since when is hitting the back of the rim "way off target" and what about the other rockets' misses prior to that, shouldnt they have hit those too?
I have loved Battier ever since we traded for him and I've always appreciated his defense. And I am going to hate seeing him go. All that being said, he doesn't fit the offense. We are better off with CBud at the 2 with Brooks/Lowry at the 1 and Ariza at the 3 playing off the ball. The ball should be in the hands of Brooks most of the time, in the hands of CBud the next most of the time, and then Ariza gets to handle behind that, then the bigs. Shane simply cannot create for himself against any kind of defender. He can only create for himself against chumps. And when we roll into the playoffs, there ain't no chumps out there.
That shot was way off, plus he was wide open with plenty of time on the shot clock. Shane is a great guy to have on the team for being a leader but other than that he hurts us. He cant dribble, he cant pass, and his defense and shooting are fairly inconsistent. I have a feeling DM is looking to make a deal to get something that fits our system better. Furthermore, CBUD should get more minutes with him progressing more and more every game.
i'll take your word for it then, i thought it bounced off like it hit the back of the rim.... burt i wouldn't say he can't pass, he's actually had some good entry passes to the post this year, especially when landry or scola have deep position, we're 4-0 when he has 4 or more assists, may not be much of a connection there this early in the season though, we'll have to wait and see if the trend continues
Shane is indeed the odd man out. I was never a big fan or big believer of having him and Ariza start together. For one, neither are SGs and two, neither can really create their own shot. Battier sits in the right corner waiting for the pass and Ariza did the same in LA. He's trying here to be someone he's not and is trying to handle the ball and make stuff happen. He is not that kind of player and neither is Battier. You ask them to do that, and it's a turnover waiting to happen. I also agree on what others have said - he is on the decline defensively. If you can get anything for him, you should consider it.
When(or if) TMac comes back, there will be an odd man out, but it will not be Battier. He was brought over here to compliment TMac and Yao and that is exactly what he is. A compliment. He is an unselfish player. Maybe to a fault. We all know that he is limited in his offensive capabilities. His one-on-one defense, while not as good as it was, is still good and his team help defense is still IMO second to none. Lets see how he does if/when TMac comes back...
No, but it is his fault that he seems to be the only player who is suffering from their absence. Don't try to pass off his struggles on other players. Shane himself probably would be disgusted by that. Everyone else, Brooks, Landry, Scola seem to be stepping up their contributions. The new guys are thriving in the system. Battier, on the other hand, isn't contributing much. It's painfuly to watch him try to take guys off the dribble. He isn't even really quick enough to make a good backdoor cut. I missed the Lakers game, but it sounds like Ariza spent most of the night chasing Kobe into an off night. What's he bringing to the table?
if that were true, we wouldn't be just barely over .500 ........everyone, except for Landry and maybe lowry are suffering negatively from their absence. Lowry always does his own thing, not really dependent on others, landry is being showcased, so he's actually done better. The rest of the guys are suffering in some way...scola see more doubles, less openings....shane sees less open shots, brooks sees less mid range jumpers, chuck can't roam for rebounds like before, among other things...
Seems like some guys here need to check their man-crush at the door. Battier has played like crap this year. I really felt with our injury woes, he would need to be more assertive, but nope...same ole Shane. His defense is above average, but he hasnt taken the role on court to lead this team. I dont care about the pep talks and donuts this guy brings to practice. I want to see more hustle on the court, and a increase in offensive production. Battier, by a mile, has been the odd man out on the court.
maybe because hes a role player, and that's it...some people here have unrealistic expecations .....shane has never been the kind of player to step up in that way offensively, as inbeing assertive on offense to "lead this team". If he did you'd have two Arizas out there going 16 for 40 something every game. Battier stays within his limits, not sure why that should be a knock on a player.
The reason being average fans can't appreciate his value unless Battier score 20 pt, 10 reb, 10 ast, 5 stl, and 5 blk per game. Only people who understand the game know how much Battier is contributing to this team. There must be a reason why Rick Aldeman play Battier 30+min a game.
nobody is knocking him i love the guy but it is painful to watch him try to produce and dribble off his foot. Budinger at the end of the game would be a better option IMHO.He can do more things with the ball. also gives a different scoring element when we need one. Which is why when the bench comes in we go on runs. we have guys like Lowry, Landry and Budinger that can do multiple things.
Come on Larry Brown, we undersand the game and know what he has been contributing for years. This year is plenty less than others
Change or not, Battier was never a good fit with Yao/Mac in the first place. Not to mention Battier has been on the decline since his rookie season. His FGP this season is a horrendous 38.9%, which is inexcusable as a spot-up shooter. Heck even a limped T-Mac who had to create the offense managed to put up a 38.8%.
I think our time is better served trying to figure out what Morey and adelman will look at, rather than what we think is right or wrong. As of now i don't see them seeing what you're seeing or others who share your view. Why? Because i see a lot of shane's attempts, like i mentioned earlier, being rushed or off balanced because they are bail out shots. i can't imagine the staff doesn't evaluate shots enough to not notice that. Morey probably adjusts everyone's FG % in different ways. For all we know battier's adjusted % under "normal" conditions isnt that bad. It's like when Morey said Landry was our best post up player and everyone had a fit because he overlooked scola...well apparently he was seeing something else and now it's coming across more visibly. So while some here are complaining about his dribbling and shooting, Morey's looking at his almost 90% Ft shooting and his highest asst/games since his rookie year. As well as him avergaing the least fouls per game ever in his career the last two seasons. That may not mean much to fans since shane doesnt shoot FT in bulk and is just short of 3 asst/game, but once again, i'm guessing the staff breaks it down to where they can see the quality of shane's assts AND his passes that should have been assists, but weren't converted due to a bad shot, good defensive play, etc. I'm sure they do it for allt he players.......
Shane has the tools to do more but like I said before he is reluctant to do so. That at times has hurt the team. I understand he is a role player, but in reality, if you are a basketball player you make plays. Shane isnt making impact plays. Kobe dropped over 40 on him. The 2nd time, we put Ariza on Kobe, and he gets held in check. He just isnt bring the intangables that he has in the past. I'm willing to bet if he had Shelden Williams mug, you wouldnt be lobbing for him. The Shane Battier man-crushes are make my stomach churn. Watch the games, not the dimples.
I said in another thread that there was a decline in the Battier performance this year. The key is that Ariza and Chase are better players, and Battier is no long such important for the team. The leader role is overrated when a player can not make a major contribution to the team.
Honestly, I'm almost becoming more concerned with Battier's rebounding than his offense (and that's saying something). Aaron Brooks and Jermaine Taylor are the only guys on the team averaging fewer rebounds per 36 minutes than Battier. And Just look at how well we rebounded against the Lakers with Battier on the bench for most of the game.
c'mon now, it was obvious Kobe wasn't quite kobe that day, the guy was missing open shots, open runners, kind of badly too, no lift...trevor did do a better job defending his post up game, but a healthy kobe would still give him close to 30, which is what he does to everyone. Implying i'm gay, yeah that's a great way to defend your point. You know people are always right when they resort to "so, you're gay" responses . It always amuses me when someone goes into details about other men's appearances, then proceed to call someone else gay..
