He may be struggling and hasn't done what people wanted in the playoffs but if that is his opinion what is wrong with him saying that? He didn't call out or bash his teammates.
You know what, you're absolutely right. Our success in playoffs doesn't depend on us being able to consistently solve the fronting problem on Yao, operating teh offense properly down the stretch of tight games, and Artest not going crazy. The main problem is with this Shane Battier cat who supposedly plays "defense" (whatever that is) and who only takes like 4 shots a game. He's the problem with this team. /sarcasm
Maybe Shane shouldn't let a scrub like Afflalo light him up and stand around in the corners watching Yao post, hoping for a pass. Maybe that's what the gameplan is, but Shane's been absolutely horrid from 3pt land lately. Maybe it's time for Shane to start cutting to the basket or take midrange shots? Or maybe he needs another tan, he was actually worth his 6.5 million contract those few games.
Shouldn't it start with Yao and Artest. Im saying they are the "leaders" of this team. This team will go as far as they take the team.
There was nothing wrong with Battier's D last night. Afflalo was just hittign every shot he took. If a player's on like that there's nothing you can do. I do agree it would be nice if he could consistently hit 3's, but I'm not gonna sit here and say that's even close to the top of the list of problems for this team.
Aaron Afflalo is a good player. Just can't get that many mins because of the team he is on. Also Shane Battier's game is not to cut to the basket and take mid-range shots. That's not his game.
He's shooting a horrid 34% from 3pt land this season. Down from a fair 39% last season and a sterling 43% two seasons ago. That's a 9 percent drop in 3PT%. If Shane can't make other teams pay for doubling Yao by making his threes, he's got to cut and get into a position where he CAN make teams play for doubling Yao. Otherwise we're just playing 4v5 offense with Shane on the court everytime. And truth to be told, his defense is not what it used to be, probably due to his ankle injury. He looks a step slower out there and the last great defensive effort I remember from him was the game where he shutdown LBJ along with Artest. He can guard the bigger and bulkier guys but he's lost his ability to shutdown quicker SG/SF guys. The only thing he has left is his hustle and effort which has been there every game. But when you're purely relying on hard work to keep you on the court then aren't you just another Chuck Hayes? This is the NBA, talent IS needed. You're just gonna get burned by other professionals that work just as hard as you but have more talent.
Actually, you should watch the Feb 17 - 22 highlight clips. Shane was scoring from everywhere. He did it when he was in Duke and Memphis, he can be versatile on offense as Rocket too.
Battier's right, but look on the bright side. Even playing half assed the Rockets are still #3 in the West. If they can figure it out, if they get some more games in, they could be very, very tough in the playoffs. They've got a lot of (unfortunately) unrealized potential.
At least the potential is there though right? It's easier to accept that they SHOULD play better, but have not been, rather than knowing, "well, this is the best they will be." Let's just hope they realize at least some of that potential. There aren't many games left, and that's the part that worries me.
i've said it time and time again, battier's effectiveness in the playoffs goes down because everyone is giving extra effort, so his intangibles are a wash. just look at the plus/minus stats that pump him up in the regular season
I posted way back when Tracy went down and made this exact point. There's not enough games left in the regular season for the Rockets to really gel and get the offense going. I don't think they're going to get enough games in with the roster they want (especially now that Landry's out) to really challenge for the West. I'm rooting for them to make it past the first round though.
Well I certainly agree about the 3's. He needs to figure that out ASAP. I'm not entirely sure if I agree with the notion that he's no longer great defensively. For instance the recent Laker game. Kobe went off, but I saw nothing different in Battier's defense. He kept him away from teh basket most of the night, and forced contested 17 foot jump shots. Kobe was just hitting them. That doesn't mean Battier's defense has declined. I'm not saying he doesn't need to step up his game and get out of this slump, but what I am saying is that people who blame him for all this teams problems and say "it starts with him" are completely blind to the issues on this team and are just looking for someone to blame.
I understand what your saying but while he was in Duke he didn't have a 7'6 efficient scorer. He didn't have that in Memphis either. So he is not going to be asked to do alot of things like cutting and shooting the mid range shots. That's not his game on this team I should say.
Sure. You don't understand one thing. Remember Lakers game? Kobe was supposed to guard Shane. And with Shane standing in the corner, Kobe was helping on Yao even without the ball which made Battier WIDE OPEN. People are smart. They know they don't have to guard Shane because he is not making shots. That means Yao's task is gonna be much tougher because team will force Shane to shoot and they will give him room to shoot. The problem is, he is WIDE OPEN and he cannot knock them down. With McGrady out he should do more, not less. As for ARtest, yes, I am concerned. He is still crazy and it is gonna kill us sooner or later.
Obviously his weaknesses aren't the biggest problems on this team. Artest and Brooks have glaring weaknesses that need to be addressed as well. I think the lack of a reliable crunch-time play/player is our biggest problem. But that doesn't mean Battier should be free of criticism. To achieve success in the playoffs all problems need to be addressed, major or minor.
Leebigez, do you honestly believe Shane wasn't including himself when he was speaking? And that he wasnt refering to "being ready" as being ready to make a playoff run, not just one series? What happened to "seeing it from a basketball perspective"? Seems like you're just looking it at it from a anti-battier perspective... Sometimes i'm not sure if we're actually almost a second seed, without tmac, still winning. You'd think fans wouldn't constantly be complaining if we were. That's why i defend battier, and incase you didn't notice, i defended Scola, Brooks, and Lowry just the same when they got hated on unfairly. (and yes, it's unfair hate toward battier when people say he never shows up in the playoffs and wont this year, don't act like everyone is strictly complaining about this year's play, which is the only thing that would be fair to complain about)
