While Bev is an inconsistent shooter, he really did have an excellent year on offense given his abilities or lack thereof. 40% from 3 is excellent over a whole season. While he did have some clunker games, he also had some excellent shooting games which allowed us to win. I am sure he is continuing to work on his game so I wouldn't count him out as reaching his ceiling but he definitely exceeded my expectations on offense last year which is more than I can say about anyone else on the team besides James. Now his defense has gotten pretty far below average now. He is still pesky but he can't seem to stay in front of his man anymore. I do think a new defensive philosophy will help. It seems we went around screens last year instead of under them even if Bev was guarding a Rubio type he can't pull up and shoot from 3. I think Bev can still be an average defender if he is allowed to "gameplan" around the PG he is guarding based on their weaknesses. Just something the last regime did not seem to do from game to game. A guy like Battier would study tendencies and play a player to their weaknesses every game instead of playing the exact same every night. Certain teams are better defensively due to coaching and not necessarily the talent of the players. Our staff needs to find a way to make this team a top 15 defensive team even with the lack of defensive talent. I am not sure how they are going to do it but going over and around a screen every single time is not going to work anymore. There are times to switch, go under the screen, etc. Didn't really see much variety last year which killed us IMO as it was easy to beat.
There is no way to be prepared for RayFelt on any team I'd want to see win; lose, like Mavs? Go Feltie, be a Cubesmon!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pursuit of Dallas free agent guard Raymond Felton has intensified in recent days, league sources say. Approximately five teams zeroed in.</p>— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/751575823673487360">July 9, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Come on owlman, you have to be more informed than that? His defense slipped for sure last year but his shooting improved significantly and was his best Shooting season to date. Credit to him for improving his shot (%40 from 3) to better fit next to harden. His ts% was also his highest. His offense and catch and shoot ability was his biggest asset last year. I agree he isn't that great of a starter and should play backup (where his energy and tenacity would best be fit) because I don't think he has the stamina to keep up his style of play for 30+ minutes a game. And his defense def needs to be more improved. But his shooting wasn't an issue, except in the playoffs where everyone but harden was an issue offensively.
in a contract year... ...dude is fat and out of shape for the majority of his career, it's not a coincidence that the only years in which he is fit match up with his contract years.
IF IF IF C's get Butler then Crowder is gone; Ariza becomes a righteous fit for them. Rozier, anyone? Hmm...
We need a really good shooter at PG who can also drive, and play decent D. BRANDON KNIGHT! Boy, George Hill would've been nice, no?
I would not mind picking up Ronnie Price [UFA, played for Phoenix last season]. Spoiler -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "We need Ronnie Price effort every night, from everybody," Hornacek said, referring to the relentless effort put forth by the team's third-string point guard. "You got to get after somebody, and Ronnie Price is the prime example of guys you want to have on your team." What is Ronnie Price effort? It is running a guy down on a fast break and fouling him to prevent an easy two points. It is harassing the opponent for all 94 feet of the court. It is poking the ball loose from the ball-handler, then diving on the floor after it before the offensive player can even react. It's looking your opponent in the eye and saying You're not going to beat me. Not today. Mostly, it's playing every minute with pride. [from brightsideofthesun.com 1/5/2016] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the 10 to 15 minutes that Price might get in a game for the Suns, he makes his presence known with the effort and defensive pressure that turned a college scorer into a NBA 11-year veteran. “Just having someone know that it’s not going to be an easy task, that makes me feel better than having someone look at me like, ‘I’m going to go after this guy,’” Price said. They know better now. Price always has been an irritant for opposing ball-handlers trying to shoo him away like a pesky mosquito. This season, Price is coming up with steals at a higher pace than at any point in his career. In Wednesday’s game against Chicago, it was striking when he picked Aaron Brooks’ and E’Twaun Moore’s dribbles in the backcourt. He had done the same to Darren Collison, stealing the ball from him as he turned to head upcourt. Price’s penchant for picks is like a cornerback who studies receivers’ and quarterbacks’ patterns. Sometimes, it’s a blind-side swipe when a ball-handler is not looking. Other times, he has gambled or been beaten but recovers in anticipation of where the ball is going next when a teammate has left a man open to help on Price’s man. “I watch people’s patterns,” Price said. “It’s like a game of chess. I might play you a certain way just to see what your counter move is the first two times you dribble up the floor and just see what your dribble pattern is. And then maybe the third or fourth time, I’ll see if I can jump on one of your dribble patterns.” Price describes his team as “feisty,” which would mean they have taken on his characteristics. Bledsoe and Brandon Knight are better ball-handlers for having to deal with Price’s full-court defense since voluntary workouts. “When he pressures the ball and takes on a team … it puts a time constraint on them and they have to rush things a little bit,” Suns coach Jeff Hornacek said. The Suns did not plan for Price to be an every-game rotation player. They have Bledsoe and Knight that they could interchange at the spot for all 48 minutes but Price’s momentum-changing defensive energy is a bench boost, particularly if he continues to hit 3-pointers at a better rate (nine for 22, 41 percent). “More than anything you’re just trying to take time off the clock,” Price said. “If I can turn a guy two, three times in the backcourt, and then he crosses half court he’s worn down a little bit, and he’s looking up and he has 15 seconds left on the shot clock, and he’s trying to get his team organized to run a play, that’s the primary reason.” [From The Arizona Republic - 11/20/2015] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7UKiLp92QzQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HH4kwztpMuU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Ronnie Price would be good health insurance for Beverley. He was 4th in defensive plus minus for point guards last year, one spot ahead of Beverely. Also kinda looks like a Morey guy on the offensive end. 65% of his shots last year were 3s, and he made 35% of them. He also finished 63% of his shots at the basket....a great rate for a guard.
Rubio is the only reasonable expectation of a PG that is 1) plausibly available 2) we could actually acquire 3) and would be an upgrade. #TeamRubio
Didn't realize he shot 40% from 3 point land last year, my mistake. To be honest, the whole season was kind of a blur, I mainly just remember him (and everyone to be fair) bricking everything in the playoff series.
