Anthony Davis watch
- Thread starter jcwkings
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Well,
a) Portland did its job about as well as possible here. Beating them, with a late surge that will be in their heads and caused them to have to play their main guys to the end.
b) there remains, and will remain, my question about A.D., and it comes up at times like these: he does not create his own offense. He's wildly efficient because so much of his stuff is just as a finisher. And so when the going gets tough and the games get tight, you don't have to beat Anthony Davis. You just have to beat their guards, because he depends on them. Contrast that to our situation, where once our main guys have the ball they will do the rest.
a) Portland did its job about as well as possible here. Beating them, with a late surge that will be in their heads and caused them to have to play their main guys to the end.
b) there remains, and will remain, my question about A.D., and it comes up at times like these: he does not create his own offense. He's wildly efficient because so much of his stuff is just as a finisher. And so when the going gets tough and the games get tight, you don't have to beat Anthony Davis. You just have to beat their guards, because he depends on them. Contrast that to our situation, where once our main guys have the ball they will do the rest.
I actually happen to think that "can't create his own offense" is a stupid knock to put on a big but, whatever. Shaq couldn't create his own offense, either. Neither can Duncan. Neither can Howard, nor Brook Lopez, nor Al Jefferson... Frankly, most bigs can't create their own offense.
Now, where you want to knock Anthony Davis, where it is fair, and what could keep him from truly elite status, is that he's too ****ing passive. He needs to demand that one of his guards give him the ball. After about three or four of those possessions, Davis should grabbed one of his guards by the throat in each hand and screamed, "Look, you little mother****ers, pass me the goddamned ball!"
Now, where you want to knock Anthony Davis, where it is fair, and what could keep him from truly elite status, is that he's too ****ing passive. He needs to demand that one of his guards give him the ball. After about three or four of those possessions, Davis should grabbed one of his guards by the throat in each hand and screamed, "Look, you little mother****ers, pass me the goddamned ball!"
No there's a difference. Shaq, Al Jefferson etc. are perfect examples of guys who CAN create their offense. The gap is this: you can throw it to those guys, standing still, and they make all the moves, create the disadvantage for the defense with their own skill. Davis's limitation is that he needs somebody, normally Reke, to break down the defense first, to create that scoring opportunity, and then he just completes it. Its not 100% obviously. He's not DeAndre Jordan. But it is the same idea. Goto guy scorers normally don't need their teammates to beat the defense for them. They beat it.
That's a bit like saying we don't know that Dwight Howard can't shoot threes.
Actually not quite even that, because its quite obvious if you have a young franchise big who can dominate with nothing more than an entry pass, you're going to use that, at least some of the time. But I think the Davis grew up a guard narrative comes into play here.
Actually not quite even that, because its quite obvious if you have a young franchise big who can dominate with nothing more than an entry pass, you're going to use that, at least some of the time. But I think the Davis grew up a guard narrative comes into play here.
Eh, I've seen all nine games the Pelicans have played this season, and I can't recall more than, maybe, two or three times where they've given him the ball to do something with it, whether it was on the low post or the high post, and he couldn't. He might not back you all the way down and "jump hook you to death," but he doesn't appear to have any difficulty creating space to get himself a wide-open jump shot, or taking his man off the dribble to score on the drive (like he did to Duncan to win the game, Saturday before last); in fact, he gets to the rim pretty much any time he wants to. To borrow a British expression, I consider that to be close enough to "create his own offense" as makes no odds. He doesn't have a go-to move, but that's not the same thing as not being able to create his own offense, because he absolutely can do that.
The problem with his creating his own offense is the same as it is with virtually all other bigs: he's dependent on someone to give him the ball. If you give Davis the ball at free throw line extended, and clear out for him, there's a real short list of guys who can stop him from scoring. But, by not getting him the ball soon enough it the offense, it becomes much easier for the defense to push him out of his comfort zone. As soon as Davis becomes enough of an ***hole to make his guards give him the ball, the 'narrative' about him not being able to create will disappear quickly.
The problem with his creating his own offense is the same as it is with virtually all other bigs: he's dependent on someone to give him the ball. If you give Davis the ball at free throw line extended, and clear out for him, there's a real short list of guys who can stop him from scoring. But, by not getting him the ball soon enough it the offense, it becomes much easier for the defense to push him out of his comfort zone. As soon as Davis becomes enough of an ***hole to make his guards give him the ball, the 'narrative' about him not being able to create will disappear quickly.
Well, I didn't actually say "create their own shot," I said "create their own offense." For the purposes of my post, I define the person who creates the offense as the one who brings the ball up, and gets everybody into their sets. There are a lot of guys in the league who can create their own shot, but can't create their own offense. Generally speaking, only guards and wings can create their own offense.
First of All™, working with your back to the basket isn't the only way for bigs to create their own offense. Nowitzki, Griffin and Aldridge can't really work with their backs to the basket, either. And, second of all,
Shaq, Duncan, Brook Lopez and Big Al can all create their own shot. Dwight is questionable, but he's improved over the years. Davis really needs assisted buckets. He sort of has a face up jumper game, but it's still kind of awkward. Outside of layups/dunks, he's most efficient from the baseline jumper range,
Like I said already, creating your own shot is not the same thing as creating your own offense, but we are otherwise, more or less, in agreement. I will push back on the notion that he 'needs' assisted baskets: I am not compelled to believe that he 'needs' assisted baskets. I will, of course, stipulate that most of his baskets are assisted, but that may well be a chicken-an-egg circumstance. Tyson Chandler 'needs' assisted baskets, DeAndre Jordan 'needs' assisted baskets, (insert first name here) Plumlee 'needs' assisted baskets, Andre Drummond 'needs' assisted baskets. I am unconvinced that Davis 'needs' them, even though that's where most of his offense comes from.
