In an effort to separate the value brought to his team by each NFL Quarterback from the value of his surrounding teammates, I took a look at the statistics of each Quarterback who had taken at least 300 snaps under center, and I calculated how many net forward yards we could attribute directly to each.  Then I ranked the Quarterbacks according to the average number of “Net Yards per Snap”.  The formula I used to calculate those net yards was NYpS is = Yards Passing – Receiver YAC + Yards Rushing – Yards Sacked – (30x turnovers) / Snaps under center.  In simple terms, I gave each QB credit for the yards produced by his legs or his arm, independent of any yards passing he accumulated because of his receivers running after they caught the ball.  I then deducted yardage from each QB for every thrown interception, lost fumble, or sack taken.  It is estimated that every turnover costs a team on average 30 yards of net field position, so every turnover deducted 30 yards.

By that standard, here is the way the NFL Quarterbacks performed in the 2011 season:

OBSERVATIONS

1. Rodgers Still Better than Brees

If you go by the number of Yards attributable to each QB per snap taken, Aaron Rodgers still had a more valuable season for the Packers than Drew Brees had for the Saints.  If you only use Net Yards attributable to the QB, then it was Brees by a little bit, but only because he took many more snaps.

2. The Value of Vick

We did not hear much about Philadelphia QB Michael Vick this season, but my numbers suggest that the Eagles probably would have made the play-offs had Vick not been injured.  When Vick was under center, he was equal in Net Yards per Snap to Aaron Rodgers.  By contrast, when the team turned to backup Vince Young for several games, Young produced a slightly below average 1.33 Yards per Snap (the NFL average this season was 1.34 YCpS)

3. Explaining Tebow

Net Yards Per Snap helps to explain the Tebow phenomenon.  Most pundits considered Tebow a below average QB whose defense carried him to victories, mainly because Tebow completed a very low percentage of passes, and therefore he could not possibly be a valuable quarterback.  However, when you consider the number of Net Yards directly attributable to him per snap, suddenly Tebow emerges as an above average QB.  With his legs, his downfield passing, and his careful handling of the football, Tebow produced more Net Yards per Snap than big names like Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Schaub, Phillip Rivers, and Jay Cutler, and many more than his predecessor in Denver, Kyle Orton.

4. Eli Manning moves ahead of Brady

When you consider only Net Yards per Snap, Eli Manning produced more value for the Giants than Tom Brady produced for the New England Patriots.  Manning is a very good Quarterback.  As a Packer fan, I can attest to that.  Another surprise finisher ahead of Brady was the maligned Chad Henne of the Miami Dolphins.  In fact, in limited work, Henne bested both Brady and Manning… something that I think would shock Dolphin fans.

5. Rams should not bank on Sam Bradford

The St Louis Rams have made it public that they will not select a Quarterback with their first round pick, opting instead to stay with Sam Bradford.  Why?  What has Bradford done to deserve this rythmn?  Nothing.  In his second season, he was the third worst full time Starting QB behind…

6. The Criticism of Sanchez well-deserved

New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez was the second least productive full time starting QB in the NFL last season.  He was awful.  Way too many turnovers, not enough yard sin the air, and too many sacks taken.  The Jets really need to upgrade that position.

7. Caleb Hanie the worst starting QB of all time?

Why did the Chicago Bears season crater after Jay Cutler went down?  Not because Cutler was anything great, it was because SOMEHOW backup QB Caleb Hanie managed post NEGATIVE net yardage during his stint. That is almost impossible to accomplish, yet Hanie was bad enough to do it.  The 1985 Bears could not have won a game with that stiff under center.

8. Flacco the Second Coming of Dilfer

If the Baltimore Ravens get to the Super Bowl in two weeks, it will not be because of the play of QB Joe Flacco.  Flacco is very unproductive, and in that sense he has carried on the Baltimore tradition borne after the City’s second arrival in the NFL.  The Ravens won a Super Bowl early in the decade when their defense proved good enough to overcome the mediocre production of the now legendarily bad Trent Dilfer.

Here is the Crop’s Marginal Win Score win production for this season, projected out over the entire 66 games:

The Chart from this season suggests that Ricky Rubio could be the best player from the Crop.  If he can maintain his fantastic start, he could also be the one “elite” player. 

