Bleacher Report - Articles by Dave Finocchio

Jimmy Clausen Punched, but NFL Draft Status May Have Taken Worst Beating

Dave Finocchio — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:48:15 -0500

Multiple media outlets are reporting that Notre Dame's junior quarterback Jimmy Clausen was punched outside CJ's, a South Bend burger joint, following ND's 2OT loss to Connecticut on Saturday evening.

Despite accounts that Clausen was supposedly "sucker-punched" by a fan after dinner with his parents and friends, it's fair to speculate that this incident might have an impact on Jimmy's projected draft status, and ultimately, his decision to leave or remain at Notre Dame for his senior year.

We can expect to find out more in the next few days as students will certainly leak the dirt, but regardless of the details, this isn't great news for the Clausen camp.

On the heels of Jay Cutler's prima dona media tour, followed by disastrous on field performance, don't think that NFL GM's won't place an extra emphasis on character this offseason. Regardless of whether or not Clausen did anything to provoke the dispute, this incident certaintly won't help his already shaky reputation as an arrogant, somewhat immature quarterback.

Remember, Clausen's College Football career started with a much publicized announcement at the College Football Hall of Fame that rubbed many on lookers the wrong way. Since that time, he's consistently barked at teammates on national television, and he clearly gets discouraged when things don't go this way. From an outside observer's standpoint, he's hardly the type of leader to whom NFL owners would gladly hand over $20-30 million in guaranteed cash.

Again, we'll wait to hear the details of the fight, but I think it's fair to speculate that this punch could cause Clausen to drop out of the top ten in the 2010 NFL draft, and perhaps even further.

If that is indeed the case, it's more likely that he'll return to Notre Dame for his senior season, with the hopes of proving that he's worthy of being one of the tops picks in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Patriots Lose On Officials Bad 4th And 2 Call, Not Belichick's

Dave Finocchio — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:15:32 -0500

Looking at NBC's replays of the decisive 4th and 2 call in the Colts 35-34 victory over New England in Indianapolis, it was clear that Kevin Faulk did indeed have possession of the ball in front of the first down marker. Faulk's completion would have sealed a win for the Patriots.

While Faulk did bobble the football initially, he quickly recovered to firmly wrap two hands around the ball prior to his forward progress being stopped by the Colts defender, which was slightly ahead of NBC's yellow first down line.

The replay also showed that the official who made the call had an awful vantage point, and saw more of Faulk's back than so-called bobbled football. It's disapointing that both Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, who is usually an outstanding analyst, failed to point this out.

It's certainly fair to criticize Belichick's game management in the second half. The Patriots used three timeouts rather nonchalantly, which left them void of the ability to challenge the ruling on the field. And because the soon-to-be infamous play started with 2:03 on the clock, and reviews cannot get called by the booth until the two minute warning, the Patiots were left to the whims of one eager-to-please referee.

Say what you will about the message that it sends to his defense, but it still took a lot of guts for Bill Belichick to go for the win on 4th and 2 on national television. If you run the numbers, and sum the odds that Tom Brady either converts in the 4 and 2 situation or the Patriots defense keeps the Colts out of the end-zone from their own 30 yard line, I bet the percent chance that the Pats win the game is higher than the odds of the Pats winning if the Colts get the ball at their own 30 with 2 minutes left and a timeout. I'd love to know if the Patriots keep stats on such situations.

It was a highly unconventional call, but if the officials had been on their game, it would've been the right one. Kudos to Belichick for having guts, and making the right call.

Emmanuel Burriss Is the New Fan Favorite in San Francisco

Dave Finocchio — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 07:00:12 -0400

Just writing in to express my genuine excitement about a Giants position player that: a) came up through our farm system, and b) is 23 years old.

Emmanuel Burriss is all guts and flash, and he's already achieved second-favorite-player status with me (see Lincecum, Tim).

And as he's now starting on a regular basis, I think it's officially time for Burriss jerseys to start selling in waves around the Bay Area. Talk about a player you can build a team (and a marketing strategy) around.

