same reason as why Kobe doesn't defend the opposing team's best wing player. To save energy for offense.
Overall, Battier's reputation as a SHUTDOWN defender is overrated. [Many times discussed on this board] - Battier's benefits is in the overall team defense and help defense. And on offense in only (and ONLY, to a fault ) taking efficient shots. And helps in not turning the ball over. Battier himself has said its not as much about being on "Kobe Island". Battier gets right at the same rate of blocks+steals a game as Lebron does even now. Battier has slowed down approaching mid-30s, so he's regressed athletically and he wasnt much an athlete to begin with. So yes its fair to downgrade him from any "elite" down to "good to very good", and fast approaching just "good'. How long did that "already" take, FIVE years?
Because the Heat coach is an idiot. Did you see Lebron make D. Rose look like a little kid last year in the playoffs? Lebron can guard anyone. Why the hell didn't Spolestra put Lebron on Dirk last year in the finals, I"ll never know. Lebron WILL SHUT DOWN melo if he's assigned to him.
So Lebron thinks that scoring 27 points himself is more important than preventing Melo from going off for 41 points in a much more efficient manner? This when he has a superstar and an all-star playing alongside him? If Lebron is incredibly better than Battier against Melo, and Lebron isn't a stat hog, then he would've played defense on Melo every single minute out there.
I dont think that would apply on the last possession of the game. My guess is they feel comfortable getting beat on a shot and want James to roam/help on drives.
There is only one person in the league that is strong and fast enough to slow down Melo by himself. I just don't know why the heat didn't put him on Melo.
Keep in mind that only one player can touch the basketball at a time. Historically, ballhandlers and shotmakers have been highly overrated for the sheer reason that only one of them can be directly useful in a possession. How well you create offense for yourself and others is a facet of offensive game, sure, and its one that Battier struggles with, sure. But it's not the only facet. Battier's stand-in-the-corner-ad-infinitum act is a shockingly efficient offensive tactic when paired with a solid offense (.525 career eFG%). It has given him a career in which he is statistically a better shooter than scorers like Lebron, Kobe, Carmelo, Vince, 'Nique, Drexler, Pierce, Durant, Nowitzki, and Bird because he takes good shots and leaves the tough ones to others. Of course, when you count getting to the line and getting assists, all these guys slaughter him as a complete offensive player. But don't sleep on the importance of a spot-up shooter who is also a 'good to great' defender.
No. The already would suggest that Rudy surpassed Battier as a player before the five years he has been in the league. I would argue that Gay as a player surpassed Shane in his second year of play. Yes, Battier has been a good defender in the past, but his days as a good defender are over. He consistently gets beat off the dribble and just doesn't have the athleticism to keep up with today's offensive powerhouses. I never said Battier wasn't a good defender, but when you look at his overall game, he does lack offensive prowess. He can't create shots for himself, nor can he create shots for others. He is strictly a 3-pt shooter and has been for some time now. Sure, he brings "intangibles" to the table, but if you look at his body of work from a statistical standpoint, I would say his production has been rather underwhelming considering the fact that he was selected as the 6th pick in his draft class (2001). Shane was a good defender and he does bring certain intangibles to the table, but in my opinion, he is a very average basketball player who is l playing off of his past reputation has a good defender. However, if you offered me Shane Battier for Rudy Gay, there is no question I would take Rudy every single time.
If someone in the Rockets organization had the power to look in the future, then I'm pretty sure the Rockets would've held on to Gay as well. Without McGrady or Yao in nearly 3 years, no game-changing prospects, and three consecutive non-playoff appearances. Against the wishes of possibly the current coach, the Rockets hold onto Rudy Gay.
I was a proponent of of keeping Rudy Gay as opposed to trading him and those sentiments were also shared others on draft day. If you watched Rudy Gay play in college, you would have known that on potential alone, Rudy was going to be a far better player than Shane ever was. You simply can't teach that combination of size, speed, agility, and scoring prowess to anybody. With that being said, I can understand why the Rockets opted to go with Shane as the franchise was in a "win-now" mode. However, it doesn't mean that I agree with that philosophy, because I felt like having a player as young and as talented as Rudy would have benefited the franchise even then and going into the future. He had the talent to make an immediate impact and who knows, maybe he could have learned a few things from McGrady? I like Shane both as a person and a basketball player, but there is no way anybody is ever going to convince me that Shane was/is/will ever be the player that Rudy Gay is.
People need to stop blaming Battier for not getting Gay. Blame the lack of support CD provided Yao/T-Mac during their prime years here. You think the Rockets would've gone after Battier if they had players like Parsons, Scola, Lowry on the team? Of course not. But they had Jim Jackson, JHo, Rafer, etc. instead. That's why they would've drafted Thebo, a more NBA ready player with defensive skills. Also, one may ask Detroit fans what it's like to take the player with the highest upside for a contending team in a lottery.
You bring up a couple of valid points here. I do feel that the front office could have done a better job of putting talent around Yao/T-Mac in their primes. With that being said, the move for Battier best exemplifies the organization's near-sightedness which continues to plague us even today. Did Battier make us a better team? Sure. However, who's not to say that Rudy Gay couldn't have had a similar impact and had possibly given us that offensive impact we so clearly lacked in the playoffs? Also, given Tracy and Yao's injury history, there were no guarantees that the Rockets would be in contention every single year they were together. While you can certainly be optimistic, you also have to be mindful of the future. Given that every single year there is only 1 champion, to put all your eggs in one basket is somewhat foolish. Also, to add insult to injury, the Rockets didn't just give up Rudy Gay for Shane Battier straight up, they threw in Stromile Swift not saying he meant much) as well. Fast forward to this year when Morey made an attempt to grab Gasol from the Lakers. Given how much we had to give up for an aging Gasol to tem him with an oft-injured Nene, does anyone actually believe that that particular combination would have taken the Rockets to the promise land? Heck no. If the Lakers can't even solidify their status as contenders with BOTH Gasol and Bynum (not to mention Kobe), to even think that the Rockets had a chance of getting to the finals is ludicrous. And when the Rockets don't make it to the Finals, what exactly are we left with? Two aging big men that are arguably past their primes with contracts that nobody would want. In a way, I'm glad Stern had blocked our trade with the Lakers as I thought it probably would have set us back a few more years. While I understand the thinking of the Rockets brass when they made their move for Battier, this short-sightedness by the front office isn't something that I can easily ignore.