Here is the “Career to Date” chart for the Crop, projected to the end of this season:

The Chart suggests that the second best PG from that Draft, or possibly the best, has been Ty Lawson, the player selected last among the Crop.  I never understood how it was possible that he could go so low.  Lawson played against high level collegiate competition for three seasons and excelled.  In his final season at UNC, he did not have a single poor game.  He was as close to a “sure thing” as you will find in the modern NBA Draft. And yet he was somehow perceived to be the 7th rookie Point Guard.

The third best PG appears to be Stephen Curry of Golden State.  I was skeptical about Curry coming out of college because he played poorly in his senior season against the top competition.  I also thought he would have to play mostly two guard, and he appeared to small and frail to play that position.  But, his very effective jump shot has made up for those shortcomings.

Now, the next best PG is hard to say.  It appears that Jrue Holiday might be moving into that role, but based on the entire body of work, the fourth best PG from that Draft is probably Tyreke Evans of Sacramento, the first PG chosen.  Actually, Evans is more of a PG/SG, as he splits time between the positions.  Evans started his career well, but now he has settled into a slightly below 0.500% player.

In the next position I think it is a toss up between Holiday and Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks.  Holiday appears to be surging for the rejuvenated 76ers, but I am not buying it.  I think he and Jennings are essentially the same player, or thereabouts.  Remember how everyone thought Jennings would be such a superstar just because he scored 54 points in one of his first games?  It was an aberration, and it may have been his undoing.  Jennings has never really settled into the classic PG role.  He is a shoot first player, not a playmaker.

The unmitigated “bust” of the Draft was PG Jonny Flynn, who was the third PG taken, and the second one taken by Minnesota.  Flynn now resides on the bench in Houston.  Flynn’s college career suggested he could be slightly below average, but I am beginning to be skeptical of all graduates of the Syracuse system (Wesley Johnson, for instance).  The Orangemen alum cannot play defense, and they seem to use the College 3pt shot to make themselves appear more efficient than they actually turn out to be.

That said, I still do not understand how anyone could have valued Jonny Flynn ahead of Ty Lawson.  Each player has about the same stature, and Lawson was clearly the more accomplished.  Again, I cannot figure that one out.

The

Carlos Delfino and Shaun Livingston:

Thus far, the only two Bucks who are performing up to expectation are Carlos Delfino and Shaun Livingston.  Livingston has been an excellent pick-up.  He is a much better pure point guard than Brandon Jennings, and his length can give counterpart Gs fits.

Jon Leuer:  This week Jon Leuer fell back to Earth, although since I did not even think he would make the team, his +0.500% win production qualifies as one of the few pleasant surprises for the 2011-12 Bucks.

Tobias Harris: Harris is doing a bit better than I projected he would do last June.  He shows promise.

Andrew Bogut:  Is Bogut on the downslide?  Ever since his gruesome injury two seasons ago, he cannot score effectively, and now both his defense and rebounding are declining rapidly.

Luc Moute:  One of the big reasons the Bucks are in decline is the tendonitis injury to the knee of Luc Moute.  Unfortunately, having had the same injury, I’m guessing Luc won’t be 100% for the rest of the season.

Ersan Ilyasova:  Ilya’s horrendous start put himself into a huge ditch that he is just now starting to dig out of.  He is still way underwater, but not way in the abyss he was in last week.  Still, the team was counting on him being something like a 0.500% player, and he hasn’t even been close.

Mike Dunleavy:  Dunleavy is the real hope for the season.  If they can get him back healthy and playing a lot of minutes, he will make a big difference.

Stephen Jackson:  If you follow this blog, you will know that Marginal Win Score dislikes Stephen very much.  He has been a terribly unproductive player for the last three seasons at least.  He has been even worse this season, and he is the Bucks second most used player.  A terrible acquisition by Hammond.

Brandon Jennings:  Jennings is what he is.  He has always been, and will always be a slightly below 0.500% win producer, until his quickness leaves him and then he will be out of the Association.  Its sad to see that the PG the Bucks passed on, the proven and fully vetted Ty Lawson, is now blossoming into a top tier NBA player.  Once again, people get enamored with “athleticism” when in fact it is basketball proficiency that matters.

Beno Udrih:  Another very uninspired acquisition by John Hammond.  Udrih is a below average player and doesn’t help the Bucks one iota.

Larry Sanders: Sanders is a bit improved over last season, but still another first round bust.  The only hope for him going forward is if he puts on weight and transforms himself into an Ervin Johnson, lunchpail center.  The problem is he still envisions himself as a go-to player and he is not.

