Jason Collins: A Day by Day Account

Goodbye, Jason Collins

2008-02-06T08:42:00.001-08:00

It's been over a year since I posted anything on the blog, but with the recent turn of events I found it only fitting. I would have posted more but after awhile there are only so many ways you can make six fouls and zero points funny.

In case you haven't heard, the Nets traded Jason Collins to the Memphis Grizzles straight up for Stromile Swift. Yes, that is correct. The Grizzlies are a very poorly run organization. Swift has tremendous upside, Collins has tremendous downside. As you can assume, I was shocked and in jubilation when I heard the news. Finally, the most worthless player in the NBA could go set his great screens and play his tremendous help defense for another group of frustrated fans.

Now that he has played his last game as a New Jersey Net in the legendary Izod Center, let's take a brief look back at his career:

- Collins averaged 4.4 points per game and 3.2 fouls per game. This all came in a mind boggling 24.5 minutes a night. Per 48 minutes that's an average of 8.6 points per game and 6.3 fouls per game.

- In 510 career games, Collins managed to score 20 points once.

- On 4/19/05 Jason Collins went nuts. For some reason he decided it was time to attempt five three pointers, and he connected on two of them!!!!! Since that historic day in long distance shooting, he has only attempted two, making zero.

-Collins free throw shooting has gotten progressively worse over the last six years and currently shoots an anemic .389 from the foul line. Earlier in the year I heard Marv Albert say the following, "Jason Collins has made only seven free throws this year, and two were banks!"

Enough is enough though. I could go on forever about how bad he is, but this is a blog and not a book. Do I have anything personal again Jason Collins? No. From all I've read he's a great guy who is very private and a model citizen. The thing is, there is no reason he should start for an NBA team, and it bothered me. I wish him (and the fans) the best of luck in Memphis, and maybe he can become an all-star. For now, my attention turns to Antonie Wright, who is a bum.

GAME 14: CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

2006-12-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

It was an event that is only seen in very rare circumstances in the history of Jason Collins. With his monster 7 point performance against the Bobcats, it was the first time since the historic April 5th and April 7th games of the 2004-2005 season that Collins had managed to put up at least 7 points in back to back contests. The suddenly hot Collins is now being promoted by the Nets for all kind of league awards from the MVP to Coach of the Year. However, his recent propensity to shoot the ball, has caused massive issues within the team. Despite combining for 15 points in his last two games, the Nets have now dropped six straight contests. This confirms my theory that the more times Collins touches the ball the lower the chance of a win becomes.

The final line: 35 minutes 6 rebounds 1 assist 1 turnover 2 steals 1 block 3 fouls 7 points

In addition to the outburst in points recently, Collins played a season high in minutes against Charlotte. The simple fact that Collins is getting more playing time almost guarantees defeat. No wonder they pathetically lost at home to the lowly Bobcats. If the Nets have any desire to turn this streak around, they need to play Collins less and make sure to minimize his touches against Boston.

GAME 13: LOS ANGELES LAKERS

2006-12-08T16:01:00.000-08:00

With Kobe Bryant in the house, Jason Collins had to step up his game. For years Collins had been jealous of Kobe for stealing the spotlight that he felt he deserved. The crowd came to see Kobe vs Carter, but left the game with only Collins on their mind. Collins exploded for a season high 8 points and tossed in 7 boards. Watching Collins almost getting a double-double is like seeing Haley's Comet. It comes once almost every 200 years. It was clearly Collins best game of the season, and despite the team's loss, he left the arena with his ego high.

The final line: 33 minutes 7 rebounds 2 turnovers 1 steal 1 block 4 fouls 8 points

The big man from Stanford resembled an actual NBA player. The remarkable part of the night is that Collins scored eight points on only four shots. If the Nets knew what they were doing, Collins would get the 24 shots that Kobe got for the Lakers. Also, Collins hasn't had a double-double since the 2004-2005 season. However, if you were allowed more than 6 fouls he surely would have accomplished this feat. The budding NBA legend will take on the Bobcats in his next game.

On a side note, this picture of Collins is my favorite of the season. Perhaps at the All-Star Break, I will rank them all.

BREAKING NEWS: COLLINS TO PORTLAND?

2006-12-06T07:07:00.000-08:00

Rumors are swirling around the NBA of a possible blockbuster trade that would send Jason Collins to Portland for Jamal Magloire. When asked about this trade Collins said, "This is the only team I've been on, the only team I've known." He stated several times he does not want to leave New Jersey. Other big men Melvin Ely, Brendon Haywood, and Anderson Varejao have also been mentioned in connection with New Jersey.

