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Wednesday, July 18, 2012

The Hawks Blog: Grading the 2011-2012 Season (Erick Dampier)

*Team/NBA Leaderboard ranks are qualified players only.

*The Floor Time section includes both qualified and unqualified players in rankings.

*Remember to check the Glossary at the end of this entry for stat/abbreviation explanations.

C Erick Dampier (1^st season with Hawks/16^th season overall)

Age: 36

Draft History: 10^th pick in 1996 by Indiana

Acquired: Signed as free agent February 2012

2012 Salary: $778 K

2013 Contract Status: Free agent

2012 Regular Season Grade: C

Grade Explanation: Signed in February and made minimum salary. Provided depth when injuries hit the front court hard. Had very little impact but also few opportunities, no expectations, and minimal cost. Deserves passing grade.

Overall: With injuries mounting, the Hawks looked to add a big man midway through the year. The pickings were slim. Atlanta ended up signing veteran center Erick Dampier to a 10-day contract in February. Eventually, the Hawks signed Damp for the remainder of the year.

He didn’t have much of an impact. Dampier was mainly an insurance policy. He wound up playing in 15 of 38 games after signing, all coming off the bench, and averaging just 5.5 MPG. He shot just .125 from the field (1 for 8) and did not go to the FT line or shoot from behind the arc. Dampier averaged just 0.1 P/G, 1.0 R/G, 0.3 A/G, 0.1 S/G, and 0.3 B/G with 0.2 TOV/G.

In the previous season Dampier had gotten quite a bit of playing time for the Miami Heat, appearing in 51 games and actually making 22 starts. His numbers were dismal and it didn’t look like he had anything at all left. This was why he remained unsigned into February.

With the Hawks, it was actually difficult to tell what he had left because his playing time was so minimal. While his numbers during his brief minutes were poor, I actually didn’t think he looked bad, and certainly thought he was worth signing for the remainder of the year.

Dampier is nearly 7-ft tall and closer to 300 pounds than 250 pounds. He’s been a bit of a punching bag for analysts during his career, mostly because he was a punching bag for some of the best centers in the game during his time.

Damp isn’t what you’d call a “skilled” big man. He doesn’t have a post game and he doesn’t shoot. He is a poor ball handler and not adept at passing. He has been about effort and a willingness to do the dirty work. His one great strength throughout his career has been on the offensive glass.

Damp has been criticized in the past for not being an enforcer on the defensive end and not being as big of a factor as he should be considering his size. Defensively Dampier is just average, and as he has aged he’s become much less of a factor. He’ll still grab boards and block the occasional shot, but he’s not at all mobile.

I thought Dampier looked okay during his brief moments on the floor with the Hawks. He didn’t seem to be getting dusted on the defensive end and he seemed to be in relatively good shape.

Offensively I actually thought he was fine, but that his teammates at times seemed not to be able to change how they played in order to fit with Damp being in the game versus another player. For example, you can’t hum passes to Damp from close range. He can work within the offense, but you can’t just pretend he’s Al Horford.

Dampier played in just 2% of Atlanta’s available minutes in 2011-2012. He played exclusively at center and was out-produced by his counterpart on the floor. It’s hard to know what to make of any of Damp’s numbers, simply because he played only 83 total minutes.

However, his 9-4-2 W-L-T record seems pretty good and he actually had a slightly positive ON/OFF 48. Interestingly, the Hawks had better points per 100 possession numbers offensively and worse numbers defensively with Damp on the floor.

Erick did not play a single second of CLUTCH time for the Hawks in 2011-2012.

Statistics: Dampier’s role with the Hawks in 2011-2012 was drastically smaller than anything the veteran center had experienced before in his career. His GP dropped from 51 to 15 and his GS dropped from 22 to 0 just from the year before.

He posted career worst numbers in MPG, FG%, P/G, R/G, A/G, S/G, B/G, PER, TS%, EFG, and DD. His P/48 number was also at a career low.

And actually, Damp’s P/48 number is worth including here. Yes, I know he played only 83 total minutes and took just 8 shots, but still, a 1.2 P/48 number is pretty silly.

Floor Time Stats/Team Rankings (Unqualified)

MIN%: 2% (15^th)

+/- Per 48: +3.5 (7^th)

ON/OFF 48: +0.1 (7^th)

+/- W-L-T: 9-4-2

WIN%: 69.2 (2^nd)

ON/OFF OPHP: +3.8 (6^th)

ON/OFF DPHP: +3.0 (14^th)

ON/OFF NPHP: +0.8 (7^th)

Team Leaderboard: None.

NBA Leaderboard: None.

