mrpoetryNmotion wrote:2010 wrote:mrpoetryNmotion wrote:
Frank certainly has a lot to work on, and really, there are shades between his ineptitude, Knox's ineptitude, and DSJ's to a lesser extent--strictly talking mental approach.
I'm generally with you, but I don't think bringing up Fiz helps your argument because dude has been D'Antoni level bad lately.
Mitch shines on his own, really. Same with IsoZo. I can't really think of any plays or anything Fiz has done to make them excel outside of putting them on the court. Trier is a bit more mature and isn't as rattled mentally...knows what he can/cannot do and is learning what he can and cannot get away with against NBA level athletes (he's getting blocked a lot of this year but he will figure it out). Frank and definitely Knox require a little more structure and they don't have the mental game to fight through developing on their own at this level, and it shows...but they're different, still, but I won't touch on that now. DSJ is a bit maddening because the dude just seems to take stretches of the game off at times despite him being very capable and very talented when he puts it together. So not sure whether to question his conditioning, his competitive fire, etc. but something is off...
Either way, Fiz is literally the dog in the burning house. We're tanking this year though, so I'm not as perturbed as I was when we were tanking for Denver or all those other teams who had our first round picks.
DSJ is different. I think his motor issues and inconsistency with effort is tied to conditioning. Remember our entire roster passed Fiz's harsh conditioning test he learned from the Riley regime. DSJ wasn't around for that. I think the offseason program they give him along with knowing he has to pass the conditioning test for next year will show us more about him. Even Noah Vonleh said the conditioning program he bought into here has allowed him to up his game.
Back to Frank/Fiz. So what about Dotson. Does Fiz get credit for him. Cuz he doesn't have the independent style game that Mitch or Trier has that allows them to get credit on their own. Dotson went from getting jerked around early, spot-minutes and garbage time. Yet he performed every time his # was called. He even has credited Fiz for constant communication which allowed him to stay ready for his opportunities. I also see Fiz calling plays for Dotson. He doesn't create his own shot. He gets ran off screens, curl plays, down-screens, he cuts backdoor, etc.
Does Fiz get credit for Dot? And I hope you don't reply with Dot's age as a reason for why Fiz doesn't deserve the credit, cuz that'd be cheap...
I don't view players in terms of age, but mental maturity...as in, do they know basketball--do they make the right basketball play, do they know what they can do or can't do, do they know what they can do against certain defenses, do they know when/how to take what the defense is giving them.
When it comes to Dot, my personal opinion is he should have gotten more burn last year because he didn't show the same issues or seem as helpless as Frank with regards to knowing how to play basketball or feeling confident in his decision making. When Dot wasn't performing well it was because he wasn't executing--hitting shots, really. Dot brings the effort; I can't say his defense has ever been below average. I will give credit to Fiz for giving him opportunities and for getting him the consistency to establish confidence and execute. I don't give Fiz credit for developing say, Dot's basketball acumen because I feel like he had a lot of that coming in. Have you ever seen Dot try and play outside himself? Timmy's been in this league how many years and the guy is pulling his number like he was Kobe. There is a difference, and I can say that I at least clearly saw that. I hope you agree with that or find that agreeable.
I view Mitch differently, because his basketball acumen isn't as well developed as Trier's or Dot's as they came out of college programs as upperclassmen and have at least shown that they know who they are (unlike Frank and Knox). Mitch is, to his credit (and perhap's to Fiz's credit as he isn't asking him to operate/play outside of his current comfort zone/capabilty level), excelling and is displaying some awesome instincts that can't quite be taught...like blocking permiter shooters as often as he does. Mitch is refining other skills that can/should be defined by just having an opportunity and being better conditioned. His role isn't as complex right now but his confidence is growing because his physical tools are superior, in addition to that instinct I spoke about earlier. If Fiz get's Mitch to the point where he is getting comfortable hitting mid-range jumpshots, developing a semblance of a post-up game, etc... then I'd give Fiz credit for that, for developing. I feel like Mitch has been handled properly (moreso than Knox and Frank and Mudiay and Timmy, and...), though, and perhaps that deserves props in its own way.
Generally, overall, I haven't seen good development chops out of Fiz in terms of getting/helping Frank and Knox to know who they are, what they can do, etc. Right now, Frank and Knox both have those issues, in addition to just not executing--hitting shots, making the right passes, etc. Knox showed that even when he was playing well. That's where Fiz needs to step his game up, in my opinion.
Yeah, I agree on the Dot part.
But regarding Mitch, Frank, Knox (and others). Next year you will see if they have been properly developed by Fiz if/when they attempt to flesh out their game and do some of the things in NBA games that they've been working on behind the scenes. I am confident we will see even more of a jump from Mitch and Knox. But Frank? I think he is who he is. A fringe NBA player. I think he should have been a 2nd round pick tbh and definitely not a lotto pick. And I no longer believe he is a PG at all.
But Frank's time to reveal what/who he is will come next season. There will be no more excuses. If he falters again I would really question people if they are still making a laundry list of excuses and blaming any and everyone but Frank for his own failures or lack of production. I think that's fair. Cuz if he doesn't improve once his rookie deal expires he will be lucky if he is still in the league.
RIP mags
