GAMETHREAD: Birds @ Magic

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

When we drafted Oladipo we expected a solid starting sg with potential to make a single all star game. Maybe two. Not a perennial guy.

 

Post all star, Oladipo has shown he's a solid starting shooting guard with potential to make an all star team (if we have a good team and he has a good month or two)

 

So he's meeting expectations.

 

So why are we criticizing him?

 

Am I crazy?

 

[Janders 102]

I'm with Payton4thewin, I don't know what you guys are expecting out of Oladipo. He's a 2nd year player who got ripped off by coming in 2nd for Rookie of the Year, and has gotten better and better this year, averaging 21.8 points a game through March

[Franchero MVP 391]

Ahh, shucks!. . .I said I wasn't going to do any posting due to certain circumstances. But here we go. First of all, I agree with every thing you said Soul Bro.

 

I am sick and tired of Victor. Sure, he shows moments of brilliance, but in SOME ways he reminds me of Chris Duhon. (Yes, I said it!)

 

• He over dribbles.
   
  
• Time and time again he allows himself to get trapped in a corner by 3 defenders and when he tries to throw the ball out, he turns it over.
   
  
• There are times when he dribbles into the paint, he gets trapped, falls to the floor, and loses the ball.
   
  
• In the latter minutes of the 4th quarter, he tries to be the hero of the game and tries to do all of the scoring. He crashes the board or chucks up 3 pointers, missing the mark. He does not look for the open man.

 

The entire team have a problem in passing the ball out after a defensive rebound which should lead to a fast break by the Magic. They lazily throw the ball out and get picked off by the opponent. Vic and Luke were guilty of this in last nights game.

 

Lastly, the coach is having problems with his rotations. I am using NBA League Pass because I am away from my home in Florida. But I believe we were ahead by 6 to 8 points at the eight minute mark in the 4th quarter when League Pass froze on me, and I could not see the end of the game. Later, when I checked the box score I saw that we lost by 12 points. The coach uses some combinations of players on the floor that absolutely destroys our chances of winning the game. Therefore, when he puts the starters back in the fourth quarter, we start to have turnovers in bunches because they are trying to save the game.

 

I do not see Kyle, Andrew and Harkless in our future. . .not even next year. . .not even our next game. I just don't see what some of you are seeing.

 

Now, I'm not going on statistics. . . .I am using the "eye test".

 

BTW. . . I think the team does better (in half court) when they make quick passes around the floor to just about every player to find the open man. It spaces the floor and throws the opponent off. But when you have one player over dribbling, it is a recipe for disaster.

 

You have got to be kidding me.

 

Is it too late to nominate 'Worst Post Of The Year"?

[TrueMagicFan07 674]

You have got to be kidding me.

 

Is it too late to nominate 'Worst Post Of The Year"?

 

:svgsad:

 

[Optimist Prime 197]

You have got to be kidding me.

 

Is it too late to nominate 'Worst Post Of The Year"?

 

That isn't close to the worst post of the year. Also, TMF literally used posts like this as an example why she isn't posting anymore.

[Franchero MVP 391]

That isn't close to the worst post of the year. Also, TMF literally used posts like this as an example why she isn't posting anymore.

 

And?

 

C'mon, seriously comparing Oladipo to Chris Duhon? Thats Arielle territory right there.

[Optimist Prime 197]

And?

 

C'mon, seriously comparing Oladipo to Chris Duhon? Thats Arielle territory right there.

 

Not saying it wasn't a bad comparison. Just that it's nowhere near the worst we've seen on this board.

[~O~ 565]

And?

 

C'mon, seriously comparing Oladipo to Chris Duhon? Thats Arielle territory right there.

 

Take some perspective. She didn't mean his entire game is compared to Chris Duhon. She said "SOME" ways. I for one took it as she meant the turnovers were Chris Duhon like.

 

Chris Duhon was the guy that would pass up the open shot just to pass, turn the ball over in a laughable fashion, or just hold the ball to end the possession with the terrible shot. For those very reasons, he was seen as despicable which is how Frye is being viewed now on the forums. His turnovers are almost as laughable and timely as Victor's but at least Victor is 20 times the player Duhon was and ever could be.

