got to see most of the game last night (thanks MSG!), and in addition to some (obvious) observations, was able to really get a good look at Chase's struggles from long range. The Obvious: -Chuck is a beast- if he were 2 inches taller he'd be a perennial AllStar. he should be any anyway. beyond his defense, it was great to see him put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. more please. -the team runs better with Lowry at the point. looking past individual stats, there's no question that the offense has better flow, better ball movement, more people involved, with Lowrey running the show. -excellent effort by JHill, and very interesting to see him in the game at the end w/ Chuck, and three guards (Scola/Battier on the bench.) Offense is still a sometime thing, and someone needs to teach him how to step through a double team, rather than a fade away jump hook, but good overall effort. again, more...please. -this team desperately needs a front court counterpart to KMart, someone who can get his own shot.. Hill can defend the rim; Chuck can defend the post; Scola can't really defend anything, but at least can score, but each of them brings a significant weakness to the front court. depending on what goes out, makes me think the need is better met by Lopez than Carmelo... Chase As usual, I watched the game with the sound off, listening to music. it's striking how much more you can see w/o being distracted by inane commentary. much has been made here about Chase's struggles shooting the ball. MSG named him Rockets' player of the game, but despite his 13 points, he was 0-4 from 3 point range. i think it's a question of mechanics. watching him catch and shoot, he seems to be fading left or right as he releases the ball, never really squaring up (as we were all taught). Contrast his shot with Battier's, and the difference is clear. Shane sets, feet shoulder width apart, both squared to the basket, ball on his fingertips, out in front. Chase has his legs together, or one foot in front, fading to one side, and brings the ball up from his right waist, not in front. even his free throw motion (wasn't counting, but i think he made his FTs) has an odd hitch in it, again, he's bringing the ball from his side, and kind of pushing it at the rim. of course, from Sidney Wilkes, to Clyde, to Aaron Brooks, plenty of people have made a living with weird shooting motions, and even when he's missing, Chase's shot looks infinitely more fluid than Battier's but when it's not working, someone needs to take him aside, and break down the mechanics.
Thanks Basso, and it is true, when Chase is squared up it is money. Some games though, he is just not going to shoot well from 3pt land...and if he drives during those games, that is a good sign he is getting it. He played pretty well against the Knicks...8 boards, good defense, and 5-11 overall..... Maybe you should watch more than just his 3pt shooting? :grin: DD
Nice post, basso, and worth a thread for the title. ;-) I wish Clutch would enable us to put someone on ignore for a specific forum. It would make my life slightly easier.
He's already doomed from the DD curse.. nothing more to see here. I feel bad for the kid though.. so young, yet doomed to the same fate as Von and co.
actually, i was gratified to see him drive to the basket, use his athleticism to help the team in other ways. get in a rhythm and, then maybe the long J will start to fall.
Chase has great shooting mechanics. It's all confidence with him. There's a mental block that's telling him he's going to miss every shot he fires. When Shane shoots he's very loose and it's all muscle memory.
Good post I agree with the shooting mechanics But i think his bad form could be a dragged on effect from his slump earlier this year. Chase is a confidence player, when his shot doesn't go down, he gets frustrated and tries to adjust it. But when you adjust your shot consciously it usually backfires and messes up the form you had before I remember there was a stretch of games, almost every shot from chase looked different, some really rushed, some really flat. some slow release, some fast, that's when you know the shooter's struggling. I think consciously forcing a new mechanic is not the way to go for chase, the best way, as some said, is for a shooter to "shoot his way outta it", that way it's more natural, but the downside is it takes a lot of time
i agree, they shouldn't look to force new technique, but i'm sure they've got film from when he was shooting well. break that down, and put him through drills, where he's concentrating just on form. once he gets the (old) muscle memory back, the percentage will come back up.
Chase changed his mechanics slightly from between college and HS, and then again as he transitioned to the pros.
Yep, alot of players do change their forms to adjust to playing in a different, more difficult league. Players must either adjust their form to be more consistent, or maybe quicken their release to get their shots over bigger and more athletic defenders. For example, if you look at Ray Allen's form when he was in college, it was infinitely different from what his looks like now. Also, Rashard Lewis, in high school, had a shooting form that looked more fundamentally sound, yet his form now (albeit a little more unorthodox) has made him a solid NBA shooter
Very nice post Basso! It really just comes down to it, we need to take every game like a grain of salt and build off that. We have the potential, the chemistry, the drive.. We just need that fuel that inspires everyone else.
there's a lot of potential, true. i like the Lowry/Martin combo- they complement one another well. add Melo and scoring big alongside Chuck, playing his natural position, and we could do some damage. more realistically: Lopez Chuck Iggy Martin Lowry make it so Morey...
