Numbers Highlight Artest’s Contributions

Numbers Highlight Artest’s Contributions

Travis J. Rodgers

It is easy to look at Ron Artest’s offensive numbers and not be terribly impressed. The 12 points per game is the lowest average the Lakers’ offseason acquisition has posted since the 01/02 season. Moreover, his free throw percentage (57%) and steals per game (1.4) are the worst of his career. Decent rebounding and a career-high assist rate save the stat line, but certainly fail to make the numbers leap out at the reader.

 

Defensively, however, Artest’s impact is evident both on the court and in the (extended) box score. On November 1^st, after Joe Johnson started out on a tear, scoring 18 points (on 7 for 8 shooting) in the first quarter, Artest took the initiative, switching defensive assignments with Kobe. With Artest applying smothering defense, Johnson hit just 1 of the 8 shots he took the rest of the way. No individual player has really gotten to the Lakers offensively, with Kevin Durant’s 28 points, which represent a season high for an opponent against the Lakers, coming on 24 shots.

 

Artest has embraced the role of defender first, deferring to his teammates offensively (his shots per minute rate–at .27– is significantly lower than his career average of .38). In this role, he has held opposing Small Forwards to 33.1 eFG%, has forced a 1:1 ast/to ratio, and has surrendered just 16.5 points per 48 minutes. His opponent has put up an 8.6 PER. This has helped the Lakers maintain a +7.3 PER advantage over opposing SFs (second best positional advantage behind +9.9 at Shooting Guard). By contrast, last season, opposing SFs averaged 48.6 eFG%, posted a 3.6/2.8 ast/to ratio, averaged 20.7 points per 48 minutes, and finished with a 14.9 PER. While these numbers are all solid to good, Artest’s defensive performance has been downright dominant. And it appears as if the mindset is contagious.

 

As a team, the Lakers have allowed only two opponents to reach 100 points on the season, and are allowing an average of 96.5 over their last four games. Their points allowed now stand at 97.4 (this, with two games that have gone to overtime), 11th best in the NBA. The Lakers have held their opponents to poor shooting percentages as well. They are currently 7th best in FG% allowed (43.2), 5th best in 3pt% allowed (30.2), and have created the 4th most TO (17.0). So far Artest looks to be leading by example. And that is good in Los Angeles.

 

*PER, eFG, and positional stats courtesy of 82games.com

**Team statistics courtesy of Yahoo! sports

LA Lakers Season Prospectus (1 of 3)

LA Lakers Season Prospectus
The Lakers look to begin the defense of their title in less than a week. Before the Finals, however, are the playoffs. And before the playoffs is the grind of an 82-game season. What happens during those 82 games is often a cloudy matter, a crisscrossed pattern of variables. So what follows is one man’s attempt to shed some light into the gloom: a list of players, divided into three tiers [first one only right now], featuring stat projections and notes about player development.

THE STARTING FIVE
Derek Fisher – Point Guard
Last season, Fisher did much of what was expected from him. Very nice numbers from the arc, the charity stripe, and in terms of taking care of the ball were set against a subpar overall shooting percent and shoddy defensive results. Last season looked to be Fisher’s final as the starter in Los Angeles. He has once again earned that distinction, however, and enters the regular season as the main man. His minute should dip to his lowest in years, and he may lose his starting job at some point, but he will be a big part of this club.
2008/09 Projections: 10.7 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.3 rpg
2008/09 Actual: 9.9 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.3 rpg
Accuracy: 95%
2009/10 Projections: 80 games, 26.5 minutes, 8.5 points, 3.0 assists, 2.1 rebounds

Kobe Bryant – Shooting Guard
Kobe did essentially what all fans thought he would. He tightened up his game, spent a bit more time on the defensive end, improved his ast/to ratio, and obliterated any memory of the suggestion that he cannot make his teammates better. Bryant is now 31 years old, sporting a ton of mileage, but he is in fantastic shape. The ball should be in his hands a bit less this year, allowing him to devote more time to moving without the ball, defending, and rebounding. One question mark will be Kobe’s outside shooting, which is something he has struggled to do well when catching and shooting, as opposed to working for his own shot.
2008/09 Projections: 26.5 ppg, 5.2 apg, 5.9 rpg
2008/09 Actual: 26.8 ppg, 4.9 apg, 5.2 rpg
Accuracy: 94%
2009/10 Projections: 80 games, 37.3 minutes, 26.5 points, 4.9 assists, 5.7 rebounds

