Great post- I could not be happier for Boki Nachbar!!!!!! We still care and watch you in Houston Boki!!!!!
Nachbar is #2 in bench scoring this post season. He is averaging 16 point a game and isn't starting. If you're curious, Barbosa is #1. Boki. You da man .......Damn the Rockets could use you too .....ofcourse JVG wouldn't be playing you anyways. Now Boki's team is up 30pts. Man, must feel good to be on a winning team...and being played. Some day V-Span....some day.
The only place he got a chance to play was a mediocre Hornets team where he averaged 21 minutes a game. He wouldn't have sniffed those minutes on any other decent team... just like other unfortuante casulties of good teams (Milicic, Gerald Wallace). Boki was underwhelming in New Orleans... he had an inconsistent jump shot, played inconsistent defense, and lacked toughness. New Jersey got him because they finally found somebody they could dump Marc Jackson's contract on... and promptly used him only in garbage time. By the end of last season, Boki's career FG% was 37.4%. If you think he needed those garbage minutes at the end of last year to "fully develop", so be it... you don't go from being as inconsistent shooter as he was just as recent as LAST YEAR, to being dependable like he is now, without some serious work. Its a 2-way street... a team gives a player a chance, but the player has to work his ass off for the team. Boki, regardless of whether or not he got enough minutes in Houston, wasn't working his ass off... until he realized he would be every team's 12th man if he couldn't hit a jump shot. (I think he bought a little bit too much into that "slasher" role that everybody pegged him with when he was drafted... in the end, unless you're Jason Kidd, you better have a jump shot). Also, if Rudy knew Boki was as big of a project as he was... he would have never wasted a 1st round pick on him. Drafting europeans was "en vouge", and Boki looked like he could fit-in on a team of athletic swing-men like Francis and Mobely. Rudy always played rookies in stretches throughout their rookie years... from Horry, to Cassell, to Mobely, to Rodrick Rhodes, to Yao... but Boki was his first pick to make the roster that couldn't find the court. But, credit is given... he finally found a jump shot. That's probably all Vassilis needs as well to get some consistent minutes. If you can make open shots in this league (especially if you play on a team that has other players that command double teams), you will have a job... just ask Matt Bullard.
I have no idea why you insist again and again that Boki didn't work hard in Houston and New Orleans. Just because he struggled in limited minutes on the court didn't mean he had been lazy in the practise and didn't work hard on his shots. BTW, he was hitting 45+% from 3pts line before he got traded from Houston. It wasn't like he didn't show any signs of improvement during that season. But JVG never really tried to trust him. Well, at least JVG is consistent, he treats young players and rookies equally, everyone has fair chance to go to his doghouse.
JVG still had him play meaningful minutes in the playoffs of 04. They needed a better defender and 3 point shooter, and they got that in Wesley. Boki DID NOT shoot 45% from 3's in his time in New Orleans... and he didn't do all that well in his time in New Jersey in 05-06. Maybe he worked hard all the time... the truth is, he hasn't seen results till NOW. When a player failed to show results as of last year, how is it still the Rockets problem when he hasn't stepped on a Houston court since 04? Whatever Boki finally did last off-season worked for him... and his shot. Please... Boki was a big-time question mark the day after he was drafted... when Rudy was still here. He had a reputation of being a slasher... that apparently didn't mean 3 point shooter (which he's proficient in now). Also, shouldn't New Orleans be the bigger culprit here? They sign Boki to a 4 year extention, and trade him for the contract albatross that is Marc Jackson? They apparently saw a helluva lot less in Boki in a helluva lot more exposure than he ever had in Houston. If every team has the luxury of developing players for 4+ years when they're trying desperately to win big with 2 big stars, teams would be better off. Unfortunately, they don't.
personally, i believe boki is a selfish player, he takes too much time on ball and shoot too much. he is a below avg passer, below avg defender, and therefore somehow not so great a role player. and even at his best days, he is not good enough for 3rd option on scoring. boki is like those small crab, it tastes good but u cant actually get many meat out of it. i glad houston get rid of him.
Hey that would be painful to watch especially since we traded him for a one year rental David Wesley. Thank you JVG and CD for the legacy
Cmon guys, arent you all getting carried away with this Boki fascination? The guy has improved vastly since he left Houston but take a look at his numbers during these playoffs. Fg: 41.9 % 3pt Fg: 37% Ft: 95.5% Pts: 10.5 Min: 24.1 Now, those numbers are decent but they are not mind blowing, and you got to remember he is playing with Jkidd and against the EAST.
anyone ever consider that maybe it took boki getting passed around like a bad case of herpes for him to finally step up and become a decent player? his skill and talent was always there, the problem was when it came to gametime the guy shrunk up. He wouldnt miss a 3 pter in practice, but then he couldnt make one in the game. he stunk in houston. he stunk in new orleans. he stunk his first year in NJ. Finally, he's seemed to find his nitch as a bench scorer. Good for him.
Playing time and confidence is what he needed....you know time to develop on the court and get comfortable with his teamates. Same thing for V-Span. DD
