I think that may be skewed since Jason Terry played in the same backcourt with Sura. That site may have listed Terry as the point guard on the floor and Sura as the 2-guard, even though Sura was playing the point guard role on the floor.
Good for us, but if we think this is better than what we had last year, everyone is sadly mistaken... Anyway, it does fill the void...
Actually, this may help Gaines. If the Rockets are smart enough to keep him, Gaines needs a half season to perhaps a full season of JVG point guard instruction. Ergo, this takes the pressure off Gaines. JVG did the same for Nachbar, and pretty much everyone sees the progress he has made in his defense and positioning.
I have a friend in ATL who is a basketball fan (not a Hawks fan - but he had to watch their games just to see the other team) he said Sura played the point more than Terry - Terry is really a smaller shooting guard (dispite what Cuban thinks)
How about fewer turnovers, less bone-headed plays, less dribbling, fewer shot-clock violations, fewer ill-advised shots, more well-timed passes, and an occasional well run fast break. A well disciplined journeyman player with an average IQ should be able to do these things.
He doesn't need anyone's help sucking. If by chance he can beat out Lue, Ward or Sura, so be it, but don't count on it.
You have a much higher opinion of Gaines than I. It's my personal belief that you don't learn how to play your position at the NBA level - that's something that has to occur long before you reach this point. From what I saw of Gaines last year, he's at least 2 years away from being an effective backup at the point hence my extremely low expectations for him. As for the the signing of Sura & Ward, I hate to say that I saw this coming but to anyone familiar with this team's history it was OBVIOUS that CD would go out and find the cheapest players he could get. That Ward was sitting around after having been passed over by all of the other teams looking for PG help does not fill me with enthusiasm at having him run the point. This team is now older and much slower and it's going to be interesting to see how it fares against the up tempo Western Conference. We will be trying to win with 5 backups at PG. I realize that Yao & T-Mac are to be the main cogs in this so-called "machine" but they are going to need a lot more help than what they stand to get from the likes of Ward, Lue, Sura, Howard, Taylor and the rest of the bunch.
It looks like I'm coming into the middle of something. But as for your commentary on Sura...82games.com is a fantastic site for providing some interesting stats, but that doesn't mean it's always right. From the press conference transcript... On if Sura looks at himself of more of a point or shooting guard. SURA: "The past few years I've really played a lot of point guard, and when I got traded to Atlanta (from Detroit) I stuck with playing point guard. I'm comfortable with it. I think I'm able to create plays for other people when necessary. As Charlie said, we've got the two main guys here, but I'd like to pick up the slack a little bit where it's left off. I'm comfortable playing both positions, but the last few years I've played a lot more point guard." I'll take Sura's word for it over82 games.com. Does it really get much more definitive than a guy flat out saying he was playing PG?
Good find NS. I find it interesting that 82games apparently has a vastly differing interpretation of the term than Sura. Perhaps they judge it based on matchups, while he judges it based on how often he brings the ball up court. Anyway, do you subscribe to the school of thought that he's a similar player to Steve Francis?
I definitely agree that Sura is this year's JJ. I dont really agree with the 'poor man's SF' comment about him though. I think his defense will be better. He's definitely taller than stevie. And, he won't spend the year dreaming he was playing the 'And-1' leagues, like SF while he dribbled the air out of the ball. So, I think Sura was a solid signing that will pay off for us. Ward, you just have to accept the fact that your coach wants system players. You have to get the players he thinks will play well in his system, b/c if not they aren't going to get any calls off the bench and then it doesnt matter how good they are. I'm all about the increase of height at our guards. So, does Gaines even make the squad or is he going to have a 'plasticfibrulatrerejojreojr fake IR' injury?
look - 82games is considering Terry the primary PG for the Hawks - but he wasn't (he was just listed that way in the line up) - Sura handled the ball more and initiated the offense. I play fanstasy basketball - and Sura was a great late season pick up for assists and Terry and Jackson were great pick ups for scoring -Sura must have been doing SOME ball handling there. as for gaines - he will make the squad - after they trade Pike and Griffin for Deke, there will be exactly 12 players on the team
My guess is that 82games goes by how a player is listed. Terry is listed as a PG and Sura as a SG. So when Terry and Sura are on the floor together, Terry gets credited with the minutes at the 1. When Sura is in the backcourt with another 2-guard, Sura may be credited with the minutes at the 1. Who knows? I sent them an email to get clarification. Looking at the numbers though, Sura led his team in assists for 13 of the last 15 games with no fewer than 5 and as many as 12 assists.
Good role players. Good pickup. Ward is steady and can hit the 3, like he did for S.A. the last part of last year. Sura is an athlete and a very good defensiveplayer. Some would say that he's a 'tweener, but nonetheless, another good vet to have on the team.
Not really. Sura is a rock solid defensive player who has primarily come off the bench- he has two seasons where he started more than 1/2 the games he played. Sura just doesn't have Francis' natural scoring capabilities. Sura has scored 30+ in a game 3 times in his career. I just don't see how has broken the 30 pt barrier 3 times in a 9 year career can be compared to a guy who up until this year was a career 20ppg scorer. Sure, both can be considered "guards" rather than "point" or "shooting" guards, and are capable of filling up all the columns of the box score, but their styles seem pretty different. You don't compare a guy who has been a #1/#2 option his whole career to a guy who has probably been no higher than option #3.
I would say Sura and Francis are similar in the way they approach the game. They play with a ton of heart and a ton of intensity. They are both capable of making some amazing plays on the court. They attack the basket with a vengeance totally disregarding how much punishment their bodies will take. They are also inconsistent and turn the ball over a lot. The main difference between the two is Sura is a better defender and Francis is a much better scorer.
