I wonder what the difference is between someone who can only score efficiently on limited minutes and someone who can actually handle a larger offensive workload, like going from a 3rd option to a 1st. There's so many guys this season, Jeff Green, Hayward, etc, on tanking teams who have assumed a larger offensive role but it's clear they just can't handle it. I'm guessing it has to do mostly with being able to create your own shot. There are also a lot of guys, Cousins, LA, like ace said who only look like they improved but in fact are just taking more shots and still having the same, mostly subpar efficiency.

Ace

United States16096 Posts

February 25 2014 06:36 GMT

#4027

It's not really about creating your own shot per se, but getting easy buckets. Everyone in the league can create their own shot, most of them just won't be getting the ball in the bucket at a high rate. There is the "low usage to high usage = lower efficiency" argument, but I think it's becoming clear that some of these guys can't handle multiple roles in the offense which is typically reserved for stars. Ie Chandler Parsons can score at a decent usage rate at league leading efficiency, but ask him to do that while increasing his playmaking and shot attempts and problems will ensue. Bah I'm just rambling now.

eta: Green is definitely one of the weirdest players I've seen in a while. He has random stretches where he looks like a star, then others where he looks just bad. No clue what he's doing.

Ace

United States16096 Posts

February 25 2014 08:32 GMT

#4028

uh oh...

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/10514816/raymond-felton-new-york-knicks-arrested-weapons-charges

icystorage

Jollibee19350 Posts

February 25 2014 08:33 GMT

#4029

well i hope his off court shooting is better than his in court shooting

Delphiki

Philippines1955 Posts

February 25 2014 08:40 GMT

#4030

On February 25 2014 17:33 icystorage wrote:
well i hope his off court shooting is better than his in court shooting

dude what do you mean

AppleSauce123

Denmark148 Posts

February 25 2014 10:02 GMT

#4031

And with that, the Knicks have officially imploded. Looks like Felton has played his last game in the NBA.

RowdierBob

Australia13414 Posts

February 25 2014 10:41 GMT

#4032

Cousins has improved this year. His efficiency is above league average for the first time in his career. He's taking more shots but is doing so at a higher % and at better efficiency.

Compare that to say Demar DeRozan who people think has turned some sort of magical corner despite the fact the only thing he has really improved at is taking more shots.

Here's a great article on the roles of players in the NBA: http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-rudy-gay-principle/

Like Ace said, some guys can do only so much before their play suffers from having to play beyond their capabilities. For young enigmas it's important for them to do this as it helps them grow into a star and lets a coach/FO know if a player has what it takes (like Jazz are doing with Hayward, Bucks will do with Giannis, Pelicans with Davis etc).

The guys who really excel in the NBA are the ones who know their limits and play well within them. When you get ego dickheads who think they're Kobe and try play like it, that's when you have problems. Sadly, this fits a lot of guys in the NBA.

Why do you think the Spurs are so good? Pop has a knack for picking a player's skill set and puts that guy in a position to succeed. If he steps outside his bounds, he gets chewed the fuck out or moved on. Spo has done the same in Miami. It vital to have great players but it's super important also for contenders to have role players who accept and play their role to the optimum. This is where coaching and team chemistry can be underrated in the NBA.

If the Lakers taught us anything last year, it's not enough to simply mash a few of the best players in the league together to achieve success. A good king need a strong praetorian to thrive!

edit: the easiest example of this has to be Josh Smith. Guy has a lot of talent and yet is one of the stupidest players in the NBA. Despite the fact he can't shoot, he think it's OK to camp the three point line or just inside it and launch long bombs at less than a 30% clip. I'm at a loss to explain it but he's a guy who doesn't get it and hurts his team as a result of his trying to be something he isn't.

If you could somehow get a coach who could get J Smoove to shoot from no further than 15 feet, attack the rim as often as possible and defend/rebound the way he does, he'd be an awesome player. But for whatever reason Smoove clearly sees nothing wrong with how he plays and is wildly inconsistent as a result.

RowdierBob

Australia13414 Posts

February 25 2014 10:54 GMT

#4033

And, lol, why the hell is Felton packing in the first place?!?

AgentW

United States7725 Posts

February 25 2014 12:50 GMT

#4034

Why do an absurd number of athletes pack? Really, who's going to try to do them harm?

My theory is it's a Dolan plant. Ah, who am I kidding, Dolan wouldn't know that getting rid of Felton would improve the team.

Ace

United States16096 Posts

February 25 2014 12:56 GMT

#4035

his wife told the cops

Jibba

United States22883 Posts

February 25 2014 16:17 GMT

#4036

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1972728-new-orleans-pelicans-reveal-stunning-new-king-cake-baby-mascot

TwoToneTerran

United States8841 Posts

February 25 2014 16:39 GMT

#4037

if we can't outplay other teams, we sure as hell can try to outscare em.

Jibba

United States22883 Posts

February 25 2014 18:06 GMT

#4038

http://www.theonion.com/articles/cancer-diagnosed-with-skip-bayless,35368/

AgentW

United States7725 Posts

February 25 2014 18:10 GMT

#4039

I'm starting to think that the impression NO people give off from MNF games isn't too off base from reality. Yikes, that thing is creepy.

What's the O/U until Woodson gets canned, 7.5 games?