Not only will we need to fill some holes, but how athletic will we be? I think that was something that was missing from last years team and also was the reason why we can't beat teams like Seattle,Pheonix and Dallas more so then their offense. Everyone in the west is getting more athletic with young player like the Lakers,Jazz,Grizzilies and the Suns. Do you think we might have a problem running with those team? Other than T-Mac and Boki who has shown that they can run the floor with ease, I can't think of any other player who is quick and show good acrobatic ability to match the others team's temple like those mention above. Yao-too big to catch up with the rest Lue-maybe quick but is too small of a guard Mo-T-kinda chubby and slow(can't even rebound for his size!) Howard-getting old and slow JJ-same as Howard I really hope we will get a very good athletic guard before the season start b/c I think that will be our key to success.
No need to worry about the center. Yao's legs are very long. His one step is as good as two steps of an average NBA player.
PLus nothing about JJ last year said to me he was unathletic - exactly the opposite, acutally. J. Howard is getting older yet still puts up his 17 ppg, 7 rpg every season. Yao isn't enormously athletic, but is smart and moves decently laterally as mentioned. T-Mac is the most athletic player in the game. I am worried about our athleticism defensively, as Howard and MoT are both sub-par defenders and while Yao does a good job "clogging" the lane, he won't come out of nowhere to chanllenge defensively. Keon Clark and Stromile Swift would help this area significantly.
Well I think we can run. JVG has repeatedly said that he wants to have a balance between running the half court offense, and getting easy buckets on the break. Obviously T-Mac is tremendous, but if we get a PG that can push the ball, and Boki gets some more minutes, I think we can definitely improve our Fastbreak offense.
I think people are overreacting to Jeff Van Gundy's style. Van Gundy hasn't always slowed it down, the year the Knicks went to the Finals and then the ECFs they were running teams. You have to have the personnel to run, and really, who felt comfortable with Francis on the fast break? Van Gundy has shown a willingness to open things up when he has the personnel to do so.
I've been saying this since last summer. We need some athleticism at the Forward spots. Even if it's off the bench. I'm pinning my hopes on MoT trimming down and getting into superb shape as well as Boki being fairly long and athletic for his size. Still, this team could use a Jonathan Bender, someone JJ could groom into his replacement. Maybe a PF like Swift or Wilcox. Even Keon Clark would do the trick. What do Indiana want for Bender? It looks like they need help at backup PF, especially now that Harrington is gone and Jackson will take most of the backup SF minutes. Actually, I bet we could've gotten ANYTHING from them if we had Cato. He'd be such a good fit for them. Too bad.
Yes, and we should worry if the Orlando trade will come back to bite us . And while we're at it, we should worry if all of the teams we are planning to trade Mo Taylor to don't really want him. And what if we went into JC Penny's and found out it wasn't really all inside? j
I think this bit about athleticisim is over-rated. How many really "athletic" players did Detroit have this past year (none?) or LA (Kobe?)? How about Sacramento or San Antonio? You saw how far our great athletic backcourt got us the last 5 years, right? I'd rather have talented, heady players who can execute and play in the clutch than a bunch of jumping jacks with low basketball IQ. Anyway, T-Mac is freakishly athletic and Yao is more athletic than nearly every other center in the league (esp offensively). JJ is older, but I didn't see him getting used night in-and-out by young guys. If our guys can play the way JVG asks them to, then we'll be fine.
Sometimes, pure athleticism wins over. Yao is anything but athletic. Even Duncan can't be considered athletic these days. San Antonio are the exception - they have the best player in the league. Detroit had Billups, Hamilton, Rasheed, Big Ben, and Prince. That's athletic. The Wallace's are very athletic for their size, while the others are athleic period. Did you see Pronce's block out of nowhere in the playoffs? Sacramento aren't very athletic but they have tons of fitness. They can run like crazy, we can't. We have a 34 year old JJ, a 33yr old JH, Yao can't run for ****, McGrady has a bad back, and Lue is 6'1.
I like the players we have currently, but getting more athletic in very near future IS a valid concern IMO especially at PF and PG and we need an athletic 3 behind JJ but Jackson's game is very solid for the time being. Athleticism without discipline is a waste of energy and team chemistry, but I'd say it's a valid concern going into the future. I don't think anyone sees us competing for a title the next two years
