Austin Toros Player Review #1: Marcus Fizer

[ChumpDumper]

With the passing of the NBA trade deadline, teams now have to look to free agents and the minor leagues to find any help. Here begins a look at a few players from the NBA Developmental League's Austin Toros who might garner some interest from the NBA, now or in the future.

http://www.nba.com/media/dleague/FizerM334.jpg
MARCUS FIZER

The list of Toros who are truly NBA-ready begins and ends with Marcus Fizer. Fizer easily has the best low post game in the league, averaging 20.3 points per game on 51% shooting from the field. After five years in the NBA, there was little doubt of his talent aside from the fact he was drafted far too high at #4, but after several serious injuries, many wondered about his durability. That issue has been answered about as well as it can be in the less intense schedule of the D-League; Fizer has missed only two games this season due to a hip pointer, with no hint of the knee injuries that plagued him in the show.

Not only has Fizer proved he still has his post and midrange games, scoring reliably from practically every spot inside the arc – he has also improved his long-range shooting as well, hitting about 30% of his three pointers. It's not enough to be a consistent threat, but it illustrates his versatility in halfcourt sets – he can play low post, high post and take the occasional bailout three. His offense is very adaptable to the myriad defensive looks that are thrown at him. He can back down and overpower smaller defenders and draw larger ones out to the perimeter where he can drive on them or put up a jumper. Fizer regularly sees double teams and handles them well, garnering most of his three assists per game passing out of collapsing defenses. His current season high in scoring is the 36 he dropped on the Fayetteville Patriots on February 23.

Fizer is in terrific shape this season and strong as an ox. He's not afraid to mix it up down low though he's still not as dominant rebounder as his size might suggest. Still, his 7.5 rebounding average is respectable, and has increased every month this season. As recently as February 25 he pulled down 17 boards in one game. Fizer's bulk keeps him earthbound; he's not a good leaper or shotblocker.

There are definite weaknesses in Fizer's game. He can be effectively fronted by smaller players at times, as he often doesn't move enough without the ball to get himself open when the first passing lane is taken away. He often gets some tunnelvision when he has a size advantage, and his defenders can often draw charges from his aggressive moves. Fizer seems smaller than his listed height of 6'8”, and lacks the raw athleticism or long wingspan to make up for that the way a guy like Elton Brand has. He's even less of a runner than the was before his knee injury, so you won't see much of him in transition on either side of the court. His commitment to defense is uneven, something that permeates the entire team. He is difficult to back down, and he has decent enough lateral movement but is often slow to rotate and does have trouble keeping up with some of the smaller opponents he often faces in the D-League. Fizer was used occasionally as a small forward in the NBA. With the new defensive rules it's difficult to see that happening again.

All things considered, Marcus Fizer can certainly help an NBA team, especially one needing some post scoring off the bench. There are a couple of teams vying for a playoff spot that could use Fizer to diversify their offense a bit. His former Bull might actually be the best fit considering their needs, and it's a fair bet that if Carlos Boozer isn't coming back, Fizer could contribute more to a drive for a playoff spot than, say, Robert Whaley or Kris Humphries at their current states of development. Fizer looks like he could be what he was in Chicago – a player who can give you a solid 10 and 5 off the bench, go for much more every few games and step in for the occasional start. If things don't work out in the states, he might do well to consider becoming a center in Europe. For now, the Toros are lucky to have him on the team and would not be fighting for first place in the D-League without him.

As a footnote, Fizer has been named NBA D-League Player of the Month (http://www.nba.com/dleague/austin/Marcus_Fizer_Named_NBDL_Player_060301.html) for February with averages of 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 31 minutes per game.

[Peter]

I wouldn't mind the Spurs giving this guy a little run.

[ChumpDumper]

D-League stats. (http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/marcus_fizer/index.html)

NBA stats. (http://www.nba.com/playerfile/marcus_fizer/index.html?nav=page)

[timvp]

Nicely done.

The only thing that would keep Fizer from being a solid bench player in the NBA is his size. He has all the skill and it seems that his effort level is back up, but he's closer to 6'6 than 6'8. A perfect fit would be a team that could use him in a Corliss Williamson type role.

A team like the Suns could use him as a low post threat off the bench. He's better than Brian Grant.

[Kori Ellis]

Hey ChumpD, can I use this post as an article on SpursZONE? (and obviously attribute it to you)

[ChumpDumper]

Sure. You can put in something about his height in the "minuses" paragraph. LJ brought up an important point I left out. I'll run the next one by you guys first.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Would you all rather have Marcus Fizer or Drew Gooden? (all else being equal)

[timvp]

Gooden.

