Post Play

[kitch0202]

It's a given that we all want to acquire a true post playing & rebounding Big ... however I think we're currently under-utilising Haywood's & Mullens' ability to score in the post.

I'm not for one moment saying that either player is genuinely good, let alone elite, as a post scoring Big but when called upon they do seem able to deliver more often than not.

Some of the possessions in the Hawks game in particular were really poor and we seemed devoid of ideas against their defence. I would have liked to see us feed the ball to Haywood & Mullens in the post much more than we did, rather than forcing up poor shots with the clock against us.

I wanted to get other's opinions on this as I feel it will ease the pressure on our 1s and our, at best average, half-court game.

[Catch 22]

I hope sooner than later that they enforce Mullens to become strictly a post up player. He's efficient enough down low to be an actual presence. It worked in the Bucks game. I don't know why we continue to go away from it.

[Stylesg1234]

I think we have some talent at the PF and Center positions but i really think that we need to add a stud "go to guy" down low in order for this group to really be successful.....as much as we want Mullens to be strictly a post player i honestly just dont see this happening...he is who he is...i definately think we can get him to play a little more in the post and to play around the rim more but he is always going to be a jump shooter..thats just his game...and honestly he has a really good stroke ( unlike most guys his size ) ...i wouldnt want Mullens to just be a post up guy anyway...i think having versatility is key to his success...he needs to cut down on his 3 point attempts and shoot more in the 15-20 foot range..we have seen flashes of Mullens playing around the rim and him posting up and to tell u the truth when he does play down low he actually has some really nice moves..he has great footwork and has some really nice moves and a great touch down low..so i think the key to him maximizing his ability and to be a really good starting PF he just needs to find that perfect mix of when to play down low and post up and when to step out and shoot the 15-20 footer ( not the 3 )..i think if he can find the balance between the 2 then he can become a really good player...as for his defense...i dont think he will ever be a great defender but he has improved some and i think with some work and effort he can be an average defender...1 thing that he has really improved drastically is his rebounding...he is averaging 9 rbds a game right now and thats a huge improvement from last year...rebounding isnt about size its about having that "want to"...its about who wants the ball more...and he has shown that he can be a good rebounder in this league...i think with hard work and more experience and if he continues to get around 30 minutes a game that in the near future he can be a guy who averages 18 and 10 for us

Haywood is really our only veteran at these 2 positions and i think he has been a really nice addition to the team ( especially for the price )... at his age he is not going to give us 30+ minutes but he can be a solid starter and can give us solid play and effort in 20-25 minutes a game..he reminds me of what we got from Kwame Brown that 1 season he was here...nothing special or flashy but a guy who is a presence down low and can rebound for us and cause smaller guards to alter their shots when they penetrate ...getting 8 points and 8 rebounds from him is solid in my book...he also can be a mentor to Biz and Mullens which is very important ...i like the addition and he can help while he is here....but obviously he isnt in our long term plans

Biz is a very young and very raw player who has alot to learn...its still to early to make a judgement on him but i will say that so far this season i havent really seen much improvement....it somewhat puzzles me bc all i seem to hear is how hard he works and how much he listens and how coachable he is...i figured with a full offseason and playing in summer league that he would come into the season much improved...i guess thats why i have been a little dissapointed..bc i havent seen that....he definately has the size and the reach and the ability to be a really good player so i am hoping that he continues to work hard and that the improvement will come...when he is out there he sometimes looks lost and just out of control...too often i see him going over the back to get rebounds or traveling when he has the ball or goaltending when its not neccesary or turning the ball over bc he has the hands of a 5 year old girl....there is no question that he has alot to learn but i do think he has the ability to be a good player...as of now the guy has zero post moves and i think thats something he really needs to work on as the year progresses and also this offseason...even if he can just pick 2 moves and work his butt off on perfecting them that would be fine...the other thing that he really needs to work on are his hands...thats the thing that bothers me the most...he will set a great pick and roll to the basket and some1 will throw him a great pass for an easy dunk and he can never hold on to the ball...and on rebounds he goes up for the board and has great position but then will fumble with the ball and it goes out of bounds...its really frustrating....I think Dunlap is the right guy to teach him and i think Biz has the heart and determination to be good...so im hoping he continues to work hard and develop bc i think he can be a key asset to our team and future...i expect him to be a guy who can average 10 points 10 rebounds and 2 blocks in the very near future

