Hey Larry Hughes, Please Stop Taking So Many Bad Shots

Since we are now 25% through the 2007-2008 NBA season, I thought it was worth a look at Larry Hughes’ performance through the first 20 games. For each of the categories, I’ve also assigned a letter grade for his performance.

Games Played:  Grade = D
Larry has played in just 6 of the Cavaliers’ first 20 games due to the bone bruise injury. I thought about giving him an F, but I’m saving that grade for players who miss the entire season. So I give him a D for playing in just 30% of the games.

Shooting Performance: Grade = F
Field Goal Shooting: 29%
Three Point Shooting: 25%
Free Throw Shooting: 67%

I thought about an F-minus, but he IS shooting better than Eric Snow and Donyell Marshall. Good thing we’re paying these 3 savvy veterans a combined $24 million this year.

                                      FG%                     2008 Salary
Larry Hughes:             29%                      $12,000,084
Eric Snow:                    7%                        $6,703,125
Donyell Marshall:       28%                     $5,566,965

Player Efficiency Rating: Grade = F
This is a nifty stat provided by ESPN’s John Hollinger. If you’re not familiar with PER, here’s a quick explanation:

The formula, which Hollinger calls the Player Efficiency Rating (PER), takes into account positive accomplishments, such as field goals, free throws, 3-pointers, assists, rebounds, blocks and steals, and negative ones, such as missed shots, turnovers and personal fouls. The formula adds positive stats and subtracts negative ones through a statistical point value system. The rating for each player is then adjusted to a per-minute basis so that, for example, you can compare subs with starters in frequent playing time debates. It is also adjusted for the team’s pace. In the end, one number sums up the players’ accomplishments (the statistical ones, anyway) for that season.

So how does Larry Rank? 
#110 out of 112 Shooting Guards in the NBA
#293 out of 299 players in the NBA.

That means only 2 shooting guards in the entire NBA had a worse Player Efficiency Rating. When guys like Gordan Giricek, Ira Newble, and Yakhouba Diawara have PER’s that are twice as good as Larry’s, I think it’s safe to say that Larry is underachieving.  

The Intangibles: Grade = D
One stat that attempts to measure the intangibles is the “On Court vs Off Court Data” provided by 82Games.com. It’s a simple concept: it examines how a team plays with and without a player. It gives a pretty good sense of how well that player is fitting in with the roster and gets at all of the ‘little things’ that current statistics don’t track (setting screens, taking charges, drawing double teams, etc).

When Larry is in the game, the Cavaliers score fewer points on offense and they give up more points on defense. So Larry scores a negative number for this stat, and this season the team has played better with him OFF the court. While some may consider this stat to be unfair because Larry hasn’t played in many games this year, his 2007 performance is not that much worse than his Plus/Minus from the 2006-2007 season.

OVERALL GRADE: F
Larry, we know the injuries aren’t your fault. And we know that Danny Ferry is the one who signed you to this contract and is equally responsible for the team’s current roster and financial commitments. We can’t trade you, so we need you to earn that $12 mil this season. Get healthy and when you play again, please stop taking so many bad shots.