The NBA Team Win Score Average in 2011-12 is 39.44.  The Bucks Team Win Score Average is 34.69, so they’re playing losing offense.  The Bucks Opponent Win Score Average is 44.91, so now unlike the recent past, the Bucks are matching their putrid offense with an equally putrid defense.

Here is a Position-by-Position Milwaukee Bucks Breakdown:

Bucks losing 4 of 5 positions

As you can see, the Bucks are making “Loss Contributions” at 4 of the 5 positions.  The only position the team is winning is SG, manned by Carlos Delfino.  Everywhere else the team is getting outplayed.  The worst position is the Center position, where Andrew Bogut’s absence has led to a defensive letdown of major proportions.

Another factor at play has been the knee tendonitis suffered by Luc Richard Mbah Moute.  His defensive presence at PF and SF has been missed.

But, it could simply be that the Bucks just don’t want to do it the Skiles Way anymore.  It could be a full-out mutiny.  This has happened to Skiles in the past when he coached Phoenix and Chicago.   The surest indication that Skiles was Dead Man Walking was below average defense.  We have that now in Milwaukee.  Ready the gallows?

The sad part of the story, but the part that is in keeping with recent Bucks history, is that the Bucks never enjoyed a period of sustained excellence under Skiles, as they had enjoyed in Phoenix and Chicago.  Apart from the charge the team made two seasons ago after the All-Star break, its been all losing basketball in Milwaukee.

Now the fans are staying away.  How long can Skiles last? 

Last month the New York Knicks began their first full season with the frontcourt of so-called superstars SF Carmelo Anthony and PF Amare Stoudamire.  The team then added the win producing center Tyson Chandler to that frontcourt, and PG Mike Bibby to the backcourt.  Yet the team has a lower winning percentage than they had at the end of last season.  What gives?

Using Marginal Win Score, I calculated the winning percentages produced by each NY Knick performer and projected them out over 66 games.  (See “GLOSSARY” page in the “Courtside Reading” column on the right hand side of this blog).  Here are the numbers I produced:

2011-12 NEW YORK KNICKERBOCKERS

Reasons the NY Knicks are not better

1. Carmelo and Stoudamire are not “superstars”

Carmelo Anthony is playing at his normal, above average level.  He has never posted elite win statistics at any point in his career.  The fact that he is not doing so this season should come as no surprise.   Stoudamire used to be a superstar or near superstar.  Since his knee injury, he has not been, and since he came to New York his winning percentage has been below 0.500%.  It has gotten slightly worse this season.

2. Fields bubble burst

Last season Landry Fields finished among the Top 20 Most Valuable Players in the NBA, according to Marginal Win Score.  That was a shocking outcome, because his college resume did not suggest he could post such outstanding statistical numbers.  Thus, I expected him to come back down to Earth this season and he has so far.  His decline accounts in large measure for the Knicks dreary beginning.

3. Toney Douglas is playing horribly.

Last season PG Toney Douglas was a slightly below 0.500% performer.  This season, he has been awful,as the Win Chart shows.  Douglas is getting outperformed by his counterpart PG to such an extent that he is not merely creating losses, he is actually taking wins away from the Knicks.  The Knicks wised up to this and have given the PG job to the rookie Iman Shumpert.  Shumpert looks like a good defender, so the team could see some improvement at that position.

4. Mike Bibby is shot

If the team expected a major contribution from G Mike Bibby, they did not look at his recent performances.  Last season Bibby was a below 0.500% win producer in both Atlanta and Miami.  So his “performance ceiling” was not very high to begin with.  To make matters worse, it appears as though his “performance floor” has gone down substantially.  At the moment he is playing neither defense nor offense.  He could rally to the point that he would bring himself up to last season’s below average standard, but I am not optimistic that he will.

OUTLOOK

Tyson Chandler is playing at maximum efficiency.  Carmelo is playing like Carmelo, and I would not expect to see Amare play much better than he is playing.  So the Knicks hope for a play-off berth rests, I believe, in the hands of Landry Fields and the aforementioned Iman Shumpert.  Those are the two players who could improve their play to the point that the team really starts advancing.  If neither one does so, the team may not make the postseason, and that would qualify as a major disappointment for Knick fans.

