Tmac - been in a slump, hopefully with this win under his belt, He has regained his confidence. I personally think that great players never loose thier touch (because of the amount of work they have put into shooting the ball), they loose thier confidence and thats why their shots arent going in. Hopefully, Tmac is back --- we need him Yao - as expected, Good performances all round. Today's game is an anomaly because he is both tired and injured from the last game. He needs to get a bit more aggressive on rebounds....but his decline in rebounding numbers is made up by Chucky so the problem isnt that big. Furthermore, He needs to stop fouling early on. This would really limit his performance. Rafer - Inconsistent. He plays well when the team plays well generally, but doesnt help the team when eveyrone else is playing like crap Battier - as advertised. I would like it if he took more shots than Rafer Chucky - Very impressive thus far. Fouls a bit too much - kinda like me. But he is a very good player to throw around. He gets his job done and you can always rely on him to get the rebounds and D up his man Kirk Snyder - I like the fact that he attacks the rim hard. But he isnt an impact player that can go hot and change the game, he is merely a role player than can help to vary our offence a bit. We shouldnt expect too much from him. His defence is decent. Luther Head - His downside is evened out by his consistent 3. Mutombo - getting a bit old and slow...but very serviceable still Everyone else did not play enough to warrant a discussion Just my 2 cents please discuss
TMac - needs to find that FT touch Yao - don't stop being aggressive, and don't get put off by early fouls Skip - nice to see 9 assists tonight, 4TO though.. would like to see more dribble penetration to draw defences and kick back out to the open guy Battier - 2pts only doesn't bug me like it does some others on the board. He's doing what we'd envisioned, filling up spaces, dirty work and the intengibles. Still, would be nice if he could get more shots although he's the sort who'd take the shot if it comes to him Chucky is awesome. Head is good value for his minutes. VSpan and Novak are stuck in a rut. I think we'll see them once JVG feels the team has started gelling better and we've got more confidence more more wins. Bonzi - nothing worth commenting at the moment.
I disagree completely on Snyder. There will be games that he will be super hot this year and may win for us. I guarantee it!
TMac - I'm not as concerned with his shooting as others are. I think it might just be him getting use to the ball. (Thats not just an excuse, a lot of stars have come out against it). I'm more concerned with the fact that I don't see that killer instinct that I saw in the Rox-Mavs playoff series two years ago. I always tell my friends that Tmac and Kobe are the same player except that Kobe never lets go of that killer instinct. Hopefully he starts to attack the rim more. Yao - He is off to a great start with the exception of his foul troubles. Hopefully he can handle those better as he gets more in shape. Rafer - He is doing a good job as a pass-first PG, but I would like him to not shoot as much if he continues to shoot so poorly. Then we can get more shots for Shane. Shane - This guy is great. I thought that the trade was good from the start, but seeing what he does night in and night out is amazing. I would get a chance to see him against the LA teams and Rockets sometimes, but I never really understood what he meant to a team until this season. When I see his stats, and how he plays. Great pick-up for Dawson. Synder - Good player. Needs better shot, but I like the fact that he attacks the rim and wants to embarass other centers. Head - Good player also. I like his game, but if he can get something of out of Bonzi, i think we should trade him for a vet back-up center. We are going to need it down the stretch. I would hate to get rid of him, but if we can get something out of it right now, then i say do it. We need Novak to PLAY! Bonzi - All I can say is WTF?!
