The Curious Case of Jared Jeffries

"A rare shot by Jeffries!" Mike Breen shouted during a recent home game, as Jared Jeffries lined up for a wide open, 8-foot jump shot that would bounce off the back rim and back into play.

Jared Jeffries is an offensive enigma. He's mind-boggling; he baffles, bewilders, puzzles and perplexes me on a consistent basis. Thesaurus.com had more synonyms, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

 He always plays like he's being double teamed

Jeffries was a Knick from 2006-2010, and was reacquired on March 1, 2011, so I have seen plenty of him (although I spent his first stint slumped in the corner of my room, deliriously convinced it was all just a bad hallucination: that they had never, in fact, traded Patrick Ewing for the likes of Luc Longley, Travis Knight and Glen Rice's plantar fasciitis laden feet).

Here's a breakdown of Jeffries' abilities based on years of watching him stumble his way through the offense...

Pros: He hustles, moves well without the ball and has decent court vision. He's not Charles Smith.

Cons: He is an awful jump shooter, especially off the dribble. He is a 58% career free throw shooter, just about 5% ahead of Shaq's career average. Unless he is wide open, he has an embarrassing touch near the rim; I've seen him miss many layups and dunks.

His career Player Efficiency Rating (PER), which measures a player's per-minute production is 9.7. The league average is 15 every season. The closest he came to that mark was 2005-06, with a PER of 11.6. For reference, teammate Ronny Turiaf has a career PER of 14.3.

The layup may not have gone in

This season, his overall PER is 6.6, and 5.2 with the Knicks, making him 397th out of the 445 players in the league. Have you heard of Mustafa Shakur? Francisco Elson? Both of those players are above him in PER.

Jeffries has never averaged more than seven points per game. This year he is averaging less than 1.5 points per game, shooting about 29% from the field and 35% from the free throw line. He has scored ten or more points in a game zero times this season.

He has scored 15 or more points twelve times in his career, or in .02% of his total games played.

So what conclusion arises from this smoldering heap of statistics? That Jared Jeffries simply cannot play offense?

But the whole reason for this analysis of his play is not to throw dirt on top of an old grave. It's because, digging deeper, that conclusion may not be true.

It's a confusing puzzle to piece together, so let's trace his basketball career back as far as the Internet will take us.

Jeffries played high school ball at Bloomington High School North. He was honored as the Indiana Mr. Basketball in 2000, a yearly award recognizing the top high school basketball players in the state of Indiana. He shares this achievement with Oscar Robertson (the only NBA player to ever average a triple double over an entire season), who won the award in 1956.

Jeffries was a McDonald's All-American that year as well.

Here, Jeffries looks like a basketball player

He was also ranked 9th in the 2000 Recruiting Services Consensus Index (RSCI), which ranks the top 100 high school basketball players each year. There were multiple future NBA players behind him, including Chris Wilcox and former Knick Mike Sweetney.

The next step in his career was college at Indiana University. In his first season, he averaged almost 14 points a game and shot 44% from the floor, leading the Hoosiers to a 21-13 record, albeit a first round exit in the NCAA Tournament. He improved a year later, averaging 15 points per game on 46% shooting, as the Hoosiers went 25-12 and made it to the NCAA championship game, losing to Maryland. In that game, Jeffries had 8 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

Remember how Jeffries has scored 15 or more points in just .02% (12 times in 544 games) of his career NBA games? In college he scored at least 15 points 43% of the time (30 times in 70 games).

Here he looks like a lost child

He entered the NBA draft after his sophomore season and was drafted 11th overall, by the Washington Wizards. Players picked after Jeffries include Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer and Nenad Krstic.

This brings us to the start of his NBA career.

His career actually began with promise. He averaged 4, 5.7 and 6.8 points in his first three seasons respectively. However, since that incredible 2004-05 season when he averaged almost 7 points per game, Jeffries declined almost every season, which brings us to this year, where he is averaging 1.4 points per game. 

So, after weeks of research and days of writing, my analysis of Jared Jeffries is complete, and like all epic tales, it ends just how it began:

Jared Jeffries is an offensive enigma. He's mind-boggling; he baffles, bewilders, puzzles and perplexes me on a consistent basis.

