Yao: Just stay healthy big man - we realize last years injury was a fluke Tmac: Go to the hole young man Battier: Develop a mid range game and finish at the bucket Chuck: Find a shooting coach quick and stop fouling. u r losing millions Rafer: Find a shooting coach quick, play better D, finish at the rim - Trade Bait Bench: James: An assist is a good thing. Snyder: Find a shooting coach quick, it takes u 10 minutes to get off a jumper. Show some Bball IQ - Trade Bait Bonzi: Push away from the table, don't use the regular season to get in shape, Mutombo: More offensive rebounds, Score close in, Stop pump faking on 6'0" poing guards. Luther: Develop mid range, play some D any time, and learn to dribble with pressure. Mike James is going to kill you in practice - Trade Bait Novak: Go see the wizard for a heart (get tougher), develop a mid range game, drive to the bucket - Trade Bait Scola: Don't know you Butler: Push away from the table and get in shape Landry: Too early to tell, increase your hustle. Look at Chuck as a guide Brooks: Play some D, people are calling u out in summer league and trust, the NBA is much tougher Jake: Thanks, for what I don't know JLIII: Tell your Dad thanks for getting u paid for nothing, u r not Daniel Gibson.
I am not sure we will have the same starting 5. hayes is a rebound specialist with D level offense alston is a ball handling specialist with C level offense battier is a team defense specialist with C+ level offense. coach A wants more offense
I'm a huge Yao fan but he needs a lot of work if he wants to take us to that next level..... He needs to improve his rebounding and defense. He's a pretty good offense rebounder but for some reason he is always a step too slow on the defensive glass....He needs to show better instincts on that end. His PnR defense was really bad last season especially after he returned from the injury. He also needs to become less predictable on offense. Take more face up Js, set picks, be more active.
I think it was a function of him being a step slow since his injury last year. He was doing great before he went down.
Yao: Work the rust off your passing ability and mid range jumper Tmac: Remain in shape, maintain a desire to not retire, drive to the basket Battier: Continue to be the roleplayer you are and drain your three's Chuck: Learn to shoot 10feet in, work on foul control and concentrate on finishing highlight reel plays that you bobbled last year Rafer: Learn to shoot, donate your spot to brooks (j/k), also cut down your fg attempts Bench: James: Don't be to wild like you were 2 years ago, Don't forget to pass Snyder: Work on shooting, Donate your spot to Harris Bonzi: Go to Fat Camp Mutombo: Stop double pumping in the paint with the ball, develop SOME kind of touch around the basket. Maintain rebounding and try to remember your youth when you were able to catch passes more then 25% of the time Luther: Learn to stop traveling with the ball, maintain 3pt shooting, I want to see shades of that nasty dunk from last year, and develop the mid ranger game. Novak: Hit the gym since you didn't all of last year, learn to box out.. I can go on but this is a thread and not a BOOK. Sorry Novak, if you want to know what to work on, hire a professional skilled in this area. Scola: Get your ass onto our team at all costs is your #1 Priority son Butler: Go on the Nutri-System diet plan and get a jumpmaster Landry: This is the NBA, Stop standing around when on court. Also learn some balance for crying out loud, your not 7'6", a man your height should not be falling as much as you do. Brooks: Continue to do what you are doing, Your defense-passing-shooting-playmaking ability is as crisp as it can get.. but it will only last so long, learn to maintain your production and be consistant day in and day out Jake: Go home, no-one wants you.. I do like your High Rise socks though, thats your job, keeping sporting them. Also be a good team-mate if you crack the roster and buy heating pads, cold packs and refreshments to the rest of the team who plays JLIII: You have stories to tell your grandchildren "I was once T-Mac in summer league". Your mission is accomplished, as for what you can improve on? Nothing, I'm sure you will be the man at the Fonde Rec Center during the season Harris - Demand you get on this team, Maintain playing with the passion you play with, you are an awesome project to have on the team. Reed - I don't know you, hopefully you find a way off the team though.. We are to stacked with players as is. Sorry BTW Guys, I honestly think Brooks will get minutes this year. For one, he is the only player on the team that can and will make a correct entry pass to Yao. I'm not trying to be funny or sarcastic, no diss to anyone else but we had trouble on this last year. Brooks can easily make that entry pass and for that he will get minute once Adelman see's how weak we are in that area.
the given: Bonzi: Get in shape Hayes: Work on offensive game Head: Work on dribbiling Novak: DEFENSE!!
tmac - again, just stay optimistic and not so pessimistic, esp. about his back; improve the consistency on his J, and drive to finish, not to pass yao - rebounding, defense, intimidation, and less fadeaways on offense. when he establishes his position, he's basically unstoppable. i need to see him do that more often. the rest - make shots; hustle; rebound; basically do all the diryt work
I think in the past we wouldnt have seen rookies... playing... except garbage time.... but with the new coach I think we will see more of the younger guys... Tmac and Yao can coast... Tmac worn down all the years in the league... Yao being injury prone the last few years...
