J Augustin

[Ampsportsduo]

Yes, I've taken it upon myself to remove the first initial. I know based on his play the past couple games I'll come across as a wet blanket, but I don't want people fooled by production on the offensive end.

Against the Pistons Will Bynum repeatedly toasting J led to six 4th quarter assists that were instrumental in keying their comeback. Similarly, Ramon Sessions lit J up for 11 4th quarter points that was a big part in a combined 14-2 stretch for the Cavs.

Bynum has posted only one game with more assists than he had in just the 4th quarter and that was in 37 minutes of action v. NO. Sessions posted a season high in points and FTs against the Saint.

This is by no means a new trend, but with J's recent performance on the offensive end, I know a lot of people, including my secret admirer, will attempt to say that between his A/T ratio and scoring he's having a good year. I want to nip that in the bud.

Another big issue I have with J, is that Gerald has gone from All-Star to afterthought. It's clear that J loves Jack and looks for him every time on the offensive end, but he's effectively rendered Gerald useless. Now, Gerald has spent an inordinate amount of time hanging out in the corner like he's Rashard Lewis, but it's on the PG to get people involved and when the lineup consists of J, Matt, Livingston, McGuire and Gerald, one wouldn't think it would be unrealistic for your highest paid player and All-Star to get even one touch. Maybe I'm wrong, but it looks to me like these guys aren't on the same page and it doesn't seem like J has any interest in fixing it. Given a choice between the two, I know who I would pick.

[Chef]

i agree with your post, but it just isn't dj giving up leads in the 4th quarter. we are not a very good team and definitely a terribly inconsistent team. nothing new since the coaching change either. we are having more fun, playing to our strengths and scoring more but we still have all of the same problems.

it is easy to see that gerald has been lost all year without ray and him and jax have trouble being on the floor at the same time. it isn't a not getting along personally type of thing but more of a clashing of styles. jax is clearly the better offensive player but what he does to be effective makes wallace ineffective.

we should definitely hold on to dj but should use this stretch to boost the value of both jax and crash to trade for a rebuild.

[Proudiddy]

I don't care what he's giving up on D, he's getting it back on offense. And honestly, with his quickness, he 'll defense will improve with the more confidence he builds up that LB destroyed IMO. I'm not worried about it.

[Ampsportsduo]

I don't care what he's giving up on D, he's getting it back on offense. And honestly, with his quickness, he 'll defense will improve with the more confidence he builds up that LB destroyed IMO. I'm not worried about it.

Sure he's getting it back against the Pistons and the Cavs. Will he do the same against better teams? I have serious reservations. The last two games the team has clearly had the plan of attacking him on the defensive end in the 4th and have done so with tremendous success. That's absolutely cause for concern.

[Proudiddy]

Sure he's getting it back against the Pistons and the Cavs. Will he do the same against better teams? I have serious reservations. The last two games the team has clearly had the plan of attacking him on the defensive end in the 4th and have done so with tremendous success. That's absolutely cause for concern.

Well, we'll have to see... Was it primarily Bynum he played against vs. the Pistons? I didn't get to watch, but I was wondering if he matched up against Stuckey as well, who is a pretty good defender from what I've seen, but I know Stuckey has been injured so IDK. Either way, I see your point ASD, but I'm confident that DJ is gonna keep up the solid play. He looks like a different player now, just in body language and he's got that swagger back like he knows and is sure of what he's doing.

[polarcat]

After watching a defense-first, burn the shot clock down and conservative offensive team for the better part of 6 years, I'm okay with our pg if he's a scorer first. It's not traditional and ideal per se, but we have lacked a deadly shooter for some time. I agree with Chef on the Jax-Wallace relationship on the court. Wallace was looking bad before Silas got here and pre-injury as well. With the age and long-term potential of Crash and Jackson, I feel we need to keep amping up their stats, and ship them out before it's too late. By too late, I mean Jax regresses back to his bitterness, and technical circus and Wallace stays in a funk even longer. DJ has his deficiencies, and I agree with ya Amp that he may not be able to do this against the premier players, but I just hope DJ is in the plans long-term for this franchise.

[Mustachio]

I'm more on the side that says "so what, hes scoring" but cant really argue that his defense doesnt needs to improve. To be any kind of a threat, your PG is going to have to stop penetration and make it hard for the other team to run its offense. dJ isnt doing that. (Im being a little kinder and just going with the lower case d for now)

But lets just clear one thing up. dJ has nothing to do with Gerald Wallace's downslide.

Gerald Wallace is an athlete not a basketball player. Now that hes getting banged up and older... he cant rely on his athleticsm. A basketball player would be able to transition his game into a softer touch, shooters role. Gerald charges the rim, doesnt get near the height he used to and either commits a charge, misses a dunk, or wildly hits a layup that hits every part of the basket before falling in. His decline isnt anyones fault but father time, and we'd be wise to ship him out while we can still get something for it.

[BlockParty]

One thing I think MJ and Rod have done, in building a team of complimentary players lends itself to DJ's defensive liabilities. I think it's a fair statement that from our rotational players, GW and TT are our best two help defenders (sorry Kwame and Diop, you have a place, but never more than 15 mpg). GW missed the first post-LB game and TT missed the second, TT was hampered with a sprained wrist in his only game and GW was rusty in his return, so it's fair to concluded 3-4 of those 4th quarter possessions would have been positively effected if GW and TT had actually been on the court at the same time at full health.

The above scenario is what I see as Silas's biggest challenge, molding our top 5 players (DJ, Jack, GW, Boris and TT) to a cohesive unit, playing to each players strengths, and collectively covering as a team for each others deficiencies. If we do that, we are capable of getting out to early leads against 75% of the NBA and will hold the lead better in the 4th quarter as the unity continues to build.

