Charting Warrick’s Career Improvement
I am still unsure if the one year signing of Hakim Warrick means there is no chance of the Bucks retaining Sessions or not. For the Bucks to retain Sessions at this point, they would likely have to go into the luxury tax for the 2009-2010 season. It may have been the Bucks feeling all along that once the Knicks got involved, the Bucks would be losing Sessions. After weighing what it would cost to match the Knicks, versus what it would look like to lose Sessions outright, versus the sign and trade possibilities, Warrick looked like a very good option to the Bucks.
Warrick’s signing in all likely-hood means that the Knicks can offer a little less to Sessions than they had originally planned while putting that number at a point where the Bucks will not match. What makes me happy about this is that we are hearing very little from the Bucks camp, that is good. Good franchises keep their thoughts close to the vest, nothing is leaked. This is why I feel anything is possible with Sessions yet.
Onto Warrick. The news over the weekend was that Memphis was letting go if most of its scouting department. Does anyone know what is going on there? The fact that the Bucks get Warrick from a team that seems like it has no idea what it is doing is very promising. It is not a franchise that is on the same page, and that was the feeling from people inside the team. They give Pau Gasol away for very little, they trade for Zach Randolph, they draft a project at best in Hasheem Thabeet. The move to let Warrick go was not approved by basketball people within the organization.
"Of course, who needs basketball people around when the owner doesn’t pay attention to what they say? If he did, Hakim Warrick would still be on the team. Nobody on the basketball side endorsed Heisley’s decision to let Warrick walk.I find it very promising that the Bucks get a player with upside from a franchise that is in limbo at best. In the history of the NBA, things like this always seem to happen to the badly run franchises, and at this point you have to consider Memphis poorly run.For the on the court stuff with Warrick, he is an improving player. If you look at his numbers throughout college and the NBA, he gets better each year. Since he is still well within his prime, it is not a stretch to expect improvement again next year as a Buck.Here are his numbers from college:SeasonGPMPGPPGFG%3FG%FT%APGRPGBPGSPG2004-20053437.521.454.829.068.11.58.60.81.02003-20043137.319.850.90.069.22.68.51.10.92002-20033532.714.854.10.066.71.68.51.31.42001-20023517.46.155.250.038.30.54.80.60.6As you can see, the minutes go up each year, the PPG and RPG increase each year.In the NBA his numbers look a little different, but there is a marked improvement each year. His points and rebounds were actually the highest in his second year when he started 43 games and was given his highest minutes/game average. But some further inspection shows that his PER went up each year from 15.9 to 16.2 to 16.9. His offensive and defensive rating per possession have also went up. In 06-07 he went from -4 to -2 to +1. His win share has also took its biggest jump last year from 3.4 to 4.6. If he can improve a similar amount this year that win share could nearly reach 6.Stats are not everything, but they do tell a story. For Warrick, the stats show that he has improved his offensive and defensive production. He is at the point where if he is on the floor, he is likely to win his matchup. That is what the Bucks need, a good collection of young talent that can win their individual matchups. You add Warrick to Redd and Bogut, and there are now three guys that will on a night in, night out basis, win their mathups. Add in a productive Sessions and the Bucks can have 4 starters that can be expected to win their matchups. Amir Johnson has not had enough consistency in his minutes to display a reliable pattern, but he has a +17 offensive to defensive rating, which shows promise.If the Bucks can eliminate players within the rotation that get eaten up in their individual mathups, wins will come. Villenueava and Jefferson where looked at as productive starters that were lost. But neither has had a positive +/- in the last few years. These are guys that produced decent stats due to playing time, but were more times than not, losing their individual battles.Basketball is a team game, but just as in football, there are individual matchups on each play that can determine success for the whole. Warrick will be a player that should help the Bucks in that regard and those individual wins will hopefully add up to actual wins. Published on 08/03/2009 at 12:39 PM CDTLast updated on 08/03/2009 at 12:39 PM CDT Of course, who needs basketball people around when the owner doesn’t pay attention to what they say? If he did, Hakim Warrick would still be on the team. Nobody on the basketball side endorsed Heisley’s decision to let Warrick walk. Published on 08/03/2009 at 12:39 PM CDTLast updated on 08/03/2009 at 12:39 PM CDT"