Let's Eat Some Crow Regarding Tony Snell

[#1TKfan]

Never said anything about Snell but I had by thoughts. I thought he was D-league material at best. Now, I want to try the play Snell sit Hinrich experiment.

[Mr. Tibbs]

Please accept my horrible attempts at photoshop Tony

[RebuildaBulls]

We know Snell wont be scoring 20 often, but what I do expect is hard defense and 1-3 threes a game, that is enough this season to make a huge impact from him

[musiqsoulchild]

Been a long proponent of Tony Snell since I watched him play with the Lobos. Was always glad we drafted him.

The question always becomes whether or not the environment would be conducive to get him to maximize his abilities. Playing for Thibs takes a strong fortitude, but I am a believer in Tom's ability to prepare young guys with his tough love. It has made Jimmy into a stronger player and consequently, Tony and most likely McDermott.

Now, can Tony sustain this ascent? Unlikely. Players get hot and fizzle (Mirotic). What I think the perspective should be at this juncture is that Hinrich should be eliminated from the rotation except for some small defensive minutes here and there. Tony is just a much better overall player and has proven that he deserves those minutes.

I think most of us can deal with the rotation of Rose, Butler, Dunleavy, Snell, and Brooks with Nikola getting some time now and again. At this juncture, that is our best route to continued success assuming MDJ can stay healthy.

Ladies and Gentlemen....Tony Snell has gotten Wookie to break radio silence.

[NDave79]

I'm excited about what Snell has been doing lately. I definitely never gave up on Snell, but admit to becoming skeptical if he had the mental fortitude to break through in the NBA and be able to utilize his nice package of physical abilities and skills. IMO, Tony will never become a star, but he does have a chance to become above average in almost every aspect of the game for a 2 guard. He seems to have potential as a defender, ball handler, shooter, finisher, passer, and running pick and rolls (I don't think he'll ever be a prolific rebounder). He seems like a humble kid with a good work ethic. I'm really happy for him to be having this kind of success lately.

One thing I noticed, is that it seems like he can play huge minutes with no noticeable signs of fatigue. I think it has to do with his body type and playstyle, but in any case, I'm impressed with his conditioning considering he played so little earlier this season.

[NDave79]

I officially withdraw my prediction

...eventually he'll work himself into a winning situation with another team...

Snell is going to STAY a Bull!
And my appologies to Gar/Pax and Thibs, they are f***ng geniuses!!!

From the "Tony Snell: Zero Points in Last 14 Games... STREAK'S OVER!" thread.

When it was reported that the Bulls had a high interest in Snell after his performance at the Draft Combine, I went and searched for info on him, and there was not much to find.

However, it was very clear that he is a tremendously talented player with a high BB IQ (some coaches have used him as a PG). But like Butler, he did not play his natural position in college and therefore he had to go through an adjustment period after moving to SG in the NBA.

The Bulls desperately needed 3P shooting when he was drafted, and that has been the focus of his game. But we now have MD2, Kirk, Brooks and an improved Rose and Butler. So, Snell's value to the team has been reduced to the role of designated defender.

Something that was very much talked about during both of Snell's Summer Leagues were his huge wingspan and his fast closeouts on defense. I also noticed that, during the preseason, Thibs used Snell to guard LeBron when we played against Cleveland.

Thibs' standard position has always been "We have more than enough on offense." and (for a change) this year he's more than right. So, Snell's 3P shooting is NOT really needed and his focus on offense has changed to avoiding mistakes and TOs.

However, Snell's skills sets on both offense and defense are above average for a young player at the beginning of his 2nd year in the league, and playing a new position.

And MHO and position on Snell's future in the NBA has not changed at all.

Didn't go through this whole thread...

But if you want to compare Snell to an ex-Bull, then it would be James Johnson.

JJ is a very talented player but not a starter in the NBA, but he will probably play in the NBA until he is over 30. However, the Bulls were simply not the right situation for him.

He needed playing time, experience and a chance to work in a system where he fit.

Snell needs the same thing.

Afterward he will prove that he belongs in the NBA (but not as a starter) and eventually he'll work himself into a winning situation with another team.

Note: The reason that Gar/Pax extended his contract is because there was a lot of interest in him after the Summer League. So, his value to the Bulls is as a trading chip.

IMO, Snell and James Johnson, while similar in that they both showed in the past and currently an intriguing combination of physical abilities and skills, ultimately have different achilles heals that have made it difficult for them to breakthrough in the NBA. To make a Wizard of Oz analogy I see Snell as the Cowardly Lion (needing courage) and James Johnson as the Scarecrow (needing a brain). To complete the analogy, Eddy Curry and Tyrus Thomas are the Tin Woodman needing a heart and Kirk is naturally Dorothy coming from KU and just being a nice, little guy.

I think Snell is a high IQ player that is naturally just extremely passive and not very confident in himself (for NBA standards), whereas James Johnson always seemed to be plenty confident (sometimes maybe a little to confident), but just not a very smart player.

[WookieOnRitalin]

Ladies and Gentlemen....Tony Snell has gotten Wookie to break radio silence.

I have been here and I will always be here.

[KeithBoothfan]

I've always thought Snell looked like a potentially decent NBA player who struggled with assertiveness and confidence, and a lot of his mistakes and weaknesses were borne out of that - thinking to much, hesitating, playing not to make a mistake rather than to make a play. And this indecisiveness spilled over into his shooting struggles.