[Mustachio]

The above scenario is what I see as Silas's biggest challenge, molding our top 5 players (DJ, Jack, GW, Boris and TT) to a cohesive unit, playing to each players strengths, and collectively covering as a team for each others deficiencies. If we do that, we are capable of getting out to early leads against 75% of the NBA and will hold the lead better in the 4th quarter as the unity continues to build.

See I dont think its so much a molding of the players as it is a molding of the system. To me thats why Larry is a bit overrated, and what leads to his eventual demise every where he goes. He basically comes in and runs a high school basketball camp on each team. Goes back to the basics of basketball, and shows you the right way to do things. This is the correct bounce pass, this is the correct ridiculous spin move as you cross the timeline, etc. etc. But his approach to the game is akin to round peg, square hole. He demands that his players fit an archaic system he knows works... but only when done exactly right. What Silas has done, or let me say what I see that he seems to have done, is find the right role for each guy. Instead of saying you are gonna do this because thats what I know how to run, hes saying you guys are built to do this, so thats what we will be doing. Diop, you are terrible in a half court offense, you cant post up, your passing skills out of the post are questionable... but what you do well is react. So go out there use your heighth and length and rebound - block shots. Dont worry about getting the exact position so that you can pass out of it so that our system runs correctly.... just let the guys that shoot, shoot and you react.

[spectre]

Yes, I've taken it upon myself to remove the first initial. I know based on his play the past couple games I'll come across as a wet blanket, but I don't want people fooled by production on the offensive end.

Against the Pistons Will Bynum repeatedly toasting J led to six 4th quarter assists that were instrumental in keying their comeback. Similarly, Ramon Sessions lit J up for 11 4th quarter points that was a big part in a combined 14-2 stretch for the Cavs.

Bynum has posted only one game with more assists than he had in just the 4th quarter and that was in 37 minutes of action v. NO. Sessions posted a season high in points and FTs against the Saint.

This is by no means a new trend, but with J's recent performance on the offensive end, I know a lot of people, including my secret admirer, will attempt to say that between his A/T ratio and scoring he's having a good year. I want to nip that in the bud.

Another big issue I have with J, is that Gerald has gone from All-Star to afterthought. It's clear that J loves Jack and looks for him every time on the offensive end, but he's effectively rendered Gerald useless. Now, Gerald has spent an inordinate amount of time hanging out in the corner like he's Rashard Lewis, but it's on the PG to get people involved and when the lineup consists of J, Matt, Livingston, McGuire and Gerald, one wouldn't think it would be unrealistic for your highest paid player and All-Star to get even one touch. Maybe I'm wrong, but it looks to me like these guys aren't on the same page and it doesn't seem like J has any interest in fixing it. Given a choice between the two, I know who I would pick.

...you mean you have another secret admirer besides me?

I think you're right on all counts, but 2 games vs. the worst teams in the league has some thinking he's "MVP" and an all star.

Funny how Crash has went from all star/1st defense all NBA to scrub in what...about 6 months? Yeah, he's done at 28. He's obviously fallen on his head one too many times and it's time to get out. Trade him for expirings. :cool:

Silas addressed his lackings as a PG in his post game. We all know it; Larry Brown is now "the devil" (que Waterboy flashbacks), but he still isn't running the team and guys who aren't creators are suffering for it.

Hopefully he can keep the scoring up...because if he can't he's a big liability otherwise.

[ballwhore]

How could people be fooled about his production it is what is 55 points 10 assist 1 turnover there is no disputing that in addition to two WINS in a row. Why you sit and say it's against bad teams man we got our ass kicked by 30 against a bad team...I watch at least two games every night of the week on league pass and i see all the elites get ran by constantly but guess what they all have somebody protecting that rim. But all in all I hope he gets traded and you all get your defensive stopper and proven winners Baron Davis, Andre Miller, Devin harris, Sebastian Telfair or whom ever else. Maybe if we are winnning with Wallace not being involved as you say that means he is expendable and can trade him for the big we need. Thought about that especially when he is standing in the corner and get thrown a pass and runs over the defender to rack or jacks up that crooked jumpshot. Ithought sh#t was a measured by wins. Two wins iin a row and you start this post where was this when we got blown by at least 20 three games in a row.

[ammofan]

How could people be fooled about his production it is what is 55 points 10 assist 1 turnover there is no disputing that in addition to two WINS in a row. Why you sit and say it's against bad teams man we got our ass kicked by 30 against a bad team...I watch at least two games every night of the week on league pass and i see all the elites get ran by constantly but guess what they all have somebody protecting that rim. But all in all I hope he gets traded and you all get your defensive stopper and proven winners Baron Davis, Andre Miller, Devin harris, Sebastian Telfair or whom ever else. Maybe if we are winnning with Wallace not being involved as you say that means he is expendable and can trade him for the big we need. Thought about that especially when he is standing in the corner and get thrown a pass and runs over the defender to rack or jacks up that crooked jumpshot.

Agreed. I think DJ is doing GREAT. I wated another PG in LB's offense because everyone can agree that DJ wasn't doing well in that. But in the Silas offense he is fantastic. Gerald Wallace is a shell of his old self. WTF was he doing last night? If DEN wants Wallace for Melo, do the trade now.

[Chef]

this is the correct ridiculous spin move as you cross the timeline, etc. etc.

love it! was wondering if everyone else picked up this too. it looks like when you are playing 2k and you accidentally hit the spin dribble and your man randomly spins for no reason.