Season Review: With injuries to Al Horford, Vlad Rad, and Jason Collins towards the middle portion of the season, the Hawks had to go out and find a reserve big man. In the end they decided their best option was to go with 36-year old center Erick Dampier. They signed the big man to a 10-day contract on February 9^th.

Damp’s most active period with the Hawks by far was during his first month or so with the team. Once some of the injured players began coming back to the fold Damp basically became purely insurance on the bench. But early on he saw some action. He played in each of the first 4 games for which he was available (February 10^th through the 15^th).

Damp wasn’t used much around the time of the ASG but he was signed to another 10-day deal. Finally on March 1^st the Hawks signed Damp for the remainder of the year, which was most certainly the correct decision.

After playing in those first 4 games, Damp appeared in only 1 of the next 5 (February 18^th through March 3^rd), but from March 6^th through the 18^th he played in 6 straight and 7 of 8. Up to that point he had appeared in 13 of 18 games since being signed, for an average of about 5.7 MPG, with almost zero production.

But Dampier would see essentially no playing time for the remainder of the season. He was DNP Coach’s Decision in 13 straight and 19 of 20 from March 19^th through April 24^th, before playing 5 minutes in the season finale.

2012 Postseason Grade: C+

Grade Explanation: Played better than expected in limited minutes. Stepped up and played adequately when injuries knocked out team’s top 3 big men. More than met expectations and did it for very cheap.

Statistics: Damp played the final 4 games of the series, averaging 13.8 MPG, 4.0 P/G, 3.6 R/G, 0.3 B/G, and 0.8 TOV/G. He shot .538 from the field (7 for 13) and .667 at the FT line (2 for 3).

Damp had 16 total points, 14 rebounds, 1 block, 3 TOV, 6 PF, and 5 drawn fouls in the series.

He played 55 total minutes (10^th out of 13 on the team) and had a +/- number of -1 (3^rd). Damp’s PER for the series was 11.8 (5^th). He amassed 0.1 WS (tied 7^th) and .113 WS/48 (5^th).

Postseason Review: It wasn’t until the playoffs that Dampier was able to show that he was still capable of helping out. The Boston series also reinforced that signing Damp for the remainder of the season was definitely the right call. He didn’t play a lot in the series but he played enough. And he was better than decent.

Dampier did not play in either of the first two games of the series. In game 3, with Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Zaza Pachulia out of action, Damp was needed. He played 22:24 in game 3 and scored 6 points on 3 of 5 shooting with 6 boards, 1 block, and just 1 TOV. He did pick up 3 PF. His +/- number for the game was -2.

Damp played the final 7:49 of the 1^st quarter (+3). He scored 2 points in the quarter (1 of 3 from the floor) with 4 boards, a block, and 1 TOV.

He entered with the Hawks trailing 9-10. Dampier got a pass inside from Jeff Teague and scored at the rim to tie the score 13-13 with 5:40 to go in the 1^st. On the ensuing Boston possession Damp blocked Greg Stiemsma’s shot from inside, leading to a shot clock violation. In the final minute of the 1^st, Damp missed a tip-in and got his shot at the rim blocked by KG.

Dampier played around 3 minutes in the 2^nd (-2), but had only 2 PF to show for it. He started the quarter on the court and exited with 10:50 on the clock and the score still 19-17 Hawks.

Damp came back on with 8:04 on the clock and the Hawks leading 23-20. He had back-to-back difficult defensive possessions. First he fouled Brandon Bass at the 6:48 mark (2 for 2 at the line to make it 27-24) and then on the next Boston possession he fouled Paul Pierce at the 6:16 mark (2 for 2 at the line to make it 27-26). That sent Dampier back to the bench for the remainder of the half.

Dampier played around 6 minutes in the 3^rd quarter (+6), making his only FGA for 2 points and picking up another PF. He came on with 7:03 on the clock and the Hawks trailing 42-48. Damp contributed right away, getting a dish from Teague and scoring on a 2-footer to make it 44-48. Damp fouled Pierce again at the 3:05 mark (2 for 2 at the line to make it 51-52).

He came out of the game with 2:06 remaining in the 3^rd and the score tied 54-54. Damp came back into the game with 53 seconds left and the Hawks down 56-58. He played out the rest of the 3^rd, and the Hawks went to the 4^th down 58-60.

Dampier played the first 6 minutes of the 4^th quarter (-9). He scored 2 points (1 for 1 shooting) and grabbed 2 boards. He grabbed a board at the defensive end and then got a pass inside from Jannero Pargo and scored to make it 64-65 with 9:40 to go. Damp came out with 6:13 left and the Hawks now down 65-76. He sat the rest of the 4^th and all of OT.

