Big Al's Paint: The Al Jefferson Thread

Liver_Pooty · Post #1581 » by **Liver_Pooty** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 4:22 am

Fantastic video. That ball fake with the up and under is completely unstoppable. Im pumped for this season.

Post #1582 » by **JDR720** » Thu Oct 2, 2014 7:13 pm

Hornets Spotlight - Al Jefferson
http://www.nba.com/hornets/hornets-spot ... -jefferson

mrknowitall215 · Post #1583 » by **mrknowitall215** » Thu Oct 2, 2014 7:20 pm

I'm obliged to be going into this season without hearing or reading into anything regarding Al Jefferson's foot injury that he suffered in the postseason. I was almost for certain that it would've lingered a little bit into the beginning of training camp, but I haven't heard a peep about it so I'm guessing he's 100% healthy and that's great for us

Post #1584 » by **yosemiteben** » Thu Oct 2, 2014 7:24 pm

I'm with you MKIA. The FO, coaching staff and Al himself have all said he's 100% with no pain. Hopefully he stays that way.

HornetJail · Post #1585 » by **HornetJail** » Thu Oct 2, 2014 7:31 pm

He said he was fine a few weeks after the playoffs ended. No question he's healthy now, just hope he stays that way.

LofJ · Post #1586 » by **LofJ** » Thu Oct 2, 2014 7:39 pm

We have one of the more capable backup centers in the league, we'd be dumb to not take advantage of that. I'd sub Al out whenever one of Lance or MKG leaves the floor and bring in Biyombo.

Post #1587 » by **JDR720** » Thu Oct 2, 2014 7:42 pm

I'd try and keep Al's minutes down to around 30-32mpg this season when he isn't destroying people in the post.

Post #1588 » by **JDR720** » Thu Oct 2, 2014 8:39 pm

Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson feels a bit insulted this preseason, and coach Steve Clifford is good with that.

Jefferson and Clifford talked before the start of training camp about Jefferson’s goals. Jefferson said he’s sick of opposing teams targeting his pick-and-roll defense, and he has to do something about that.

“I refuse to continue getting picked on at the end of games. It’s not fun,” Jefferson said following morning practice Wednesday at UNC Asheville. “Last year at the end of games teams always put me in high pick-and-rolls. I got sick of them thinking that was to their advantage, and it was to their advantage.”

The Hornets are no more paying Jefferson for his defense than they pay Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to be a jump shooter. But this isn’t baseball, where Jefferson could be a designated hitter and avoid playing defense. His gift is low-post scoring – he averaged 21.8 points per game last season – and he’s no longer willing to accept being a liability at the defensive end.

Clifford found it appealing that Jefferson brought up the subject of his defensive flaws, rather than the coaches having to raise the issue.

“He’s working hard. His attitude is great. I sense more of a hunger than any kind of complacency,” Clifford said. “He sees what the possibilities are for the group. He’s competitive and wants to win.”

That word “complacency” comes up often in Clifford’s public statements. He likes the Hornets’ approach this preseason, but he’s always wary of any player becoming satisfied too easily.

“Every year you have to take each player’s temperature,” Clifford said. “Regardless of what your profession is, it’s just human nature. It’s hard to keep yourself at this level. These guys are no different.”

Jefferson could get away with being satisfied after earning third-team All-NBA honors last season. But the way it worked out in the playoffs, with Jefferson hobbled by a torn plantar fascia in his left foot and the then-Bobcats being swept by the Miami Heat, created an edge to the offseason.

“We all left with a bad taste in our mouths,” Jefferson said. “I feel like without that injury we would have won a couple of (playoff) games and had a chance to win the series. If we’d won Game 2, we would have come back to Charlotte tied 1-1 and who knows what might have happened.”

Jefferson’s pain was so severe that Clifford finally sat him for Game 4.

“Coach and everyone was telling me to sit out,” Jefferson said. “We knew that was the beginning of the end, that this was a wrap.”

Things went back on the upswing over the summer when the Hornets signed free agents Lance Stephenson, Marvin Williams and Brian Roberts. Jefferson was elated to get the help, which might reduce the number of double-teams sent his way this season.

“The front office and MJ (owner Michael Jordan), they did their job. They got the weapons we need and now we’ve got to put it all together,” Jefferson said. “We’ve got the best coach in the world to help us do it.”

Jefferson can keep that coach happy by improving defensively.

“There’s a reason (teams pick on his defense) – I’d pick on me too,” Jefferson said. “So I want to take the challenge to get better at that so it’s not an option they always go to. And they do go to it, so I’m culpable.”

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/1 ... rylink=cpy

mrknowitall215 · Post #1589 » by **mrknowitall215** » Tue Oct 21, 2014 6:55 pm

[tweet]https://twitter.com/rick_bonnell/status/524624615558369280[/tweet]

This concerns me whereas it almost mirrors last season's slow start from Jefferson. I was hoping we'd get mid-to-late season Jefferson out the gate to get a hot start at the top of the standings

Post #1590 » by **yosemiteben** » Tue Oct 21, 2014 6:58 pm

Aw hell, not what I wanted to hear.

Post #1591 » by **JDR720** » Tue Oct 21, 2014 9:26 pm

Al working on that athletic ability
YouTube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za6B9UPtM3U[/YouTube]

catch20two · Post #1592 » by **catch20two** » Tue Oct 21, 2014 11:19 pm

Big Al might want to practice a diet. I know the same thing happen to my lingering ankle injury when I start eating crazy for a couple of weeks without hitting the gym. When I try to get back in shape I always get soreness in that ankle from being slightly overweight.

HornetJail · Post #1593 » by **HornetJail** » Tue Oct 21, 2014 11:29 pm

Al's at probably 290 right now? He'd still have a big size advantage over the vast majority of defenders if he slimmed down to like 275 or something.

It would probably help him defensively as well.

He probably loses too much of his size advantage if he slims down to Boston form though.

Braggins · Post #1594 » by **Braggins** » Wed Oct 22, 2014 1:02 am

Al clearly could stand to lose some weight which would make him more durable and probably at least slightly improve his defense. Considering how dedicated and hard working he seems it is kind of hard for me to understand why he hasn't already been doing this. If he cut 20 pounds and we limited his minutes to around 32 a game that could go a long way to help solving or at least mitigating his weaknesses (durability and defense).

TheKingofSting · Post #1595 » by **TheKingofSting** » Wed Oct 22, 2014 2:08 am

Al looked sort of slim in Biz's pic.

catch20two · Post #1596 » by **catch20two** » Wed Oct 22, 2014 2:36 am

TheKingofSting wrote:Al looked sort of slim in Biz's pic.

That's young Big Al when he was a PF.

TheKingofSting · Post #1597 » by **TheKingofSting** » Wed Oct 22, 2014 2:41 am

He needs to go on a LeBron diet and get back to that!

catch20two · Post #1598 » by **catch20two** » Wed Oct 22, 2014 2:59 am

TheKingofSting wrote:He needs to go on a LeBron diet and get back to that!

If he did then maybe Cliff might consider playing him at PF and Biz at C on the floor together. Such a farfetched fantasy tho.

Post #1599 » by **yosemiteben** » Wed Oct 22, 2014 4:55 am

catch20two wrote:
TheKingofSting wrote:He needs to go on a LeBron diet and get back to that!

If he did then maybe Cliff might consider playing him at PF and Biz at C on the floor together. Such a farfetched fantasy tho.

Yeah maybe then we'd have a top tier defense.

Post #1600 » by **JDR720** » Thu Oct 23, 2014 5:41 pm

Al is 22 in ESPN rank