You need to watch some of the 15 years worth of Sam Cassell clips on YouTube before returning and posting in this forum again - Thanks.
Dude, I think you may be confusing what I said about Lowry with Cassell. Cassell turned himself into a clutch shooter, but when he was with the rockets he was more of an energy guy. I actually went to one of his games his rookie season, so yeah, I know him. Also, Cassell had a confidence about him that I see in Lowry even early on. So when I say he is a poor man's sam cassell, I mean that he might be a bad shooting version of cassell, thus poor man's. Understand?
Cassell was always a clutch shooter and a stellar overall shooter from midrange even during his rookie season, which you allege to have witnessed in person. And other than the confidence that you now bring up, the 2 players have little if anything in common: Lowry is a pass-first PG, Cassell was a scoring guard in a PG's body Lowry plays tenacious defense, Cassell missed defensive assignments to no end Lowry uses pure speed in the open court, Cassell used herky-jerky moves to get free Cassell had a feathery smooth shooting touch from anywhere, Lowry struggles to make 18-footers Lowry is barely 6 feet and built like a tank, Cassell is 6'3" and not built like a tank Lowry looks like Nelly, Cassell looks like E.T. .................. Um yeah, when Cassell was with the Rockets he was more of an energy guy
I was going to make this post in the unconfirmed rumor thread, but it got locked: <hr> I wasn't trying to prove anything. Lowry's numbers are respectable in addition to him being young and a good defender. And if it was so easy for backups playing few minutes to put up a high PER, why aren't there more backups represented in that list? Again, I don't see Lowry as a star, and if that's what you think this team needs then obviously he is not the answer. But he's a guy who grow into a very smart, tough PG who knows how to run the show and will put pressure on other teams with his penetration, his ability to draw fouls, and his abilities in transition. To me, that puts him at least a rung above Rafer Alston, where opposing teams practically invited to get to the basket because he couldn't finish.
(To the Irish ale guy) Assist totals are overrated when you run your offense through your center. We run a read and react type offense that does not dictate PG assist totals. The high post gets a ton of action and the PG is more or less a shooter.(Think Bibby) Again, Assists in this offense are very overrated because the ball is almost never in the PG's hands to make the play.
The problem with the PER is that it really isn't as significant when the number of minutes played are not equal. If someone wants to argue that Lowry could be the best backup PG, then sure I'll give them that. But all I'm saying is that Lowry has not proven to be what I call a legit point guard. And a legit point guard should be able to put up 10 assists any given night. So if we're going to have a pass first PG then we need someone who can average 7+ assists throughout the season. I'm not down on Lowry, I just don't think that he's the answer for this team.
That's because we don't have a point gaurd that can make the plays. Do you really think that if we had one of the top 10 PG's in this league that their assists would drop if they came to the Rockets? I just don't see that.
What Kyle Lowry really should work on in the summer is his floater a la Steve Nash/Chris Paul. A long-range game will certainly make Lowry better, but it will not raise his game to that killer level as a sweet floater in the lane. When Lowry drives, he prefers to use the backboard and get as close to the rim as possible, but he is often met with tall bodies who can easily block his shot due to his size and position. A quick floater that can go over the heads of the defenders will allow him to get a quality shot in the lane each time than simply barreling through when paint is clogged. Allen Iverson was the only guard of his size who was able to consistently drive and get a lay-up, all others developed a floater that really frustrated the defense.
From what you're saying, it's not possible to construct an argument that a player who, as of yet, hasn't received starter minutes is good enough to be a starter. Because you ask for "numbers" to back up that view, but you insist those numbers be per game. The minutes a player receives from his coach is not a true reflection of what's he is capable of producing with more minutes. And I've seen no evidence that says a player will be more effective, per minute, playing less minutes than more minutes. For some players that's likely true, and for others it isn't. And you're right that's tough to compare PER of players who play vastly different amount of minutes. But it makes even less sense to compare per game numbers. So, we look at per-minute stats as the lesser of two evils if we want to make a numbers argument.
Wow. I think you better stop yourself before you hurt yourself. You think Lowry is a pass first point guard? Okay, my friend. Also, Cassell struggled with his shot, especially with the rockets. He shot less than 30 % from 3 point range. Yeah, feathery. Lowry is not that great on defense. BTW. The guy is a stat stuffer by energy alone. But even still, him and Cassell were similar players at this age.
