Willard Decker

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Feb 10, 2014 -> 11:58 AM) They were down 52-15 early in the 2nd. QUOTE (bmags @ Feb 10, 2014 -> 12:34 PM) Reminded me of that Bulls-Twolves game in early 00s where Bulls were down 90-40 at halftime or something like that. The Thunder had a similar game last season against the Charlotte Bobcats. They led 57-25 in the third quarter. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 09:16 PM) They're going to get the Pelican's pick too unless it falls in the top-5. That's an extremely raw group though, it would probably take a few years. Noel's offensive game is bsaically non-existant, MCW's efficiency is terrible and getting worse as the year keeps going, and Wiggins probably isn't going to score 20 a night from day 1 (though I do think the NBA style of play is better for his game). The 76ers should draft Wiggins or Parker if able, but the player whom I think would flourish were they to select him is Julius Randle. He has obvious flaws in his offensive game, and his defense remains a work-in-progress. But I think he would be effective playing next to Noel because the latter would make up for his defensive shortcomings. And as Noel doesn't play effectively in the low-post, Randle would have ample opportunities to play on the low-block and has shown a willingness to pass out of double-teams to create shots for teammates. Scouts have criticized his left-handedness and short wingspan, but his skill set is exceptionally rare given how the NBA has changed and would set him apart from his less-skilled peers, who aren't accustomed to defending a player who can back them into the painted area. Randle has been limited by opposing zone defenses, but he's not likely to see as many of these schemes at the next level. I've also the impression that he will benefit from playing with a point-guard who understands how to properly run an offense, something that the Harrison twins remain clueless about. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 08:56 PM) I think anyone with a brain knows that was Pat Riley's work in those early Knicks years when he took over and implemented the 1-3-1 trap. (which was brilliant and he was also the first coach to watch video during halftime to break down adjustments) Guys like Oakley, Ewing (although he was already a stud), Starks, etc. were already all defensive players before Van Gundy took over. Now, he used alot of Pat's philosophy in his coaching and it helped hide...er..."made non defensive players better" such as LJ as you alluded to (same with Thibodeau on certain guys currently), but his in-game adjustments/creativity (which is part of what he was criticized for) was indeed poor. The bolded part I agree with, particularly when it came to Van Gundy recognizing and exploiting match-up advantages on both ends of the court. He insisted on running the Knicks offense through Patrick Ewing no matter the situation, a decision that relegated Johnson- an excellent low-post player- to the role of weak-side rebounder and both Allan Houston- a tremendous shooter- and Latrell Sprewell- one of the league's best slashers- to standing behind the three-point line waiting for a pass that would never come. Patrick Ewing is a Hall of Famer player, but his skills declined significantly during the final five seasons of his career. That the Knicks remained competitive without him- prompting one of Bill Simmons' friends to postulate the now-infamous Ewing Theory- is a testament to his inability to make his teammates better, a problem now faced by the man who ultimately replaced him as the face of the Knicks franchise. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 08:29 PM) Now with that said.. with his athleticism, length, quickness, movement without the ball, etc. he should of had much more impact on the game defensively. (most of that is on him, but he was always the man since high school and he never had the best defensive coaches either strategically, same as Carmelo currently) A shame what injuries did to him later on. Also a shame he didn't pay attention to detail as much on the court during stretches. Don't agree with this at all. Jeff Van Gundy's Knicks teams were regularly among the top five teams in opponent's field-goal percentage and points-per-game despite having no stand-out individual defensive players. Larry Johnson was Van Gundy's most effective on-the-ball defender, a player whom Scottie Pippen cited as one of the league's worst defensive players. Van Gundy's Rockets teams were similarly effective with an uninterested McGrady on the roster. He had an opportunity to learn how to play defense effectively but never took advantage of it. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 08:26 PM) So you've gone from mediocre work ethic to not the best practice player? Um, ok. When I think work ethic, i think about what you're doing in the offseason and when nobody is around to tell you what to do. Not what you're doing in practice against Ty Lue. I'll say this much: you must have a superb work-ethic to be so willing to move the goal-posts as much as you have. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 08:24 PM) Zzzzzzzz. He never won a title. Therefore you can critique and criticize. If KG doesn't win in '08 and Dirk doesn't win in '11, lots of people would be doing the same thing with those two. It's lame and boring and i'm done. T-mac was arguably the second greatest sg we've ever seen and his dominance was cut wayyyyyy short because of physical setbacks. The end. see ya. How convenient of you to leave moments after I post an article in which McGrady himself admits he was a poor practice player. Don't let the door hit you on your way out. --Captain Decker

