"The Undervalued Bird"

Once in awhile I feel like dedicating an article to one specific player. I've done this a few times, but never have I done it on a "role player" type of guy. I'm giving a round-house kick to that wall; columnists need to write more about the glue-guys and the role-players that make championship teams what they are. Honestly, where would the Celtics of been last year if it weren't for guys like Eddie House and PJ Brown, and of course James Posey; coming in off the bench and literally winning games for them(PJ Brown in game 7 against the Cavs; Posey in nearly every game). These are usually players whom are overlooked by the casual fan, and it's a shame the modern day columnist doesn't talk about them more. Sure, they went through their James Posey phase last year because of the key role he played in that entire playoffs(and finals), but it's all too soon forgotten.

In the modern times where the discussion and spotlight revolves around the star players and players who shoot those game-winning shots, we sometimes forget about the players that even give them the opportunity. We must remember it wouldn't be a one point game with 11 seconds left(allowing a star to take a hero game-winning shot) if it weren't for these great role-players that do all their dirty work within the confines of the game; rarely is this ever a last-second isolation or 3-point shot that gives a team a one point win(though it does happen). But you get my point, and I think the stars ego are getting to the point where they don't thank or appreciate the other guys, the role players, that allowed him to make that game-winning shot and have ESPN replay it all night.

This is a tribute to the role-players out there this year that have helped lift their teams to better records and playoff pushes behind the scenes; the ones that get little credit. Some teams have made trades and attained another "star" level player like the Heat with O'Neal and Denver with Billups; players that overshadow any of the new and/or key role-players that are actually just as important as these new stars. Many of the teams have more than one role-player that have helped in their teams push to the playoffs, so this is a salute to all of you role-players and glue-guys out there. Guys like Nicholas Batum of the TrailBlazers, Ronald Murray of the Hawks, Scola and Battier of the Rockets, Millisap of the Jazz, Mario Chalmers and Udonis Haslem of the Heat, and the list goes on and on...


Then there's guys like Chris "Birdman" Andersen(above) of the Denver Nuggets. The undervalued, almost unappreciated, backup big-man of the Nuggets. The guy that is currently 2nd in the league in blocks(but barely playing 20 minutes). The guy that comes in and contests and alters nearly every shot. The guy that brings 110% of his game night in, night out. The guy that never complains about only playing 12 minutes on a night his coach feels his starting bigs are playing great. The guy that thinks team-first rather than me-first.

A quick glance at his per game stats won't blow you away necessarily:

Per Game: 6.1ppg__5.9rpg__2.3bpg__19.6mpg

But maybe I spoke too soon. His per game stats still impress the hell out of me when I see that last little statistic: 19.6mpg. This guy is 2nd(second) in the league in blocks per game ahead of guys like Marcus Camby and Jermaine O'Neal who play nearly twice the minutes that the Birdman Plays. But let's take a deeper look into his stats so we can all realize just how damn solid and productive he's been for the Denver Nuggets this season. As I usually do, let's take a look at his Per36. If you aren't familiar with Per36: it's a stat that simply adjusts a players production to 36 minutes. It's a great way to compare players in a much more objective fashion. Simply put, it's going to show a players production as a starter getting starter minutes. While fatigue is not a variable, most trends have shown that a players per minute stats(like these) are pretty consistent as their play-time increases. Anyway, here's a look at Birdman's:

Per36: 11.3ppg__10.8rpg__1spg__4.3bpg

I think it's pretty safe to say he'd likely lead the league in blocks if he were getting anywhere near 30 minutes or so a game, let alone 36 minutes. While you need to consider how many fouls he commits, you'll see I included that stat as well; while 4.5fpg is somwhat high it would not really impact his inability to stay aggressive on the defensive end if he played 36 minutes. Simply put: if he started at power-forward or center for any team he would be a guaranteed double/double guy and possibly lead the league in blocks as well. Not too shabby.

PER: 18.0

A quick lesson(in case you're not familiar): PER is a rating system that John Hollinger created that is an extremely complex equation that basically takes all aspects of the game(points, steals, assists, blocks, FG%, turnovers, etc), weights them accordingly, adjusts it to average pace, and includes a multitude of things; the result is one number that can basically sum up a players efficiency and produciton when he's on the court. 15.0 is the average for all NBA players. The equation is not a clear-cut tool that you should use to solely judge a player, but it is a surprisingly effective and accurate statistic that has become increasingly popular because of it's results. For example, the top 5 PER's this season, in order: Lebron, Wade, Paul, Howard, Kobe. I think that pretty much speaks for itself as being a reliable equation and tool.

So applying our knowledge of that to Chris Andersen; he is much, much more efficient than an average backup player in the NBA. There are only 25 players above a 20.0 PER, and only about 50 who are above an 18.0 PER; while it's not a fact that Chris Andersen is a top 50 player I think I could put forth a pretty valid argument that he is very plausibly one of the top 50 most efficient and productive players in the league.

So while the entire world thinks all of Denver's success this season is based solely on the Nuggets getting Chauncey Billups in a trade sending Allen Iverson to Detroit, you can know that players like Chris Andersen play a huge role in their success as well. There's obviously a reason they lost Marcus Camby(NBA's leading shot blocker last season) and somehow managed to increase their defense and block more shots this season. While there's no doubt that Billup's leadership and court savvy have helped this team, he's not some savior to the Nuggets that all your sports buddies claim. Next time it's brought up you should probably give a few remarks to counter their oblivious statement:

1-Chris Andersen leads the league in blocks and has made up for Camby's departure on the defensive end; the Birdman blocks nearly 10% of all shots while he's on the floor.
2-Let's not forget the Nuggets did win 50 games last season(w/Iverson) and are on pace to only win a few games more; so somehow the Birdman has made up for Camby being gone....and I guess Billups just made up for Iverson leaving. Wait..... I thought that Billups replacing Iverson made this team that much better? Isn't that what everyone is saying? Then why are they only going to win a couple more games then last season?
3-Their are other variables(like Nene, JR Smith, and Kleiza stepping up too), but this article is about Chris "Birdman" Andersen.

He simply gives his team everything he has every minute he's on the court. Then of course there's the things that don't show up in stats. His energy and hustle that other members of his team feed off of and result in the entire team's defense picking it up and playing harder. The fact that he not only blocks 10% of ALL shots while he's on the court, but the fact that he alters and contests an even higher percentage than that. I've watched him literally change an opposing team's offensive mindset when he stepped on the court, blocked 2 shots in 3 possessions, and then altered about 2 more shots causing them to miss.

Basically, the Birdman is like an Energizer battery: when Denver's starters are getting tired they bring in Birdman to recharge the team and provide the energy they need on both ends; he keeps going and going and going. The Energizer Birdman never stops.