Give Meer Some Love

[SpaceCoastGator]

I'll join the chorus in exalting Jameer's Game One performance. It is good to hear about his improved statistics over last year and especially since the All-Star break. The big thing is consistency...I hope that he leads the team to a couple of playoff series wins.

[ORL]

In the 3 playoff games at home Jameer has played in, he's averaging 20.6ppg on 50% shooting.

[SOUL]

Ive defended him when he was sucking so yeah.. good job meer meer

[D12Howard]

I always give Jameer the love. The person who deserves the props for this game is Stan The Man for benching Arroyo. Keep it up!

[zerp]

Great game for Jameer but it's only 1 game.
Jameer have talent but he isn't regular.
When Jameer play very well, Magic win.

[macdalejax]

Say it with me now, Jameer. "I am a pass first PG. I am a distributor, not a scorer. I am the best defender in the league."

[ProfX]

Considering what happened to him this summer, he had an incredible year. I was seriously worried about him in the beginning of the year.

[TheGlyde]

-= original quote snipped =-



That is greatest single group of basketball players to step onto a court in history. No one will ever top them.

Coulda topped them...

Zeke shoulda been there instead of Christian freaking Laettner...

I seem to spend half my time on the Topix board defending the Magic point guards, and Nelson in particular. It's nice to see much less negativity on this forum.

Lol, can't half tell you're new...

If we make it past the Raps and Detroit dismantles us, guess who will get 100% of the blame?

[lovehoops01]

Well, I have been a big backer of Jameer since the Magic drafted him. During the year he and Delonte played with St. Joe's in the NCAA Tournament, there was something about his huge heart that I liked right off the bat, and I was really excited when the Magic drafted him.

I still see that big heart every game. He might not play well every game, but it's not because he isn't trying hard. Sometimes he's hurt. Sometimes the matchups are bad. And it's clear from watching him interact with his teammates and the things that they say about him that Jameer's teammates like to play basketball with him.

I've always been amazed that the fan base here -- who so loved Darrell Armstrong -- hasn't gotten firmly behind Jameer because of that big heart of his. Darrell wasn't perfect, but people loved him anyway and forgave his mistakes. I'm hoping people eventually will come around with Jameer, too. It certainly doesn't help his confidence when people run him down.

[whocares]

1. sorry.
2. jameer is not smart.
3. that does not bode well for a playmaker.
4. the reason his numbers are on the rise is due to hedo's increased role in creating shots for others.
5. sorry.

[SOUL]

I think think hes as much as a shoot first point guard at all.. I mean, the guy passes when he has wide open layups (which is the only thing that annoys me really) .. but it was ridiculous when people were blaming him for getting lit up when our whole team was during that losing stretch. Once he got hot again the people stopped posting.

[maginno]

Not a big Meer fan but you are right. Props are in order. Solid game 1 performance. I think he will be on form for the whole series. (fingers crossed)

[Dome]

I've got to admit, I was a bit skeptic about Jameer the last two years and wasn't sure he should be our (starting) point guard for the next couple of years.

This year though, he made a believer out of me.

When he came into the league, we knew that he was a warrior but that he was probably too short to keep up with the Billups' in this league. We also knew he would probably become at least a decent to good floor leader.

During his rookie year, he showed us a lot of promise. I remember how we were all thrilled to have Dwight and Jameer to build the team around. His second year, he upped his game and improved in every statistical category.

Last year, however, his stats actually went down. In similar playing time, he made the same amount of turnovers, but his shot selection went downhill and his assists went down as well. A lot of us were starting to question whether or not he should be our point guard for the next few years, until Otis signed him through an extension last summer.

This year he really upped his game in my opinion:

05-06: 14.6 ppg, 4.9 apg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 spg, .483 fg%, .779 ft%, .424 3pt%, 2.39 TO
06-07: 13.0 ppg, 4.3 apg, 3.1 rpg, 0.9 spg, .430 fg%, .828 ft%, .335 3pt%, 2.39 TO
07-08: 10.9 ppg, 5.6 apg, 3.5 rpg, 0.9 spg, .469 fg%, .828 ft%, .416 3pt%, 2.04 TO

Jameer's FGA went down from 875 to 603 this year. His AST/TO ratio went up from 1.80 to 2.75 this year, and is now actually very good for a starting point guard.

