http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/side/870352 Isolation not for Anderson Running the floor, slashing to the basket and spotting up for open jumpers like he did Thursday night against the Seattle SuperSonics is Shandon Anderson at his best. Unfortunately for Anderson, the Rockets' isolation offense isn't always so conducive to his game, which might be one of the reasons the forward intends to exercise his option and file for free agency following this season. But there's no question Anderson can be a valuable asset to the Rockets. His effort Thursday night -- in which he scored 15 points and had five assists, four rebounds and three steals in the Rockets' 91-88 victory over the Sonics at Compaq Center -- was evidence of that. "Shandon was awesome," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "He was in an aggressive, attacking mind-set, and I love that when he gets in there and knifes in. "He ran on the break and got some buckets, but he also created situations when he didn't always get the ball by being aggressive and getting down the court." Anderson, 27, the only Rockets player to start every game this season, says he would like to return to the Rockets for a third season. And if the NBA Board of Governors approves rules changes next week that would do away with all illegal defenses, Anderson could be poised for many more games like he had Thursday. The legalization of zone defenses would terminate the "iso" game, which is something Anderson doesn't do, and force teams to play up-tempo. "It's going to be a good situation," Anderson said. "Once the game changes, it's going to be to my strong suit. Hopefully, everybody else just carries it over and we pick up the pace a little more. "You've got to evaluate the situation. With the new rules coming in, teams have to go up-tempo and you can't iso really. Guys can stand where they want to stand because you'll have no illegal defenses, and that opens it up a lot more. It will be more like the international game where you have to play up-tempo." Dan Fegan, Anderson's agent, was at the game Thursday and met with Anderson and Seattle's Ruben Patterson -- another Fegan client -- following the game. Anderson said he would like to return for a third season with the Rockets, but Fegan said no decision will be made until the end of the season. "Shandon has had a good experience here," he said. "The major issue is going to be finding what his role will be on the team, how he will be used. But we'll wait to talk about that." In the Rockets' previous meeting with Seattle two weeks ago, Anderson wasn't part of the offense at all and scored only one point in 17 minutes. There have been 11 games this season in which Anderson didn't make a field goal, including two in which he never got off a shot despite playing decent minutes. "That's not my fault because I don't get a shot off in this system," Anderson said. "That's just something that happened and they have to evaluate it themselves. I just think that's the way the game goes. The games that we are moving the ball and getting up and down we have success. "I think it just opens up a lot more, and when you run the team gets a lot more attempts up as opposed to when you walk the ball up. It seems like the more attempts you get, the more chances you have to make baskets and the more shots everybody on the team gets." The kind of performance Anderson put forth Thursday was what he and the Rockets had in mind when he signed as a free agent before the 1999-2000 season. And if Anderson has his way, there will be many more next year. Whether they come in a Rockets uniform is another question. "This type of game is what I anticipated when I came here," Anderson said. "I wish there were more. "Like I said, I want to play a lot more up-tempo and get more involved in the game. Tonight I was surprised a lot of times how open I was. I think the more you (run), the more effective you can be." ------------------- Here's a positive about the league taking out illegal D. I thought it was kind of weird how SA said it wasn't his fault he wasn't scoring and blamed it on the offense more than anything. This article sort of changes my stance on re-signing SA. I mean if what he says is true, if zone D means more slashing then he could be really important to this team. I'm not an expert on zone D so I have no clue if SA would flourish against a zone. What do you guys think? Also it seems like SA wants what the majority of Rocket's fans want, more up-tempo basketball with slashing and breaking. I still wish he'd learn how to shoot though. Thoughts? ------------------ Early man walked away as modern man took control, Their minds weren't all the same to conquer was their goal, So he built his great empire, And he slaughtered his own kind, He died a confused man killed himself with his own mind.
Good post BGM. I really don't care if the zone is implemented or not, but if it is, Shandon is partly right. Running will be a plus, but damn, isn't running a good thing now also? Besides, in order to run you need to rebound. If the zone is in, I just see people getting into their offenses more quickly. Steve and Cat can still penetrate (it's not like there's no penetration in college) and our jump shooters will still get tons of shots. I think the L will have more parody too. I digress. Back to Shan. Yeah, running is good, keep him, whatever. Oh, and learn how to shoot.