[ballwhore]

lmao..True... I asked him about that spin and the beard he says spin is something LB had him and Felton doing now it's just stuck finds himself doing for no reason....The beard just to aggitate his girl. Everyone was on him about that beard for christmas we didn't know it was pointed like that

[Chef]

lmao..True... I asked him about that spin and the beard he says spin is something LB had him and Felton doing now it's just stuck finds himself doing for no reason....The beard just to aggitate his girl. Everyone was on him about that beard for christmas we didn't know it was pointed like that

tell him to keep growing it out.

[Felton for Prez]

How could people be fooled about his production it is what is 55 points 10 assist 1 turnover there is no disputing that in addition to two WINS in a row. Why you sit and say it's against bad teams man we got our ass kicked by 30 against a bad team...I watch at least two games every night of the week on league pass and i see all the elites get ran by constantly but guess what they all have somebody protecting that rim. But all in all I hope he gets traded and you all get your defensive stopper and proven winners Baron Davis, Andre Miller, Devin harris, Sebastian Telfair or whom ever else. Maybe if we are winnning with Wallace not being involved as you say that means he is expendable and can trade him for the big we need. Thought about that especially when he is standing in the corner and get thrown a pass and runs over the defender to rack or jacks up that crooked jumpshot. Ithought sh#t was a measured by wins. Two wins iin a row and you start this post where was this when we got blown by at least 20 three games in a row.

I agree as well. its not as if he was playing great D when LB was here so this isn't new news. You can always nitpick a players performance and that is obviously people's right. I think with DJ over the last two games, we should be very happy that he's out of his "funk" and is playing with confidence and joy. That's a huge step for a guy that was clearly lost with LB. Let's stop the nitpicking and just be happy for once.

If you are a not a DJ fan (which I am not sure I am) and want someone else, at least be happy that he's helping his trade value. Wish we could say the same for Crash.

[dnbman]

I think with DJ over the last two games, we should be very happy that he's out of his "funk" and is playing with confidence and joy. That's a huge step for a guy that was clearly lost with LB. Let's stop the nitpicking and just be happy for once.

If you are a not a DJ fan (which I am not sure I am) and want someone else, at least be happy that he's helping his trade value. Wish we could say the same for Crash.

All true. Regardless of his strengths and limitations, he has to have confidence to be effective, and these last two games seem to have improved his confidence. The next step I'd like to see is for him to start getting other players more active, which is a bit difficult when guys like Wallace and Tyrus aren't 100%.

[Robertpel9]

I'm more on the side that says "so what, hes scoring" but cant really argue that his defense doesnt needs to improve. To be any kind of a threat, your PG is going to have to stop penetration and make it hard for the other team to run its offense. dJ isnt doing that. (Im being a little kinder and just going with the lower case d for now)

But lets just clear one thing up. dJ has nothing to do with Gerald Wallace's downslide.

Gerald Wallace is an athlete not a basketball player. Now that hes getting banged up and older... he cant rely on his athleticsm. A basketball player would be able to transition his game into a softer touch, shooters role. Gerald charges the rim, doesnt get near the height he used to and either commits a charge, misses a dunk, or wildly hits a layup that hits every part of the basket before falling in. His decline isnt anyones fault but father time, and we'd be wise to ship him out while we can still get something for it.

I could not agree more

[Boomer]

Good thread, it was frustrating to see DJ getting burned time and again on defense. He lacks the quickness to stop the quick guys like Bynum and obviously lacks the size to D up the bigger points like Deron Williams. While he does makeup for it on the offensive side of the ball, we can't expect DJ to drop 25+ a night. Even if he does, I still think we should sell high and try to get a potential star like Steph Curry (I can dream) although he has some of the same defensive problems although hes 4 inches taller than DJ and has a higher b-ball IQ imo.

[ballwhore]

I agree sell high

[Boomer]

How could people be fooled about his production it is what is 55 points 10 assist 1 turnover there is no disputing that in addition to two WINS in a row. Why you sit and say it's against bad teams man we got our ass kicked by 30 against a bad team...I watch at least two games every night of the week on league pass and i see all the elites get ran by constantly but guess what they all have somebody protecting that rim. But all in all I hope he gets traded and you all get your defensive stopper and proven winners Baron Davis, Andre Miller, Devin harris, Sebastian Telfair or whom ever else. Maybe if we are winnning with Wallace not being involved as you say that means he is expendable and can trade him for the big we need. Thought about that especially when he is standing in the corner and get thrown a pass and runs over the defender to rack or jacks up that crooked jumpshot. Ithought sh#t was a measured by wins. Two wins iin a row and you start this post where was this when we got blown by at least 20 three games in a row.

Your right everything is measured by wins but let's keep in mind that these two wins were over the Pistons and the Cavs. I'm interested to see how he does against some above average/elite PGs.

[Boomer]

I agree sell high

I like DJ, don't get me wrong but I would move him for Curry in a heartbeat. I think it would be a win for DJ too, he'd get to play beside MOnta Ellis which means he could just do what he does best, draining the spot up three with his pretty stroke

[ballwhore]

like Paul and Rondo who we have already played? I remember those games...

[Plowright]

Another big issue I have with J, is that Gerald has gone from All-Star to afterthought. It's clear that J loves Jack and looks for him every time on the offensive end, but he's effectively rendered Gerald useless. Now, Gerald has spent an inordinate amount of time hanging out in the corner like he's Rashard Lewis, but it's on the PG to get people involved and when the lineup consists of J, Matt, Livingston, McGuire and Gerald, one wouldn't think it would be unrealistic for your highest paid player and All-Star to get even one touch. Maybe I'm wrong, but it looks to me like these guys aren't on the same page and it doesn't seem like J has any interest in fixing it. Given a choice between the two, I know who I would pick.

