MAGGETTE: TRYING TO CONVINCE MYSELF THIS IS A GOOD THING

H: 6' 6"
W: 218 lbs
Bday: 11/12/1979
(28 Years Old)

Current: SG/SF
NBA: SF
Possible: SG/SF
Agent: Rob Pelinka

High School: Fenwick
Hometown: Melrose Park, IL
Drafted: Rnd 1, Pick 13 in 1999 by Supersonics

Game Log

I'm struggling mightily with this signing. I like Corey Maggette, but that deal the Warriors gave him is way more than we needed to pay. There's got to be more to this deal. There's got to be a 5th Yr. Team Option included which explains the extra $18m over 5 years we paid to 'steal' him from contending teams with only the MLE. I pray this is a stepping stone to a bigger deal. If it is, kudos to you Mullin.

I needed some cheering up after hearing the news, so I scoured the Internet to find something that would make me feel better about this signing. Here's what I found:

From TrueHoop comments regarding Maggette's worth....

Homedog21007 (4 hours ago)

I disagree with Steinmetz. Maggette is worth 5 years at $40 million. Easily ... I have a simple way of estimating a player's worth. Take his PER rank (Maggette was 34th last year), find out what the 34th-highest paid player gets (that will be $14 million this year) and then you have an idea of the going rate. So if you sign the turns-29-in-November Corey Maggette to an $8 million annual contract for the next five years, you are getting yourself quite a bargain, especially if he continues to put up PER stats that are worth $14 million annually on a NBA-championship contender ... If the Spurs get Maggette (a 19-to-20 PER guy the last five seasons), they could have the greatest quartet in the history of basketball. Name me another team that had four 20-plus PER performers.

From ESPN's Scouting Report:

2006-07 season: After talking for most of the season about trading Maggette and harping on all his deficiencies, the Clippers realized halfway through the season that he's actually pretty good. Maggette played only 27.4 minutes per game prior to the All-Star break but 35.9 afterward, as the Clippers increasingly relied on his slashing skills to energize a sluggish offense.

Maggette is insanely good at getting to the free-throw line, and last season was one of his best in that department. He averaged 0.78 free-throw attempts per field goal attempt, improving on his previous mark of 0.68.

His mark was the best in the league of any perimeter player for the second straight season; it also was the best among players who averaged at least 15 points per 40 minutes (see chart) -- not even Shaq could match it. Overall, only three limited big men (Reggie Evans, Jason Collins and Leon Powe) outpaced Maggette in this department.

Scouting report: Maggette has an amazingly quick first step going to his right, and is so powerful once he gets moving that it's difficult to thwart him without fouling. But it's tough to overplay him for the drive because he's also a decent outside shooter. Maggette has tended to shoot too many contested jumpers in recent years, but last season he refocused on attacking the rim and ended up with an even greater free-throw bounty.

Maggette's drives rarely result in passes, however. He gets tunnel vision once he puts it on the floor and has earned a rep as a selfish player. That said, he did post a career-high assist ratio last season. As you might expect for a player who drives so much, Maggette also makes a lot of turnovers.

Most similar at age: Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce, not bad. I've always admired how Mags attacked the basket and got to the line at will. I wanted Jason Richardson to play the same way. He hits his free throws, he gets the other team in foul trouble, he's an above average shooter with a high True Shooting %, he rebounds adequately for his position, and he is athletic enough to excel in the Warriors' style of basketball. A few stat rankings:

PTS = 22.1 (#11)
3P% = .384 (#49)
RPG = 5.6 (#56)
AST = 2.7 (#65)
STPG = 1.01 (#57)
FG% = .458 (#140)
ADJ FG% = .497 (#74)
FT% = .812 (#92)
PER = 19.43 (#34)
TS% = .595 (#30)
USG = 25.1 (#21)
EFF = 19.2 (#45)
PPS = 1.55 (#5)

Hopefully, Maggette's 3 point shooting percentage stays in the same range. His scoring average should hold or increase a bit with the uptempo offense that is in contrasts to the Clipper's deliberate style of play. If he can stay healthy (a big if, considering he averages 64 games per season) he might be worthy of his contract.

Maggette alone, however, is not going to make the Warriors a playoff team. They need to bring in a true PG to help Monta Ellis, they need to shore up their defense, and they need more playmakers as well. As of now, we are a mediocre team not good enough for the playoffs and not bad enough to land one of the top picks in the draft. We are back in no-man's land drafting in the 9 through 14 range.

PG: Monta Ellis / C.J. Watson
SG: Stephen Jackson / Marco Belinelli
SF: Corey Maggette / Anthony Randolph
PF: Al Harrington / Brandan Wright
C: Andris Biedrins / Kosta Perovic

I was hoping for more than Maggette as the big free agent signing and fear we may have missed our chance to land a future star like Josh Smith. I guess there is still time and moves to be made, but Mullin needs to give the fans more than just Maggette if he hopes to avoid a mass exodus of season ticket holders in 2009. Right now, I'm not convinced it will happen.


Corey Magette Mix by Dwanewade75015
From: dwanewade75015