Quote:
Originally Posted by sefant77
Yes, i prefer Gooden to get man-handled 1on1 than Dirk in a double because teams prefer to double again Dirk and give Gooden his midjumper that he wont hit like Dirk etc. Gooden has to stay in the paint or its all A. Walker again....
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Antoine Walker came to Dallas thinking he was a star. Before he arrived he was averaging 20-7-5, had three allstar games under his belt and was Boston's leading shot-taker tied with Pierce (pierce had 26ppg on 20shots per game. Walker had 20ppg on the same amount)
And it isn't an either-or situation, even within the same game or on the same play even, but I think we are confusing things a bit when we consider his role. On D he better bang. On offense he will do what needs to be done, whether it be setting screens, trying to get open without the ball, and taking a mid-range jumper on occasion to keep his defender honest. What we don't want him doing is hanging out under the basket on both sides of the court. This is a movement offense team and there will be a lot of baseline movement and back-cuts. We don't need anyone to clog the lane-- we need someone who can demand a defender so defenses don't just pack the middle and double Dirk. That's not to say he will be our Raef LaFrentz sitting on the perimeter taking threes, but he will be doing a little of everything. Putting him in the post all the time is as dumb as putting Dirk there, even if Gooden has slightly better post moves.
On some plays he may post, on others he may lay a screen and if he gets the ball back, he should be taking the shot. But most importantly...
Gooden is NOT Walker. Gooden is and has always been a utility guy. The guy has never averaged over 12 shots a game in a full season ever and has never been the 1a, 1b, on any team's offense. He will provide a little of everything and if he's used effectively he will use (or threaten to use) all his abilities while taking good shots wherever they are while trying to probe the offense without the ball to keep the defenders moving. When defenders move, passes come into allignment and when that happens, we have a point guard that can see that 30 inches of space and use it to get this team shots inside.