But where do you play Al and Zaza....

[Diesel]

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If you're talking about Smoove improving at the Pf position, I like the idea of Al improving defensively...

I understand substitutions just fine than you. The Hawks need another shotblocker so they can have one on the court whenever Zaza is in.

Al isn't good now defensively and is unlikely to ever get better because he has been in the league many years already.

Josh Smith is much more likely to improve offensively because he is 19.

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If improvement is your only goal, then sure. He will prolly improve some today and tommorrow. However, if you set real goals instead of these phony goals answer these questions.. How good do you think Smoove will be at the PF spot? Will he be better offensively than Al?

Do you really believe that Smoove is a good defensive player? Note, there's a difference between a shot blocker and a defensive player. You keep making reference to our need of a shot blocker on the floor, but all last yr and so far this year, when encountering ANY player who can put the ball on the floor three things happen with Smoove. Either they put the ball on the floor and slide right past him. They give him the up fake and he bites every time (like my dog when I fake him with the ball). Or he fouls...

Josh's shot blocking is good backside help, but he doesn't apply a defensive clamp on anybody. HE's no Bowen.

Back to offense.

Josh's offense may get better, but he's hopelessly regular. Because he was such a star in HS, he never excelled at anything but the DUNK. So his Post up game is weak. In hopes to better himself, he worked on his outside shooting and now he's shooting 34% from the field. He will improve.. But damn, he has no choice.

We don't have to trade Al away. Al is offense, for now, Smoove is shotblocking off the bench.

[Diesel]

I said that Defense is secondary to our offense because we are an offensive team. I still believe that. However with offense, you need organization and we lack that offensive.

Also, with every offensive team, you ought to have some team defense.

I would love it if we just came out in a basic 2-3... and played better offense.

I still think our problem is offense related because we should be scoring better than we are. Our offense has NO... NO... schemes? We look like a bunch of sandlot players on offense.

Where's Paul Westhead when you need him!

[Nicholasp27]

u don't think smoove can be as good offensively as al, yet you made fun of lascar for saying smoove doesn't have the tools to be a superstar?

if smoove can be a superstar, then he's gonna have to be as good as al offensively to do it

[mudderfudder77]

Just so there is not a misunderstanding, I'll quote what you wrote:

Diesel:

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I believe that we are more in the mold of Phoenix than we are in the mold of Detroit. We are not built to stop people on every possession. Hell, we don't have one reputable defensive player. Josh Smith is a shot blocker, but not a good 1 on 1 defender.

Our goal every game should be to put up more points than our opponent BY getting them into a running game ala Phoenix. As John Lucas says, offense wins games...

We look at our team. We don't go position for position like a classical team, we put our 5 best scorers on the floor. We don't have dominating post players like a classical team, we have a "6'9 team" that can take advantage of offensive matchups...

We have built a team that is made to go on the floor and put up more offense than the other team night by night.

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And your predictions for the lineups averages:

Diesel

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JJ - 16.

Al - 19

zaza - 11.

Bench - 26.

That's 72 points my friend.

So that leaves 33 points between JC and JS as starters...

That means, if JJ scores 18.. JS only has to score 15... Is that unrealistic? How about 17 and 16?

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[Diesel]

Damn, is there anything WRONG in what I said?

Are we really in the mold of Detroit?

Do we have some defensive stoppers that nobody told me about?

If NOT..

Then we ought to be trying to outscore people.

Look at the predictions...

JJ 16.

Al 19

Zaza 11.

Okay. This has come to pass (JJ ~18, AL ~16, ZAZA ~12)...

What hasn't is the points I suggested for Smoove and Chillz.

But that can be our goal.

[Diesel]

Not all Superstars are low post scorers.

This is what I see Al as a low post Midrange scorer.

However, I do think Smoove can be just as big as Jason Richardson. Smoove definitely has the charisma to be a superstar. I think of all our players, he's the one that can be the face.. But he needs some tutoring on his game.

[mudderfudder77]

I don't think anyone is calling Jason Richardson a superstar, or at least I hope not...

[Diesel]

Point taken.

I just mean that if Smoove rides the Slam Dunk contest and if he works on his offense/defense... he can be comparable to JRich.

