Always A Commander Never A Captain Posted November 15, 2013 Share Posted November 15, 2013 I think we all need to stop expecting Howard to become a dominant offensive player and accept that he never will be. If he was going to become that it would have happened 5 years ago. People need to see Howard for what he is, a great defensive player and a great rebounding big man that can score well enough. His problems are his foul shooting and his likelihood of doing something stupid without reason or warning. His foul shooting is an enigma. He shot 67.1% his rookie year, pretty solid for a big man. It then immediately dropped to 59.5% for 6 seasons. After that, it dropped to 49.1% for his next 3 (including this one) seasons. It's not like there's a slow decline in his FT %, it's constant from year to year...and then falls off a cliff. Also, the only big man to ever to really improve his game after this many seasons in the league was Hakeem. But prior to that Hakeem still had a lot more moves than Dwight did. Dwight's basically all athleticism, and even that isn't what it used to be. It's too early in the season to rush to judgement about how well he can score. And I suppose this is an indictment on the Center position, but Brook Lopez could give him a run for the money on "best center". The Nets protect their defensive glass better than the Rockets do, Lopez is contesting more shots than I remember him doing previously, he turns the ball over at less than half the rate Dwight does, he fouls less, and he's scoring almost 20 a game very efficiently. Dwight attacks the offensive glass though, which is something the Nets don't really do. But that could be more scheme related. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeWolf990 Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Dwight is the same player as he was when the Magic went to the Finals in 2009. No improvement at all. He wont get better too. This is what he is. Worst "best big man in the NBA" since maybe George Mikan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I think we all need to stop expecting Howard to become a dominant offensive player and accept that he never will be. If he was going to become that it would have happened 5 years ago. People need to see Howard for what he is, a great defensive player and a great rebounding big man that can score well enough. His problems are his foul shooting and his likelihood of doing something stupid without reason or warning. Yeah he's a flawed offensive player but his overall impact can be immense. 20 PPG big with near league leading efficiency just off of some spin moves and energy and finishing ability plus he's the league's best rebounder and a potential interior defensive force. Maybe as few as two seasons ago he was the league's most valuable defensive player by far. I'll take that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandias Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 (edited) Looks like LeBron is starting up that streak again of 30+ ppg on 60%+ shooting: 14/18 39 Points 13/18 30 Points Edit* destino Edited November 18, 2013 by Ozymandias Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Looks like LeBron is starting up that streak again of 30+ ppg on 60%+ shooting: 14/28 39 Points 13/28 30 Points 18 shot attempts not 28. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Predicto Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 (edited) Teams don't play defense in the West though. That's why the Spurs have to be the odds on favorite to make the Finals again this season. Sure they do. Just because you play at a fast pace doesn't mean that you don't play defense. Likewise, just because you play in low scoring games doesn't mean you are good at defense - it may just mean that you are slowing the game down a ton. Defensive efficiency is the key. Night now, the Spurs are 2nd, Golden State is 4th, Phoenix is 5th, Minnesota is 6th, and OKC in 9th in defensive efficiency. That's 4 out of the top 6 in the league in the West. You are correct, however, that the Clippers don't play much defense. http://espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/teamstats/_/sort/defensiveEff/order/false Edited November 18, 2013 by Predicto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Not sure that was intentional, but it doesn't matter. Kicking a dude in the face should be a matter of strict liability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeWolf990 Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonArtest15 Posted November 19, 2013 Author Share Posted November 19, 2013 Szczerbiak traveled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Houston just completely fell apart in the 4th against Dallas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Houston should just say "Screw it!" and bring Doug Moe out of retirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Dirk passed Reggie Miller in scoring last night. Reggie had an interesting career. And I think I put my finger on Reggie's role in the TNT crew. He's that goofy looking, big-eared, somewhat bratty little brother whose older sister is cooler and you kind of have a weird thing for her. And he's always trying to prove he belongs and he is indeed good, but he'll always be overshadowed by the older guys who are cooler like Kenny and Chuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeWolf990 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Reggie Miller shouldnt even be in the HOF, imo. And I still dont get how Mitch Richmond is not in the HOF. He was a better player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lombardi's_kid_brother Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I get the sense that the all-timers like Chuck and Shaq are willing to admit Reggie to their little club, because he was a really great shooter on some good teams. At the same time, they know how damn hard his teammates had to work to make Reggie a star. You could just lob the ball to Chuck or Shaq and get two points. You had to set 14 screens and rotate the ball twice in order to get Reggie a bucket. I think there is a little bit of "We respect how good you were, but we also know the truth about you" to it. Even now, Reggie seems to be trying really hard to prove that he "belongs." I think his ****iness always hides a really deep insecurity. And it makes perfect sense. Imagine being one of the greatest NBA players ever...yet not being the best player in your own family....and that other player is your sister. Just compare Reggie to Kenny Smith. Kenny was a decent player and had a pretty great career all things considered. But he carries himself like one of the greatest players ever. He goes on tv with Barkley, Shaq, and Magic and does all these all-star events with dudes like Moses and Hakeem....and acts like he completely belongs. That's what makes him such a good tv presence. I wonder if people under 25 think that Kenny Smith played in multiple all star games. It would not surprise me if they did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM72 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 If Reggie doesn't belong in the hall, I guess Ray Allan doesn't either. And no, Cheryl Miller is not a better player than Reggie. Just because she ranks higher all-time in women's basketball doesn't make her the better player. And last night, George passed Carmelo in superstar status. