Official Thread - Wizards at Bulls (3/15/11)

[Zonkerbl]

There are spots on the floor where McGee can score. The final sequence of last night's game is a perfect example of spots from which he cannot score, which is why Chicago let him catch the ball there. If I were Flip I would tell him, look, it's really very simple -- if you can establish position well enough to get the ball here (on the low block), go ahead and make a move. If you can't get open pass the ball back out. If you are wide open from 12 feet, go ahead and take a jumper or drive to the basket. Don't take any shots or make any moves from anywhere else on the floor.

But they MUST have told him this, over and over and OVER. That's what disturbs me. He doesn't SEEM autistic, and yet...

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

It is entirely possible that cognitive dissonance or misinterpretation is going on.

I do know there are multiple intelligences (Howard Gardner) and differences in learning styles. Some folks are auditory learners and others are not. Some are visual learners. Some learn using touch.

How does McGee learn best and what methods of instruction have been employed and with what frequency and consistency?

Has the coaching been positive, affirming, flexible in dispensing concepts? How hard has he worked on the skills set they prescribed for him? What is the player's aptitude/IQ/disposition?

My guess is the Wizard head coach isn't the right one to get the most out of McGee.

[hands11]

New career high in blocks for McGee with 8 and .1 seconds away from 9

And I don't think he has a goaltending call yet.

Wizards are getting killed on the boards.


BS call on Booker against there. Just because he dropped the ball W T F?

Common ground--in retrospect, I didn't watch the game but since you mentioned this I wonder what McGee did differently to avoid goaltends???

His timing was amazing.

[hands11]

McGee is a young Tyson Chandler right now, only with a worse attitude and a higher ceiling. If you remember, Chandler was the same way as a younger player with the Bulls. He was inconsistent, and he did the whole Garnett-ish scream/spazz-out after any semi-decent play. It took years of maturing and understanding that he'll get his points if he sets good screens and rolls to the hoop and rebounds. Is this something that McGee can learn in DC?

The 12 blocks remind us of his awesome potential, but to leave him in and feed him play after play just so he can pad his stats is counterproductive to his growth as a player. I can't believe that Flip allowed the last 4 minutes to happen. That was seriously embarassing.

Respectfully disagree. The game was decided and just another loss in a lost season. Four minutes are not going to turn a guy who get seven shots a game into a shot jacker.

I think McGee should try and learn to shot his jumper with a high release point, like LaMarcus Aldridge. Shooting can be learned. McGee needs his offense to start from the outside in. Same way he can block perimeter shots noone else might get to, Javale could develop a high-release point jumper that would be unblockable. Once he can hit a jumper his dunks will come easier. After he gets thicker, like Pua Gasol, he can post up and score.

In general, I disagree with those who think someone needs to discipline, lord over, and restrain McGee.

I think let him be creative, but put a goon-types like Seraphin and Booker around him because they are physically tough.

It is going to be a leap of faith for him but he needs to give it a shot.

Kind of like going from hunt and peck typing to real typing, you just have to draw a line in the sand and make the leap or you will never get to the next level.

Is this the next thing for him to work on ? Its a hard call. I'm not sure how many things he can fix at once. It is clearly something he needs to improve, but when ? I guess considering he has little to no spot up shot to speak of, there is little downside to just making the switch.

For me though, first thing I want to see him do it enroll in an Army boot camp or similar. Focus and toughness are the thing he needs to improve on the most. That and getting stronger.

After that, I want to see a reliable post move. That would be the hook.

Then he can add the higher release jump shot. This is a huge summer for McGee. He has a lot to work on. But again, the most gain I feel will come from strength, focus, toughness and knowledge of what to do and when. This is one reason I say he is a couple years away. It is very important that we start to see him crossing things off the list.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Speaking of typing, my above post had a bazillion typos.

tontoz, I am not a drinker but that post sure looked as if a drunkard typed it.

[Zonkerbl]

Love that "hunt and peck" vs. "no-look" typing analogy. That is precisely what is going on with McGee.

[nate33]

It is entirely possible that cognitive dissonance or misinterpretation is going on.

I do know there are multiple intelligences (Howard Gardner) and differences in learning styles. Some folks are auditory learners and others are not. Some are visual learners. Some learn using touch.

How does McGee learn best and what methods of instruction have been employed and with what frequency and consistency?

Has the coaching been positive, affirming, flexible in dispensing concepts? How hard has he worked on the skills set they prescribed for him? What is the player's aptitude/IQ/disposition?

My guess is the Wizard head coach isn't the right one to get the most out of McGee.

There isn't any miscommunication. McGee is simply lazy and won't put in the hard work that is necessary for him to become a better player. He works on the flashy stuff that gets ovations from fans. He doesn't work on the nitty gritty that gets approval from his coaches.

It's boring to shoot 1000 catch-and-shoot 17-footers a day when you can practice dunks and sweeping hooks. It's a waste of time to lift lower body in the weight room when the pecs and biceps are the muscles that look good. It's no fun to spend an hour a day in the film room watching all of your defensive mistakes and listening to the coach tell you how to improve them.

[Zonkerbl]

How do you know that though?

