Kinda Hard to not believe the JUWAN HOWARD curse thou... I mean, with Rockets, Yao and T-Mac go down with Blazers, Oden and Roy go down, then Heat, Miller and Haslem go down(I think He will take down one of Wade/Lebron/Bosh sometime soon)
Some of the criticism of DD is over the top. I do not find him annoying, though sometimes I can't believe how strongly he holds an opinion. I used to think he said some things for effect, but he disabused me of that notion. As for Hill: it is clear that he has not stopped improving. I believe that he is still thinking too much. It is not unusual for a player to have a slump in his second year or thereabouts. I continue to expect that he will be a good starter by the playoffs, though he has recently shaken my confidence in that prediction.
This is something that has been taken as a matter of fact, really even by myself. I mean, just open your eyes and you see it, right? The jump hook looks smoother. The mid range shot more confident. And even occasionally a dipsy doo counter move ala Scola. Right? RIGHT???? But what is the only thing that actually matters? Not how he looks on the court, or even a new skill. It is the end production. Ask yourself, what is the use of an acquired skill if it does not impact production? So the only question left is: is his actual production improving? The fact, and this is REAL fact not just how it looks to you or me, is it has not. On the contrary his production has actually regressed in several areas from rebounding rate to steal rate to assist rate to an increase in turnover rate. And the one measurement above all, his impact on winning games, he is the WORST on the team. Over time we have lost the most points with him on the court. So has he REALLY improved? Or does a fade away all of a sudden worth more than a layup?
Measuring by production is not smart for a Rookie. Look for improvement in areas that shows he is willing to learn and work. That will lead toward production down the line, which is the utlimate goal. If a player is talented, its more of finding the right spot for him where he can excel and his weaknesses are hidden. When he plays along side Miller/Scola, the layup line opens and he looks really bad. When he plays alongside Hayes, he has been better.
Good thing he is not a rookie. And he plays better next to Miller by far. The defensive rotations might not be there either way, but at least he looks a bit less clueless on offense since Miller takes over the bulk of the decision making.
For being tall and athletic, Hill really doesn't go for the boards as often as he should. He's not very good at boxing out and he appears to lack the intensity of say a PatPat. We desperately need an offensive rebounder on the team with as many 3's as we take.
How is it that for all "intensive" purposes he is a rookie, when he averaged 16 minutes a game with us last year, and is only averaging 18 minutes a game this year? He played 47 games last year as well. His minutes have not gone up dramatically, so how is this year any different? Is it because he did not play much last year, so in your mind THIS must be the rookie year, even though he is playing just as much? Well, I am going to let you in on a little secret. Jordan Hill will NEVER average more than 25 minutes a game on a winning team. He is simply incapable of staying on the floor before 1. fouling out 2. causing the team to lose. You may disagree with that, but just imagine for a second. He averages 18 minutes a game next year, again, on the Nuggets hopefully. Will THAT be his rookie year, for all "intensive" purposes, again?
JHill played great against Dwight Howard, very impressive defense..... Still raw, but he held his own. DD
If you were still wondering before, I think after these last few games, there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that Jordan Hill is wholly incapable of anchoring anything that even resembles a defense. With tonight being his crowning jewel. I think JVG said it best when he simply called it unacceptable. Before you blame any of the other players, we have never looked even close to this bad defensively with Hayes in the lineup with the same people. We don't look close to this bad with a rookie Patterson in the lineup with the same people. The bright spot in tonight's game is after watching Jeffries play, there isn't a sliver of doubt anymore that we are indeed showcasing Hill. If winning was the objective, there isn't a reason in the world why Jeffries shouldn't be playing in front of him. So thankfully the end is near and a trade is probably imminent.
The verdict is still out there for Jordan Hill, I think Patterson seems more NBA ready than Hill at the moment. Whatever momentum Hill had going from his play last season is just about gone. However, I am not going to give up on him just yet. He's only in his second season and seems like he's going to take more time to develop than Patterson despite the fact that he's older.
Also Patterson is playing his natural position at the 4 where as Hill is playing the 5. When Hill played his natural position at the 4 he played well. Hill is not an NBA center, but could play spot duty with certain small lineups in a pinch.
You are definitely NOT the the man when Orlando sags Howard off of you to continuously help double Scola for an entire half. Think about that for a second.