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Always A Commander Never A Captain Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Houston just completely fell apart in the 4th against Dallas. Who would have thought Monta Ellis would be this good in Dallas? I thought he'd be better, but not THIS much better. His current contract is a steal. 8 million this year and next year, with a 3rd as a player option. Dirk passed Reggie Miller in scoring last night. Reggie had an interesting career. And I think I put my finger on Reggie's role in the TNT crew. He's that goofy looking, big-eared, somewhat bratty little brother whose older sister is cooler and you kind of have a weird thing for her. And he's always trying to prove he belongs and he is indeed good, but he'll always be overshadowed by the older guys who are cooler like Kenny and Chuck. Dirk's also up there in defensive rebounding, 15th all time, and could feasibly get into Top 10. His offensive roles prohibit him from getting any o-boards, so he'll never be considered a "top rebounder", yet people sleep on him being a pretty solid defensive rebounder. When it comes to Dirk's legacy, it's interesting. Where exactly is he all-time? For instance, I'd argue he's better than Karl Malone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Going Commando Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Kenny has a ton of charisma. He knows he's not the player that Chuck and Shaq were but the TV set is his world. Now the other guys are the fish out of water compared to him. It's kind of like Steve Kerr. He always makes comments about how bad a player he was compared to the other guys, in an affable, secure way. He was a GM. He won rings and played for a lot of great teams even though he was a role player. And he's one of the best broadcasters in the business. If Reggie doesn't belong in the hall, I guess Ray Allan doesn't either. And no, Cheryl Miller is not a better player than Reggie. Just because she ranks higher all-time in women's basketball doesn't make her the better player. And last night, George passed Carmelo in superstar status. She was a lot better relative to the level of her sport than Reggie was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonArtest15 Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 Screw it...I'll just go ahead and say it. Anthony Davis is the best PF in the NBA. He's going to be a transcendant PF. Once-in-a-generation type of talent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM72 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) Yeah,but her competition was no where near as good as Reggie's competition. Edited November 21, 2013 by DM72 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Always A Commander Never A Captain Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Kenny has a ton of charisma. He knows he's not the player that Chuck and Shaq were but the TV set is his world. Now the other guys are the fish out of water compared to him. It's kind of like Steve Kerr. He always makes comments about how bad a player he was compared to the other guys, in an affable, secure way. He was a GM. He won rings and played for a lot of great teams even though he was a role player. And he's one of the best broadcasters in the business. Steve Kerr also gets respect because A) Jordan respected and trusted him, and that's not easy. He hit the NBA Finals winning jumper with like 6 seconds to go or something. I thought something Kerr said about "bullying" was interesting. He was being bullied by Jordan, and then eventually he snapped and punched Jordan in the face (Jordan then promptly beat his ass), but afterwards Jordan started to respect Kerr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeWolf990 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 If Reggie doesn't belong in the hall, I guess Ray Allan doesn't either. And no, Cheryl Miller is not a better player than Reggie. Just because she ranks higher all-time in women's basketball doesn't make her the better player.Ray Allen was a better player than Reggie Miller. Better scorer too. Ray Allen used to be a slasher in his younger days. And last night, George passed Carmelo in superstar status.this was established in May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Always A Commander Never A Captain Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 And last night, George passed Carmelo in superstar status. Still too early. George has some good players around him, who does Carmelo have? A wild JR Smith, a washed up Amare, Bargnani, Raymond Felton, Iman-about-to-be-traded-Shumpert. Melo is carrying that team right now, he's the only reason they're still competitive in games. George is a great player, but Carmelo still does things that George can not. For example, Melo is now scrapping inside far more than he used to, because he has to do that. He's averaging 9.5 rebounds a game, because nobody else on his team can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonArtest15 Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 I wonder how many of those 9.5 rebounds are off of his own misses? I'd take Paul George 10x out of 10 over Melo. Where was all of this "Melo has no help" talk last year when they won 54 games? JR Smith has always been wild, Amare has been washed up for a while, and Felton is felton. There are PLENTY of problems w/ the Knicks and I think they overachieved last year. However, I think the biggest issue is filling the void left by Jason Kidd. IMO, he was the leader of that team...and now, they're clearly searching for an identity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM72 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I really don't see any difference between Miller and Allen. Both were primarily 3-pt specialist that were excellent free throw shooters. Plus Allen played on better teams. I don't think you guys remember, but Miller was one of the hardest guys to defend because he was constantly moving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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