[Grades] Grades v. Nuggets 1/25/12
- Thread starter Bricklayer
- Start date
Sadly, I have a feeling we're the only team in the league where one of our "best" shooters is finding it hard to hit the rim on his shots every other game. I have no clue what happened to his shooting. Did you see the quality of bricks he put up this game? I'm talking about Garcia btw. Heck one wasn't even a brick because it didn't hit anything but air.
Some silver lining here:
Fredette has now strung three solid offensive outings together.
IT broke his shooting slump, albeit in garbage time when Denver didn't care about defense. He and Fredette combined to shoot 7-11 from three point range. For once, the team had a respectable three point percentage.
Honeycutt hustled in his debut and got an and-one and broke up an oop.
Cousins continues to carry the team as best he can.
Offensively, the team looked better than they have for quite a while. 44% shooting and 45% from three.
Bad: Transition defense killed us against the nuggets last time and it does it again. Honestly, if we had three guys back in transition each possession, this game would have been in range. Instead, we let long boards go to outlet passes for easy lay-ins and dunks.
Denver did a great job at finding passing lanes down low in the set offense. I lost track of how many passes went to guys on the weak side who had snuck in behind Cousins.
Smallball. (Outlaw, Jimmer, IT and Salmons all on the floor at the same time. Ermm, okay.)
Smallball getting outrun on the break by 6-10 Gallo and a 32 year old 6-9 Al Harrington.
Fredette has now strung three solid offensive outings together.
IT broke his shooting slump, albeit in garbage time when Denver didn't care about defense. He and Fredette combined to shoot 7-11 from three point range. For once, the team had a respectable three point percentage.
Honeycutt hustled in his debut and got an and-one and broke up an oop.
Cousins continues to carry the team as best he can.
Offensively, the team looked better than they have for quite a while. 44% shooting and 45% from three.
Bad: Transition defense killed us against the nuggets last time and it does it again. Honestly, if we had three guys back in transition each possession, this game would have been in range. Instead, we let long boards go to outlet passes for easy lay-ins and dunks.
Denver did a great job at finding passing lanes down low in the set offense. I lost track of how many passes went to guys on the weak side who had snuck in behind Cousins.
Smallball. (Outlaw, Jimmer, IT and Salmons all on the floor at the same time. Ermm, okay.)
Smallball getting outrun on the break by 6-10 Gallo and a 32 year old 6-9 Al Harrington.
Not necessarily though -- that's why I said the fork was stuck in last year. This is why his performance fell off last year for the Bucks -- you could see this coming on and he just wasn't the same guy coming back from that injury. And now even worse. And for some guys it just starts earlier than others. Not all 100% physical too. You get a little pain, you get comfortable, you lsoe a little of that love for the game or passion -- and how much passion did he have to start?
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I'm awfully sorry but from my seat at the game, the bright spots you point out were not there.
Fredette: We always knew he could shoot but defense? Sorry. On offense, handling the ball. Sorry. If relying on that for victories pick a different season.
Cousins: We have already known what great talent he has. Stamina? Up and down the court more than 3 times? Sorry.
IT: Great, but our present and our future aren't there.
The horror of the team far out-paled any glimmer.
Something has to happen NOW.
Fredette: We always knew he could shoot but defense? Sorry. On offense, handling the ball. Sorry. If relying on that for victories pick a different season.
Cousins: We have already known what great talent he has. Stamina? Up and down the court more than 3 times? Sorry.
IT: Great, but our present and our future aren't there.
The horror of the team far out-paled any glimmer.
Something has to happen NOW.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/salmojo01/splits/2011/
I must be missing something. Look at the monthly FG% of Salmons last season. With the slight exception of one month, his FG% went up each month. Where did this injury occur?
I must be missing something. Look at the monthly FG% of Salmons last season. With the slight exception of one month, his FG% went up each month. Where did this injury occur?
Grant's typically an overemotional boob talking out of both sides of his mouth. There are certain things that seem fairly obvious, but you panic and you can really screw yourselves. The only condition would be if this team had quit on its second coach in a month. Otherwise the "moves" to improve are likely more subtle. I don't even know if you can trade some of our worst debris, but Hickson for help before he loses all value. Any "pile of our non-core cheap kids" for a big contract you don't want type of deal has to be considered. But otherwise the "moves" include getting back our best defender and leading score from injury, the coaching staff being allowed to bench Salmons, and our schedule lightening up so we are playing the Warriors and Wizards every night instead of Denver and Memphis. But you can't panic.
Brick, on the grades. I am a great appreciater of what you do and thankful for it. You're too kind in a assessing their performance last night. Everyone but Thomas's grade should be reduced one whole grade. Even then it is probably too high. Put another way, if Garcia and Salmons weren't there we did not have a close game as your ratings would suggest. Keep on truckin'. Thanks.
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It seems to me that Smart loses track of who has contributed what. Aren't his assistants supposed to whisper in his ear. It also may be that he is playing his players into shape and therefore we get weird lineups. I don't know but when Greene actually looks good for awhile and then is ignored I wonder if someone on the coaching staff should be saying something. The assistants aren't there just to keep stats are they?
Maybe Smart will just have to look at tapes the way the rest are expected to do and maybe he will learn something about his substitutions or lack thereof. This isn't a knock on him or at least not a major knock but there are times where I think he just simply forgets. 6'6" guy guarding a 6'10" guy. Seems basic to try the 6'11" guy who plays the same position. Am I right about what an assistant should be doing?
I have also had concerns about Tyreke's feet and the minutes he is playing but so far, do good.
Maybe Smart will just have to look at tapes the way the rest are expected to do and maybe he will learn something about his substitutions or lack thereof. This isn't a knock on him or at least not a major knock but there are times where I think he just simply forgets. 6'6" guy guarding a 6'10" guy. Seems basic to try the 6'11" guy who plays the same position. Am I right about what an assistant should be doing?
I have also had concerns about Tyreke's feet and the minutes he is playing but so far, do good.