I won't rant and rave, but the article in the chronicle is our season in a nutshell. Look good at paragraph's 4,12,and 23. Since i haven't learned the art of placing articles in the forum, someelse acn help me out and do it. They played hard, but the article really tells the truth from the players point of view.
"You live by the 3, you die by the 3," Rockets guard Cuttino Mobley said after the Rockets did both. "Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. And they move the ball around well. They just don't stop moving at all. In a back-to-back, they played amazing the way they moved." That ball comes off the rim, it's gone," Norris said. "You may get back on defense when we make shots or free throws. But when that ball comes off the rim, any one of those guys gets it going. Those guys are getting up and down." "We have to establish an inside game, off the dribble, stuff like that," Eddie Griffin said. "We can't just rely on the 3." Lee, I cannot agree with you more. For some time now I have been asking for more running and more Kidd like plays from Francis. Here is another quote, this time from the coach, himself. "Jason Kidd is such a winner," Tomjanovich said. "You put him on any team and the efficiency goes up. "It's the way the guy is. The guy is phenomenal. He's a special, special player. He knows how it works. You just do whatever it takes to win. ... If it means dive on the floor, if it means pass all day, if it means I have to take this shot. I mean, he is the real thing. He's got it." We supposedly have speedsters and good shooters. Why can't we run more and get those midrange jumpers so you are not limited to 3's? Do not get me wrong, I think that the quality of our play has improved but how do we end up having 0 fast break points? This is even after Moochie ran and forced the pace for most of the night. You have to get easy points. Our PG also typically comes up the sidelines instead of down the middle. Probabaly Crispee can explain that. The bottomline, having seen the game in Boston live, Francis' game needs to be improved for our efficiency and assists avg to improve.
We don't run more because our guards are always rebounding. We should release a guard on EVERY possesion, it would make a huge difference. Also, stop WALKING the ball up the court...RUN it up...get some offensive looks BEFORE the defense is set. All of this is clear to people who understand the game. The problem...FRANKLY is that our team has a low basketball IQ, they would rather do the one on one playground JUNK and yell "AND ONE" each time they shoot. Hopefully, the team will grow up and learn what it takes to win, all Rudy can do is keep preaching it to them, some day it will soak in....I hope. DaDakota
I hope so DD, but Kidd rebounds very well at the point, but once he gets the ball its full steam ahead and everyone is running. Not jogging or half assing,but running. Next time we play, watch how many time the forwards and center fill the lane. A good fast break also has a secondary break which yeilds good shots also. It would also help if Rudy didn't call a play from the sideline everu possession.
Rudy calls plays? Actually, I don't know if the mental make up of this team will ever allow them to understand fundamental basketball. When is the excuse of being a young team wears out? Moochie, Cat, Steve, Kt, Walt... Should be able to understand the concept of a fast break. EG gives me hope. Hopefully, he won't get corrupted by these hard heads.
Just like when you have a PG llike Jason Kidd, passing becomes contageous(sp?), I guess that's what happened with us and rebounding. Steve started it, and now Cat and Mooch think they have to do it. If only Steve went for it, like Jason Kidd, then we wouldn't have as big a fast break problem.When they grab the rebound, it's Kidd with the ball, then K-Mart, Kittles and Van Horn race EACH OTHER to be able to get the easy bucket from Kidd. Also, see how NJ immediately comes back and scores a point, getting your hopes even lower after every missed shot. Quick thinking. Griff, Cato, KT and Francis are all good rebounders, so we don't kneed Cat and Mooch going for them. Francis can easily do what Kidd does, as soon as he understands the game, and lets the game come to him.
The question of our guards rebounding and the lack of fast break points has been raised before. I think it is a very good question. I've said in the past that our guards should not look to dribble the ball all the way up the court and got lambasted by others saying long outlet passes never work. It doesn't have to be a long outlet pass. Even if Steve makes a 20 ft. pass, that means the ball just went past 2 defenders that now have to back peddle. It's this outlet pass that can make all the difference in the world in a fast break. I really wish they would pass the ball sooner on fast breaks. I hate the fast break dribble all the way to the 3pt line and by then 3-4 defenders are back.
Me too Kros. Passes always beat dribbles. The court is 94ft, most rebounds can be outletted to hash mark which is about 35 ft. After that its all about filling the lanes. I don't know how many backwards passes to the guards i have seen.
Because, the Nets run as soon as they know they're gonna get the rebound. Our team just stands around, and we walk the ball upcourt. Plus, you don't see Kittles and Harris going for rebounds too do you?
We don't run the fast break because eventually we have too many turnovers and we get behind quickly. Steve, Cuttino, and Moochie are not fastbreak guards. They have enough problems running the half court offense without having to deal with quick decisions on fastbreak. Rudy T said in an interview, we can't win with a "Helter Skelter Offense". He said it in reference to a game with Sac Kings this year but I think it is his coaching strategy. I do agree with running just a half court offense with the personel we have.