If you ask me, Tmac was in a slump for several of reasons. First, he didnt attack the basket at all in the first 2 games. In the last two games, you can see that he drove the ball to the basket a little bit more, creating easier shots as well as more ft attempts. Also, his mechanics on his jumpshot needed to be tweaked a bit. his jumpshot is really flat and needed a little more arc. It's hard for yao to grab alot more rebounds than he is right now. 8 rpg is still pretty good, but alot of people are expecting him to pull in 12 a game. Watchin yao play, i've come to expect him to not be a very impressive rebounder. the 8 a game he pulls now are mostly uncontested rebounds right in front of the rim. Its hard for him to be "more aggressive on rebounds" because of his lankiness. yes, it makes it harder for him to rebound because its harder for him to adjust his arms to the right spot or position to grab the ball. As far as the fouling is concerned, i totally agree with you, he really does need to keep out of foul trouble. i think he uses it as an excuse to get off the court when he's tired. jk maybe its the other way around. The team plays well when he plays well, but when he struggles everyone else starts to struggle as well. To me, this says that Rafer is an intricle part in our offense and in getting everyone else involved. His best game was against Dallas, where he almost had a triple double, and we beat them by over 30. His worst performance was in our game against the grizz. Both teams looked awful, and we shouldve killed the grizz by 10 or more. he had only 2 rebs and 2 assists to go with 4 fouls and 5 turnovers. I guess my point is, that when skip has a good game, the rockets look unstoppable, and when he struggles our team looks really bad. Battier's shot attempts vary from game to game, depending on how the offense flows his way. he only shoots open shots and those corner 3's. if he's not open, he's not gonna force a shot. battier's an unselfish player, and will put the team first. this is why his shot attempts will vary from game to game I love his hustle. ryan bowen was our hustle guy last year, and chuck hayes fills the same role rybo did. But, what makes chuck hayes sooooooo much better is that he is actually a basketball player and puts himself in position to make plays. Great energy guy. I still don't what to expect from him. He does give the Rox alot of versatiliy with their lineups.
Very nice take on Kirk Snyder, hotblood. From what I've seen of him in his Jazz and Hornets days, I don't think he's a big difference maker too. If anything, he'd be less of a difference maker than David Wesley was in '04-'05. Snyder just gives you that extra edge in your offense, while providing solid defense and rebounding, that's all. Good for occasional forays into the paint, hit-and-miss jumpshot from time to time, that's the limit of his impact. As for Tmac's jumpshot being a little flat, his shot has always been flat, it's only because he's such an amazing athlete and can elevate so high on his shot, that he hits so many jumpers over people. But I do agree, that as he puts more and more mileage on his legs, he should start adjusting his shot to give it more arc, if not, I can see his perimeter ability dropping off fast once he starts to lose his athleticism as he ages. About the drop-off in Yao's rebounding numbers, I'm not concerned. Remember, he has a rebounding beast in Chuck Hayes playing next to him most of the time. So it's natural that Chuck's gonna get his share of the rebounds, while Yao is going to give up his share. Personally, it is better for the team this way, as you have 2 capable rebounders on the D-boards at all times.
Actually if you take a close look at the past few games, you will find that Yao always let other teammates grab the rbs if they are around, especially when there are nobody from the other team to compete for the ball. While it is built in his blood that he would not compete with teammates for rbs, I still wish he can be more aggressive on both ends, go get the ball big guy.
Last night's 4th quarter was the last quarter of 4 games in 5 days. Not to mention the last 3 being on the road. Since he has entered the league, Yao has improved vastly in terms of his stamina. Seriously, I remember when Yao couldn't even play for more than 20 minutes without getting tired. Now, he plays for 30+ minutes regularly.
I think we need Chucky to foul .Then he can protect the biggest one beside him. T-mac, you'd better play a little more deffence.Making shots is not the only thing you can do on the court. Battier ...Will you be seen in the White House one day after you retired? HAHA
TMac coming around is the key; however, when he is in Ming appears to revert back to his less aggressive posture. They still have alot of work to do in learning to play together, but there are encouraging signs. Alston, what you see is what you get: good handles, decent assists, inconsistent shooting, inconsistent defense, appears to prosper when the team is leading and fades in the clutch. Last night was a good example. With the big lead, he was hitting shots. When things got tight, he starting missing shots (but so did TMac and Ming). Hayes is no Barkley, but I like his blue collar work. Battier, as advertised. Synder, flashes of something, but I am not sure what. Seems like the team is missing something. Bonzi Wells!
