Some people get so emotional over being called out for what they are. Base your argument on something other than something remember hearing at a friend's house and we avoid this whole thing.
No you can not just make a good defensive player. If that was the case, every great athlete in the NBA would be a great defender. Hell, you could bring in any great athlete and make him a NBA defender with your theory. Lets sign Reggie Bush and make him our Bruce Bowen. If you were right, how come after so many years in the league, Snyder and Rashard Lewis are still crappy defenders. Are you saying thier coaches never tried to get them to play defense. Every coach wants every player to be good defensively. Most players just cant do it. Also, there is not a defender in the league who has not been abused by another player. The fact that Kobe scored 53 on us does not make Battier a bad defender. Tmac destroyed Bowen, but Im not sure you will find too many players who say Bowen isnt as good as advertised on defense.
I think TMac playing the 3 helps out on offense more than defense. If we have a capable starting 2, then it's most likely someone who can shoot and penetrate. With Battier, all we have is a spot up shooter, so all you really need to do is have good rotations on d to nullify him. A good guard will get past that guy closing on him. I really wish Battier could play the 4. If he could rebound and bang enough there ala Horry we would have an awesome small ball + Yao lineup. As he is now, I think he is more ideal coming off the bench for big minutes. Oh, I'm not defending Head btw, I think he sucks and should be moved for as much as we can get for him. I'm just going off on a tangent.
At least you didn't deny being called out on what you are. An *******. Did I base my argument over the Ricky Davis thing? Really? Wow! I had no idea!
Yes, you can make players good at defense. It's a two-way street though. Ever think that maybe Lewis or Snyder never had the desire to become a better defender? Top wing players in the game have improved defensively since they've come into the league. T-Mac, Kobe, LeBron, they've all improved defensively. Jordan improved vastly in defense.
If the Rockets had, say, Kobe Bryant or Ray Allen at the 2, then I agree whole-heartedly. But NewYorker was trying to say HEAD was a better fit because he's a 2 and not a 3. That I call BS. Head is primarily a spot up shooter just like Battier. If anything, he's even more one dimensional than Battier on offense. At least Battier has the occassioanl post-up game.
I don't even think you need to go that far. A mobley, much younger wesley, pietrus(sp?), ... pretty much any starting sg that can hold his own would make this offense more dynamic than Battier would. But I totally agree that Head is not that guy. I think he is a solid backup at best. He'll never be great at anything. That's why I would like to move him before his stock plummets.
But your point was that we could make Snyder into a good defender. If he has never had the desire before, how come he would suddenly get the desire now. You act as if he is sitting around with a world of untapped defensive prowess, and all it takes is someone to tell him he can be good on defense, and he suddenly will be. Tmac defends well in spurts, but I wouldnt say he is a great defender. Kobe was, but really seemed to drop off last year in that department. As for Lebron, he has never been considered a very good defender. If anything he has been knocked for not changing the game more from that side of the ball. If good defenders can be made, how come there arent more stud defenders in the NBA. Playing defense is about having the drive, attitude and determination to be good at it, not simply being told to have that drive, attitude and determination.
Since you seem to be paying attention, you probably noticed Mike James wasn't on the team last year and JVG was having a snit with Bonzi. If you read my statement, "Now that the Bonzi-JVG conflict is over and Bonzi has won by default, our best players are (present tense) (in order) Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Bonzi Wells, Mike James and Shane Battier. I know my opinion won't be popular but I am looking at the overall offensive ability, defensive ability and athleticism of each and what they bring to the table." Other than Yao Ming, Battier may be the most likable, but he is the least athletic of the group. And for that matter, Scola may well prove to be there between T-Mc and Bonzi.
You are right, Shane did hit 10 ppg. But he has a lot of single digit games, a lot of games hitting 4-7 pts. Too many for a good starter. Yes, Robert Horry averaged 3.9 pts last year, and guess what - he doesn't start.
Ok, head is one dimensional???? 57% of the shots head made were 3 pointers. Guess what - 57% of Shane Battier's shots were ALSO 3 pointers! When it comes to ft's, they were almost exactly the same....but head got his 105 trips to the line in 10 less minutes of play then shane's 113 trips (and head played 2 less games). Look, if you want to play Shane at the 3 and make T-mac chase around 2 guards and take a bunch of 3's - hey, good for you. But i'd rather see t-mac in the mid-range game and head popping those 3's, as well as driving when they try to adjust - something battier really can't do.
that's why i'm pretty confident that this roster will make some noise in the playoffs. if u look at the spurs, lik us they do have good deapth but not many great players. I must say we're obviously still behind them, but if we can get a sure-fire defending, rebounding, shot blocking "dog" beside Yao, we are championship bound. Those are rare to come by i must say. We're in sorta a pickle because Yao's weakness in rebounding sorta requires that he has a guardian inside, and i'm not sure scola is the answer.
