When Chuck joined the Rockets he had 0 offensive skill. When he would get the ball, I could virtually hear a collective NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! or Don't Shoot!!!! When he went to the free throw line it was again an exercise in futility. Watching him this season, I can really see his development on the offensive end. He is finishing with his left hand, he is going up and under, he is making free throws (less the ugly hitch), and he just looks more comfortable and confident. Yes his game is still about 5-10 feet in, but he plays within himself. He is not the total offensive liability he use to be. Chuck has always been strong on defense, but not he can contribute on the other end as well. This is the very reason you don't give up on players and it makes no sense to me how someone can look at a player in his first year and put a stamp on their career. This is more of a testament to work ethic rather than talent. In a microwave league of "I want it now", players seldom get that chance. I think Chuck's defense kept him in the league until the rest of his game could be developed. It is clear he has worked hard and come a long way.
He's worked on his game, and he can make plays now on occasion 1-on1. He's still not a good scorer, and if you're asking him to make an offensive move (other than a pass) that means the defense has done its job pretty well. He's not having the same positive impact on the game that he used to bring, I'm sad to say, because he's playing out of position defensively. Also, he's asked to be more involved on the offensive end, whereas before I think his deficiencies were more masked due to the playmaking of McGrady. This is an example of where how you fit in with the players around you makes as much or more of a difference as your individual skill-set. Chuck's a more skilled player now than he's ever been, but because of the group he's playing with he's not quite as effective in the role he's been given.
Chuck had been working very hard you can tell and it has definitely payed off. Did he work with CD? Like Jordan did. I'm assuming not.
I still can't get over how he's been able to fix his free-throw shooting form so dramatically. Everytime I see him step up to the FT line, it's a lesson in work ethic. His FT% is a career best .750 right now, and in the past month, he's made 21 of 24 FTs attempted.
When Hayes first came on the scene, he was fairly good at finishing whenever tmac dumped it to him. He doesn't get those oppurtunities nearly as often now. I also think that he's improved on defense, where he was more about energy off the bench initially. I don't know that I agree with the idea that we give up on players too soon. The reason players are dropped is because there's someone behind them who deserves a chance. You have to show some potential and some progression towards reaching that if you want to hang around. In Hayes case, his work ethic, strength, and BBIQ is the potential he's always had. I would agree though that if you hang around long enough to be a veteran, your going to develop some confidence and veteran know how to add to your game. Whereas I think Hayes used to be more of a gimmicky player, a specialist, he's becoming more of an overall player, IMO.
I like that he has made improvements to his offensive game, but it seems that he has put more focus on that than doing the things we need him to do (Ex. Rebonding at a high rate). I also think he is impeding the growth of others (Hill & Patterson) with his playing time; which is not fault of his own. I wish the Rockets would make him a coach. But to his credit he has made improvements offensively, he's just not doing the things that made JVG give him more playing time.
Chuck has more post moves than Jordan Hill, just doesn't have the athleticism or height to be effective with it. Maybe Jordan's been working with Chuck. Hill is too right-hand dominant on the post right now. He needs a counter move going the other way. Maybe that will be his assignment next summer.
When he hit that fadeaway jumper on the baseline last night, my jaw nearly hit the floor. Oh, Chuck... my man-crush grows for you every day.
INCREDIBLY impressed with the improvement in his FT shooting but Chuck should only be used in certain situations, playing him 20 minutes a game is not a good thing.
Hayes can learn O but we don't have anybody willing to step up and learn to play some damn D. Pathetic. Retire Chuck's jersey already.
He's amazing. His D is uncanny, but there are some things he just shouldn't do on O. Considering he's very a very under-sized C. He gets block a lot...
I was listening to ESPN radio a few weeks ago and Matt Bullard said that Chuck was a scorer in college. When he got to the pro's his defense shined much more than his offense, primarily because he was very short for his position. http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/player/kentucky/chuck-hayes It seem's to be true. 01-02: 46 FG% 02-03: 49 FG% 03-04: 53 FG% 04-05: 50 FG% I don't watch a lot of college ball, so I don't know how this compares with others. He averaged 10 PPG by the end of his career. JWall had 16 PPG, DRose had 15 PPG and shot around the same FG%....
Wall and Rose were freshmen when they put up those numbers, I hope you're not comparing Wall & Rose to Chuck. As much as I love Chuck, lets not go there! These numbers don't really reflect Chuck's worth to UK in his career. Him and Erik Daniels (playing in Spain) used to dominate the paint with their interior passing skills, a lot of high low action. Chuck works great in a system like Adlemen's cuz there is a lot of movement. I'm not so sure he'd work as well (offensively) on a team like the Heat or Celtics where he'd be the clean up man, offensive rebounding. He's not a great offensive rebounder in the paint, he's more of a long lose ball offensive rebounder, which doesn't allow for a lot of put backs. You always knew Chuck was a hard worker, but I never thought I'd see him improve offensively as much as he has. Just goes to show you how much you can really do when you work on your game over the summer. Shaq & DHoward should be taking lessons from Chuck on FT's!
haha! but in Scola's defense, he has amazing footwork to counter his right hand dependence. J hill is not even close.
I wasn't trying to say Chuck was as good as JWall and DRose. I was just using them as a measuring stick....Bullard, in the interview, said that he talked with Chuck's college coach, and the coach said Chuck was a scorer. Don't shoot the messenger...
