Will I think Pop has traded DEFENSE for OFFENSE.....
Originally Posted by GSDOUBLEU
hurt his ankle playing against the NetsOriginally Posted by rck2sactown
Thanks bro. Snapping a 7 game L streak is always a good feelingOriginally Posted by GSDOUBLEU
lol with warriors having 3 D-league players and missing Monta, congrats?Originally Posted by rck2sactown
And the Kings got the W
why wasnt monta playing?
[/h2][h2]Rookie Watch: Top 10 at halfway point[/h2]
By David Thorpe
Scouts Inc.
Archive
Rocky Widner/NBAE/Getty ImagesStephen Curry (right) is surging up the rankings, but the gap between he and Tyreke Evans is still wide.
We're past the halfway point of the NBA season. So with hundreds of clips to choose from now, I locked myself into my viewing room to study film on the top 10 rookies in the class so far. Here are my notes, combined with some relevant statistics. Oh, and check out our new No. 2, who is on fire.
[h4]NBA Rookie 50[/h4]
Check out David Thorpe's 2009-10 rookie rankings. NBA Rookie 50
• Hollinger's stats: Rookie leaders
1. Tyreke Evans, Kings | Rookie card
Evans continues to dominate smaller guards, scoring on an impressive assortment of drives.
Since he's not quite the athlete that similar slashers like Wade and LeBron are, he has to vary his attacks and use the rim as a protector, and he's shown a particular knack for reverse layups. Recently he's also displayed an effective floater and a little stop-and-pop from eight feet. And even though he badly missed a left-handed runner the other night, it was a great sign, because if he continues to try that shot, he'll eventually start making it, which means that teams won't be able to force him and keep him left. That's about the only way to slow him now, other than hoping he takes a jumper.
But there is a downside to his scoring success. Evans ranks 29th of 30 starting point guards in assist ratio (the percentage of a player's possessions that end in an assist), ahead of only Rodney Stuckey, likewise a score-first guard. Evans' rate of 18.1 percent is below that of guys like Tony Allen, Josh Smith and Larry Hughes. Sacramento's offense, once a top-10-to-15 unit, is down to No. 20, and the Kings have won just twice since Christmas.
While Evans is the most accomplished rookie I've seen in the three seasons of this rookie report, Sacramento has been one of the NBA's worst teams in the past six weeks or so. But the Bulls and Derrick Rose were struggling a year ago and went on a second-half tear. Can Evans do similar things in Sacramento?
Curry
2. Stephen Curry, Warriors | Rookie card
Curry may be the only guy in the West who can win the Rookie of the Month award other than Evans. He has been red-hot in January, averaging 19 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game while making 48 percent of his shots overall and more than 50 percent from 3 (28-for-55). His strong play has also helped the Warriors win a few games and stay competitive in a couple of tough losses.
Now that he's adjusted to the pace of the NBA game, it seems like he's moving at just the right speed. He's already the best in this class at utilizing a shot fake -- a potent weapon when used by a great shooter, but one that he struggled with early on because he was playing too fast. These days, he'll use it even when being closed out with two seconds on the shot clock, knowing that he still has plenty of time to fake, dribble and shoot from an open spot.
As a passer, he's still too casual with dishing off ballscreens sometimes, forgetting that seeing an open man is just the first step; delivering the ball to him is equally important. This is just part of the adjustment process. He'll soon learn to get the open man the ball with patience and craft, or just by using a better passing angle off the dribble.
Jennings
3. Brandon Jennings, Bucks | Rookie card
The numbers aren't pretty. In January, Jennings is making just 31.5 percent of his shots. (Strangely, he entered this week having made only 36 of 118 attempts inside the 3-point line but 20 of 60 beyond the arc in January.) Still, I'm really high on him. I see him as an artist who is years away from his prime. And just like Picasso or Dali, he has to spend years refining his craft before coming of age.
Part of the problem is that he can get anywhere he wants on the court. The other part is that he's very gifted at getting shots off in traffic against bigger people; he has that Nashian ability to shoot off the dribble with a quick one-hand release that occurs a beat before the defense expects it. Together, these skills result in his lofting up prayers from good spots on the floor that look amazing, but rarely fall in. In maybe a year or two, I think these shots will drop a lot more than they do now.
As a jump-shooter, he's solid when he sets and jumps straight up, especially off ball screens. But he often opts to float or drift instead. The arc on his shots and his follow-through aren't very consistent, either. This too will improve with time and experience.
Lawson
4. Ty Lawson, Nuggets | Rookie card
Pick a rookie, any rookie, and tell me a glaring weakness. Pretty easy, right?
Except for with this guy. Tell me what he can't do. Finish around the rim? He's over 50 percent. Midrange jumpers? Again, over 50 percent (though he's not great from the right baseline). How about from 3-point distance? Check his numbers from the five main spots: He's over 50 percent from two spots, over 40 percent from two others, and about 35 percent from one wing, for a total of 42 percent overall. Does he take care of the ball? Yep -- almost three times as many assists as turnovers.