For a taste of what I'm referring to, here's a recap of five thrilling Emmanuel Burriss plays from last night's win over the Padres

1. Decently hit line drive between first and second base. Burriss (playing second) takes two quick steps to his left and makes a full-extension diving catch with his head angled at the right-field corner.

2. Lays down a bunt down the third-base line on the first pitch he sees from 2007 Cy Young winner Jake Peavy for the Giants' first hit. Bunt is so good that the third baseman eats the ball.

3. On the next pitch of the game, Barry Zito lays down a good bunt towards the third baseman. Seeing that no one is covering third, Burriss (without hesitation) blazes around second base and goes for third.

Padres second baseman Tadahito Iguchi makes an incredible throw back to third to hit the third baseman just as he arrives back at the base. Burriss is out by a foot. It's an aggressive, heads-up play against Peavy though, and I think he would've made it four out of five times.

4. In the eighth, Burriss puts down a drag bunt between the pitcher and the first baseman. The ball gets by the pitcher, and is played by the charging Iguchi, who barehands the ball and tosses to first. Burriss slides headfirst into the bag. He's called out, but it's a bang-bang play that could've gone either way.

5. With two outs in the top of the ninth, and the Giants leading 1-0, Burriss comes to the plate with Rich Aurillia on second base. He singles to left to give the Giants a much-needed insurance run. They win 2-0.

Not bad for a 23-year old kid getting his first real shot on a team that badly needs young, exciting position players to build around.

Life After Baron Davis: What's in Store For 2008-2009 Warriors?

Dave Finocchio — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:51:34 -0400

Expect the Golden State Warriors to regress without Baron Davis during the 2008-2009 season. Not a significant step back, but they’re more likely to win 42 games than 48.

On the court, Davis is one of the few point guards in the league who is capable of truly excelling in a Don Nelson system.

He’s also a guy that wants the ball in his hands in the 4th quarter (not so rare), and makes more than he misses (very rare).

All contending teams has one of these guys:

Celtics: Paul Pierce
Lakers: Kobe Bryant
Spurs: Manu Ginobili
Cavs: Lebron James
Warriors: ??

Off the court, Baron is a dynamic personality that single-handedly re-made the Warriors into a mainstream commodity in the Bay Area. The guy sold jerseys, put fan in the stands, and helped wives, girlfriends, and mothers get through games.

It’s essential that the Baron-less Warriors immediately establish their own personality, as the “we don’t give a sh*t / we do things our own way” days of Baron Davis and company are over.

Ellis, Maggette, and Biedrins are far more basketball players than they are personalities. So perhaps the only way to replace Davis is to win.

The Warriors do have a great young core (one that’s now locked up for the next 5 years), and if they can improve through developing their recent draft picks, and filling in whatever gaps exist in two years through free-agency, it’s not out of the question that they could emerge as one of the new-powerhouses in the Western Conference, alongside the Hornets and Lakers during the next two-three years.

If you haven't already, read Dave's take on the upside and downside of the Warriors' divorce from Baron Davis.

Warriors Predictions: The Good Side Of Life After Baron Davis

Dave Finocchio — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:40:29 -0400

How do the Warriors benefit (on paper) from having a Baron Davis-less roster in 2008-2009, and years to come?

1. They should make more shots

Baron Davis shot 42.6% from the field during the 2007-2008 season, well below the team average of 46.0%.

He also led the Warriors in attempts per game at 18.6 (Stephen Jackson was second with 16.5 attempts per game, shooting 40.5% from the field…ouch).

By comparison, Monta Ellis shot 53.1% from the field off of 15.1 attempts per game.

Monta will take more shots this year.

Andris Biedrins shot 62.6% from the field off of 7.1 shots per game.

Andris will also take more shots this year.

Now, Baron certainly deserves some credit for acting as a creator (for Biedrins) and drawing attention away from Ellis, but it’s difficult to deny that his own shot selection was poor at best.

Now throw Corey Maggette into the fold to eat up more of Jackson’s shots, and you’re in business.

During the 2007-2008 season, Maggette shot 45.8% from the field off of 14.3 shots per game, and took 9.7 free throws per game (81% from the line).

