There are some unfortunate and inescapable truths about Mardy Collins, and they can be seen in numbers like these: In his nine games as a Los Angeles Clipper, Collins has taken 29 shot attempts from the floor. Only ten of them have been successful, while 13 of the 29 haven’t drawn iron. Despite his anemic offensive skill set, Collins isn’t shy about trying to create shots for himself, and that hurts his team, because airballs have this way of producing really good opportunities for the other side.
Even though Collins is a very good defender, he’s a player who has little business being on the floor during crucial moments of a game. Unfortunately, the Clippers’ depth on the wings was woeful before Ricky Davis went down, and it’s much worse now. The situation is even more dire when the Clippers need to find someome to stop a freakish shooting guard like, say, Brandon Roy. In the past, Mike Dunleavy would turn to Quinton Ross as his defensive stopper in these instances — with mixed overall results. On Friday night, we saw that Collins can be very helpful in this capacity. The questions going forward for the Clippers are how often and to what extent should Mike Dunleavy rely on Collins when faced with a matchup like Roy?
In order to measure Collins’ value in this context, you have to determine the cost. Generally speaking, when you put a player like Ross or Collins on the floor, your opponent will slough off that guy defensively, and effectively go to a 5-on-4 game in the halfcourt in which double-teams present low risk and high reward. A coach has to ask himself if the defensive upgrade he gets by having his stopper on the floor is enough to warrant compromising the offense. The answer to that question has to be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Take Friday night: Nate McMillan never sent a double-team at Randolph — even though the Clippers had a guy on the floor in Collins who practically invites the opponent to double off him. If a team like Portland won’t make the Clippers pay for having Mardy Collins on the court, then there’s no reason not to take advantage of that allowance. Why not have a superior defender out there if the Blazers are going to cover him off the ball like he’s Ray Allen?
If Collins doesn’t try to create shots for himself — and that’s a big if because he’s demonstrated a inexplicable need to shoot the ball –it can potentially work for stretches. Remember, this Clipper team has more potency in the halfcourt on a matchup-by-matchup level than the Cassell-Mobley-Brand-Kaman team. The current squad has two guys in Baron Davis and Zach Randolph who demand disproportionate attention, and two wings who can legimiately spread the floor. That means there will be times when the offensive matchups are favorable enough to warrant having Collins out there to slow down an opposing wing. Friday night was one of those instances, and the gamble paid off.
Having said that, the Collins experiment needs to be monitored closely because there will be times when Collins won’t be worth the cost. If opponents are making the Clippers pay for having Collins in the offense, and sagging off him, then Dunleavy needs to revisit the argument of having him on the court. The same holds true if Collins continues to insist that he has anything whatsoever to offer the offense besides a decent pass and a solid screen. But if Collins can control those impulses and opponents never make the Clippers pay for having an offensive cipher on the floor, then it buys the Clips 15-20 minutes worth of solid defense on a nightmare like Roy.
43 Responses
[...] – Of the 29 shots Mardy Collins has taken with the Clippers, 13 have been airballs. This is a problem, ClipperBlog.com thinks. [...]
Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 8:56 am
this is why we need a taller defensive stopper. Gerald Wallace anyone ?
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Mardy is awful, he can’t shoot and he’s an average defender.
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Theus fired. Another one cut down.
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Collins should shoot as little as possible although when he got extended minutes on the Knicks he actually averaged 14.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.9 steals in a 10-game stretch at the end of the 06/07 season.
Fact is – as long as Ricky isn’t in the line-up/producing Collins will see minutes and the fact that he plays D makes him the type of player Dunleavy has always favored.
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Mardy the Party is not a good shooter, but he does have some skills on the offensive side of the court. He can’t shoot, but he can handle the ball a little bit and he has thrown some nice passes (the dish to paul davis for the throwdown in the portland game, as well as that amazing lob to Camby in overtime). I do think he should shoot very rarely, but I think he can contribute to the offense as a passer and ball-handler, sort of.
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Kaman Homie Reply:
December 15th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Also once Kaman get’s back he can easily be our lock-down perimeter defender and three point shooter, so it’s all gravy.
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
So Glad He’s no longer a Knick. He shoudlnt even be in the NBA.
I give him one more Summer (Thanks Mr. Thomas/Mr. Walsh)
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Dude sucks. Bring back Mobleys’ and his exploding heart. He can fake heart attacks and steal the ball when the other players go to help him. Boom, 2 points!