Once again, you are pulling fantasies out of your ass. Shane's chasing around the 2 guards. Watch the games. Tracy McGrady took 5.4 3-pointers per game last seaon supposely because he played the 2. Tracy McGrady took 5.6 and 5.0 3-pointers per game during 04/05 and 05/06, respectively, with David Wesely supposely playing the 2 and TMac playing the 3. No factual basis at all as to Battier making TMac take more 3s. And while Battier and Luther Head each played spot-up shooter last season, there is no difference between them on offense. The difference is Luther Head sucked on defense, Battier was excellent. Please examine reality before you spout out more of your fantasy theories.
Why does everyone think Battier is so awesome as a defender? In heavy minutes, he doesn't get a lot of steals, is not a shot blocker, and is a poor rebounder for someone who is supposedly able to play the 4 at times (in fact, I think he gets 4 boards a game). He's a smart defender and he hustles, but I've seen him get beat of the dribble and lots of guys can shot over him. He's a great fundamental player, and can have success in certain matchups, but he shouldn't be the starter. His D is over rated How can you compare Battier, who has never made any all-defensive first or second team to a guy who's made it the last 3 consecutive seasons???? And the first team at that. Battier is no Bowen. Battier is no starter.
I really like Battier, but wouldn't be too sad if we traded him for pieces that really helped us. I don't see him being as effective under Adelman as he was under JVG. Kobe's 50 point game was brought up a couple times. Just wanted to point some things out. If I recall correctly, Kobe was on a scoring tear at the time. He also needed overtime to get it (still impressive though). But if you watched the game (I believe it was on national TV), they brought up a table of how many points he scored and who it was against. Kobe did score the most against Battier, but it was not at an efficient percentage. The announcers kinda laughed at Snyder's defense against Kobe. Just wanted to point that out because someone also said Snyder could be made into a good defender. Snyder is nice and lengthy, but he'll never be anywhere close to what Battier is as a defender. Personally, I wouldn't judge Battier by the numbers offensively or defensively as he brings so much more to the table than what is recorded. He's always been an intangibles guy anyways. I like Battier, but like I said before, if a deal makes our team better, I'm all for it...
For every game he scores 4 or 5 points, there has to be another game he scores 15 or 16 points in order to average 10 ppg. So your argument makes no sense. If every 4 or 5 point game is bad, then isnt every 15 or 16 point game very good. Kinda balances out, which is kinda what averaging means. Im not saying Horry should start. But even if you double his minutes which would give him 32 which are typical starter minutes he would have only aveaged 8 points.
I think Battier is a great defender because: 1. I watch the games and don't look at fantasy stats. Battier makes a ton of crucial plays on the defensive end. 2. guys like JVG, Fratello, Hubie Brown, Jerry West, Daryl Morey, and Coach K think he is. I trust these guys more than I trust you, due to their superior basketball credential and lack of tendency to pull fantasies out of their asses.
Do you not understand that because a player is playing at one position, that doesnt mean he cant guard at another position. Your Tmac at the 2 means he has to guard all the SG is not true. He rarely guarded the SG last year, Battier did. Against Utah, Yao guarded Boozer and Hayes guarded Okur. Does that mean Hayes was our center since that is what Okur plays, and Yao was playing the PF position. Or when Yao guards the pick and roll and get stuck chasing a guard, does that mean he is playing PG at that time. Also, if you want Tmac at the 3, and head at the 2, you realize Head has to guard the SG right. Im sure Head would do well in a matchup with Kobe or Dwade for 40 minutes. And I am still not sure where you are getting this driving to the basket thing for Head. He had one drive last season which was his dunk on the Lakers. Other then that just about every layup he hit was on a cut where Yao fed him the ball. Dont remember him blowing by anyone with a dribble, when it has been documented he isnt the best dribbler.
Ok, so let's look at the facts you neglect to mention. Of t-mac's shots, 25% of them are 3-pointers. Compared to Battier 57%. Anyway, there is a huge difference between shane and head that you are neglecting to mention. Head can create his own shot. Battier is the spot up shooter. In fact, battier is atrocious when he tries to create his own shot from behind the arc. That's why he shoots so few shots....he can't create. Head can create, which is what you want at the 2. Not Battier.