Ron Artest – Small Forward
Artest brings an intriguing mix of skills to the Lakers’ starting lineup. He can defend, shoot from distance, drive to the rim, rebound, pass, and dribble. Historically, he has struggled in terms of shot selection and keeping his cool. Throughout the preseason, it seems he has had difficulties picking times to be aggressive. Artest makes the Lakers a formidable defensive team, but his impact on the offense is every bit as important. He may be more a distributor and open-three sniper than he has in years past.

2009/10 Projections: 65 games, 36.7 minutes, 16.3 points, 3.9 assists, 5.5 rebounds

Pau Gasol – Power Forward
Gasol has truly defied expectations since coming to the Lakers. The first question was whether he would be able to be a scoring force on fewer looks. He has, by increasing his FG% from 51% before coming to LA to 59% and 57%, respectively, in his two seasons in LA. After his rebounds dipped to a dangerously low level for a Power Forward, Gasol showed dominant rebounding last season, posting the second highest total of his career, and averaging nearly a double double. A cause for concern, however, is Gasol’s lack of rest of late. Since a long playoff run two seasons ago, the Olympics, another long season, and playing for his home country during the offseason, Gasol has shown signs of wear. A hamstring injury currently has his status in doubt for the first game of the regular season.
2008/09 Projections: 18.6 points, 3.3 assists, 7.4 rebounds

2008/09 Actual: 18.9 points, 3.5 assists, 9.6 rebounds

Accuracy: 90%
2009/10 Projections: 73 games, 36.5 minutes, 19.0 points, 4.0 assists, 9.4 rebounds

Andrew Bynum – Center
While Bynum has put to bed any fears that he is a bust, he has struggled to answer other charges, including his history of injuries and his love of offense and seeming disinterest toward rebound and defense. He could simply take or leave a good night on the glass so long as he gets his touches. That could be a problem going forward. But after tying for the team lead in scoring during the preseason, and towering over most opposition, Bynum’s offensive prowess is going to push those questions to the back of people’s minds, at least for some time.
2008/09 Projections: 13.4 ppg, 1.8 apg, 9.8 rpg
2008/09 Actual: 14.3 ppg, 1.4 apg, 8.0 rpg
Accuracy: 84%
2009/10 Projections: 63 games, 29.5 minutes, 15.1 points, 1.3 assists, 8.1 rebounds

Benching Quinn a Win-Win Situation: A Conspiracy Theory

Benching Quinn a Win-Win Situation: A Conspiracy Theory
With Brady Quinn at the helm, the Cleveland Browns bumbled to a 0-3 start on the season, averaging 9.7 points per game while surrendering 31.7. With his passer rating hovering just north of 60, Quinn certainly had not inspired much confidence. After ten quarters running the show, he was promptly benched. One might think that Quinn just sucked, so because being benched is a natural fate for sucking, there is nothing out of the usual here. This is, however, uninspired thinking.

Theory #1: Money-Saving Option
If Brady Quinn fails to take 70% of the team’s offensive snaps on the season, the value of his contract falls by $11m. Those are 11 million reasons to sit Quinn now. Interestingly, this move says nothing about whether Quinn is the face of the franchise going forward. With the trade deadline looming, the Browns can move Anderson after showing he still has it (whatever “it” is, in his case). That would make Quinn the main man and assuage him in the long run, but would save the franchise a ton of money and possibly earn them a decent draft pick.

