From: tamada@cheshire.oxy.edu (Michael K. Tamada)
Subject: Re: *All Star Game 1993*
Organization: Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA 90041 USA.
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 04:11:52 GMT

In article <1993Jan7.004006.18294@henson.cc.wwu.edu> n9041679@henson.cc.wwu.edu (brian h. harper) writes:

>robert@aero.org (R. S. Statsinger) writes:
>
>>In article <1ifpn3INNpij@shelley.u.washington.edu> tt300zx@milton.u.washington.edu (twin turbo 300zx) writes:
>>|
>>|		west: karl malone, charles barkeley, chris mullen,
>>|		      tim hardaway, john stockton, clyde drexler,
>>|		      david robinson, hakeem olajuwan, james worthy(?),
>>|		      gary payton(?),
>
>>Instead of Worthy & Payton, could we have Sedale Threatt & Danny Manning?
>
>Umm, no. Payton deserves the nod this year. He has improved almost as much
>as Kenny Anderson has. Threatt may score more, but Payton's defense is
>awesome, and he's become a true team leader. Manning I'd agree with, though.

     I really like how Payton is playing this season, but Threatt vs.
Payton is a very close call.  Payton's improved immensely, but Threatt's
improved too.  Last year Threatt scored 15.1 points per game and shot
48.9%, this year he's leading the Lakers wtih 16.9 points and shooting 50.9%.
He has become well entrenched at playing point, whereas last year he was
still feeling his way into the role.
He is pretty clearly the Lakers' MVP, whereas last year Worthy or maybe 
Perkins could've laid some claim to that title (though Threatt was 
probably their MVP last year as well).
     Last year Gidi Avrahami and I got into a debate over whether Threatt
had improved or not.  At that time I claimed that Threatt's skills were the
same, only his role had changed and so he just seemed to be improved.
Well I think at that time I was right, but I think Threatt gradually
transformed himself over the season, becoming more comfortable at point 
guard, and I think that he now is a different, and better, player than he
was with the Sonics, and certainly better than he was with the Bulls and
76ers.  So I think I was right in the short run, but Gidi was right in
the long run.  With the Sonics, Threatt was an okay starter at shooting
guard (but the big gun was Ricky Pierce) and marginal as a starting point
guard.  Now, there's no question that Threatt's a good guard period.
     Payton's doing great, one small negative is that his assists are down
this year, something like a drop from 6.2 to 5.3 assists per game.
     Back to the original list:  no one has pointed out that Drexler
should be dropped from the list.  He was shooting 41.4% before going on
the injured list.  
     I agree that Manning beats out Worthy at small forward.  That original
list looks like it relied too heavily on past performance and failed to
see how the players are actually playing.  Drexler and Worthy have been
mediocre.  Manning's been great, and Payton and Threatt have been near-
great.
    Other comments about the list:  Where or where is Shawn Kemp??  And
I would give consideration to Mitch Richmond.  Possibly also
Jeff Malone, Dan Majerle.   But Drexler and Worthy?  No way.
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  | W			   Mike Tamada
		  |\	   Institutional Research Office
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