I went to the Rockets-Bucks game this past Saturday. It was supposedly viewed in China between 100-200 million people. There certainly were a great deal of Asian people at the game.
Some thoughts from the game:
-I still think the Bucks need to move to an up-tempo game. They have little depth, lack a big-time inside threat, and appear a bit soft. In a fast-paced game, they could take advantage of their guard play and versatility.
-After the game, I went on 82games.com and checked out the amount of time Charlie Villanueva and Yi Jianlian have played together. Since the combination of the two of them has not made up one of the top twenty, five-man units for the Bucks, I was not able to figure this out. However, I'm guessing it is very minimal.
-I assume Luis Scola has been a disappointment for the Rockets in terms of ability to score. All his points basically come in putbacks or transition. He has virtually no post moves and no mid-range shot.
-I really like some of the sets that Rick Adelman runs for Tracy McGrady to get shots. He uses different types of screens and even includes one where the point guard passes and then screens for McGrady to curl into the lane.
-Royal Ivey is a fringe-NBA player. He just doesn't do enough out there to make a difference, especially on offense - same can be said for Carl Landry.
-At this point, if Yi Jianlian is not hitting his jump shots off pick-and-pop he is useless. He struggles to defend, is not quick enough to take his man off the dribble, and cannot score in the post beyond a fadeaway.
-I really like Aaron Brooks and think he has a lot of potential. However, at this point, he forces too many turnovers and is not as far along as I thought he would be.
-The Rockets need a true, veteran point guard who will be a distributor, knock down open three pointers, and play tough defense. At his best, Rafer Alston does the first two well. At his worse, Alston doesn't do any of these things and then the Rockets struggle to win games.
-The Bucks either need to make Villanueva fit into their offense or trade him. He shoots everytime he touches the ball and appears disgruntled with the team. Again, I would play Yi and Villanueva together and see how that goes. They can't be much worse off then they are today, sitting there with a record of 18-30.
-Houston has to be disappointed with the play of Mike James. James makes $5,632,200 this season, $6,049,400 in 2008-09, and has a player option of $6,466,600 in 2009-10. He's playing behind Alston and Brooks at the point guard spot and Tracy McGrady, Luther Head, and Bonzi Wells at shooting guard. He's averaging seventeen minutes per game and only 6.9 points per game. In the last twenty games, James has played in only four of them - his best performance coming in a 31-point win against Minnesota.
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Showing posts with label Royal Ivey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Royal Ivey. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Sunday, November 4, 2007
11/3/07 - Chicago Bulls at Milwaukee Bucks
Last night I went to Milwaukee for the Bulls third game of the season. Coming in, both the Bulls and Bucks were 0-2. The game was the Bucks home opener and the Bulls were playing the backend of a back-to-back.
My Observations:
-The Bulls play with no sense of urgency until the fourth quarter. In thirteen quarters, they have a 5-8 quarter record. Though in the fourth quarter, the Bulls are 2-1, with their only fourth quarter loss being against the 76ers by one point.
-In his first season, if Yi Jianlian can master the pick-and-pop, he will be very valuable for the Bucks. Yi's best asset is clearly his mid-range jump shot. Running successful sets ending with Yi taking an open jump shot will give the Bucks another go-to beyond isolating Michael Redd.
-Charlie Villanueva appears to be the odd man odd out in Milwaukee. Villanueva really has never gotten a fair chance in Milwaukee and unless a major injury occurs, it looks like he won't get much of a chance again this year. He will be the primary backup behind Yi, but will not get a fair chance to get into the starting lineup.
-Michael Redd has really done a great job becoming a more well-rounded scorer. He now utilizes his superior size against his defenders to get the ball closer to the baseline in order to get a closer shot.
-Redd took Kirk Hinrich out of his game last night by his play on the offensive end. Hinrich was in foul trouble all night and after making his first two shots of the game, struggled to score the rest of the night. He ended with only six points and turned the ball over six times. Redd's ability to use his three inch size advantage to draw fouls on Hinrich changed the entire game for both teams.
-Luol Deng is still not playing his best so far this season. Maybe it is because of the distractions around a potential Kobe Bryant trade, but Deng has looked frustrated all season. This continued last night against the Bucks where he shot only 4 for 11 from the field and committed four fouls.
-Andres Nocioni is taking too many three pointers this year - five in the first game, eight in the second game, six in the third game. I have no problem taking the shots when he is open, but often times he is forcing shots up.
-Thabo Sefolosha has a great deal of potential, has great size and athleticism, and has shown the ability to be a great one-on-one defender. But at this point, unless he puts a lot of work into his shot, he won't be able to make that jump to the next level. His shot needs to be more fluid and may end up needing to be completely reworked.