With the return of Josh and Al in game 4, Dampier figured to get less playing time, but he ended up playing the entire 4^th quarter. He was quite productive in junk time, scoring 8 points on 3 of 6 shooting (2 for 3 at the line) with 3 rebounds and 4 fouls drawn. He had a +/- number of +5 for the game.

Dampier’s playing time decreased in game 5, but the minutes were obviously much more important. He played a little less than 8 minutes, scoring 2 points (1 for 1) with 2 rebounds, 1 TOV, 2 PF, and a +/- number of -5.

Dampier played the final 3:42 of the 1^st quarter (even +/- number), coming on with the Hawks trailing 9-15. He scored 2 points on 1 for 1 shooting in the period. He also had 2 boards, 1 TOV, and 1 PF.

He had an immediate impact, rebounding a miss by Teague, passing it back out, and then getting a pass back from Josh and scoring on a layup to make it 11-15 with 3:27 on the clock. Damp was called for an offensive foul on Mickael Pietrus to turn the ball over to the C’s with 1:27 left.

Damp played the 1^st minute of the 2^nd quarter (+1), but his only imprint was a PF on Ryan Hollins. He played the final 50 seconds of the 3^rd quarter, earning a -4 +/- for his troubles. Damp played the first 2:18 of the 4^th (-2) and came out for good with 9:42 to play.

Big ED played 12:15 in game 6, missing his only FGA, but grabbing 3 rebounds and drawing a foul. He had 1 TOV and 1 PF. Damp had a +/- number of +1 for the game.

Erick played the final 3:24 of the 1^st quarter (-1) and had 1 rebound and 1 TOV. He got the ball stolen by Rondo with 30 seconds on the clock, but Rondo missed at the other end and Damp snagged the rebound with just 7.9 on the clock. Damp got the ball to T-Mac and McGrady got the ball to Kirk Hinrich who drilled a jumper at the buzzer to get the Hawks within 3.

Dampier played the first 3:05 and the final 5.2 of the 2^nd (+2). He grabbed 1 board and drew a foul in the period. Erick played the last 3:10 of the 3^rd quarter (+3).

Damp rebounded a miss by T-Mac to earn a new shot clock and Joe ended up drilling a 3-ball to cut the deficit to 60-65 with a minute to play in the 3^rd. After the ball fell through the net Dampier batted it in a non-aggressive way towards the baseline and was inexplicably whistled for a technical foul. This inexcusable overreaction by the refs was thankfully rendered meaningless when Ray Allen shockingly missed the technical FT.

Damp played the first 2:40 of the final quarter of the season (-3), going 0 for 1 and picking up a PF. On the first possession of the 4^th Damp’s shot from up close was blocked by KG. A minute later Damp fouled KG and he hit both FT’s to make it 65-69. Dampier exited with 9:20 remaining and the Hawks trailing 65-72.

Moving Forward: There’s little chance of Damp returning to Atlanta next year, although I really wouldn’t mind it if he was a 12^th or 13^th man. I do think he has a little something left, but it’s possible that he won’t get any interest from NBA teams.

Stat Glossary

Total Stats

Games Played (GP)

Games Started (GS)

Minutes Played (MIN)

Field Goal Percentage (FG%)

Three Point Field Goal Percentage (3PT%)

Free Throw Percentage (FT%)

Field Goals Made (FGM)

Field Goal Attempts (FGA)

Three Pointers Made (3PM)

Three Point Attempts (3PA)

Free Throws Made (FTM)

Free Throw Attempts (FTA)

Two Pointers Made (2PM)

Two Point Attempts (2PA)

Two Point Field Goal Percentage (2P%)

Offensive Rebounds (OR)

Defensive Rebounds (DR)

Total Rebounds (REB)

Assists (AST)

Steals (STL)

Blocks (BLK)

Turnovers (TOV)

Personal Fouls (PF)

Points (PTS)

Flagrant Fouls (Flagrants)

Technical Fouls (Techs)

Ejections (Ejections)

Foul Outs (DQ’s)

Double-Doubles (DD)

Triple-Doubles (TD)

Per Game Stats

Minutes Per Game (MPG)

Field Goals Made Per Game (FGM/G)

Field Goal Attempts Per Game (FGA/G)

Three Pointers Made Per Game (3PM/G)

Three Point Attempts Per Game (3PA/G)

Free Throws Made Per Game (FTM/G)

Free Throw Attempts Per Game (FTA/G)

Two Pointers Made Per Game (2PM/G)

Two Point Attempts Per Game (2PA/G)

Offensive Rebounds Per Game (OR/G)

