Minnesota Sports Forum

AbeVigodaLive wrote:
[Note: I still can't believe the 2006 Heat won a title with Walker and Williams in such important roles. It's the most unlikely title since... maybe what's happening before our eyes this season.]

I had to double check that because it was so difficult to believe. Antoine Walker and NBA championship in same sentence. Walker was his generation Josh Smith. Really talented guy that wanted to do in floor a lot of staff that he was not as talented. I guess his Miami years were comparable to what happened to Josh Smith this year in Houston. When he was not anymore main focus and he shot mainly open three pointers his efficiency raised to kind of OK level. I think that strangest fact is that his success in playoffs came mainly as a stretch four. All playoff lineups that featured Walker as PF had net rating around +20 or better.

Mikkeman wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:
[Note: I still can't believe the 2006 Heat won a title with Walker and Williams in such important roles. It's the most unlikely title since... maybe what's happening before our eyes this season.]

I had to double check that because it was so difficult to believe. Antoine Walker and NBA championship in same sentence. Walker was his generation Josh Smith. Really talented guy that wanted to do in floor a lot of staff that he was not as talented. I guess his Miami years were comparable to what happened to Josh Smith this year in Houston. When he was not anymore main focus and he shot mainly open three pointers his efficiency raised to kind of OK level. I think that strangest fact is that his success in playoffs came mainly as a stretch four. All playoff lineups that featured Walker as PF had net rating around +20 or better.

Having Shaq and a peak Wade certainly helped. It's amazing what you can achieve if you can get a couple of stars to anchor things and use most of the possessions. Guys like Walker end up being useful "X-factors" as opposed to frustratingly inconsistent alpha dogs.

Odom is another guy that seemed to have big-time talent and skills, but sort of underachieved until his run with the Lakers. Put him in a lineup with Kobe and Gasol and now he doesn't have to be THE guy anymore. His versatility and skills shine.

LeBron is basically a combination of Wade/Shaq and Kobe/Gasol. He's using a ton of possessions AND taking on big-man duties by rebounding and helping to defend the paint. It's amazing.

Mikkeman wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:
[Note: I still can't believe the 2006 Heat won a title with Walker and Williams in such important roles. It's the most unlikely title since... maybe what's happening before our eyes this season.]

I had to double check that because it was so difficult to believe. Antoine Walker and NBA championship in same sentence. Walker was his generation Josh Smith. Really talented guy that wanted to do in floor a lot of staff that he was not as talented. I guess his Miami years were comparable to what happened to Josh Smith this year in Houston. When he was not anymore main focus and he shot mainly open three pointers his efficiency raised to kind of OK level. I think that strangest fact is that his success in playoffs came mainly as a stretch four. All playoff lineups that featured Walker as PF had net rating around +20 or better.

I actually think Josh Smith takes too much heat when people view his entire career. And gets too much credit for his stint in Houston. Let me explain...

Josh Smith was good in Atlanta. Not great. But he was arguably the best player on a perennial playoff team. In 2012, he went for 19/10/4/1.4/1.7 with "respectable" shooting percentages. The next year was nearly the same. Then he went to Detroit where (1) he was paid a ridiculous sum of money (2) put in a bad situation/mix on the court. He struggled because of that... and because he's a bit of a knucklehead who always struggled to teeter between what he's good at and what he's not.

He got even worse this season in Detroit. So he was traded to Houston, where he has received praise.

The thing is... he wasn't as good in Houston as he was in Atlanta only two years ago... and nearly a decade before that. Josh Smith was a good player. He was mostly a mediocre player in Detroit. And, only a decent player in Houston.

AbeVigodaLive wrote:

Mikkeman wrote:

AbeVigodaLive wrote:
[Note: I still can't believe the 2006 Heat won a title with Walker and Williams in such important roles. It's the most unlikely title since... maybe what's happening before our eyes this season.]

I had to double check that because it was so difficult to believe. Antoine Walker and NBA championship in same sentence. Walker was his generation Josh Smith. Really talented guy that wanted to do in floor a lot of staff that he was not as talented. I guess his Miami years were comparable to what happened to Josh Smith this year in Houston. When he was not anymore main focus and he shot mainly open three pointers his efficiency raised to kind of OK level. I think that strangest fact is that his success in playoffs came mainly as a stretch four. All playoff lineups that featured Walker as PF had net rating around +20 or better.

I actually think Josh Smith takes too much heat when people view his entire career. And gets too much credit for his stint in Houston. Let me explain...

Josh Smith was good in Atlanta. Not great. But he was arguably the best player on a perennial playoff team. In 2012, he went for 19/10/4/1.4/1.7 with "respectable" shooting percentages. The next year was nearly the same. Then he went to Detroit where (1) he was paid a ridiculous sum of money (2) put in a bad situation/mix on the court. He struggled because of that... and because he's a bit of a knucklehead who always struggled to teeter between what he's good at and what he's not.

He got even worse this season in Detroit. So he was traded to Houston, where he has received praise.

The thing is... he wasn't as good in Houston as he was in Atlanta only two years ago... and nearly a decade before that. Josh Smith was a good player. He was mostly a mediocre player in Detroit. And, only a decent player in Houston.

The even funnier thing is that in Houston he got the absolute green light to jack up long range shots which was one of the issues with him in the past because he shot them poorly and it meant he took long 2's as well.

Q12543 wrote:

Carlos Danger wrote:Does anyone remember the circumstances of why we traded Ty Lawson? I don't remember if that was a prearranged trade (we picked him for another team). If only we had kept him and traded Flynn to Denver instead...

I think it was pre-arranged. Drew and I were on the Lawson bandwagon that year and it amazed me he went so low, all because of his age and height. The season prior at UNC was historic in terms of his efficiency and assist/TO ratio. He really should have been a top 8 pick.

I was on the Rubio and Lawson bandwagon that year, but he dropped because of age, height, he wasn't an incredible athlete, and there was a surplus of guards in that draft. I think the biggest thing was age, though.