-In his second stay with Milwaukee, the Bucks coaches and management clearly decided making Desmond Mason rework his free throw shot a priority. Before the game, he was working on his form and during the game, he went 3 for 4 from the free throw line.
-The Bucks have an odd roster. Their top nine players are fairly strong, but after that they have a huge dropoff. Guys like Royal Ivey, Michael Ruffin, David Noel, Avree Storey, Jake Voskuhl, and Ramon Sessions are all fringe NBA players.
My Observations:
-The Bulls play with no sense of urgency until the fourth quarter. In thirteen quarters, they have a 5-8 quarter record. Though in the fourth quarter, the Bulls are 2-1, with their only fourth quarter loss being against the 76ers by one point.
-In his first season, if Yi Jianlian can master the pick-and-pop, he will be very valuable for the Bucks. Yi's best asset is clearly his mid-range jump shot. Running successful sets ending with Yi taking an open jump shot will give the Bucks another go-to beyond isolating Michael Redd.
-Charlie Villanueva appears to be the odd man odd out in Milwaukee. Villanueva really has never gotten a fair chance in Milwaukee and unless a major injury occurs, it looks like he won't get much of a chance again this year. He will be the primary backup behind Yi, but will not get a fair chance to get into the starting lineup.
-Michael Redd has really done a great job becoming a more well-rounded scorer. He now utilizes his superior size against his defenders to get the ball closer to the baseline in order to get a closer shot.
-Redd took Kirk Hinrich out of his game last night by his play on the offensive end. Hinrich was in foul trouble all night and after making his first two shots of the game, struggled to score the rest of the night. He ended with only six points and turned the ball over six times. Redd's ability to use his three inch size advantage to draw fouls on Hinrich changed the entire game for both teams.
-Luol Deng is still not playing his best so far this season. Maybe it is because of the distractions around a potential Kobe Bryant trade, but Deng has looked frustrated all season. This continued last night against the Bucks where he shot only 4 for 11 from the field and committed four fouls.
-Andres Nocioni is taking too many three pointers this year - five in the first game, eight in the second game, six in the third game. I have no problem taking the shots when he is open, but often times he is forcing shots up.
-Thabo Sefolosha has a great deal of potential, has great size and athleticism, and has shown the ability to be a great one-on-one defender. But at this point, unless he puts a lot of work into his shot, he won't be able to make that jump to the next level. His shot needs to be more fluid and may end up needing to be completely reworked.
-In his second stay with Milwaukee, the Bucks coaches and management clearly decided making Desmond Mason rework his free throw shot a priority. Before the game, he was working on his form and during the game, he went 3 for 4 from the free throw line.
-The Bucks have an odd roster. Their top nine players are fairly strong, but after that they have a huge dropoff. Guys like Royal Ivey, Michael Ruffin, David Noel, Avree Storey, Jake Voskuhl, and Ramon Sessions are all fringe NBA players.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Follow-up on Charlie Bell
Obviously to my great suprise, the Milwaukee Bucks matched the Miami Heat's offer to guard Charlie Bell. Bell is set to make $18,500,000 over the next five seasons.
Bell is surely disapointed that he will not be able to play for the Heat in the coming seasons, but he certainly ended up making more money than he probably thought several months ago. At the end of the day, Bucks general manager Larry Harris felt that Bell was too important of a player for his team to lose. Bell will be the first guard off the bench next season, playing behind starters Mo Williams and Michael Redd. Royal Ivey and rookie Ramon Sessions will also compete for time. Swingman Desmond Mason will be used at both the shooting guard and small forward spots for Milwaukee.
With this signing, the Bucks now add Bell to the list with Redd, Williams, Gadzuric, and Jianlian to players who are locked up for the next several seasons. Additionally, both Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva become restricted free agents after the 2008-09 season, and the Bucks will have to make a difficult decision as to whether to keep these players long term.
Desmond Mason is the only significant expiring contract on the Bucks payroll in the near future at $5,300,000. Between a lack of expiring contracts and upcoming long-term contracts for Villanueva and Bogut, the Bucks will have very little cap flexibility in the future seasons.
I personally would have let Bell go to the Heat and filled his spot with a group of young, inexpensive point guards, such as Dee Brown, Royal Ivey, or others. However, I certainly see from a talent perspective why Harris values Bell so greatly. Bell is a versatile guard who can defend two positions. Bell has improved each season in the league and has shown to be very durable.
