You can definitely gain quickness by getting in better shape. Melo and Deron Williams did it. Novak isn't overweight but he is soft. If he was in better condition and gained some lean muscle he could be a much better athelete.
Develop novak?? I thought that's what the D-league's for??! This guy's way too 1 dimensional and non-existent on D, he's even worst than boki for christ's sake. By the way, i know it's not part of his job description, but has anyone seen novak take 1 freakin dribble before??
That was 2006-2007. Where was the improvement this season? I don't have anything against him personally. I don't know him. I just don't think he's an NBA player.
Im all for keeping novak on the bench for the Rox hoping that he learns the neccesary concept of team defense in order to gain playing time. Ultimately I think mgmt is going to scrutinize him and see if he is putting in the neccesary effort in the offseason to help him improve. If they decide to keep him around I will assume its because he is doing his part and making worth while strides, that we as fans cant see for obvious reasons. I compare him to kapono. When I think of Kapono i think of a guy who was damn near out of the league until he figured a few things out in miami and worked his way into pat rileys rotation.
I know I'm reaching here, but Sasha was completely lost his first couple of years in the NBA. He didn't look any better than Novak. Then last year it seemed like he figured things out and actually contributed in numerous games (while disappearing in others). This season he's clearly on another level. After his first two years, I didn't think Vujacic had a future in the NBA. I still think it's possible (not likely) that Novak could develop some NBA-level court awareness and learn how to get open instead of running around without purpose on offense. He should be locked in a room and forced to watch tapes of Rip Hamilton and Reggie Miller.
He improved in nearly all areas this season...and hit some clutch 3 pt shots too. And on defense he looked WAY better this year than last...he upgraded from clueless to pathetic....next year, he may hit below average and then we are on to something. DD
I saw plenty of D from TMac in the postseason and in the 22 game win streak. There were times that Brewer cut and got open but Brewer is young and athletic.
Dave78- I disagree. A guy can become a better athelete. U can become quicker and faster if u dedicate to it. Now Novak can't become Howard or Amare, but he can at least get to a young peja or even a young bullard. To do that it requires a lot of track work and core building in the weight room. Along with that, he needs to work on short dribble. So when people close out on him, he can take 2-3 dribbles and pull up from 18ft. He needs to turn into a basketball player instead of a specialist.
Going to the D-league seemed to have given him confidence. In his rookie year, he couldn't even hit his open shots. This year, he is doing what he is supposed to be doing, making shots. So, let's hope that he can improve and give reasons for the coach to put him on the floor. Adelman should be a coach who can use a shooter like him. Since we are so deep at the 4 position, Novak's only hope is to play backup to Battier at the 3. If he can be that, then McGrady can be freed from playing the 3 when Battier sits. If T-Mac can be at the 2 full-time, then we don't need Head's minutes that much. That said, I still think the most needed upgrade is a reliable shooting backup SG/SF.
Novak needs a lot of work. Shooters that can only shoot dont stay in this league for too long. Guys like Brent Barry, Krover, Radman have srong moves,and can defend a little. Even Peja is way better than Novak in other aspects. Right now Novak is on the track to be Patowasiky, Kopono, only a specialist.
I really like Novak, and don't see why he can't get more time on the court. Yeah, his defense is horrible, but is it really that bad? Even T-Mac was wondering why Novak doesn't get more time. During the press conference after one of the losses to Utah, it was either game 1 or 2, T-Mac said something along the lines of, "We do have shooters on this team, guys like Steve Novak. For some reason, coach can't seem to find a place for him on the rotation". When I first heard it, I thought he was taking a shot at Adelman. This was before the shot at Rick about having Mutombo in the game.
I too am pro-development. I say luxury condos! with concierge service! With a bigshot celeb architect like a Richard Meier or Frank Gehry.....Novak House by Gehry - how does that grab you?
I love it how people are talking about Novak like he is the most unathletic player in the whole league, an uncordinated slug out there wallering around and waddling from one end of the court to the other. I bet he's not even the worst athlete on the team, much less the NBA. I'm not even sure how much better a pure athlete Shane Battier is than Steve Novak. I think Shane is better. But I'm not for sure HOW MUCH better Shane is. The way you emphasize a guys skill set and deemphasize his athleticism is to hand him the basketball, make him the focal point to either shoot it, drive it, or dish it. Novak is above average in all 3 areas. It's all predicated on his shooting of course, defenses have to overplay him, which means when he gets the basketball, they are so concentrated on the shot, that he can fake them out of their shoes, all those great athletes that are trying to stop his shot, he can fake them out of their shoes, and use his skills to step through and squeeze off the shot or dish the pass to another wide open shooter off his double team. We saw Novak jack 3 CONTESTED jump shots in that last game, contested and hurried. He just let 'em rip. And they ripped too, the backspin about burning the net off as it splashed down. Novak can get open when you go to him, and he can squeeze off the shot in a millisecond with very poor spacing. He's already shown that. What we have to do is quit going to the opposite side when he's in the game and letting him stand around as a decoy.
Are you f-ing serious with this post? Shane is a DPOY candidate and multiple time all defensive team member. Novak might be the single worst combo-defensive player/rebounder in the NBA. From the PF spot primarily, he boasts a career rebound rating of 7.9 - for reference, Scott Padgett has a 13 rating. Yeah, you know what? I think it's safe to say he's a better athlete.
My take on Novak: Keep him cause losing that talent will haunt us...if he doesn't turn out to be a good all around player he can for sure be a great utility player and decent team defender. His problems: Coach gave him the go ahead to shoot at will so he needs to be more active on cutting and running picks to get open for passes(watch reggie miller films)...he has a bad habit of slacking too much for help D when he should be sticking on his assigment like korver...be less passive!!! Strenghts: shooting is deadly and the other team is thinking "i hope he misses" with fear.
I want to like Novak, but unfortunately, he doesn't play very smart. He looks lost out there every time. He is also one of the worst defenders I've ever seen. Yes he can shoot the 3, but there's too many other liabilities in his game. The real problem is that he's so slow. You just can't teach quickness. Not much to develop in my opinion.
Novak can play, and he can be a contributor on some NBA team, he just has to be in a system that fits his strengths and masks his deficiencies. That may or may not be in Houston, depending on what Adelman thinks and whether he believes he can fit into his system, if not, let him go. DD
