hands11
February-20th-2004, 12:15 AM
I'll go back to what I've been saying all along. It takes Jordan to long to make adjustments and he in not great at managing the rotation and minutes. Play the players who are getting it done. If no one is getting it done, at least play the players with heart.
I didn’t even see anymore of our 20 pt comebacks where we loss anyway in these last 3 games. Hughes is out. Things have changed again. If Gilbert can’t be productive at the PG position, move him or sit him. Same with Jerry. You can’t waste all these minutes and shots on players just because they get paid the most.
Heart and Efforts Meter (current standings).
Dixon: 10 - he may not always be hot but he has been of late. Juan always brings effort. Sometimes he may be hard to put in the line up because of his size, but hey, " the answer" is a small guy also. Juan brings the energy and he is quick and a smart player. I was surprised he didn’t shot better last year but he seems to have picked it up now.
Blake: 10 – This kid has grown a lot this year. He greatly improved his shot over night. He know is playing with confidence and would play with more if he was getting the minutes he should be getting and they learned to rely on his shot more. He is the one PG with the smarts and feel for the game to actually direct the game instead of having Jordan call it from the sidelines. He knows who’s hot and where to get them the ball. Without Hughes in the line up, Gilbert isn’t a great PG, he tries to do to much himself because he’s really a 2 guard. Having Hughes and Jerry in the line up keeps Gilbert in a box. Without them, he hasn’t shown he know how to be a PG instead of a SG playing the PG position.
Haywood: 10. He has stepped it up to a new level. I used to think he could have been a bust. His feet just weren’t quick enough and he couldn’t catch enough inside passes and he wasn’t aggressive enough, enough of the time. I like all his follow up slams these days. He is developing a game around the hoop and from 10 ft and in.
Etan: 10 - He always brings the muscle and is showing more confidence in setting people up in the post and scoring. He is also starting to take a 10-15ft shot that goes in often enough that I like to see him take it. They should run some more offense through him.
Brown: 7 – He was giving us a 10 for a while there and I don’t totally blame him for the drop. It’s time they made him a focal point and they do it early. This gets him going. He has enough game now to compete and do well against most the people covering him. He either makes the basket or gets fouled and he is pretty decent at the line. He is also a pretty good passer and has pretty decent hands to catch the entry passes. They need to start going inside to set up the outside. Jordan need to ride this kids back a little more and give him a chance. Not just here and there but do it and stick to it. We can get the other teams big men off the court altogether, which is the best defense because they are always fouling Kwame. Left to his own to just wait for the Gilbert or Jerry to not shot doesn’t work. He gets bored and them starts standing around. I think he’s just frustrated. You know what it’s like playing on a team where you waiting someone who is cold chuck up shots. It’s disheartening. This is even worse if you a inside player and you depend on them getting you the ball so you can score.
Gilbert 5 - I have not idea what he game is about anymore. He shots a low % and takes tons of shots out of the flow even when he doesn’t have a hot hand. He is the poster child for what’s wrong with this team. When you’re not hot, do the other things. Dixon was on fire the last game and Gilbert come down to shot a quick 3. If he is going to play point, then get the ball to the hot hand first, shot or drive to keep people honest if they are over playing, and shot more if you are hot or the offense is dead and they need your offense. Gilbert doesn’t have a feel for this like Blake does. That why I said we have to many SG’s because Hughes, Dixon and Gibert are all 2’s, not ones. Because they paid him so much, it’s hard to sit him but he is taking way to many shot and not making enough. He is forcing plays dribbling and not making that many good passes. Why would you have him in over Blake except for the money issue? When he is running with Hughes and Jerry, they keep him in check because they are his equals. Without Hughes, it’s the Gilbert and Jerry show, and it’s not working. That’s why they are both playing so bad lately.
Jerry - 5: See Gilbert. Same problem. Trying to do too much out of the flow of the game. Feed it inside, take the return pass and them do something with it. Let others set you up for the 3s or good drives to the hoop.