[ChumpDumper]

Certainly Gooden, but by the same token Fizer isn't going to cost a team $9 million next season.

I added LJ's point in the original post.

[Cant_Be_Faded]

Gooden's got good pf size but he's arguably one of the youngest black holes in the league

[Kori Ellis]

Let me know if you want me to change anything..

http://www.woai.com/spurs/story.aspx?content_id=CAFBB002-1A13-4AC1-986A-B458805660CF

[ChumpDumper]

The Suns waived Jimmy Jackson yesterday to make room for Thomas, but the Nets aren't interested in the 35-year-old journeyman wing. Instead, they are going to look into NBDL options, and the D-League's Player of the Week, Marcus Fizer, has come up in some internal discussions.

http://www.nj.com/nets/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1141280767121050.xml&coll=1

I was under the impression the Nets were looking for someone more athletic, but Fizer's halfcourt skills probably give him the edge over anyone else currently in the minors.

[Kori Ellis]

SEATTLE - The Seattle SuperSonics today signed Marcus Fizer to a 10-day contract, Sonics General Manager Rick Sund announced.
A 6-8 forward, Fizer has appeared in 30 games this season with the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League and averaged 20.4 points per game (fourth in the D-League) on 50.5 percent shooting from the field. He also averaged 7.6 rebounds (eighth in the D-League), 3.1 assists and 33.7 minutes per game.

Originally a first-round draft pick (fourth selection overall) by the Chicago Bulls in the 2000 NBA Draft, Fizer has played in 286 career NBA games over five seasons with the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. He holds career averages of 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Last season, Fizer appeared in 54 games with the Bucks and averaged 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

Fizer attended Iowa State from 1997 through 2000 and finished with career averages of 18.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in 97 career collegiate games. He averaged 22.8 points on 58.2 percent shooting as a senior en route to being named the Big 12 Player of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American.

The Sonics roster now stands at 14 players.

[ChumpDumper]

Interesting. Doesn't seem like a great fit at first glance, though he does bring some talents that Seattle is lacking Most of the other good PF/Cs like Sharrod Ford and Hiram Fuller had already left the D-League and one project player I like, James Lang, was picked up by Atlanta. The Sonics may have to keep Fizer or someone else on the roster the rest of the season with all their injuries, but their power rotation looks pretty much set for the future.

At any rate, congrats to Marcus -- he's worked really hard this season. Utah is missing the boat on this guy IMO.

[ChumpDumper]

FIZER TO SIGN? The Sonics will sign a forward to a 10-day contract today and it's expected to be former lottery pick (fourth overall in 2000) Marcus Fizer, averaging 20.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in 30 games for Fort Worth of the NBDLhttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/262160_sonx08.html

[Kori Ellis]

I believe they had to get their roster to 12 healthy players. He should be able to bring them some extra rebounding off the bench.

[T Park]

Where did Ford go to?

[ChumpDumper]

Germany, IIRC.

[Tigole Bitties]

Sonics have to fill that huge void left by Vitaly "Judo chop" Potapenko :rolleyes

Not a 100% I.D., but a few weeks ago, I saw a black Bentley Continental on Dean Keaton (26th st) with Illinois plates and a brother in a baseball cap who looked strikingly similar to Marcus Fizer. Just an unusual sighting here in Austin.

[ChumpDumper]

Sonics have to fill that huge void left by Vitaly "Judo chop" Potapenko :rolleyes

Not a 100% I.D., but a few weeks ago, I saw a black Bentley Continental on Dean Keaton (26th st) with Illinois plates and a brother in a baseball cap who looked strikingly similar to Marcus Fizer. Just an unusual sighting here in Austin.He still lives in Chitown, so I wouldn't be surprised.

Life without Fizer started tonight for the Toros with a heartbreaking 113-111 loss to Roanoke. The Toros had several chance to win a sloppy, sloppy game for them (25 turnovers), but the shots just didn't fall late. The one guy who did shoot 50%, Derrick Zimmerman, blew a wide open fastbreak layup after a beautiful steal near the end of regulation.


There were some bright spots in the game. Even without their leading rebounder Fizer, the Toros outrebounded the Dazzle, 60-45, and some of their experimental small lineups were very effective against one of the biggest teams in the league. Jamar Smith did a good job stepping into the starting PF slot (22pts, 16reb 1blk), but his game is all face up and hustle; the Toros have no one with a reliable back to the basket game. Jeff Hagen and Anthony Fuqua had productive games off the bench and probably earned some more minutes in Fizer's absence.

Rudy T was in attendance tonight to watch Gerald Fitch, just sent down from Houston. He didn't see much of his team-running skills, as Coach Johnson elected to start him at shooting guard in place of the injured Ramel Curry to preserve his guard rotation as best he could. It'll be interesting to see how Johnson will fit him into such a guard-heavy team at full strength.