You are wrong, GW was not in the Detroit game so DJ couldnt look for him. When Jax has the hot hand and GW has just returned to injury why not go to Jack every time!?!?! He only went and dropped 35 points

[ballwhore]

Excellent point he did drop almost 40 in a WIN.. it's also DJ fault Gerald didn't play in Detroit

http://www.bobcatsbreak.com/?p=3397

[SWedd523]

As long as it's understood that the lack of hand checking has ruined perimeter defense then I can agree. DJ can't guard the quick ones any more or less than the rest of the PGs so saying his man D is his weakness is a bit off. However, the thing I certainly see as a weakness (and something I've ALWAYS harped on) for him is his inability to read screens. He repeatedly went over the screen on guys like TJ and Sessions when he's supposed to go under. And he repeatedly went under on guys like Boobie and Jennings when he's supposed to go over.


If he can just play guys the right way and let them guard themselves. (ie. sag off of Rondo, Rose, Collison, stick to Jennings, Paul, Deron) then his defensive reputation will go up. Maybe he just needs to watch more film?

[ballwhore]

This is so true and a problem but it also depends on how well they use the screen. If the guard is running less than a foot on the big setting the screen where is the room to go over? Defense on the screens weakness though.

[Chef]

This is so true and a problem but it also depends on how well they use the screen. If the guard is running less than a foot on the big setting the screen where is the room to go over? Defense on the screens weakness though.

any word on the baron deal. hopefully, dj being included for nothing is not on the table anymore.

[adam187]

Everyone's defense could use a little stepping up. It's a team game. The best teams play team defense.

At least DJ is putting the ball in the hole. The same could not be said for everyone.

Also give Wallace a few more games under Silas before we all jump to conclusions. I saw quite a few good hustle/break plays on his part which were vintage Crash (minus emphatic dunk).

And (getting slightly off topic) haven't we all agreed Gerald would be best as a 3rd option? What's wrong with letting DJ and Jax carry the scoring load, especially when they've been doing a good job. Shouldn't this help Wallace?

I'm more concerned about 7 bench guys playing a combined 59 minutes and putting up 11 total points.

[BlockParty]

This is so true and a problem but it also depends on how well they use the screen. If the guard is running less than a foot on the big setting the screen where is the room to go over? Defense on the screens weakness though.

It doesn't matter how they use the screen, you (as the guard) go over the pick (follow the defender) when the guard that is using the pick (Jennings, Paul, Gibson, Williams, etc) is a 3 point threat. When the person you are guarding isn't a 3-point threat you go under the pick (Rondo, Rose, Collison, Felton, etc). This is true unless you have a big like TTime as your partner defending the pick, because then you can switch everything.

[DY_nasty]

DJ cheats a lot too. I don't mind it all that much, but he's got to pick his spots a lot better. Bynum was getting by him, but it looked to me more like Detroit was just hitting contested shots from the perimeter every time down the court... they just couldn't miss. Bynum was funneled decently, there was a block party going that night.

Still, he's got to get more consistent and aware of things on the defensive end. If you're gonna gamble, be smart about it.

[ballwhore]

Clippers dead; Jordan wanted Kaman included. He said Thad (His Agent) said that a trade to Portland could happen out of the blue at anytime. This was as of Christmas eve he said that day, tomorrow or next week but with Camby saying he will retire if not traded to a contender or Houston who knows how that will go. Silas went up and introduced himself to the in laws and told them that LB did their son a major injustice not only as a player but as a growing young man. Thought that was interesting to me; he seems to be taking a liking to DJ but we'll see.

[CatNation]

stupid thread. Stopping a PG is a teams job in the NBA, guys go off 3-4 screens every play and they are all too quick to stop each other. why rip him these two games, but not praise him this year for say...

tony parker 6/15 12 pts
john wall 6/16 12 pts
deron williams 5/15 17 pts
russell westbrook 5/13 15 pts
chris paul 4/7 9 points
rajon rondo 3/5 7 points

just a quick glance at the gamelog against top PGs. all bunch of below average games. And we all remember how hard Felton got raped by Jameer all playoffs. man defense at the PG position literally means less than nothing.

[ballwhore]

Cat...I was waiting for some one to respond when I said I remember the games against Paul and Rondo. Paul is a top notch defender and DJ ran by him several times. This is one of the dumbest threads EVER! Really beacause it's coming off of two wins. I could see this after we got our ass kicked by two of the worst teams in the league by 30 (Wizards and Grizzles) anyone? But now uhhh not so much. I wonder how many games some people actually watch or go to just of of the strength of saying Crash not being involved because of DJ and he wasn't even dressed..LMFAO, SMH, KMITA

[Chef]

Clippers dead; Jordan wanted Kaman included. He said Thad (His Agent) said that a trade to Portland could happen out of the blue at anytime. This was as of Christmas eve he said that day, tomorrow or next week but with Camby saying he will retire if not traded to a contender or Houston who knows how that will go. Silas went up and introduced himself to the in laws and told them that LB did their son a major injustice not only as a player but as a growing young man. Thought that was interesting to me; he seems to be taking a liking to DJ but we'll see.

at least jordan was holding out for a deal worth taking on davis. it seems that both deals were to get us vets to get back to the playoffs. i am glad neither happened. now, if the portland deals sends out crash and gets us back matthews, i am on board.

