Stats can be deceiving. You must be joking if you think this season's perimeter defense was acceptable.
it wasn't good, but I really care about is how many pts you give up. The last 3 yrs under JVG we have been around 89 to 91. Look at our record when we scored 100+, dominant. Look why we won last year, we were putting up 110s and 120's routinely and blowing teams away. A team built around Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming should be scoring close to or above 100ppg. We are going to give up around 90 to 93. If we do that we will roll through the western conference.
Our perimeter shooting was more unacceptable than our perimeter D. TMac#3 is right. Offense is our achilles heel. We'd be dominant just to maintain the D and improve the O to 100 points a game. If Brewer can't translate his athleticism in the college into an exceptional edge(except for getting a couple of steals or dunks), what makes you think he can do it in the NBA?
Based on Clutch's summary of JVG's interview, it sounds like Van Gundy wants someone with size and athleticism. Redick does not have those ideal measurables and would be a short, slow 2-guard. I don't think the Rockets should take Redick, but if they do, it will reveal a lot about the inner workings and future of the organization. And, once JVG does move on or get canned, it will be interesting if high-profile coaches want to come here based on the current personnel decisionmaking structure.
I am so off the Redick draft train. Just take Gansey with our 2nd rounder. He gives us 75% of the offensive ability along with a proven knack for rebounding. (He led his team in rebounding this year, and has averaged 5 or more boards in every college season) Gansey shot a better percentage from the field and 3pt range than Redick, while they both had the same "Point per Shot" ratio at 1.5 (Redick was much better from the line, but nobody's perfect). According to this article Gansey checks in with a 6'7" wingspan, 34" vertical and can bench press a 185 lbs weight 16 times. According to Redick's predraft workout, he has a 6'3ΒΌ" wingspan, 33" vertical and did 6 reps at 185 lbs. If you put a lot of emphasis on team success, West Virginia went as far or even further than Duke the past two years in the tournament (Duke went to the sweet 16 in each of the past two seasons, while WVU went to the elite 8 in '05 and the sweet 16 in '06). Brewer (or probably even Carney for that matter) at #8 and Gansey at #32 is much better than Redick at #8 and anyone avaliable at #32. Just say no to Redick and yes to Gansey.
Redick is not as slow as people make him out to be, his lane agility at 10.94 is comparable to Brandon Roy at 11.13, his sprint is 3.29 compared to Roy's 3.27, his bench press mark is the same as Roy, he has a vertical of 33 inches, seven inches shorter than Roy. So the only significant thing in those categories Roy has on Redick is the vertical. Redick has physical tools to be an adequate defender in the NBA. Based on athleticism alone, Jordan Farmar is comparable to Brewer except in strength, maybe he should be selected at the #8. Redick is a better player than Brewer now, a better fit to our offense, and has more potential than Brewer. IMHO I see Redick as having the potential to achieve greatness at shooting, I see Brewer having the potential of achieving Josh Howard with a broken shot. Brewer is all right at #8 but to me Redick is better. Actually we can take both Redick at #8 and Gansey at #32. Mike James, Redick, Gansey or Novk at the outside along with T-Mac and Yao are going to make opponents shiver. I like me some great shooting night in night out.
good post. our defense is always going to be good with van gundy as the coach. all i know is we look great when our guards are hitting jumpers and redick can flat out do that. he does one thing extremely well but i don't think he's one dimensional in the sense of steve kerr or matt bullard. i look at him more like jeff hornacek who i wouldn't mind at all at number eight. that said i don't really see a problem with brewer's shot. it just looks a bit weird but certainly no funnier then marion's and the percentages show he does just fine with it. if the rocket's go with brewer, which i think they will, i'll still be extremely happy.
"One-dimensional" "can't guard anyone" Redick just tested athletically in the same range that Hinrich did. Hinrich may be the best defender in the NBA at PG, and he often even shuts down SG's. Redick is also 2 inches taller than Hinrich. Redick had a better college career and at the same point is a better player than Hinrich. The Bulls were heavily criticise when they drafted the "slow, can't guard anyone, Hinrich" with the #7 pick. BTW Hinrich was also labeled as being "one-dimensional" just a passer that could run an offense, but couldn't get his own shot off in the NBA. Hmm.......both players are white. Boston considering Redick at #7. Look Redick is every bit as good a pick as Brewer or Carney whether people here realize it or not.