Hayes – 5 He is all right. That’s about it. I don’t see the huge heart of a Etan, Blake or Dixon. He does a lot of different thing, none of them consistent or great. He’s not a leader but if he is hot and playing with the right people he can be very productive for that game.
Jefferies –5 As much as I have bashed this kid, he is starting to show a glimpse for having the type of game he needs to have to be on the court as a 3/4. He has started to take some outside shots in nice form with confidence and has made enough that it looks like a shot he should be taking. He has been good on the boards for a while. He still doesn’t have enough muscle for the pro game but it’s looks like he may be hitting the weights on the off days. I though I saw muscle on those bones. In his first year, before he got hurt, he was very aggressive. He seemed mature beyond his years. I haven’t scene that since them until last game. In the few minutes he got, he looked like he wasn’t afraid. He still gets burned to much on defense guarding people 15 ft out. I don’t see what I’ve read about him. He is supposed to be this great defender. He can run up and down well but his side to side reminds me of Haywood last year.
Laettner I cant rate the remaining people because they don’t get enough regular minutes. I have scene great toughness from Christian. He is a great shooter if someone could just get him to think shot more often then pass. He can rebound and he has even shown he can take a dribble to the rack. I don’t think they use him properly. He should see regular minutes to keep him in the flow. Jordan blows it but sitting him for 3-4 games a row with ZERO minutes. He should get at lets 10 minutes a game and more when he is getting it done.
Knight: He was hot them not. Again, play him as needed but not ahead of Blake.
Butler: He’s all right. He is a man without a position on a good Pro team Height: 6-5 / 1,96. They have him listed at guard. Don’t we have enough of those? Where is Bobby Simons. 6-6 235. He was a good 12th man. He isn’t even on the Clippers roster anymore. Why did we get ride of him again. He was young and showed some talent, he just never got any minutes.
Anyway, that’s it. Agree or disagree. I would be interested in hearing some other views. For me, I want to see the players play who have heart and I want to see Jordan be smarter about getting people involved at the right time so we get their A game. I was thinking about something the other day. Who else game to Washington to install his offense instead of figure out what offense worked best with his players? Can you say, Let go ahh yeah, we are going to pitch it and catch it? What made Joe Gibbs great was he changed his offense to the talent he had. That’s how you win.
I didn’t even see anymore of our 20 pt comebacks where we loss anyway in these last 3 games. Hughes is out. Things have changed again. If Gilbert can’t be productive at the PG position, move him or sit him. Same with Jerry. You can’t waste all these minutes and shots on players just because they get paid the most.
Heart and Efforts Meter (current standings).
Dixon: 10 - he may not always be hot but he has been of late. Juan always brings effort. Sometimes he may be hard to put in the line up because of his size, but hey, " the answer" is a small guy also. Juan brings the energy and he is quick and a smart player. I was surprised he didn’t shot better last year but he seems to have picked it up now.
Blake: 10 – This kid has grown a lot this year. He greatly improved his shot over night. He know is playing with confidence and would play with more if he was getting the minutes he should be getting and they learned to rely on his shot more. He is the one PG with the smarts and feel for the game to actually direct the game instead of having Jordan call it from the sidelines. He knows who’s hot and where to get them the ball. Without Hughes in the line up, Gilbert isn’t a great PG, he tries to do to much himself because he’s really a 2 guard. Having Hughes and Jerry in the line up keeps Gilbert in a box. Without them, he hasn’t shown he know how to be a PG instead of a SG playing the PG position.
Haywood: 10. He has stepped it up to a new level. I used to think he could have been a bust. His feet just weren’t quick enough and he couldn’t catch enough inside passes and he wasn’t aggressive enough, enough of the time. I like all his follow up slams these days. He is developing a game around the hoop and from 10 ft and in.
Etan: 10 - He always brings the muscle and is showing more confidence in setting people up in the post and scoring. He is also starting to take a 10-15ft shot that goes in often enough that I like to see him take it. They should run some more offense through him.
