Minnesota Sports Forum

Also:

- My goodness is Pek playing well

- If Ricky ever develops consistent play like tonight we don't need to worry about him

- What a frustrating season so far. This team seems to be better than the record. The problem is they rely too much on the jump shot. When things aren't going well, Pek should be touching the ball a lot more. He's almost unstoppable.

Agree on all fronts. Pek has gotten on a major roll since a poor start to the season. You can almost book him for 20 and 9 every night. Not bad when he's playing next to a 25 and 12 PF.

I never saw things as a Rubio v. Burke. I saw Burke as a better talent than Shabazz and a guy who could have strengthened our bench and become a valuable asset on our roster. My preference would have been McCollum. But no doubt Rubio is the better talent. Unlike some and the local pundits, I remain high on Ricky.

I agree completely on Pek.

I need stretch of games like this from Rubio before I'm completely back on his wagon. Never got off entirely, but I must say, I had one leg off.

Lip, agree with you on McCollum. The Rubio Burke thing is in response to some members thinking we would be better off with Burke.

I think in regard to Ricky, you have to realize he is one of the most unique players in the game. I can't remember many players that closely match his skill set. In my opinion, he is so good at some things, that it overcomes his scoring problems. I can even temporarily accept his FG% issues. He controlled the game so well tonight, it was reminiscent of some of his play before the injury. There are always exceptions to every rule, and he might be the exception to the adage that you have to shoot over 40% to be effective.

It feels like he has a renewed sense of energy on the defensive side of the ball, which in turn translates to his offense. Also, they are icing the screens in high pick-and-roll action and that seems to have been an effective strategy. But then again, it's the Utah Jazz.....

Cool -- I agree with your assessment of Rubio. If Ricky's a shooting doesn't improve, he'll still be a very good PG, although he'll never be an allstar or a max player. But as I've suggested before, if he can just improve his shooting on par with Jason Kidd, he'll be a great PG. His high free throw percentage provides a reasonable basis for believing that he will significantly improve his shooting.

How does Ricky improve his finishing ability, though...?

Camden wrote:How does Ricky improve his finishing ability, though...?

Good question, Cam. Here are my thoughts. First, Ricky doesn't miss by much at the rim. Typically the ball rolls around the rim and barely misses. Second, he's VERY good at getting to the rim. Therefore I think it's just a matter of repetition and getting a bit stronger. I'd be worried if he couldn't get to the rim because that's a talent that you either have or don't have. But getting those nifty layups to drop rather than roll off the rim is just a matter of practice. I also think he'll end up a good catch-and-shoot three point shooter if he ever has teammates who can draw defenders and set him up. I'm more worried about his ability to pull up off the dribble and hit mid-range jumpers. That's a skill that will take a lot of work.

lipoli390 wrote:

Camden wrote:How does Ricky improve his finishing ability, though...?

Good question, Cam. Here are my thoughts. First, Ricky doesn't miss by much at the rim. Typically the ball rolls around the rim and barely misses. Second, he's VERY good at getting to the rim. Therefore I think it's just a matter of repetition and getting a bit stronger. I'd be worried if he couldn't get to the rim because that's a talent that you either have or don't have. But getting those nifty layups to drop rather than roll off the rim is just a matter of practice. I also think he'll end up a good catch-and-shoot three point shooter if he ever has teammates who can draw defenders and set him up. I'm more worried about his ability to pull up off the dribble and hit mid-range jumpers. That's a skill that will take a lot of work.

Good take lip. ill add that the pull up mid range jumper maybe the hardest thing for rubio to improve on, but its the1 skill that he needs to work on and be good at. It can only help him in his pick and roll/2man game with love and pek if he has a reliable mid range pull up jumper.