Nursing something or, like torocan pointed out above (not the only person mentioning it, either), Bev is getting run down from the increased minutes and a change in his role. Pat should be the first guard off the bench, not our starting point. I think that's been pretty obvious for a while now. I hope Morey makes a move soon to address that. It's going to be a problem in the playoffs. As always, we have enough problems as it is.
Iv'e seen a lot of bad talk on Bev as of late, and probably rightfully so. The problem I have is that most of you want to trade away guys as soon as they struggle. There is chemistry involved and needed when building a team. You can't just plug anyone into the pg role and expect it to work. One thing I do know about Patrick, is that he brings toughness, and is one tough S.O.B. and you need that in the playoffs. He always plays hard, if you watch the games, he is one of the few guys that is so intense and into the game at all times. Trading him would be a mistake, if we get a pg then Bev can be a bench player, but he needs to stay on the team. He has improved his shooting for those who say he can't shoot. He always goes after the rebound, check the tape. He still plays 94 ft. His issue maybe isn't him, but the role he is being asked to play under McHales offense. Shoot 3's and let Harden handle the ball.
its not on McHales offense. the role he is being asked to play is the only thing that allows him to be a starting pg in the nba because he plays next to harden. hes not a playmaking pg. hes not a good ball handler for a pg. he can only spot up and shoot open jumpers. and play defense (not well as of late). if all that is lacking then no matter if he plays 94 ft or not, he belongs on the bench as an energy player which he is (his best role imo). he's not really having any positive impact on the game if he isn't doing at least one of the the two things he is known for. knocking down open 3's or playing defense at a high level.
He's being asked to play the same role as last season. He may have to handle the ball a little bit more with Parsons gone, but for the most part his responsibilities are still shooting the open 3, hitting a midrange shot or floater if the defense sags off of him, and guarding the opposing PG. The problem is he's doing all of these things worse than a year ago. Aside from being moved to the bench in a backup role(assuming Morey can find a replacement for him in the starting lineup), I'm not sure how else he can be used differently on this team.
Not sure about change of role. But Beverley actually plays less compared to last season, 33.7 vs 30.9 MPG. http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/201976/
Now that the season is over, what are your guys thoughts on this questions? And what contract would you be willing to give him? I thought Bevs defense got better as the year went along, he also mentioned that he's been battling through some injuries all season. Ever since his miniscus surgery he had last year, he hasn't been the same player defensively. IMO if Llull translates to the NBA like I think he will, Bev in the starting lineup will be even more important. Llull is a fantastic spot up shooter, passer, good pick and roll player. Beverly is the change of pace PG that will do all the little things that it takes to win. He may have had issues all year but I think we really missed his hustle and tenacity in the playoffs. If Llull is anywhere as good as I think he will be, Bev won't have to play more than 28-30 MPG which I think would suit his play style. My concern with him besides his loss of lateral quickness on defense, is his durability. He always seems to be having some kind of injury last 2 seasons. If I were Beverly I would probably be looking at a 1 year contract with a player option for the 2nd year. But Im not sure what the max salary I would be comfortable with giving him.
Unless we can resign him at $5 and under, I'd probably let him walk. Nick Johnson is an average jumper away from giving us more than what Beverley brings to the table. Sign Llull, draft a PG at #32, resign Terry, sign a vet PG at the minimum, and keep Nick. No need to tie up tons of cap in a bottom 5 starting PG.
Very. Made the WCFs without him. He also didn't play this season with the same fire he had last season. Not a good sign.
Why would you believe that Bev would even approach a $5M/year contract? At that price he has to start and most teams just cannot exist with a starting PG putting up 10/3/4 scoring lines. I can only think of two teams that Bev works on as a starting PG. Dallas, provided they don't let Ellis walk, and Houston. The two teams with ball dominant shooting guards.
In general I agree with your take, but it's not a guarantee that Nick Johnson can add "an average jumper." He's AWFUL right now. I really don't want to bank on him developing.
Its really not about replacing Beverley, its about improving the team while keeping your options open for LMA, Love or Durant.
Funny, if I were Beverly, I would be looking to sign as long as contract as possible and lockup that guaranteed money.... the injuries are starting to mount... another couple years of abuse and he may have to call it a career.... he certainly cant extend his career as a spot up shooter... All that said, if we are operating over the cap anyway, resign him.... if it has no bearing on our ability to add additional talent - I'll take Bev as the 12th man... Hopefully, he returns to form and can compete for the starting job with whomever we bring in (Llull, Lawson, whoever...) and worse case scenario it will be a decent expiring contract to dish at somepoint down the road.... since we'll prob still be over the cap and trades will be the only way to upscale.... I'd match the following: 1yr/$8M 2/$12M 3/$15M Take the big money for a one year deal or lockup 12M... either should give him enough funds to live out his life nicely...
It also is not a rotation player's salary, given that it is 8% of the cap next season. Who spends $5M/year on a backup PG? There may be instances, they are just not coming to mind.
we should.... everybody cries about needing someone else to create - that person should be our bu pg/6th man - someone to bring a spark off the bench when Harden sits.... like Mike James did for us for awhile... like JJ Barea somewhat did to us in the playoffs....
everyone on the rockets team is replaceable except for Harden/ Howard. The rockets switch pg it seems every 2 years.
3-5 mil is about a typical salary for a backup pg. Shaun Livingston, Jarrett jack, Grevis Vasquez make a little over that.
