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I wouldn't mind the Spurs giving this guy a little run.
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.
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 for February with averages of 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 31 minutes per game.
Last edited by ChumpDumper; 03-01-2006 at 07:31 PM. Reason: Now includes LJ's point
I wouldn't mind the Spurs giving this guy a little run.
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.
Hey ChumpD, can I use this post as an article on SpursZONE? (and obviously attribute it to you)
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.
Would you all rather have Marcus Fizer or Drew Gooden? (all else being equal)
Gooden.
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.
Gooden's got good pf size but he's arguably one of the youngest black holes in the league
Let me know if you want me to change anything..
http://www.woai.com/spurs/story.aspx...A-B458805660CF
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....050.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.
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.
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.
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.
Where did Ford go to?
Germany, IIRC.
Sonics have to fill that huge void left by Vitaly "Judo chop" Potapenko
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.Sonics have to fill that huge void left by Vitaly "Judo chop" Potapenko
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.
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.
He was on a 10-day with the Sonics, but got cut this morning.
I see Fitch got cut by the Rockets too.
Fizer is available again?
Interesting......
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.
Rumor has it that Fizer is hurt.
That's too bad, just when he gets his chance.
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