Really? That 4th quarter was laughable, did you watch ANY of it? Davis is overrated... wake me up when he can post up and create his own offense. Why do you think the Pelicans didn't go to AD down the stretch? There must be a reason why.. do all of his shots HAVE to be created by his teammates? You can't just give AD the ball like you do Cuz and expect him to do a lot with it.
Tell me AD's post moves. He doesn't score without the help of his guards. You most be equivalent to those NBA fans who think they know it all.
Tell me AD's post moves. He doesn't score without the help of his guards. You most be equivalent to those NBA fans who think they know it all.
I'll let the people who actually watch the Pelicans chime in. Also, creating own offense doesn't necessarily mean posting up. Go ahead, watch the whole game. He created his own shot on multiple occasions. He's still not the same kind of offensive player that Cousins is, nor will he ever be. But Cousins also will never be the defensive or athletic force that Davis is.
But alright why don't the Kings just stop by the NBA overrated shop and pick up a guy who can get you 31/11/3/3/3 on 14-20 shooting? You know, the same kind of guys that just happen to average 25/12/4 blocks that just grow on trees and can't create their own shots? Overrated much!
But hey what do I know, since you watched all of the 4th quarter of one game? Because even our own beloved Cousins has never had a bad quarter or one where we mysteriously go away from him right?
Mods: I realised there's a thread about AD specifically. Feel free to move these posts over.
But alright why don't the Kings just stop by the NBA overrated shop and pick up a guy who can get you 31/11/3/3/3 on 14-20 shooting? You know, the same kind of guys that just happen to average 25/12/4 blocks that just grow on trees and can't create their own shots? Overrated much!
But hey what do I know, since you watched all of the 4th quarter of one game? Because even our own beloved Cousins has never had a bad quarter or one where we mysteriously go away from him right?
Mods: I realised there's a thread about AD specifically. Feel free to move these posts over.
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The pelicans clearly have/had (last night at least) crunch time issues. But AD did just fine scoring on Duncan with the game on the line last week, as Slim mentioned. He's passive. Not incapable. Just be glad that's the case cause the NBA is going to be AD's world quite soon. The pels sure didn't lose because of AD. Tyreke/Holliday are the reason.
Guy goes 14-20, 31 points, 11 boards/3 steals, 3 blocks and all you hear here is what he can't do.
Pelicans aren't a great road team. I think locking them in already as a playoff team may be too soon. They don't have the experience and the west, especially on the road, is a nightmare for anyone. We learned that against Memphis/dallas. Heck Houston got annihilated by Memphis. Pels just found out how rough it is against Portland.
Going to be wild all season in the west. If you want to make the playoffs, better protect that home court.
Guy goes 14-20, 31 points, 11 boards/3 steals, 3 blocks and all you hear here is what he can't do.
Pelicans aren't a great road team. I think locking them in already as a playoff team may be too soon. They don't have the experience and the west, especially on the road, is a nightmare for anyone. We learned that against Memphis/dallas. Heck Houston got annihilated by Memphis. Pels just found out how rough it is against Portland.
Going to be wild all season in the west. If you want to make the playoffs, better protect that home court.
Anthony Davis is a DIFFERENT kind of defender than Cousins who has taken a huge leap forward with his defense and is yet only starting to get begrudging respect for it from fans and sportswriters/media.
I think there's a bit of cognitive dissonance for people when it comes to Cousins and Davis. Boogie slightly taller (6'9.5" to 6'9.25"), longer (7'5.75" to 7'5.5") and with a significantly longer reach (9'5" to 9') than Davis. Add in that Cousins has 30-40 lbs on him and you see that you have a big, strong and definitely long paint clogger in DMC.
Davis on the other hand is ideally suited to be a weakside shotblocker and rim protector. It's why I think the move for the Pelicans to get Asik was a fantastic one. You get that big bodied defender to take on the opponents best post player and Davis can come over and help or challenge shots in the lane instead of being backed into the paint by stronger guys.
The Kings need to fill their PF spot (IMO) in the opposite way, by letting Cuz be the big body down low and somehow acquiring the athletic shotblocker.
I think there's a bit of cognitive dissonance for people when it comes to Cousins and Davis. Boogie slightly taller (6'9.5" to 6'9.25"), longer (7'5.75" to 7'5.5") and with a significantly longer reach (9'5" to 9') than Davis. Add in that Cousins has 30-40 lbs on him and you see that you have a big, strong and definitely long paint clogger in DMC.
Davis on the other hand is ideally suited to be a weakside shotblocker and rim protector. It's why I think the move for the Pelicans to get Asik was a fantastic one. You get that big bodied defender to take on the opponents best post player and Davis can come over and help or challenge shots in the lane instead of being backed into the paint by stronger guys.
The Kings need to fill their PF spot (IMO) in the opposite way, by letting Cuz be the big body down low and somehow acquiring the athletic shotblocker.