[pancakes3]

well, if he is or he isn't, the proof is in the game-tape pudding. he is still bad with rotations, limited offensively, and has the calves of a newborn fawn. the issue of if he's unteachable or he's unwilling to be taught is moot.

i will say though, he has made vast improvements from last season to this season. i'm willing to give him another off-season to bone up on the fundamentals before totally writing him off as hopeless.

[Zonkerbl]

The other possibility is he came into the league with absolutely no knowledge of fundamental basketball whatsoever, and Flip is prioritizing things to teach him -- defensive rebounding, help defense, pick and roll defense, offense. Considering how far behind JaVale is maybe Flip just hasn't gotten to certain topics yet. You can't learn everything at once. It would be nice if JaVale had a higher bbiq and can learn faster, but maybe he's learning as fast as he's capable. He is better than he was last year.

Not to apologize for him, of course. I'm as frustrated as everyone with his boneheadedness.

[NbdyBeatsTheWiz]

well, if he is or he isn't, the proof is in the game-tape pudding. he is still bad with rotations, limited offensively, and has the calves of a newborn fawn. the issue of if he's unteachable or he's unwilling to be taught is moot.

i will say though, he has made vast improvements from last season to this season. i'm willing to give him another off-season to bone up on the fundamentals before totally writing him off as hopeless.

You could make the counterpoint though that it'd be ideal to trade him before his value drops when people realize he's hopeless.

But I don't see a trade happening, and I'm fine with it as he's still a young 7 footer. I'm not a fan of young for old or big for small, which is likely what we'd end up with. The only exception would be if we could trade him come draft time and turn him into Kanter or another lotto pick.

[Nivek]

How do you know that though?

Because much of what McGee needs to do to get better can be done without supervision from a coach. There's NOTHING stopping him from going to the gym and shooting a thousand 17-foot jumpers a day. There's NOTHING stopping him from practicing his post-up footwork. NOTHING stopping him from practicing his free throws.

There's also very little to stop him from extensive film study. Even if the team video coordinator refused to give him video he requested (if he requested it), McGee could buy League Pass and DVR Dwight Howard's games (for example). Video of games played by Hakeem and McHale are available. Clips and highlights are free online. There are good instructional videos on playing in the post (high and low). There's plenty of material available on how to set good screens, how to roll to the basket and make yourself available to receive passes. He could buy Pete Newell's book on how to develop big man skills. Or the 5 Star book on post players. To name a few.

We know McGee has some technological sophistication because he's figured out how to make and post videos of himself being a goofball. Wonderful. Now turn those skills toward finding stuff he can study and work on to become a better player. Or, just do what the coaches are asking.

[DaRealHibachi]

The other possibility is he came into the league with absolutely no knowledge of fundamental basketball whatsoever, and Flip is prioritizing things to teach him -- defensive rebounding, help defense, pick and roll defense, offense. Considering how far behind JaVale is maybe Flip just hasn't gotten to certain topics yet. You can't learn everything at once. It would be nice if JaVale had a higher bbiq and can learn faster, but maybe he's learning as fast as he's capable. He is better than he was last year.

Not to apologize for him, of course. I'm as frustrated as everyone with his boneheadedness.

I would say he looks better b/c he plays more... I still see the same player as I saw 3 years ago...

It's a shame... Dude can be an allstar if he wants to...

[WizarDynasty]

Mcgee project bigman---ownerships job was to find an elite bigman coach that can fill in the blanks for mcgee to help him achieve greatness because McGee couldn't figure it out himself--which is why he was a 17th pick instead of the number one overall selection. If McGee knew the mental side of what it took to get him to an allstar level--high release on your jumper, fluid shot fakes and post footwork, anticipation of what happens after you challenge a defenders shot... --all of these minute details--if he had figured this stuff out before the draft we wouldn't have had a chance to get him.

Biggest problem with McGee is that he doesn't have an elite post footwork fluid shot fake bigman coach.
Finally, if he had a decent bigman coach, he would have transformed McGee's perimeter shot release to that of KG's.

This didn't happen because EG doesn't know the difference between an elite bigman coach and a bigman coach that doesn't have a successful vision for what Javale could be with proper instruction.

I see no improvement on Javale's release point on his jumper. He shoots his jumpers as if he is standing at the free throw line. He gets no leg lift on his jumper, no arc, and he doesn't have fluid motion. All of these drills should have been banged into a well orchestrated practice that he executed until improvement was shown on each practice session if he had an elite bigman coach from day one that had vision for what McGee should be. EG didn't have a vision for McGee and expected McGee to have the bball iq to figure out how to transform himself into an allstar. He failed to 17th in the draft because he didn't have the IQ but we picked him up because we felt that we could transform him with elite instruction.
Yet management failed to provide elite instruction to a project big.

so again, his footwork and fluid shot fake, practice shooting contested jumper from the foul line with Ndiaye hand in the face would force McGee to change his shot mechanics so that his jumpshot would be unguardable. It's a simple idea but if you bigman coach doesn't have the idea in his head, then it never comes to fruition and the fans suffer because our draft pick who we suffered a losing season to acquire doesn't have a coaching leader to fill in the blanks that he can't figure out himself.