If they can find a way distribute the ball well-enough to keep their turnovers in the same realm as last year (big if), the Warriors should operate more efficiently on offense.

2. They incur less financing risk

It seems the consensus around the league is that Baron Davis is very old 29.

He’s about to enter his tenth season in the NBA, and has a history of knee and back injuries…and a questionable work ethic.

While Davis worked extremely hard to get his body in shape leading up to last year, it’s hard to look past the fact that he was entering into a “potential” contract year.

Baron certainly has an opportunity to prove everyone wrong. He’s still one of the league’s most talented players, and one of its best players when he’s on his game.

But for the Warriors, the notion of committing a substantial portion of their salary cap for several years to a player with injury risk was too difficult to overcome.

Al Harrington ($9 million) comes off the books after this season, Stephen Jackson ($7 million) and Adonal Foyle (5 million approx.), at the end of next season.

With the likes of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Amare Stoudemire coming to market in the summer of 2010, Chris Mullin was hard pressed to place his bets on Davis, when he’ll have the cap room to sign a younger, more impactful player in just two years.

3. The young guys get a chance to fully mature

Ellis (22) and Biedrins (22) both have big time upside: Ellis as a 25+ points per game scorer in the league, Biedrins as a double-double guy for the next 10+ years.

Rumors has it that there was a feeling in the Warriors front office that Davis was starting to stunt their growth.

Well, now that he’s gone, we’ll find out just how good both guys can be, now and for the future.

So, what does this mean for the short and long term states of the Warriors? Find out here.

Also, you can read Dave's take on the head aches that Baron Davis's departure will cause for Don Nelson during the 2008-2009 season.

Warriors Predictions: How Baron Davis's Departure Will Hurt Team

Dave Finocchio — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:29:23 -0400

There’s no debating that Baron Davis’ departure leaves the Warriors as a very different ball club; one with less experience and probably less ego.

High-level ranting aside (I’ve heard enough of this over the past three weeks via local news), let’s jump into some specifics on what the Dubs will miss about Davis, and what they might not.

To me, Baron Davis brought three very important qualities to the table:

1. His ability to operate a Nelly-ball offense efficiently, keep turnovers down, and ensure that possessions resulted in shots, despite the fast-paced, frenetic play.

The Warriors led the league in scoring average last year (111.0 per game), and shot 46% from the field (good for 12th in the league).

Despite their approach to “organized chaos”, Golden State turned the ball over just 13.0 times per game (8th least in the NBA), and had the highest disparity between OWN turnovers, and OPPONENTS turnovers in the league (3.2). Toronto was second was at 2.1.

To put this in perspective, at 16.2 per game, Warriors opponents averaged significantly more turnovers than the sloppiest team in the basketball (the Kings), who turned the ball over 15.2 times per game.

How are the Dubs going to keep this up without Davis at the helm?

Let’s just say that none of the following individuals are known for distributing the ball with a tremendous amount of success, especially late in games:

Monta Ellis, Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Kelenna Azubuike.

So is Marcus Williams going to see significant minutes? We’ll just call this a concern.

2. He's one of the top closers in the league.

Baron Davis makes big shots at the end of games...over, and over, and over again.

The Warriors won a lot of tight battles during the past two years, and now someone besides Baron will have to step up and fill the void.

Given Monta Ellis’ not-so-stellar record of coming up in the clutch, it’s seems likely that Golden State will need Maggette to emerge as the go-to force late in games.

Nothing against Monta, but thus far, he seems to have more Chris Webber and Kevin Garnett in him than Sam Cassell or Mike Bibby: Great for the first 42 minutes, absent the last six.

3. He's absurdly tight.

Golden State fans rallied behind Baron, in a way they haven’t rallied around anyone since Tim Hardaway.

Davis made it cool to wear a Warriors jersey. He brought a swagger to not just the team, but to the entire Bay Area fan-base.

Can this team capture the affection of the fans, and keep the momentum up? Can Ellis or Maggette be the force that the crowd rallies around, the guy that sets the tone night in and night out?