Playing Catch Up

Another weekend of college-fueled fun, another weekend of missed posts and games, lost forever.

Someone remind the Knicks this guy's no longer a Cav

Here's my quick update on the Knicks, for which I've come up with the following completely original title: "The State of the Knicks Address."

First, let's all agree to pretend that I never predicted the Knicks would come "out with a vengeance" and "blowout" the Cavs. Can we all agree that it's a good thing the Cavaliers are 21 games behind the Knicks and 15 out of the eighth seed? Because if this season is any indication, the Knicks would be handily swept in that playoff series.

Moving on from that ghost post (which still exists, if only to humble me when my many other predictions ring true), the Knicks are now 5-3 since the big trade, but really 5-1 once you understand that the Cavs have officially defined what it means to "have a team's number," rendering discussion of any Knicks vs. Cavs game moot.

Let's focus on the other games that the Knicks have played since Carmelo Anthony came home (and yes, I'm linking to that commercial again because every time I watch it I cry like I'm a member of the Miami Heat).

Further proof of blowout uneccesary
 (Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Knicks beat the Bucks, a team they should beat, using their prodigious (Walt Clyde Frazier word alert!) offense in the first game after the trade, or as it will henceforth be referred to as, A.C. (After Carmelo). Then, they had an impressive, gutty victory over the Heat, with a stifling defense, allowing under 90 points for just the third time this season. They were beating the Magic until Jameer Nelson woke up from a three-quarter coma, and lost by six. They massacred the playoff-bound Hornets by 19, and double-massacred the new-look Jazz by 22, with their bench on the floor for the entire fourth quarter.

So can't we just contract the Cavs from the league and strike their games this season from the record books? The Knicks would be 33-26 and approaching ten games over .500 (they haven't finished a season .500 or better, let alone ten games over .500 since 2000-01), having won 7 of their last 10 games. I like the sound of that.

Come on, humor me.

Knicks vs. Cavs 7:30

"(Tonight) is a payback game, man...It left a bitter taste in my mouth and the team's mouth and we remember that. We hold grudges." -Carmelo Anthony

The Knicks take on the Cavs tonight, a team who they have yet to beat in two tries this season. One of those games was last weekend, post trade. The Cavs are 11-49 on the season.

Expect the Knicks to come out hot tonight, as they try to wash the bitter taste of losing to the worst team in the league out of their mouths.

Chauncey Billups is doubtful. If Billups does indeed not play, Toney Douglas will be asked to step up again, as he did against the Hornets on Wednesday, scoring 24 points.

The last time these two teams played, Antwan Jamison, Ramon Sessions and J.J. Hickson each had what may of been their best games of the season, with 28, 22 and 24 points respectively. This time, especially with the home crowd rooting on the Knicks, it's a good bet that those three will not end with such gaudy numbers.

Meanwhile, Baron Davis is making his Cavaliers debut. Cavs coach Byron Scott and Davis reportedly had a bumpy relationship during their days with the Hornets, although are supposedly on the same page now. The Cavs will have to shake off the rust with a new star point guard, and the Knicks are coming out with a vengeance.

I see a blowout in the Garden on Amar'e Stoudemire bobblehead night.

Knicks 107, Hornets 88

Knick's Record- 31-28 (6th in the East, 5 games back from the 5th seeded Hawks, 1 1/2 games up on 7th seeded 76ers)

Amar'e and Melo learn how it feels to sit on the bench

The entire roster saw action tonight as the Knicks massacred the Hornets, 107-88. It was 52-42 Knicks at the half and 82-62 after three. Chris Paul's first points came with a buzzer beating shot to end the first half. He would score one more basket, ending with just 4 points and 10 assists.

Box Score

Stoudemire had 24, Douglas had 23 and Anthony had 22, leading the way for the Knicks. In a rare occurrence, D'Antoni gave the crowd what they wanted late in the game, inserting Roger Mason, who absolutely drained two shots, one of which was a three, while also dishing out an assist in just four minutes. Play like that might make D'Antoni more inclined to give him chances in future games.

We also got our first looks at the newcomers, Jared Jefferies and Derrick Brown. Jefferies picked up right where he left off; I could only tell this wasn't a replay of his first stint with the team because he now wears number nine. Oh, and the entire roster has changed. Jefferies played well on defense and had six rebounds, four of which were offensive. Brown played just four minutes along with Mason and picked up two fouls and one rebound. Still, he played with confidence and looks like the type of player who would fit D'Antoni's run and gun style of offense.

