PG play

[teej]

^I think the salary dump this summer worked just fine, seeing as how Nazr has given us almost as much production out of the center spot alone, and once he and Gana come back, we'll be perfect there.

As far as point play, it has more to do with everyone forcing shots and making bad passes. When we were playing well in January, I felt confident when the ball was moving and when someone shot, I thought it was going in. Now, I'm just waiting for the ball to either get turned over or a bad shot to get thrown up. Part of it has to do with forcing Tyrus into the offense, but part is just Jack and Ray being horrible passers. And DJ being the antithesis of both a point and a guard. I can't remember the last time DJ hit a midrange jumper...

Also, we're standing around (outside of Gerald, Theo, and sometimes Boris) on the offensive sets and not letting the ball flow to who it should. Jack is getting too many touches in bad locations, as is Tyrus, and Gerald isn't getting enough touches at all. It's like he isn't even on the court. I know Ray is friends with Jack and DJ is friends with Tyrus, but pass GW the damn ball. He's the only All Star on this team of lunatics.

[SWedd523]

Maybe then swap Crash for Al Jefferson?

That sounds like a FANTASTIC idea

[BRNC]

That sounds like a FANTASTIC idea

It only works for me if Gana is dumped with him...

[GoBobs]

The problem is we have no one that can make shots. VS boston we had 8 points that didn't come in the paint or at the free throw line. Our recent troubles have nothing to do with the center position, Theo has played as well as we can expect Naz to play on an average night and much better then Diop or TT have this year.

[teej]

The problem is we have no one that can make shots. VS boston we had 8 points that didn't come in the paint or at the free throw line. Our recent troubles have nothing to do with the center position, Theo has played as well as we can expect Naz to play on an average night and much better then Diop or TT have this year.

Theo hasn't been as good as Nazr, but close. And TT has been a lot better, did you mean TC?

But you're absolutely right about the shots. Boris has been hit or miss, and Jack has been decent, but I don't trust anyone else to hit a J beyond the free throw line.

[110oldeast]

I think there are multiple issues at play. One Felton has become TOO passive. Contrary to the common board logic, the team is better when he plays more aggressive. Against the Clippers and teams of that ilk, he can be deferrential and only involved as a last resort, but it does not work that way with quality competition. It does not mean that he has to take over, but this team was rolling when he, Jack, and Wallace were consistently aggressive parts of the offense. When we played with teams like the Celtics, he was an aggressive participant and attacking.

Unfortunately, there is too much deferring in general and specifically to Jack (most of the time) and whomever is in isolation situations and not enough balance. Felton is too busy playing it safe as a pg and just trying to let things run themselves when that is not working. And unlike in the past, when he noticed things would not work, he would step up and make an aggressive play to get it back on track. Lately, however, he has just taken a laissez faire, let it work itself out approach that hasn't worked.

Jack as a passer, seems to only want to make the spectacular play that leads to an assist and is unwilling to make the pass that just keeps the offense moving along. If he would consistently kick out and repost, there would be more good shots in the offense as he draws a lot of double teams. Despite the fact that he can make bad shots, it does not help produce an efficient offense where everyone knows where there shots are coming from.

I also think that the guys are also trying to feel themselves and each other out. Guys are trying to learn how to adjust to a new rotation, new set of players, and skills. We miss Nazr and Flip although Tyrus and Theo are positive players. Boris is unsure of when to shoot and when to pass. He passes up good shots which often leave the team in the position of taking up a worse shot. Gerald at times gets lost in the shuffle as he is best out of the post, but at times either stops commanding the ball in this position and/or we fail to get it to him there. Other times, teams are able to key on him because they know his moves.

Finally, these All-Star deadline trades always have adjustment periods. The Diaw and Raja one did as well. I can only hope that these guys can mesh in time to make a run to the playoffs.

As to the future, a lot will be sorted out in the next couple of months.

[teej]

Finally, these All-Star deadline trades always have adjustment periods. The Diaw and Raja one did as well. I can only hope that these guys can mesh in time to make a run to the playoffs.

As usual, your post is pretty much spot on, but this part isn't really.

Going back and looking at the W-L column, The Diaw-Bell trade took the travel day to Detroit, the 4 point loss at Atlanta, then they won 4 out of 5. The Jack trade took 3 losses (all by less than 10) before we won 4 in a row and 6 of 8.

This trade, however, has had 7 games to initate Tyrus and Theo in, and since the win over the Cavs in TT's and Theo's debuts, we're 1-5. So I don't think it has to do with the trade as much as the other existing problems we had prior to the ASG.

