The NBA’s 30 best go-to players (#22: Michael Redd)
Michael Redd
Every NBA team has a go-to guy, and there’s really only room for one. And it’s not strictly who takes the last-second shot. It’s the guy who regularly gets the ball when things are getting tense in the fourth; the guy expected to calm things down when teammates are getting sloppy; the guy called upon to snuff out an opponent’s rally, or spark a rally of his own; the guy who’s not just supposed to make shots, but make the right decisions.
Bottom line: Who do you want the offense to run through when everything is on the line? From #30 to #1, these are the League’s best go-to guys…
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#22: MICHAEL REDD, Milwaukee Bucks
This one was tricky. Normally, the rules I made up for this stipulate that the “go-to guy” is whoever will/should be Team X’s top option come Opening Night this upcoming season. With the Bucks, however, their clear and obvious go-to guy is hurt and probably won’t be back until December or January. So while he’ll be around for the majority of the schedule, in the meantime, who is Milwaukee’s safety valve? It’s probably Andrew Bogut, he of the career scoring average of 12 points per game. That’s a pending disaster.
But like the old adage says, you can’t lose your job due to injury. So while Michael Redd will be sidelined when the Bucks open their season, he’s still their go-to guy as far as I’m concerned. Let’s just say he’s on vacation.
So why is Redd at this spot? You have to begin with his outside shot, as he is one of the deadliest three-point shooters in the League. But like I wrote in the Redd vs. Ray Allen argument, his offensive game literally covers more ground than he’s given credit for. Last season, 34 percent of Redd’s field goal attempts were beyond the arc. (Lower than Chauncey Billups‘ 40% and Manu Ginobili’s 42%, and they aren’t considered gunners.) In Redd’s last full season, ‘07-08, only 28 percent of his attempts were three-pointers. In other words, he can score his 20 a night and still get buckets when his three isn’t dropping, since defenses can’t simply play him for the jumper when he can take it off the dribble.
In crunch time, Redd is a productive late-game scorer, an outstanding free-throw shooter (critical in the fourth quarter/overtime), and has a resume of big shots and games he’s taken over. In one of his last games before he tore his ACL and MCL, Redd dropped 44 points on Sacramento in a close win. Earlier in the year he had 25 and 10 boards in a close W over the Spurs, and scored 27 in a win against Utah, including 10 in the fourth quarter. Redd’s most memorable crunch-time performance was a 57-point outing against the Jazz a couple years ago, when he lit them up in the second half and led a Bucks comeback from a 25-point deficit before Deron Williams stole the win. When he’s on, he’ll go shot-for-shot with any scorer in the League, but his health is now a concern.
Realistically, the Bucks stunk last year and will stink again this year. With a stronger supporting cast Redd would be able to better show his wares as a go-to scorer, but in the same Catch-22 default go-to guys like Rip Hamilton, Nate Robinson and Boris Diaw find themselves in, going to a better team would mean Redd then becomes a No. 2 or No. 3 option.
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23. Devin Harris
24. Kevin Martin
25. Al Jefferson
26. O.J. Mayo
27. Stephen Jackson
28. Nate Robinson
29. Boris Diaw
30. Rip Hamilton
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September 25th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Bizz says:
I just hope Tyrone doesn’t come on here and claim that Redd is a glass eater or that he dishes dopey dimes lol
September 25th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
nowwhatyo says:
redd should be lower on this list… definitely behind Al Jefferson
September 25th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
sh!tfaced says:
If this doesn’t show Ray Allen at 21 then the Redd vs Allen comparison was bull… LOL
September 25th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
rban says:
lol how is Boris Diaw a better go to player then Rip Hamilton? Pistons leading scorer in playoffs history. Has Diaw had a 50 point game?
September 25th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
sh!tfaced says:
Diaw once had 50 croissants in a day…
September 25th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
rban says:
lol i dig, Has Diaw ever been the leading scorer on a championship team? Rip has.
September 25th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
BRUCE says:
Another LEFTY!
September 25th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
rban says:
I cant even believe Boris made this list… the dude absolutely defers at any time possible.
