Bernman wrote:Thanks for the insight guys. Helps for perspective and realistic hope for improvement.
The problems started before either Cavs' game. All season he's been having significant problems jumping for and securing rebounds without dropping them, stepping out and even jumping a little on help d, missing bunnies, and was lumbering.
I'd live with the couple bunnies missed. He had a ts% of 57 his first two years and was at 59+ from what I saw without Drummond last year. Hard to argue with that's not a positive, in conjunction with good volume.
11 rebounds per 36 as a sophomore and 13 last year without Drummond certainly sounds impressive. But can lack the context of stamina or if it's partially a product of otherwise atrocious rebounding if you're playing 1 in and 4 out.
I think his team defense #'s were actually decent too at center. Once again, context. And I wasn't ever expecting a defensive asset or even necessarily an average defender. But the extent to which he's been a liability is disappointing, not stepping out hard enough to reroute the defender, jumping a little when he was in position, or d'ing up in the post either. The only area he's been good enough is pick and roll.
Always felt it was a horrible idea to have a lineup that only had 1-2 outside shooters around him, even if the big could shoot a mid-range unlike in Detroit. Still way too much congestion for a methodical operator. That's one thing we can change to make him more effective, flip MCW at least for a player who can facilitate, defend, and shoot.
For rebounding and defense, I guess hope he either gets healthier from whatever nagged him beginning the season, or get in better shape. He's 25. His body shouldn't all of a sudden break down.
It would drive me nuts ,especialy at the end of games,where he would either get stripped or just fumble a pass or rebound,I remember butter fingers being thrown around in some of the game threads.But usually it only happend under pressure,at the end of close games stuff like that.
This might be something to consider also.Maybe now that he got his money,he just has slacked off. If you would of asked anyone around here if he would be that kind of player,most would of said probably not,but you never know..I really wouldnt start to worry about that tho until the end of the season.I hope he works out for you guys.
