khans2k5 wrote:I don't think you can go into next year and just give Towns the starting 4 spot. He's only interchangeable if the matchups allow it otherwise he'll get torched against small ball 4's and quicker 4's like Griffin, AD, etc. I think you have to draft him as your C and you can get away with him playing some 4 when the matchup allows it. I don't think you can fight the small ball and quicker 4's with Towns' size because he'd have to always post that guy up to take advantage and now you have two guys in the post with Ricky and no space to operate inside the arc. Defensively he loses his best asset as well by being pulled away from the basket and not being in position to play help defense and protect the rim. We'd be better off if we took him to play 5 only and use his unproven mid-range game and our stretch 4's to just leave everything open inside 15 ft for Wiggins and Lavine to take advantage.
Agree 100% Khans. Why draft someone with the plan of moving them out of their natural position? He could play some 4, may even eventually be able to defend some of the elite 4s in the game. But the way things are headed in the nba, targeting him as a 4 would seem strange. But maybe unconventional could work too. Teams are almost going to far with the point forwards and the small ball. There is a niche for bruising guys inside. Memphis has shown that the last few years when they are on their game.
Camden0916 wrote:Towns struggled mightily on Kaminsky? We must have watched a different basketball game. Most of Frank's damage came against switches on P&R action and he got some buckets on WCS. Towns didn't even guard him that much as I believe he was on Hayes for the majority of the game.
Frank hit a P&P three on him where Karl was a step late to contest. That's the one I remember being upset with Karl, but other than that he contained his perimeter drives and did a good job battling in the post. "Struggled mightily" he did not.
I'm still miffed as to why UK did so much switching on defense, even after WIS showed they were capable of taking advantage of it (Kaminsky and Dekker ate on switches).
Meh. Just because he didn't take many jumpers in college doesn't mean he doesn't have one. He has NBA three-point range it's just a matter of it being asked of him.
That's fucking ridiculous to say. He does not have NBA range and there is literally zero evidence to support that statement. He has to prove he even has a mid-range jumper before he is already marked down for an NBA 3pt jumper. Also the first two touches for Kaminsky were a 3 pointer Towns lost him on and a drive right past Towns for a bucket and Towns got yanked off Kaminsky for most of the rest of the game.
khans2k5 wrote:I don't think you can go into next year and just give Towns the starting 4 spot. He's only interchangeable if the matchups allow it otherwise he'll get torched against small ball 4's and quicker 4's like Griffin, AD, etc. I think you have to draft him as your C and you can get away with him playing some 4 when the matchup allows it. I don't think you can fight the small ball and quicker 4's with Towns' size because he'd have to always post that guy up to take advantage and now you have two guys in the post with Ricky and no space to operate inside the arc. Defensively he loses his best asset as well by being pulled away from the basket and not being in position to play help defense and protect the rim. We'd be better off if we took him to play 5 only and use his unproven mid-range game and our stretch 4's to just leave everything open inside 15 ft for Wiggins and Lavine to take advantage.
Agree 100% Khans. Why draft someone with the plan of moving them out of their natural position? He could play some 4, may even eventually be able to defend some of the elite 4s in the game. But the way things are headed in the nba, targeting him as a 4 would seem strange. But maybe unconventional could work too. Teams are almost going to far with the point forwards and the small ball. There is a niche for bruising guys inside. Memphis has shown that the last few years when they are on their game.
The game is going to point forwards and stretch fours because teams are understanding how much the extra spacing helps offenses run efficiently. Less clutter in the paint to protect the rim and more efficient shots on the perimeter. The best offense and defense in the league belonged to the Warriors who were the poster team for floor spacing and mobile 4's who could help on defense.
