There's been lots of talk on here about the 15th roster spot, which I understand. Whoever wins it isn't going to do much in the regular season, but it's preseason and, save for injuries, there isn't much to discuss. I figured I'd use this thread to put that entire discussion into one place.
It's entirely possible that this isn't a battle in the first place. As several of you have pointed out, Ivan Carter is saying Dixon's roster spot "is all but guaranteed." (As a sidenote, if I was Ivan's editor, I would have never printed that line without attribution. Who is saying Juan's spot is guaranteed?). I'm kind of dubious, just because DerMarr is getting almost 20 minutes a game this preseason (five more than Linton Johnson), while Dee Brown is getting almost 25. DerMarr is sixth on the team in preseason minutes, behind Brown and rotation mainstays Andray Blatche, Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson and Antonio Daniels. Why give DerMarr so many minutes if you knew he wasn't going to make the team?
So, without further ado, the smackdown. This one will be serious, as I'm sure Jake can come up with a funny version.
| Category |
|
|
Advantage |
| Height/Weight | 6'3'', 164 | 6'9'', 201 | DerMarr |
| Best season |
2004/05
|
2004/05
|
Push |
| Top role |
Sixth man on a 2nd-round playoff team |
Part-time starter on a 49-win playoff team | DerMarr |
| Recently... | Traded around a lot, but continued to stick on NBA rosters | Demoted to the D-League | Juan |
| Position need | Would swing between PG and SG, competing with Dee Brown and Nick Young for backup positions | Would swing between SG and SF, competing with Dominic McGuire for backup position | DerMarr |
| Shooting | Career 50.1 TS%, though can create his own shot better | Career 51.3 TS%...awful in Atlanta, pretty good in Denver, though the 60.5% 2004/05 mark is an outlier | DerMarr |
| Passing | Not a pure point, but posted really strong AST% in Detroit | Never has posted an AST% over 10 in his career | Juan |
| Defense | Pesky, but gambles a lot | Has the tools, but hasn't always devoted himself | Push |
| Coachability | Knows the system, always a good practice player | Reportedly has clashed with his coaches. Doesn't always put forth best effort | Juan |
| Salary | Partially guaranteed |
Completely unguaranteed |
Juan (because the Wiz will have to eat some money if they cut him) |
| Preseason | Hasn't played | Averaging 7.7 points and 2 rebounds per game on 33% shooting, but was very good against New Orleans | DerMarr |
Decide what you will, but I'm personally leaning towards DerMarr. He brings a more diverse skill set to the table, as Nick Young and Dee Brown do most of the things Dixon does. I do worry a bit about DerMarr's attitude, but he seems to be fine so far. I like how he doesn't use possessions and that he has at least demonstrated he can be pretty efficient with his scoring.