What Happened to the Vets ( WhyI Don't Think LA Isn't to Blame for this Series)

[BGrantFan]

Aldridge (while being doubled on almost every touch) - 19 ppg/6 rpg/2 apg/ 7.3 FTA/43% FG - 17.6 PER

Stoudemire (rarely doubled due to PXH 3pt shooting) - 0.5 ppg/5.5 rpg. 1.7 apg/6 FTA/54% FG - 21.5 PER

Really, Aldridge played OK considering his match-up and the focus of the defense. Camby disappeared in this series, and we got killed in the backcourt by Miller and Roy playing poorly. At least Roy had the excuse of injury, though. Overall, a very disappointing showing by the "vets", who were supposed to be a strength in this series.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Camby had a bum ankle from the day before the series started and was playing with a dislocated finger ... as for Miller he was up and down, and I have to give credit to Grant Hill who "Batumed" him from game 2 onward.

Anyway, no one player was to "blame," this team was outgunned from the start and they showed a lot of heart to battle back and make it a series.

 

[BGrantFan]

Camby had a bum ankle from the day before the series started and was playing with a dislocated finger ... as for Miller he was up and down, and I have to give credit to Grant Hill who "Batumed" him from game 2 onward.

Anyway, no one player was to "blame," this team was outgunned from the start and they showed a lot of heart to battle back and make it a series.

I guess I singled out LA since you, and others, started threads mocking him. He really didn't play poorly at all. Miller is my main concern right now. One great game, and the rest were just awful.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I guess I singled out LA since you, and others, started threads mocking him. He really didn't play poorly at all. Miller is my main concern right now. One great game, and the rest were just awful.

Aside from one great game LMA was very subpar ... yes he didn't have a lot of help, but to say he didn't play poorly at all flies in the face of the eyeball test.

 

[BGrantFan]

Aside from one great game LMA was very subpar ... yes he didn't have a lot of help, but to say he didn't play poorly at all flies in the face of the eyeball test.

The eyeball test fails the actual statistics test, though.

 

[craigehlo]

Really, Aldridge played OK considering his match-up and the focus of the defense.

While I'm not going to blame LMA alone on the debacle in the playoffs, there's no credible way to call his performance "OK" in the series. He never quite figured out how to spin away from the double or pass to the open man. One good game out of 6, doesn't get the job done for a supposed franchise pillar.

If LMA can't deal with the double, it's incumbent on Nate to figure out to instruct the team to rotate to take advantage of the defensive imbalance on the floor.

 

[Nikolokolus]

The eyeball test fails the actual statistics test, though.

OK ...

 

[BGrantFan]

While I'm not going to blame LMA alone on the debacle in the playoffs, there's no credible way to call his performance "OK" in the series. He never quite figured out how to spin away from the double or pass to the open man. One good game out of 6, doesn't get the job done for a supposed franchise pillar.

If LMA can't deal with the double, it's incumbent on Nate to figure out to instruct the team to rotate to take advantage of the defensive imbalance on the floor.

He had the best PER on the team of the starters, by far, for the series, and got to the line more than anyone else on either team in the series. Scapegoating is fine. Scapegoating the wrong player is just wrong, though.

 

[craigehlo]

I guess I singled out LA since you, and others, started threads mocking him. He really didn't play poorly at all. Miller is my main concern right now. One great game, and the rest were just awful.

Miller was rendered even more ineffective than LMA by the Suns, but he's not making a near max contract like LMA.

Miller isn't a concern to me since it's clear that he's not going to be the long term PG and has an expiring contract next season.

 

[BGrantFan]

Miller was rendered even more ineffective than LMA by the Suns, but he's not making a near max contract like LMA.

Miller isn't a concern to me since it's clear that he's not going to be the long term PG and has an expiring contract next season.

LA wasn't making his extension this year. He's still on his rookie contract. Bitch about him next year for it. Doing so this year makes no sense in terms of reality.

 

[craigehlo]

He had the best PER on the team of the starters, by far, for the series, and got to the line more than anyone else on either team in the series.

The best PER on this team in the playoffs? That's damning with faint praise.

Amare would have shot more free throws than LMA if there were any defenders around him while he was dunking at the rim all series.

 

[BGrantFan]

The best PER on this team in the playoffs? That's damning with faint praise.

Amare would have shot more free throws than LMA if there were any defenders around him while he was dunking at the rim all series.

