LOL@ hyperactive chicken. It's funny b/c it's true. And I totally agree. I think Beverley's cemented himself solid minutes with his unexpected overall play. I feel more comfortable with Bev coming off the bench at backup PG over Brooks at this point and I'm a pretty big Brooks fan. But don't heap praise on his defense folks when he isn't that effective on D.
It was a great game for a lot of players on the team man! This years utah jazz team missed the playoffs your acting like Lin scored 60 points in this game lol.
Beverly "looked" like a good defender but stats showned otherwise. He would be a good back up PG that brings energy to the game, but I honestly doubt he can sustain his energy in regular seasons as a starter. Ppl are impressed with his play but energy does not equate to production. I still can't believe he led Reggie Jackson look like an allstar.
why do we have to knock our own players. competition at the pg is the best thing to have happened. And Bev is the most athletic player so he can easily pass any eye test. But on the defensive end, ALL OF OUR GUARDS do the same thing, leave their man open for uncontested shots. that's why jackson and fish were nailing them on him. the over helping has got to stop. it's all about team defense and it will get better next season.
My point exactly. And now, in the Memphis series Reggie Jackson is looking more like... well... Reggie Jackson again...
Lol start and do what though? Straight up question can Lin lead this rockets team to a championship? Even if we add Dwight or Josh Smith.
I don't think that I'm knocking our own players. I cheered just as loud for Beverley as I did any Rockets player and jumped out of my seat plenty of times when he made good plays. I just wanted to point out that I think his being labeled a good defender is a misnomer. As for most athletic player on the team, I'm not sure that I'd give that title to him over Parsons or Harden. Not even sure I would give that to him over T Jones...
Absolutely. A PG that can get you 16 pts and 8 asst and 2-3 steals per game (which are minimal improvements I'd expect him to make) would be a perfect fit for a team with Harden and Dwight. Now as to whether any team can win it all with Josh Smith is a discussion for another thread...
You believe he can average this numbers in a playoff series (not regular season series) against okc, miami, memphis, indiana, san antonio? Well he has next year and the future to do it.
Bev's hustle defense is usually good for 5-10 minutes, then he gets into foul trouble and has to either sit or play ineffectively the rest of the way. His style of play is simply not sustainable for heavy minutes. If you take the hustle element out of Bev's game, he's just as good as any other back up PG out there.
We'll have to see Lin's improvement next year. He choked hard on Garme 1, but he has shown improvement in regular season. We'll just have to see how PB and Lin perform next year. Morey seems to be confident on Lin's improvement and he acknowledged his contribution this year.
Defense is so hard to accurately gauge. The past Sloan conference focused a lot on D. Every year the All Defense team is such a joke. One thing about defense though, is that once you get a reputation for it, it sticks for your whole career. Beverly is over-rated on this board, but I think that has a lot to do with the LOF/LOH thing. Kind of like how Toney Douglas and his defense were also over-rated. Either way, it's neither Lin or Beverly's defense we have to worry about, they are both competent defenders. It's Harden's. I think everyone here has played some ball and everyone here knows how even one guy slacking on D ruins your whole team's D. A defensive-minded 4 wouldn't hurt either.
Exactly! :grin: Howard is no Hakeem, but Harden/Lin/Beverly with 1-2 more year of maturity and improved 3pt shot from the latter two might be better than Drexler/Smith/Cassell. OK, we have yet to see whether Miami is another dynasty like MJ's Bulls.
Or maybe that's why McHale said that Beverley's defense is great when it's really quite lacking... so we can boost his trade value. You're on to something...
Ed, what is net point of this thread other than to bash a young player for not being perfect at something he shouldn't be at this stage in his career? None of us are really qualified to talk non-public defensive metrics. We have small sample sizes. Everyone is young. No one is familiar with one another as compared to the league mean. His energy and hustle have been a huge positive when we needed it most. Are you really going to drag this conversation out as long as they are some fans who still want to praise his defense?
I disagree. I think at least more than half agree with me. True, you have the a couple of folks that disagree with me posting multiple times so maybe that's what's throwing off your count.
The point of this thread is pretty much what you just said. "None of us are really qualified to talk non-public defensive metrics. We have small sample sizes." I agree. Thus, why are there people that swear he's a good defender when 1) the sample size is too small to really make that call and 2) what sample size we have doesn't even support that conclusion? And why is it that I'm bashing him if I point that out? I stated right off the bat that the kid hustles and brings good energy. I never tried to dispute that claim and heap those praises on him too. But if you and I are out at a Karaoke bar and I sang a perfect rendition of Creep by Radiohead (b/c I really can) all while doing the thumb jerking Elaine dance (Seinfeld reference) and a lot of people said "Wow, Ed is an awesome singer and has the best dance moves around" you would be shaking your head to and saying "WTF??? Ed may sing well but his dancing is not even close to good." Does that mean you're bashing me? Not in the least. Get it?
Seriously, that's not happening... unless Harden starts playing off the ball. Only 4 guys averaged 8 assists this season.
