Richardson provides Orlando with toughness and leadership. He is one of Orlando’s most experienced players and is thoroughly respected by his teammates. His contributions will come mostly off the court, as a mentor to Moe Harkless and others.
Richardson started 19 games last season but fell out of the rotation as the year progressed. He underwent surgery in June to repair a disk in his lower back, and is still experiencing soreness. He competed hard at both ends last year, can still shoot the three, and has been a consummate team player regardless of his playing time. However, because of the depth at the wing and his back issues, Richardson might need some injuries to get minutes.
You know who wasn't so bad at basketball last year-at least from a fantasy perspective? Quentin Richarson, is who. Because of the number of players who hit no three-pointers whatsoever (read: most big men and Rajon Rondo), the guys who're proficient from outside always have value. That was Richardson in 2009-10, hitting 1.9 threes per game while adding a respectable 4.9 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 27.4 minutes per game. He moved to Orlando this offseason, where he should play a similar role.
Richardson suffered the ignominy of being traded four times over the summer, winding up in Miami. Team president Pat Riley is calling him a shooting guard, though he's also played small forward during his career. With a logjam at the three and very little playing time available backing up Dwyane Wade, Richardson can improve his spot in the rotation by hitting his 3-point shots (35.4% 3pt for career). Between Richardson, James Jones and Daequan Cook, the Heat have a few guys duplicating skills, so there won't be room for all of them every night.
Richardson has been the most effective Knick for big portions of the last three seasons, combining an effective outside shot with a good post-up game, excellent rebounding ability and pretty decent perimeter defense. But his overall performance has been severely limited by nagging injuries - he's topped the 65-games-played plateau just once since 2001-02. He played 71 games last season, but struggled with his shot all year - shooting just 32.2 percent from long range. Isiah Thomas regularly used Q-Rich as the Knicks' defensive stopper, asking him to defend the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Freed from that responsibility, he might fare better in both numbers and overall health. Richardson played for Mike D'Antoni's Suns in 2004-05 and had one of the better statistical seasons of his career, averaging 14.9 points, 6.1 boards, 2.0 assists and a steal per game.
Richardson was the Knicks’ best player for large stretches of last season before he was slowed by the usual litany of injuries. Missed time due to injuries should come as no surprise – Richardson suffers from a chronic back condition that made his contract with New York uninsurable. When on the floor, he has a very well-developed inside/outside game – he’s capable of nailing the three or of posting up smaller guards – and is an excellent rebounder for a wingman. But playing time is a major concern; Richardson’s minutes will be limited by his health and by the general logjam of wing players on the Knicks. He’ll be in competition with Jamal Crawford, Renaldo Balkman, Jared Jeffries, David Lee and rookies Wilson Chandler and Demetrius Nichols.
With Isiah Thomas desperately restocking the Knicks to create an east coast version of the Suns high-powered, fast-break-and-trey offense, acquiring Richardson from the Suns was a natural fit. Of course, this isn't Phoenix, and Richardson won't be asked to have 60% of his attempts be three pointers again. Not on a Larry Brown-run team. Although Richardson tied with Kyle Korver to lead the league with 226 treys made last year, he doesn't shoot a very high percentage from the arc and won't bring that overall shooting percentage over 40% without shifting his offensive focus greatly (even when treys were just 32% of his attempts in 2003-04, he shot below 40% overall). Richardson is a strong rebounder for a swingman and can score in bunches when given enough touches.
There’s absolutely no doubt Richardson has the skill set to be a terrific fantasy player. The only thing in doubt is whether he’ll get enough playing time to produce stats worthy of a starting spot on your roster. The “other” big offseason acquisition in the valley of the sun, Richardson joins a crowded backcourt and small forward rotation in Phoenix. There’s no doubt Steve Nash and Shawn Marion will start at their respective positions, point guard and small forward, so much of the time-sharing will be done at the shooting guard spot between Joe Johnson, who made quantum leaps last season, and Richardson. Still, the Suns will find a way to get Richardson 28-34 minutes per game, and there's a good chance he will start. Should the Suns decide to trade Johnson (or Shawn Marion), look for Richardson's value to skyrocket. With 36-38 minutes per game, Richardson has the potential to be a top-25 overall player, contributing points, threes and lots of rebounds from a guard spot. The rest of the available players after Richardson all have question marks, so take the potential of Richardson in middle rounds and hope he gets the minutes one way or another.
Richardson finally gets the SG spot to himself after splitting each of the last two seasons with the departed Eric Piatkowski. After an injury plagued '02 season, Richardson needs to add consistency to his shot and provide an adequate defensive effort. Has all the ability, but not the maturity. He'll be expected to produce as the third scoring option and will get a lot of looks from the perimeter when teams double down on Elton Brand.