[exodus]

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If improvement is your only goal, then sure. He will prolly improve some today and tommorrow. However, if you set real goals instead of these phony goals answer these questions.. How good do you think Smoove will be at the PF spot? Will he be better offensively than Al?

Do you really believe that Smoove is a good defensive player? Note, there's a difference between a shot blocker and a defensive player. You keep making reference to our need of a shot blocker on the floor, but all last yr and so far this year, when encountering ANY player who can put the ball on the floor three things happen with Smoove. Either they put the ball on the floor and slide right past him. They give him the up fake and he bites every time (like my dog when I fake him with the ball). Or he fouls...

Josh's shot blocking is good backside help, but he doesn't apply a defensive clamp on anybody. HE's no Bowen.

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Again you're not paying attention. Last year Josh played the 2 and 3 against players that were too quick for him. Put him at the 4 and that is no longer the case. Also having him inside lets them take more advantage of his shotblocking.

Also when Josh started the first game against the Clippers he was matched up with Brand. Brand tried to post him up and back him down with no luck. When he tried to shoot over him again no luck. When he went to the bench and Wilcox came in and hit the boards that is when Josh got burned because he didn't box out. Brand finished with 12 if I remember right.

When he guarded Randolphe couldn't back Josh down or go around him either. He got his points on outside shots and second shots. Against Memphis Josh made a concerted effort to box out and wound up with 10 defensive boards.

He doesn't need to average 17. There are only so many points to go around. If he averages 10 that will be enough.

If they draft Rondo he should be able to get 15, JJ 20, Zaza 15,Mrvin (if the GM's are to be believed) 15,that is 75. Then they will get some bench scoring.

The one thing we know for sure is that whenever Zaza and Al are on the floor at the same time they will get burned. Al will never be any good at interior D. All he does is watch when people drive for layups. Smith already is good and if he does a better job staying down on pump fakes and boxing out he can be very good. You don't need every starter to score 15+.

[mudderfudder77]

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Point taken.

I just mean that if Smoove rides the Slam Dunk contest and if he works on his offense/defense... he can be comparable to JRich.

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I would agree with that, but look how long it took J Richardson. It wasn't till last year, his fourth season in the NBA, that he really broke out - and he came out as a Sophmore.

[Weez]

Smoove has two to three 'big' problems right now...and they are ones that will continue to haunt him throughout his career, and indeed stiffle it to a large degree, if not corrected:

1) Handles handles handles. Nearly all of his offensive woes stem from this. He has improved his midrange game (and perhaps developed a bit of vince carter syndrome in settling)...but he can't create off the dribble because he doesn't handle the ball well enough...

2) creating his own shot...see number one.

3) overall bbiq and knowledge of where he should be on the floor on both a) offense (he doesn't know where to be without the ball...it's not a role he's likely ever been accustomed to or asked to do) b) defense: when he CAN leave his man for weakside help, keeping his eye on his man not the ball...

he's got great instincts and timing on blocks...but leaves himself open far too much. you can't poach in this league the way he did in HS...to smart of players, too many athletes...

[mudderfudder77]

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b) defense: when he CAN leave his man for weakside help, keeping his eye on his man not the ball...

he's got great instincts and timing on blocks...but leaves himself open far too much. you can't poach in this league the way he did in HS...to smart of players, too many athletes...

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Thats been my one issue. Yes he gets great blocks, but at what expense? How many times does he leave his man wide open while he runs across the lane to sky for a block - how many points does that translate to?

[exodus]

He will probably never be a good ball handler or creator. He doesn't need to be with a true pg and JJ creating for him.

His main issue will be accepting his role. He will have to accept that rebounding and D are the ways he can contribute. Everyone wants to be a big scorer but everyone cant because there is only one ball.

If you noticed he was going for blocks much more early last year than he does now. He used to go for everything. Towards the end of last year they reigned him in a bit and got him to concentrate more on positioning.

[Weez]

if he doesn't learn to create his own shot then he either has to become a pf or move to the bench.

[Packfill]

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if he doesn't learn to create his own shot then he either has to become a pf or move to the bench.

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Agreed.