This is the moment we've all been waiting for. Every year the Nets pretend to be interested in replacing Collins with the likes of Chris Wilcox and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Now they are getting our hopes up again with this most likely false trade rumor that is part of the Collins Conspiracy. A couple of things strike me from this.

1) When was the last time Collins was actually asked to comment on a basketball related issue. He probably had not seen a reporter for months before one accidentally bumped into him and felt the obligation to ask him for the eloquent 13 word statement he delivered.

2) Why in the world would Portland have any interest in Jason Collins? In two games this season, Collins has combined for 5 points and 9 fouls against the Blazers. If performances like those sparked Portland's interest in anyway they should automatically be contracted from the league.

3) Of course Collins doesn't want to leave the Nets. If he went anywhere else in the league, he'd play about five minutes a night. A word of advice to Mr. Rod Thorn. Don't listen to Jason Collins. We've gone through with your little cruel joke for too long now. Enough is enough.

GAME 12: PHOENX SUNS

2006-12-04T19:37:00.000-08:00

With his efforts in his last game against the Portland Trailblazers, Jason Collins did something he only did once all of last season. The remarkable feat that he accomplished was having an asisst in six straight games. Let's take a moment to look at the impact of this streak. Since he only has accomplished this once before in the previous season, the question arises what is he actually doing with the ball? He's clearly not shooting as shown by his point totals. Now we see he's clearly not getting assists. This leaves us with four possibilties. 1)He rarely tocuhes the ball. 2)He only touches the ball in meaningless points of the game, such as when other players are trying to get down court. 3)He is committing turnovers whenever he gets the ball. 4)He's committing offensive fouls whenever he gets the ball. It is clearly a situation worth looking into, and answers will be had. As for his game with Phoenix, it went something like this.

The final line: 25 minutes 4 rebounds 2 turnovers 1 block 4 fouls 2 points

Collins failed to extend that impressive streak to 7 games. He only played 25 minutes, so he probably did not have enough time to accidentally throw it to an open teammate. It was the ninth time in 12 games that Collins failed to score more than he fouled. Basically, he's just taking up space so far this season. It's one of those rare situations where a team would benefit from playing 4 on 5. Next up is the Los Angeles Lakers as the Nets continue their west coast swing.

GAME 11: PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

2006-12-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

It was only two games ago that these teams took battle in an epic East Coast vs. West Coast showdown. Despite Collins chipping in a solid 1 point, the Nets surprisingly lost lost by 28 points at home. For seem reason I did not notice that during these last team;s contest, Collins attempted a three-pointer. The reason for such a foolish play is undetermined, and obviously the attempt did not go in. Last year Collins was allowed to attempt 5 3-pointers in the final game against the New York Knicks. With another game against the Blazers on the schedule, perhaps Collins would find that shooter's urge again.

The final line: 34 mins 8 rebounds 3 assists 1 turnover 1 block 4 fouls 4 points

It was actually one of the better games of the season for Collins. He logged a season high in minutes and also turned in a season high in rebounds. One discouraging sign is that for the second straight game, he attempted a season high four shots. It comes as no surpise the Nets lost these games considering the game plan is typically keep the ball away from Collins. Next up for the Nets are the high-flying Suns against the slow footed Collins.

GAME 10: SEATTLE SUPERSONICS

2006-12-01T16:56:00.000-08:00

It's rare that you would associate the number one with Jason Collins, but going into this game that was the hot number for Collins. You may be saying now, I would only combine these words if I was saying, Jason Collins is not number one. Or perhaps you are saying yes I had always known it, Collins is in fact number one. I'm sorry to disappoint both parties, but Collins and the number one are not associated in those ways at all. The reason for this discussion is that Collins last game against Seattle he had 1 point, and in his last actual game he also had 1 point. Would he combine those ones to make 11 against Seattle? And now your answer.

The final line: 27 minutes 4 rebounds 1 assist 2 turnovers 5 fouls 3 points

Rod Thorn and company was hoping that Collins may continue his streak of ones with a nice one foul game, but all Nets fans that if Collins has 1 foul at the end of the game, he got hurt with 10 minutes left in the first. Since his 7 point outburst, Collins has had 4 points in the following two games. One Collins achievement of note is that he still hasn't fouled out this season. Hopefully, Collins can continue this streak next game against Portland.

GAME 9: PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS

2006-11-25T08:51:00.001-08:00

Coming off his huge 7 point performance, Collins was looking to get on a major roll to lead his team to greatness. In rare instances a single player will carry his team to victory after victory. The New Jersey crowd looked to their newborn superstar PF to take on the role of leader for his team. The only thing that stood in his way was a rejuvenated Zach Randolph. After a waging war between the two Collins ended up on the short end of a thrilling 86-68 contest.