Lawson has been consistently excellent since Week 1, and looks to be a leading candidate for the NBA Sixth Man Award starting next season. Rarely can a player under 6-foot-3 (he's listed at 5-foot-11, actually) impact the game in as many ways as he can: scoring, pushing the pace, creating shots for teammates, shooting from outside, hounding ball handlers and leading a team.
In particular, he's terrific at using his body to put defenders in a position of weakness as he attacks the rim, a skill that is tough to master when the player usually finishes below the rim. Not that Lawson isn't athletic, because he is (check this out). Opposing defenses have to account for him in the game plan; how many bench players can you say that about?
Blair
5. DeJuan Blair, Spurs | Rookie card
Blair is putting up solid numbers as a starter, averaging eight points and eight rebounds in less than 20 minutes a game. To give you a better idea of his success, check out his "per 36 minutes" averages of 14 points and 13 rebounds.
On top of that, he's a big help to the Spurs' transition game when he races rim-to-rim, which he normally does. He's not just a scoring threat; he's also occupying important space and defenders, helping to create better driving lanes for the guards. And on defense, Blair is making an impact by taking away driving lanes, bumping cutters, pushing screeners to limit their effectiveness, and using his quick hands and feet to deflect or steal passes and casual dribbles.
Still, Blair has two big hurdles to overcome: scoring inside and scoring outside.
Sure, he finishes around the rim when he can get an angle to the basket, but when a defender is between him and the ball, it's another story. The size and length of those defenders bother him, so he flips up high-arcing shots off the board that usually miss the mark.
There is good news here, though, as just like Brandon Jennings, he can expect to make more of these shots as he develops his touch. The same can be said for his perimeter shot, though it may take a year or two before he can hit jumpers with consistency.
Harden
6. James Harden, Thunder | Rookie card
Coming into the season, Thunder coach Scott Brooks' wish list for Harden probably looked like this: (1) Make 3-point shots, (2) show off your passing skills as a ball mover and assist man and (3) defend with intensity and awareness.
Check, check and check.
Harden has recovered from a cold-shooting December and is having his best 3-point shooting month of the season -- he's hitting more than 42 percent from deep in January, raising his season mark to more than 37 percent.
He also might be the best passer in this class (not including Ricky Rubio, who's in a class by himself). And we're not talking about no-looks with mustard, just ordinary passes that get players the ball when they need it.
I like what I've see from him on defense, too. He is smart and has long arms. Think you've beaten him over a ballscreen? Well, he just might poke it away from behind. He gets a steal a game in just 25 minutes a night, not including his deflections that are recovered by someone else. In a recent matchup with LeBron, Harden didn't play scared. And although LeBron put up impressive numbers, he did not dominate Harden.
If Harden can turn into a go-to defensive player he'll become an even more valuable player on the Thunder.
Gibson
7. Taj Gibson, Bulls | Rookie card
At the halfway point of the season, this is the guy I'd pick as the biggest surprise of the class. Sure, Omri Casspi's hot shooting early on was shocking, but quality Euroleague players always have a place here. Gibson, on the other hand, looked to be a long shot to make the Bulls' rotation back in the summer, but has grabbed the starting spot. And he doesn't look like he's going to give it up, unless the Bulls acquire the All-Star-caliber post player they've coveted for years.
Gibson's game is all about simplicity and staying within his talents. He beat out Tyrus Thomas because of that: Gibson rarely takes bad shots, and he makes a lot more jumpers than people expected. He's also finishing around the rim better than Thomas and dunking almost as often. And he can dribble well enough to zip through a crease from the elbow and finish.
Derrick Rose has greatly improved his play of late and is leading the Bulls' surge. But Gibson has been a big help, averaging nine points, seven rebounds and one block a game in January in just 25 minutes a night. Some rookies are better off showing charisma and pushing the limits of their talents, but Gibson has shown that there is another way to earn a starting spot and good rotation minutes.
Casspi
8. Omri Casspi, Kings | Rookie card Check out these numbers: Over his past nine games, Casspi has made just five of his 32 3-point shots. That's 15.6 percent. Ouch. However, in that same span, he has averaged more than 10 points and almost six rebounds a game. You see, Casspi was still able to make an impact thanks to his overall game, energy and willingness to do other things to help.
His shooting woes, though, are clearly part of the reason Sacramento is struggling, and the Kings need him to find his range again. I've noticed that his quick release is now too quick and he's not always completing the shot. Also, his overall shot selection hasn't been great: He's taking too many step-back shots and contested shots in general.
On defense, teams like to pick on him. He's a willing fighter but not yet able to fend off bigger, quicker or stronger wings. But Casspi, unlike some of his teammates and other rookies around the league, brings effort and passion on every possession. And on a quiet team like the Kings, his verbal leadership stands out.
