Pluses : - Can hook with both hands - Has good foot speed - Is co-ordinated , athletic - Can power dribble from the top of the key and one of the quickest big men in the league with his dribble - One of the best offensive rebounders in the league. Minuses : - Gets over powered in a crowd - Not a 2 dribble ( or more ) post player with a body on him - Brings the ball down low off the rebound and seems to get slapped away too easily ( technique and smaller hands ) If I've missed anything , or if there is alternate opinion as to how I see him , please add . What I am getting at is this : i believe he's got a lot more capacity to be "point productive" if used a little bit better. I don't accept that he is the offensive dunce that a lot of observers ( serious and casual ) portray him as
He looked great running the fast break against GSW (NOT!). I think all you say is true here. His mid range shooting is a minus, though.
I was disappointed with him in the back half of the season last year and have been underwhelmed by him in the first couple of games this season . He is better than this . Boozer is better than his returns too Against the Lakers , from memory , I saw 2 or 3 pick and roll plays where Boozer got the ball rolling to the basket from the pick and it looked like money. Based on the 2nd half of last season and the continuance of how i see us playing this season .... I have come to the conclusion that we must make offensive adjustments. Things aren't as simple as just being this defensive team and pinning it on Derrick to weave his Magic. It's incredibly shortsighted and the organization is getting drawn into this sucker punch - especially because Derrick ended up as MVP and we had a cupcake 2nd round match up against a shithouse Hawks team that are on the wane. And that was after the Pacers scared the bejesus out of us and figured how to play us - and that the Heat paid attention to in the Finals and what the Lakers did to us in Game 1. If we want to be a defensive team in our primary identity - fine. I just see no reason why we have to neglect the offense , because , during the regular season we may look great when we click and score ( say ) two thirds of our points from stingy defense. However , when it really counts in the playoffs , and transition defenses pick up - history shows you simply must score in the half court offense. How many times last season and against the Lakers the other night where we simply couldn't buy baskets - either from our starters or bench mob. When the screws get turned , a true championship contender absolutely has the capacity to maintain an offensive consistency. My point is it is that much harder to have this in your arsenal as a team and to maintain it if the offense is not maximizing the talents of all in an integrated offense. This team , currently , only seems to be using Derrick and Luol right. So why drop the money on Boozer if you won't use him right ? Why extend Jo if you won't use him right and have him develop as a genuine , consistent - two way double double guy ? I suspect this organization is locked into a singular mindset and therefore is fooling itself ,and its fans and inadvertently commencing an unnecessary grinding down of this team and shortening its shelf life
But I'd like to use Boozer as more of a stretch 4, who gets the ball off the pick n' roll, and have Joakim get most of his touches from weakside cuts on the inside. I've always thought Joakim is a plus offensive player. His ugly jumper obscures his talents. This might be heresy, but part of the problem is that Derrick Rose isn't that good at the pick n' roll. This problem is compounded by our scheming, which seems to cause our players to equal less than the sum of their parts on offense. I don't want to be a poo-bah after two games, and I know the season has many opportunities to unfold in a variety of ways, but the problems after the first two games look like a continuation from last season. But I'll close w/ a few thoughts: It's only 2 games Thibs might be easing Rip into the lineup slowly Thibs might be planning the roster to account for the entire season including playoffs, to prevent injury and create a crescendo towards the end of the season It's only 2 games! We could pop together a few good games in a row and most of these complaints will go away. I imagine an experienced offensive schemer like Flip Saunders would do a lot of good for this team.
Pick and Roll isn't the only option. An inside/outside setup, like the triangle, would be fine. Boozer in the post, a wing near the 3pt line. All three other players on the far side of the court. Pass into the post. If the wing's man doubles Boozer, the wing has a shot. If the wing's man doesn't, Boozer can score inside pretty well (when not double/triple teamed). The Jazz thrived on a two-man game for a decade with two players the quality of Rose and Boozer (IMO).
I think it's still too early to know what to make of Noah. He had a stellar beginning to last season and then never recovered from his hand injury. It looks like his timing is off early this season, but wow, we're all of two games in. Let's see how the next couple of months shake out and then we'll know what we have.
