Steve Novak: What do you Expect This Year?

this season i expect him to get very spotty minutes. in those minutes he might do well against the opponents second team.

we know he can shoot when open. we know he's a smart player. he know he's not strong enough to rebound well or quick enough to defend well.

basically, what you see is what you get.

 

I expect that he will get NBDL'd initially.

 

He will be a minor minutes guy unless he just shoots lights out when he is in the game.

But mostly I expect him to carry Yao's bags and buy donuts for practices.

 

He'll get nothing unless he bulks up some. Slap 20 or more pounds on him and he might get spot minutes.

 

14/6 or he's a bust in my books.

 

With Padgett on the roster, I expect JVG will favor him over Novak. He's a proven 3-point shooter, and he was a decent rebounder/hustle-guy for us as well.

 

I voted for minor rotation player. Van Gundy's team defensive system lends itself to players that may not be the best physical specimens on the court. Novak can shoot, has plenty of height, and he's a smart kid. I think he'll be there for when we need to start firing 3's, to matchup with teams going small (little defense is usually played in those situations anyway), and just to space the floor in general.

It would take a ton of injuries, on par with last season, for him to even see 1 start all year, or more than about 20 minutes in a single game.

 

If TMac is healthy all year, he'll rarely play. Battier/Bonzi/Snyder will suck up the remaining minutes at 3. No chance of getting minutes at 4 with Battier/Howard/Hayes/Padgett there.

But his time will come. He contract does run 3 years and he'll have an opportunity before too long. By that time, hopefully he'll have added 15 or 20 lbs. making him capable playing the 4.

 

I expect to see Novak in mop-up duties or if we need a shooter at the end of a quarter/game.

I just don't think he has good enough defensive capabilities to stay on the court for JVG.

 

i just hope getting Padgett doesnt mean the death of any meaningful minutes for Novak. But i suspect it will hurt them big time.

even though Novak may not be a Padgett prototype, he is similar enough of a player that you couldnt run these 2 guys oncourt together very often.

and the thing is, with Scott's experience and knowledge within our system, he's likely to get more of Van Gundy's meaningful minutes.

of course im still not convinced Padge will stick. His contract, from what i've seen, is one year NON guarenteed. Jacobsen or Azubuike might still edge him out...

and im sure hoping so caus I just cant see how he really helps us

 

24 minutes a game.

Since by halftime, the game will be a blowout win already.

 

Wait, what was Novak picked? Number one right?

 

I'll be very disappointed if Novak ends up playing garbage time for much of the entire season. It's a myth that lanky guys must first gain weight in order to succeed in NBA. Kevin McHale and Reggie Miller are two prime examples where guys of those types of physique can excel without bulking up, as long as they possess superb agility, above average endurance, and adequate strength.

We picked Novak for one particular reason -- his uncanny shooting ability. Long range shooting woes have been a patented Rockets problem in recent years. It'd be a travesty if Novak were inserted onto the court as if he were Ryan Bowen.

 

I expect him to play in the D-League all season. There's too much ahead of him. Battier, Howard, Hayes, TMac, Snyder, probably Padgett.

 

Hopefully a minor rotation player that I hope gets good enough, by the end of the season, to contribute. I expect few, if any, minutes until the second half, and then situational spot duty in the rotation, if he "gets it."

 

The White Larry Bird will light up the NBA like a Chinese firecracker in a dark room.

 

He'll see the court when they play Memphis. His job will be to intimidate Rudy Gay.

 

LOL ... that's a good one. Also keep in mind Memphis has its own sharpshooter in Mike Miller. Novak will have work cut out for him, but that's if only JVG is bold enough to experiment.