And what about the off-court presence? Who’s going to do TNT specials at McDonald's, and invest in local start-up companies?

Tough guy to replace…

Read on to hear Dave’s thoughts on the upside of Baron taking his ball, and going home (To Los Angeles—that terrible, terrible place in Southern California where vanity and bad air quality rule every day).

Ten Worst Moments of Post-Bob Davie Notre Dame Football

Dave Finocchio — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 08:57:52 -0500

1. Navy beats Notre Dame for first time in 43 years: 11/3/2007

Remember hearing about how the people of Milan beat the crap out of Benito Mussolini’s dead body as it hung upside down on a meat hook?

Same basic concept here…

2. Seniors forced to leave Notre Dame Stadium after loss in home finale against Pitt: 11/13/2004

Allow me to summarize:

- Team shows minimal effort in loss to Pitt at last home game of the year.

- Team gets booed off the field by the Senior Class (of 2005).

- Senior Class collectively wonders aloud why they paid $150,000 for cold weather, unattractive girls, ridiculous rules, and shitty football.

- Senior Class refuses to leave stadium.

- Senior Class threatened with imprisonment by police.

- Senior Class leaves stadium.

3. "The Push": 10/15/2005

This is back when people still thought that Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, and Dwayne Jarrett were good football players. But I digress…

Sitting on the same side of the field, but near the opposite end zone, there was little doubt that Notre Dame won the game when Dancing Matthew fumbled at the goal line.

There’s nothing like having a full-blown celebration and rushing the field after breaking your rivals 27 game win streak, only to find out that it was all a big mistake.

USC wins 34-31.

Heart-wrenching as…

4. "The Shovel Pass": 11/2/2002

The week before this infamous BC game, Notre Dame destroyed Florida State in Tallahassee, and improved their record to 8-0. This was the single best football moment during my tenure in South Bend.

One bad call, a back-up quarterback, and a shovel pass later:

The Dream. Was. Over.

5. Michigan Routs #2 Notre Dame at ND Stadium: 9/16/2006

The expectations in Charlie Weis’ second season were extremely high. With the return of All-Americans Brady Quinn, Jeff Samardzija, and Tom Zbikowski, the 2006 Irish team was supposed to compete for a national championship.

It was in this game when it became apparent that Weis couldn't give Notre Dame a 'strategic advantage' that would compensate for a lack of talent. It also became apparent that his teams could get blown out of the water.

6. Notre Dame Quits Against Florida State: 11/1/2003

For anyone who was there, this was the lowest of the low during “The Tynasty.”

It was also the only time I walked out of a game during the First Quarter.

Let me set the stage:

- Florida State has the ball on their own 1 yard line.

- Much-maligned FSU quarterback Chris Rix takes the snap and scrambles into his own end zone.

- Several Irish defensive linemen, including the great Justin Tuck, take turns finding new ways to not tackle Rix.

- Rix eventually heaves wobbler 40 yards down the field toward the left sideline.

- Irish cornerback Vontez Duff elevates to make what should be an easy interception.

- Ball goes through Duff’s hands.

- Ball caught by Craphonso Thorpe for huge gain.

- Dave leaves cold stadium to watch Oklahoma game in comfort of his dorm room.

7. Notre Dame at USC: 11/30/2002

The first USC blow out.

This game is noteworthy because it proved conclusively that the Irish were relying on luck and not much else.

To many Notre Dame fans, this game planted the seed that Tyrone Willingham could do little to improve the long-term outlook of the team.

That seed sprouted and grew into a Redwood Tree.

8. Tailgate Security Enlists Nazi Secret Police: Fall, 2002

At this year’s Georgia Tech game, I was almost arrested on two occasions for playing beer pong with water at a tailgate outside Notre Dame Stadium.

I literally have not been to a game in five years where someone in my party was not harassed by South Bend police officers trying to take “preventative measures.”

This is a bad practice for maximizing donation revenue.

