Hammond interview on Bucks.com

[europa]

One troubling thing here is Hammond wanting Ridnour to shoot more. I'd have to think Skiles is on the same page here since I doubt Hammond would be advocating something the head coach is opposed to.

Ridnour shooting more is not a good idea in my opinion.

Bro, I'm actually suprised that you are the first to bring that up. When I posted that I knew this thread would quickly change into everyone discussing the notion of Luke Ridnour shooting more. They feel like he passes up shots he should take, and it sounds like all those shots fans are complaining that he jacks up are because he is being encouraged to shoot more by Hammond/Skiles.

I can appreciate the desire to get perimeter scoring - especially with Redd out. But Ridnour isn't a good shooter and never has been. I think it's a very bad idea to advocate having him shoot more. I think it forces him to be something he isn't - a shooter and scorer.

[LUKE23]

Ridnour never has been a good shooter, his entire career bears that out. The notion that he should be shooting more is foolish. The fact that he cannot consistently make wide open three pointers is what really drives me up the wall. You have to be able to hit that shot as a PG in the NBA.

[europa]

Ridnour never has been a good shooter, his entire career bears that out. The notion that he should be shooting more is foolish. The fact that he cannot consistently make wide open three pointers is what really drives me up the wall. You have to be able to hit that shot as a PG in the NBA.

I'm not sure you have to necessarily make it but you shouldn't keep shooting it if you can't.

[LUKE23]

I'm not sure you have to necessarily make it but you shouldn't keep shooting it if you can't.

I disagree with the first part. If you're going to be a starting PG you have to be able to make open jumpshots, otherwise you are a liability unless you're a lockdown defender, which Ridnour is not.

We probably win that game last night if Ridnour can make open shots. He had back to back possessions where he didn't have a defender within 10 feet of him and he clanked wide open 3's. We could have maintained a double digit lead into the fourth quarter had he made those.

Obviously, that's hard to single a guy out like that, but it's been a problem all year.

[EastSideBucksFan]

One troubling thing here is Hammond wanting Ridnour to shoot more. I'd have to think Skiles is on the same page here since I doubt Hammond would be advocating something the head coach is opposed to.

Ridnour shooting more is not a good idea in my opinion.

Bro, I'm actually suprised that you are the first to bring that up. When I posted that I knew this thread would quickly change into everyone discussing the notion of Luke Ridnour shooting more. They feel like he passes up shots he should take, and it sounds like all those shots fans are complaining that he jacks up are because he is being encouraged to shoot more by Hammond/Skiles.

As Epi can attest to, there is a point where too much passing is not a good thing.

Last night during the game I remember yelling at least 2-3 times that Ridnour had to take the shot.

I don't want him shooting so many threes, but those midrange jumpers he needs to take and be able to make otherwise the defense will just continue to sag on him and let him take the jumper and take away his ability to drive.

[smauss]

LR: .375 FG% .294 3FG% ---------.414 FG% Career .333 3FG% Career

CB: .382 FG% .300 3FG%---------.420 FG% Career .359 3FG% Career

RS: .451 FG% .308 3FG%---------.444 FG% Career .350 3FG% Career

Pick your poison, no real good option with Redd out..........

Personally, I believe we need CB to pick it up after the injury!

[LUKE23]

Well, considering that Sessions is basically an NBA rookie, I'd say a three percentage difference over Ridnour is significant. Granted, Sessions gets most of his baskets now inside the lane and not shooting jumpers, but going with just a spot judgment I'd say his jumper has also been better than Luke's this year.

I would like Sessions to start. Move CV to the bench scoring role.

[smauss]

Luke, I guess a put up those three in that two of them will be the starting 1 & 2. None of the combos thrill me but I'm for RS (1) and CB (2), hoping CB gets his 3 point stroke back.

[JoeHova]

This is so freshing. Who cares if a player puts up 30 or 40 or 50 points if you lose as a team is matters squat. Yesterday I thought this when I saw the result of the game Miami played when Dwayne Wade scored 40 but they lost. It is meaningless to the team.

This is ridiculous. Scoring isn't a bad thing, the only reason Miami was even in that game is because Wade had 40 points, 11 assists, and 5 blocks. That team is probably the least talented in the NBA and Wade has them at .500 because he is playing great. Any team can lose despite the best efforts of their players.

Do you realize that Dwyane Wade is 2nd in the league in scoring, 2nd in the league in steals, 5th in the league in assists and 7th in the league in blocks? He is playing like a house afire and deserves no cheap shots like the one you just gave him.