Defensive Rebounds Per Game (DR/G)

Total Rebounds Per Game (R/G)

Assists Per Game (A/G)

Steals Per Game (S/G)

Blocks Per Game (B/G)

Turnovers Per Game (TOV/G)

Points Per Game (P/G)

Personal Fouls Per Game (PF/G)

Per 48 Minute Stats

Points Per 48 Minutes (P/48)

Rebounds Per 48 Minutes (R/48)

Assists Per 48 Minutes (A/48)

Steals Per 48 Minutes (S/48)

Blocks Per 48 Minutes (B/48)

Personal Fouls Per 48 Minutes (PF/48)

Turnovers Per 48 Minutes (TOV/48)

Ratio Stats

Assist-to-Turnover Ratio (ATO)

Steal-to-Turnover Ratio (STO)

Steal-to-Personal Foul Ratio (SPF)

Block-to-Personal Foul Ratio (BPF)

Points Scored Per Shot Attempt (PPS)

Percentage Stats

Offensive Rebound Percentage (OR%) (% of available OR player grabbed while on floor)

Defensive Rebound Percentage (DR%) (% of available DR player grabbed while on floor)

Total Rebound Percentage (R%) (% of available REB player grabbed while on floor)

Assist Percentage (A%) (% of teammate FG’s player assisted on while on floor)

Steal Percentage (S%) (% of opp’s possessions ended with steal by player while on floor)

Block Percentage (B%) (% of opp’s 2-pt FGA’s block by player while on floor)

Turnover Percentage (TOV%) (Turnovers per 100 possessions)

Hollinger Stats

True Shooting Percentage (TS%) (Takes into account value of 2-pt, 3-pt, and FT)

Assist Ratio (ARAT) (% of possessions ended with Assist by player)

Turnover Ratio (TOVRAT) (% of possessions ended with TOV by player)

Usage Rate (USG%) (% of team plays used by player while on floor)

Player Efficiency Rating (PER) (Player’s per minute statistical rating)

Value Added (VA) (# of pts player adds to team above replacement level)

Estimated Wins Added (EWA) (# of wins player adds above replacement level)

NBA Reference.com Stats

Effective Field Goal Percentage (EFG) (Adjusts for 3-pt being worth more than 2-pt)

Offensive Rating (ORAT) (Points produced by player per 100 possessions)

Defensive Rating (DRAT) (Points allowed by player per 100 possessions)

Offensive Win Shares (OWS) (# of wins contributed by player due to offense)

Defensive Win Shares (DWS) (# of wins contributed by player due to defense)

Win Shares (WS) (# of wins contributed by player)

Win Shares Per 48 Minutes (WS/48) (# of wins contributed by player per 48 minutes)

82games.com Stats

Minutes Percentage (MIN%) (% of team minutes player was on floor)

Net Plus/Minus (+/-) (Net pts for team while player on floor)

Offensive Points Per Possession (OFF-PPP) (Team Off PPP while player on floor)

Defensive Points Per Possession (DEF-PPP) (Team Def PPP while player on floor)

Net Plus/Minus Per 48 Minutes (+/- Per 48) (Team net pts per 48 of PT for player)

On Court W-L Record (+/- W-L-T) (# of gms team outscored/didn’t outscore opponent while player was on floor)

Win Percentage (WIN%) (W-L-T in win pct form)

Net Production vs. Opponent (PRO/OPP) (How player fared vs. counterpart)

Net On Court vs. Off Court Per 48 Minutes (ON/OFF 48) (Team +/- while player on/off court per 48 minutes)

Simple Rating (SIMRAT) (Taken from combo PRO/OPP and ON/OFF 48)

Net On Court vs. Off Court Offensive Points per 100 Possessions (ON/OFF OPHP) (Team’s offensive points per 100 possessions while player on/off court)

Net On Court vs. Off Court Defensive Points per 100 Possessions (ON/OFF DPHP) (Team’s defensive points per 100 possessions while player on/off court)

Net On Court vs. Off Court Points per 100 Possessions (ON/OFF NPHP) (Team’s offensive points per 100 possessions vs. team’s defensive points per 100 possessions while player on/off court)

Clutch Situations (CLUTCH) (4^th quarter or overtime, less than 5 minutes left, neither team ahead by more than 5 points)

If you’re confused about a stat or abbreviation you can check this glossary. Many of the abbreviations are ones I came up with just for shorthand. If you want further explanation/info on the stats, check out the sites listed within the glossary.

The Hawks Blog: Grading the 2011-2012 Season (Jason Collins)

*Team/NBA Leaderboard ranks are qualified players only.