9. Notre Dame vs. LSU 2007 Sugar Bowl: 1/3/2007

You can get used to being embarrassed on a national stage, but few things feel worse than being responsible for JaMarcus Russell being the number one pick in the NFL Draft.

10. Notre Dame Loses Season Opener to BYU: 9/4/2004

Notre Dame forced San Diego State and Nevada to move their schedules around so they could get a tune up in against BYU before the Michigan game.

Notre Dame lost to BYU…but they did beat Michigan ☺.

Honorable Mention: George O'Leary hired/fired—or did he resign?

KB24 and Agent Zero: Should the Lakers Move on Gilbert Arenas in 2008?

Dave Finocchio — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:25:18 -0400

When Gilbert Arenas opts out of his contract next summer, it's inevitable that the Los Angeles Lakers will come calling.

Never mind the ridiculously messy salary cap issues. Earth-shaker GM Mitch Kupchak has nine more months to figure out the numbers.

Arenas, who represents himself in all salary negotiations, is a Los Angeles native with an unquestionable desire to win. So it only seems right that he return to LalaLand to lead the Purple and Gold back to the victory circle.

And by throwing Arenas and his 28 points a game into the mix with Kobe Bryant and his 32 per, how could you lose?

Having two of the best 10 players in the league in the same backcourt—both with an ability to handle the ball in the triangle offense—sounds just fantastic.

Until you realize that it would be a complete disaster.

Here's why:

Gilbert Arenas is a lone gunman. He's Allen Iverson. He needs to be THE MAN.

We're talking about a player with one of the most bizarre mentalities in the league. It's Gilbert against the world...with Gilbert's supporting cast somewhere off to the side.

Mentally, I think Arenas has to have the weight on his shoulders. He has to be the best player on his team.

And he's the last person in the world to pair with Kobe Bryant.

Riddle me this: How is Gilbert Arenas going to deal with playing second fiddle to Kobe at the end of every game? How is he going to handle looking a much better player in the face day-in and day-out?

Fortunately we have a couple of case studies to reference:

Case Study 1: Arizona Wildcats

Playing alongside Jason Gardner, Richard Jefferson, Luke Walton, and Loren Woods, Arenas was hardly a show-stopper in Tucson.

He didn't stand out on a well-balanced team. He often looked lost and shaky.

What resulted was terrible shot selection and piss-poor team basketball.

And after a 4-17 shooting performance against Duke in the National Championship game, he fell into the second round of the 2001 NBA Draft.

Case Study 2: U.S. National Team

Gilbert Arenas, consensus top 10 player in the world, was cut by the United States National Team.

His ego was uprooted. On a roster with better talent, he lost the very edge that drives him.

Why?

Because he's not the type of player that finds a niche.

It's not a complex point:

Gilbert Arenas wasn't born to be role player. He's not going to be number-two option. Put the guy in a situation where he has to bow to Kobe Bryant, and he'll look downright confused.

So my advice to Lakerland is the following: Unless you're planning on shipping KB24, I'd forget about Agent Zero.

2007 NBA Mock Draft

Dave Finocchio — Tue, 22 May 2007 16:23:27 -0400

1. Portland Trailblazers: Greg Oden - Ohio State

While Kevin Durant would fill a more pressing need for the Blazers, Greg Oden is the anchor of all anchors. With Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge as staples in the frontcourt, Kevin Pritchard will probably try to move both Zach Randolph and Darius Miles in the offseason. If so, Randolph should generate interest across the league, with Chicago and Golden State as leading candidates.

2. Seattle Sonics: Kevin Durant - Texas

This is a nightmare situation for Durant. He'll fill in for Rashard Lewis on an untalented team bound for a long rebuilding phase. And the thought of KD in Oklahoma City is just terrible. Seattle needs to convince Lewis to agree to a sign and trade, and get a big time contributor in return. This will probably involve a three-team trade, with Lewis ending up in Charlotte or Orlando.

3. Atlanta Hawks: Mike Conley Jr. - Ohio State

Great result for the Hawks. Conley has a nice combination of speed and vision, and should fit in well with Joe Johnson in the Hawks backcourt. With Josh Smith on the wing, Atlanta will at least be fun to watch.

