Juke Skywalker - The Kemba Walker Thread II

[Elden Payton]

Agreed, but as long as he can finish better than Biyombo (likely) & attack the rim by not settling for jump shots like Mullens (likely) then it will be a major upgrade. I didn't initially like the Zeller pick either because I thought Noel falling to Charlotte was a very fortunate break that they bypassed, but I preferred Zeller over McLemore or Len, so it's growing on me. Kemba will love having a player of Zeller's ability to play along with

You and me could probably finish better than Biyombo.

Zeller can finish alright.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H78fgumBzs0[/youtube]

As long as Cody grew a couple of testicles this summer and goes up stronger than a dandy boy than he'll be okay.

We all need to move on.

[floppymoose]

So who's going to pay the $150k fine for bringing up Al? Bonnell or the Bobcats?

Who's going to pay the $50 you owe me?

viewtopic.php?p=31918990#p31918990

[Liver_Pooty]

http://touch.courant.com/#story/hc-pro- ... -20130720/

Good read. Nice to see Walker staying extremely active. Playing in a pro am in CT on a Saturday then flying to Vegas formmini camp. Impressive.

[TheKingofSting]

Good find Liver_Pooty

[mrknowitall215]

Kemba Walker and the new frontcourt

In a season of mixed results last year, Kemba Walker's overall performance was a more than welcome sight. He followed up his disappointing rookie season with markedly improved shooting across the board. That said, his offense still left a bit to be desired: his shot selection was worrisome and he wasn't a great distributor. But he was also working with perhaps the worst frontcourt in the NBA last season.

In the past month, the Bobcats have retooled their frontcourt. Josh McRoberts and Bismack Biyombo, the starters at power forward and center by season's end, have effectively been pushed to bench roles with the drafting of Cody Zeller and the signing of Al Jefferson. The Bobcats are poised to transition from last year's league-worst scoring frontcourt (43 points per game, which is rather embarrassing compared to the 29th ranked Cavaliers whose frontcourt scored 51.6 points per game) to, well, anything better.

http://www.rufusonfire.com/2013/7/26/45 ... -jefferson

Nice read. The bold & italicized portion is why I have a fair bit of optimism about this upcoming season, to the point where I believe the Bobcats could shock some folks and make the playoffs

[HornetJail]

We could seriously be anything from an 8th seed down to 14th seed this season. Can't see us out-tanking Philadelphia though.

[mrknowitall215]

We could seriously be anything from an 8th seed down to 14th seed this season. Can't see us out-tanking Philadelphia though.

I got Charlotte finishing somewhere between 6th-10th in the Eastern Conference. I just can't envision the Bobcats being worst than the Sixers, Bucks, Celtics, or Magic, and I believe they have a legitimate chance at being equal to better than the Cavaliers, Raptors, Pistons, Hawks, and Wizards. Staying on topic, a lot of this will hinge of Kemba progressing into not just a good PG, but an impactful floor general in his 3rd season in the NBA, which I believe he can become

[HornetJail]

I still think we're a step or two behind the teams you mentioned and at least a couple steps behind the Hawks. The Magic are likely to be decent as well. I really don't want to finish 9th or 10th. That would mean losing our pick and still missing the playoffs. If we get off to a good start to the season, then we should set our sights on the playoffs, but I think it's premature. I'd much rather go for a shot at one of Wiggins, Randle, Parker, Exum, Harrison, Embiid, Smart, Vonleh, Selden, etc. I think we've got the talent to contend for the playoffs, but making it is a different story, plus I don't want to lose the pick THIS year of all years.

[ball teacher]

I'm still not sold on Kemba as a point guard. Last year we were tanking and we had the philosophy of making Kemba shine through our suckiness, so we catered the offense to him with the picks which were designed to help Kemba get free looks and mismatches vs bigger slower players, now with Al and Cody we wont be running so many plays to cater to Kemba and he'll be expected to play a more traditional PG role, something he hasn't done in years. I expect Kemba's numbers to drop this season because he wont be the first option and the offense wont be based around making him the scorer, this is where Kemba's real test begins.

[lmcguir5]

I'm still not sold on Kemba as a point guard. Last year we were tanking and we had the philosophy of making Kemba shine through our suckiness, so we catered the offense to him with the picks which were designed to help Kemba get free looks and mismatches vs bigger slower players, now with Al and Cody we wont be running so many plays to cater to Kemba and he'll be expected to play a more traditional PG role, something he hasn't done in years. I expect Kemba's numbers to drop this season because he wont be the first option and the offense wont be based around making him the scorer, this is where Kemba's real test begins.

