Player Assessments at the 3/4 Pole

[AbeVigodaLive]

Yea I am also missing the old Rubio flair that so many fell in love with. I often wonder if it can be recaptured? Is it a Ricky issue? A coaching issue? Did the league figure him out? Probably all of the above. Maybe this team should hire Mike D'Antoni.

Sure. Peterson says some dumb things. But I liked his comment about Nash. Nash is smaller than Rubio. And he wasn't the most athletic guy. But he knew how to use angles near the hoop so much better... whether to finish, or to set up others. We can all picture Nash cycling through looking for cutters... and even using the defense's attention on everybody else to employ a crafty little move for an easy layup when they're not expecting it.

[Coolbreeze44]

I don't think I would have graduated high school if you were my teacher cool! This team is bad, but some of those grades are a little harsh. I'd bump Martin, Bazz, Rubio, and Dieng's scores a bit.

The grades might have been a little different if I had done this immediately after the Portland game instead of last night. That was terrible basketball last night, and has me feeling less optimistic this morning about the plight of the franchise.

[alexftbl8181 [enjin:6648741]]

Yea I am also missing the old Rubio flair that so many fell in love with. I often wonder if it can be recaptured? Is it a Ricky issue? A coaching issue? Did the league figure him out? Probably all of the above. Maybe this team should hire Mike D'Antoni.

Because the NBA scouting report on Rubio says that he can hurt you with his passing but can't make you pay with his jump shot. Try to take his passing lanes away and make him beat you with his shooting.

It's as simple as that

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

Yea I am also missing the old Rubio flair that so many fell in love with. I often wonder if it can be recaptured? Is it a Ricky issue? A coaching issue? Did the league figure him out? Probably all of the above. Maybe this team should hire Mike D'Antoni.

Sure. Peterson says some dumb things. But I liked his comment about Nash. Nash is smaller than Rubio. And he wasn't the most athletic guy. But he knew how to use angles near the hoop so much better... whether to finish, or to set up others. We can all picture Nash cycling through looking for cutters... and even using the defense's attention on everybody else to employ a crafty little move for an easy layup when they're not expecting it.

That was an A+ comment from Jim Pete...completely right on. What I don't know is whether Ricky can improve in this area or not. My initial thought is no...while I think jump-shooting can be taught, I think that success around the basket is more instinctive. Just like Ricky instinctively sees passing angles that most PG's can't see, he doesn't instinctively know how to be effective around the basket. Heck, he lags way behind Barea in this particular area! Too bad, because it lowers his ceiling.

As for the Rubio "flash" comments, I thought about this during the Portland game, and posted about it later. My first reaction when he made that spectacular fast break bounce pass to Wiggins was "Wow!", but my second thought was "where has that been?". But after thinking about it, and about how effective Ricky was in that game, I concluded the absence of flash wasn't a bad thing...maybe bad from an entertainment perspective, but not from am effectiveness perspective. Ricky could not have been any more effective than he was against Portland, even though he only had one Wow play. I described his play that night as surgical rather than spectacular, and I would take it every night.

[AbeVigodaLive]

The long outlet pass from Rubio is not the same as the one from Love. Regardless of what anybody thinks of Love... it looks different and ends up with a different result this season.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

The long outlet pass from Rubio is not the same as the one from Love. Regardless of what anybody thinks of Love... it looks different and ends up with a different result this season.

I'm trying to understand this comment and wondering if I missed a post or something. Did someone suggest that the Rubio and Love assists were similar? Because they are clearly not. Love's long assists were more prevalent than Ricky's and more of a football play than a basketball play. He would see his wide receiver with a couple steps on his man, and hit him with a pass very few NBA players could duplicate. But I would argue that Ricky's play, while less prevalent, was more sensational. Love would see something that everybody watching the game saw...an open guy...and then, to his credit, had the unique skills to complete the pass. Ricky sees something that very few see...a player who is NOT open, but about to be. And then he has the skills to bounce a perfect pass to hit Wiggins on the run. Both plays result in baskets, but they are totally different. Kevin can't do what Ricky can, and Ricky can't do what Kevin can.

[AbeVigodaLive]

The long outlet pass from Rubio is not the same as the one from Love. Regardless of what anybody thinks of Love... it looks different and ends up with a different result this season.

I'm trying to understand this comment and wondering if I missed a post or something. Did someone suggest that the Rubio and Love assists were similar? Because they are clearly not. Love's long assists were more prevalent than Ricky's and more of a football play than a basketball play. He would see his wide receiver with a couple steps on his man, and hit him with a pass very few NBA players could duplicate. But I would argue that Ricky's play, while less prevalent, was more sensational. Love would see something that everybody watching the game saw...an open guy...and then, to his credit, had the unique skills to complete the pass. Ricky sees something that very few see...a player who is NOT open, but about to be. And then he has the skills to bounce a perfect pass to hit Wiggins on the run. Both plays result in baskets, but they are totally different. Kevin can't do what Ricky can, and Ricky can't do what Kevin can.

yes. I can see why it seemed out of left field. Basically, it would have been a lot easier if I just wrote, "Ricky is a fantastic passer, but those long outlets don't seem to be working out very well."

[SameOldNudityDrew]

I don't think I would have graduated high school if you were my teacher cool! This team is bad, but some of those grades are a little harsh. I'd bump Martin, Bazz, Rubio, and Dieng's scores a bit.

Were you the second worst student in the school?

Not in math!




I was the worst in that.

[Papalrep]

Phenom--

Yea I am also missing the old Rubio flair that so many fell in love with. I often wonder if it can be recaptured? Is it a Ricky issue? A coaching issue? Did the league figure him out? Probably all of the above. Maybe this team should hire Mike D'Antoni.


Or Lionel Hollins, or anybody. Flip does NOT have anyone playing well. What is Flips grade?

There is a team defense concept being taught in Philly, but not here. I dont think Flip is a good coach.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

There's 2 parts to a pass. Ricky making it and someone being in the right spot to receive it. Maybe guys just aren't making the same cuts to the basket that we had when he was on the team in the beginning. It looks like a lot of standing around at the 3 point line with 1 man rolling to the basket. Maybe the wing on the weakside needs to make better and more frequent cuts to the basket when Ricky goes to the rim. A lot of times I just see Ricky, the big and the two defenders collapsing on Ricky closing the primary passing lane down to the rolling big. Someone else needs to create a different passing angle for Ricky to hit. Honestly whenever he turns the corner on the pick and roll, two guys should be going to the basket in a staggered manner so he has more than 1 pass or a tough shot as his options. Maybe set a back screen on the weakside to better open that second player's cut. Ricky is not a big enough threat to score to demand weakside help so the guy in the corner on the weakside is pretty much useless unless he moves somewhere Ricky can get a pass to. I'd like to see Ricky and AP run the pick and roll like CP3 and DJ. The second the big commits on the hedge, just throw it up and let Payne throw it down.