Below is a conversation I had with one of my coworkers concerning Michael Finley. He cannot stand Finley while I have grown to respect his game. Ryan had put together a table demonstrating that Finley plays better against weak opponents.
From: Ryan
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 10:47 AM
To: Fred
Subject: Can't stand Finley stats
I had a minute so I put this info together about the horrible M. Finley….
I don’t know how this guy even averages 9.6 pts per game, but my thoughts were that he has his best games against the worst teams (which looks to be accurate in the table below). The only bright spot is that he has seemed to do okay against the Lakers, Cavs, and the Hornets somehow.
I still can’t believe the amount of minutes he gets and WHEN he gets his minutes, like at the end of games! Horrendous. I don’t know what Pop’s love affair is with this guy.
From: Fred
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 11:08 AM
To: Ryan
Subject: RE: Can't stand Finley stats
I don’t mind Finley. He’s a role player. He’s out there to hit the open three and he is shooting a career best 42% from beyond the arc. And who is Pop going to play over him? Pop screwed up by moving George Hill to the two guard; he has been horrible since they made the change. And I have no confidence in Udoka. He’s been playing alright recently, but he is undersized, can't jump, and slow. He’s also a much more inconsistent shooter than Finley. With Manu out, I don’t know who would be better with Finley’s minutes. Mason can only play so many minutes, especially if he has to run the team when Tony takes a break. And it kills me to admit this, but Bruce has lost a step. And he seems even more lost on the offensive end than normal.
From: Ryan
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 12:15 PM
To: Fred
Subject: RE: Can't stand Finley stats
If you look at him and when he really has an opportunity to affect something in the game, he really doesn’t hit those open threes. George Hill needs to play the backup point and Finley should play about 15 minutes a game. I have much more confidence in Mason’s shot than Finley when he’s not running the backup point and someone else is setting him up for shots. Hopefully Finley will be the one to lose minutes now that Manu is back and not Mason.
I closely watch Finley for his productivity and timeliness of his shots, so this is why I’ve got issues with him.
From: Fred
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 2:14 PM
To: Ryan
Subject: RE: Can't stand Finley stats
I don’t think his job is to affect the game. He needs to hit the open shot, and more importantly, not make a mistake. I cannot think of a single mental error that Finley has made in the closing minutes of a tight game. He is solid defendively, his turnovers are very low, and most impressively, he has the highest +/- of any Spur in crunch time. Check out the Clutch Stats from 82games.com. 82games takes the clutch stats and expands them over 48 minutes so you can get an idea of which players step up in close games. As you can see, Finley commits the fewest turnovers of any Spur during crunch time, and ranks third in rebounds. I think that’s what you want from your fourth option. He’s probably not going to win the game with his individual heroics, but he will not lose it for you and the team seems to perform best when he is on the court. He has a high basketball IQ and this cannot be argued when you consider he has the best +/- of any Spur during crunch time.
From: Ryan
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 10:47 AM
To: Fred
Subject: Can't stand Finley stats
I had a minute so I put this info together about the horrible M. Finley….
I don’t know how this guy even averages 9.6 pts per game, but my thoughts were that he has his best games against the worst teams (which looks to be accurate in the table below). The only bright spot is that he has seemed to do okay against the Lakers, Cavs, and the Hornets somehow.
I still can’t believe the amount of minutes he gets and WHEN he gets his minutes, like at the end of games! Horrendous. I don’t know what Pop’s love affair is with this guy.
From: Fred
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 11:08 AM
To: Ryan
Subject: RE: Can't stand Finley stats
I don’t mind Finley. He’s a role player. He’s out there to hit the open three and he is shooting a career best 42% from beyond the arc. And who is Pop going to play over him? Pop screwed up by moving George Hill to the two guard; he has been horrible since they made the change. And I have no confidence in Udoka. He’s been playing alright recently, but he is undersized, can't jump, and slow. He’s also a much more inconsistent shooter than Finley. With Manu out, I don’t know who would be better with Finley’s minutes. Mason can only play so many minutes, especially if he has to run the team when Tony takes a break. And it kills me to admit this, but Bruce has lost a step. And he seems even more lost on the offensive end than normal.
From: Ryan
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 12:15 PM
To: Fred
Subject: RE: Can't stand Finley stats
If you look at him and when he really has an opportunity to affect something in the game, he really doesn’t hit those open threes. George Hill needs to play the backup point and Finley should play about 15 minutes a game. I have much more confidence in Mason’s shot than Finley when he’s not running the backup point and someone else is setting him up for shots. Hopefully Finley will be the one to lose minutes now that Manu is back and not Mason.
I closely watch Finley for his productivity and timeliness of his shots, so this is why I’ve got issues with him.
From: Fred
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2009 2:14 PM
To: Ryan
Subject: RE: Can't stand Finley stats
I don’t think his job is to affect the game. He needs to hit the open shot, and more importantly, not make a mistake. I cannot think of a single mental error that Finley has made in the closing minutes of a tight game. He is solid defendively, his turnovers are very low, and most impressively, he has the highest +/- of any Spur in crunch time. Check out the Clutch Stats from 82games.com. 82games takes the clutch stats and expands them over 48 minutes so you can get an idea of which players step up in close games. As you can see, Finley commits the fewest turnovers of any Spur during crunch time, and ranks third in rebounds. I think that’s what you want from your fourth option. He’s probably not going to win the game with his individual heroics, but he will not lose it for you and the team seems to perform best when he is on the court. He has a high basketball IQ and this cannot be argued when you consider he has the best +/- of any Spur during crunch time.
Here are the tables that we were referencing.
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