The B Team Revisited- The Veterans

Before he was the size of a small large polar bear and spent his Thursday nights going Ron Burgundy on TNT, Charles Barkley was a pretty good basketball player. He led the Dream Team in scoring and won the 1993 MVP award after being traded to an already formidable Phoenix Suns team. According to popular NBA history, Barkley came into that season focused and in better shape because of his Dream Team "experience." This has always seemed odd to me, as it appears that Barkley's experience seemed more centered around insulting outmatched opponents, gambling with Michael Jordan and being treated like the Queen of England, Michael Jackson and Batman all rolled into one super-celebrity entity during his stay in Barcelona. The intense (and legendary) Dream Team practices surely helped Barkley maintain his edge over the summer, a time Charles usually reserved for the golf course. But Barkley actually had several more productive seasons while in Philadelphia during the first half of his career. The difference in 1993 was that he combined his individual exploits with team success and, most importantly, fit the MVP narrative of that season (though everyone now it agrees it should have gone to that Jordan guy).

LeBron James used the 2008 Redeem Team as a similar springboard to winning his first MVP award in 2009 (although he had already been the best player in the league). And Kevin Durant was the 2011 MVP award front-runner after leading the B team to FIBA world championship gold despite being no better than the fifth best player in the league. Durant quickly silenced that talk with an early shooting slump but the impact his Team USA teammates had on the early part of the season became a talking point for NBA fans that weren't too busy dissecting Heatlemania. I, being a natural cynic and non-believer (shunnnn me), was initially skeptical about the hypothesized positive effect Team USA was having on its' members. Now that the year is well underway, it's an appropriate time to break down the seasons the B Teamers are having to try to determine if there is any sort of appreciable Team USA bump. In the interest of space (and short attention spans), I'll split this post into two parts. First up, the veterans.

I classify veterans as players that are past their physical peaks and are known quantities as NBA players. Each player is at least 27 years old and has five or more years of experience.

THE GOOD

Lamar Odom- Against all odds, Odom has been the most consistent Lakers player. The Candy Man is playing the best basketball of his life at age 31. He has the lowest assist rate of his career but is scoring efficiently and rebounding with his usual aplomb. Theories abound as to the reason for Lamar's consistent play and they vary from a happy and stable marriage to Khloe Kardashian (seriously) to a positive experience with Team USA. Having watched most of the games and just pored over the numbers, my current hypothesis is that Odom's role has evolved this year and this may account for his more consistent production (plus his outside shooting has been fluky good). Instead of being asked to initiate the offense and create for others, Odom is spending more time around the basket and finishing at 72% rate around the rim (easily a career high). He is producing more from within the confines of a more focused role. Whatever the reason(s) for Odom's improved play, Team USA ensured that he came into the season in shape (a rare occurrence) and may have helped in his ongoing maturation process as both a person and basketball player.

Tyson Chandler- Chandler has provided the most surprising season of any B Teamer. Mark Jackson has repeatedly said on air that his son worked out with Chandler over the summer but I think we can safely rule that out as the reason for Tyson's resurgence. Most importantly, Chandler is healthy again after spending much of the past two seasons on bench with various injuries (only 96 total games played). He has combined the defense and rebounding of his prime with an improved shot (first seen in 2009) and more efficient scoring. He has the highest PER of his career and is the difference between the Mavs being a pretender and a sort of but not really contender. Well done, Tyson. See you in the playoffs.

THE BAD

Danny Granger- Watching Pacers games on television, Granger is easily confused with Brandon Rush. While most of this confusion is due to their similar builds and hairstyles, Granger is spending too much playing like his less talented teammate. Granger is shooting 42%, and while his three point and free throw shooting make his efficiency respectable, he is regressing as a scorer for the second consecutive season. Of course, Granger's only outstanding quality is his ability to score the basketball. The Pacers need him to shoulder a more substantial scoring load (or be more efficient in his reduced role) and perhaps he will pick up his play under new head coach miracle worker Frank Vogel.

Chauncey Billups- Billups skills have not regressed so much as his body is simply getting older. He shot poorly over the summer and was not nearly as effective as his B Team backup, Russell Westbrook. His shooting percentages have actually bounced back during the NBA season and are the highest of his lengthy career. But this is more of a sign of Billups sliding into the (Mavericks-version) Jason Kidd role rather than improved production. He is turning the ball over more, rebounding less and increasingly becoming a spot-up shooter (highest percentage of 3PA compared to overall FGA in past decade). He struggles to stay in front of quicker point guards and that numbers everyone in the Western Conference other than Derek Fisher. Billups is still a quality player but is barely hanging onto his status as a top ten PG in the NBA and has been easily surpassed by the new generation of point guards.

AND THE IGGY

Andre Iguodala- Iggy is doing what Iggy does. He is shooting a bit less and passing a bit more. He has suffered two injuries but has provided his usual excellent defense when healthy. He still doesn't quite seem to fit with the 76ers but is part of an improved squad that will make the Eastern Conference playoffs. Iguodala's name has been mentioned in trade rumors for the better part of two years and he will undoubtedly flourish in a more complementary role if traded to a more competitive team. But as long as the 76ers show promise and continue winning (and by winning I mean hovering around .500), Iggy may find himself keeping on keeping on in Philadelphia as the miscast star of a mediocre franchise.

THE CONCLUSION

Overall, these veterans are performing slightly better than expected. This may be (and probably is) due to factors other than playing international basketball but the Team USA experience certainly didn't hurt. Only Iguodala has suffered any substantial injury so the extra basketball has not made even the older legs more susceptible to injury.