The Packers charted as a powerful team, with an SRS of 11.2, but their source of power was entirely one dimensional.  In the four main facets of football — Running, Passing, Run Defense, Pass Defense — the Packers were historically brilliant in one category — Passing — historically bad in another — Pass Defense — and average to below average in the other two categories.

That left the team absolutely NO room for error in the Passing game.  And indeed, that is how the season played out.  QB Aaron Rodgers (and backup Matt Flynn) played magnificent +20.00 QBER football in every single game in the 2011 season except 2 — Rodgers posted a QBER of 11.13 against Kansas City and a QBER of 11.25 against the New York Giants.  The Packers lost both games.

Since the NFL average QBER is 11.84, Rodgers two “bad” games weren’t really that bad, they were average.  Everyone has an average game now and then.  But the Packers could not overcome that.  Not even against below average (Kansas City) and barely above average (New York Giants) teams.  The Packers defense and running game was so bad, they had to have Aaron Rodgers at top form in order to win.  And for almost they entire season, he was brilliant, but that’s unnatural.

So in essence, for the entire 2011 season, the Packers were riding the back of the Tiger called “Awesome Aaron Rodgers”.  That’s great while it lasts, but when you ride a Tiger you get places, but you can never afford to get off.  That’s why the saying goes, those that ride the back of the Tiger always end up inside.  The 2011 Packers ended up inside (By contrast, the 2010 World Championship team overcame two pedestrian efforts by Aaron Rodgers — @Philly and @Chicago — in the play-offs alone and still won.  But the 2010 team had a strong pass rush and a very strong defense. The 2011 Packers had neither.)

Now the entire City needs a shot of Prozac.  But, as I’ve been telling everyone from the local grocery store to the Courthouse, the Pack ALWAYS comes back.  And that, my friends, is the beauty part of sports… next year, you always get to try again.

The rankings below include every player who projects as a +10 Value Wins player (Value: number of wins projected over 66 games plus number of Wins above 0.500% projected over 66 games).

NBA MVP Race (through Jan 17, 2012)

According to MWS and Value66 calculations, some interesting things are brewing in this labor shortened NBA season.  LeBron James and Dwight Howard are each off to fantastic starts, as is the perennially underrated Andre Iguodala.  Ditto for Josh Smith of Atlanta.  He may finally be coming into his own.  (If you want to see each player’s Value wins from last season, go to the “2010-11 NBA Win Charts” Page in the “Courtside Reading”).

Players who usually make the cut and did not include Carmelo Anthony, who is off to a merely “okay” start and projects only at 6.5 Value Wins for New York.  His new teammate, C Tyson Chandler is actually the most valuable Knickerbocker.  PF Amare Stoudamire, a player whom MWS has not liked since his set foot in the Big Apple, is actually posting a negative MWS this season, and is nowhere near the MVP chart.

Some interesting newcomers to the list include PF Ryan Anderson of the Orlando Magic, a player whom I projected as a high value player the summer he was drafted (that was on my old blog, Bucks Diary).  Finally, with a chance to play big minutes, he is producing big numbers.  Another player making the list for the first time is Detroit Piston sophomore C Greg Monroe.  Unlike Anderson, he did not project well out of college, but he has proven to be a highly productive player in the professional ranks.  Perhaps getting out of the Georgetown system did him good.  Although, how do you explain Jeff Green then?

Players who are off to disappointing starts include Chris Paul, a player who is not playing good defense for the Clippers.  He makes the list just barely, but he is well below his usual standards.  Dirk Nowitzki (Value=4.8) and the aging Steven Nash (Value=9.1) both normally make the list and both are absent so far.  I didn’t even bother calculating Tim Duncan, as his comparative numbers on his 82games production page showed it would be a waste of time.  He has really declined.

Another two players who are nowhere near the list are LeBron’s buddies DWade and Chris Bosh.  I explained their struggles in yesterday’s post. 

A newcomer who was the subject of a post a couple of days ago is PG Ricky Rubio of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Twolves now have two MVP chart caliber players on their roster, and they look to turn the franchise’s woeful ways.

Finally, you have Markieff Morris of Phoenix and James Harden of Oklahoma City.  Morris is a rookie and Harden is in his third season.  I liked both players coming out in their draft seasons, and both are proving to be productive pros.  Harden has the kind of style you love from he otherwise sketchy “swingman” position.  Harden will take the ball to the basket, he does not settle for the long bombs.  You need that from your perimeter players, but since the NCAA went to the 3 point shot, you don’t see it all that much anymore, hence the high number of SG busts that come out of the draft.