Theory #2: Job-Saving Option
0-3 is as bad as you can be through three games. But Cleveland’s first three opponents had a combined record of 9-0, including 6-0 in games not against Cleveland. Over the next three games, the Browns would face teams with a combined 4-5 record. In Week 4, some of this has changed. The Broncos won while the Ravens fell to the Pats. The Steelers play this evening, the Bills lost, and the Bengals beat the Browns. So this makes the Quinn-led Browns’ opponents 10-1. Anderson-led Browns’ opponents will be 5-6, pending the Steelers’ result. The point here is that the Browns started off facing teams that are good or were playing very well. In games 4 through 6, they play only one good team, and the Steelers are not exactly playing well right now.

But good or bad opponent, Quinn was bad. After all, at the time of his benching, Quinn’s Rating was an absolutely abysmal 62.9. His yards per attempt was a pathetic 5.4. Anderson’s numbers, in recent history, are signficantly better. Right? Actually, over his last 15 games, Anderson’s Rating is 62.1. His yards per attempt is 5.6. So what gives? It seems that if Anderson could win any of these next three games (and he could), then so could Quinn.

The conspiracy theorist might think that Mangini could pull the QB switch, attribute the newfound turnaround (when the Browns inevitably win one or two of the next two games) to the shrewd roster move, and prove that Mangini really is not incompetent.

So there you have it. Two nice conspiracy theories as to why Quinn was benched. Of course, there are other less interesting reasons why Anderson got the nod, but it is far from clear that one or both these takes are far off the mark.

Lidge Closes, Lidge Loses

“Closer” is very close to “Loser”. Especially when the Closer is Brad Lidge. Entering the game Wednesday evening, Lidge had just a 1-run cushion. As he has done a major league leading 11 times this season, Lidge blew the save and eventually took the loss. His line stands at an utterly unimpressive 0 wins, 8 losses, and an ERA of 7.48. He is one of only two ML pitchers to record 8 losses this season without starting a game. The other, Matt Capp, plays for a team with 94 losses. The Phillies have just 63. What’s more, Lidge’s 0 wins vs. 8 losses means he is the only pitcher with at least seven decisions to fail to win a game. Finally, his ERA is nearly twice that of his team’s overall (4.07).

A previous column here contained a month-by-month look at Lidge’s performance. To continue that trend, Lidge finished up August with a 70% conversion rate (7/10 saves converted), giving him his second most saves in a month and most in consecutive months (with 13 between July and August). His ERA dropped a tad to 6.75, the WHIP came down to 1.50, and his BAA was a borderline respectable .279. All in all, the July-August stretch was Lidge’s finest hour on the season, seeing Lidge lock down 13 of 16 save opportunities. He struck out 22 in 21.2 innings, posted a 6.33 ERA, and opponents batted right at .250. The fact is that if Lidge were good for those unimpressive numbers going forward, a far cry from what they were last season, the Phillies would have to feel decent (not great) about their prospects in the playoffs.

The problem is that Lidge is nowhere near that player right now. Another atrocious outing Wednesday evening saw Lidge throw away a lead and eventually lose the game. He allowed four baserunners and recorded just two outs. His conversion rate slipped to 4/6 (67%) in September, the ERA has skyrocketed to 10.80, his WHIP is a ridiculous 2.85, and opposing hitters have batted .394 against him. Those numbers simply cannot get it done in the playoffs. Teams must salivate when they see Lidge enter the game. All this bodes quite ill for the Phillies, who wasted a six-run performance and a respectable start from Hamels (4 ER in 7 IP), and failed to close in on the division championship.

Howard Homers Twice, Joins Select Company

Howard Homers Twice, Joins Select Company

In his illustrious, Hall of Fame career, Mike Schmidt hit 548 home runs, which is likely more than Ryan Howard will ever hit. Schmidt never, however, hit 40 home runs in three consecutive seasons. In fact, he did it only three times in his career. Schmidt did drive in 100 or more runs nine times, but reached 120 just once (in his stellar MVP season of 1980, when for nearly two seasons, Schmidt was the best offensive player in the game).

Another Philadelphia great, Chuck Klein, also failed to top 40 home runs in three consecutive seasons (and hit 40 only twice, in 1929 and 1930). He drove in 100 runs for the Phillies five times, in consecutive seasons, and actually drove in at least 120 each time.