Yeah, that's my feeling as well. Grab a "situational" sharpshooter or backup PG/ballhandler at #32. There will be someone there that can be a bench rotational player. Basically someone that can be a young Jon Barry. But at #8 grab an all purpose quality starter that can play both ends of the court and impact the team in multiple ways. Forget Carney, Ronnie Brewer is the man.
Have some of you seen Brewer even play? He was on a flat awful Arky team but for three years made them competitive. Look at their recruiting--Brewer was the only good player on the team. Yet still, he was one of the top scorers in their conference despite not being a natural perimeter shooter. He will never be a 25-point scorer at any level, but no one is saying he needs to be. I guess you can suggest Redick has more potential or is even now a better play than Brewer, but no one else sees it. I for one like Redick and think he will be a very important part of some established team, but there is no way that dude has the athleticism, defensive skills, or handling ability of a Rip Hamilton. Redick is a Steve Kerr with a little more athleticism. That is not a bad thing, but it is nowhere near Rip Hamilton. And for those who think the Howard comparison is off, two things: A) Howard is an outstanding defender whose ability to get to the rim has helped turn that Mavs squad (might I add how much I hate them?) from a jumpshooter team to an equally as dangerous team off the dribble when running the offense through Dirk in the high post; and B) Brewer has every bit as much talent as Howard, only a better handle, better leaping ability, and better court vision--their shots were about the same at this stage. As I keep saying, Redick will be a solid "rotational" player on a great team, as Van Gundy says, or a lead scorer on a very bad team, but Brewer will be a full-time starter on a championship team, though I don't think he ever turns into star in any situation. The fact is, if you liked Robert Horry then you will love Brewer because he brings the same kind of athleticism, versatility, and toughness to the two that Redick had at the one.
We all know Redick can shoot lights out. The thing what you are not seeing is how is this guy going to match with the Spurs,Suns,Mavericks. They will see that mismatch and abused all day long. And I'm talking both ends of the court.
No, you bring J.J. into the game and cause mismatches. J.J., Mike James, TMac, and Yao. Who they gonna guard? If somebody starts eating J.J. up, then just take him out like what happens to every other player in the NBA. Or trade for an extra pick and get both J.J. and Brewer. You wanna go small? How about James, Redick, McGrady, and Brewer surrounding Yao or Stro? We need J.J. and Brewer. Then sign Mike James with the MLE. Then consider any trade that gets Juwan Howard out of town.
The only mismatch will be against our favor. While Redick's shooting would be a great addition, Redick doesn't have a chance in guarding players like Ginobili, Howard, Kobe (few people do), Allen, Wade, etc... A player like Brewer or Carney has the ability to defend these players, and could turn into one of those lock down defenders that you can throw on the other team's best player. That's the thing. If JJ isn't hitting his shot, he can't contribute. That's why I like Brewer, the guy can drive in, he can rebound, and he'll stay on the court because he can defend. If we want shooting, we can get guys like Gansey, Novak, Pittsnogle, Dee Brown in the 2nd Round, I feel like we don't have to spend a lottery pick for it.
