Before the start of this season, I was on record as being a very harsh Mo Taylor critic. However, since getting the opportunity to watch him closely this season and see him in person twice, he has really grown on me. I used to get really annoyed when people in this forum used to rationalize Mo Taylor saying "well he could be a good rebounder if this that and the other happened." Getting a chance to see how gifted Mo's offensive game is along with the fact that he has such an excellent body type to play the 4 spot have enabled me to be patient with him. The few times I saw him on the Clippers, I had no idea this guy had a crossover dribble, a jump hook and the outside touch of a guard. I knew his offensive game was good but nothing like what I have seen thus far. There are very few PFs in the game with as complete an offensive game as Mo Taylor. I cant fault the Mo bashers for being annoyed with Mo's lack of rebounding b/c that has been the case so far and the bashers have the right to speak out against it. I am not going to rationalize it either and say "well by midseason Mo will be averaging 8 RPG." However, based on what I have seen these first 10 games, Mo's lack of rebounding is not due to a lack of effort. Mo has seen inconsistent PT due to his continuous foul trouble. In addition to that, he is just learning to rebound as he did none of this as a Clipper and as a result, his position and anticipation just are not very good right now. When I watched Mo close up standing on the court during the Suns game, it really made me wonder why this guy is not a stellear rebounder. His body is simply the prototype PF body no doubt about it. In addition to that, he is a very athletic player, one of the more athletic ones at his position. Its not every day you see a 260 pound wide body with the athleticism and touch that Mo has. Clearly the rebounding problem isnt physical or for lack of effort so I figure it has to be that he is just learning how to board properly since the Clippers never demanded it out of him. It is really an enigma to me that he isnt a really good rebounder. ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
I'm not convinced he tries very hard. I have been to several games this year and had paid close attention to his play. I think he is very talented but also very lazy. I remember this one play against the LAL, his man, Horce Grant, was taking an outside shot. Instead of running at him, he just stood there and watched. If you're not going to run at the shooter, at least, get in position for the rebound. He did neither. Good rebounders are hard workers and they go after the ball. This is an attitude, one that Mo obviously doesn't have. I'm not sure you can teach this. Mo waits for the ball to come to him. Mo is a very good offensive player. No disagreements here. However, he would be better if he went after offensive rebounds when he is not shooting. ------------------
I've re-run a couple of game tapes just to watch Mo and I've come to the same conclusions as MManual. Will he ever be a good rebounder? Who knows at this point. This guy has NEVER been asked to rebound. Not in high school, not in college and definitely not in LA LA land. He is a serious work in progress. At this point, it isn't really that important anyway. We got a cheap tryout of a solid player. ------------------ Time for a new cause.
Thank you MManal. That's what I've been thinking and sayin all along. I agree completely. ------------------ da ability to focus attention on important things is a defining characteristic of intelligence - alaskanSnowman
Let's give him some time, it is early and he is still feeling his way. I like the way that Dream is playing, and Mo can learn a thing or two from him. DaDakota ------------------ If Mankind evolved from Monkeys and Apes, then why are there still Monkeys and apes?
I find that apocryphal. You are suggesting that all of MoMoney's coaches explicitly told him, a 6'8" wide body, "Don't worry about rebounding, our other players have got that covered" ?!? This may be MoMoney's and his agent's story, but I am not buying for a second. What the Rocks should tell him is that on his next contract they will give him a million dollars per year for each rebound he averages this year. ------------------
My original point about the "never been asked" story was that that is just what it is, a story. KT or MoMoney? I don't have a black or white answer. One thing I have seen this year is that the Rocks do not appear to be rebounding as well as last year. Allowing opponents to get O rebounds leads to more second chance points, which in turn makes games harder to win. If the game was on the line in the fourth period, I guess I would rather have KT in for the D rebounding (beside we all know that Cat will be taking all of the shots ) ------------------
My contention has always been that you don't have to have your power forward rebound to win games or even to out rebound your opponent. Taylor's problem has been that his offense hasn't really made up for any other shortcomings in his game. He may lose a rebound or two to a guard through the course of the game and he also spends a lot of time on the bench due to foul trouble. That may be where his biggest problem lies - he's not very good defensively. This leaves him out of position and forces him to reach, thereby picking up fouls. If he can correct that problem, then he can spend more time on the court and, in turn, rebound and score more. I have seen a few blocks out of him recently which is encouraging. Another problem I can see is that our guards are hanging around to grab defensive boards and we aren't pushing the ball up the court as much as I would like. Everyone knows a pass is faster than dribbling up the court. If our speed guys are rebounding, then we are losing opportunity to get some quick and easy buckets. I think if Rudy and the staff can convince Taylor to work on his defensive positioning, then he can avoid foul trouble, be in better position for rebounding, get more PT, increase his stats and increase his market value. It shouldn't be that hard of a sell for Rudy. BTW-I'm high on Taylor. This is just my constructive criticism on where I think he needs to improve the most - not rebounding, but defensive positioning. Just stay between the man and the basket. ------------------ "We end up with Francis/Mobley isolations very often. More often, I'd say, then other teams." -- jamcracker
Mo is like a zit. You squeeze him and he is liable to explode on any given night with some good offensive numbers. But, then there is nothing left over but a big hole or crater which defenders happily work their way around. He's like a re-occurring zit. Maybe he needs to refrain from exploding and leave his zit intact to play some defense and rebound... . Surf ------------------
I just cant get attached to the guy knowing he works for Falk and will be shopping his services to te highest bidder next year. ------------------ I'ma need more than 6 and a half rebounds a game from the PF
Jeff, HONESTLY . . . I DO The fun thing is we have two sides of the Same Coin. KT = Defense that needs to refine his Offense Mo = Offense that needs to refine his Defense Kt ain't stellar on D but he not a HACKEROID like Mo . . and he rebounds better. [and I have to say once again that KT is the victim of some of the most horrific calls I have ever seen] If only we could Squish them into one player OH YEAH one of these two will not be asking for the MAX next year Rocket River ------------------
