Nene

[tontoz]

I think Nene's constant whining to the refs isn't helping him get calls. He was doing the same thing in Denver apparently. I would imagine the refs are not fond of him.

[stevemcqueen1]

I think Nene gets jobbed all the time when he takes it inside.

1.) He's Brazilian and complains to the refs a lot. I bet they subconsciously punish him for it.
2.) He's so big, most big guys get shafted on calls because they're strong and the refs don't think they're getting hit that hard.

He does take it hard to the rim. He's crafty and has a very fast first few steps plus he's strong and hard to keep from getting to his spots.

I don't think Nene had the green light to create his own shot in Denver like he does here. When he got here, we needed him to be one of our top options. And he is still our only other player aside from Wall that can consistently create his own looks.

[GhostsOfGil]

Good posts by all. One other thought - If Nene were getting the calls he should be getting (and I think he's the 1 guy on the Wiz that has a legitimate complaint), how would that have effected his efficiency and production numbers? Maybe it doesn't matter - because well... he hasn't gotten them, so it is what it is. But if that turns around for him and he starts getting those calls, it'll be interesting to see if his numbers improve.

Hmm. Well despite playing more of face up game, he's still averaging 6.5 FTA per 36 minutes. 1 above his career average.

Because he takes it to the hoop hard on a regular basis - which I don't think he did much of in Denver - on teams generally full of ball-hogs. You watch the games - Do you think he shouldn't be getting significantly more FT's this season - say... 2 or 3 more attempts per 36 minutes?

I do agree with you there but I don't expect a sudden change in how they officiate him. And to be honest I dont think more FT attempts would raise his efficiency since he's such a poor FT shooter. I wish basketball reference kept their shot distribution stats. I'm sure it would shed some insight on this.

[Ruzious]

I think Nene's constant whining to the refs isn't helping him get calls. He was doing the same thing in Denver apparently. I would imagine the refs are not fond of him.

Fouls are fouls. If the officials are pros, they do their jobs and call fouls regardless of liking or disliking a player.

And I doubt Nene is any worse about whining than the average player who tends to draw a lot of contact. Most stars are big whiners and still get calls.

[tontoz]

I think Nene's constant whining to the refs isn't helping him get calls. He was doing the same thing in Denver apparently. I would imagine the refs are not fond of him.

Fouls are fouls. If the officials are pros, they do their jobs and call fouls regardless of liking or disliking a player.

And I doubt Nene is any worse about whining than the average player who tends to draw a lot of contact. Most stars are big whiners and still get calls.

I think we know better than that. If officials were pros they wouldn't constantly fall for flops or give blatant preferential treatment to star players.

Nene is one of the biggest whiners i have ever seen. I am struggling to come up with someone who whines as much as he does.

[Nivek]

I know this is a minority opinion, but the officials ARE pros. I think they do a good job for the most part. Basketball is a tough game to officiate. When you're out there on the floor looking at live action, it's sometimes difficult to determine why a guy abruptly falls to the ground. Humans are cause-and-effect -- if two guys are close to each other and one suddenly goes sprawling, the natural assumption is that he got pushed or hit.

I've actually started to think, though, that one way to improve the officiating might be to get them off the floor completely. Have a couple guys out there to manage the mechanics of free throws, inbounds plays, break up fights, etc., but have the calls made by 2-3 refs watching the game on HD monitors. Just have them hit a button if they see a foul and relay the call to the official scorer, who would announce the call. An additional upside would be a distinct reduction in whining and histrionics. Maybe provide the coaches with some mechanism to get a conference with the refs if they think they're applying a rule incorrectly. Fans at home watching on TV often have a better view of the action than the refs. Sometimes they can't...umm...see the forest for the trees.

As for the excellent Nenê discussion -- it is clear there's been a dip in his production. I think there are two contributing factors, both of which have been mentioned: physical decline (age and/or injury) and a bigger role. Nenê would not be the first guy to be less efficient when he shifts to a higher usage rate.

His shot mix has changed in Washington. In Denver, most of his shots were from near the rim. His final season there, roughly two-thirds of his FGA were from inside 5 feet. At the same time, Nenê's conversion rate inside 5ft has declined as well:

Code: Select all

Ins5ft  FG%
2013-14 .600
2012-13 .631
2011-12 .631
2010-11 .678


So, why would his inside FG% drop? On a quick glance at the “athleticism” categories, the only place where he’s down this season is rebounding. Steals and blocks are consistent with career norms. His fouling is about the same as career norms, which suggests he’s not getting overwhelmed physically. But, that inside FG% and the drop in individual rebounding could be early signs of a dip in his athleticism, or could be a symptom of him playing in pain.