 

I feel that Victor's turnovers are right where we need them to be. He just needs to cut down on them when games start meaning **** next season. His turnovers are off pure inexperience, forcing the issue, or most of all the lack of veteran effortless skill in basic fundamentals (ballhandling, passing, iq, steps).

 

 

Overall, don't put too much stock into these final games of the season. They're not even important so I doubt the players care to play at full pace. Thus, leading to the laziness in passing and indifference toward the game. Just relax and don't stress it.

 

Most of all, TrueMagicFan is absolutely correct about a fast pace passing rate. I feel that the offense needs to be urgent on every play. I've watched SAS for 15 plus years now and they get the ball up the floor as quick as possible to set those plays. It something we need to work up to with our future roster/chemistry/coach. A more fluid offense leads to more confidence to a well guided and strategic attack. The faster the passing, the more you make opposing defense think and threaten there defense leading to mismatching and sag.

 

The Magic are not a good shooting team which destroys their confidence during scoring droughts, towards the offensive strategy, and towards themselves. Then, they start thinking too much...slows ball movement...creates turnovers.....they get anxious. This in turn fuels the confidence of the opponents they face such as the 10 day contracts and lesser rec teams that they've lost to.

 

You have to build a combination of things to have a fluid offense. That'll take time....time we don't want to have to deal with.

 

They aren't ready to be the players that are capable of this nor should we expect them to be. Some of our players are just incapable of getting better but its frustrating watching them. We want them to win! We want the Magic to win! Hold..off on our wants now; it drives impatience.

 

 

 

Most of all, we've confirmed since the beginning of this season that....Harkless, Nicholson, and Quinn..have to go. They are nothing to worry about.

 

To end....I'm with Payton4thewin and Catman. Victor is a second to third option. He's not the main guy. This will not last two seasons if we acquire a legitimate first option.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Soul Bro 1,419]

Nobody expects Victor to be the key piece leading the team to another championship. Due to roster construction he's forced to be the guy right now…. What were you expecting?

Great question. I was expecting discipline above all else from Dipo, to be honest, which is why his undisciplined play and over-confidence is so frustrating. I truly feel he's trying to be Wade instead of Dipo. I think we need an experienced coach in the worst way to develop Dipo and the others.

[Fultz4thewin 2,464]

Great question. I was expecting discipline above all else from Dipo, to be honest, which is why his undisciplined play and over-confidence is so frustrating. I truly feel he's trying to be Wade instead of Dipo. I think we need an experienced coach in the worst way to develop Dipo and the others.

 

I think expecting discipline from a second year player isn't reasonable. He's not trying to be wade, he's forced to be wade. Big difference.

 

Yeah we really need a quality coach. That's arguably our number one off-season need

[TrueMagicFan07 674]

Thank you Optimist Prime and ~O~ for bringing some reasonableness to my previous post. And to ~O~

I love the way you were able to take parts of my post and break it down to an appreciable level. You were "spot on."

 

Just to add, I absolutely did not mean that Vic and Duhon's overall games were the same. When I said "in SOME ways", I was alluding to the similarities in their tendencies for too many turnovers and over dribbling.

[CTMagicUK 1,483]

You were expecting discipline on offense from a 2nd year player who had never even been used as a real offensive weapon until his junior year in college, had never been asked to handle the ball until last year and had never been a guy that was a counted on scorer until this year?

 

I seriously feel like the only way people would have been happy with Dipo this year on offense is if he turned into Wade. He's averaging 18 points on 44/34/84 shooting as a 2nd year player..

 

Honestly I'm more concerned about his defense. I always thought his high upside was Joe Dumars (very good defender and 2nd option on offense) but, this year he seems to have taken a step back on defense. He's not made as many effort plays like the Lillard dunk rejection from last year and he doesn't look nearly as engaged guarding his man. I'm hoping though this is a side effect of his increased load on offense and that next year he can be keep up his offense while not exhausting all his energy on that side of the ball.

 

Like you guys are saying though coaching is key. Right now our offense really doesn't play to the strengths and weaknesses of our players and so you get over dribbling and bad shots. The only offensive set that ever seems to generate points consistently is the guard/Vuc pick and roll and that's predominantly to do with how good Vuc's hands are and how good he is at making mid range shots, finishing those little floaters and short jumpers in the lane and establishing deep post position after a roll to the rim.