*The Floor Time section includes both qualified and unqualified players in rankings.

*Remember to check the Glossary at the end of this entry for stat/abbreviation explanations.

C Jason Collins (3^rd season with Hawks/11^th season overall)

Age: 33

Draft History: 18^th pick in 2001 by Houston

Acquired: Signed as free agent September 2009

2012 Salary: $1.35 Million

2013 Contract Status: Free agent

2012 Regular Season Grade: D-

Grade Explanation: Missed more than half of the games. Was dominated by opposition. Almost always hurt more than helped team. Avoids “F” due to minimum salary and decent defense.

Overall: “Twin,” as Bob Rathbun calls Jason Collins, is essentially just a big body. He returned this year for a minimum deal and delivered minimum (at best) value. He was brought back almost entirely for 1 specific purpose: to matchup against Dwight Howard in the playoffs. Due to injuries, however, the Hawks found themselves in the highly undesirable position of having to start Collins at various points in the year (including the playoffs!!!).

JC himself battled injuries throughout the year, but he wound up playing in 30 of 66 games, including 10 starts, and averaging 10.3 MPG. He shot just .400 from the floor, just .467 at the FT line, and did not attempt a 3-pointer. Collins produced just 1.3 P/G, 1.6 R/G, 0.3 A/G, 0.1 S/G, and 0.1 B/G with 0.3 TOV/G.

Collins is a mountain of a man, standing over 7 feet tall and weighing at least 260 with a wide frame. The trouble is that he’s not at all strong or athletic. He’d be a factor as a low post defender based on his size alone, but his biggest asset is actually his smarts. He just understands the defensive game, not just in 1-on-1 situations but also in team concepts. He’s a very good help defender.

He can get physical with opposing big men and use their aggression and strength against them. He’s adept at drawing offensive fouls and “pulling the chair out” from beneath big men trying to back their way into the post. These are all of the things which make him so useful against Orlando. No one gives Dwight Howard more problems than Collins.

That’s about it for positives. Despite his size and body type, Collins is an awful rebounder. He’s also incredibly slow. He can’t finish, he’s a terrible ball handler and passer, and he has zero offensive game in terms of posting up down low. He’s a turnover waiting to happen. Collins will shoot short and midrange jumpers, and supposedly he has a decent shot, but it hasn’t usually panned out that way in Atlanta.

His biggest weakness defensively (besides not being able to rebound to save his life; having no impact as a shot blocker; and never generating any steals) is his inability to avoid fouling. JC is often involved in a physical matchup down low, and many times whistles are blown and a foul is simply going to have to be called, but it could go either way. In fairness to Collins, he just doesn’t get as many of these calls as more capable big men do.

JC played in 9% of ATL’s total team minutes and had a virtually even +/- number. However, he was one of only two players on the team with a WIN% below .500. The Hawks outscored opponents by 3.7 more points per 48 minutes without JC on the floor as opposed to with him.

This season Collins played almost exclusively at center (played a few minutes at power forward). He was absolutely dominated by opposing centers while he was in the game. The Hawks were actually better defensively with Collins in the game, but they were so much worse offensively with him on the floor that it more than outweighed his defensive gains.

I mentioned earlier that Collins fancies himself a bit of a shooter but it doesn’t seem to pan out that way. 20 of his 40 FGA this season (50% for those not mathematically gifted) were jump shots. He had just a .200 EFG on those shots.

38% of his FGA were close (excluding dunks and tips) and he had just a .467 EFG on those shots, with 20% of them getting blocked. He did draw a foul on 13% of his FGA this season (unfortunately he made fewer than half of his 15 FTA). Collins had 10 assists and 10 total turnovers.

Jason Collins played in less than 1% of ATL’s CLUTCH minutes. He missed his only FGA (a jumper) and had 1 turnover in CLUTCH.

Statistics: Any way you slice it, Jason Collins was just not very good at all this season. Even for JC this was a bit of a down year. He made 18 fewer starts than the year before and his MPG dropped by 1.8. His FG% fell .079 from the previous season and his FT% fell .192.

JC’s numbers declined from the previous year in all of the main per game stats: P/G (-0.7); R/G (-0.5); A/G (-0.1); S/G (-0.1); B/G (-0.1). His P/G, R/G, A/G, S/G, and B/G numbers were all the 2^nd worst marks of his career. He did managed to lower his TOV/G by 0.2 and his ATO improved by 0.15.

Collins had an embarrassingly low 3.76 PER that was 1.61 worse than the season before. His TS% fell by 12.1 from the previous season and his EFG dropped by .086. Even JC’s WS/48 fell .024 from the prior year.