Shawne Williams, who had been slumping recently shooting the three, shot 4-6 from beyond the arc, including hitting his first three, on the way to 16 points.

The Knicks played a very solid game, especially without Billups. They looked like the type of team that should have these types of victories, especially against reeling teams like the Hornets, who came off a loss to the Toronto Raptors.

The Knicks are now 3-2 since the trade. They play the Cavs (who they have yet to beat in two attempts this season) on Friday.

Knicks vs. Hornets 7:30 p.m.

The Knicks will have to play Chris Paul and the Hornets without Chauncey Billups tonight. It's crazy how quickly Billups has gone from an afterthought in the blockbuster deal to the third member of the Knicks' very own big three.

Paul will dictate how the Hornets play

A night after his collision with Dwight Howard's knee, Billups says he "feels better." He is listed as questionable for friday's game against the Knicks' nemesis, the Cavs.

The two new Knicks, Derrick Brown and Jared Jefferies, will suit up tonight. Jefferies should see minutes, as he knows the system and D'Antoni is a big fan. We will see if Brown gets in the game, and what he shows us.

The Knicks beat the Hornets 100-92 on December 3rd, in their only other meeting this season. Amar'e Stoudemire had 34 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, while Paul had 17 points and 10 assists for the Hornets. Of course, this is a much different matchup.

This is a game the Knicks should be able to steal, even without Billups in the lineup. The Hornets have lost 11 of their last 15, including a loss last night to the last-place Toronto Raptors.
 
P.S. Remember Paul's toast at Carmelo Anthony's wedding? Let's hope the Garden crowd shows Paul how great it could be playing here.

Don't forget your toast, Paul

***

A few quick notes that have nothing to do with tonight's game:

-Happy anniversary to Wilt Chamberlain. On this day 49 years ago, Wilt the Stilt scored 100 points in a single game against none other than the New York Knicks.

- Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld and ESPN 1040 tweeted that Eddy Curry (formerly Eddy Curry's expiring contract) is telling friends that he will sign with the Heat. Do the Heat want him? And if so, why? And how unfair would it be if Curry won a ring with...maybe I'm getting head of myself.

- Mike Prada over at SBnation.com put together a pretty hilarious list of 60 players the Heat should sign over Curry. Personally I think a more comprehensive list could be put together.

Enjoy the game and check back after for post game thoughts and analysis.

Ewing Speaks!

The Garden used to be his house

Last night, Patrick Ewing weighed in on the current state of the Knicks, as well as Dwight Howard's impending free agency...

On the Knicks:
"New York hasn't had two bona fide superstars since Willis (Reed) and Earl (Monroe) and Clyde (Frazier). Those guys (Stoudemire and Anthony) are bona fide superstars."

Now it's theirs

"Everybody kept talking about him [Chauncey Billups] as a throw in. People overlooked him when he first started. He's played great games. He's won championships."

On Howard:
"He's staying in Orlando. He ain't going nowhere. I told him if he's going anywhere, I'm chopping his legs off."


It's been awhile since I had the joy of seeing Patrick Ewing talk to reporters. The last time I remember seeing Ewing besides pointing him out on the Magic bench to my dad, his name was Patrick Chewing.

Magic 116, Knicks 110

Knick's Record- 30-28 (6th in the East, 5 games back from the 5th seeded Hawks, 1 game up on 7th seeded 76ers)
 
The Knicks gave Donnie Walsh an early birthday present Sunday night with their victory against the Heat. Unfortunately, they were unable to deliver a gift on his actual 70th birthday Tuesday night, as they fell to the Magic, 116-110.

Box Score

The Knicks had this game in their grasp, leading by five going into the fourth quarter.

Nelson came alive in the second half

But then, after a nonexistent first half where he scored just 3 points, Jameer Nelson decided to show up. With a flurry of circus layups and step-back jumpshots, Nelson helped the Magic take back a lead that they would not again relinquish.

Against the Knicks' "front court," Dwight Howard had 30 points, 16 boards and 5 blocks.

