Coming into the 06-07 Season what is our strength?

[Wurider05]

Is it that we have versatile players? The fact that we have a legitimate pg, what is our main strength going into the upcoming season.

[DJ_Money]

6'9" swingmen.

[Lascar78]

our strength is athleticism. If we can improve our defense enough, we could become a hell of a fastbreak with speedy running the fastbreak, looking for Smith, Williams, Childress... and JJ still running the show in the halfcourt.

[b3bawla]

Yea...athleticism, versatility, and outside shooting. With Joe, Salim, and Lue we have some top flight shooters. I expect Marvin will be able to hit in the mid 30's this year. Chillz and Smoove also seemed to be improving their outside shot late last year too. We're not gonna be Phoenix or anything, but we should be one of the better teams in terms of 3pt shooting percentage.

[swolehawk2]

Actually if we were to defensively rebound better...cut down on the turnovers just a tad....with our shooting we could win 35-40 games, even if defense did not improve much.

[Nurlman]

If all the young players project with incremental improvement and the new guys integrate quickly, especially defensively, I anticipate very significant improvement. I would think .500 is not unreasonable at all.

Strengths: Young legs, enthusiasm, upside, absence of distractions

Weaknesses: Still need interior defense; experience, especially playing defense together.

I think BK's done a nice job this offseason. I hope the last piece is a rugged interior-type like Magloire, maybe Foster, and not Murphy, esp. at $10m x 5.

[Final_quest]

Hopefully running will create a lot of open shots and layups, which are high percentage shots.

I think one of our main weaknesses will be our half court game both defensively and offensively. Young players still learning how to play defense, and lack of a half court offensive identity.

[Diesel]

Our strength will be the ability to get out and run.

With Shelden and Zaza pulling down rebounds and getting the outlet pass to ball handlers...

We have the ability to run all four quarters.

With a real PG, now our open offense should be more effecient. Also, the fact that we have a PG who can get to the free throw line makes us even more dangerous.

We should easily be one of the better offensive teams. Even though we've lost some low post scoring.

[gsuteke]

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Actually if we were to defensively rebound better...cut down on the turnovers just a tad....with our shooting we could win 35-40 games, even if defense did not improve much.

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that Al is still part of the equation.

[Nicholasp27]

having speedy will cut down on turnovers a LOT

[exodus]

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With Shelden and Zaza pulling down rebounds and getting the outlet pass to ball handlers...

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Chris Paul got as many defensive rebounds as Zaza.

[b3bawla]

Josh Smith had a better 3pt shooting % than Chris Paul.

[exodus]

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Josh Smith had a better 3pt shooting % than Chris Paul

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What does that have to do with the thread? Nothing.

Diesel and others like to act like Zaza is some kind of force on the boards which is nonsense. A rookie pg got just as many defensive rebounds as Zaza so obviously he isn't a defensive rebounder.

Your comment is about as relevant to this thread as the price of tea in China.

[swolehawk2]

Well he is a force on the offensive glass....which is unusual..don't see a lot of very good offensive rebounders that can't rebound defensively.

[Lascar78]

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don't see a lot of very good offensive rebounders that can't rebound defensively.

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And yet that is exactly what Zaza does

[TexasPete]

Z is just 22 and his defensive rebounding will improve. He already is a nice offensive rebounder. Give it a little time. We give Marvin, Smoove, and Chill time...why do people not give Z a little room?

My gut says that we will love him with 1-2 years...he will get better at the defensive end with some experience...and his rebounding will improve.

[exodus]

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Well he is a force on the offensive glass

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It isn't that hard to get an offensive rebound when someone blocks your weak shot right back in your face.

[Lascar78]

I think most here recognize that as young as he is, he has lots of potential. Where we disagree is how valuable he is today. There is generally those who look at his pts/rebounds numbers and say that he's absolutely awesome, and then those who see that while he's doing that he's not playing much D or getting any defensive rebounds.

I think Zaza will improve a good bit this year with reduced minutes and more experience. I just hope he focuses increasingly on D

[TexasPete]

Mike Woodson.

[swolehawk2]

Please...ZZ hustles and bangs around in there for most of those rebounds...if you see the flaws in a player ...surely you must recognize what they do well.

If ZZ had the same year he had last season in Detroit or Chicago...guys would tripping over themselves to get BK to sign him...ZZ is a 22 year old big man that is improving..can't complain too much about that..especially when some wanted Eddie Curry.

His D is not up to par...but you can say that about a bunch of Hawks.

Hell, Al has not played a lick of D yet...but some wanted to resign him to a huge contract.