[Ampsportsduo]

@Ballwhore - If I would have written this post after bad games it just would have been beating a dead horse. These last two games have been against subpar competition and reading the box score only tell half the story, hence the post. Correct me if I'm wrong, but dJ played in those blowouts earlier this year? How does that help the pro-DJ case? Never once have I mentioned any of the PGs you did, but thanks for putting words in my mouth in an attempt to distort my point. I am not completely in disagreement about Gerald, but why was Raymond able to keep him involved, but now with DJ at the helm he's largely been persona non grata? Please correct me if I've somehow incorrectly convinced myself that the PG is the QB on the court, especially when the freedom afforded has been DJ being allowed to call his own plays. You mention playing Rondo, do you remember DJ's line? 0 points, 1 assist, 4 TOs, 32 minutes.

@plowman - I appreciate your passion, but if you read my post, I clearly state that even when Jack wasn't on the floor Gerald couldn't get a touch. That's an issue.

[Ampsportsduo]

stupid thread. Stopping a PG is a teams job in the NBA, guys go off 3-4 screens every play and they are all too quick to stop each other. why rip him these two games, but not praise him this year for say...

tony parker 6/15 12 pts
john wall 6/16 12 pts
deron williams 5/15 17 pts
russell westbrook 5/13 15 pts
chris paul 4/7 9 points
rajon rondo 3/5 7 points

just a quick glance at the gamelog against top PGs. all bunch of below average games. And we all remember how hard Felton got raped by Jameer all playoffs. man defense at the PG position literally means less than nothing.

So it's a team's job, but when other PGs don't shoot well, we should praise him (as opposed to the team)? Flawed logic there. I appreciate the tremendous game log research, but in the last two games the teams have put the ball in their PGs hands, often without screens and DJ has been unable to stay in front and that's nothing new.

[Ampsportsduo]

Cat...I was waiting for some one to respond when I said I remember the games against Paul and Rondo. Paul is a top notch defender and DJ ran by him several times. This is one of the dumbest threads EVER! Really beacause it's coming off of two wins. I could see this after we got our ass kicked by two of the worst teams in the league by 30 (Wizards and Grizzles) anyone? But now uhhh not so much. I wonder how many games some people actually watch or go to just of of the strength of saying Crash not being involved because of DJ and he wasn't even dressed..LMFAO, SMH, KMITA

Has DJ's defense been an issue during his time here? That's the point of this thread, not whether or not he can get by CP3. The Gerald issue isn't solely on him, but I do believe he has a role in it and it's not a new issue. As for challenging me on how many games I go to, feel free to approach me at any home game. I'm there in person, behind the visitor's basket. I'd love to hear your spin job when the evidence is in front of you.

[DY_nasty]

DJ isn't making Crash miss layups...

[CatNation]

So it's a team's job, but when other PGs don't shoot well, we should praise him (as opposed to the team)? Flawed logic there. I appreciate the tremendous game log research, but in the last two games the teams have put the ball in their PGs hands, often without screens and DJ has been unable to stay in front and that's nothing new.

thats exactly what my point was. I said if you're going to rip him because his man put up points, you better be ready to praise him when they don't. I didn't praise DJ for those games, I was just listing them to show that it means nothing. DJ may have trouble staying in front of guys, but so does EVERY PG. Its a lot less of a problem then Jackson driving, falling, and then pouting on the court while DJ gets the job of guarding the PG and SG streaking down the court 2v1 5 times a game.

[ballwhore]

DJ calls his own plays? Really what percentage of the time since you know so much? Guess he lied to me. Crash averaged 12 shots over 82 games last season he shot the ball 11 times last night and we won. Not including his charges when he would have attempted a shot. Where is the drop off. Jack scored 38 damn points in a win dude. A win..A win ..We talking about a win

[ballwhore]

By the way this was about Dj's play in the last two games and you mentioned him not involving Gerald when he only played in one of two of DJ's outstanding games. Were you sitting behind the visitors basket at that game? If so maybe you should peak around the pole and see who is active. The game Jack is going off in a win you want the ball spread around to Crash shooting on a 4-11 clip. I'm talking about the last two games am I missing something? Your post is about the last two right? You discounted the last two right. The wins?

[WAM9]

I'm getting to the party a little late here but I almost completely agree with Ballwhore, especially when it comes to the DJ arguements.

About Crash, remember, he was injured when LB was still the coach. He didn't practice until Tuesday and then played on Wednesday for the 1st time under Silas. I bet they had a shoot around but not a practice on Wednesday which means he has exactly 1 practice under his belt before the game last night. Anyone who has played knows that it takes a couple of days or games to get back after an injury. You don't just jump back in like nothing ever happened.

Perspective is a funny thing. Some of you guys watched last night and thought Wallace played poorly...I actually think he looked great considering the circumstances.

Last thing...when a guy is on fire like Jack was last night, you get him the ball. Nothing makes me more upset than having a guy who is lighting it up and then forcing the ball to someone else just because. We may still have a lot of issues with the team but since Silas showed up, neither DJ, Jack or Wallace have been the problem.

[Ampsportsduo]

I said if you're going to rip him because his man put up points, you better be ready to praise him when they don't.

It's not just about scoring as evidenced by my inclusion of Bynum's assists in the OP. So I went back to the games you listed and decided to add assists as well. I took the liberty of bolding the performances that were at or above the PGs average in assists this season.



tony parker 6/15 12 pts 8 assists
john wall 6/16 12 pts 11 assists
deron williams 5/15 17 pts 9 assists
russell westbrook 5/13 15 pts 4 assists
chris paul 4/7 9 points 14 assists
rajon rondo 3/5 7 points 8 assists


So the only two PGs who haven't gotten their average in the list were in two blowouts. Again, this isn't to say his lackluster defense is the only issue, just that it remains an issue even if he's scoring.

[ballwhore]

Your right all those assist were on DJ...Your right all assists stop when Liv enters the game.