As you may have guessed, Jason’s numbers were down on a per 48 minute level this season as well. Compared to the previous season, JC’s P/48 (-1.7), R/48 (-0.8), A/48 (-0.2), S/48 (-0.1), and B/48 (-0.2) were all down. His S/48 and B/48 numbers were the worst of his career. He did lower his TOV/48 by 0.5 from the year before.

Actually, Jason’s per 48 minute numbers are worth writing out. Remember, this is what Collins’ stat line would look like if he played the entire 48 minute game: 6.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.5 blocks. Yes, 6 points and 7 rebounds for a man over 7 feet tall and at least 260 pounds.

Floor Time Stats/Team Rankings (Unqualified)

MIN%: 9% (13^th)

+/- Per 48: +0.0 (14^th)

ON/OFF 48: -3.7 (14^th)

+/- W-L-T: 12-15-3

WIN%: 44.4 (15^th)

ON/OFF OPHP: -4.2 (12^th)

ON/OFF DPHP: -2.1 (6^th)

ON/OFF NPHP: -2.0 (11^th)

Team Leaderboard: On the negative side, Collins led the team in Ejections (1) and was tied for the team lead in Flagrants (1).

NBA Leaderboard: Here are Jason’s appearances on the NBA Leaderboard in negative stats.

Ejections (T-7^th)

Flagrants (T-16^th)

Season Review: Collins battled injuries throughout the year and ended up playing in 30 of 66 games, making 10 starts, and averaging 10.3 MPG.

JC was battling knee injuries at the start of the season and played in just 3 of the first 10 games for a total of 14 minutes (through January 9^th).

Beginning with Al’s injury on January 11^th, Collins played in 7 straight games, making 3 starts (January 11^th through 21^st).

He suffered a tear in his left elbow on February 2^nd against the Grizzlies and would miss the next 21 games (February 4^th through March 16^th).

He played in 17 of the final 22 games, starting the last 6 games of the year following Zaza’s injury.

JC was never very productive, but his best month of the season was April.

2012 Postseason Grade: D

Grade Explanation: Started the first 4 games and was generally worse than useless. Could not stay on the court due to foul problems. Shot well and grabbed a few boards but had way too many turnovers. Could not handle defensive assignments without fouling. Did draw a huge charge late in game 3.

Statistics: Collins ended up playing in 5 of the 6 playoff games, making 4 starts, and averaging 17.0 MPG. He shot 6 of 11 from the field (.545) and did not go to the line or shoot from 3-point range. Collins totaled 12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 10 turnovers, 16 personal fouls, and 6 fouls drawn.

JC played 85 total minutes in the series (8^th out of 13 on the team) and had a +/- number of -4 (4^th). His W-L-T record in the series was 2-3. Collins posted a -2.2 PER (12^th) and amassed -0.1 WS (T-11^th) and -.067 WS/48 (12^th).

Postseason Review: With the injuries to Horford and Pachulia, Collins ended up starting the first 4 games of the series. He had a few highlights, but overall he was worse than a non-factor. He was overmatched on defense and brought nothing offensively. Collins had more turnovers than rebounds. He had just 1 steal and no assists or blocked shots. JC might have played more in the series if not for his prolific fouling.

The only game when Collins was actually decent was game 1. This isn’t too big of a surprise, as so many different things went right for the Hawks in game 1. Outside of Joe Johnson, all of the Hawks played well in the first game, and while Collins was on the court the Hawks were playing very well.

He made the start and played 31:37 in the opener, finishing with a +/- number of +15. Collins scored 6 points on 3 of 5 shooting with 5 rebounds. It was by far his most active game on the boards. He did get called for 5 personal fouls, but he also drew 3 fouls and committed just 1 turnover. These numbers would look simply magnificent compared with the rest of his series.

JC played 5:10 in the 1^st period (+14) as the Hawks built their big lead. His only statistical imprint in the 1^st was a missed shot at the rim 2-and-a-half minutes in. But when he exited with 6:50 to play in the quarter the score was 20-6.

Collins started the 2^nd quarter with the Hawks leading 33-18, and he played over 9-and-half minutes in the period (+3). It might have been his best quarter of the whole series. He made his only shot, grabbed 3 rebounds, and drew a foul. He did commit a turnover and a couple of PF’s.

Collins got on the board about midway through the 2^nd, scoring from inside on a feed from T-Mac to put the Hawks up 42-25. He was called for a violation (3 seconds) to turn it over with 5 minutes left and then fouled Brandon Bass 30 seconds later. Bass made both FT’s but the Hawks still led by 17.