Brown: 7 – He was giving us a 10 for a while there and I don’t totally blame him for the drop. It’s time they made him a focal point and they do it early. This gets him going. He has enough game now to compete and do well against most the people covering him. He either makes the basket or gets fouled and he is pretty decent at the line. He is also a pretty good passer and has pretty decent hands to catch the entry passes. They need to start going inside to set up the outside. Jordan need to ride this kids back a little more and give him a chance. Not just here and there but do it and stick to it. We can get the other teams big men off the court altogether, which is the best defense because they are always fouling Kwame. Left to his own to just wait for the Gilbert or Jerry to not shot doesn’t work. He gets bored and them starts standing around. I think he’s just frustrated. You know what it’s like playing on a team where you waiting someone who is cold chuck up shots. It’s disheartening. This is even worse if you a inside player and you depend on them getting you the ball so you can score.
Gilbert 5 - I have not idea what he game is about anymore. He shots a low % and takes tons of shots out of the flow even when he doesn’t have a hot hand. He is the poster child for what’s wrong with this team. When you’re not hot, do the other things. Dixon was on fire the last game and Gilbert come down to shot a quick 3. If he is going to play point, then get the ball to the hot hand first, shot or drive to keep people honest if they are over playing, and shot more if you are hot or the offense is dead and they need your offense. Gilbert doesn’t have a feel for this like Blake does. That why I said we have to many SG’s because Hughes, Dixon and Gibert are all 2’s, not ones. Because they paid him so much, it’s hard to sit him but he is taking way to many shot and not making enough. He is forcing plays dribbling and not making that many good passes. Why would you have him in over Blake except for the money issue? When he is running with Hughes and Jerry, they keep him in check because they are his equals. Without Hughes, it’s the Gilbert and Jerry show, and it’s not working. That’s why they are both playing so bad lately.
Jerry - 5: See Gilbert. Same problem. Trying to do too much out of the flow of the game. Feed it inside, take the return pass and them do something with it. Let others set you up for the 3s or good drives to the hoop.
Hayes – 5 He is all right. That’s about it. I don’t see the huge heart of a Etan, Blake or Dixon. He does a lot of different thing, none of them consistent or great. He’s not a leader but if he is hot and playing with the right people he can be very productive for that game.
Jefferies –5 As much as I have bashed this kid, he is starting to show a glimpse for having the type of game he needs to have to be on the court as a 3/4. He has started to take some outside shots in nice form with confidence and has made enough that it looks like a shot he should be taking. He has been good on the boards for a while. He still doesn’t have enough muscle for the pro game but it’s looks like he may be hitting the weights on the off days. I though I saw muscle on those bones. In his first year, before he got hurt, he was very aggressive. He seemed mature beyond his years. I haven’t scene that since them until last game. In the few minutes he got, he looked like he wasn’t afraid. He still gets burned to much on defense guarding people 15 ft out. I don’t see what I’ve read about him. He is supposed to be this great defender. He can run up and down well but his side to side reminds me of Haywood last year.
Laettner I cant rate the remaining people because they don’t get enough regular minutes. I have scene great toughness from Christian. He is a great shooter if someone could just get him to think shot more often then pass. He can rebound and he has even shown he can take a dribble to the rack. I don’t think they use him properly. He should see regular minutes to keep him in the flow. Jordan blows it but sitting him for 3-4 games a row with ZERO minutes. He should get at lets 10 minutes a game and more when he is getting it done.
Knight: He was hot them not. Again, play him as needed but not ahead of Blake.
Butler: He’s all right. He is a man without a position on a good Pro team Height: 6-5 / 1,96. They have him listed at guard. Don’t we have enough of those? Where is Bobby Simons. 6-6 235. He was a good 12th man. He isn’t even on the Clippers roster anymore. Why did we get ride of him again. He was young and showed some talent, he just never got any minutes.
Anyway, that’s it. Agree or disagree. I would be interested in hearing some other views. For me, I want to see the players play who have heart and I want to see Jordan be smarter about getting people involved at the right time so we get their A game. I was thinking about something the other day. Who else game to Washington to install his offense instead of figure out what offense worked best with his players? Can you say, Let go ahh yeah, we are going to pitch it and catch it? What made Joe Gibbs great was he changed his offense to the talent he had. That’s how you win.