I think overall we have a couple good pieces down low but i think without question it is the biggest weakness on this team....If we want to become a really good team and a consistent playoff team we must improve at PF and C and i think the only way we can do this is by adding a high quality player...i think this should be the main focus of the front office...we need to use all of our chips ( draft picks , players and salary cap room ) and whatever it takes to land a big name big man...i think its a must that we add a guy thats proven in this league ala Milsap or Hickson as well as using a very high draft pick ( whatever year we do end up with a high pick ) on a big man....if we can add a vet and a rookie big man to pair with the guys we have now i think that will go a long way in imporving this team

Sorry for the super long post....i tend to get carried away

[CampNightmare8]

Damn that's the longest one I've seen you post. Anyway
Haywood is our best player in the post.. That's not saying much but Haywood has a nice postgame

[kitch0202]

The first few words of this thread read:

It's a given that we all want to acquire a true post playing & rebounding Big ...

I wrote this in an attempt to avoid going down the lines of other threads on here where we're debating who to get and how much to give up to get them. I also don't want to rehash the usual Mullens complaints, as if he wasn't doing what Dunlap wanted him to he wouldn't be getting the minutes he's getting. Don't wish to sound hard Stylesg1234, because when I see you've posted I frequently go off, make a cup of tea and settle down to have a good read . But these discussions have been had many times.

I just think that we should look to feed the ball into the post to Haywood and Mullens more than we're currently doing. I recognise and mention in the original post that while neither player is a high level post player, they're good enough to be used more.

Far too often our half-court offence runs out of ideas. Feeding the ball into the post more would add another, easy, option to our PGs and I feel we're getting a pretty decent return on the comparatively few times we do so.

[dnbman]

Going inside to BB was actually somewhat effective last night. He's not a dynamic interior presence by any stretch of the imagination, but he was receiving the ball well and either getting a bucket or going to the free throw line. It was great to see.

I don't think we have to make interior play our main focus; we just need to keep teams honest and make them pay if they are coming off their man to double. We have tons of scoring options at this point (did I just write that about the Bobcats??!!), but we need to make sure we can get them all space.

[Toocool]

Smack has shown development in the post.
How do I know?
Because on at least 2 plays in that game vs Philly, he would of missed those shots.
Plus, he's added a drop step to his game. Last year he had an up and under (kind of), a hook shot and a turnaround fadeaway jumper.
Would like for us to feed him the ball more, I'm really intrigued as to what he can do in the paint after his performance in getting himself involved in the offense today.
If he can actually score in the post consistency, he could be a massive asset for us going forward. It's hard as hell to find a post player nowadays.

[Plowright]

Half his problem is he drops the ball half the time hen they get it inside to him. But last night he looked really good

[QC Thundercats]

What I noticed last night... first play of the game they went to Mullens in the post, and he made a hook shot on the baseline with incredible ease. Now if you want to establish the post in a game, you keep going back to that and make the defense adjust right? Well, Mullens went back the next several possessions to post up on the block and never received the ball.

I know Mullens likes to be a shooter, but it seemed he was making a concerted effort to be a post player, especially with Thaddeus Young guarding him. I think the team really missed an opportunity to change the tenor of the game, taking advantage of a seeming mismatch inside, and instead turning it into a battle of the perimeter players, which the Sixers had an advantage (in terms of sheer size).

Another question about Mullens, he honestly has a pretty advanced post game. He can shoot with either hand, and has great footwork to make pretty much all the post moves in the book. He just isn't strong enough at this point to continuously punish teams down low. But obviously he was coached down low and knows how to do all that - so who convinced him he was better set as an outside shooting big? Did a high school coach say, hey, you have great post moves, but nobody will ever be able to block your threes? Normally deep shooting bigs don't have the ability to make decent moves down there.

I think at this point in his career, Mully's sweet spot is in the 12-20 foot range. He is money when he faces up and shoots in the midrange. It's not translating out to three point range for whatever reason, so he should make it a point to spot up around the high post instead of the 3 point line, and punish teams there. Plus, he'd actually have a chance to put the ball on the floor for one dribble to the hole, instead of having to come from much farther out and risk dribbling off his foot or getting ripped.

It's all a learning process, and I think he'll figure out his best spots by the end of the year.

[Stylesg1234]

sorry Corbkicks...i tend to get carried away