Question about Marvin

evildallas · Post #1 » by **evildallas** » Thu May 14, 2009 6:46 am

There was something bothering me in the Cleveland series and I wanted to get opinions on it. When Marvin tried to penetrate he was getting stuffed not at the rim but what seemed to be 7 ft and lower like he couldn't get himself or the ball up. First, did anyone else see it this way? Second, if so, do you think that it was due to his injuries, his conditioning (he missed a lot of time at the end of the season), Cleveland's defense, limitations to his game/technique, or some combination of these answers?

I really need to hear other Hawks Fans' opinions on the matter as I try to get my head around Marvin and contract negotiations.

Thanks.

theatlfan · Post #2 » by **theatlfan** » Thu May 14, 2009 8:17 am

A few years ago, I remember seeing a statistic that Marvin had more shots blocked than any other NBA player. He just isn't very creative around the rim. It's like he still has the mind set that if he can get inside the paint, then he can shot over anyone. That may work in high school and college but not in the NBA. He's gotten stronger so he can bull through trash around the rim a little better since then, and he also does a better job of not taking a line directly at a post defender, but he still gets blocked more than someone 6'9" with his athleticism should.

To answer your ? though, while I do give credit to CLE's D in keeping the paint clogged and I'm sure that Marvin wasn't 100% with his explosiveness considering his back issues, Marvin still needs to do a better job in this area. He isn't as bad as he was 2-3 years ago, but it is still an issue IMO.

Rod700 · Post #3 » by **Rod700** » Thu May 14, 2009 3:27 pm

This doens't completely answer your question, but I think Marv is mainly a jump shooter and someone who slips into holes in the defense to score opportune points. That's great, but he isn't ever going to be a go-to scorer who consistently takes it to the hole, even at his healthiest.

His bulk is best used for rebounding and defense. It would be great for him to develop his post up game, especially since he is larger than many SF's and Josh Smith doesn't score most of his points in the post.

killbuckner · Post #4 » by **killbuckner** » Thu May 14, 2009 3:29 pm

I still wonder if Marvin's future isn't going to be as a step out PF. Just following the career path of Joe Smith. Marvin's ability to step out and knock down an open jumper would be deadly at PF. If he isn't ever going to be able to consistently exploit poor defensive SF's then maybe he could more consistently present a matchup problem at PF. He would certainly need to bulk up and focus on rebounding but I think he could be very successful in that role.

JoshB914 · Post #5 » by **JoshB914** » Thu May 14, 2009 4:33 pm

I think injuries had a lot to do with it. We saw Marvin go strong and get to the free throw line all season long while also knocking down that mid range jumper. I think his back issues probably gave him some issues with his lift and you could see that his wrist was really hurting after every shot he took.

parson · Post #6 » by **parson** » Thu May 14, 2009 4:41 pm

Well, we use him as a junk player on offense. I see he shoots 43% of his shots with 8 seconds or less on the shot clock, so most of his shots are quick (too quick for such a good shooter).

But I'm not so sure about his "bulk" being used inside. Although he has the big butt to be a banger, he doesn't use it to his advantage. I don't think he likes it down low and, as injury-proned as he's proved to be - maybe we shouldn't make him play PF, leastways not until he grows some more.