The thing is that Hinrich was already considered a very good defender in college, it's not like he all of the sudden just became a defender. Like you said, Hinrich may be one of the best defenders at PG, the problem is that Redick won't be guarding PGs, he'll have to guard SGs (which are the most athletic players in the league). How can you say Redick is a better player than Hinrich at the same point? Because he scored more points? Hinrich already rebounds, passes, and gets more steals in the NBA than Redick did in college. RD- You should really ask yourself why a player like Hinrich went #7 in a very strong draft w/ players like Lebron, Melo, Darko (highly rated at the time), Bosh, Ford, etc...while JJ is not even being touted as a Top 10 pick in what is being considered a weak draft? You posted all of Redick's credentials in an earlier post, they are certainly impressive, so why is he not rated as high as other guards like Roy, Williams, Foye, Brewer, and Carney in most cases? Look Redick is every bit as good a pick as Brewer or Carney whether people here realize it or not.[/QUOTE]
Simply not true. We had the 3rd best defense in the NBA and that was with all those games with Yao and TMac out and we had Juwan on the floor. There were times we were running with Howard and Brunson and Frahm on the floor. Sure, it would be nice to improve our defense but it is not the #1 need on our team. A third scorer who can shoot the basketball is our PRIMARY NEED. Have you been watching the Finals? If you have, you should be able to see that if Shaq and Wade were surrounded by more consistent shooters, the series would be 3-1 or already over for them. What people don't seem to be able to grasp is how J.J. changes the game for us and against the opponent. 1. This is the new era of ZONE DEFENSES in the NBA. The zone is going to get more and more popular as teams realize that no matter how quick they are on the perimeter defensively, they cannot stay with the offense just because of the rules. So, to cut off penetration, teams will start using the zone more and more. We are watching this unfold in the Finals right now. So, how do you beat the zone. You bust the zone with bombs. J.J. is the #1 zone buster to come into this league since Ray Allen. 2. When you put a 3rd scorer with unlimited range and a high degree of accuracy on the floor, it allows you to not have to rely on Juwan to fire that 16 foot clothesline jumper for points. You can take Juwan out and you still have plenty of offense. Last year, we had to have Juwan in there because without him, we had zero offense when Yao and TMac were out and with them in he was our only choice to throw the ball to when they were doubled that could hit the jumper. But he was still a tremendous net negative because outside of hitting that jumper when he is HOT, he does NOTHING ELSE positive for us on the floor. Not only does he not do anything positive, he actually does a lot of things NEGATIVE. He is a total sieve defensively. He cannot stop anybody. He can't move his feet, he can't block shots, he can't rebound, and he cannot do anything offensively besides hit that 16 footer......when the shot is actually falling. You put J.J. on the floor and you can remove Howard. Not only do you get an offensive upgrade, you get a defensive upgrade. J.J. is a better defender for us than Howard. We don't need the hit and miss 16 footer from Howard anymore. Because we can get the 16-30 footer from J.J. Therefore, we can get more rebounding, and more defense, and dare I say even more offensive conributions from any other PF. 3. Back to the zone. You want to cover up a lack of quickness on the perimeter, do it with the zone. Zone up with Redick in the game. Now, you've got Redick and Ginobilli in essentially a 3 point shooting contest. I'll take that. 4. Redick will be just as good defensively as what we were running out there last year. What do SGs do to Wesley? He was our best defender at the 2 last year. They post him up and punish him because he is 5'10". J.J. is going to give you more size. The opponent is going to want to dribble drive around him instead of post him up as much. 5. And besides that, he can come down the other end and get it all back with the 30 footer. 6. You can get a lock down defender in the 2nd round. Or you can get a lock down defender in free agency. We picked up Bogans last year, a lock down defender, for basically nothing in a trade. Hassan Adams or that other kid from Washington will be available in the 2nd round. They are both young, extremely athletic players who are already lock down defenders. Or we can work the S&T deal for Stevenson for our lock down defender. Lock down defenders are easier to find and they are paid less than guys that shoot bombs like there is no tomorrow. If you really want a lock down defender, just re-sign Bogans to a veteran's minimum deal. He will probably be available for that. Would you rather have J.J. and Adams/Brown or would you rather have Carney and Novak/Pittsnoggle/Gansey? Since the argument seems to be we can get shooting in the 2nd round. Go back through history and look how many shooters were found in the 2nd round. I'm talking about NBA shooters who had a decent career and actually contributed to winning teams. Now go back and look how many "lock down" defenders were drafted in the 2nd round. It's not even close. With Carney and Novak, you have the possibility of not only 1 but 2 busts. And don't even go Gansey. There's a reason why Gansey is considered 2nd round and J.J. is considered first round. Gansey's chances of making it in the NBA are slim and none. He could turn out to be a star, but he is a loooooooooooong shot. He is so slow it ain't funny. He does