I was never as down on him as others got, but wondered if he was too passive to seize a role and run with it. Hopefully he's figuring out how to do that now and has the confidence he needs with this run of good games, but we'll see. He hasn't been playing well for very long yet, and I almost wish the All-Star game wasn't happening right now, with respect to him at least. I hope he keeps it going.

[BullsFTW]

Anyone know what his PER over the last 10 games?

Using a shortcut formula (Linear Weights PER), 14.1 should be close.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/113144-cracking-the-code-how-to-calculate-hollingers-per-without-all-the-mess

As for crow-eating, I haven't been a big-time Snell-basher, but then again, I'm not much of a basher. This said, I'll confess to having started my own personal "give-up" process on Snell.

The Bulls badly need one of Snell or McDermott to be a functional NBA player this season. Coming into the season, both were in play. Then for a long time, it seemed that neither were. Now the road is clear for Snell.

Go get 'em, kid.

It doesn't look like McDermott will be a rotational player this season.

But next year will be his turn to shine. I see McDermott as the starter next to Butler, with Snell as the valuable third wing.

[BoocheeMan1117]

And some people were still bitching about not getting THJR.

He's even a more inefficient chucker than his teammate Melo

[Leto]

I've always been in Tony's camp. I think he can be a good shooter--which is what we need. But more than that, he understands how to move the ball and himself. He can make spot up jumpers or take it to the basket and finish in a variety of ways. But what I thought was most important at the start of the season was just to get him minutes on the floor because we were going to need him or Doug to play well this year. I felt it would be Tony because he's just got better defensive tools than Doug and a year under his belt.

Having said that, I love Tony's floor game. Even when he isn't scoring, he plays good defense, moves the ball, moves himself, stays engaged and tries to make the right plays. Keep improving, Tony. We need you to play well.

[Bully6789]

Maybe you would not have had to yak on tony if he had been given minutes worth anything. Your attention should have been towards thibs who played him so crazy that it could lead to inconsistency in not only tony's game but any player. I think you need to take that we out of us taking a moment and enjoying a young players progress. Its you that had the issues with tony's game

[BeatDaCavs420]

Well it was a nice run Tony

But Kirk is healthy

[coldfish]

Maybe you would not have had to yak on tony if he had been given minutes worth anything. Your attention should have been towards thibs who played him so crazy that it could lead to inconsistency in not only tony's game but any player. I think you need to take that we out of us taking a moment and enjoying a young players progress. Its you that had the issues with tony's game

I know I am restating what I have said countless times but I'm not going to let this narrative hold. Last year and early this year, Snell was a truly awful NBA player. Even when he got a lot of run, he sucked. He was way too passive and he had no clue where to be on offense or defense. Couldn't even set his feet properly for a shot. If he was afraid to make mistakes due to minutes, why the hell did he make a mistake almost every possession he was on the court?

Sometime around the first of the year, it clicked in for him. He started understanding what he was supposed to do and when. He got calmer on his shots and more aggressive while doing the right thing on both sides of the court. Thibs didn't handle him wrong. Quite the contrary. Thibs seems to have turned a complete bust into a competent NBA player. Snell deserves a lot of credit too for working on his body in the offseason and his mind this season.

I'll also state the counter example. Tim Hardaway Jr. Last year, he was much better than Snell. Everyone wanted him and lamented the fact that the Bulls didn't draft him. He was given a steady 23.1mpg last year and 23.2mpg this year. Despite that, Hardaway hasn't improved at all though and right now, is an inferior player to Snell. Young player development is not a given and minutes has very little to do with it (not zero to do with it, just very, very little).

[kyosuke]

Maybe you would not have had to yak on tony if he had been given minutes worth anything. Your attention should have been towards thibs who played him so crazy that it could lead to inconsistency in not only tony's game but any player. I think you need to take that we out of us taking a moment and enjoying a young players progress. Its you that had the issues with tony's game

I know I am restating what I have said countless times but I'm not going to let this narrative hold. Last year and early this year, Snell was a truly awful NBA player. Even when he got a lot of run, he sucked. He was way too passive and he had no clue where to be on offense or defense. Couldn't even set his feet properly for a shot. If he was afraid to make mistakes due to minutes, why the hell did he make a mistake almost every possession he was on the court?

Sometime around the first of the year, it clicked in for him. He started understanding what he was supposed to do and when. He got calmer on his shots and more aggressive while doing the right thing on both sides of the court. Thibs didn't handle him wrong. Quite the contrary. Thibs seems to have turned a complete bust into a competent NBA player. Snell deserves a lot of credit too for working on his body in the offseason and his mind this season.

I'll also state the counter example. Tim Hardaway Jr. Last year, he was much better than Snell. Everyone wanted him and lamented the fact that the Bulls didn't draft him. He was given a steady 23.1mpg last year and 23.2mpg this year. Despite that, Hardaway hasn't improved at all though and right now, is an inferior player to Snell. Young player development is not a given and minutes has very little to do with it (not zero to do with it, just very, very little).

Shh, you're not supposed to say Thibs is good at developing young players.
All young players drafted by Bulls developed into good players in spite of Thibs incompetence.

[chrispatrick]

And some people were still bitching about not getting THJR.

He's even a more inefficient chucker than his teammate Melo

Not a Melo fan by any means, quite the opposite in fact, but he's not inefficient... nor has he ever been inefficient as a scorer. We can only hope Snell could ever score with his efficiency (or that Rose could for that matter). The problem with Melo is he's a ball stopper who doesn't give you much else other than scoring... oh, and the knee.