Also, no GM would ever say that they didn't care about winning but only hoped that their players would put up big stats so they could get good contracts. Praising Hammond for saying he wants to win is like praising a chef for saying he wants to cook.

[MilBucksBackOnTop06]

This is a dead link!

I have tried for the last 20 minutes to connect to this! Is this a audio interview? I will go there myself then...and check this thing out.

I especially love the "We pay Redd to close out games..."

Yeah, you do. And you pay him to play in games and to play in them to win!!!

[MilBucksBackOnTop06]

Ok here it is...I will comment on it as I listen and type so bear with me....

First question:
Right away John Hammond sounds like an apologist. He continues to make excuses on why they are not winning consistently..." due to injuries and the tough schedule."

That is a Loser mentality and weak in the knees NBA GMSpeak....for this early in the season to be his answer over and over again. Excuses. Go out assemble the best roster you can and compete like every other team! The Bucks are not the only team travelling what the hell is this!?

That is bullsnot! Every team has schedule issues. Get over it! That is where mental toughness and preparation comes in and some team discipline and overall depth which he was the man directly responsible for with his bad trade of Adrain Griffin and Damon Jones who are not here. (He should have kept Mo Williams!) Being shorthanded is his fault!

Take care of your bodies, stay rested and stay sharp mentally. Stop the excuses even if they are somewhat factual...I am sick of this schedule and short-handed excuses.

Michael Redd and Charlie Villanueva are not that big of factors as far as wins and losses and have not proven that their entire careers. To say the Bucks would win some of these close games with them is ridiculous.

Doug Russell or Mike asks another question, and again Hammond twists this and spins it on excuses! OMG!

That is a cop-out excuses for losers! Please DON'T CONTINUE THIS GM John Hammond. You coming from Detriot under Dumars blaming injuries this early? Stop crying about the schedule man! To me that is a cardinal sin for GM's to do. Coaches I will allow. Not GM's to continue to harp on this. This is an issue you can resolve personell wise.

Hammond is sounding like a another jelly fish soft GM of a soft lottery bound team! I think these are just horrible answers. Say anything except being short-handed and the schedule! THEN IMPROVE OUR DEPTH THEN! That is the solution...

Doug & Mke has asked 3 different questions and that is the first thing out of his mouth every time!

Now finally Hammond says he is proud of 5-8! .....Oh my goodness, just shut up. Just shut up. I can't listen to this anymore....LOL. I got to go to the bathroom and throw up.

You never say as a GM you are satisfied with a losing record...never! Then why are you here!? Even Larry Harris did not do that.

Now he is talking about winning now...Hammond: "We want to win the game...that is the bottom line for us. "We dont accept anything but winning and we are gonna do everything in our power to win down the road....blah blah blah...."

Ok, we'll see John. We'll see...I am gonna hold you to that comment!

Hammond: "We don't accept anything but winning and anything except playing hard..." Ok that sounds better...
Now here comes the ratinalization if we had a full team comment...[more excuses!!!] Now he is talking about the close losses in the overtime game. Now here comes the scheduling again!
Man he is hammering that all day long...LOL. My oh my!

Hey, go back to the NBA in the 70's and 80's and commercial flying my friend John Hammond. You think it is bad now...try back then! Hush already about that! Once again, geez....The schedule is part of the NBA!
If I every meet him IN PERSON I am gonna tell him... Do NOT TO MAKE THOSE type EXCUSES to your fans! Should I as a fan not go to a game because the Bucks shedule is tough and they might not play hard? Perhaps I should factor in the schedule when buying season tickets or tuning in to see them on TV if it is that big of an issue with him!?

I don't but that or the home game crap we've been saying for years here. 'Oh wait til we play more home games...' Oh my goodness...if you are good man, you are good and can win everywhere.

Man that irritates the hell out of me for you to complain about the schedule after 10 games in the season and injuries to two guys with soft bodies and who are not tough enough to play hurt in the first place! That is so weak!

Those are the two guys you should have traded in the first place and kept Yi and Simmons and Mo Williams and you would have a better record by now! I would have moved Redd and Villanueva for Jefferson and or Vince Carter Ryan Anderson and Sean Williams or the pick that could have been Brooke Lopez and kept Yi Jianlian in hindsight? And I would NOT HAVE TRADED MO for the crap we got in return with you all wanting a 'pass first PG.' That is bullcrap! You want a WINNER! Period.

* On a good note. Great $30 lower bowl deal of all you can eat at the Bucks game....Bucks dont a great job in treating the fans well.

Here comes another schedule comment....uuuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh! I am tired of this clown already...end the conversation Doug Russell....JUST END IT!

