Tell me then Yetti, what exactly is JVG doing to Novak's game that is affecting his shooting negatively? What does JVG want Novak to be? How is JVG meddling with his game? I'm not trying to be sarcastic. Perhaps I am ignorant of the situation. Seriously, I want to you answer me. I will say this though about Novak. When he is in the game, I would like to see our offense give him a little more than just the chance to shoot spot up threes. Check out this video of Novak that contains clips from Marquette and the Rockets pre-season games: <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/p85vUMWtMz0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/p85vUMWtMz0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object> Notice that in the Rocket clips, ALL OF THE CLIPS are just spot up shooting. In the college clips though, you could see that he is capable of catching and shooting off balanced along with shooting off the dribble. And considering that he is a great free throw shooter, perhaps we should take advantage of that and let him drive or at least set more diverse plays for him. The catch and shooting clips sort of reminded me of Rip Hamilton. I don't see why we couldn't run similar plays for him, rather than him standing out there doing nothing productive (we already know he does nothing productive defensively) and waiting for the spot up three.
It doesn't matter that he was playing against inferior opponents/players. The NBA and college basketball hoop height is the same, and for a shooter, that is all that matters. You're telling me that if say Battier (a definite NBA player) set an off the ball screen on whoever was guarding Novak today (probably a definite NBA player), Novak wouldn't be able to utilize the screen to get open, catch the ball, and shoot a quick J or drive before his defender could recover in time to block his shot or get a hand in his face? It's the same concept. The defenders he faces may be far more improved than his college defenders, but so are his teammates.
The offense went through novak in college. We have tmac and yao. You are not running plays for steve novak. Not to mention with the athleticism of the nba, novak will not get the same looks.
I'm not asking for the offense to go through him or for him to get even 5-10 shots a game. With Yao out and Alston bricking shots, I'm just trying to brainstorm really on what we could possibly do offensively. I don't understand why he wouldn't be able to catch and shoot off a pick. He's not fast, but is he that slow where he couldn't get open briefly? With T-mac demanding so much attention, that could only aid Novak in getting loose. Once again, I'm only thinking about 1-3 designed plays for Novak. I don't think it would hurt to try. Anything to limit Rafer's shot attempts is fine by me.
i think everyone is missing the most important aspect, the switch to the leather ball, which has clearly affected novak's shooting. the microfiber ball was the same ball as the college one, novak said this himself that he didnt need to adjust to it. now we have the leather ball and novak has to get used to it.
all I can say is, life's tough in the NBA... I mean, you didn't actually buy into all the crazy novak hype on these boards previously, did you? It was like he was the saviour of our team, the answer to all our problems... Bottom line is, he's a low pick... sure, it would have been great if he had a great rookie season like Head, but it wasn't to be - just don't blame JVG - **** happens, you don't always have to look for a scapegoat for every little that befalls the team.
WRONG! What this shows is that Novak has lost his confidence, and his rhytym. He proved able to play an average of 10 mintues at least with his shooting in camp and the preseason. (Not 2.6) It is not surpising to me to see him struggle. He wants to do well, he is the son of a coach so he has spent his entire basketball life wanting to do well, and because of this he is pressing. Luther was given his chance last year out of necessity, and LOOK at the dividends thats paying. Well, Steve is taller, longer, and when in rythym, his True Shooting % is off the charts. If he is allowed to develop, he will pay huge dividends next year.
I'm not talking about shooting - I'm talking about him scoring in different ways off the dribble, etc like you suggested and like is shown in the highlights. It's a lot easier to do that against Butler University than Caron Butler.
This is as far as I needed to read. Novak might be a rotation player one day, but he is horrible right now and I agree I trust Padgett not Novak
So true, so true. I notice that everytime Novak shoots the ball JVG is right beside him whispering "miss it!" into his ear. I'm surprised Jeff hasn't been called for a technical foul being on the court like that. Then when Novak comes over to the bench, JVG his pointing at him, nudging JL III, Padgett, an Spanoulis with his elbows while they guffaw at Supernova's lack of scoring. The biggest example I saw was when Van Gundy, patted Novak on the back as if he was encouraging him, but unbeknownst to Novak JVG was just placing a "Kick Me" sign on there. After Deke kicked Novak in the rear, and the whole team busted out laughing, I knew Novak was ruined.
To me, Novak was just pressing too hard to try to impress his coach. He knew if he knocked down couple shots, JVG would have played him longer. Rookie mistake! He tried to do too much and not let the game come to him. The last two shots he took were terrible. There was still a lot of time left on the shot clock. The ball should have been in T-Mac's hand. T-Mac should be one taking those shots or creating opportunities for Novak. That is why I don't understand JVG's coaching. He didn't play Novak a minute for 3-4 games and then all of sudden he inserted him in the most important time of game and expected the rookie to perform. That was terrible terrible coaching. In order to play well, basketball players need confidence and rhythm. If you press too hard, you lose your rhythm so the shots will not fall; and if the shots are not falling, you lose your confidence. It is especially true for a shooter. And again, JVG has no idea how to coach rookies. He need change his approach otherwise, yes, Novak and Vspan will be ruined.
YES YOU CAN! he is a shooter!! that is his ONLY JOB to SHOOT THE BALL from that far! he don't need no confidence!!! he don't don't need no major minutes just to shoot one triple! His job is to shoot the ball, have the ball in your hand and second after, that ball should go through the net! You can't give him minutes, he has no defence! he has no rebounding skills! 2 minutes is enough to knock down a triple! please! see, Tmac has many jobs to take care of in the game, Novak has one! so he should know how to do that on the better side... if he can't he has nothing to do here.
Juwan H, when he was out of rotation, instead of having negative thoughts about himself and getting beaten, he made sure that when the time comes that he is called to play, he played well. That should be the right attitude. That is a what they call a true professional player. In the case of Novak, he should do the same thing. And for yo mama mia who created this thread, grow up!
yeah but it works for steve kerr. steve kerr barely averages any minutes at all, but when ever he did come in, he gets the job done. steve novak is basically a 6-10 steve kerr.
My god is Novak overrated! He came in with a sweet shot, height and nothing else. No athleticism, no D, weak rebounding, no post game, nothing. He actually impressed a little by not being as bad a rebounder as advertised. All he can do is shoot. But, how good could we really expect his shooting to be even? If Head can shoot 40%+ on 3s, could we expect Novak to shoot 60%, 80%? Does his sweet shot make him immune to shooting slumps? Does it give him the speed, quickness and elevation he needs to get it over an NBA defender? Does it justify giving up all the things he can't do well? Maybe 8 years from now, he can put experience and veteran savvy on his resume and play the Bullard role. For now, he's not the savior. He's not even an investment -- he's a second-round flier.
