Guy986 wrote:Greek Mac a pure shooter? WTF
The reason why he couldn't find playing time in Houston(aside from being a rookie and turnover prone) was because he didn't have NBA 3 point range. He's a bit like Andre Miller in that he could rock that J from 15 feet but can't shoot 3s at all. Maybe he improved his 3 point shooting over the last couple of years? I seriously doubt it. His shot as i recalled was very flat.
Here's my scouting report on Spanoulis as a Rocket:
Pros:
Good penetrator
Good passer off pick and roll
mid range game
alot of energy
good size for PG
cold blooded
Cons:
ball dominant
turnover prone
no 3 point range
combo guard
Fair assessment, yet from watching him in the last couple of days, he is definitely not a combo guard and definitely not a guy without three point range anymore. Sure, it's a small window and I had the same impression of him from his days back in Houston. Yet he was used differently in Houston by Van Gundy if I recall correctly and now with Greece he's their leader and their true PG. Players do different in different roles. While this may speak for Spanoulis, it's also a question mark considering we don't know how his role in NY would actually look like. All I can say is that it only makes sense to bring him over if we give him a big enough role, I don't see him being very effective in a smaller, role player kind of situation.
That he is not a pure shooter, well, he is definitely a guy who doesn't look to shoot it at all from the outside as he is mainly concerned with running the offense and igniting it by penetrating. That doesn't mean he won't punish you. The game against Germany was a perfect example for his awareness of the game and his understanding. The entire game Germany fought over screens and defended him closely on the perimeter. He of course as every smart player would do punished them with one drive and kick or finish after another. Then when the game got close, his defender was lazy for one moment and went behind a screen. Spanoulis hit that three right into his face and put the game away. These kind of things tell how smart and fundamentally/strategically sound a player he is and I tell you, I love to see things like that from players on my team. The Knicks rarely had that in recent years, especially at the PG position. Duhon was a move in the right direction last year. Not immensly talented but well coached and smart. And from what I remember, he ran the Knicks offense better than any point guard in about 6 or 7 years...