is the second-lowest clip in the league. The Bucks possess no three-point shooters besides Jerryd Bayless, who receives 29 mpg, and their million dollar man Khris Middleton. They both shoot above 40% from three, but beyond those two players it’s hard to find another shooter on that roster. The Bucks personnel is stacked with players who live in the paint and aren’t capable of consistently making jump shots. Michael Carter-Williams has improved his stroke since arriving to Milwaukee, improving from a putrid 14% from three to an average 36%. However, this team needs more than Middleton, Bayless, and Carter-Williams slightly improving his shot to make it out from their low rank of thirteenth in the Eastern Conference.

The Bucks have three bigs with loads of potential in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, and Greg Monroe. In a perfect world, the Bucks would be able to keep all of these non-shooters and excel in their conference. That hasn’t been the case so far, as they all work in and around the painted area. Parker displayed potential of developing a jumpshot through his 35 games in Duke, where he shot 36% from three. It obviously has been a rough transition seeing as Parker has attempted only 6 threes and missed all 6 of them. Giannis isn’t one to favor jumpshots either as he is only shooting 22% on three pointers so far this season. Greg Monroe was never really known for his three-point shooting and hasn’t taken one to this point. So the main question is, which player has to go?

Greg Monroe leads the Milwaukee Bucks in win shares at 4.0, rebounds per game at 9.8, and is second on the team in points per game at 15.2. Which makes this a difficult decision for the Bucks but it has to be done; Monroe must be the player that gets shipped off. Some may question the logic of trading Monroe after signing him to a three-year, $50 million deal over the offseason. However, although he is young, Giannis and Jabari both possess more potential and talent/skill to become two of the league’s best forwards if they continue to develop. Additionally, Giannis and Jabari are both still on their rookie deals;  Antetokounmpo from ‘13 and Parker from ‘14. 

It would be wise for the Bucks to take advantage of the great season Monroe is putting together. In return, they should look to receive a player with a consistent jump shot, a veteran to assist in further team progression, or a lottery draft pick in this upcoming draft. A possible trade that the Bucks should explore is:

Milwaukee Bucks        New Orleans Pelicans

Greg Monroe      $16.4 million                        Ryan Anderson          $8.5 million

     Omer Asik                  $9.2 million

With this trade, the Pelicans get a young, low-post oriented big man to lineup next to superstar Anthony Davis, while the Bucks get in return a veteran big man who will play his role and a stretch-four to fill their desperate need of a shooter.

Whether the Bucks make a trade similar to this or not, something needs to change because this season will be a lost one if they don’t evaluate their issues and figure out what has to be done to fix them.

http://hoopshype.com/salaries/new_orleans_pelicans/, http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/monrogr01.html, http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/team/_/stat/offense-per-game/sort/threePointFieldGoalPct, http://www.landofbasketball.com/results_by_team/2014_2015_bucks.htm, http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/teams/Milwaukee-Bucks/16/Playoff-History, http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WAS/2016.html

NBA Players in Dire Need of a Change of Location

A change of scenery can cure the careers  of these NBA stars.

The 'Money' Manziel Experiment in Cleveland is Ready to Conclude

Written by Taylor Odenat

Johnny Manziel, formerly ‘Money’ Manziel, out of Texas A&M touts an above-average college career, headlined by his 2012 Heisman Trophy victory. After waving off his junior season of collegiate football, Manziel entered the 2014 NFL Draft. He was questionably selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 22nd pick of the first round, and criticism of his game would appear to increase from that point on. He was widely regarded as “immature” off the field and some didn’t think he would be able to overcome that and make the transition to the NFL. Even a teammate of Johnny’s on the Browns, who gave his statement anonymously, stated that his 2014 season was an “100% joke.” Manziel hardly got off the bench and played a total of seven quarters in that season, finishing the season with 18 of 35 passes completed with two interceptions. 

After mustering up a disastrous rookie season for the Browns, he hoped that his sophomore season would be different. The Browns had faith in Manziel, trusting that he would improve from the season prior. Inevitably, that trust and faith would be misguided as Manziel continued his nightlife shenanigans. He eventually seemed more dedicated to his life after football, rather than his career on the field. Manziel may have not been drafted with the intention of leading the franchise to an above .500 record, however; the quarterback position was not set in stone so he had the chance to be the cornerstone. Manziel was given several opportunities to prove he could be the man for the Browns, and the franchise quarterback for the future that the franchise so desperately needs. Following a temporary injury to fellow quarterback Josh McCown, Manziel was declared the indefinite starter and given that supreme opportunity to convince his team and the rest of the NFL of his worth. However, instead of making use of the valuable chance he was given, Manziel was demoted back to third string after videos arose of him partying during a bye week. Manziel was given the torch by the Browns, but he preferred to drop it rather than run with it. 

No mistake should be made in suggesting that Manziel is an insufficient quarterback. He is a terrific athlete, great on the run and has a capable arm to go along with his large hands. The situation just boiled down to the Browns being an under the radar team, and Manziel not being an under the radar personnel. Cleveland tried to distort and transform him into the kind of player they wanted him to be. The type of player who would rather sit at home and study plays or analyze the playbook, rather than go partying in Vegas; as he did this past Saturday. Nonetheless, there is a team that fits Manziel’s personality mold: The Dallas Cowboys. 

In retrospect, this may turn out to be a disaster. Dallas headed by their owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones, who is a known fan of Manziel, is not one to cower to the spotlight; and neither is Manziel. He was getting months of media coverage before he was even in the league and didn’t mind the continuous attention. Going to Dallas would definitely put all eyes on Manziel and the Cowboys, but he would be able to handle the adversity. The young QB even expressed interest in the organization. The Cowboys have a hole at the quarterback position with Romo’s constant injuries, leaving Kellen Moore to lead the charge in times of need. Tony Romo missed 12 games of this past regular season and he’s certainly won't be getting any younger or durable. ‘Money’ Manziel has potential and upside, he just requires the correct environment to grow. 

By no means does the change of scenery to ‘America’s Team’ automatically signify that Manziel will change his ways, but the QB desires to go there. Being in a comfortable situation with a GM who will suit his needs could be just what the 23-year-old needs in his development to recapture his, so far, failing NFL career.

http://www.footballnation.com/content/cowboys-owner-jerry-jones-7-reasons-we-love-to-hate-jerr-ah/11993/, http://www.nfl.com/draft/2013/profiles/johnny-manziel?id=2543462, http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/24986501/report-teammate-said-johnny-manziel-was-a-100-percent-joke, http://deadspin.com/johnny-manziel-is-about-done-in-cleveland-1750887128