Player Focus: Nazr Mohammed

[Blondie]

By Sam R.

SpursCentral Columnist





Nazr Mohammed was drafted out of Kentucky as the 29th pick by the Utah Jazz. Right before he almost made it into those infamous uniforms, he was traded to Philadelphia. He played for the 76ers from ’98 – ’01 when he was traded to Atlanta 30 games into the season. He played there from the ’01 to ’03, then he was traded to New York mid-way through the season- I’m reading this straight off his player bio. Do you care? Great. Neither do I.- where he remained until the Spurs traded Malik Rose for Nazr and a formality. Now we’re at the point where it matters. There, that feels a lot better. Actually, having Nazr in a Spurs uniform feels a lot better.



For two and a half years, Spurs fans have struggled with the realization that Rasho Nesterovic really is the starting center for a *championship* squad. Pop signed him while repeating “he’s not David Robinson and we don’t want him to be” to the media, fans, and anyone who dared to question his allegiance (personally, I think he’s a Serbian spy). As soon as Rasho mastered the concept of English, he learned to repeat the same as well. Like a wind-up doll. A tall, clumsy, lethargic wind-up doll. “I’m not David Robinson, and I don’t want to [be]. David a good guy, a great man. He part of the city, part of the…. team. I not a David, I a Rasho. I play center, never dunk. Rasho cave man, speak big words. Fire. Wheel. Fairy float.” Yes, ladies and gentlemen, he wasn’t, in fact, a David Robinson. When Dave retired, so did a part of the franchise. So did a position, a role, a jersey. And so did a set of shoes (size 17. I might be a basketball nerd.). Rasho came to the Spurs as the first step towards a new team in the A.D. (After David) era. He had just come off a spectacular “career” season during which only his points-per-game average made more than a few tenths of a jump. Popovich’s carpe diem attitude was refreshing, reassuring, and painfully overrated. What does this have to do with Nazr Hohammed? It’s material for a comparison, because I’m too lazy to think of any other way to toot this horn.



Rasho quickly became another Stephon Marbury- fine when the sole focus of the team, but put him with anyone else and he compliments nothing. He played well when Duncan was injured (what we don’t want) and bad when Duncan was on the court with him (what we do want). In short, he was good when we were bad and bad when we were good. Some center, huh? Enter Nazr Mohammed, mainly because I know you’re growing impatient with my avoidance of the subject. And talking about Rasho is making me feel tired and slow. You can argue that Nazr came in to replace Malik Rose, but that would be assuming that Malik’s primary role was to backup Rasho. It wasn’t. He was a low post swingman whose primary role was coming off the bench in an unpredictable manner and giving Pop someone to yell at. Nazr quickly assumed the role of Rasho’s backup, and has now appeared to be the saving grace the Spurs so badly needed. No trade in recent memory (actually, this is the first trade in recent memory) has landed us such a great player, dollar-for-dollar. Because he is now the backup center, the dog biting at Rasho’s heels, I find it appropriate to compare him to the person whose starting job he will soon be taking. Also it makes Nazr look better.



For his career, Nazr has averaged 7.3 points, 5.7 rebounds (2.2 offensive), and is shooting 47.9 from the field in 19.1 minutes. Now maybe it’s just me, but doesn’t that look awfully similar to Rasho’s 7.4 points, 6.0 rebounds (2.2 offensive), 48.4 percent from the field in 24.9 minutes? The only difference is that Nazr is producing almost the exact same stats but it takes him six minutes less. And he can dunk. Wait, hold the press! He can dunk? That’s something the Spurs haven’t seen out of a center since before David Robinson hurt his back. Want me to annoy you even more with stats? As a Spur, Nazr is averaging 5.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 45.0 percent shooting in only 14.8 minutes. It takes Rasho 25.2 minutes to average 5.6 points, and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 44.9 percent. The conclusion? Nazr is almost the exact same player as Rasho except he is more efficient AND he can dunk. Really, how can you go wrong?



As I previously stated (because if I don’t acknowledge I’m repeating myself, someone else will), Rasho plays better when he is the only real post option. We have Horry, but he’s getting old so he doesn’t count- sorry Misti. Rasho also has a nasty habit of deferring to Tim Duncan. While he is certainly not making a bad decision by doing so, it’s like paying for a Jaguar then putting regular unleaded gas in it. The Spurs paid Rasho the big bucks to play, to live up to his potential. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been granted the fuel with which to do so. It’s completely counter-productive, really. Fortunately, though, the Spurs have implemented another detour from their normal schedule to go along with the annual Rodeo Road Trip: the Duncan is Absent so We Might be Screwed Trip. The goal of said break is to allow Tim to rest for an extended period while left patella tendonitis runs its course. A side product is that it also gives both the team and the fans a glimpse of what lies beneath the surface of Rasho’s stoic play. Rasho, when not forcing himself to be subordinate to everything other than the mascot and towel boy, can play ball. He can shoot, he can defend, and he can be the dominant player the Spurs wanted him to be. When Duncan’s not on the floor.