*Atlanta could ruin this mock draft if they like Acie Law more than Conley, in which case they'd take a big man like Brandan Wright here (and then take Law at 11).

4. Memphis Grizzlies: Al Horford - Florida

Will he replace Pau Gasol or play alongside him? The Grizzlies would probably be wise to revisit a trade with the Bulls. Ben Gordon, Andres Noccioni, and the ninth pick in the draft would certainly get the deal done.

5. Boston Celtics: Brandan Wright - North Carolina

I feel the potential for some Warriors-like seasons in the Celtics' future. Get used to picking 9th through 13th in the draft—forever.

6. Milwaukee Bucks: Corey Brewer - Florida

Nice upgrade at small forward. He'll need to improve his handle and shot, but will make an immediate impact on defense.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves: Julian Wright - Kansas

Trade Garnett—please. We're all sick of hearing the same story every year. With his immense skills, Wright should thrive playing next to KG. And by thrive I mean suffer through an endless string of early-round playoff losses.

8. Charlotte Bobcats: Yi Jianlian - China

The four to Emeka Okafor's five. And word has it that Michael Jordan reads Chad Ford religiously. After an impressive workout in the L.A. this week, Yi's stock is at an all-time high. I expect him to drop a little bit in the coming month, as teams in front of the Bobcats will be scared of by his "bust" potential.

9. Chicago Bulls: Spencer Hawes - Washington

The Bulls should make a trade here if they can...or they could take the stiff that seems to fit best on paper. It's likely that John Paxson will shop this pick to the Grizzlies or Blazers in an effort to acquire a low-post scorer, or possibly to a team looking to move up to grab Joakim Noah.

10. Sacramento Kings: Joakim Noah - Florida

The Kings have to take the best player on the board. They have one player (Kevin Martin) who is in the team's long-term plans. The Kings are already thinking about Eric Gordon and O.J. Mayo (a good fit for Sacramento on several levels).

11. Atlanta Hawks: Jason Smith - Colorado State

Smith will benefit if Roy Hibbert returns to Georgetown for his senior year (as is expected). The Hawks have very clear needs to fill at point guard and center, in that order.

12. Philadelphia 76ers: Jeff Green - Georgetown

Green is a versatile player that should play regular minutes next year for the 76ers. Due to average athleticism, his long-term upside isn't as high as others, but he's a hard worker and a safe pick.

13. New Orleans Hornets: Nick Young - USC

An explosive shooting guard to play alongside Chris Paul. Young would be a great fit in New Orleans, and the combination of Paul, Young, David West, and Tyson Chandler could do some damage in coming years.

14. L.A. Clippers: Acie Law IV - Texas A&M

"This is what I do." - Acie Law IV

Sam Cassell = old. Shaun Livingston = broken. The Clippers need a competent point guard, and Law might be able to fill Cassell's role in the clutch.

How the NBA Undervalues Defensive Players

Dave Finocchio — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 13:06:03 -0500

Aside from the repetitiveness of the adage, team executives really should take the hint. The sad fact is that many NBA front offices have decided that defense is not a top priority. This offense-oriented mindset seems to work for many organizations in the regular season, but falls apart at the seams when the playoffs roll around. Think about it: the Dallas Mavericks lose every year in the early rounds of the postseason, the Sacramento Kings have never managed a finals berth and the Phoenix Suns embarrassed themselves against a Spurs team that never played up to its potential.

NBA general managers need to change their priorities. Doug Christie and Kurt Thomas aren't going to cut it; this is not about making a couple of off-season acquisitions. Front offices must undergo a complete transformation in terms of the ideology and practice of building a roster. The alternative is watching the league's Sisyphuses (see Nash, Nowitzki, Bibby) push more rocks up the mountain.

In this day in age, it is popular to model one's team on a past success. It should be noted, however, that there is no standardized formula for winning an NBA championship. One cannot simply recreate Jordan and Pippen, or Shaq and Kobe. Variables like personality, chemistry, coaching and skill level are unique to each roster. So don't bother imitating, but instead observe and learn.