Tomorrow morning I will be posting my initial Marginal Win Score MVP Rankings for the 2011-12 season.  Those rankings will show that LeBron James is having a fantastic, Bill Russellesque season, and is neck and neck with Dwight Howard for the MVP at this early juncture.  LeBron James production has improved across the board.  He looks poised for an historic season.

So why the hell are the Miami Heat off to a quasi disappointing start?  Look to the other two of the Wonder Triplets.  Dwyane Wade and especially Chris Bosh are off to poor starts. 

Below is a chart showing each of the 3 players: Marginal Win Score (see GLOSSARY in “Courtside Reading” for a complete explanation), Wins 66 (the number of wins and losses each player is projected to produce over 66 games as a result of his MWS), Wins Above 0.500% (the number of wins he is projected to produce over the 0.500% mark over 66 games) and Value66 (the number of wins over 66 games plus the number of Wins Above 0.500% over 66 games) for the 2011-12 season.  Below that are the same evaluations, but using the numbers and minutes each player put up LAST season.

THE BIG ONE AND THE LITTLE TWO

James is rocking, the other two are sagging

As you can see, LeBron James is doing it all.  He looks like he is on a mission.  He is well ahead of last season’s Value Pace (+4.7 Value wins).  The other two Heat Big Three players are well behind last season’s pace.  Bosh is -6.7 Value wins off last season’s pace, and Wade is a shocking -9.9 Value wins behind last season’s pace.   Thus, James is carrying the team right now.  

As for the future, one would expect Wade to eventually warm up.  He has a proven track record of success.  But Bosh has never been a consistent ”superstar” player.  He has always been a sort of ”Second Tier” star.  He’s usually not this bad, but he is up-and-down.  That was his career story in Toronto.  One season he put up superstar win numbers, the next he was a step or two below that.  He is very unpredictable. This could be a season long slump for him. 

But, Miami better hope the Little Two wake up.  If the team wants another look at a Championship, LeBron will need some help, and soon.  Otherwise, the Bulls and Sixers, and even the Magic (if they don’t trade Howard), will be all over them this June.

Remember, tomorrow morning I will be posting the Marginal Win Score MVP Rankings, and they will be interesting I promise.  (Preview for the Kobe Contingent:  Your boy is having a very good start, despite injury and age).

“Rubio! Rubio! Rubio!”

The electrifying Ricky Rubio, rookie SG/PG for the Minnesota Timberwolves, is erasing all doubts about his ability to compete and succeed on the NBA level.  He is off to a fantastic start.  According to the metric “Marginal Win Score”, and the off-shoot “Value” ranking, Rubio is the most valuable rookie to date, and the only other rookie who is giving him any chase whatsoever is the SF/PF Markieff Morris of the Phoenix Suns.

Here is a ranking of the rookies, using Marginal Win Score (see GLOSSARY to the right under “Courtside Reading” for full explanation), and projecting the number of wins and losses, wins above 0.500%, and “Value” each player will provide his team over the course of the 66 game season (Value is “Wins” plus “Wins above 0.500%).  To make the ranking, each rookie must have played at least 100 minutes so far.

Rubio rules, Jimmer sucks

As you can see, Rubio and Morris are the only two rookies who are projected to provide double digit Value to their teams.  Rubio is a superstar in the making.  He looks like the Second Coming of Jason Kidd.  Morris, the lesser respected of the two Morris brothers, is also a dynamo.  He looks like an outstanding middle of the first round pick.

Another player who is adding tremendous value is SF Chandler Parsons of the Houston Rockets.  Parsons is not a dynamic scorer, but he does the little things that produce wins, and he does them well.

In the fourth spot is the Milwaukee Bucks PF/C Jon Leuer.  Raise your hand if you thought he would be a productive pro. I am a graduate of Wisconsin and I follow the Badgers closely and I thought Leuer had no shot at all to be a good pro.  He looked like a big man “drifter” who was too weak to bang in the Association.  Not so.  The Bucks are showing once again that they are the Masters of the Second Round, Disasters of the First Round.  If they could only hit on a first rounder every decade or so, they might have a good team.