I don't agree when you guys are sayig that Alston didn't hit clutch shots last night. He hit two VERY big shots in the 4th quarter. Sure, he missed 1 or 2 inside three minutes, but he hit a three and a mid range jumper that killed the Bucks momentum late in the game. Alston played okay. Yao and Tmac played really well together in the 3rd quarter. I haven't seen them play off of eachother like that in a while. It was good to see.
tmac - he WILL be back... expect 25+ from him tomorrow night. everything is coming around... he just didn't play any basketball in the offseason. his back should be fine. so far he's been ok... a little below where we'd want our superstar but he does change the game positively when he's out there. B- yao - playing VERY well but got tired in the last quarter of a back to back which is understandable. we went to him too much and expected too much out of him, which allowed milwaukee to get back in it. he'll average 20+ this year. rebounding will improve as the season goes on. B+ alston - I think while inconsistant now, he shows flashes of leadership and should start coming into his own around late december. remember last year he didn't have yao and tmac together for many games at all. he'll be our pg and floor general. B battier - I love him. he's awesome. he's the key to taking this team over the top. A hayes - he's like battier, but a little more green. I say around february or march you'll see this guy become even MORE efficient... he's the "other" key to taking this team over the top. him and battier are really changing this team for the better A- deke - better than expected. great backup center and is stepping up when needed. he really really deserves a ring. B kirk - he showed us alot in the preseason, though lately we haven't been getting what I'd like out of him. he has SO much potential and will definitely be a huge factor in our future. he'll have some games were he will be the difference maker, but don't count on him night in night out. definitely the steal of the offseason however. C+ luther - clutch and confident. he'll be a big part of our future too. still inconsistant... which sucks cause alston is too. but he's fast and passionate, and a great backup for alston. unfortunately JLIII and v-span are suffering from this. give it 2 years... both will be big parts of this team. B- howard - playing better off the bench. that's where he belongs. he's overpaid but he still has a good jumper, and is a wily vet. really good for different looks and stratagies cause he can spread the floor a bit. defense is still lacking. C+ bonzi - really showed he was out of shape. but, he has the right mindset and I can't wait till he starts becoming a regular part of the rotation. awesome rebounder, and his back to the basket game will be awesome when it comes around. perfect sixth man, and could potentially start come playoff time. I'm impressed with his attitude too. he's a big part of our future success. however, up until now he's been a non-factor, so I'm forced to give him a C bob sura - yeah I know he hasn't played and might not... but he's that extra perfect role player we could use to potentially cement us into elite status, at least for this year. if he comes back with that fire and toughness he showed 2 years ago, even for just one year, oh man you better watch out for the rockets. to me he's like hayes and battier. just a positive basketball player. novak - if he works hard in practice on his defense and decision making, he'll be the perfect shooting role player, and could even find significant minutes around march and april. I'm very excited about him; I was a HUGE fan when he was at marquette. unfortunately JVG hasn't played him much, but he knows what he's doing.
Yao is getting 16 shots on average in the first 5 games, which equals last year's average without Tmac most of the time. This is a good sign. Yao's hitting FT at 87.5%. This is eye-popping. With Yao being solid, we are poised to be a solid team. I see we are developing some consistency playing as a team. Hopfully, by all star break, we have a good identity for this new team, everybody knows what to do. We are built for playoffs.
The bucks come back run was a lapse on the defense end and their hot shooting. We shouldnt fault that Yao took too many shots in that stretch.
Basically, I am prejudiced against Alston, I admit it, but I just don't like his performance. He bricked sooooo many shots last year, and he got torched on defense so often, I just don't have confidence in him. He had a great game against the Mavs, but he lacks whatever VSpan and Sura have. But we are stuck with him for now. I am convinced he is not the starter that we need. A few minutes off the bench would be O.K., like you said, he is "O.K." I want more.
Blame JVG for having him out on the floor more than necessary since DAY ONE. But he's a warrior, he can't be perfect all the time, like me. I think all the analysis for our starters are all good. One thing that I disagree is C.Hayes. I don't think he's just that good to be a starter. The only reason why he's starting is because we're weak at the 4. Other than that, he looks like a decent bench players always ready to give us a spark.
You guys don 't mention Scott Padget? He 's the one we didn 't expect he would make the roster ... and he 's the one that plays all the minutes Novak should play!
