[Cracked Sidewalks] NBA Efficiency Projections on Butler Catching Wade or Lucas; All-Time MU-NBA Players Ranked

[CrackedSidewalks]

NBA Efficiency Projections on Butler Catching Wade or Lucas; All-Time MU-NBA Players Ranked

In light of the big contracts signed by four MU players recently, Ellenson Guerrero posted an incredibly accurate subjective Top 10 of All-Time MU players on MU Scoop. I decided to run the NBA Efficiency rating for all 37 MU players who went to the pros and the projected career figure for active players (see calculations and stats on all 37 at table at the bottom).

For those of you who do not follow it, this is basically the formula NBA coaches use to give a point for everything good a player can do (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) and take a point away for everything negative (turnovers, missed free throws and field goals). My slight variation has always been to double up steals and blocks, and only take away half for each missed free throw.

Dwyane Wade is No. 1 with a net positive 20,864 NBA Efficiency. I then adjusted each active players projection based on Doc Rivers' trajectory. At 33 years old, Doc had already put together 93% of his career Efficiency. Wade certainly may have more left as he plays for $20 million next year, but if he does only have 7% left then he would finish at 22,434.

Guerrero is certainly correct to put Mo Lucas No. 2. In fact, the late great is in a virtual tie right now with Wade and well ahead of where any other player projects. With regular season production virtually even with Wade, you can add Lucas five All-Star appearances, and the credit many expert observers gave him the most credit for delivering the Trail Blazers the NBA title the same year MU took the college crown. Not enough to match Wade's titles and All-Star games - but enough to say he is DEFINITELY the second greatest player to come out of MU to date.

Which leads us to Butler. He has a net efficiency of 3871, ahead of where current No. 3 Doc Rivers was at the age of 25. As dominant as he was this season it is possible he could make a run at Wade and Lucas, but he has a long way to go. It is actually a close call on if he can catch Rivers, Jim Chones (currently 4th) and/or Don Kojis (5th). Kojis is not exact because the NBA actually only recorded blocked shots and steals his final two seasons, so I had to estimate - but those three are VERY close right now for who is the third greatest.

Here is where the real surprise will start for some. Wesley Mattehews AND Jae Crowder both project to finish in the top eight - ahead of Thompson, Whitehead, Meminger, McNeill, McIlvaine, Smith etc.

Matthews is already in 7th with 6,319, BUT while he should easily pass George Thompson he is 28 years old and projected to be passed by both Butler (25 years old) a

Source: NBA Efficiency Projections on Butler Catching Wade or Lucas; All-Time MU-NBA Players Ranked