With his second home run tonight against the Braves, Howard’s totals for the season stand at 40 home runs and 121 RBI. In each of the past four seasons, Howard has hit at least 40 home runs and has driven in at least 120 runs. In other words, he has accomplished a feat of consistent power the likes of which no other Phillies’ player has accomplished. Four straight 40/120 seasons. For further perspective, consider that among the 25 members of the 500 Home Run Club, only two have matched the feat (Ken Griffey, Jr. and Sammy Sosa). And only Babe Ruth (7 times) has surpassed the feat.

No Chemistry in Cleveland

No Chemistry in Cleveland

In a recent article in the Akron Beacon Journal, Marla Ridenour wrote that Braylon Edwards, WR for the Cleveland Browns, has “no chemistry” with Brady Quinn and “doesn’t seem suited” for the West Coast brand of offense Quinn best lends himself to. It is difficult to take either claim seriously given the paucity of evidence offered in support.

Edwards caught just one pass for twelve yards in the first game of the season.

It is true that Ridenour countenances the facts that Edwards was thrown to three other times. On one pass, Edwards broke in while the pass went out toward the sideline. The result was an interception. A second pass was overthrown. A third was initially ruled a touchdown. Review showed that Edwards had not established his feet in bounds (a defensive pass interference penalty was assessed).

Fans simply should not be concerned at this point. Had Edwards made the catch, his 2 reception, 46 yards, and a TD would not have looked too shabby. Factor in his performance in other games with Quinn at the helm and Edwards and Quinn have had some degree of success. While Edwards grabbed just one ball (for fifteen yards) in Quinn’s debut last season, he came back the next with 8 grabs (tying a career high) for 104 yards. In the next game, Quinn hooked up with Edwards 4 times for 75 yards before Quinn left the game due to injury. So in four games with Quinn, Edwards has caught 14 passes for 206 yards. That is an average of 3.5 grabs and 51.5 yards per game. Last season, Edwards averaged 3.4 receptions, 54.6 yards per game, and scored three TDs.

In short, it is far from clear that Edwards would be posting more impressive numbers with anyone else at the helm. And the question of production is really at the heart of claims about “chemistry”. Quinn at QB is not the issue. The offense simply lacks the explosiveness it had two seasons ago, when Cleveland averaged 351 yards and 25 points per game. Edwards is still the team’s home run threat in the receiving game and should see ample opportunities in the near future.

Quinn and Anderson, by the Numbers

QUINN AND ANDERSON, BY THE NUMBERS

The following are the preseason data for Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson, who are competing for the starting QB spot for the Cleveland Browns.

DRIVE SUMMARIES Anderson has led 9 drives, consisting of 45 plays, covering 262 yards, and accounting for 16 points. His drives have averaged 5.8 yards per play. Quinn has also led 10 drives, consisting of 58 plays, covering 305 yards, and accounting for 13 points. His drives have averaged 5.3 yards per play. The commonsense view on the two QBs is that Anderson is a big play guy who will make plays with higher risk and higher reward. This has amounted to shorter drives (4.5 plays, 29.1 yards per drive), but a slightly higher average per play. Quinn’s West Coast attack has led to slightly longer drives (5.8 plays per drive, 30.5 yards per drive), and slightly fewer yards per play (5.3). The only difference in points is a missed field goal at the end of a Quinn drive.

BAD DRIVES Anderson led a 3-and-out and a two-play drive resulting in an interception in the first preseason game. He played well in game 2, including just one three-play drive where he failed to secure a first down as well as a four-play drive that netted just 11 yards (and ended in an INT). Quinn’s first drive in game 2 was one play, a third down on which he was sacked. His third drive was an 8-play drive, but covered just 16 yards and ended in a punt. In game three, Quinn’s first drive was a 3-and-out.

FORTUITOUS DRIVES Anderson led three scoring drives in game 2. One of them covered just 5 yards on 3 plays and resulted in a field goal. Quinn’s TD drive was just two plays and 34 yards thanks to a fumble on the kickoff return.