Jameer took less shots, allowing Hedo, Dwight and Rashard (and to an extent Evans and Bogans) to carry most of the offensive load. He took better shots himself, didn't turn the ball over as much and got more assists.

Granted, part of this is probably due to the whole influence of SVG, Hedo, Rashard and the rest of the team that's doing so well this year.

Then again, does it really matter? Jameer is doing very well in our system right now, and has shown a lot of improvement this year. For the contract he's signed to (5 more years at $5.55 to $7.88 million), he's a very decent point guard for us.

He fits the system and has shown to play well in it, is a close friend of our franchise player and is signed through a decent contract. What's not to like?

Jameer is probably a decent starter at best for the rest of his career due to his lack of height. Then again, you don't necessarely need Chris Paul to run the point to be effective. Even moreso when you take Dwight and Rashard's contracts into account, as well as Hedo's due extension. His strength and quickness make up for a lot, but he'll always have problems guarding the taller point guards. Then again, so does just about any point guard in the league not named Baron or Chauncey.

I'm rooting for the guy, he's got my blessing. I'm just hoping the team will bring in a taller, decent defensive point guard (I'm hoping for Duhon) to back Jameer up or split minutes with him. Thinking about it, Dooling actually kindof fits that description already.

[Dome]

I think think hes as much as a shoot first point guard at all.. I mean, the guy passes when he has wide open layups (which is the only thing that annoys me really) .. but it was ridiculous when people were blaming him for getting lit up when our whole team was during that losing stretch. Once he got hot again the people stopped posting.

I mentioned it in another thread as well, but I really think the "shoot first" and "pass first" labels on a point guard are overrated.

IMO you want your point guard to set up your offense and make smart decisions. Tony Parker is an excellent example of that. He's by no means a "pass first" point guard, but he definitely can set up the Spurs' offense and make good plays.

As a point guard, you've got to be able to read the floor and recognize where the best opportunities lay. If you're in a better position than your teammates to make a play, then make the play.

Like I described in the post above, this area is really where Jameer improved drastically in over last year. He didn't take as many shots, but took more shots he thought he could make, resulting in a higher FG%. He didn't look to "pass first" every time but focussed more on passing when a teammate would be open, resulting in lesser turnovers. The higher assists number is probably due to our guys hitting more (3 point) shots IMO.

All in all, Jameer has shown he's a decent leader, can make the outside shot, improved his decisionmaking and can run our offense quite effectively. His biggest weakness right now is defending taller point guards, which is what management should be focussing on this offseason if they bring in a new point guard (Duhon please!) in case they let Arroyo walk.

[magicmamma]

During the months of March and April, Jameer has been shooting 54.1%, 51.9% from 3 point range. He has taken an average of 7.4 FGA per game (27 minutes). For comparison, Hedo shot 48.3%, 43.2% from 3pt range and took an average of 15 FGA per game (35 minutes).

So some of you want Jameer to pass more? I'm sure SVG is telling him to shoot more.

[MagicFan149]

:meditate: Say it with me now, Jameer. "I am a pass first PG. I am a distributor, not a scorer. I am the best defender in the league."

lol ... i think jameer really was feeling that before game one... he needs meditate every game!

[mhectorgato]

During the months of March and April, Jameer has been shooting 54.1%, 51.9% from 3 point range. He has taken an average of 7.4 FGA per game (27 minutes). For comparison, Hedo shot 48.3%, 43.2% from 3pt range and took an average of 15 FGA per game (35 minutes).

So some of you want Jameer to pass more? I'm sure SVG is telling him to shoot more.

I think he needs to continue to drive and break down the defense. If defenses react then he can kick it out or he can finish fairly well.