And I thought zone was supposed to help the slow shooters play in the NBA. I guess he has to go play for Phoenix or San Antonio this time. Hopefully, Shandon can find a home one of these days. It's not like Rudy hasn't been asking for more up-tempo running since we got Francis. This is why Francis is not a leader yet, more so that Rudy is not an up-tempo coach. Francis not pushing the tempo as much as Moochie is costing us in more ways than I thought. Back to Shandon. So let me get this straight, you came to Houston when we had Barkley and Hakeem (before Francis mind you) and were told we'd change to up-tempo for you. Shandon, you can control your own destiny by taking a leader role and telling your point guard to run. Why didn't you play with him all last summer or something? Why just take it to the coach, like Rudy hasn't been asking for up-tempo. And Shandon, what do you mean by up-tempo anyhow? Rick Pitino basketball. So sorry we don't have trees like San Antonio or a point guard like Jason Kidd to make you happy. A little impatient aren't we Shandon?
I was thinking the same thing Kim was. Isn't running a good thing now? Isn't having a diversified offense that includes motion, cutting to the basket, and the midrange jumper a good thing already? As for HeyP's comments, I don't get the feeling that Shandon is the vocal leadership type. He won't demand the ball, because its not in his nature. And to be honest, not every player can be a chief. We need good indians too. The way I see it, part of the problem lies with Steve and Rudy. It is the job of the coach to best utilize the skills of his players and the job of the point guard to get everyone involved by getting them the ball where they can do the most damage (for Shandon, that's not spotting up beyond the arc). Every small forward in the Rudy era for the Rockets has had problems with the offense. They have been all asked to spend a lot of time hanging around the 3 point arc. Robert b****ed and moaned about it as a rookie, but ended up getting really good at that role. Elie adapted and used the opportunity to take his set shot from the corner and drive when the defense got aggressive. Scottie Pippen b****ed, too, and chose to force a trade rather than try to adapt to the system. ------------------ I'm about to boldly go where many men have gone before.
The article hasn't changed my opinion at all: I've always wanted to keep Anderson. I think he's doing a lot more now than he gets credit around here for. If rule changes means more points get credited to him, that good; if not, that's fine too. It does sound though that he's a bit frustrated with the number of shots he gets. We've seen before how effective he can be in scoring. Giving him more shots is probably a good idea anyway. ------------------ RealGM Gafford Art Artisan Cakes
Shandon's FG% is .448, right there with Francis at .449. His 2pt% is .519. This criticism of his shooting is completely unwarranted.
Nolen, Shandon can't shoot. That is pretty evident. Rudy and Jerry Sloan love shooters. If Shandon could shoot like a shooting guard should, he'd still be in Utah starting. All his shots are wide open. You can't compare his FG% to Francis.
Ah. So, Bull can't shoot, since all his 3pters are wide open. "Like a shooting guard?" You mean, in traffic? You're confusing me. The guy has the highes 2pt% on the team other than Cato who only dunks. So the shots are open, good for us. Way to go, system.
darn, we have dueling redundant threads again. About the "shooting guard" comment, I mean from watching Shandon in over 100 games now; imo, the guy is a poor shooter for a shooting guard, talk about the classic example of a guard with a poor midrange jumper. Nolen, trust me, Shandon gets A LOT of shots off dunks and layups, so his 2FG% is skewed by that. I have zero reason to exaggerate my opinion of Shandon to you. btw: You do know Rogers is shooting 70%. Don't mention Cato leading the team in anything again, or I'll have to punch you.
Lol! I missed that. Sorry, Carlos. Hope the pinkeye improves. Okay, the dunk/layup argument I can see.
With all this talk of eliminating the illegal defense rules and various rule changes, all in order to increase scoring and tempo, has anyone ever thought of just eliminating the need to call technicals after the 2nd illegal D call? Or how about not starting to call techs until, say, the 6th or 8th illegal D call. Instead of techs, the shot clock could be reset. Thoughts? ------------------ [This message has been edited by Live (edited April 06, 2001).]
With the young guns we have in the team , I think it will be better to run the ball than doing the isolation play.Shandon is well fit with the team and this is the guy who will give you 100% every game if they can only run the ball every game. I hope Rudy and CD will extend his service. ------------------ Rudy T. will find and fulfill Rockets destiny.