Flynn
9. Jonny Flynn, Timberwolves | Rookie card
Flynn is experiencing an up-and-down month. Want proof? Over a seven-day, five-game stretch recently, he made just 6 of 37 shots in three of the games. And in the other two, he made 11 of 23.
He's always a threat to blow by his man off the dribble, but he's still getting caught at the rim having to score over or around bigger and longer players. And though his jumper is solid, he has not learned when exactly to shoot it. I wish he'd write these words on his arm: "Shooting contested jumpers with more than five seconds on the shot clock is bad."
He's not much of a passer yet, either, ranking ahead of only Evans and Stuckey in assist ratio among starting point guards. Too often, like Evans, he'll see a teammate racing the floor in front of him but opt to continue speed dribbling up the floor. Wolves coach Kurt Rambis is working to teach him how to play and think like a point guard, but it's not something that can be learned quickly.
One thing I love about Flynn, though, is that despite his desire to have the ball in his hands a lot, he's not a selfish guy when watching the game from the bench. Instead, he is totally focused on how his team is doing and is often the first guy celebrating a good play from a teammate.
It's very difficult for a guy like Flynn to run a team like Minnesota's -- with a designed offense and go-to players inside -- when he has always been the catalyst for his teams in the past. He is trying and will no doubt improve because of the lessons he's learning now.
DeRozan
10. DeMar DeRozan, Raptors | Rookie card
After Toronto signed Hedo Turkoglu in the offseason, I speculated that the Raptors would play DeRozan like Orlando played its first-round pick (Courtney Lee) last season, placing him outside and letting him play off ballscreen action between Turkoglu and Chris Bosh/Andrea Bargnani. And that's what's happening, only DeRozan is not a 3-point shooter like Lee is. Still, it's been impressively effective.
DeRozan deserves loads of credit for having the maturity to step into those kickout passes from Turkoglu to launch his midrange jumpers. And he also deserves credit for making about 38 percent of them. That's not a bad number for a rookie, and it bodes well for his future -- one that I'm guessing will include a lot more 3s next season. DeRozan also has a pretty solid fake-and-drive game, which he employs when teams get too close to him on closeouts. He's got quickness and savvy, so he sells the jumper and goes by good defenders relatively easily. And he does a nice job of keeping his body square on drives, though he double-clutches too often hoping to avoid the big who's trying to block his shot. I'd prefer to see him go up through the contact; he'll end up getting more shots blocked, but he'll earn a lot more free throws.
As he learns to see help defenders coming before they arrive, and adjusts his driving angles accordingly, he'll become a very solid scorer. All in all, the Raptors have to be thrilled with their selection.
@MrMichaelLee: According to a person with knowledge of the situation, Arenas will be suspended for the remainder of the season.
Duuuuude Sean May balled outta his mind last nightOriginally Posted by nicedudewithnicedreams
Originally Posted by GSDOUBLEU
hurt his ankle playing against the NetsOriginally Posted by rck2sactown
Thanks bro. Snapping a 7 game L streak is always a good feelingOriginally Posted by GSDOUBLEU
lol with warriors having 3 D-league players and missing Monta, congrats?Originally Posted by rck2sactown
And the Kings got the W
why wasnt monta playing?
Yo! This dude just outplayed your front court by himself in 14 minutes.
Stat to me is the exact same as AI. Zach too. Numbers guys. Out for theirs. Always have been, always will be.
because amare doesnt $!%** and cry up and down when things dont go his way like AI and zach have done. he hasn't been called a locker room cancer like those 2 guys
UCLAMIKE wrote:
because amare doesnt $!%** and cry up and down when things dont go his way like AI and zach have done. he hasn't been called a locker room cancer like those 2 guys
Amare doesn't even speak much
i never called Amare the toughest dude around the basket, he is what he is but would be a major plus to a team that already has a star in place
Hey, if he proves me wrong, by all means I will speak on it and speak favorably of him, but I've watched a lot of their games over the years, and everything he does is meaningless. Dude gets more points down by 20 then anyone I have ever seen, and he seems fine with it.
And if he signs with a horrible club in the offseason (ie, no chance of winning a damn thing) then that will only fuel my argument. He'll basically be saying he wants the cash, and the shots, winning be damned.
So we'll see how it plays out.
How many times do we have to hear about him not gettin along with teammates and wanting to be THE guy before there starts being a little fire to go along with the smoke?
Originally Posted by franchise3
bright nikes
I was peeping a rerun episode earlier and thought the same thing. Earl Watson pulled a bad chick
Originally Posted by bright nikes
Originally Posted by franchise3
bright nikes
I was peeping a rerun episode earlier and thought the same thing. Earl Watson pulled a bad chick
Was it the one today
She was looking right.
