I pray Brooks can/will do it. The mid-range shot can do so much for an offense. It will be very interesting to see how Martin reacts to playing in space with Yao on the court, because with his penchant for drawing fouls he should be able to kill from 12' to 15'.
Budinger: Faster decisions -- when to pass, shoot, or drive. like many young bench players he often becomes tentative after missing a few shots. Also become a better finisher, which could set him up to get more calls on drives and force defenders to cheat off him giving him more room to shoot. Ariza: Follow Battier's game more. When you get the ball you don't need to dribble unless you have a good path to the basket. Get the ball and either take the shot or move the ball to the next player and move to the empty spots on the perimeter. Hill: I actually think he needs to think less about offense. I think it's messing with his head to try and develop a go-to move (which he's far from). If he looks to control the boards and get out on transition he can be a impact bench player this year.
I would like to post a summary of all the comments but I don't think I can edit. Can anyone help with this?
Some good points,however I feel Ariza's strengths will be maximized if he cuts towards the basket as well as moving to get open shots. It will be easier for him to play closer to the basket when Brad passes the ball inside. Running the fast break will help as well.
Patrick Patterson - improve Pick n Roll defense, adjust to the speed of NBA games, and strive to be the hardest working guy on the team. (tough to do with Yao on board) Shane Battier - get healthy, stay healthy, and be the vocal locker room leader. Kevin Martin - compete on the defensive end, and take a more cerebral approach to defending in general. Read more scouting reports and spend less time gambling in passing lanes. Daryl Morey - you have no apparent weaknesses. Keep up the good work.
Can't believe no one has said this yet: Ariza - needs to work on his body control when he clashes with the big bodies at the rim. There were many times last year where he would get into traffic and couldn't finish due to his lack of strength, bulk, and body control. Hopefully he's put on some weight and bulk like his trainer said. <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/n01eu0NBl-U&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/n01eu0NBl-U&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>
Can't believe this hasn't been said yet. Yao - fronting We forget how frustrating this was throughout the season two years ago.
Kevin Martin Pros: Humble Good shooter Cons/weaknesses: Lives at the free-throw line Needs more of a drive to the lane play to better compliment Brooks and Lowry
I second this... Scola Very good all around player. one of the best floppers in the NBA lol. weakness: tends to be not that aggressive on the offensive end. Hopefully he does get more aggressive coz other than Yao he is one of the most efficient bigs we have.
Since you were talking about the mid-range game, I'd like to see Lowry return to his '08-'09 form from mid-range. I don't know how to show these charts http://www.nba.com/hotspots/, but the comparison for Lowry between '08-'09 to '09-'10 is striking, as he fell off considerably last year. If Kyle simply returns to his form of two season ago, it would be huge. He doesn't need to be able to hit from the perimeter, as we have some serious weapons there in Brooks, Martin (two of the best, IMO), Battier, and even Ariza, when he can set his feet. Lowry should leave the heaves from Downtown to those guys. The rest of his game ranges from good to outstanding. What's frustrating is that Lowry's shooting form is excellent, he's produced from that range before, and there's no reason to think he won't again. We'll see what he does this season.
Opportunities for Improvement - 1 Per Player AB: Stop running into/sticking to screens. U see them coming a mile away and you don't slip with your quickness Lowry: A jumper - Calvin Murphy is waiting on your phone call. Please pull out a you tube on the pocket rocket and his jumper Scola: A left hand layup or jump hook will increase your scoring by at least 6 points per game. Yao: Dunk everything insigt Ariza: That dribble, Calvin Murphy is also waiting on your phone call Martin: Pappadeaux, This Is IT, any place that serves fattening food. Also add some weights to the mix JH: Cut the dreads, will add 3 inches to vertical. Chuck: make a layup, u should be 95% but u only shoot 60% Battier: any other jumper besides a 3 and 1 dunk JT: Showing intellectual basketball Jeffries - Learn to shoot Patrick - Get your D league jersey ready
How is living at the free throw line a con? You still score points, draw fouls and get the other team in the penalty, it's usually considered a good thing...in fact, I'd see Aaron Brooks needs to work on drawing fouls, maybe by have a few change of speed moves. Lowry needs to keep practicing Js. A consistent jump shot is the only thing keeping him from reaching another level. I doubt we'll see it though. Scola needs to work on passing out of double teams, but hopefully he'll see less of that with Yao on the court.
I think AB Can reasonably develop in getting to the line better .. Instead of trying to score aim toward the defenders body like Kyle .. Luis should work on his vertical may be hard at his age but there's some useful methods ..
I feel Lowry will also have a breakout season. His shooting will improve over last seasons that wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be.