[Kori Ellis]

He was on a 10-day with the Sonics, but got cut this morning.

[T Park]

I see Fitch got cut by the Rockets too.

Fizer is available again?


Interesting......

[ChumpDumper]

Yeah, Rudy T was in town the last game Fitch played in Austin. You could tell the poor guy was pressing and he wasn't done any favors by being played out of position.

I'm not surprised Fizer didn't work out in Seattle; just didn't seem like a good fit. The Toros could sure use him if nothing else happens.

[Kori Ellis]

Rumor has it that Fizer is hurt.

[ChumpDumper]

That's too bad, just when he gets his chance.

[ChumpDumper]

Julius Hodge was just called back to Denver, and Ramel Curry is just coming back from injury. They signed another couple of guards, but it really hurts having your three top scorers out at various points. I have to hope they can hold on to their playoff spot. That's life in the D-League....

[Streakyshooter08]

Germany, IIRC.


If anybody is interested: I saw Ford play tonight. He plays for Alba Berlin which is considered to be the best German team. He was alright. Had 5 monster blocks, scored some points and had a few rebounds but was in foultrouble throuhout the game. He might be a good addition for them as the season moves on.

[T Park]

But, Sharrod Ford is the missing big man, and is an all star in waiting.

The Spurs are gonna rue the day for cutting him!!!

[DannyT]

Julius Hodge was just called back to Denver, and Ramel Curry is just coming back from injury. They signed another couple of guards, but it really hurts having your three top scorers out at various points. I have to hope they can hold on to their playoff spot. That's life in the D-League....

wow, i dint know julius played in ATX, he' the one that played for NC State correct?
where do they play at, is it the civic center, im not from austin but i stay near by in killeen so thats about as close to b-ball as we get, well when we are not deployed.
but they would be pretty cool to check out one day ....

[ChumpDumper]

Yeah that's the same Hodge. They play in the Convention Center downtown. It isn't the NBA, but it's realatively cheap (getting cheaper next season) and the games are almost always close.

[Kori Ellis]

Fizer Out; Felix In

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/263608_sbok20.html

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The Sonics did not renew the 10-day contract of forward Marcus Fizer, leaving the former lottery pick to sign with another team or head back to the NBA Developmental League. And the primary reason Fizer was allowed to go was shooting baskets at Furtado Center on Sunday well after his teammates departed into the beautiful, cool Seattle sunshine.

Felix stayed late at practice yet again, shooting mid-range jumpers and working on his ballhandling. He was working so long after practice that he had to yell to a Sonics' assistant that he wasn't overdoing it.

Because Felix is developing so quickly in practice as either a small or power forward, Hill said he realized Fizer wouldn't get much playing time in the final 17 games. :smokin

"We're probably not going to make the playoffs, we're working hard to develop things," Hill said. "To get (Fizer) minutes with the guys that are already here and still trying to win games is difficult."

Hill spent Friday working Fizer out during a voluntary practice and is convinced the former Iowa State standout and first-team All American still has something left to offer an NBA club.

"He really did a good job," Hill said. "He had a good attitude. He was in here early every day. I would venture to guess he was in here when he didn't have to be. I think he's an NBA player."

Felix has scored two points in two games, but has done most of his improving in practice. The Sonics like Felix's potential as a versatile forward who can play defense. He was chosen as the Continental Basketball Association defensive Player of the Year last week.

"He can run, he can really jump and he is developing his jump shot," Hill said. "With Damien (Wilkins) and Rashard (Lewis), again, it's difficult to get him a lot of minutes. And he beat me in bowling. I told him it's not smart to beat the coach because I control the minutes."

Felix finished off Hill in Ray Allen's bowling tournament Saturday.

[ChumpDumper]

Yep, I think I said somewhere that Noel's versatility would be a big plus.

[ChumpDumper]

Well, if Marcus felt any resentment about being in the D-League again, he took it out on the Albuquerque Thunderbirds. He dropped a D-league season-high 44 points on them tonight. It didn't look like his back was bothering him though he really didn't sit much while he played 42 minutes. According to the local paper, he lost 12 pounds while he was up in Seattle and he did seem to be running the floor a bit better.

[Kori Ellis]

That's awesome for him. Maybe he gets another callup from another team.

If not, I'm sure he's going to have a great shot at getting back in the NBA this offseason.