[CatNation]

lol what the fuck? so now its DJs fault when guys get assists?

it musta been his fault when the guy at the concessions gave me soggy nachos too. what a dick.

[ballwhore]

It's also his fault Wayno missed those free throws. DJ didn't get him involved so his rhythm was off.

[Ampsportsduo]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. So you can quote points, but I post assists and I'm the one that's wrong? You can point to Gerald's line and credit DJ for keeping his shots the same as if he didn't get offensive rebounds or Shaun didn't pass him the ball. You guys disagree, that's fine, but let's not act like the info you guys present is any more accurate than mine.

As for the opponents assists, if your point guard can't stop penetration some guards will score, others will drive to get D to react and then kick out or pass underneath. It's not like I'm inventing this concept.

BTW Ballwhore, still waiting for your response to whether or not DJ's defense has been an issue during his time here.

[ballwhore]

Uh..In this post alone I admited as much and in others. Just like Nash? Arroyo? Fisher now and others. But they have something we don't.

[teej]

Colin, I love your stuff, but you're a little bit off base here. Defense is a total team effort, especially with the guards. In the NBA today, almost every team has one or two guards who can score the ball extremely well, this team included. Defending them is only partially on the guards, the rest being on the post players. You need shot blockers or at least good defenders in the post. Let's take a look at something:

DJ has played 1,031 minutes this year. I think we can all agree the decent post defenders on this team are Tyrus, Kwame, and Gana. Boris I would add in when he's playing the 5, but only on the athletic type. Finesse players get right by Boris, for whatever reason. If you combine all 3 solid post defenders minutes, you get 1008. 533 for Tyrus, 299 for Kwame and 176 for Gana. None of them are 1st team defense-level guys, but they are solid. But even if they all played at the same time as DJ (which, from watching the team they clearly didn't as Kwame or Gana and Tyrus quite often played together on the second team, and only Tyrus played decent minutes with the first team), they still wouldn't average ONE decent post defender while DJ is on the court. How is he supposed to defend both outside jumpers and layups when he has little to no help behind him?

Look, he's not a good defender by any stretch of the imagination, and probably never will be because of his size. But if he had an Emeka Okafor or a Tyson Chandler back there most of the time, his man would score a LOT less. I'm not in any way saying those two should still be on the roster because I totally accept and understand (and even agree with) why they were traded. But if you swapped DJ and Derek Fisher, with Bynum and Gasol protecting him then DJ would be an All-Star. He's stepped it up offensively and is working well in this new system, which I anticipate will continue with Stephen Silas working with him. In LB's system, Ray was the better player. In Paul's, it's DJ by far.

[ballwhore]

Ding...Ding..Ding..TEE J you got it that's what they have a big swating shit. You tell me Raymond not loving amre back there swating and disrupting

[Scottley Crue]

I'm late to this party too and having a hard time understanding why the party is going on. Amp, you certainly know the game well, but we all know DJ has deficiencies on the defensive end. Never really been a secret, so I don't understand why it needs to be pointed out now of all times. I don't know if I've seen the team with such a horrid attitude and body language than the last few weeks of LB...now all of that has pulled a complete 180 and DJ has certainly flourished because of it. You're absolutely welcome to your opinions and this certainly is the place to share them, but I would just say you shouldn't be surprised about the reaction or the veracity of it either.

[Ampsportsduo]

I'm not expecting DJ to be a lockdown defender, because as people have said you can't do that in the league today, but he needs to do a much better job of forcing guys into tougher positions. Too often they are getting by him strong side unfettered. Watching Will Bynum go from stand still to turning the corner in two steps is unacceptable.

[CatNation]

guys come to help on drives regardless of whether someone "stops penetration." in the NBA the guys are so fast you don't have time to see whether or not the guy is beat, you just go. and someone else comes to cover your guy etc and such is a basketball play. man to man defense means absolutely nothing. thats why you can take Diaw and Jackson off the Suns and Warriors where their defensive efficiency was low and put them on the Bobcats and you get the #1 ranked defense. system system system.

brandon jennings can't guard anything man to man either and milwaukee is one of the best defensive teams in the league

[Marvel]

This isn't surprising coming from amp, known to be a "J" hater. Every POINT GUARD in the league has trouble staying in front of other pgs. Westbrook, Parker, Conley, Lowry, Rose, Paul, Rondo not included because defenses sag off him - he has no J, Brooks, Jennings, all pretty much are able to blow by their defender 1 on 1.

The most effective way to guard these pgs is to plug gaps, lanes to stop penetration - see Boston Celtics. It creates a triangle defense if you will, where the opposite wing defender sags off his man at an angle/line that makes a triangle. The man defending the pg (DJ) half funnels him towards the help wing defender.

Regarding p&r defense, i'll admit DJ needs some work, ok a lot of work, but what you can't dismiss is that he gives effort. It's not his fault he's the only one back on D on a break trying to stop a 3 on 1. This, too is team defense also reliable on the big showing/hedging right. With the right teaching DJ's p&r D will improve. Don't know if we have the coaches here to pull that off though.

As for your point on DJ giving up leads in the 4th....what game were you watching. The lead had already diminished by the time DJ came back. He gets us the lead, sits down, the bench fails to keep a double digit lead, has to come back early in the 4th hits some big shots along with our only other scorer - Jax and the only observation you can make, is that DJ was getting burned?????????????

FYI, D-Wills defensive rating -8.77. DJ's: -4.84. Not saying "J" is the better defender here but when the spotlight is drawn on "J" apparently all we get is "J" "He's the teams worst defender????????? "He's the problem"???????? "He's missing layups"???????? "He's drawing techs like a mu'fucka"???????? i can't help but think at least he's giving EFFORT and that some of us here still have a sour taste in their mouth when Felton left.

