August 16, 2009

Joe Schaller

TPR scale: 180+ MVP, 140+ superstar, 110+ allstar, 85+ starter, 65+ bench

Knicks dilemma; If you've seen my free agent ratings there are still two on my first tier in limbo, David Lee and Nate Robinson. Where these two end up could have an impact on my power ratings. I believe many have underestimated the value of Robinson however I don't think his 123 TPR was a fluke and more likely was an indication of a bona fide break out season as one of the elite sixth men.

Bench strength; For my power ratings I have been projecting the TPR for each of the five positions plus a projected TPR for bench strength as a sixth position to get an average for team TPR.
I had the Lakers bench with Lamar Odom at a 110 TPR yet when considering the weakness of the rest of the bench I have adjusted this down to 100.
The addition of Leon Powe has lifted Cleveland's bench rating to 100 also assuming he is 100 percent by the playoffs. Boston's bench rating falls to 90.

Tweaking; I have further adjusted some of the aging Celtics projected TPR downward.
I am assuming Carlos Boozer will be with the Jazz and although I have my doubts about his worthiness as a superstar he should still be a boost to one of the strongest front courts.
Can Lebron James repeat or even build upon his amazing 220 TPR or will he defer to teammates to carry more of the load. I'm projecting a 200 TPR for the King and that is still way above my next highest projection of 180 for Chris Paul.
Now that the Mavericks have Drew Gooden I suspect that to offset the loss of Marcin Gortat.

Chris Paul may be the best player in the West however the Hornets have such glaring weaknesses at 2-guard and bench their 108.3 team TPR does not put them on my list of contenders. On the other hand the Trail Blazers depth and rising stars puts them in the mix.
The more I look at the upgrades to the Magic along with the prospects of a healthy Jameer Nelson the more I like this club as being the favorite, even over the Lakers.

August 16 power ratings & team TPR

1. Orlando Magic______124.2
   
2. Los Angeles Lakers__123.3
   
3. San Antonio Spurs___120.8
   
4. Cleveland Cavaliers__120
   
5. Boston Celtics______119.2
   
6. Denver Nuggets____118.3
   
7. Dallas Mavericks____115.8
   
8. Utah Jazz_________115.8
   
9. Portland Trail Blazers_115

Total Performance Ratings-- since 1996

1. Scoring
   
2. Scoring Efficiency
   
3. Ballhandling
   
4. Rebounding
   
5. Disruptive Defense
   
6. One on one Defense
   
7. Team Defense
   
8. Team Game Pace
   
9. Schedule Strength
   
10. Projected Improvement or Decline
    
11. Teams Wins Adjustment

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

• Joe Schaller
  
• 505-722-3103
  
• schaller_6@msn.com