And until Gana comes back (Bonnell says he's the first to be back, which means Tyson's probably next ) we aren't going to win against any team with size, especially not LA. GSW and Miami are very much winnable, though.

[BobcatsAllDay]

I think there are multiple issues at play. One Felton has become TOO passive. Contrary to the common board logic, the team is better when he plays more aggressive. Against the Clippers and teams of that ilk, he can be deferrential and only involved as a last resort, but it does not work that way with quality competition. It does not mean that he has to take over, but this team was rolling when he, Jack, and Wallace were consistently aggressive parts of the offense. When we played with teams like the Celtics, he was an aggressive participant and attacking.

Unfortunately, there is too much deferring in general and specifically to Jack (most of the time) and whomever is in isolation situations and not enough balance. Felton is too busy playing it safe as a pg and just trying to let things run themselves when that is not working. And unlike in the past, when he noticed things would not work, he would step up and make an aggressive play to get it back on track. Lately, however, he has just taken a laissez faire, let it work itself out approach that hasn't worked.

Jack as a passer, seems to only want to make the spectacular play that leads to an assist and is unwilling to make the pass that just keeps the offense moving along. If he would consistently kick out and repost, there would be more good shots in the offense as he draws a lot of double teams. Despite the fact that he can make bad shots, it does not help produce an efficient offense where everyone knows where there shots are coming from.

I also think that the guys are also trying to feel themselves and each other out. Guys are trying to learn how to adjust to a new rotation, new set of players, and skills. We miss Nazr and Flip although Tyrus and Theo are positive players. Boris is unsure of when to shoot and when to pass. He passes up good shots which often leave the team in the position of taking up a worse shot. Gerald at times gets lost in the shuffle as he is best out of the post, but at times either stops commanding the ball in this position and/or we fail to get it to him there. Other times, teams are able to key on him because they know his moves.

Finally, these All-Star deadline trades always have adjustment periods. The Diaw and Raja one did as well. I can only hope that these guys can mesh in time to make a run to the playoffs.

As to the future, a lot will be sorted out in the next couple of months.

Damn good post. I was thinking the same thing w/ Ray not being in attack mode lately, not to necessarily score but to make something (anything) happen. That could be more LB than him however. And Jack w/ the ball movement, you're all over it.

[Brown'sTown]

I don't think we need a great PG so much as we just need a great player period. As was pointed out, among the best teams not all of those PGs are better than Felton, but they have better players in general and usually one guy thats way better than anyone on our team. As good as Nash, CP3 and D-Wil are, those guys' teams aren't every really competing for championships. A star PG can make a team good, but the best teams typically have a role player at point and a superstar on the wing as well as an all star in the post. I could see the Lakers grabbing Felton in the offseason and he'd be a perfect fit because he'd have to do nothing but play defense and hit the occasional clutch shot if Kobe defers. He's really similar to Fisher in many ways so it makes sense for him. If you look at loaded rosters like the Lakers and Mavs it's really just unfair. Those teams have a superstar 30PPG scorer, plus as many as 4 or 5 guys who would average 20PPG on the Bobcats. Jack and Wallace are good pieces, but on most decent teams they're a 2nd or 3rd option. We need to find a superstar, and you almost always have to draft those guys. Unfortunately we aren't in a position to do that and we blew the opportunities we've had. We've done dumb things like give Okafor a huge contract, not play Nazr and trade for Diop. The roster is weak and we don't have any cap room. For now, it probably is best to look for another starting PG rather than spending the cash. We'll need one who can score since this team is miserable offensively. Felton isn't a good fit here and DJ just plain sucks. Theres nothing understandable about his struggles, he's terrible. He's making McInnis look like an all star at this point. Things aren't looking good for this squad. I personally think we should be trying to develop Thomas, Brown, and Henderson as much as possible and hope one of them turns out to be a real stud. Maybe we can make a trade for an unhappy young superstar at some point. Maybe Chandler's expiring deal next year will be good bait to nab a grumpy star someone wants off their books. If we don't make the playoffs I think everyone should be available for trade and we should be looking at any possible way of upgrading the talent on our roster.

[spectre]

Ron in Nj:
Bill, Knicks are in need of a PG this summer. Who is the better fit? Luke Ridnour, Randy Foye, or Ray Felton? Is Camby really the best option for C?

Bill Ingram:

Camby's inability to play through even the slightest injury makes him a tough sell, to me. Ray Felton is the best point guard in your list, but will Charlotte really let him walk? Hard to see that, given Larry Brown's resistance to playing DJ Augustin. Is Ridnour the best the Knicks can do, though? If so, there are more dark times ahead.

From Ingram's Chat. Just his opinion o'course. Maybe that will change if DJ can sustain his better play of late.