With Williams, Bell, and Redd in the backcourt, Mason and Simmons on the wing, Villanueva at the power forward, and Bogut and Gadzuric at center the time is now for the Bucks to compete. Add in rookie Yi Jianlian as a wildcard, and the Bucks should be playoff contenders for the next several years. However, if Milwaukee is not able to have success immediately, it will most likely be the end of general manager Larry Harris and head coach Larry Krystkowiak's time with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bell is surely disapointed that he will not be able to play for the Heat in the coming seasons, but he certainly ended up making more money than he probably thought several months ago. At the end of the day, Bucks general manager Larry Harris felt that Bell was too important of a player for his team to lose. Bell will be the first guard off the bench next season, playing behind starters Mo Williams and Michael Redd. Royal Ivey and rookie Ramon Sessions will also compete for time. Swingman Desmond Mason will be used at both the shooting guard and small forward spots for Milwaukee.
With this signing, the Bucks now add Bell to the list with Redd, Williams, Gadzuric, and Jianlian to players who are locked up for the next several seasons. Additionally, both Andrew Bogut and Charlie Villanueva become restricted free agents after the 2008-09 season, and the Bucks will have to make a difficult decision as to whether to keep these players long term.
Desmond Mason is the only significant expiring contract on the Bucks payroll in the near future at $5,300,000. Between a lack of expiring contracts and upcoming long-term contracts for Villanueva and Bogut, the Bucks will have very little cap flexibility in the future seasons.
I personally would have let Bell go to the Heat and filled his spot with a group of young, inexpensive point guards, such as Dee Brown, Royal Ivey, or others. However, I certainly see from a talent perspective why Harris values Bell so greatly. Bell is a versatile guard who can defend two positions. Bell has improved each season in the league and has shown to be very durable.
With Williams, Bell, and Redd in the backcourt, Mason and Simmons on the wing, Villanueva at the power forward, and Bogut and Gadzuric at center the time is now for the Bucks to compete. Add in rookie Yi Jianlian as a wildcard, and the Bucks should be playoff contenders for the next several years. However, if Milwaukee is not able to have success immediately, it will most likely be the end of general manager Larry Harris and head coach Larry Krystkowiak's time with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
UPDATE: Detailing the Bucks-Charlie Bell Saga
Last night, it was reported by the Associated Press that point guard Royal Ivey signed a one year contract with the Bucks, just one day after Charlie Bell signed an offer sheet with the Miami Heat.
Ivey played the three previous seasons for the Atlanta Hawks. As predicted here, the Bucks would allow Bell to sign with the Heat and replace him with a young point guard with upside. Ivey made $744,551 last season, and I would assume he will be making a similar salary next season in Milwaukee.
As I wrote in my initial post, the Bucks would fill Bell's spot with a small salary-type player because they need to look to the future with Villanueva and Bogut's contracts expiring soon. Ivey will compete with Lynn Greer for playing time behind starting point guard Mo Williams. Ivey is an excellent perimeter defender, but struggles to make an impact on offense. If he wants to improve, he needs to work a great deal on his jump shot, so he can be a threat on offense in the league.
In Miami, it certainly makes sense to overpay for a necessary piece, like Bell, to make a title run. However, in Milwaukee, it simply would have been money wasted. Instead, they have made the correct decision to settle for a young, inexpensive player.
Until a second consistent scorer can emerge in Milwaukee, they will be unable to seriously compete in the Central Division. Whether that second scorer is Charlie Villanueva, Mo Williams, or Yi Jianlian, the Bucks will continue to be a young team that struggles to win consistently. Therefore, limiting the dollars they have committed now in hopes of turning it around in the future, is the appropriate way to go.
Ivey played the three previous seasons for the Atlanta Hawks. As predicted here, the Bucks would allow Bell to sign with the Heat and replace him with a young point guard with upside. Ivey made $744,551 last season, and I would assume he will be making a similar salary next season in Milwaukee.
As I wrote in my initial post, the Bucks would fill Bell's spot with a small salary-type player because they need to look to the future with Villanueva and Bogut's contracts expiring soon. Ivey will compete with Lynn Greer for playing time behind starting point guard Mo Williams. Ivey is an excellent perimeter defender, but struggles to make an impact on offense. If he wants to improve, he needs to work a great deal on his jump shot, so he can be a threat on offense in the league.
In Miami, it certainly makes sense to overpay for a necessary piece, like Bell, to make a title run. However, in Milwaukee, it simply would have been money wasted. Instead, they have made the correct decision to settle for a young, inexpensive player.
Until a second consistent scorer can emerge in Milwaukee, they will be unable to seriously compete in the Central Division. Whether that second scorer is Charlie Villanueva, Mo Williams, or Yi Jianlian, the Bucks will continue to be a young team that struggles to win consistently. Therefore, limiting the dollars they have committed now in hopes of turning it around in the future, is the appropriate way to go.
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