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
He’s not a good outside shooter, but he can take it to the hoop and score effectively that way at times. If he stays within his game, he can give you useful minutes playing a few positions. I watched him play for the Knicks from the beginning. He’s shown flashes of promise here or there. He came to NY camp in the best shape of his life this year, but he can’t seem to put it all together. There weren’t many Knick fans that were disappointed to see him go. Maybe he’ll fit better here.
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Ted Nelson Reply:
December 16th, 2008 at 11:59 am
You are wrong.
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Kevin,
Great post. Its the same exact theory behind the Maggette/Ross controversy (with Ross playing the role of Collins obviously).
The key to whether or not Collins gets minutes should be the amount of attention the Clippers opposition pays to him defensively. As time goes on however, I get the feeling that the attention level is going to start being very low on a consistent basis, which means Mardy’s minutes should be very low in turn. We’ll see………
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
There is something within Mardy’s Psychological makeup that causes him to throw up airballs and brick layups in transition. At some point, he’s gotta get his sh*t straight and figure it out. Hopefully it will be in a couple games.
Check the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvkbtXuuu9Q&NR=1
He’s gotta be doing something right in practice that we have yet to see…
Otherwise, nobody in the NBA should be brickin’ layups!
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
he’s very quick unfortunately he has to be decisive on his shot selection that is what has killed him the most. He is a very good defender no doubt about it he just needs some experience. What has helped the Clippers win last night is finishing strong with defense by holding the Rockets up to 34 points the 2nd half.
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
he is what he is… a bigger version of Q Ross… what’s so bad about that? Sure he shouldnt be getting primetime minutes…but he serves his purpose.
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Mardy Collins Fan Reply:
December 16th, 2008 at 7:58 am
QRoss isn’t a PG. Mardy is.
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
If he can shoot less and eat up 15 minutes, fine. But I don’t want to see the guy after the middle of the 4th ever unless it’s major blowout.
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Wait wait wait did you people forget that our perimeter defense sucks? Do you not remember the first overtime in Portland went downhill without Mardy? Oh yeah who contained Roy in second OT?
GTFOH!!!
Mardy can get burn in my book should he limit shots of course but he can also be an effective playmaker on both sides of the ball. If Mardy can lockdonw a key player on the opposing team I want in during the clutch. The whole issue with our starting line-up is too many one-way players who can’t defend. Mardy adds balance when he is in so I’m not sweating it.
And Kevin please dude why?
If you want to take aim at shooting selection aim in the direction of our star PG Baron Davis. It is a damn shame Z-Bo came to this team took all the shine away from Baron with the money Baron is making. Baron needs to step up whether playing poor D or chucking too many threes he needs to play team ball.
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Mardy Collins Fan Reply:
December 16th, 2008 at 8:08 am
THANK YOU tco;
This team is comming together. Our starting 5 is going to be BIG if Baron takes leadership by putting his heart into it.
Mardy Collins is big plus for this team. When game is on the line(like in Portland)he’s going to get extended assignment. When Z-Bo & Baron playing, Dunleavy can afford to bench Thornton or Gordon.
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Posted on December 15th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
I know I’ve said this before, but Mardy Collins is not an NBA player. There is no room for a guy who has shot 13 airballs in only 29 shots. My lord.
I’m all for a defensive stopper, but he at least has to be a threat to score. Everyone points to Bruce Bowen, but Bowen was one of the best perimeter defenders, and once he was in San Antonio he had developed that corner 3 and could knock down open shots.
A guy who can’t shoot, at all, has no place in the NBA. None.
He may work in flashes every now and then, but can’t we be developing someone young? Shouldn’t we be taking a chance on a D-League guy or an undrafted rookie a la Anthony Morrow instead???
He’s going to kill all court spacing, which is critical on a team that likes to shoot 3’s and post up. Teams WILL start sending more doubles at Randolph, and when the ball rotates to Collins we’re bound to see some more airballs.
There’s the long shot that he develops a good offensive game…but we were waiting for Q to do that to. It’s not gonna happen.
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Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 1:47 am
There’s a key problem that a few commenters have mentioned that Kevin also touched on in the article. Some of you said you wouldn’t mind having Collins on the floor as long as he doesn’t shoot. However, if he doesn’t and teams know he won’t, the Clippers are playing 4 on 5 at the offensive end because Randolph/Kaman/Davis will almost assuredly be double-teamed. As Kevin correctly points out, it’s probably not worth having Collins on the floor if we are playing a man down at the offensive end. The team is simply not good enough to be able to absorb that disadvantage.
