NBA Random Thoughts

[ralaw]

I still think they are stupid when you look at the two players games.

They are similar in that Iverson was short and Rose is short and they scored points, played basketball and were black. Other than that I don't think there's a lot too it, they have different play styles and ways their game flow within an offense.

I disagree. The only real difference between the two is that Rose is asked to be somewhat of a distributor, while it was known AI was going to be a scorer. This caused AI to take more shots and more difficult shots, which is why his fg % is lower. In the end AI could have been every bit the PG Rose is. There is nothing wroing with being compared to AI. Rose is a scorer first, second and third.

[FedEx227]

I'm not going to really take his usage rate into account all that much when evaluating how he slots in with Rose given the system Thibs runs and how much Rose controls the ball as well.

Here's the thing though. The system he's playing it right now should be showing these signs. He's in a system predicated on ball movement and each player getting open looks... yet it's still not happening.

If he's not sharing the ball in a D'Antoni system then there's not much hope from his sharing the ball in any other system.

I understand the differences between the Knicks and the Bulls but the problem is still going to be the problem. When you pass to Carmelo, he's probably going to take the shot and that shot is going to take a few seconds to develop and it's probably not going to be high percentage.

Will he make a ton of them? Absolutely. I'm not denying that at all, he is an elite scorer but what's the cost of that influence on a team like this Bulls team?

If Melo was better at catch and shoot... game over. I'd do it in a heartbeat, but he's not.

He holds the ball which is uncomfortable and weird for everyone else on the floor who have no idea where to stand or what position to get in because they have no clue what he's going to do with it.

[nwfisch]

Here's the thing though. The system he's playing it right now should be showing these signs. He's in a system predicated on ball movement and each player getting open looks... yet it's still not happening.

If he's not sharing the ball in a D'Antoni system then there's not much hope from his sharing the ball in any other system.

I understand the differences between the Knicks and the Bulls but the problem is still going to be the problem. When you pass to Carmelo, he's probably going to take the shot and that shot is going to take a few seconds to develop and it's probably not going to be high percentage.

Will he make a ton of them? Absolutely. I'm not denying that at all, he is an elite scorer but what's the cost of that influence on a team like this Bulls team?

If Melo was better at catch and shoot... game over. I'd do it in a heartbeat, but he's not.

He holds the ball which is uncomfortable and weird for everyone else on the floor who have no idea where to stand or what position to get in because they have no clue what he's going to do with it.

Isn't Derrick really doing the same thing with the Bulls now?

[FedEx227]

In the bad Bulls possessions, yes. But not in the open court or when the Bulls get a nice pick and roll game going. It's totally different.

It's not as if Rose is at the top of the key jab stepping and dancing around with the ball. It's usually one move tops.

The problem is they seem to turn into shit at the end of the game when Rose does start dancing around and holding the ball for too long. Their end of the game possessions are usually awful.

[nwfisch]

In the bad Bulls possessions, yes. But not in the open court or when the Bulls get a nice pick and roll game going. It's totally different.

It's not as if Rose is at the top of the key jab stepping and dancing around with the ball. It's usually one move tops.

The problem is they seem to turn into shit at the end of the game when Rose does start dancing around and holding the ball for too long. Their end of the game possessions are usually awful.

Am I the only who thinks the Bulls should use more P&R?

That's more of Boozer's game, and how he was a 20/10 guy in Utah.

[Point Blank]

What team is Dwight Howard gonna say he wants to play for next?

[ralaw]

Does Orlando really have 49 points through 3.5 quarters? What happened to this team? There are obviously internal issues.

[s@ppisgod]

Alright, I don't feel like making it into a whole thread, but WTF is up with it just being ok to not try on defense for fear of getting dunked on? It's really hard for me to take basketball seriously as a sport when this is such a widely accepted practice. I wouldn't take football as seriously if CBs didn't defend fade routes for fear of getting scored on. Why in the world is it just ok to seemingly an entire league at the pro level to just not try for fear of one person POSSIBLY getting embarrassed? It's absolutely ridiculous. And then the ridicule for a guy actually trying? I get when LeBron James jumps over an entire person. It's kind of a big deal, understandably. But not when a guy goes up for a block and comes up empty. The whole thing just reeks of this selfish, streetball mentality, and I'm surprised at how tolerated it is at what's supposed to be the highest level of a sport. I'm sure it just drives old school coaches like Knight and Popovich nuts.