Good point. LA was doubled all series and still managed to almost score as much as Amare, grabbed more rebounds, and assisted on more baskets.

 

[craigehlo]

LA wasn't making his extension this year. He's still on his rookie contract. Bitch about him next year for it. Doing so this year makes no sense in terms of reality.

He bitched and moaned about his extension all summer and it finally got done. He actually had a pretty solid regular season. Then when the pressure was on, when we needed a leader, he wet himself under the pressure.

 

[craigehlo]

Good point. LA was doubled all series and still managed to almost score as much as Amare, grabbed more rebounds, and assisted on more baskets.

Amare wasn't doubled?

 

[The Sebastian Express]

I have to agree that LMA played poorly outside of game 4, and LMA is probably my favorite player. He needed to help Camby out on the boards, and he really didn't make an impact there outside of the one game it felt like. He definitely needs to spend the summer developing handles and learning how to absorb contact so he can drive instead of taking so many jumpers. I think LMA will be an excellent third option who can sometimes be that second option when the time calls for it (during the playoffs), and definitely a solid second option if he develops the handles/contact thing. Of course, I'd also like to see him under a coach who takes advantage of his being able to outrun most big men down the court.

Andre was a bit of a disappointment after game one, but Gentry made an excellent adjustment by putting Hill on him and we never figured that one out - which makes me sad.

 

[BGrantFan]

I have to agree that LMA played poorly outside of game 4, and LMA is probably my favorite player. He needed to help Camby out on the boards, and he really didn't make an impact there outside of the one game it felt like. He definitely needs to spend the summer developing handles and learning how to absorb contact so he can drive instead of taking so many jumpers. I think LMA will be an excellent third option who can sometimes be that second option when the time calls for it (during the playoffs), and definitely a solid second option if he develops the handles/contact thing. Of course, I'd also like to see him under a coach who takes advantage of his being able to outrun most big men down the court.

Andre was a bit of a disappointment after game one, but Gentry made an excellent adjustment by putting Hill on him and we never figured that one out - which makes me sad.

Andre had a PER of under 12 after Game One. A bit of a disappointment? Come on now. He was fucking terrible.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Amare wasn't doubled?

Amare' was doubled constantly

 

[BGrantFan]

Plus, I said in the thread title that LA has some blame in the this loss.

 

[BGrantFan]

Amare' was doubled constantly

Wrong.

 

[Nikolokolus]

Wrong.

Wrong.

 

[BGrantFan]

Wrong.

He wasn't, though. PHX ran a lot of pick and roll with Amare and Nash.

Wrong.

 

[Minstrel]

You're both wrong.

 

[The Sebastian Express]

You're both wrong.

And now you're wrong, so three people are wrong.

Way to increase the wrongness, wrong guy.

So wrong.

 

[BGrantFan]

My thread title is just plain wrong. Makes my tiny brain hurt.

 

[Nikolokolus]

You're both wrong.

They didn't double him out on the perimeter, but whenever he showed the slightest hint of driving to the basket weakside help (usually a guard) almost always rotated over to cut off his drive ... he didn't get single covered the way Papa ... er ... BGranFan portrays it.

 

[Minstrel]

And now you're wrong, so three people are wrong.

Way to increase the wrongness, wrong guy.

So wrong.

We can agree to disagree. About how wrong you are. But you are wrong. It's just the degree of how wrong you are that we are disagreeing over (and you're wrong about the degree of your wrongness, but I'll let it go as a disagreement).

 

[The Sebastian Express]

We can agree to disagree. About how wrong you are. But you are wrong. It's just the degree of how wrong you are that we are disagreeing over (and you're wrong, but I'll let it go as a disagreement).

...

-.-

 

[BGrantFan]

They didn't double him out on the perimeter, but whenever he showed the slightest hint of driving to the basket weakside help (usually a guard) almost always rotated over to cut off his drive ... he didn't get single covered the way Papa ... er ... BGranFan portrays it.

Well Dan, that is much different than being doubled on an entry pass.

 

[Nikolokolus]

We can agree to disagree. About how wrong you are. But you are wrong. It's just the degree of how wrong you are that we are disagreeing over (and you're wrong about the degree of your wrongness, but I'll let it go as a disagreement).

I'd rather disagree to agree myself ... but maybe I'm just being contrariwise now?

 

[Nikolokolus]

Well Dan, that is much different than being doubled on an entry pass.

OK, you lost me.