Wow look at all of the SA Haters come out.. First it was Cat, then was Francis, now it's SA. Let's take a step back and look at this situation on SA. SA is a slasher and he plays better than average defense. These are his strong points. At the present time the Rockets run an Isolation offense. SA strengths At the present time are not compatible to the Rockets offensive scheme at this point. SA has had the pleasure of playing with one of the best "Assist" point guards in the NBA. Know matter how dirty Stockton plays, he is still a very good and very smart Player. When it comes to reading defenses and getting the ball to his teammates at the right time he is one of the best. At the present time Steve has to work and develope that part of his game. He has had some nice moments, but he still has a long way to go. As far as the offense goes SA was playing in a PNR system that focused on the strength of 2 players. But, they also run a lot of back screens and do a lot of cutting. Believe it or not the system that a team runs has a lot to do with how a player performs. If you don't believe me just look at Jalen Rose and how he has developed with Indiana. But also the player himself has to work on his weakness and strengthen those weak areas of his game. In the last couple years we have had two players with the same type of game with the same complaint. Should we look at the players or should we look at the system? My belief is we need to look at the players that we are trying to bring here. If these players are slashers and even slashers with an average jump shot, we may want to pass on them. Especially if we are going to run an Isolation style offense. I don't like the Isolation offense, but if we are going to run it then let's get the players who can run it. What I mean by this is don't try to turn a guy who hits for average into a home run hitter. I wish SA all the luck in the world and I hope he finds his happiness, with whatever he decides to do. ------------------ Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.....
T_Man, calling Shandon impatient with our uptempo game and a mediocre offensive player is not hating the man. Fans don't take one side or the other...sheesh. If Shandon is complaing publicly about touches and his offensive role, like he did in Utah, and he is blaming the Point Guard and the Coach....and he is not even your 5th best offensive option...sorry man, he has to pack his bags, imo. You cannot have chemistry like that. It is a game, and a team, and a business. We are not hating him; he isn't happy. And the GM has two options: (1) try to make him happy if you can, or (2) don't make changes for a complaining player, because it can become an epidemic on the team. What are you: (1) or (2). Let's get off the hate or love thing. Let's talk RealGM basketball. What do you do if you were CD?
Sorry man, I don't buy the #33 logic. That was pre-Francis and a lockout-shortened training camp and hardly any practice time during the season. I think if you compare Shandon's situation to #33, you have to compare the fact that they both have a history of complaining. This is not a Rocket's/Rudy issue only. Shandon is being impatient. This team is moving away from the ISO...it just needed time and a freaking frontcourt that we didn't have for 1 1/2 years with Shandon. T_Man...The offensive system Rudy chose really needs time to get past the ISOs, and it needs a scoring center/PF, which we did not have for 1 1/2 years....and that was unexpected, beyond the anticipation of the coach. Is Rudy supposed to temporarily scrap an offensive system when he is teaching one to a PG who has never played point guard before, plus a new PF and the second youngest team in the league. Maybe so, but that is schrewd criticism of Rudy, and has nothing to do with #33's situation, man.
I never really meant to imply vocal leader, or demanding the ball. I meant to say force the tempo (which he does), play with your PG in the summer (which I don't think he does), and demand you point guard act like a point guard and push the ball up the middle so Shandon can run the wing. That's all I meant. I think Shandon is happier if we just run more....so am I. But, sounds like he is gone, especially the way he treated Utah in negotiations last time. Oh well. Fun experiment I guess.
Good thing you put the "if" in there. Show me evidence of Shandon "complaining publicly" in Utah. You can't do it. You can't prove this either. Get off your personal thing with Shandon. Try to back up your statements for once. [This message has been edited by TheFreak (edited April 06, 2001).]
Shandon Anderson is not a whiner, and should not be compared to #33. Shandon left Utah because he didn't want to live there. What's wrong with that? He had no loyalty to that team. Sure, they gave him a chance as a second rounder, but he made the most of it, and left.It's not like Shandon was some cornerstone for the Jazz franchise. Dan Fegan, his agent, was the one that complained to the Jazz, NOT Shandon. Also, that Utah article is not valid. It's from the Utah press for one, which makes it pointless, and blatantly attempts to take cheap shots at Shandon. The only thing Shandon does is get frustrated seeing some of the other players make stupid mistakes sometimes. ------------------
tpl calls you out too, hp. Quoting the Utah paper and the Utah owner in an attempt to discredit Shandon -- PATHETIC. Why don't we start using Jerry Sloan quotes to discredit Rudy--is that fair game now, hp? Jerry Sloan says he deserved to be the coach of the Olympic team, not Rudy. Rudy was not deserving! What do you think Larry Miller has to say about that?
TheFreak, Try to make an original statement for once. Why did Shandon leave Utah? You tell me! I am all ears.