September 25th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
mellmeister says:
List gets crappier as days go by… :-/
September 25th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
IG says:
Redd is out until January? Any other go-to players who won’t play on Opening Night?
September 25th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
mtindore520 says:
Redd is a great player and deserves to be where he’s @ on the list and one thing is he gets to FT line better than anyone on the list so far…also the most explosive and memerable game IMO is when he went for 40 vs. Detroit in the playoffs of 2006…
September 25th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
mtindore520 says:
*sorry he doesnt get to the FT line better than D-Harris or K-Mart, by a long shot…
September 25th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Ian says:
shitfaced
the list wont show allen at all pierce is the man in boston.
September 25th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
High Release says:
Clutch at the line? No way, I’d prefer the little bald kid from Hoosiers. But he’s good at getting to the bucket.
September 25th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
The REAL Tyrone says:
This cat ain’t for shit yo. Cat for sho got a sweet stroke y’all but cat be inujued all dem time yo. Ain’t be helpin dem Bucks if he be not playin yo.
True thugs NEVER lie.
The Real Tyrone
September 25th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Alee-Mo says:
I’m tired of every time a new player goes up, people complain again about Rip Hamilton being put 30th.
Rip was the leading scorer on a championship team FIVE YEARS AGO. Stop living in the past. What did he do last year to stand out? Chauncey went away, Rip had his shot at being The Man, and the Pistons were garbage. Now he’s a year older, he still only shoots jumpers and Ben Gordon is about to take his PT and his shots. If you want to argue anything, argue that Rip shouldn’t have been called Detroit’s go-to guy in the first place.
September 25th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Octopus Jonny says:
Dime, what’s all this bullshit about Redd being out until January? By all counts, he’s weeks ahead of schedule and every report I’ve seen has him starting opening night. He’s been on the court the past couple weeks at the Cousin’s Center and even busted Charlie Bell’s face on a fakeout. http://twitpic.com/ipx83 http://twitpic.com/iq4b8
So what’s up Dime, why y’all keep saying Redd’s out until January?
As far as this season, the last time Mike played with a decent point guard (TJ Ford’s rookie year, don’t act like TJ wasn’t nice before the back injury either) he made the all-star. I think Brandon Jennings will have a better rookie year than TJ and a larger impact on Redd’s game this season, and if Redd comes back healthy looks for 25+ppg again.
September 25th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
rban says:
Rip wasnt garbage last season, he was actually the only consistent player we had. Regardless of if he was coming off the bench or starting. You cant tell me you think Diaw is a better go to playe.
September 25th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Ricky says:
i cant believe that whoever is the clippers go to guy is higher than Jefferson…
September 25th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
sh!tfaced says:
So a team can’t have 2 go-to guys? Isn’t that what makes Boston so good? They won 62 games and went deeper than expected in the playoffs even without KG.
And wouldn’t it be a kind of injustice if Ben Gordon wasn’t included in the list? He killed with the Bulls in the playoffs last season. But since he’s now with the Pistons and Rip was already named as Detroit’s go-to guy, he can’t be on the list?
So a team can’t have 2 go-to guys?
September 25th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
cc. says:
haha +1 for the first comment
September 26th, 2009 at 7:15 am
Steve says:
Redd is a poor man’s Rip Hamilton … though because of that crappy contract he is actually richer than Rip. Go figure…
September 26th, 2009 at 10:45 am
don cannon says:
i cant wait to see who the go-to player for the bulls is lol cause bg aint there no more…this list is bulshit, just stop it right now, you guys already fucked up so many times just QUIT!!!
September 26th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
doc says:
eh,whatever.
September 26th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
doc says:
If I was Boris and Nate i would take this article to my agent and gm and tell them Im worth top 30 go to guy money according to Dime mag and pay me what im worth.
September 27th, 2009 at 2:04 am
karizmatic says:
After this injury I don’t see Redd being the same guy…Milwaukee should trade him while teams might still think he’s nice and he can play as that 2nd or 3rd option.