Cassell turned 24 the first month of his rookie season. Lowry has been in the league 3 years and just turned 23. Uh, I think you better stop yourself before yada yada yada
In my opinion, a few things make Lowry special on the offensive end: 1. His ability to get to the FT line and finish in traffic around the basket. Because of this, his PPS is among the best of all PGs: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/stati...ne&qual=false&pos=pg&season=2009&seasontype=2 I was suprised to see that Brooks actually has a higher adjusted FG%: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/stati...e=nba&split=0&season=2009&seasontype=2&pos=pg I knew Brooks shot more 3s but I still didn't think he would have a higher AFG% because of his struggles around the basket. 2. His ability to control tempo and run the offense. He can lead a break or set up the half court offense very effectively. He is good at reading the situation and determining when to push it and when to pull up. Brooks is not good at controlling tempo. He's improved only slightly since becoming a starter. 3. His court vision and his ability to get the ball to teammates in scoring position. He seems particularly good at doing this with our bigs (Yao, Scola, Landry). Brooks doesn't get the ball to bigs in scoring position nearly as consistently or effectively. Brooks does seem to be pretty good at penetrating and kicking out to shooters though. 4. Off the ball movement. Lowry makes some terrific back cuts. Both Barry and Yao have been able to find him in those situations for easy buckets. Defensively, Lowry is just a monster. His man-to-man defense is excellent. For a guy so new to the team, his team defense and rotations are also very good.
Cassell was an EXCELLENT team defender. His IQ is off the charts, and so is his athleticism. I could see Sammy coaching...
If lowry was 27 and conley was 20, then I wouled agree, but its not like conley is a better athlete or much younger. What they did was overrate a few ncaa games by conley and knew conley really couldn't beat lowry out. Memphis has some pretty good talent, they're kinda stuck in the west and firing coaches.If they want to trade us rudy, i'll be glad to help them out.
Without getting too fuzzy here are my points. Kyle Lowry does not have the numbers to show that he will be a legit starter. His PER isn't bad but it does not prove that he'll be a top of the league starter. I've never been satisfied with Rafer and if Lowry puts up the same numbers I don't see a real benefit. #1 on my list, I would like for Morey to get a top 10 point guard. Both Kyle and Brooks are good backup point gaurds. I just don't see Lowry being an above average point gaurd.
irish ale, I think your logic is flawed. The 10 assist pg doesn't make any sense. In fact, when was the last time one of those guys won a title? I'll tell you it was before the point forward idea. Parker has 3 rings and he was a 5 asst guy. Bibby was a 5 asst guy under adelman. Adelman and chief triangle rely on the offense to play the pg. Im not saying lowry or brooks are superstar pg, but to say they're backups cause they don't avg 10 dimes per doesn't add up. I would bet 100 paul,williams, or nash would avg 9 asst with this team. Those guy need play finishers and this team doesn't have enough of those.
I never said that the point guard needs to average 10 assist, I said 7 assist, but they need to be a threat to make 10+ assist on any given night. I don't think that makes my points flawed. I would just like to have a point guard that would be a top 10 point guard. I just don't think that Lowry or Brooks is the answer. Just how good would this team be with a Deron Williams or a Chris Paul? Yes I know that may be extreme. Ok, then give me a Rajon Rondo , Devin Harris, Andre Miller, or a Jose Calderon.
Rockets don't need a top 10 point guard, they need a better small forward. Artest's inconsistency and poor shot selection is what will cost them in the playoffs. Lowry gives them a lot of bang for their buck and that extra cash could be used to bring in some bona fide talent. San Antonio was very gutsy by choosing Tony Parker over Jason Kidd back in 2003, but it has certainly paid off for them as Parker matured nicely and the cash leftover allowed them to resign Ginobli. I'm not saying Kyle Lowry will become Tony Parker, but wouldn't the Rockets prefer to trade for a Joe Johnson type player. Also, which top 10 point guard is on the trading block?
You might be right with the shooting guard, but I would just like to see a team as deep as the Rockets with a great point guard over a small forward. As far as who's available, you got me. I just hope that Morey can work his magic.
I fully agree. A top flight wing scorer is the biggest need for this team now that McGrady is likely done. Lowry is more than good enough to be the starting PG on a championship caliber team. We need a go to perimeter guy, a closer, more than anything else. I'd even rate backup C as more important than PG since Lowry has come along.