GOOD DRIVES Call any drive that covers at least 40 yards, spans 7 plays or more, and does not end in a TO a “good drive.” Quinn has led three good drives, in addition to his TD drive. Anderson has led two, in addition to a 56-yard drive that resulted in a FG.

UNDER CENTER Both QBs have had at least one good game and at least one questionable game. Anderson’s best game was his start, where he hit on 8 of 13 passes, covered 130 yards, and was not sacked. Quinn’s start in game three was the best either QB has had. He hit on 11 of 15 passes for 128 yards, tossed a TD, and did not turn the ball over. Anderson’s poor outing was a very brief one. He threw two passes, one of which was an INT and neither of which were completed. Quinn’s bad game came in limited time as well, but there he hit on 3 of 5 passes for 29 yards (although he lost 7 yards on a sack).

ACCURACY Anderson hit on at least 60% of his passes in two games and sits at 57.7% (15/26) through three games. His best numbers were 7 for 11 (63.6%) in game three. Quinn has hit on at least 60% of his passes in each of the three games, including 11 for 15 (73.3%) in game three. His completion percent is currently 67.7% (21/31).

YARDAGE Anderson has thrown for 207 yards on 26 attempts, including 130 on 13 attempts in game 2. He has averaged 8 yards per attempt and 13.8 per completion. Quinn has thrown for 225 yards on 31 attempts, including 128 on 15 attempts in game 3. He has averaged 7.3 yards per attempt and 10.7 per completion.

TDs to INTs Quinn and Anderson have combined for three INTs in 57 pass attempts, an INT% of 5.3, which is poor. Anderon is responsible for 2 in 26 attempts (7.7 INTs per 100 passes), while Quinn has 1 in 31 attempts (3.2 INTs per 100 passes). While Anderson has not yet hit on a TD pass, Quinn has a TD ratio identical to his INT ratio. Overall, the QBs have a TD ratio of just 1.7 per 100, which is terrible.

PASSER RATING Anderson’s rating sits at 51.3, while Quinn’s is 86.1. Anderson has been slightly uneven from game to game, thanks in large part to his 0.0 rating in the first game in limited time. He followed that up with a 63 and an 84. Of those, only the third game is a respectable number. Quinn opened the season with a 43, a very poor number, but bounced back to record a slightly subpar 76.3 and finish game three with a rating of 121.0.

Your Philadelphia Phillies’ Closer, Bad Lidge (sic)

Your Philadelphia Phillies’ Closer, Bad Lidge

The Overall Numbers
25 saves, 9 blown saves (74%), 7.33 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, .299 BAA. With the league wide average at around 70% of saves converted, Lidge’s save conversion rate is about the only thing that looks good in his line. He is not striking out as many hitters as he has in the past, is walking a ton, and is serving up home runs regularly.

Consistently Bad
A month-by-month look reveals that Lidge has never really come close to getting things together. And while things were bad in the past, they may be about as dire as they have been. There seems little reason to think he will snap out of this funk any time soon.

April: Lidge was 4/5 (80%) in save opportunities. That is about where the good news stopped. He allowed 3 HR in 8.2 innings, yielded a 7.27 ERA, a 1.85 WHIP, and opposing batters hit .297. Phillies fans gave him a pass because he had been utterly dominant the previous season. It seemed this dark cloud would pass. It did not.

May: Lidge converted 8 of 11 save opportunities (73%), which was solid. He failed to whiff a batter per inning with 14 in 16 IP. His ERA and BAA crept up to 7.98 and .317, respectively. His WHIP dipped by 1/100th of a point to 1.84. Even with that conversion rate, Lidge tossed one of his worst months with the Phillies. It turns out he was dealing with an injury. So June crept around and it appeared things would be sorted out.

June: Lidge pitched just 4 innings in the month, but was rocked to the tune of 10 base runners (2.50 WHIP), a .353 BAA, and a pathetic 2:4 K:BB ratio. He saved 2 games and blew 2 others (50%). His ERA was somehow the best of the season at 6.75. He was bad before going on the DL (1/3 on save chances, took a Loss) and bad when he came back (2 ER in 1.1 IP, 0 Ks, 3 BB). Fans began seriously to fret. It looked as if the time on the DL did not solve the problem.