The top pick Kyrie Irving has been okay, but nothing more for the Cavaliers.  Same thing with Derrick Williams of the Timberwolves.  I’ll give each some more time, but usually superstars come out of the gates playing like superstars, but each is very young so we have seen dramatic improvement from real young players from year one to year two (LeBron comes to mind, but he was out of position as a rookie).

On the back end of the race, excluding those who have not even gotten off the pine, are Brandon Knight of the Detroit Pistons, and Jimmer Fredette of the Kings.  I guess we can put a hold on “JimmerMania”.  He looks awful!!  And Brandon Knight, who didn’t project well, is really crushing the Pistons chances of doing anything this season.  Both look like big-time “Misses”> 

One final comment.  I keep hearing what a difference Norris Cole was/is making for the Miami Heat.  Ahhh, not according to Marginal Win Score, unless you mean “difference” in the negative sense.  He’s been terrible.  His personal Win Score is well below average.  In college he rebounded well, but I’m always leery of high college Win Scores that are produced as a result of rebounding way above position (unless the player is a power forward).  It always seems that those kind of players get to the NBA and no longer believe that rebounding is part of their job description.  Memo to Cole: you can’t shoot and you can’t protect the ball.  Time to get your knuckles dirty and start rebounding.  You might as well do something positive for the Heat.

The Bucks are not off to a terrible start.  I predicted they would win 33 games this season, and they project slightly less than that at around 29-30 wins.  And, they’ve had their annual “high altitude” woes already, so things aren’t that miserable.

Except if you look at the play of the Bucks big men.  They have been awful.  Just awful.

Thanks to the great work done by 82games.com this season, I present an up-to-the-minute Bucks Win Chart (How is MWS calculated?) below.  Because so few games have been played, the wins are projected out over the 66 game season.  If you want to know precise wins and losses produced by each Milwaukee Bucks player to this point, just take the Win66 column and multiply it by 0.15.

Ilya-AWFUL

According to the chart, rookie Jon Leuer has taken his place among the long string of Bucks Second Round Hits.  Boy, has he been great so far.  And he doesn’t back down.  Last night the increasingly fat and awful Detroit Piston Jason Maxiell tried to physically intimidate him (and got a “taunting” technical for his effort).  It didn’t phase Leuer.  It seems we all missed on him.  He’s got a terrific shooting touch, and he hustles like a man with his hair on fire.

The other player who has been terrific is the perenially underrated Carlos Del-Three-No.  According to Marginal Win Score, Delfino has been one of the Bucks best win producers for the last several seasons, but I would venture to guess that most Bucks fans regard him as nothing more than a “nice” player.  He is much more than that, AntlerNation.

Still keeping on the “glass half-full” portion of this post, Brandon Jennings has stepped up his productivity.  He’s still not a great shooter, but now he has become a +0.500% win producer.  I think that will be about his ceiling as an NBA baller.  He just can’t convert scoring opps into points.  And he uses a lot of scoring opps.

Now, to the gruesome news.  C Andrew Bogut, when he has played, has played poorly.  His numbers have regressed to his rookie season.  He is not shutting down fellow big men, and he can no longer come close to scoring efficiently.  He doesn’t get ”easy makes” and his free throw shooting is awful.  Making matters worse, counterpart big men are rebounding on him at will.  This disturbing trend began early in preseason when Kevin Love abused Bogut on the boards, and it has continued.

That’s the good news for the Bucks big men.  The bad news is that Drew Gooden and Larry Sanders are no better.  The ugly news is Ersan Ilyasova.

Ersan:  the lockout is over!! You can start hoopin’ anytime now.

Ersan is currently, probably, the worst player in the NBA.  And this was a guy who was basically a slightly above average win producer ever since his return from Europe a few seasons ago.  Now, he’s a joke.  We have to assume he will get better.  He needs to shoot better, rebound better, and…. ahh, you might think about boxing out your opponents and just attempting to play a smidge of defense.  At the moment opponents are rebounding at will on him and scoring at will.  It needs to stop, or, better yet it needs to be Leuer Time in Milwaukee.

A few closing comments.  Stephen Jackson has been horribly inefficient, but his defense is top notch.  Same with the other rookie, Tobias Harris, and with the other newcomer, Beno Udrih.  There might be some hope yet for Harris.  Maybe he will be a Bucks first rounder who actually pans out.

For now, if the Bucks can just get some decent play from their Bigs, they might make the play-offs in the competitive Eastern Conference.  But they need that decent play to start immediately.