[FedEx227]

Most of it also stems from the fact that once a guy is in mid dunk the chances of blocking are much lower then the chances of getting a foul. The worst thing you can do is make a 100% shot worse by fouling the player and giving a potential 3 point play.

[FedEx227]

Chicago Bulls: Is Kyle Korver Getting a Free Pass?http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...ng-a-free-pass

While the timing of this article may seem odd considering Chicago Bulls forward Kyle Korver's performance Monday against the Washington Wizards, I do not want a single game to cloud the big picture.

Korver has played poorly for the Bulls this season.

While Carlos Boozer gets much of the criticism (and justifiably so) very few people seem to be looking at Korver and his lack of performance off the bench.

Of course, expectations for Boozer were much higher as a starter and the Bulls big free-agent splash last offseason, but Korver came with expectations as well.

Those expectations were not 20 points and 15 rebounds every night that Boozer had but they certainly were more than 6.5 points per game and 42 percent from beyond the arc.

This is not a fluke either; Korver struggled last season as well.

He was able to increase his points per game from 7.2 as a member of the Utah Jazz in 2009-10 to 8.3 last season; but he did so at a much less efficient rate.

Korver shot a stunning 53 percent from the three-point line with the Jazz and while that percentage was unsustainable, a plummet to 41 percent should not have happened.

Over 69 percent of Korver's total shot attempts are threes, which is not an issue given Korver’s skill set. Regardless, he has to be more efficient from the outside.

Korver severely lacks options to his offensive game. He cannot dribble, cannot penetrate and struggles ever creating his own shot.


Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
If his initial look breaks down, Korver has trouble passing out of tight defenses or finding another option on the floor.

Where I believe Korver struggles most is defensively.

This was especially evident Sunday against the Miami Heat as Korver blew multiple assignments leading directly to big shots by Heat guard Mike Miller.

For a fanbase so eager to crucify Boozer for his lack of defensive prowess (again justifiably so), Korver seems to get a free pass.

Korver routinely struggles moving his feet, too often playing defense with his arms and has issues battling through screens, especially backdoor.

I do not expect Korver to be a defensive stopper like Luol Deng or Ronnie Brewer, but his defensive breakdowns are just as galling as Boozer’s. I would like to see both of them take a more serious approach to that end of the floor.

I have faith that Korver can be a valuable asset to the Bulls. His performance Monday night showed just what he is capable of when hitting shots at a high percentage.

Despite these solid performances as of late, I can help but be somewhat disappointing by what Korver has given the Bulls this season.

[s@ppisgod]

Most of it also stems from the fact that once a guy is in mid dunk the chances of blocking are much lower then the chances of getting a foul. The worst thing you can do is make a 100% shot worse by fouling the player and giving a potential 3 point play.

See, I can understand this. Or being inside the restricted area. Or being in foul trouble and being handcuffed from defending like you want to. But I see an awful lot of players giving up on plays VERY early when guys go for dunks. It seems lie a lot of times when a guy gets a lot of steam and still has a stride to go before he starts to elevate for a dunk, you see guys already starting to get out of the way. That annoys the shit out of me. You don't even know if you can get there in time to make a play yet, but you're already moving away because you "don't want to be in the poster." That's kinda disgraceful to the game.

[KNUBB]

See, I can understand this. Or being inside the restricted area. Or being in foul trouble and being handcuffed from defending like you want to. But I see an awful lot of players giving up on plays VERY early when guys go for dunks. It seems lie a lot of times when a guy gets a lot of steam and still has a stride to go before he starts to elevate for a dunk, you see guys already starting to get out of the way. That annoys the shit out of me. You don't even know if you can get there in time to make a play yet, but you're already moving away because you "don't want to be in the poster." That's kinda disgraceful to the game.

Feel better?

[s@ppisgod]

Feel better?

About Smith? Sure. The rest of the league, ehh...
SAMSUNG-SGH-A887/A887UCIJ1 SHP/VPP/R5 NetFront/3.5 SMM-MMS/1.2.0 profile/MIDP-2.1 configuration/CLDC-1.1

[BiggaAdams]

Looks like Batum just tore his ACL in Utah. FUCK!

[calgaryballer]

Clippers are having their way with OKC so far. 18 pt lead heading in to half time and they've been shooting lights out. Lots of easy transition points as well