The final line: 17 minutes 5 rebounds 1 assist 2 turnovers 1 steal 4 fouls 1 point

Jason Collins had a very disappointing follow up performance to his career night. Randolph wound up out rebounding him 16-5 in the contest. It was also the fifth time all season that Collins had failed to make a field goal. To be fair, after busting out for 7 points the previous, Collins was probably physically and emotionally drained. It was also the Nets first back-to-back games all season, and Collins seems to have the stamina equal to that of elderly woman. Collins will get a much needed day of rest before the team travels to Seattle.

GAME 8: INDIANA PACERS

2006-11-18T16:23:00.000-08:00

Once in awhile a single game performance lives on in the history of sports forever. Wilt Chamberlin's 100, Kobe Bryant's 81, Jason Collins' 7. When they entered the Conseco Fieldhouse Friday night, the fans had no idea that they were about to witness a historic event. Collins was a dominant force as he exploded for his season high 7 points. It was the first time since opening night that Collins had more points than fouls.

The final line: 28 minutes 6 rebounds 2 assists 1 turnover 3 fouls 7 points

Collins going for 7 and 6 showed that he might just be the most dominant player ever to play PF for the Nets. In the midst of he breakout performance, Collins had a season high 5 free throw attempts. Apparently the Pacers did not get the memo saying there's no reason to foul Collins, he can't hit a layup anyway. Twin is still -10 in the point to foul breakdown. In their next game Collins goes up against budding start Zach Randolph in a possible preview of the starting PFs in the All-Star Game.

GAME 7: MILWAUKEE BUCKS

2006-11-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

In my last column I said that Collins played the Bucks the first game of the season and scored a season high total. However, I meant the previous season when he opened up the season with an amazing double digit performance. Speaking of double digits, Collins hasn't cracked the historic 10 point plateau in 79 games coming into his contest withe the Bucks. It's not that surprising considering Collins doesn't start. Oh wait, he does so I guess it is pathetic. Looking to break that streak Collins tossed in this effort:

The final line: 31 minutes 5 rebounds 3 assists 3 turnovers 1 steal 5 fouls 4 points

It was the sixth straight game Collins had more fouls than points. Considering you are only allowed 6 fouls a game and Collins has never fouled out, that isn't very good. However Collins has established a new career high in assists per game with a steady 1.4. I'm sure he has an uncountable amount of screens and good plays on help defense that can justify his starting role. On Friday, Jason Collins will take on the Indiana Pacers as he hopes to score more than he fouls.

GAME 6: SEATTLE SUPERSONICS

2006-11-15T18:05:00.000-08:00

A couple notes before we get into the latest Collins adventure. As it is been reported, Jason and Jarron Collins were teammates at the University of Stanford. This year the team once again has freshman twin big men known as the Lopezs. No matter how unproductive they are, it's a good bet one will always have a job on Rod Thorn's Nets.

Meanwhile, Collins was out in Seattle to battle the Sonics. Twin was going up against Chris Wilcox. Interestingly enough, Thorn also loves Wilcox and has tried to replace Collins with him several times in failed trades. Wilcox manhandled Collins for 22 points. Collins was a different story.

The final line: 19 minutes 5 rebounds 2 assists 4 fouls 1 point

Notice in that line Collins does not have a block. In the picture above the capion reads "New Jersey Nets' Jason Collins, right, blocks a shot by Seattle Supersonics' Chris Wilcox during second quarter." However as the box score shows, Collins had no block. This is part of the major conspiracy in the NBA to make Collins seem good. Jason takes his 24 foul to 11 point ratio into Milwaukee for their next game. It should be a promising game, considering Collins scorched the Bucks for a season high 6 points on opening night.

GAME 5: WASHINGTON WIZARDS

2006-11-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

It was a sad night in Washington. The streak ended as Jason Collins actually scored a basket against the Washington Wizards. Collins was off to a slow start this season, but he busted out for 2 points against the Wizards. It's been awhile since he scored and one cannot expect him to bounce back in their next game against Seattle considering he most likely celebrated all night long.

His final line: 17 minutes 3 rebounds 1 turnover 1 block 4 fouls 2 points

In addition to ending that famed scoreless streak, Collins also had his first block of the season. He's now garnering some defensive player of the year discussion within New Jersey. It was the fourth consecutive game Collins had less points than fouls, and he now has a 2:1 foul to point ratio. If like hockey with penalty minutes, fouls counted for fantasy basketball, Collins would be a legend.

GAME 4: MIAMI HEAT

2006-11-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

Coming off their epic battle last Friday, Jason Collins faced off against Shaq once again. For one of the few times in his life, Collins kept Shaq in check holding him to 13 points before O'Neal fouled out. The Nets had a clear strategy entering their game against Miami. Don't let Jason Collins shoot. The plan worked to perfection, but the Nets still fell short.