Yeah saying Towns has NBA three point range is ridiculous. He may develop that, but he hasn't shown the ability to nail 3 pointers or many mid range jumpers in college. I find it odd that Towns get so much skills projected on him that he hasn't shown yet. Cam isn't the only one projecting lofty things on Towns that he hasn't shown. It's widespread. Towns has ability to stand on his own. Let's not give him abilities he hasn't shown in game yet.
khans2k5 wrote:I don't think you can go into next year and just give Towns the starting 4 spot. He's only interchangeable if the matchups allow it otherwise he'll get torched against small ball 4's and quicker 4's like Griffin, AD, etc. I think you have to draft him as your C and you can get away with him playing some 4 when the matchup allows it. I don't think you can fight the small ball and quicker 4's with Towns' size because he'd have to always post that guy up to take advantage and now you have two guys in the post with Ricky and no space to operate inside the arc. Defensively he loses his best asset as well by being pulled away from the basket and not being in position to play help defense and protect the rim. We'd be better off if we took him to play 5 only and use his unproven mid-range game and our stretch 4's to just leave everything open inside 15 ft for Wiggins and Lavine to take advantage.
Agree 100% Khans. Why draft someone with the plan of moving them out of their natural position? He could play some 4, may even eventually be able to defend some of the elite 4s in the game. But the way things are headed in the nba, targeting him as a 4 would seem strange. But maybe unconventional could work too. Teams are almost going to far with the point forwards and the small ball. There is a niche for bruising guys inside. Memphis has shown that the last few years when they are on their game.
The game is going to point forwards and stretch fours because teams are understanding how much the extra spacing helps offenses run efficiently. Less clutter in the paint to protect the rim and more efficient shots on the perimeter. The best offense and defense in the league belonged to the Warriors who were the poster team for floor spacing and mobile 4's who could help on defense.
I'm not ready to say that it should be a model for all teams though. It works for the warriors because of their unique talent. Also what works in the regular season often doesn't always translate to the playoffs. My hats off to the Warriors for their remarkable regular season. Basketball will always be a game of matchups, so when all teams trend one way (spreading the floor) there will naturally be areas to exploit (owning the paint), especially when all teams won't be able to do it as well as GS because curry and many of their players are so unique.
Uh, Cam kind of knows what he's talking about with Towns. Big men like him, much less the vast majority of college freshmen, simply don't hit 80%+ of their foul shots without a natural touch and nice shooting motion. FT% has shown to be a predictive characteristic, at times, of 3-point shooting ability. I would absolutely not rule that out eventually. Plus he showed it as a prep player.
I think Calipari realized that Towns was bigger than 99% of his college competition so he pretty much disallowed him from jacking up jump shots. That doesn't mean he doesn't have it in his repertoire.
khans2k5 wrote:I don't think you can go into next year and just give Towns the starting 4 spot. He's only interchangeable if the matchups allow it otherwise he'll get torched against small ball 4's and quicker 4's like Griffin, AD, etc. I think you have to draft him as your C and you can get away with him playing some 4 when the matchup allows it. I don't think you can fight the small ball and quicker 4's with Towns' size because he'd have to always post that guy up to take advantage and now you have two guys in the post with Ricky and no space to operate inside the arc. Defensively he loses his best asset as well by being pulled away from the basket and not being in position to play help defense and protect the rim. We'd be better off if we took him to play 5 only and use his unproven mid-range game and our stretch 4's to just leave everything open inside 15 ft for Wiggins and Lavine to take advantage.
Agree 100% Khans. Why draft someone with the plan of moving them out of their natural position? He could play some 4, may even eventually be able to defend some of the elite 4s in the game. But the way things are headed in the nba, targeting him as a 4 would seem strange. But maybe unconventional could work too. Teams are almost going to far with the point forwards and the small ball. There is a niche for bruising guys inside. Memphis has shown that the last few years when they are on their game.
The game is going to point forwards and stretch fours because teams are understanding how much the extra spacing helps offenses run efficiently. Less clutter in the paint to protect the rim and more efficient shots on the perimeter. The best offense and defense in the league belonged to the Warriors who were the poster team for floor spacing and mobile 4's who could help on defense.
