As I remember it Calderon was dealing with a injury. Rubio was starting over Navarro. Could be wrong though, pretty positive though that Jose was injured at some point during the olympics.
how does brooks not create for himself? Did you mean he doesnt create for others? Brooks creates at least half of his offense on short drives or pull ups, even drives to the rim..
Of course, I am not joking! If you know the raptors fans want trade Calderon + no. 9 pick for the 2nd pick...
Yeah, well Rubio will develop also I'm not even hating on Thabeet. I think he'll be a great player also. I think Griffin, Thabeet, and Rubio all have a shot at being good players in this league. I just think this team needs Rubio more than Thabeet. I'm tired of seeing teams getting away with fronting Yao. Do you know how dominant Yao would be now if Teams just didn't front him? How good this team would be with another guy who can consistently create for everyone else? It makes me sick that teams can just front Yao and our Offense crashes as if someone pulled from the bottom of a Jenga pile.
Before Calderon was injured, Rubio has started over him already! Rubio is a better defender and better passer, although Calderen is a better scorer. Rubio fits their national team better!
Yeah that's what I meant, that's what i've been saying. He can't create for the entire team. There is a chance that experience will make him better at it, but vision and creativity. Those are hard skills to practice on and gain.
I think the style rick adelman wants to run is: winning. Yeah alot of that has to do with chemistry. well guess what? bringing in a player that is going to command the ball on offense, turn the ball over, and miss jumpers is going to destroy chemistry. All the players you like are decent ball handlers but they all have one thing in common IMO. Theyre all inefficient basketball players. Yeah it seems like theyre making a huge impact on the game because theyre always "creating" or passing, but in reality the game of basketball isn't about creativity so much it is about efficiency on both the offensive end and defensive end of the court.
You do realize Griffin's offense is full of dunks and putbacks, right? as for rubio, yes a shot would greatly improve his game, but as of now he doesn't have it, just like thabeet doesnt...both are young enough to still achieve it, so why is one seen as a lock to be a star and the other isnt? Rubio's all-world vision and passing can eventually be contained if he doesn't improve his shot...there would be no reason to play him close consistently and you could play him for the pass most of the time...he also doesn't have blazing speed so backing off of him further contains him.......i agree he's got some talent passing the rock and setting up teammates, but those highlight clips shouldn't be the reason why everyone thinks he's a sure thing. a lot of those passes would be snatched up by quicker NBA guards/big men and on some of those drives he would be bumped around more making it more difficult to get of some of those passes. It's not going to be easy for him.
Griffin, he handles well enough to play SF, which is the reason he scores 20ppg. He creates his own shot, in the post, around the post. Like a Jamison or McDyess. I've never heard someone say he couldn't create his own shot, he basically carried his entire team on his offense. I wasn't saying one can be a star and one could. That was him saying that. I said Thabeet COULD develop as a scoring threat...just as Rubio COULD develop a shot. I was going by the olympic games and the Euroleague games I was able to catch on NBATV.
The reality is having Yao down on the block gives the guards less space to drive into the lane. Our guards have to be able to do one thing really well...and thats shoot the three. Look at Artest. He shot a higher percentage from behind the arc than he did inside. First time thats ever happened in his career. Alston was the same way. Brooks is a little different because he has the quickness to use the smallest of cracks in the defense. I think his ability to do that and shoot the three at a decent percentage makes him a good option at PG for us. If Lowry can develop a three point shot, he and brooks will be adequate at that position. Then you look at two guard and you have artest, wafer, mcgrady, white, and barry thats quite a glutony of players at that position. I think it gives us some flexibility going in to the offseason and i definantly dont expect them all to come back. I really think Morey is going to look to add one of two things in the offseason. I think he's either going to go for a dead eye shooter, or an athletic big that can catch, finish, and run the floor. rubio doesnt fit either of those two types
that's exactly why thabeet would help the team. rubio's plays usually come in fast breaks, not as much in the half court...with yao he won't be put in fast break situations often. When you put him in the halfcourt game you shrink the court, making it harder for him to run around and create space so he can make a play, he'll be forced to shoot more in the halfcourt as well.. thabeet would create a problem when fronting Yao because of his ability to get up high over the defenders/rim...the backdoor is wide open when yao gets fronted, but our cutters can't get the ball because they dont have the length to catch a high lob/pass and a lower lob/pass just gets intercepted. Brooks has shown he get by anyone and get the defense to scramble, but he usually goes in and comes right back out because the area below the rim gets clogged, mainly due to our front court playing bwlow the rim...you give him an above the rim option and the lob option opens up and creates more space. Then there's the defense, which would improve even more. thabeet can play alongside yao at the 4 or alongside scola at the 5, either combination works well and fits.
i dont even think this discussion should go on much longer because if morey gets the pick he's just going to turn around and trade it for an established player....i can't see the team wasting the opportunity to do that...maybe a player like rubio, or thabeet even, will only come once every few years...but building a championship team also takes years.....we got a team needing just a bit of help to get that ring and that's a chance i can't see Morey passing up.
That's what they said about Paul. The same thing, he excells in fast break situations and pick and roll...that's the same they say about Rubio. It's not like Rubio can't play halfcourt, and it's not like our entire offense is dedicated to slowing the game up for Yao. We like to push it whenever we can, especially when Yao goes out. Thabeet would, I've thought about that...but we don't have the players to give him the ball to capitalize on the opportunity. Artest would ignore it for a extra dribble or shot, and Brooks would...well do same thing except he'll just fake the shot and then pass it to artest x_x
Also as long as Rubio can play pick&roll he can be a great halfcourt PG. I don't think we're even getting the pick to begin with.
I think the key to all this is Brooks. I think he did a hell of a job this year considering he became the starter midseason and was thrust into the primary playmakerrole because of mcgradys injury. Thats alot for a kid to handle, and i think he did a fine job and showed progression and poise. I think also what you said about our front court players is important too. Both Scola and Landry, while both very good at what they do, theyre not spacing fours. They like to hang around the basket anywhere from 15 in and theyre very efficient offensively mainly due to yaos prescense down low. Thabeet is like Scolandry on Steroids. He's a great offensive rebounder and he finishes above the rim. He is also 73 270. He would fit like a glove either at the four or as a backup to yao.
explain how scola and landry both average double digits then? They do it just by hanging around and being active. thabeet can do the same thing, but hes a much better finisher and he gives us another dimension on defense. Deke is gone. When Yao sits we have to come with Hayes at the 5. Thats just not going to get it done. We need to add some size. Preferably an active body that can rebound and block shots.
yeah but Paul has always had a decent shot, he just didnt take it much, just like now he doesn't always look for it.... As for the halfcourt, we were like last in fast break points i think, or one of the last, mainly because of our style and players, yao included. most of the time yao is in the game it's a slower halfcourt style. If we think of the possibilities when Yao is out of the game, then we're talking about him playing back up point, which is just as bad as "wasting" the pick on a center to play back up.
and just FYI, harden has leaped rubio and thabeet in the latest mock drafts, he's the current projection at #2, with thabeet going 3rd and Rubio 4th. Harden reminds me of a michael dickerson/pierce mix..