not have a quick release. He PROBABLY won't be able to get his shot off at the NBA level. He runs like is he running in wet concrete with 10 lb ankle weights. You cannot compare him to J.J. J.J. did it against high quality opponents game after game, when the opponent's defense was focused on shutting him down game after game. Tangible skills that the team needs: 1. Shooting-a third scorer that can give us 20 on efficient shooting when we need it and spread the floor so 111 can operate. J.J. Redick and Mike James fit the bill here. 2. Quickness-on the perimeter to be able to better tangle with double point guards in the backcourt. Mike James fits the bill here. And more quickness in the paint so Yao has help defensively and is not forced to commit unnecessary fouls. Indirectly, J.J. would help this by helping to get Juwan out of the lineup. Say what you want about Stro. He was a goofball last year, but him and little Chuckie are better for us on the floor than Juwan, especially if we have good efficient scoring from the backcourt. So, indirectly J.J. helps us with our quickness. Brewer fits here too, better than J.J. But remember, our #1 needs skill is shooting. 3. More size and length on the perimeter - J.J. is actually a size upgrade over Wesley. No, he doesn't have GREAT size. If he did he would be pick 1-5. But he is bigger than what we've been running out there with Wesley and Luther. So, he fits here as well. Brewer also fits here, better than J.J. James fits at PG. Intangible traits we need to add this offseason: 1. Attitude-Mike James, Ronnie Brewer, J.J. Redick all fit the bill. 2. Work ethic-again all 3 fit the bill. I truly believe that if we were able to add these 3 guys to what we already have that we would be highly competitive with Dallas, SA, Miami, and Detroit. I truly hope there is a way to get all of them. If however, we can only get 1 of these players, then shooting is our #1 need. We have got to get a shooter that can put the ball in the hole. So, if we are going to take a guy like Brewer, we have to have some other acquisition available that nets us a shooter, either Mike James (and make him the starter with Brewer) or Jamal Crawford or some other shooter. If we just add Brewer and then add players like Stevenson and Keyon Dooling, that is not going to get it done. We are still going to struggle offensively and those other good scoring teams will still have a leg up on us, especially if we are stuck playing Juwan because we need his "offense". You guys that think Redick would be a net negative for us need to look at the bigger picture. Remember what we already have here and consider what talents best complement the talents that we already have.
I understand your reasoning, and you may be right. But I just think Brewer's versatility would be a huge asset, on both ends. Not sure which measurement you're using when you say Rocket's were the 3rd best defensive team last year. In terms of points given up per possession, they were 8th or 9th. And our largest weakness on defense was our slow, undersized backcourt and inability to force turnovers. Brewer could make a significant difference in this regard. Plus, he can defend both twos and threes. If McGrady should miss significant time again this season, Brewer could easily slide over to the SF position and still be an effective player. Brewer also has the offensive skills to play PG in stretches, which would be important given our lack of PG depth. And let's not forget rebounding. Redick would provide almost no help on the boards ... and we saw how important rebounding at the guard position could be with Sura last season.
I am a fan of the "offense/defense" swingman combo Ginobili/Bowen Hamilton/Prince Wade/Posey Terry or Harris/Howard LeBron/Hughes Marion/Raja Bell etc...... Tmac/Brewer..... I think having a guy like Brewer that can contribute in ways without the ball and allow Tmac to save his energy for the offensive side of the floor is very important. Especially as the season goes on. And then if you add a guy like Mike James to the equation, that solves our need for another 3pt shooter.
Your post is way too long to respond to, but a couple things caught my eye: Yes I have been watching the Finals. Between the 2 teams in the Finals, can you name me one player that is just a straight shooter? All their perimeters players: Terry, Howard, Stackhouse, Harris, Wade, JWill, Payton, etc...are all players that can do a variety of things for their teams, not just shooting. Your comments on the zone is moot. JVG is a defensive minded coach who's philosophy is proven. If you think he is going to change his philosophy and change to the zone for JJ Redick, then I don't think there is a point in debating this argument. Cuttino Mobley was found in the 2nd Round, Kerr was the last pick of the 2nd Round back in 88. Both Arenas and Okur were picked in the 2nd Round in 2001. Michael Redd was the 44th pick taken in 2000. Gordon Giricek was a 2nd Rounder, Ginobili was the 2nd to last pick in 1999. Stephen Jackson, Rashard Lewis, Voshon Lenard as well. I could go on and on and on, but why are we even debating whether we can find a lockdown defender in the 2nd round anyways. That's just ONE of the reasons why I would prefer a player like Brewer over JJ. Along with defense, Brewer rebounds the ball, has ball handling and passing skills, and has the ability to play 3 positions on the court, and is a pretty good shooter desite his form. I want to add a shooter just as much as anyone else, I just don't think we have to use a lottery pick to get it. Guys like Barry, Wesley, Padgett, James, Head, Frahm were all acquired for next to nothing. Are you implying that there is no way JJ could be a bust?