[dnbman]

I think Amp's main point is that after two good scoring games in a wild west offense, we shouldn't automatically proclaim DJ to be a future all-star after a year and a half of underwhelming performances. Plenty of guards have short bursts of scoring. We alll know DJ can shoot. I'm very excited about both his confidence and his scoring. However, it's too soon to just proclaim that now that Brown is gone, DJ is the future of the organization.

We should celebrate the effort but not be too insane about proclamations about DJ's value. Having said that, I hope he continues to be a great shooter and gets better at running an offense that keeps everyone involved. Keeping players active on the offensive end is important to maintain defensive intensity.

[Ampsportsduo]

Thanks dnbman. Your summation was less pointed than mine, but conveys my concerns well.

As for Marvel, label me a hater if you like, but inventing facts about DJ in the 4th doesn't change reality (http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20101229&game=CLECHA).

[Marvel]

^Oh Lordy.....a popcorn graph. Too bad it doesn't show other key areas that helped us when "J" came back in like floor spacing, ball security, tempo. He hit a big 3 to help bridge the gap, hit a key ft off a tech, as soon as he came back our offense was clicking again. He wasn't forcing shots or throwing up bad ones, played the entire 3rd quarter, had to be brought back early in the 4th because our backup point has balky knees.

Seriously though, you expect DJ to rack up 10 assists a night with a team outside of himself and Jax who can't shoot, Frankencenter, and Tyrus out with injury???????? I know you want Chris Paul here(keep smokin that crackpipe)....we all do, but to put the blame entirely on DJ is absurd.

[Pepperz]

Defense is not 1 MAN job. DJ has been giving an effort and I can see him improving his game on the defensive side as he plays more. Look at Wallace when he came into this league. Very 1 dimensional and now look at him. He has diversify his game so much since the Bobcats drafted him. DJ will turn out to be a GREAT player in due time. :)

[JamieMcNeill]

Defense is not 1 MAN job. DJ has been giving an effort and I can see him improving his game on the defensive side as he plays more.

This. Defense is not only about locking down YOUR man. Only truly special defenders are expected to do that.

[ballwhore]

Justing bumping this dumb thread up..What up Zig? What up Cat? Tee J? DY?

[teej]

Justing bumping this dumb thread up..What up Zig? What up Cat? Tee J? DY?

Nothin much, waiting for someone to post a logical explanation as to why this thread is necessary. We all (even DJ) know he can't play great man-to-man or P&R defense, I didn't know that was a sudden discussion point. And no one was proclaiming him to be Jesus (well, outside Kat) for this team, we're just happy he's finally showing his potential on offense.

[ballwhore]

Amp this is a foul by DJ http://www.nba.com/bobcats/

[Ampsportsduo]

^Oh Lordy.....a popcorn graph.

'Oh lordy, facts.' may have been a more appropriate response, because it proves the disinformation you attempted to use is inaccurate.


As for your point on DJ giving up leads in the 4th....what game were you watching. The lead had already diminished by the time DJ came back.
He gets us the lead, sits down, the bench fails to keep a double digit leadLast game DJ left with a 16 point lead and returned in the 4th with a 15 point lead. Against the Pistons, he left with a 16 point lead and returned with an 11 point lead, but I'm the one that doesn't know what I'm talking about. Again, just typing things that pop in your head doesn't make them accurate.


Seriously though, you expect DJ to rack up 10 assists a night with a team outside of himself and Jax who can't shoot, Frankencenter, and Tyrus out with injury???????? I know you want Chris Paul here(keep smokin that crackpipe)....we all do, but to put the blame entirely on DJ is absurd.

Show me where I say I expect DJ to rack up 10 assists. Again, you're just making stuff up instead of offering anything. As for me smoking the crackpipe (maybe you should've asked for a new insult book for Christmas?), the team thought they had a chance to acquire him and I was hopeful. I guess that makes me... oh, a fan. That's the term. Fact is, Mark Cuban knew the NBA would bail out Shinn and our team didn't. Otherwise, the plan would've come together...

We agree about his defense, which is the primary thrust of this thread, so I don't understand the hate. I knew I would come across as being overly negative, but I wanted to remind people that there's 2 ends on the basketball court and as good as DJ has been on offense, his severe limitations on the defensive end have played a major role in the team losing fourth quarter leads.


Justing bumping this dumb thread up...

Thanks for the support.


waiting for someone to post a logical explanation as to why this thread is necessary. We all (even DJ) know he can't play great man-to-man or P&R defense, I didn't know that was a sudden discussion point. And no one was proclaiming him to be Jesus (well, outside Kat) for this team, we're just happy he's finally showing his potential on offense.

From the OP:


with J's recent performance on the offensive end, I know a lot of people, including my secret admirer, will attempt to say that between his A/T ratio and scoring he's having a good year. I want to nip that in the bud.And if everyone knew that his defense has been an issue, why the visceral response to stating it?

[ballwhore]

Because we just won two games. Duh!

[DY_nasty]

The hell is this? Even Chris Paul doesn't play great man defense. DJ gambles too much and seems to have gotten lax expecting his shot blockers to save his ass too much but at the same time - he's had the issue for years. Don't see the need for making a "DON'T BE HAPPY EVERYONE - THERE'S STILL REASONS TO HATE!" thread.

I thought LB had ruined DJ after his rookie season. I'm just glad to see the kid smiling again. Apparently LB didn't even let the dude chew gum during games lol.

[Ampsportsduo]

For all the 'why now' posts...