I don't think the issue is scheme as much as role. In Denver, Nenê got most of his shots inside because he didn't have to do much else. Other guys would shoot from the outside or pass to him if he had position near the basket. In DC, he's being asked to do more. That means he can't just take whatever he can get from around the rim -- he has to take some tougher shots too. His FGA and assists are at career high levels. His turnovers spiked last season, but are back down to career norms. If his FT% was at his career average, he'd have 7-8 additional points. Not much of a difference.

[Ruzious]

I think Nene's constant whining to the refs isn't helping him get calls. He was doing the same thing in Denver apparently. I would imagine the refs are not fond of him.

Fouls are fouls. If the officials are pros, they do their jobs and call fouls regardless of liking or disliking a player.

And I doubt Nene is any worse about whining than the average player who tends to draw a lot of contact. Most stars are big whiners and still get calls.

I think we know better than that. If officials were pros they wouldn't constantly fall for flops or give blatant preferential treatment to star players.

Nene is one of the biggest whiners i have ever seen. I am struggling to come up with someone who whines as much as he does.

To me, a real whiner is someone who whines about something the officials got right. Do you see Nene doing that?

[tontoz]

To me, a real whiner is someone who whines about something the officials got right. Do you see Nene doing that?

Nene whines all the time. The refs aren't going to be wrong every time down the court.

Nene has no hops so he frequently just drives into guys bodies hoping the refs will bail him out. He expects star treatment even though he isn't a star. Any time he misses a shot inside he will whine to the refs whether anyone fouls him or not.

[tontoz]

Just looked at his shot chart at nba.com.

http://stats.nba.com/playerShotchart.html?PlayerID=2403

Nene is shooting about 46% on jumpers outside 8 feet which will be a career best if it holds up.

[Ruzious]

To me, a real whiner is someone who whines about something the officials got right. Do you see Nene doing that?

Nene whines all the time. The refs aren't going to be wrong every time down the court.

Nene has no hops so he frequently just drives into guys bodies hoping the refs will bail him out. He expects star treatment even though he isn't a star. Any time he misses a shot inside he will whine to the refs whether anyone fouls him or not.

Well, all I can say to that is we obviously don't see the same things.

[fishercob]

I sort of hate Nene and think he's a chump. Does that make me a bad person?

[hands11]

Man Nene is robbed by the refs.

[fishercob]

Maybe he'd earn the benefit of the doubt if he didn't whine like a b*tch after every whistle.

[miller31time]

Maybe he'd earn the benefit of the doubt if he didn't whine like a b*tch after every whistle.

Agreed. You can tell the refs weren't going to give him anything after the tech today. And for good reason - he's not a joy to officiate.

[stevemcqueen1]

It doesn't matter what the refs think about him personally. The refs need to call the game fair. They **** Nene over as much as anyone in the league.

Gets fouled on a shot then gets a hard elbow. Stares at a ref. Then gets called for a technical. Those refs can eat a dick.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

I sort of hate Nene and think he's a chump. Does that make me a bad person?

Nenephobia.

It's a common response to repeated observations of line drive free throws off the back iron, a turrets like glare and whining utterance after each shot, and an obsessive focus on a hairband

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Now it would make you a bad person if you told him to grow a pair.

[Nivek]

I sort of hate Nene and think he's a chump. Does that make me a bad person?

No, it's more of a symptom than a cause.

[stevemcqueen1]

I sort of hate Nene and think he's a chump. Does that make me a bad person?

No, it's more of a symptom than a cause.

It took me a minute to get that. A clever barb.

[hands11]

Nene made a couple really sweet spin moves for power dunks last night. He is looking lighter on his feet then I have seen in a while. He seems to have gotten over the hump from the day to day struggles he was having. I haven't heard any official reports saying that, but you can see it. He just has a lot more energy and doesn't move like he is half injured.

This is the best shape I have seen him in, in a long while. Dude is a tank. So strong. And he has great hands on defense. Just takes the ball from people sometimes. He is quick with his feet and hands for such a big dude.

I also noticed he didn't complain to the refs as much last night. Kind of just bit his lip a lot.

8-15, 8 rbs, 2 assists, 1 block and 18 pts in 33 mins.

We done Sr Nene. Well done.



I'm not in the ship Nene out of town camp. He is to valuable to this team. He is an anchor in the post. And he isn't really over paid for what he brings to the team. Maybe 1M high. Maybe. Maybe 1M low.

Now if someone can just get through to him to change his FT shooting so he isn't line drive pushing the ball at the rim, but instead lofting it into the rim, he could be even better. He has been a over .700 from the line player several year in the past. I want to see him lock down and focus on getting to .740 He is a pro. Get it done Nene.

Count me as a Nene fan.