Good...it is over. My opinion...of all this?....These are just 'words.' Nothing has changed as far as a team outlook in the GM chair.

[trwi7]

Stop the excuses even if they are somewhat factual...

[MilBucksBackOnTop06]

From the horse's mouth, Sessions is a scoring PG. I feel vindicated.

He is not a 'scoring point guard.' But he can score...

What you should have done is kept him and Mo Williams for times when you would not have Redd and Desmond Mason who can defend! Bring DMase and Luc Richard off the bench now with a guy like Sessions with Redd hurt as always and then you got something there!

Redd being hurt is not the problem if you had sufficient depth behind him like Sessions and even Desmond Mason had you not made that deal he did!

Redd comes a dime a dozen. What he does can be replaced as easy as any guy on this team if you have mutliple options to take his place, and make your 'team' tougher to defend if they have to worry about more then one streaky gunner!

That was the key to the Pistons Hammond came from! Stuckey, Billups, Hambone, and Afflao and Murray and Dixons when they were there COULD ALL SHOOT AND SCORE THE DAMN BASKETBALL PEOPLE!!!

You do not need a "passing point guard per se..." Pass to who??? Who does he 'pass to' with the shot clock running down and the play broken...BOGUT??????????? HELL NO. Charlie??? You act like we have ALL NBA players on this team...

Many of you overestimate our players my friends! I read many of your columns and I just laugh at you! You always need shooters and scorers in this league where there are not many teams who can hi an open shot or hit free throws...

Don't get it twisted! You just have to make sure they can share and trust each other as well and are willing to buy into your system and guard against too many guys on the roster in a contract year when selfish agenda's can surface.

This pass first and shoot first point guard stuff you all cry about the team officials read in the blogs we make and heed to is ridiculous....YOU NEED PLAYMAKERS under 3:00 minutes to win in the NBA not shoot first or pass first mummies!

I want all my players to be able to shoot and pass and defend and board in whatever order that is needed to win the game! And you need a true top 15 Stud player which we do not have! All the more to get more shooters!

Sessions can score until teams find out who he is and scout the Bucks and make adjustments but he is not gonna take over games as of yet or as you all think. Neither is Bogut!

[BDUB_30]

some of yall really fail to understand the finer points of this game .


look , ridnour shooting more means : When he has an open look , he needs to take it ..and not dribble arouind or pass to someone who is guarded .


it doesnt mean ridnour just needs to flat out shoot more , he needs to take the shots that come in the flow of the offense .. as do any player on the court , even dan gadzuric getting a pass from JA with seconds left on the clock , sorry but he simply has to take that **** .


in regards to this very tired , boring argument on realgm about scoring pgs / vs pass first pgs . All of this simply revolves around prioirty ! Nothing is wrong with a ramon sessions or a mo williams scoring the ball , but the finer point is this : Do these pg's run the offensive conistantly ? And how many shots do they take out of the flow of the offense ? Its not really a statistical comparison . Nothing is wrong with CP coming out and having a 20 pt game ...some nights a pg will have to go one on one ..good defenses at times DO shut down the half court options and at that point its up to the pg to create something simply out of scratch . !


I have no problems with Ramons abilities to score the ball .. as i didnt have a problem with mo scoring the ball .. SOME nights mo didnt show enough patience with the half court sets , some nights he would give a look to say redd comng off a screan , had PLENTY of time to wait for soemthing else to materialize .. but he didnt , he just did his own thing ( SOME NIGHTS )


as RAMON has did that at times this year while playing the 1 .. and thats why hammond made refrence ... its not just about passing , its about patience / decision making .. Im of the belief that ramon will get better at this , especially under the kind of pressure skiles can impose via the pine ..but it makes me laugh when we read so much on here how hes this great pass first pg .. Get real , hes got alot to do out there in regards to his decison making ... I do like him as a player , i like how hes improving , i think he can become a much better defender then any thing weve had at the 1 in over a decade ...i just would like to see him be more patient in the half court ..hes had some games at the 1 where he has dominated the hell out of the ball and took our entire team out of offensive rythem ... skiles knows this , and so does hammond and they can not allow for another pg to come in here and think that just cause he has the ball means he has the right to hijack the offense . Ford and Mo both were guility of this kind of play at some point in their stay in milwaukee ...cant have that on this roster .

[BDUB_30]

This pass first and shoot first point guard stuff you all cry about the team officials read in the blogs we make and heed to is ridiculous....YOU NEED PLAYMAKERS under 3:00 minutes to win in the NBA not shoot first or pass first mummies!

haha .. soo true its not even funny ..