No Chen, You don't get it. You are blaming AB, when what you really want is someone that is the primary scorer...ie a star. Not AB's fault that he ended up with that role for most of 09-10....and he played really well with KMart when he got here. Either way, it is a dead horse...there is no winning, there is only preference in this discussion. And personally, I am happy to have either Lowry or AB, and I hope that Lowry continues to improve, because if he slips in his shooting, he could lose his job too. DD
How am I blaming anyone? I am simply identifying AB for what he is. An undersized scoring guard with shooting as his only real weapon because he doesn't utilize his speed intelligently. I am not equating him to a star. I have always called him a mediocre player, something certain posters react to like a kick to their nuts apparently. I was never one that was all rosy eyes over his sharp shooting, because unlike many posters here, I understand that individual scoring is simply a part of the game and even then, that AB wasn't good at it. My position with AB has always been simple: As he is, he is a mediocre player who will not lead his team anywhere. His performance in 09-10 was the result of an extremely favorable situation for a player like AB. It didn't make him great. Hell he wasn't even good. It was simply him finding himself in a miraculous situation where he was somehow the primary scorer despite his offensive game being undeserving of that role. He didn't improve and did not improve last season either. He simply did more because he had more time. It was as simple as that.
Say it all you want, but you score 20 PPG on a team with a winning record & you get some credit from me. And really, you should from any fan of that team.
Lets look at this realistically for a minute here. Take off your rose colored glasses about about that 20PPG number. PPG is simply a category for simple fans who have no real understanding of the game to focus on and salivate over. 2009 our starting lineup was the following: PG: Aaron Brooks SG: Shane Battier SF: Trevor Ariza PF: Luis Scola C: Chuck Hayes If you can't tell that this starting lineup is completely devoid of scoring talent short of AB and Scola, you should probably stop reading and watching basketball. This was the perfect storm for a player like AB, who is going into the season after burning two much older PG's in the playoffs and making posters on this board go gaga over him. We quickly realized that Ariza was truly offensively inept and we already knew that Battier and Hayes aren't putting up any points either. That means that points from shots left over by T-Mac and Yao need to come from somewhere. Being one of the only few scorers left on the team, he naturally took way more shots, more than anyone else on the team in fact. This applies for any NBA player with a scoring mentality and decent scoring ability. AB scored 20PPG because he took a lot of the shots that our real scorers use to take. I have never said AB did a bad job in 2009 or is a bad player. I call him a mediocre player because that is what he is. He scored more points because he took more shots. His efficiency did not improve. His assist and turnover rate did not improve. His offensive arsenal did not improve. His D did not improve. He was simply a one trick pony that greatly benefited from his situation.
Exactly the point. Without AB, there's no way we score enough points to have a winning record. So, he deserves some credit.
That was never the argument. That was the yapping of AB fans not did not understand the argument. I have said he did pretty good scoring that season. I was just unimpressed by his overall performance. Scoring is part of the game. He did what we asked for scoring. I personally thought he could have done more if he was smarter about using his speed and actually looking to create plays for his teammates instead of jacking up shots from everywhere. Yes, he did a pretty good job scoring that season. No one is going to deny that. My argument is that he still wasn't a good player like so many of his fans think he is. He is a mediocre one trick pony of a player. There are players like that who succeed in the NBA, but always as role players and bench sparks.
Yep, Kyle discussed how his worth is reflected by the more advanced stats while traditional box-score watching idiots do not appreciate him. Kyle also talks how the Adelman kept him down until last year. Kyle loves the new analytics-oriented coaching staff. He wants to decertify the union so his contract will be void.
And he trailed off at the end of talking about Adelman, mumbling something under his breath about AB, I think. Sounded like Que Bistec. But why would he call AB a steak?
He's talking about AB's habit of ordering well-done steak and demanding steak sauce at team dinners. It is a source of constant embarrassment among his teammates. High class ballers like Kyle Lowry knows how to act in nice establishments.
Guess I agree with some earlier post that said the debate isn't really about AB's skillset but the value one places on his specific skills. I've always placed a very high value on the ability to create one's own shot, which is why i think AB of 09/10 was incredibly valuable. I guess it's been debated enough that we all can just agree to disagree. I will say I have enjoyed these statistical focused threads and am humble enough to say I've learned a few things from them. The name calling I could have done without though.
well, the opposite is true for Lowry. in 2011, at rim: 63% 3-9ft: 35% 10-15ft: 25% 16-23ft: 29% 3s: 38% And that was considered a great year shooting the ball for Lowry. Hopefully he keeps improving. The team will be much better if Lowry can continue that aspect of his game.
I was watching lowrys college highlights and I've seen him drive to the basket more then shooting. hopefully his shooting % will be better then last years.
