Is Carl in the running for 6th man even though Kyle is usually the first one off the bench? What I read early in the season was Jason Terry was the front runner to repeat again, but Carl is more important to his team more then Terry on his team.
At least nobody this year is complaining that he is taking minutes away from Hayes, Artest or Scola. It's surprising what can happen when a coach puts a player like Landry into the game for extended minutes. If Yao comes back next year, I hope Adleman seriously considers putting Landry and Scola/Hayes to finish games but that's looking too far ahead for too much.
The confidence Rick Adelman has in Landry is very clear. He sits out Scola to play Landry. I think he did this the last 3 games?
Landry can overcome a lot of problems Scola can't. If Landry learns to position himself better for a rebound (like what Scola does), he can really dominate the boards. Right now the only thing Scola has that Landry doesn't is his experience, his amazing footwork and his rebounding positioning. Scola also seems to have somewhat better pass outs to the open player. Landry on the other hand is THE finisher. His athleticism easily makes up for his lack of height. He has shown time and time again he can attack the rim with pure strength. He is also a decent shot blocker, and definitely the most explosive player on our team. There is no doubt that Landry IS the best PF coming off the bench in NBA. He also has quite a good chance of being THE best player coming off the bench if he can keep up his game.
Landry's defense has improved somewhat, though. On final defensive possessions to end halves, Adelman will often keep him in the game instead of Scola. So I think the coaches are becoming more comfortable with where he is defensively.
Landry has learned what he can and can't do on that knee. He might utilize only 80 % of the explosiveness, but he has improved his overall game. Something to think about though.....Carl will probably never get more minutes than he is because they want to extend his career. What's important is that he is in games at crucial times and closing.
Only part of landry's game im concerned about are the dumb fouls he makes sometimes. We've yet to see him double teamed so I think he still has to learn to pass out of double teams also. I'm really impressed with his development though. He must have worked really hard to develop those post moves and that jumper.
Incorrect. Carl will get more minutes when the team needs him to do, be it because he's on fire, or be it when Scola moves onto another team. NBA franchises don't limit minutes on young players to extend their careers. Rather, they ride that horse as long as it'll run, before sending him off to the gluemill. It's the reason players demand $ as much as they do...they know their maximum useful shelflife is limited. Its also why, imo, you'll soon (b4 next season) read about Carl wanting to start on this team, and get the lion's share of the minutes.
I know that, but I think that is because Landry is far more athletic than Scola is, so in a short span (like when the game on the line) he'll be able to help defend better than Scola is physically capable of. But Scola is a better defender overall, especially in holding ground in low post and doesn't suffer from concentration lapses on D like Landry does from time to time.
Hollinger's getting in on the man love of Landry: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-091207
You'd expect Hollinger to love Landry, because he serves as a good case study for one Hollinger's pet topics -- the usefulness of per-minute stats in evaluating the potential of reserves. Hollinger had Landry rated as a top player his rookie year, efficiency-wise and per-minute-wise, and he's been on high on him ever since. He picked Landry as a potential breakout player for the Rockets before the season.
ESPN Power Rankings' Marc Stein liking him, too: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking?season=2010&week=6 Oh, and NBA.com's Schuhmann is noticing: http://www.nba.com/powerrankings/ Lots of man love. Hollinger already had a crush, but now he's getting some competition.