Yao: Stay healthy. Start post moves earlier. Tmac: Shot selection Battier: Agressiveness on offense Chuck: Free throws. Rafer: Shot selection. If you miss 33 straight floaters, even if you make the 34th, it was a stupid shot. Bench: James: Getting the offense started early. Snyder: Learning a playbook. Bonzi: Dribbling, shooting, defending, finishing, passing. Or just leave. Mutombo: Nothing. At Deke's stage in the game, he's a take as he is player. Luther: Defense, defense, defense Novak: Defense, defense, defense Scola: The speed of the game Butler: Assertiveness Landry: Shooting, rebounding, shot-blocking. OK, maybe you belong in the D-League. Brooks: Passing. If JL3's shooting improves, you won't make the rotation. Jake: Offense. JLIII: Shooting. If Brooks's passing improves, you won't make the rotation.
Rafer: shoot better, and don't ever ever ever shoot those ugly floaters James: Do the same thing as you did with us in the past, don't repeat what you did with the timberwolves Brooks: don't become lucas; be able to translate your play in the summerleague to the season Tmac: after you visit the Waco magician, watch tapes of the old tmac, and learn a thing or two Bonzi: your on a contract year again, this time, don't quit on the team and step up Head: don't want to get traded? do well in aldmen's movement offense. Snyder: learn to have a faster release. too slow. Battier: try to create offense, and polish your hook shot Novak: get your shot back... Reed: don't know you Scola: don't know you, but PLEASE DON'T SAY, I WAS YAO IN ARGENTINA Hayes: show your passing skilz and prove the haters wrong Landry: rebound better Harris: if you still shoot around 90% FG and 90% Free throws in the summer league, you might be come hayes #2 Butler: don't disapoint us like stro did Yao: show your midrange jumper and your passing skill Deke: show your leadership in the lockerroom, especialy since howard left Lucas: stop whining, learn from the white boy who sits next to you at the end of the bench
We're not forcing them, we're just saying what area they can improve in. any basketball player can improve. jvg is the one who forced players to do what they cannot do. jvg kept telling rafer to shoot those 3s... and he told vspan to be a shooter, when cleary he can't shoot any better than rafer.
i like the idea of this thread. good post. -TMAC: i'd like to see tmac work on driving to the lane more. no matter what offense is run, he is more lethal when he attacks. it will just open up his jumper and 3 point shot more. -YAO: i'd like to see yao work better to play position defense and rebound. so many times he is caught in the right spot just a second too late. focusing on moving his feet quicker is not impossible (though unlikely... i realize those are some big legs). -BATTIER: i'd like to see him attack the basket more as well. he won't get the ball on ISO plays often, but it seemed to me that he was a 3-point specialist ONLY last year. we need more diversity in the offense. -and from our PGs: (whoever these end up being) i'd like to see them PUSH the ball. those easy baskets make the rest of the offense's job much easier. -from our BIGS: just hustle. run the floor, play defense and rebound. that is all.
Yao: Protect the ball! When it comes down to a choice of getting stripped by a pesky smaller player and accidentally elbowing him in the head to keep the ball away from him ... well, you do get 5 more fouls to give. Tmac: Realize, as the best player, winning or losing is, as you said, on you! Battier: Don't get traded ... you are the perfect complementary role player already. Chuck: 3 inch platform high tops? No ... how about just developing a consistent mid-range shot. Rafer: Learn your limitations. You are decent passer and driver and a mediocre shooter. You are also not the best offensive player on the team, so stop taking so many shots. Oh, and try to play a little D! James: Seek counseling about the ego. Otherwise, keep the killer instinct and play solid D. Snyder: Don't know you real well. Bonzi: Shed a little weight ... shed a little "crazy" Mutombo: Find the fountain of youth. Luther: Keep shooting for 3 ... try shooting for D. Novak: Keep practicing on a big man's game ... for a shot at the team ... maybe next year. Scola: Take 5 years of frustration of not being let into the NBA and mold it into a nasty desire to prove yourself (use repeated throughout the year ... especially on the Spurs). Butler: Get in shape ... work on your quickness ... line the bottom of your sneakers with Flubber. Landry: Keep working on your all around game and don't get frustrated by not playing this year (see: Spanoulis for what not to do). Brooks: Develop a Napoleon-like desire to prove that you're the best. Jake: Wave goodbye when you're waived. JLIII: Realize how low you are on the depth charts and develop even 1/2 of your dad's competitive nature to try and play your way back into the rotation.
True about Battier. Head and him are much better at taking it to the basket than they showed last year. They both should be valuable at cutting and popping out for 3's this year. You should see Luther taking it to the hole more this year if he plays and is still on the team.
I know it can't be easy if you're 7'5" and 315 pounds, but Yao needs to improve his stamina and speed getting down the floor.