Collins then drew a charge on Sasha Pavlovic with 3:44 left in the half. JC fouled Avery Bradley and Bradley hit 1 of 2 FT’s to make it a 16-point game with 2:22 to play and Collins exited the game.

Collins was solid again in the 3^rd (+1), playing over 7-and-a-half minutes in the quarter and going 2 for 2 from the field for 4 points. He added 2 rebounds and had just 1 PF.

The Hawks opened the 2^nd half up 49-35. JC fouled KG and Garnett hit a pair at the line to cut the deficit to 53-41 with just under 8 minutes left in the 3^rd. But moments later Collins would do the unthinkable, scoring back-to-back baskets in the game for a personal 4-0 run.

At the midway point of the quarter JC rebounded a miss by Kirk Hinrich and put it back up and in to make the score 58-45. A minute later Collins grabbed the rebound at the defensive end, got the ball back from Hinrich at the other end and nailed a 17-footer to make it 60-45. JC came out of the game with 4:26 remaining in the 3^rd and the Hawks up by that same score.

Collins played over 9 minutes in the 4^th (-3), missing his only shot and picking up 2 more PF. However, he also drew a pair of fouls. Collins drew a foul on Brandon Bass, fouled Pierce, fouled KG (2/2 at the line to make it 71-65 with 5:19 to go), and drew another foul on Bass with just over 2-and-a-half minutes left. He missed from 16-ft a few seconds later. Collins exited the game for good with 41 seconds remaining and the Hawks ahead by 7.

Jason wasn’t terrible in game 2, but he simply couldn’t stay on the floor, and he wasn’t very active. In 21:33 of playing time he scored 2 points (1 of 2 shooting) and had 3 rebounds and a steal. He drew 1 foul in the game, but committed 6, to go along with 2 turnovers. Still, he had a +/- number of +3 for the game.

Collins started and played the first half of the opening quarter (-2), grabbing 2 boards and a steal, drawing a foul, and committing 1 turnover. He stole Paul Pierce’s pass, leading to a score by JJ that made it 6-9 early. He then drew a charge on Mickael Pietrus with under 8 remaining and the score now tied 9-9. Later he grabbed an offensive board but had the ball stolen by Bradley. He exited with 6:06 to go in the 1^st and the Hawks down 11-13. Amazingly, Collins would rack up 6 fouls over the final 3 quarters.

Collins played nearly 9 minutes in the 2^nd quarter (+2), scoring 2 points (1 of 2 from the floor) with 1 rebound. He also got called for a pair of PF’s. He fouled Bradley early in the 2^nd, and Bradley hit 2 at the FT line to make it a 4-point C’s lead. Collins scored at the rim with an assist from Josh to make it 31-34 with 6:43 to play in the half. He then fouled Pierce and exited the game with 4:22 on the clock and the Hawks up 38-34.

JC reentered the game with just over 2 minutes remaining and the Hawks ahead 42-37. He took a long jumper late in the shot clock and missed, then came out of the game with 52 seconds left and the Hawks up 44-41.

Jason would play just 4-and-a-half minutes in the 3^rd (+6), as he could not stay out of foul trouble. In fact, that was the only statistical mark he left on the 3^rd quarter: a pair of PF’s. The foul problems weren’t just keeping Collins off the court. They were also helping Boston stay in the game. Collins fouled Bass early in the 2^nd half and Bass went 2 for 2 at the line to make it 49-43 Atlanta. Just over a minute later Collins fouled KG, and Garnett got 1 of 2 at the line to cut the Hawks lead to 51-46. Collins exited with 7:32 on the clock and Atlanta ahead 55-46.

Things got even sillier for Collins in the 4^th (-3), when he lasted just 2 minutes. He came on with 10:22 remaining and the Hawks up 66-63. In the period he picked up 2 more fouls and a turnover in just 2 minutes. He fouled KG yet again with 9 minutes left. Then he was called for an offensive foul on Pietrus, turning it over with the score tied and 8:25 still to play. With that, Collins was done, having committed 6 fouls in less than 16 minutes since the start of the 2^nd quarter.

Collins figured to play significant minutes in game 3, as Josh Smith joined Zaza and Horford on the sidelines. But Collins played just 19:50, scoring 4 points (2 of 4 from the floor) with 3 rebounds and 2 fouls drawn. He turned it over 4 times, committed 4 more PF’s, and had a +/- number of -2 for the game.

Collins played about 4:21 in the opening quarter (-1) and managed to score 4 points (2 of 4 shooting) with 2 rebounds. However, he had a pair of TOV and 2 PF. For the second time in the series Jason scored back-to-back Atlanta buckets. He hit a short jumper to put the Hawks up 4-2 about 2 minutes in. Then on the next ATL possession he scored from inside on a dish from JT to make it 6-4.