The Charlotte Bobcats (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/cha/) had been eager to trade point guard D.J. Augustin (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4471/)(notes) (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4471/news) – and had considered separate deals with the Los Angeles Clippers (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/lac/) and Blazers – but league sources say owner Michael Jordan has backed away from moving Augustin in the short term because new coach Paul Silas likes him and has been willing to let him play faster and looser than Larry Brown did.

That's why it's timely. From the Woj
(http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-anthonynuggets123010)

[Scottley Crue]

For all the 'why now' posts...



That's why it's timely. From the Woj
(http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-anthonynuggets123010)

I may be totally missing something, which I am highly capable of, but how does that make this thread timely? I have no doubt all the players are on the block if it makes the team better, but anything is most likely on hold now to see what Silas can do with them. All this comes across as a wet blanket, as you stated, but I really don't understand the need to press on with it. DJ's not a great defender. We get it. We know it. Why don't we all just agree with that and move on? I believe that's the road I'll take on this one now.

[Chef]

for the record i think this is a very stupid thread. dj isn't a top defender but i will take 20+ pts and 5-8 assists and 0-1 turnovers from point all day even if he his weak on the defensive end. but, regarding the "how many assists does the opposing pg get on dj" argument:
1. there is no way to quantify if that was dj's fault or not. even if he was guarding the other point, it could be a rotation error or lack of rotation, a perfect defensive play where the ball is funneled to someone like diop who makes a 15 footer out of sheer luck, etc
2. (my main point) our jump shooting/3 point defense is atrocious. the top offender is crash but jax and diaw are particularly bad too. the most recent example is crash and jax but mostly crash guarding anthony parker. anthony parker does exactly 1 thing when he is on the court. he spots up and buries 3 pointers. crash got caught helping off of him 3 times in the final minutes of fourth quarter alone. 2 were makes and 1 was a miss. crash does this all the time too. he can't help but sag off for a swipe at the passing point guard or trying to jump the passing lane. you can not do this when you are guarding a spot shooter. i bet he does it more than a few times with wright today and gets burned. jax and diaw do the same thing too. mark your shooters and stay on top of them. if i can figure this out you know the what the scouting report says. pg drive at wallace, start to turn the corner and when he takes a step towards you pass it out for an open three. so when a pg like paul records 10 assists but 5 of them were open jumpers because our guys can't recognize a shooter, it isn't dj's fault anymore than it is the rest of the team.

[BobCatsFanInTx]

I am not going to add much but...

What I will say is that our team is a work in progress under a new coaching staff and we are not ready to beat top caliber teams no matter what DJ does for us or if we had a perennial All Star pg. The fact remains however that we just won two in a row and DJ looked more confident and comfortable under Silas than he ever did under the fossil. DJ is more aggressive in taking open shots and he is actually driving the basketball inside. Would it be nice if he was creating for others? Sure it would but this is just a two game sample under a new head coach and coaching staff. Plus you all have to realize that a PG is only partially responsible for a lack of assist. Since he is the equivalent of a QB in basketball he has to play within the flow of the game. If certain guys are not shooting well or if guys are not demonstrating that they can score the PG should not be setting them up.

Team defense on our team is not what it used to be and that is all that I have to say about my opinion on DJ's limitations. If the team comes together and makes defense a team priority they will be fine.

To sum all this up, for me is was nice to see DJ take more of an initiative and look to score instead of play passively and not look to score. DJ makes the jobs of his teammates better when he does look to score. There are other guys on the court that can get assist because DJ is an offensive threat. I will take what he gives us as opposed to wanting to dispose of him because of minor weaknesses. If DJ can play with the same vitality and confidence in the coming weeks he will only improve his play. He was stuck with the fossil and now he has a coach that does not hold him back. It was obvious DJ could not handle the fossils scrutiny and overly critical attitude so now he has a coach who will let him learn on the fly. DJ will struggle in some areas for a little while till he adjust. He will adjust and the great thing is while he is adjusting he will go out and play with heart and do the things he excels at. I am excited about the future under Silas because I see a real change in our team. The futures so bright I gotta wear shades, I gotta wear shades.

[Ghost Kat]

After reading through this thread i'm surprised it didn't end with some one getting lynched. DJ isn't a horrible defender. He can score and he doesn't turn the ball over. I think ya'll are asking way to much. This team needs a good center.

[teej]

After reading through this thread i'm surprised it didn't end with some one getting lynched. DJ isn't a horrible defender. He can score and he doesn't turn the ball over. I think ya'll are asking way to much. This team needs a good center.

Or, in other words, for the first time ever (I think) you agree with me on a basketball decision.

[Plowright]

A good centre should be our major focus right now, no question.

[Ghost Kat]

Or, in other words, for the first time ever (I think) you agree with me on a basketball decision.

It's a new year many magical things will happen

[dnbman]

Annnnnnddddd, PULL!

[Che-Chuh... BANG!]

Thread's dead. Let's go back to the lodge for sausage.

[coldhardtruth2330]

Obviously DJ isnt a great defender, but he will improve with experience. I'm just happy he is gaining confidence and playing better on the offensive end.

Man to man defense will always be a team concept. Hence, you have a guy on the ball, your players one pass away should deny the pass, and two passes away should provide help defense. Again you have to guard your man according to his offensive strengths and this is where DJ struggles. Too often he tries to play off of a good shooter, or go under a screen just to watch a guy knock down an open jumper. When your guarding a good shooter you have to play less than one arms length away and always fight through screens. DJ needs to trust his help and recognize who he has protecting the rim. Guys like Crash and Tyrus have the ability to block anyone that beats DJ off the dribble.

Overall am proud of DJ's progress and again defense is mostly effort, and communication with teammates. DJ has the effort and will continue to improve with Paul Silas at the helm.