The modern NBA offense aims to highlight the stars of the team. Coaches can achieve success by running plays for only two or three players. The 1996-98 Bulls looked for Jordan, Pippen or Kukoc on every play, while the 2000-02 Lakers ran their offense almost exclusively through Kobe and Shaq. The current champions depend on Parker, Ginobili and Duncan to create all of the shots, while Bowen and Mohammed serve as offensive role players. These role players assist in running the offense efficiently, as to create scoring opportunities for the stars. While it is important for the Bowens of the league to knock down open shots from time to time, in reality they need to do little more than keep defenses honest.

But in contrast to offensive formations, role players do not exist in a defensive alignment in the NBA. Unlike offense, defenders do not get to choose where and who attack them. Defenses have to be ready for everything. And yes, the league does have more flexible team defensive rules than it did at one time. But this is not college basketball; you cannot hide the weak link. Good coaches will find and exploit a sub-par defender time and time again.

This implies that on an NBA roster, a defensive player is a more valuable commodity than an offensive player. Furthermore, players who are weak on the offensive end but play excellent defense are usually valuable, not harmful, to your team. Examples in recent memory include Dennis Rodman, Ben Wallace and Bruce Bowen. Although watching them shoot free throws may be more painful than a Brian Collins telecast, where would the Bulls, Pistons and Spurs be without their uncanny ability to shut down the league's top offensive players?

The same thing cannot be said for players who are threats on offense, but liabilities on defense. While studs like Wallace and Bowen can be compensated for on the offensive end, little can be done to compensate for someone who cannot, or will not, play any defense. Either NBA executives fail to comprehend the value of a defense specialist, or they're more committed to selling jerseys than winning championships. Perhaps that's why they sign guys like Jamal Crawford as opposed to turning the country upside down in pursuit of the next Bruce Bowen. But if you ask people in the Pistons and Spurs organizations, it's championships, not hotshot players, that really turn the profits. If you want to see the Crawford's of the world, watch the And One mix tapes. They're on ESPN almost every night.

The problem with undervaluing defense-oriented players runs far deeper than roster management. How many kids are being horded by NBA scouts to turn themselves into the next Bruce Bowen? Most likely, not too many. Compared to other NBA players, Bowen is not especially gifted or athletic, but he is a centerpiece to the success of the Spurs. Why? Because as a young player, Bowen spent as much time working on his defensive game as his offensive game. Coaches at all levels should force their players to do the same.

Being a great defender is not an inherited attribute, as players must learn and fine-tune their fundamentals. If you watch Bowen for an entire game, you may find that your initial perception of apathy is soon replaced by the realization that his every move is an achievement of efficiency and excellence. He is always in the right position, always has a hand in the shooters face, and sees every angle on the court. What's more, Bowen uses stoppages on the defensive end to instruct teammates as to what they are doing wrong. He is often seen putting his arms straight up, or shuffling his feet.

Any NBA team in search of a championship would be wise to revamp their scouting efforts toward prospects with abnormal defensive ability and desire. Instead of targeting the flashy athlete who can dunk and shoot threes, why not take a chance on the defensive specialist who might help you win a championship? If management would stop thinking about putting people in the seats in the short run, and start piecing together a better long-term product, they may find themselves both better off financially and in serious contention for the league title. San Antonio prioritizes defense when drafting players, and they seem to be faring quite well attendance wise; Greg Popovich recently drafted Ian Mahinmi, a 6'-10" shot blocker from France with practically no offensive abilities.

To prospective players with visions of becoming the next multi-millionaire star of the NBA, pay more attention to Bruce Bowen and Ben Wallace. The NBA league minimum is just under 400K, and Bowen has a 14.25 million dollar contract. If you follow the money, you will see why practicing your defense pays off. The chances of succeeding in the league as an offensive force are astronomical. Almost every kid in America, not to mention Europe and South America, is trying to do the same thing. If you concentrate on the defensive end of the game, you're competing with a far smaller pool of players, and your odds of making it in the NBA become far greater.