[CubanMustGo]

Here's the story ChumpDumper was talking about:

http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/toros/03/22TOROS.html

Toros' Fizer scores team-record 44 points in 102-94 victory over Albuquerque
He sets mark in first game back with team.
By Connor Higgins

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Figuring he'd had enough rest in the past two weeks, Marcus Fizer wouldn't even sit on the Austin Toros bench when he was first pulled from Tuesday night's game at the Austin Convention Center.

Fizer returned to the Toros just one day after the expiration of his 10-day contract with the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics. For Austin, it wasn't a moment too soon.

Winless in six games without their scoring leader, the Toros cheerfully welcomed back a leaner, quicker Fizer, who scored a team-record 44 points in a 102-94 victory over Albuquerque.

A crowd of 1,726 fans was treated to a surprise, as Fizer's return was announced just a couple of hours before game time. Though he never left the bench with the Sonics, Fizer showed no signs of rust in his 42 minutes, notching the most points in an NBA Development League game this season. He also helped the Toros snap an eight-game skid.

Fizer shot 16 of 20 from the free-throw line and set another D-League season high with 31 field-goal attempts. He made 14.

Fizer shed 12 pounds while working with strength and conditioning coaches after Seattle signed him to a 10-day contract on March 8. He said the Sonics told his agent he would remain with the club, and newspaper reports also suggested the Sonics would sign him to another 10-day contract when the first expired.

"The ultimate goal is to stay (in the NBA)," Fizer said. "I'm quite confident that I would have had I been given a chance."

For now Fizer will mix it up teammates old and new. Forward Omar Thomas, picked up a week ago along with guard Quannas White, added 12 points off the bench in his first home outing, including a three-pointer to put Austin back on top after it squandered an 11-point lead in the third quarter.

The win put Austin a half-game out of second place with seven games remaining.

Note: The Toros waived center Scott Merritt before Tuesday's game because of injury. Merritt started 37 games, averaging 10.2 points.

[ChumpDumper]

Well, Marcus only scored 36 points in 38 minutes tonight. He's playing at an entirely different level right now. At the beginning of the season he looked like he was on a mission to get back into the NBA. Now he just looks like he's out there to punish the ball and anyone in his way. It's not very often you see this level of aggression. He even blocked four shots - something he never even did in his NBA heyday. He's noticeably thinner -- you can tell just by looking at his head :lol -- and his movement on the court shows it.

[Kori Ellis]

Well, Marcus only scored 36 points in 38 minutes tonight. He's playing at an entirely different level right now. At the beginning of the season he looked like he was on a mission to get back into the NBA. Now he just looks like he's out there to punish the ball and anyone in his way. It's not very often you see this level of aggression. He even blocked four shots - something he never even did in his NBA heyday. He's noticeably thinner -- you can tell just by looking at his head :lol -- and his movement on the court shows it.

Wow. I guess he's pissed off that the Sonics didn't keep him.

[ChumpDumper]

Yeah, he's on a rampage. When the Toros' new backup point guard, Quannas White, came into the game Marcus went right up to him and you could tell he was instructing White just to give him the damn ball. It was pretty funny. He doesn't belong at this level, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

[Kori Ellis]

Yeah, he's on a rampage. When the Toros' new backup point guard, Quannas White, came into the game Marcus went right up to him and you could tell he was instructing White just to give him the damn ball. It was pretty funny. He doesn't belong at this level, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.

That's funny. Well hopefully he gets a chance somewhere. I thought that the Nets were looking at him right before he went to the Sonics. Is that right?

[ChumpDumper]

Yeah there was some scuttlebutt about that before he went to Seattle. I'm sure something is going to happen for him next season if not this one. I won't mind too much if he plays out the season here. A half game seperates 2nd and 6th place -- 1 through 4 go to the playoffs.

[Bruno]

Press Release - The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets announced today that they have signed Marcus Fizer from the NBADL’s Austin Toros to a 10-day contract.

“Marcus is a proven NBA player and he’ll help strengthen our injury-depleted frontline as we make our playoff push,” said Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower. “He showed great professionalism this season by improving his game in the NBADL and we look forward to the contributions he’ll be able to make right away.”

Fizer was named the NBA Development League’s Most Valuable Player for the 2005-06 season earlier today after averaging 22.7 points and 7.8 rebounds in 35 games with the Toros. Fizer signed a 10-day contract with the Seattle SuperSonics on March 8, but did not appear in a game.

[ChumpDumper]

In other news, the Toros' playoff chances have gone to shit.

Good for Marcus though. The situation is much more wide open than Seattle was. The Hornets only have three big men under contract next season and only one under 30.

[Mark in Austin]

Damn... I caught one of the Toros games after Fizer was called up to seattle - went to OT and was a lot of fun, but I was looking forward to seeing Fizer destroy a team or two.

Good for him though.