Since I can’t possibly regurgitate any more information, let’s cut to the chase. It makes too much sense not to insert Nazr into the starting lineup. He would fit seamlessly. His stats are the same as Rasho’s; he’s two inches shorter but almost the same weight, and he can dunk. But more importantly, by making him a starter, it would make Rasho a bench player. Playing with the second team puts Rasho as the focus in the post. He can dominate the ball the same way he does when Duncan is injured. He can roam the paint knowing that there is no MVP to be the better option. Nazr has given the Spurs something they’ve lacked for years: freedom with the post. He’s a true center with real talent. The only decision now is which starting center will officially take the job. My vote goes to Nazr. Why? Because I hate Rasho. I would have thought that was obvious by now.



Ok, I’m finished. Tirade is over and I’m spent. I’d like to assume you have been accurately informed, although I don’t completely trust my basketball I.Q. even at this stage. Sam write. He make joke. He not David (Leister).... Poor attempts at humor aside, what do I want you to take from this article? I want you to realize that Nazr is practically the same player as Rasho, except he is significantly less prone to lethargy and he CAN DUNK. I want you to see that placing him in the starting lineup would do absolutely no damage and maybe, perhaps, keep the ADD fans watching the game a bit longer. Or at least for 14.8 minutes. I also want you to notice that his name sounds like “Nazi,” because I’m too lazy to work on a joke with that one so I’m hoping you can.

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[usckk]

I completly agree. Nice article.

[missmyzte]

Quote:

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We have Horry, but he’s getting old so he doesn’t count- sorry Misti.

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You know I have to comment on this. (1) Horry is a Power Forward, not a center, he's playing out of position when he's at the 5 spot. (2) Too old to count??? You know he had 18 points on Wednesday and 11 points yesterday .....



Other than that hiccup, good article though I'm not sold on Nazr yet. I'll wait and see how he contributes but I think it was very risky making such a huge change this late in the season.

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MistiLynn



"It's got to be hard to defend us," Nesterovic said, "when we don't even know who's going to shoot." 1/26/05

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[Blondie]

I don't dislike Nazr, but I agree with Misti in that making changes so late are too risky. At least with Malik you know he can defend guys like Shaq well in the playoffs.

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[Samr]

Misti- I said that with the understanding that the Spurs don't have another real center. Horry is our first big man off the bench now, so he assumes the role as backup for either PF or C even though he's not technically a center. The Spurs just play small ball (quite effectively, I might add) when the reserves come in. Now that we have Nazr, we can go back to the standard PF/C lineup as opposed to three guards, a small forward, and a center.

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You can only be young once, but you can always be immature -Dave Barry

[Mutinous Dog]

I agree with a little bit of everything I read. But here's the thing. Like other teams that are supposed to be championship caliber, the Spurs needed another big body.



Detroit and Miami are probably going to come out of the East. Just look at the big men on their rosters. They have plenty of talent, depth in case of injury, and fouls to burn on Duncan in the playoffs.



Our bigs are thin at best. Rasho has proven that he can't be played at the end of games due to his poor free throw shooting. He might be the most invisible 7-footer in the league. So that leaves Massenburg. I think the Spurs could play him a few minutes but I doubt whether Pop would count on him at the end of the game either.



So without any other viable big men, the Spurs would play Duncan at center, Horry at power forward, and 3 smaller guys as their game-finishing squad. That doesn't scare me if Duncan isn't in foul trouble. Duncan and 4 smaller players has worked out pretty well in the past. It give Duncan plenty of room to operate. As Blondie knows, it worked with Malik in the lineup. It certainly is a risky move on the Spurs part at this point in the season. But it's a similar risk the Spurs were apparently willing to make with Malone so why not a younger guy with a short contract?



So Nazi really represents a younger, more athletic, won't get pushed around 6 fouls on Shaq or the Wallace brothers. Someone who will go hard at the rim. He already is a better free-throw shooter than Rasho will ever be.



So while the trade for Nazi might tweak our lineup a little to match up better with possible playoff opponents, the bottom line and most appealing thing about him isn't on-the-court stuff.



It's financial. It's about the fact that the trade saves our small-market butts at least 20 million future salary cap dollars that we can convert into other big bodies down the road if Nazi doesn't pan out or if Rasho gets traded to the New York Nationals.

[Pitter5008]

I think Nazr has been very solid. In other words, I like what I see. He's a rebounding machine. He's 6-10 but his length is more like 7'0". Malik never did a "good" job on Shaq. He did a good job for his size, but he never could stop Shaq. I loved Malik, but let's be realistic here. It can be risky making a move late in the season, but really how risky is getting rid of a guy like Malik. What wasn't risky was getting rid of his contract.



Nazr is the exact sam eplayer as Rasho? Gimme a break.

[Samr]

I said Nazr's stats are the same, if not better, than Rasho's, not that he was the same player. Also, Nazr's athletic. He can dunk. Did I not say that enough?

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You can only be young once, but you can always be immature -Dave Barry

[shan3st3r]

Nazr is the man! I've been seeing a lot of him this year bc I get MSG TV. Look at his stats from this year and you will see a big difference between him and Rasho. He is all over the NBA leader board along with Duncan, Parker and Gino. And yes, HE CAN DUNK! BTW it is pronounced Nah-zee, not Nazi (Not-zee).