July: Lidge posted what was without a doubt his best month of the season. He converted all 6 save opportunities, held hitters to a .222 BAA, and struck out 13 in 10.2 innings. Unfortunately, his WHIP (while his best monthly number) was 1.41 and his ERA (again, his best) was 5.91. These are just terrible numbers. Still, it is difficult to complain when a guy converts all of his save chances. Lidge purchased himself some time.

August: Things have been disastrous. Lidge has converted 5 of 8 opportunities (63%), has seen his worst ERA in a month (8.31) and his WHIP (1.85) and BAA (.324) are both pathetic.

Another Closer?
The Phillies do not have any great options on hand. Ryan Madson, Clay Condrey, Chad Durbin, and Jack Taschner have combined to save 7 games, but they have blown 7 saves. That’s a 50% conversion rate. A playoff team simply must hold games when they have the chance to hold them.

Madson, who would seem a good bet to assume closing duties, is deadly as a setup man (2.95 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and .232 BAA). He is shaky in closing (4/8 in save opportunities).

J.C. Romero has pitched well (2.87 ERA, .208 BAA), but has been on the DL most of the year since serving an early season suspension. He has not pitched since mid-July. He has converted just 4 of 27 save opportunities in his career.

Brett Myers is currently on the DL, but he has pitched well in a recent rehab start (hitting 93-94 MPH in a shutout inning). He was a very good starter in the early going on this season, but it is thought unlikely that he will be able to build the stamina to reclaim a starting spot. As a reliever in 2007, he went 5-5, posted a 2.87 ERA, and converted 21 of 24 opportunities (88%). Myers may be the Phillies’ best bet to find a replacement at the major league level and within the organization.

Unfinished Business in La-La Land

<b>UNFINISHED BUSINESS IN LA-LA LAND</b>

After winning the NBA title, the Lakers faced the possible loss of four players. Two of these issues have been resolved: Kobe Bryant decided not to exercise his early termination option and Trevor Ariza went to Houston. Two more are outstanding: Lamar Odom is eyeing a contract in the neighborhood of $9m per season and Shannon Brown’s status is at present unknown. He is either a restricted free agent (in which case the Lakers have the opportunity to match any offer sheet he receives) or an unrestricted free agent (in which case the Lakers lack that option). One of the biggest splashes in the Free Agency Period came when once Defensive Player of the Year Ron Artest decided to join the Lakers. This move compensates for Ariza’s exodus. If the goal is another championship, however, the Lakers cannot be finished making moves.

<b>Priority: Re-sign Lamar Odom.</b> Yes, he is inconsistent. Yes, he has had some injury concerns (although they seem to be a thing of the past). The fact is that Odom is able to play the 2, 3, or 4, and can guard the 1 (depending on the 1) through 4. That is a skill set that is difficult to find in itself. On top of that, he is a dominant rebounder, a respectable scorer, a very good passer, and developed an intermittent stroke from distance late last season. He is in his prime and must be re-signed. Quite simply, without Odom, the Lakers would lack the depth necessary to win another title.

<b>Potential Solution:</b> Short of Lamar Odom, there are not many reasonable options for the Lakers. In-house “options” include Luke Walton and Adam Morrison. While Walton brings a lesser degree of most the skills Odom possesses, the dropoff from Odom to Walton in terms of athleticism and consistency is troubling. Adam Morrison, when he grows up, wants to be Luke Walton with better shooting ability. Barring borderline supernatural progress in the Summer League, Morrison figures to wear a suit and tie for most of next season. Free Agent options include Grant Hill, a fantastic fit for the triangle, but a poor shooter from beyond the arc. Pay attention to the difference between Odom’s career (31%) and last season (32%) three-point accuracy and Grant Hill’s (28% and 32%, respectively). The difference is not huge, but it is part of a larger puzzle. Remember: the Lakers sacrificed Vladimir Radmanovic (38% career, 41% for the Lakers last season) and Trevor Ariza (30% career, 32% last season, and 48% in the playoffs).