The reason you bring guys in through free agency is to make the team have balance. I hope Kemba's numbers go down out of virtue of having more offensive weapons. You act like its a bad thing that he led our team last season too. According to you its bad if his stats go down after adding guys that contribute? Kemba is 6-0, he's short for point guard in this league, what the hell else position do you expect him to play?

[Liver_Pooty]

I'm still not sold on Kemba as a point guard. Last year we were tanking and we had the philosophy of making Kemba shine through our suckiness, so we catered the offense to him with the picks which were designed to help Kemba get free looks and mismatches vs bigger slower players, now with Al and Cody we wont be running so many plays to cater to Kemba and he'll be expected to play a more traditional PG role, something he hasn't done in years. I expect Kemba's numbers to drop this season because he wont be the first option and the offense wont be based around making him the scorer, this is where Kemba's real test begins.

I can see his numbers going down, but his percentages going up if that makes sense.

[fatlever]

speaking of guys who need a thread title...

[Eoghan]

This blue-white scrimmage is making me feel better about Kemba as a point guard. He always seems to play better with some talent around him.

[ball teacher]

I'm still not sold on Kemba as a point guard. Last year we were tanking and we had the philosophy of making Kemba shine through our suckiness, so we catered the offense to him with the picks which were designed to help Kemba get free looks and mismatches vs bigger slower players, now with Al and Cody we wont be running so many plays to cater to Kemba and he'll be expected to play a more traditional PG role, something he hasn't done in years. I expect Kemba's numbers to drop this season because he wont be the first option and the offense wont be based around making him the scorer, this is where Kemba's real test begins.

The reason you bring guys in through free agency is to make the team have balance. I hope Kemba's numbers go down out of virtue of having more offensive weapons. You act like its a bad thing that he led our team last season too. According to you its bad if his stats go down after adding guys that contribute? Kemba is 6-0, he's short for point guard in this league, what the hell else position do you expect him to play?

I didnt act like anything, and I dont have a problem with a PG leading the team in scoring, but I see the Bobcats offense and his stats as flukish and I gave the reasons why. We had a coach who admittedly came in with the intention of making the offense one where Kemba would put up good numbers, if a real coach with a real coaching philosophy comes in, Kemba's role wont be the same, and him being the starting point guard he'll have traditional point guard duties that doesn't include having 30 plus picks designed to give him easy shots. And I didn't say his stats would go down as a bad thing because of the new players, I said they stats would go down because he probably wont be the first option and he wont have the same scoring role. I know Kemba is listed as 6ft, and I've been saying he's short since we drafted him which is one reason I said he'll struggle at the point, the main reason he'll strugle is because he isnt a real point guard, and thats why I said the real test will begin for Kemba now since he will have a traditional point guard role and he wont have the same offense built around helping him have good numbers like we had last year.

[HornetJail]

I'm still not sold on Kemba as a point guard. Last year we were tanking and we had the philosophy of making Kemba shine through our suckiness, so we catered the offense to him with the picks which were designed to help Kemba get free looks and mismatches vs bigger slower players, now with Al and Cody we wont be running so many plays to cater to Kemba and he'll be expected to play a more traditional PG role, something he hasn't done in years. I expect Kemba's numbers to drop this season because he wont be the first option and the offense wont be based around making him the scorer, this is where Kemba's real test begins.

I can see his numbers going down, but his percentages going up if that makes sense.

Yup.

Kemba finally has a big man to pass to, and one of the best ones in the league in Al Jefferson. Zeller is also an upgrade to any big man on last year's roster. If Kemba was able to put up 18/6 on decent percentages with only 4th big-caliber big men to pass to, I can easily see him putting up the same number of points with much better percentages (46?% up from 42%) and 2-3 more assists per game.

Any time your best offensive big is Byron Mullens (which was the case for the 1st half of the season) shooting 38% from the field, you're going to have major issues getting assists and big issues trying to find openings in the defense. This is also the case when your SF is very limited offensively. I think Jefferson will command plenty of double-teams, and MKG is extending his shooting range, so Kemba should have an easier time scoring and getting assists.

[amcoolio]

If Kemba can average nearly 6 assists last year with the worst frontcourt in NBA history, Kemba can average 8 assists this year with one of the better offensive frontcourts in the NBA.

That would put him top 5 in assists and quiet the doubters.

I could see Kemba's scoring go down but assists go up. I'm predicting 17.2 points, 8.2 assists, and 2.1 steals this season.

[Elden Payton]

I think 8 is the magic number for assists also.

[penquin11]

I expect Kemba's numbers to continue to rise, especially his assists and efficiency. Having a pick and roll game as well as an offensive post weapon will help create more space and allow him to get easier passes.

[James Gatz]

"If Only Brandon Knight Was Still Available" The Kemba Walker Thread
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[mrknowitall215]

The Kemba "EZ Pass" Walker Thread