Amar'e Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups each had 30 for the Knicks, and Carmelo Anthony had 25, with yet another poor shooting night (8-24 from the field). Billups took a career high 20 free throws and made 18. Between the two teams there were 97 free throws taken, while zero players fouled out.

What you can take away from this game as a Knicks fan is this: The Knicks are on the same level as the Magic. This game had the same intensity and competitive fire that Sunday night's game had. Overall, the Knicks have the talent to beat the Magic, and could compete in a 7-game series.

The Knicks had no answer for Superman

Of course, the problem is Howard. The Knicks simply do not have anyone to match up with the big man. His presence alone changes the entire game; it opens up threes and outside jumpers, and simply gives the other four Magic players much more court to utilize. However, there are very few teams with the ability to combat Howard. The Lakers, Celtics (as long as Shaq is health), Thunder (with newly acquired Kendrick Perkins) and Bulls are the only teams that even have a chance.

I'll break down the teams player by player in another post, but Knicks fans can celebrate the fact that the Magic don't have five Dwight Howards; they only have one.

It's also worth noting that this was only the Knicks' fourth game A.C. (After Carmelo). Don't forget what your third grade teacher used to tell you when you were learning multiplication tables: practice makes perfect.

Knicks vs. Magic 7 p.m.

The Knicks head to Orlando tonight to face Dwight Howard and the Magic. They faced each other once earlier this season, a 112-103 loss on Dec. 30.

Superman vs. STAT

Of course, that was B.C. (Before Carmelo).

It's the 4th game of the new era, and the Knicks should come into Orlando with a renewed confidence after their huge victory against the Heat Sunday night. Since the trade occurred exactly one week ago, there is not much to look at in terms of previous matchups between the two teams.

Howard put up 24 points and 18 boards against the Knicks in December. As I wrote earlier today, the Knicks still have a gaping hole when it comes to big men, so it is likely that Howard will roam under the basket with the same freedom he felt earlier in the year. Amar'e had 30 points in that game, but just 4 boards.

Howard has been monstrous of late, putting up at least 30 points in 5 of his last 7 games.

The Knicks will have to double team him and force the rest of the team to beat them.

Howard's supporting cast has been meager this season; Gilbert Arenas is not the Arenas of yesteryear, when he was an explosive All-Star lock. He's averaging 8 points a game for the Magic this season. Hedo Turkoglu hasn't scored more than 20 points since January 22nd, and you have to go back almost an entire month from that date to find the next time he broke 20. Jason Richardson hasn't broken 20 since January 15th.

With Melo and Amar'e, the Knicks have the offense to compete with any team in the league. It's their defense that could trip them up. Once Jared Jefferies is suited up and playing (supposedly tomorrow against the Hornets), their defense should be a little stronger. However, even Jefferies is not big enough to do much against Superman.

This game is going to come down to Howard's supporting cast. Will they step up?

Knicks' Roster Becoming Complete

Donnie Walsh announced today that the Knicks have claimed Derrick Brown off waivers from Charlotte.

Bygones?

This is interesting news. Jared Jefferies should be signing any minute now with the Knicks, and the presumption was that the Knicks would be going after another big to fill out their roster, after having bought out Corey Brewer and waiving Kelenna Azubuike.

Brown is a young, (drafted 40th overall in the 2009 draft) 6'8" swingman with promise. His pro minutes have been so limited that they are not even worth analyzing at this point (9.4 minutes per game last season, 12 this year).

It's worth noting his steady improvement in college, though. As a Xavier freshman he averaged 6 points and 4 boards per game. As a sophomore, 11 and 6.5. As a senior, 14 and 6. He was also a solid 3-point shooter, so I'm sure D'Antoni is salivating at the news of his signing. He shot 41.5% from downtown for his college career.

But the move is puzzling because of what the Knicks desperately need, which is a center.

Neither Jefferies nor Brown appears to fill that role; many Knicks fans yearn for the likes of Leon Powe, who appears to be headed towards Miami or back to Boston.

Thus far, Donnie Walsh has done no wrong in my eyes; he has transformed the Knicks from a bumbling squad of delinquent losers into a star-studded (albeit small) group of contenders in just two years. Here's to hoping that, as usual, he see's a little bit more than the casual observer.