He stayed involved offensively after that but didn’t have success. After his shot from inside was blocked by KG, JC got the rebound and went back up but missed at the 8:14 mark. 15 seconds later he got his pass stolen by KG and he fouled Rajon Rondo, who hit a pair FT’s to put Boston in front by a point. 10 seconds later Collins picked up an offensive foul on KG, giving it back to Boston. He exited with 7:49 left in the quarter and the Hawks now down 9-10.

Collins was basically a non-factor in the 2^nd, playing just 2:46 (+1). He entered the game with 10:50 on the clock and the Hawks ahead 19-17. His only mark in the score sheet during the period was yet another PF, this one on Ryan Hollins. Collins exited with 8:04 remaining in the half and the Hawks up 23-20.

Collins played nearly 5 minutes in the 3^rd (-4) but was unable to do much, picking up another PF and drawing 1 foul. The Hawks started the 2^nd half down 38-40. Collins picked up another offensive foul, again to KG, turning it over to the C’s with the Hawks down 38-42 and 9:38 remaining in the 3^rd. He drew a foul on Pierce with 7:47 on the clock and the Hawks still down 4. Collins exited with just over 7 minutes left in the 3^rd and the Hawks down 42-48.

Jason didn’t reenter the game until fairly late in the 4^th. He wound up playing about 4 minutes in the final period (+6), and was on the floor as the Hawks made a late run to force OT. He had 1 rebound and 1 foul drawn in the period. Actually, it was during the 4^th quarter of game 3 that Collins made his best play of the series.

JC finally got back on the floor with 4:12 left and the Hawks trailing 72-78. The Hawks still trailed by 3 with just over 1-and-a-half to go when Collins drew a huge offensive foul on Pierce, giving the Hawks the ball with a chance to tie. They would do just that, as Joe nailed a 3 to tie it 80-80. It was a super play by Collins, guarding Pierce outside the 3-point line, and somehow getting him to blatantly push him. That was Collins’ smarts coming up huge in a big spot.

The score would remain tied 80-80 into overtime. JC stayed on the floor to start the extra session and played 4 minutes in the OT (-4), but his only statistical mark was a TOV. His pass was stolen by Rondo with 3-and-a-half to play and the Hawks down 2.

Collins exited with a minute left and the Hawks down 84-86. He came back in with 33.7 left but then exited again for good with 28.1 seconds left and the Hawks now down 84-88. At this point Larry Drew was going offense-defense, but nothing worked.

Despite Horford being activated for game 4 and Josh returning, Collins started his 4^th consecutive game. With the game turning into a rout early on, you might have expected Collins to get plenty of playing time in this one, but he ended up playing just over 12 minutes in the game. He wasn’t any good, grabbing 1 rebound, committing 3 TOV and a PF, and posting a +/- number of -17.

Collins started and played the first 6:40 of the 1^st quarter (-8). He grabbed his only board of the game in the quarter. He got his pass stolen by Rondo, leading to a break and a score by Rondo that made it 9-17 with under 7 to play in the 1^st. Collins exited with 5:20 on the clock and the Hawks down 11-19.

Collins played a disastrous 2:40 shift in the 2^nd quarter (-9), and looking back it’s no big surprise that this would be his final meaningful appearance in the series. His only mark on the period was an offensive foul on Bass that turned it back over to Boston with 6:45 to play in the half and the Hawks down 27-46. When Collins entered in the 2^nd the score was 26-39 with 8:24 to go in the 2^nd. When he exited with 5:45 on the clock the score was 29-51.

Collins would play the final 2:46 of the 3^rd quarter (even +/-) but by then the game was way over. He had his pass stolen by KG with 25.9 on the clock. Other than that he did nothing of note. The quarter came to a close with the Hawks down 63-90. Collins sat out the entire 4^th quarter.

With Al back and apparently capable of playing big minutes, Collins found himself out of the starting lineup for game 5. Actually, Collins was basically done for the series. He played just 10 seconds in game 5, coming in to play the last 10.1 of the 1^st half and picking up a -3 +/- number for his troubles. That was his only action of the game. Collins did not play at all in game 6.

Moving Forward: Collins is a 7-footer with bulk and smarts so he’ll stay in the game with somebody, but I doubt it will be with Atlanta. It’s possible he could return again for a minimum salary, as the Hawks aren’t particularly deep in the front court. Also, his role as Dwight Howard’s nemesis is legit. But my hope is that the Hawks will move on from Collins unless he’s a 12^th or 13^th man.