I'd like to make a case for James Worthy. first things first, Elgee's fantastic post:
I've been looking into James Worthy, someone who has always been an interesting case for obvious reasons. (Winning AND clutch bias in a big market.) Worthy's In/Out Runs:
Worthy 1986 (7g) 9.6 to 8.6
Worthy 1988 (7g) 3.4 to 6.1
Worthy 1992 (28g) -1.1 to -1.5
[Worthy 86-88 (14g) 6.5 to 7.4]
They didn't have Cap in two of those games in 1986, and it's small sample, but it at least suggests something a little extra to me about Worthy. Namely, that not only was he solidly contributing with his stats, but that his role had some value alongside Magic. Worthy was excellent on the break and also moved very well without the ball as he was a smart player. Then there's this...
In 1986 Worthy played 10 games without Magic:
w/out Magic: 20.0 ppg 5.7 rpg 4.2 apg 1.2 st 1.7 blk 2.7 TOV 60.5% TS
with Magic: 20.0 ppg 5.1 rpg 2.5 apg 1.1 st 0.9 blk 1.9 TOV 61.4% TS
In 1988 Worthy again played 10 games without Magic:
w/out Magic: 21.3 ppg 4.7 rpg 4.8 apg 1.3 st 0.6 blk 2.2 TOV 59.2% TS
with Magic: 19.5 ppg 5.0 rpg 3.7 apg 0.9 st 0.8 blk 2.1 TOV 56.7% TS
In 1989 5 games without Magic:
w/out Magic: 19.6 ppg 5.2 rpg 4.2 apg 2.4 st 0.8 blk 3.0 TOV 61.1% TS
with Magic: 20.5 ppg 6.1 rpg 3.5 apg 1.3 st 0.7 blk 2.2 TOV 58.0% TS
So Worthy actually looks fantastic without Magic around. Maybe not the raw line of a Grade A superstar, but considering these are all playoff-type teams sans Johnson, it's actually a fairly pretty line. And one that, most importantly, suggests Worthy was plenty capable without Johnson and wasn't merely a strong beneficiary of his presence. All told, from 1986-1989, Worthy played 25 games without Magic:
1986-1989 James Worthy
w/out Magic: 20.4 ppg 5.2 rpg 4.4 apg 1.5 st 1.1 blk 2.6 TOV 60.1% TS
with Magic: 20.0 ppg 5.4 rpg 3.2 apg 1.1 st 0.8 blk 2.1 TOV 58.6% TS
So he's scoring MORE, at a HIGHER efficiency, while presumably taking on a larger role in activity/creation -- noticeably more assists and turnovers -- and this clearly jibes with Worthy's skillset and (perhaps deserved) reputation.
we have a guy who is one of the few who raised his game in the postseason, who made Jordan his sidekick when they were in college, who was a great all around player, who is a fantastic fit on any team because of his attributes (plays with the ball, plays without the ball, posts up, tremendous midrange game) and most importantly, mentally is on a different level than anyone of remaining candidates.
the question is how much you value postseason performance ? Carter and Hill suffer a lot here. I would also question Carter's defense and leadership. at the end of the day 20/5/4 with great efficiency, ability to fit with other players and great mental strength is in my opinion more convincing than Hill's short peak or Carter's mental shortcomings.
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