Is it me or does it look as though K-Mart has been driving and finishing at the rim more since the trade?..I dont wanna say its because of Battier leaving(Battier lovers may object strongly), but it seems he has more space to drive with Bud on the floor..The K-Mart before the trade would drive and either/or pull up or swing his arms hoping to draw a foul. Obviously Bud opens up the offense due to his shooting but Battier was a pretty decent shooter as well(when open). I think this is a preview of K-Mart for the 2011-2012 season. I honestly think he can average 26-30 pts a game..Maybe even carry the team so to speak..Also with Battier leavin, he seems to not get torched as much lately..Maybe he's forced to play solid defense...Although all good players go through stretches where they play "out of their minds", I believe he wants to lead this team..It pretty much is his team now!!!
Your right..cuz when battier was here. He mostly took jump shots and 3's...But now he drives in and dunks , lay ups etc..and take 3's here and there..thats what we need more to drive in Get every point. open 3 he usually makes. and Lowry stepped it up by shooting 3's and shooting period. and his Defense. Hopefully we get a W tonight that be GREAT..play off push...and we go play back at home.
Honestly, he's been playing pretty much the same way he was before the trade. He looks at his matchup and takes advantage of it any way he can. Against NJ, he settled for jumpers early, then noticed he could go by Sasha at will, so that's what he did. Against NOH, he settled for jumpers as well, until Okafor left the court, then he attacked the rim. Against POR he did practically the same thing. Shot jumpers when he could get open, then as soon as POR went to the Wallace/Aldridge PF/C combo, he attacked the rim more. It's basically what he's been doing all season.
It's just you. During Battier's last game as a Rocket, Martin was 9-14 from 2pt range. During the 3 games after, he was 5-9, 4-7 and 4-7 from 2 pt range. Now, I don't remember if Martin's 9 FGs vs. the Cavs were drives ro jumpers, but I don't think he drove less vs. the Cavs than he did with the other team. Martin is on a hot streak now, from all ranges and from the FT line, it doesn't seem like he's finishing 2 pt shots or drives (as oppose to missing them or getting 2 FTs) better than before. And why would Battier give him less room to work with? He was shooting a higher % from the arc than Budinger was and wasn't exactly turning down open 3s all the time.
yao hasnt injured himself once since Battier has been gone. Therefore, Battier was causing Yao's injuries
Martin said he was tired before the break and was not attacking the rim... he came out fresh and ready to go. So it's not about Battier going.. it's more about him being fresh and knowing that this is the time to make a run.
He did say he was somewhat worn out until the break...but he did seem to start taking it to the rim more and more strongly within the last month or two. I'm not sure he's changed his game much since the trades, but if he has, i'd say both trades had an effect. Bud's better offensively than battier and Lowry is less predictable offensively than Brooks.
Martin mentioned that he is just fresher after the break, thus looking to drive more, so no I don't think trading Battier is the reason. With that said, I could see how Budinger/Lee could potentially provide more spacing down the line, all while shooting similar or even slightly worse %s than Shane. Defenders play Shane as purely a spot up shooting threat. This means they can hedge off of him as long as they are close enough to recover quickly on a closeout. It is not like they are leaving him wide open, so the spacing isn't terrible, enough for our offense to run fine as the numbers show. The difference with Budinger/Lee, HOPEFULLY, is that defenders cannot hedge off of him, or he will just drive right past them when they are on their heels recovering. We've seen this a few times these past 2 games resulting in wide open dunks by Chase. Shane shies away from this because of his lack of ballhandling, and the few times he tries to take it to the hole it is a disturbing sight(as much as I love the guy). With defenders sticking on Bud/Lee the entire game, theoretically our spacing should be improved. It has only been two games so we'll have to wait awhile for a better sample to draw conclusions, but in theory it could happen.
i concur. Also since Hakeem left, the Rox haven't won a championship, so its........- ahhhh i see what you almost made me do
Yeah cuz Battier was taking up sooo much room when he sat in the corner waiting for a pass to shoot a 3.
well sir..Its more spacing because you have to stick to Bud/Lee when they spot up..Because they have the ability to put the ball on the floor and make a play...When have you seen Battier put the ball on the floor unless he was making an entry pass?..You'll see what I'm saying in the next couple games...watch how often he finishes at the rim now as opposed to pull up jumpers or being forced to make errant passes !!!Bet
Kevin Martin said he LIKED playing with an offensive point guard (complimenting Aaron Brooks). His game is about getting up and down the court and scoring, so he probably welcomes Budinger as a running mate. But we surely welcomed Battier making up for some of his weak defense.
Hey I like Battier like everyone else..But when you have a serviceable if not better option to fill in, it makes people like K-Mart and Lowery that much better...If you noticed, those are the 2 players that are benefiting from the trade since then..
I do not understand everyone's hatred for his defense? K-Mart has been in the top 10 in scoring basically all season. When was the last time you saw Kobe, 'Melo or Monte Ellis lock someone down?? D Howard and Lebron are probably the only two in the top 10 scorers who actually do play defense. Although I disagree with the OP's point as well, I don't think K-Mart has been as detrimental to our defense as some others around here are making him out to be. He is what he is, which is a nice offensive weapon. He is not, nor will he ever be a shutdown defender.....but he is not below average either. Since the trade deadline, I have definitely noticed he has been getting quite a few more steals than usual. It is nice to see that he is putting forth some effort on the defensive side of the ball in what most would call a lost season.
I believe it was Frederick Douglass that said "Without any setbacks, there is no progress!"......Not a theory mane, its a conclusive conclusion.....
Kobe is actually a pretty damn good defender... just sayin'. Martin is not even close to the same league that Kobe is in defensively
Kevin Martin is basically Ray Allen, except nobody talks about Ray being a defensive liability anymore since he plays with KG and Rondo now.
Yep, Battier has just been a Memphis spy for the past few years. Now that Battier has proven his sabotuer skills, he'll get a true test when he is shipped off in a sign and trade to Miami in the offseason.