<b>Second: More bigs.</b> The Lakers must find a way to develop a reliable backup Center. Of course, the team’s flexibility allows Gasol to shift to the 5, Odom to enter the starting lineup at the 4, Artest at the 3, and Kobe at the 2; but lest we get ahead of ourselves, there really is no backup for Pau if Bynum is out for whatever reason (fouls or injuries; take your pick). DJ Mbenga may be a stopgap, but unless he develops an offensive game, he is nothing more.

<b>Potential Solution:</b> No idea, to be honest. There are some veteran bigs available who are intriguing (Rasheed Wallace, for instance). Yet there is no obvious fit as there was in the case of bringing aboard Artest. Inviting Sheed to join forces with Artest might be a foolhardy move, given the volatile situation that would create. Perhaps the Lakers will tempt fate and run with minimal Center depth. Perhaps someone will step up during the Summer.

<b>Third: Groom a point guard for the future.</b> Derek Fisher is perhaps the point guard of the present. He is aging, and looked awkward for a good part of the late regular season, but he straightened things out just in time. Jordan Farmar is inconsistent and has not shown the progress one would like to see from him. In short, there is no compelling reason to think that he is the point guard of the future. Interestingly, Shannon Brown is probably most what Phil Jackson is looking for in an initiator. Unfortunately, he is a free agent about whose status we have heard very little.

<b>Potential Solutions:</b> The Lakers appear to be enamored of Nate Robinson. It is unclear what sort of deal could land Robinson, but although not a pure Point, he is a solid shooter (44-33-84 last season) whose only bad number is 5 feet, 9 inches.

Phils’ Staff Ace

STAFF (Season)
Games: 68
IP: 387 (5.69/game)
WHIP: 1.72 (666)
BAA: .290 (443/1526)
Quality Starts: 32
ERA: 5.23 (225)
Record: 23-18

Individual
Inning Pitched
Moyer 78.1
Blanton 76.2
Hamels 76.1
Myers 63.2
Happ 35.1
Park 33.1
Bastardo 19.0
Carpenter 4.1

WHIP
Bastardo 1.26 (24)
Myers 1.35 (86)
Hamels 1.36 (104)
Blanton 1.45 (111)
Happ 1.50 (53)
Moyer 1.52 (119)
Park 1.74 (58)
Carpenter 2.54 (11)

BAA
Bastardo .253 (19/75)
Happ .264 (34/129)
Myers .268 (66/246)
Blanton .282 (87/308)
Hamels .298 (90/302)
Park .308 (41/133)
Moyer .312 (98/314)
Carpenter .421 (8/19)

Quality Starts
Blanton 7 Hamels 7
Myers 6 Moyer 6
Happ 3
Park 2
Bastardo 1
Carpenter 0

ERA
Happ 4.08 (16)
Hamels 4.24 (36)
Myers 4.66 (33)
Bastardo 5.21 (11)
Blanton 5.28 (45)
Moyer 5.97 (52)
Park 7.29 (27)
Carpenter 10.38 (5)

Team Record
Carpenter 1-0
Park 5-2
Blanton 7-6 Hamels 7-6
Moyer 7-7 Myers 5-5 Happ 3-3 Bastardo 2-2

W/L Record
Happ 2-0 Carpenter 1-0
Hamels 4-3 Myers 4-3 Blanton 4-3
Bastardo 2-2 Park 1-1
Moyer 5-6

Complete Games
Hamels 1

OVERALL
Hamels 23.0: Since May: 57 Ks, 10 BB, 1 SHO, Phils are 6-3 in his starts.
Blanton 29.0: ERA by month – April 8.41, May 4.65, June 3.55
Myers 31.0: Had been leading team in nearly every category.
Happ 33.0: Has gone at least 5.1 innings in all six starts.
Bastardo 38.0: Good – 1.26 WHIP, .253 BAA; Bad – 5.21 ERA, 1 inning outing vs. Boston.
Moyer 43.0: Atrocious May (1-4, 8.01) followed by strong June (1-1, 4.32).
Park 45.5: His ship has sailed this season.
Carpenter 47.5: Has some time to think about his lone start.