Is Van Gundy putting Boki in the starting rotation because he will be the starting small forward or is it due to the injuries? I never judged Boki's game before because I hadn't seen anything from him, but if he gets that jumpshot to fall, that can open things up for Yao. I like Boki's hustle but his basketball I.Q. has to get better. Also, it's possible that Van Gundy is showcasing him for a trade.
His IQ isnt the problem. Care to elaborate why you feel he isnt ball-smart? and no, he isnt being showcased, he is getting big minutes because of us missing 3 players who can play the position. (Cat/AGriff/Pike) and no, I dont expect him to be the starter. at least not yet.
Because Mobley, Pike, and Adrian Griffin are out with injuries right now, Nachbar might have a starting job at the beginning of the season while those 3 work their way back into the lineup. I can see VG starting Nachbar and JJ at the swing positions and let Mobley and AGriffin come off the bench for the first couple of games to get their feet wet.
I didn't say he wasn't ball smart, I said he has to get better at it. He has to know that he has to keep shooting the ball when he's on the same side of the floor with Ming. If he keeps passing up open shots to drive to the basket then the defens is going to sit in Ming's lap. Only way to open it up is if he starts taking that shot and hitting it. He also has to learn to play better angles on defense. The reason why Peja was getting alot of open in Sacramento was not because he was blowing by Boki because Boki is quick enough to keep up with him. Boki was just out of position alot of the times. That's what I mean by his I.Q. I didn't say he didn't have any, just that it has to get better.
jvg recently stated that aside from yao and francis "The rotation is up in the air..." the starters have not been set yet
Boki's numbers last night (10/16/03) Minutes played = 38 Field Goal Made / Attempted = 6-13 (46%) 3Pt FG Made / Attempted = 3-6 (50%) Rebounds total off / def = 4 Assists = 2 Blocks = 1 Turnovers = 5 (not good but Yao had 5 as well) Points = 15 Overall not a bad performance. JVG has run the exact same starting lineup the last two games. I like Cato at the PF spot. Give us that enforcer for Yao we have needed and doesn't require the ball on offense. Yao even stated that he liked having Cato out on the floor next to him, gave him some added comfort and help down low. It will be curious to see the starting lineup for the last two games of pre-season. I would be willing to bet that whom ever is in the starters for the last two ps games will be your starters on the regular season in against Denver.
I'm guessing the starting lineup is either going to be: Francis/Cat/Nachbar/Cato/Yao or Francis/Cat/JJ/Cato/Yao Largely due to the fact that injuries (or "personal problems" have sidelined some of the other prospective starters (MoT, AG, Pike, and Griffin)
Its going to be interesting to see how the 1st game goes.......I could care less about the starting lineup...Im worried about the second unit coming in and holding the lead and giving YAO some needed rest. I still dont have confidence in Moochie running the system because he still dribbles a little too much.
I think Boki is getting better with every game. He still makes mistakes, but I am starting to see what they were seeing when they drafted him in the first round. When this guy gets busy, he's all over the place. IMO I beleive that his style requires starting PT to stay consistent. He's the type of player that plays better as a starter than off the bench. And I am starting to believe it more and more. I don't have much to go on though and didn't really give him his props judging by his limited minutes. It was easy to knock the guy. I feel that if he come off the bench, he'd be boinking the rim most of the time. Whether injuries have more to do with this than anything, I am glad that he is getting a real chance to showcase his skills.
Boki is making the loss of Posey look less painful all the time. In fact getting Posey was a mistake in my opinion because it really kept Boki from getting any PT to develop. Losing KT really sucks especially now with all the Eddie soap opera crap. KT would definitely be a JVG favorite.