From Hoops Hype, an affiliate of USA Today Sports: --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 08:06 PM) You could look at Charles Barkley and Shaq a lot of years and say to youreself, "damn, dude ate too many cheeseburgers during the offseason." When could you ever say that about T-mac? Where's the actual eye proof evidence that he was lazy or didn't work hard enough in the offseason? Neither Charles Barkley or Shaquille O'Neal is relevant to this discussion. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 07:58 PM) And what exactly have you proven? You spit out some quotes from a perennial loser in Van Gundy and that's about it. Do you know what T-mac's daily workout regimen was during his playing days? Particularly his Orlando days? You made the original assertion about McGrady's work-ethic. You dismissed the eye-witness accounts of Jeff Van Gundy- a respected former NBA head coach- on the basis that someone who grabs Alonzo Mourning's leg to protect one of his players is not to be trusted. You have repeatedly sidestepped the issue of McGrady's work-ethic by citing meaningless statistics about minutes-played as though the numbers in question serve as irrefutable proof of McGrady's willingness to put forth a consistent effort in both practice and games. Therefore, the burden of proof in this case rests with you. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 07:54 PM) Just because you're out there playing doesn't mean you're healthy or 100%. T-mac's slashing/penetration game was never the same after '05 and it's not because defenses figured him out. And Webber never had a peak as high as t-macs. therefore the drop wouldn't be as great. None of these points addresses the matter at hand: Tracy McGrady's work-habits. By now, everyone who's followed basketball over the past fifteen years knows of McGrady's injury history. It's also known that he was not an effective player unless he was playing within a system in which he was the primary scorer and ball-handler, as he seldom impacted the game defensively save for brief stretches. Why is this relevant? Because defensive prowess is determined by the combination of awareness and effort, both of which were lacking where McGrady was concerned. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 07:51 PM) I was actually going to say that a lot of the Mcgrady lazy stuff comes from the lazy eye. As an aside, it surprises me that McGrady never elected to have strabismus surgery to correct the malallignment. But I digress... --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 07:49 PM) And quite honestly, couldn't you question or nitpick about something of any player that never won a title? If I really wanted to, I get on a lot of really, really great players that didn't win titles. Ultimately, that's what it's all about. No, it's not. This is about your assertion that McGrady's inability to fulfill his potential as a basketball player may be blamed solely on injuries to his knees and lower-back, an assertion that you've yet to prove. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 07:24 PM) I don't agree with this. But let's pretend for a second I do. Darrell Armstrong Bo Outlaw Mike Miller John Amaechi Pat Garrity Monty Williams Andrew Declerq Patrick Ewing (not the Knicks version) Horace Grant (lol) Steven Hunter Drew Gooden Gordon Giracek Shawn Kemp (lmao) Juwan Howard Keith Bogans Tyrone Lue This is just some of the utter garbage T-mac had to play with in his Orlando days. Is it that hard to imagine that one guy that had to carry so much of the scoring/playmaking load would suffer a little defensively? As I've stated previously, I was a Tracy McGrady fan. I don't need a reminder of whom he played with while a member of the Orlando Magic. No one disputes that McGrady was asked to shoulder significant responsibility due to his teammates' shortcomings. What people have repeatedly called into question when discussing his career is whether he shouldered enough. QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 07:26 PM) Houston-era McGrady was quite the chucker. Sooooo many long jumpers. I have a very hard time blaming all of that on his back, though that obviously didn't help. Orlando-era T-Mac was a stud though, and he was still very good his first year in Houston. It's pretty flukey that he NEVER made the second round, though it was kind of funny that Houston made the 2nd round when he was out and went on a crazy winning streak largely without him. McGrady was present for the twenty-two-game winning streak and finished among the top five vote-getters in Most Valuable Player voting that season (2007-08). QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 07:39 PM) I've seen those dumb sites. They're making fun of his lazy eye as much as anything. 40.1 38.3 39.4 40.0 40.8 Those were his minutes played from '01 to '05, his best ball. Those minutes at that level, yeah, lazy is not the word that comes to mind. T-mac is an easy target because he never got out the first round. But dude was great. The problem with this argument is that it implies anyone playing fewer minutes works less hard than McGrady, a hypothesis that's virtually impossible to prove. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Palehosefan @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 06:21 PM) Just getting this straight. Fans should be banned for cursing at opposing players? Fans should be banned for any inappropriate interaction with players, coaches or officials. Instigating a shoving match qualifies. Whatever one's feelings about Marcus Smart's behavior, he was reacting to what the fan in question said to him. If no words are exchanged, there's no altercation. QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 06:24 PM) There is video of the incident released about an hour ago from the camera Smart ran into on the play. He does get called a piece of crap. We've no way of knowing if that's all that was said between the fan and Marcus Smart throughout the game. No additional video has surfaced featuring a confrontation between the two, but that doesn't mean it's not out there. It's entirely within the realm of possibilities that this fan has directed insults and obscenities at Smart before. That doesn't change Smart's culpability for what happened. He deserves his suspension and will serve it. But it does call into question the fan's credibility, something that's not above question. QUOTE (Buehrle>Wood @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 06:24 PM) And it is his decision to make on whether he wants to be a paying customer to an entertainment event. It's not like he has a contract where he's obligated to go. If someone bans him on top of that fine but it's his decision whether to go or not. My point is that he does not get to decide what the penalty for his actions will be. My suspicion is that his voluntary absence from remaining Texas Tech games is a deliberate effort to avoid a more serious punishment by university officials, who have the power to hand down a permanent ban. He behaved inappropriately and precipitated an incident resulting in the suspension of an NCAA student-athlete. He does not get to decide what form of punishment is appropriate for such behavior. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 07:03 PM) So, basically without the Van Gundy comments, you'd have nothing? Did you say to yourself back in 2001, "Man, that McGrady is so good, but he could be much better if he just tried more." I already know the answer so you don't have to say anything. If there's a bunch of guys, former teammates, coaches, assistant coaches, etc - that's different. As far as him not advancing past the first round, go back and look at some of these Orlando rosters and that answers that. I will say Houston kinda choked in '05 because they were up 2-0 with games 3 and 4 at home. And even then T-mac averaged 31.7 ppg in that series. Other than that they could never stay healthy. No need to over analyze. It's really that simple. As a matter of fact, I did say that on several occasions. McGrady entered the league as an above-average defensive player but regressed rapidly during his four seasons in Orlando, something that anyone who watched him play on a regular basis would have noticed. That Jeff Van Gundy later made statements about his work-ethic didn't surprise me, as I'd already seen evidence of such for myself. And please don't presume to put words in my mouth. Few things irritate me more than people who believe they know better than I do what I think about a particular topic. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Quinarvy @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 06:58 PM) It takes more than one man to advance in the playoffs. When the lowest common denominator on each of the teams in question is Tracy McGrady, the bulk of the responsibility for the failure of each team to advance rests with him. Is that fair? No, but only the most naïve individual would argue that professional sports should be fair. Competition isn't about fairness- beyond proper observance of a sport's rules and regulations by all competitors- but about the ability of one team or individual to overcome another. Tracy McGrady's teams couldn't overcome the obstacles placed before them. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 06:28 PM) No doubt about it. Like in 2003. If T-mac had tried more, he would've averaged 35 ppg and a 32 per instead of 32 ppg and a 30 per. T-mac had a higher per than Kobe from 2001 to 2005. In 35 playoff games from '01 to '08, he averaged 29.5 ppg, 7 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.4 spg, 1.1 bpg. But he could've done more! No. His body is what did him in, not a lack of work ethic. T-mac was as cut, fit, trim as anybody of that time and he played an insane amount of minutes. You can' play the minutes he did at that level if you're work ethic sucks. I'd be interested in knowing how you intend to verify this assertion, particularly given that McGrady was unable to advance past the first round of the post-season in each of the seasons in question save the two in which neither Orlando or Houston qualified for the playoffs. And your use of his body-type as proof of sound work-habits is laughable in the face of eye-witness accounts of exactly the opposite from one of his former head coaches. Jeff Van Gundy's resume is irrelevant, as are his comments about Michael Jordan- comments I believe to be true, for why else would Jordan take them so personally? He was around Tracy McGrady on an almost daily basis and had numerous opportunities to observe the former's behavior in both practice and game situations. If he says McGrady didn't always give maximum effort, I'm inclined to believe him. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Rowand44 @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 05:51 PM) If that's true, I take back everything I said. Smart's a moron if this is the case. Smart is wrong for putting his hands on a fan. What was said to provoke him is important only in determining how the fan in question should be disciplined. QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 06:03 PM) No, I stand by what I said. You are a 40 year old "superfan" at a college sporting event and an opposing athlete ends up in the crowd, so you call him a piece of crap? Yeah, you suck at life and should be banned from attending games for a while. IMO he comes off looking much worse than Smart. We've only the fan's word that he didn't use a racial slur. Neither Marcus Smart or Travis Ford was willing disclose what they thought he said. I don't know if their reluctance is due to their wanting to keep the incident relatively contained or if it's because they don't feel comfortable discussing such a sensitive issue in public. I will be disappointed if Texas Tech does not impose their own sanctions on the fan in question: I won't use his name because he doesn't deserve the attention and believe it's highly inappropriate for him to voluntarily abstain from attending remaining Texas Tech men's basketball games. The decision is not his to make. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 03:18 PM) Please, stop trolling. You are confusing injury to work ethic. I think he's trying to make the point that work-ethic doesn't matter where injuries are involved, an assertion that most in professional sports would dispute. A strong work-ethic may enable an athlete to undertake a more rigorous rehabilitation and return from injury more quickly. It may also provide an opportunity for said athlete to develop new skills related to his sport, skills that may sustain his productivity in the face of declining athleticism. In any case, it has been my observation that athletes who approach their profession with the proper seriousness and dedication have longer careers than those relying solely on innate ability. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 03:01 PM) If only Rose's work ethic was better, maybe he would've - oh that's right, he still would've gotten hurt over and over and over. Just like Grant Hill and Penny and others. If your body betrays you, nothing else matters. Apples to oranges. No one questions Rose's work-ethic, though his psychological make-up has come into question given his reluctance to return to the court last season. I don't know if such questions hold merit. What I do know is that comparing Rose to McGrady doesn't make sense. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Jordan4life @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 02:48 PM) No, the ignorance is coming from you for not acknowledging the chronic back issues and all the other physical ailments that cut down his career. I'm sure Van Gundy could go back and say a lot of things about guys he's coached, you know, since he won exactly nothing and the only thing he's really remembered for is calling MJ a con-man and hanging off of Alonzo Mourning's leg like a f***in' idiot. No one disputes that McGrady's career was altered by the injuries you've mentioned. But he's hardly the only athlete to suffer such significant set-backs. Larry Johnson suffered a similar injury and remained an effective player for several seasons before retiring in 2001. He was no longer an All Star-caliber power-forward but managed to remake himself into a key role-player on several Knicks teams coached by Jeff Van Gundy. Grant Hill was never the same player following his ankle injury but refined his game to become an effective spot-up shooter and defensive stopper- attributes that allowed him to prolong his career far beyond what most believed his body would endure. He retired this past off-season and now hosts NBA Inside Stuff. My rationale in sharing these examples is to point out that McGrady- who was more talented than either Hill or Johnson- could have remained an effective player due to his length, ball-handling and passing abilities. I don't know that he would have been able to sustain the scoring pace he established during his peak seasons in both Orlando and Houston, but there's no doubt in my mind he could have played a significant role for a contending team. Instead, he found himself on the bench as his San Antonio Spurs teammates tried unsuccessfully to dethrone the Miami Heat. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (thxfrthmmrs @ Feb 9, 2014 -> 02:41 PM) He got two scoring titles through undeniable talent but yet questionable work ethic. If he had put in more work in his jump shot, use better shot selections, and compete harder on defense, he could be have been hands down best player in the league for at least 5 years, that's how talented he is. If you choose to ignore a comment coming from a guy who coached him for 4 years, and who is around him for everyday of the basketball season, that just shows how ignorant you choose to be sometimes. I was a Tracy McGrady fan and agree with this. As good as he was- and he was one of the five best players in the league when healthy- McGrady's work-habits left much to be desired. Several years ago, I read a story about him and Kobe Bryant detailing a trip to Africa with other NBA players. McGrady and Bryant were walking back to their hotel after dinner. Tracy asked Kobe if he was planning to go to the gym that night to shoot. Kobe told him that he wasn't. McGrady took that as his cue to turn in for the evening. A few hours later, he decided to cure his insomnia by going for a walk, a sojourn that took him to the aforementioned gym. A commotion from within the building drew his attention, so he went inside. He found a small crowd of spectators watching Bryant progress through ball-handing, shooting and defensive drills. A scenario such as this may seem insignificant, but it also captures the difference between the two men and may explain why one remained dominant as his athleticism failed, whereas his counterpart became an afterthought. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (Heads22 @ Feb 8, 2014 -> 10:41 PM) And Marcus Smart goes into the stand and shoves a fan Having seen video of the incident, the fan clearly said something to Smart to provoke him. I'm not condoning what Smart did- as there's nothing that justifies an athlete shoving a fan- but if the fan in question said something particularly vulgar or derogatory, he deserves banishment from future Texas Tech sporting events. As an aside, I'm not Marcus Smart's biggest fan, but I wonder how this may impact his draft position if he's suspended for a significant length of time. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (whitesoxfan99 @ Feb 8, 2014 -> 01:46 PM) I'd like to see any evidence whatsoever that players skill sets increase more at the college level than at the NBA level. That argument is a bunch of non-sense. I don't question that a player's skill-set improves more rapidly at the NBA level. What I question is whether said skill-set is appropriate for the NBA when a given player enters the league, an issue that may be better addressed if players remain at the collegiate level for another season. I would imagine that the jump from NCAA to NBA would remain difficult, but perhaps any flaws inherent in a player's game would be less obvious with another season of experience. --Captain Decker

QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Feb 7, 2014 -> 09:54 PM) I wouldn't think most of the guys that this rule would affect fall under the ideal of "student-athlete" (which I think was actually a legal term so the NCAA didn't have to give out worker's comp to injured athletes before they turned it into a marketing ploy). Michael Beasley and DeMarcus Cousins don't seem like the kind of guys that are going to get much out of sticking around in college. I'm sure there are a lot of guys that don't care about that degree when they're about to become millionaires, and I'm not sure how much the NBA really cares about these guys getting degrees. I don't really agree with the "new car" section either. There are plenty of guys that improve their stock once they start playing games. Joel Embiid is a perfect example, he was a fringe top-10 pick before the season and a guy that might have needed another year. Now he's a top-3 pick, maybe #1 if he chooses to come out. That said, once your stock hits a certain point (first round for most, lottery for some, top-5 for the elite athletes), there's really no point in staying. Your risk of having your stock drop or getting hurt eventually outweighs the benefits of moving up in the draft depending on that player's ceiling. You also delay getting paid another year, which can cost you a significant amount of money down the road. Another key thing to point out is that you don't stop improving when you hit the NBA. Very, very few players are All-Stars from the minute they hit the league. Everyone still has things to work on when they start playing pros. It's really hard to project what kind of player an 18-year old kid will be in 5 years without seeing him play a single college game. You get a little more data seeing them play against college players, but you still have huge misses both ways. Your development after you get to the league is the real difference between a bust and a star most of the time. We've seen numerous guys come right out of high school and go on to have great careers, some of them even playing reasonably well as rookies, so more years in college isn't a prerequisite for success. This is getting off point a bit though. It would obviously help the NCAA because they would get guys like Parker and Wiggins generating money for them for an extra year. It would help more college players than it would hurt because you'd have fewer poor decisions regarding the draft and some guys would improve their stock/be more ready after an extra year. It would help the existing NBA players because fewer guys that can threaten their jobs would be able to enter the draft pool. However, I don't see why the league would want the rule. Execs want as many guys in the draft pool as possible to make choices, and the league has to wait an extra year to get the hyped up stud that can sell tickets. There are also a handful of guys every year that won't gain much from staying in school, with things possibly going horribly wrong. What kind of shape would Nerlens Noel be in right now if he were forced to stay? He's making $3.1 million while rehabbing now instead of sitting out likely the entire college season and hoping for the best. I agree with most of your points and don't have an answer as to why the NBA wants the rule beyond what I've offered. I do think the NBA cares about players receiving an education, albeit only to a certain extent. A smaller talent pool would leave executives with fewer options, but it would also reduce the number of mistakes as the risk of drafting a player who wasn't ready for the NBA would be smaller- although it's worth pointing out that a smaller draft pool could result in a player being selected higher than he may be otherwise, thus creating a scenario in which he's paid more than he's worth due to a lack of depth in the pool- averting situations similar to Cleveland's selection of Anthony Bennett. In the case of someone like Jabari Parker, however, I think the NBA would rather he enter the league as quickly as possible because he's likely to make an immediate impact due to his ability to score the basketball. Parker's grasp of fundamentals surpasses that of most players his age and may enable him to be successful in situations in which individuals with far less polish have struggled. As you've observed, he would have opportunities to improve as an NBA player, chances that may elude him at the collegiate level if he remains beyond his freshman season. Be that as it may, the one-and-done approach isn't for every player: perhaps NBA executives have decided it's not their job to babysit younger players, though I don't know what difference one year will make for a young man's maturity level. --Captain Decker