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Stian Reply:
December 16th, 2008 at 6:27 am
You are forgetting one thing though. Collins has shown that he will attack the rim on occasion when he sees an opening – he isn’t just a chucker. Good luck double teaming a player like Randolph who can shoot at a rather high percentage from anywhere on the floor thinking that Collins doesn’t need to be covered. Collins is far from perfect but he does serve a purpose – and that is D. And better D is what we need and what wins game – the 2nd half of the Houston game is proof of that.
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Mardy Collins Fan Reply:
December 16th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Instead of analyzing how Mardy helped beat Blazers, we’re discussing the merit of his playing time. OMG.
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Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 6:18 am
The facts are this: Mardy is in the league primarily bc he was a first round draft choice and his first contract is guaranteed. Will he get a 2nd contract? maybe, maybe not. he was a throw in on this randolph trade to make salaries work. As a throw in, any contribution he can give is a bonus. Clips do not win in Portland without his effort. Never hurts to have a big physical guy who can handle the ball and guard multiple positions. That said, I dont think any plays are being drawn up for him to shoot the ball any time soon.
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Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 11:59 am
We won 2 in a row.
What exactly we are talking now?
Picking on Maurice(Mardy)Collins!
Poor Us!
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Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
we really really need a mediocre Sg atleast to come in behind eric
i mean mardy collins really really sucks…..it seems like he plays ok D
but damn he has to be able to atleast knock down an open J and the times i have seen him shoot he misses, HORRIBLy….
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redbull Reply:
August 14th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
wassup hater? i bet u that he is going to stay in the league until he can’t play anymore! but i’m not mad @ U… haters makes the world go arround!
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Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
mardy doesnt have good hands
whenever the ball in his hands i get nervous because its like a turnover waiting to happen…..
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Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Thank you Mardy.
Now we know what to say & whom to target when we win & can’t bash our Coach.
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Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Let’s get over Mardy and start talking about a potential 3 game winning streak. I know nothing is a given, but OKC is just horrible and have not improved since last time the clipps played them.
I think the Clippers must go at least 3-1 on this roadtrip if they plan to make something out of this season. I think the first is a gimme (i hate to say that)… so you have to go 2-1 against sub-.500 teams. Not impossible.
So lets say they go 3-1… their record coming home is 9-18 (or even 10-17 if they sweep). That’s a hell of an improvement.
Let’s go Clippers!
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Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
I think they are going to play every game TO WIN until topping 18-17 lead.
This is heck of a team with outstanding starting 5.
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Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Mardy like any player showed again tonight can give you a headache one moment but pump you up the next. I was P8ssed when he loss the ball trying to attack but he made up for it with the strip of Durant and attack to the basket.
Our bench is far from perfect so if we can get any hustle plays that result in points I’ll take it.
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Posted on December 16th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Who is this mystery person…”Maurdy Collins Fan”? Is that Maurdy Collins trying to hype himself up on the ClipperBlog?
Anyways, Maurdy is a below average defender with minimal offensive skills…let’s just say, he can dribble the ball without travelling.
He has poor fundamentals, e.g. lazy one handed passes, bad shooting mechanics, etc. I would take Q Ross over Maurdy Collins any day!
Is Bo Outlaw still playing in the NBA? We need to sign him for a one year deal…He was a monster on the defensive end…and I think he ran the point guard position for Bill Fitch’s team!!! Minus his free throw percentage, I will take Bo Outlaw over Maurdy Collins any day!
Sorry Maurdy…you’re horrible. And who’s the guy comparing him to Chauncy Billups??? Wow…
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Posted on December 17th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
[...] departure leaves Mardy Collins as the ranking Clippers point guard. Despite a woeful 1-7 afternoon from the field, Collins [...]
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Posted on April 20th, 2009 at 2:12 am
[...] All right. It’s not like we totally bashed him all over the place. Well, okay… we mentioned him during the PodCast we were in a few days ago and I mentioned him in a snippet of this entry about what’s wrong with the Clippers. We even talked about how most of his shots were just catching air. [...]
Posted on August 11th, 2009 at 1:37 am
this is mardy’s year.. mark my words!
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