The final line: 24 minutes 0 shots 6 rebounds 1 assist 1 turnover 3 fouls 0 points

It actually was a very impressive game for Collins standards. He only had 3 fouls against Shaq, and he was able to pull down 6 boards. These type of numbers may not be seen again for years. In addition to those stats, Collins has an impressive streak going. He hasn't score in his last 75 minutes of game action, and he hasn't scored from the field in the last 88 minutes. Collins will look to continue his Joe DiMaggio like streak Sunday in Washington.

GAME 3: UTAH JAZZ

2006-11-09T11:20:00.000-08:00

The crowd was full of anticipation for the big matchup. There are several great matchups between siblings in sports. Tiki and Ronde Barber, Peyton and Eli Manning, and Jason and Jarron Collins. The twins were once teammates at Stanford University, and twice a season they go head to head. Jarron has been a member of the Jazz since he was drafted and plays off the bench. Despite having equal talent, Jason starts for the Nets every game. The Nets won the game, but who won the war. The final lines:

Jarron: 7 minutes 0 shots 1 rebound

Jason: 25 minutes 5 rebounds 3 assists 1 steal 3 fouls 0 points

As the box score is considered, there is only evidence that Jarron touched the ball once. Jason decided to go nuts with 3 assists and a steal, but he still couldn't find his shooters touch. Hopefully, Nets executives will realize that you can get the same production out of a Collins playing him 7 minutes off the bench, as you can starting him every game. Next up for Jason is a rematch with his rival Shaq on Friday.

GAME 2: MIAMI HEAT

2006-11-04T08:11:00.000-08:00

When Collins was a first a member of the Nets it was the year they were battling the Lakers for the NBA title. The Nets claimed that Collins was the answer to Shaq, and he would go in there and basically just foul him 6 times. Since that series that has been a sort of one-sided rivalry between the two stars of their sport. While Shaq is going into the hall of fame, all indications from the Nets are Collins will be right beside him.

Last night the Nets came up short against Miami. Part of the reason (like always) was Jason Collins. Shaq toyed with him all night on route to a vintage 21 point 9 rebound night. Collins also had once of his typical nights.

The line: 30 minutes, 0-2 from the field, 2-4 from the line, 2 rebounds, 1 turnover, 5 fouls, 2 points

The five fouls were expected considering he's had at least 5 fouls against Shaq 10 of their last 11 contests. Collins was devastated to see his quest for a perfect shooting percentage end, but he focused his game on other areas by only turning the ball over once. Turning it over once can be easy though when you don't the rock often. What gets the average fan angry is seeing that Collins played 30 minutes and had 2 points. Pretty much any screwup off the street could put up similar numbers. Up next is a battle against his twin Jarron Collins and Utah on Wednesday.

GAME 1: TORONTO RAPTORS

2006-11-01T19:04:00.000-08:00

Since this is my first post, I figured I'd give you some background on Jason Collins. In my opinion, Collins is clearly the worst starter in the NBA. He's been starting for the Nets since 2002, and typically, he likes to foul out, not score, and turn the ball over. There's a myth throughout the NBA that he is really good at help defense, but I have never seen any evidence of this. The Nets went as far as to claim that Collins deserved the 2005-2006 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Last year Collins managed to post double figures twice all season, both coming in the season's first month. On 27 occasions he had more fouls than points last year. Also twice during the 2005-2006 season he had the legendary 6 foul 0 point performance. In the final game of the season last year, Collins decided to show everyone his hidden range by going 2 for 5 on three pointers. However, these came against the Knicks, and therefore there may one day be an asterisk next to the game.

Two offseasons ago the Nets tried to replace Jason Collins with Shareef Abdur-Rahim, but then they made up some story that Abdur-Rahim had a bum knee so they could keep starting Collins. He has a twin brother, Jarron Collins, who also plays in the NBA and is equally as talented, but never plays. Jason's nickname is Twin, he graduated Stanford with a degree in communications, and his favorite movie is The Usual Suspects.

Game 1: It was a typical performance for Collins.

The final line: 17 minutes 4 rebounds 1 assist 3 turnovers 5 fouls 6 points

In a shocking turn of events, Collins went 2-2 from the field and 2-2 from the line. Despite having the hot hand all night, the Nets tried to make sure Collins didn't get many more touches. The 1 assist was most likely some sort of mistake he made. Collins played sparingly in the second half after falling into foul trouble early (I'll copy this sentence so I can save time by pasting it into every article I write). The Nets travel to Miami on Friday where Collins will continue his quest to become the first player ever to shoot 100% for a season.