I'm not ready to say that it should be a model for all teams though. It works for the warriors because of their unique talent. Also what works in the regular season often doesn't always translate to the playoffs. My hats off to the Warriors for their remarkable regular season. Basketball will always be a game of matchups, so when all teams trend one way (spreading the floor) there will naturally be areas to exploit (owning the paint), especially when all teams won't be able to do it as well as GS because curry and many of their players are so unique.
I agree with you. I'll just add that having a PG like Ricky makes us need a stretch 4 that much more because Ricky doesn't stretch the floor at all. He is at his best in the PnR where he can dish to multiple options either to the roll man or to shooters on the perimeter. The Warriors are elite with 4 good perimeter shooters on the floor at all times. With a post 4 and Ricky we'd only have 2. I think we should shoot for at least 3 on the court at all times.
Q12543 wrote:Uh, Cam kind of knows what he's talking about with Towns. Big men like him, much less the vast majority of college freshmen, simply don't hit 80%+ of their foul shots without a natural touch and nice shooting motion. FT% has shown to be a predictive characteristic, at times, of 3-point shooting ability. I would absolutely not rule that out eventually. Plus he showed it as a prep player.
I think Calipari realized that Towns was bigger than 99% of his college competition so he pretty much disallowed him from jacking up jump shots. That doesn't mean he doesn't have it in his repertoire.
It doesn't mean he has it and it doesn't mean he doesn't. Until he consistently shows it we can't assume he has it. Now the free throw percentage gives you hope that he will develop a great mid range game.
Q12543 wrote:Uh, Cam kind of knows what he's talking about with Towns. Big men like him, much less the vast majority of college freshmen, simply don't hit 80%+ of their foul shots without a natural touch and nice shooting motion. FT% has shown to be a predictive characteristic, at times, of 3-point shooting ability. I would absolutely not rule that out eventually. Plus he showed it as a prep player.
I think Calipari realized that Towns was bigger than 99% of his college competition so he pretty much disallowed him from jacking up jump shots. That doesn't mean he doesn't have it in his repertoire.
It doesn't mean he has it and it doesn't mean he doesn't. Until he consistently shows it we can't assume he has it. Now the free throw percentage gives you hope that he will develop a great mid range game.
Well, I agree with you, but people reacted like it was a ridiculous notion. It's not.
In fact - not that Flip would EVER do this, but some other forward-thinking coach might - a stretch 5 would potentially be the ideal fit for our team offensively. We already have two wings that are most comfortable in the low post in Wiggins and Muhammed. By bringing the Rudy Goberts, Marc Gasols and Tyson Chandlers of the world out of the paint, you totally negate their biggest impact on the game. These guys rarely have to venture from the paint because, well, they are typically guarding guys just like themselves - defensive-oriented big men with no long range shooting ability.
Camden0916 wrote:Towns struggled mightily on Kaminsky? We must have watched a different basketball game. Most of Frank's damage came against switches on P&R action and he got some buckets on WCS. Towns didn't even guard him that much as I believe he was on Hayes for the majority of the game.
Frank hit a P&P three on him where Karl was a step late to contest. That's the one I remember being upset with Karl, but other than that he contained his perimeter drives and did a good job battling in the post. "Struggled mightily" he did not.
I'm still miffed as to why UK did so much switching on defense, even after WIS showed they were capable of taking advantage of it (Kaminsky and Dekker ate on switches).
Meh. Just because he didn't take many jumpers in college doesn't mean he doesn't have one. He has NBA three-point range it's just a matter of it being asked of him.
That's fucking ridiculous to say. He does not have NBA range and there is literally zero evidence to support that statement. He has to prove he even has a mid-range jumper before he is already marked down for an NBA 3pt jumper. Also the first two touches for Kaminsky were a 3 pointer Towns lost him on and a drive right past Towns for a bucket and Towns got yanked off Kaminsky for most of the rest of the game.
This sums up my thoughts nearly exactly. Towns started on Kaminsky, couldn't stay with him and Calipari switched him off. It's not necessarily a knock on Towns, he's just not going to be able to defend most PF's effectively. I hope that NBA 3 comment is not serious, Towns has FT range at best right now.
