Take the emergence of Paul George away and I still cannot believe we made it that far without Danny. No way would you tell me last October after the news broke that we would make it to the Eastern Conference Finals, let alone push the Heat to a Game 7 with Paul George leading the charge. This is kind of my official "2012-13 Season Post-Mortem".
I still am on the fence believing that Roy's sluggish (that's putting it nicely) start was due to a wrist injury, but I'll take that with a grain of salt. I will give him all the props in the world for playing out of his mind the entire second half of the season. As we noticed, if you take Roy out of the game we have no chance to defend inside near the rim. No Roy, no wins. His biggest task this offseason will need to be reading the offense better so he doesn't get into foul trouble early in games. That can be done with coaching. Roy has come a long way since he was 3rd tail to Jeff Foster and Rasho Nesterovic. The introverted, shy big fella has really become an outspoken (maybe too much) leader on this team. Roy... you're the man now, dawg.
Take what you will from Lance, though. I really love how well he improved this year but he was feast or famine the entire way. His shot selection was very poor and his passing skills need a lot of work to say the least. I don't care too much for him driving down the lane galloping like a horse, but his speed does help when you have to push the ball during a press. I can live with that. I'd like to see him get to the basket more and draw some fouls and get to the free throw line, however. I think if he can do that successfully he has a legitimate shot at remaining as a starter even if Danny comes back healthy. I know he's a New York guy, but maybe cut down on the trash talk until you're punishing your defenders a little better.
George Hill. I'm sorry, but he's been worth his weight in gold (no pun intended) since we got him. I can't say how much I enjoy his presence on this team. I think he does a lot on offense, maybe too much at times. The problem is as stated above, when Lance goes AWOL that leaves you with Hill as our only backcourt option. He'll jack up a couple of threes, some of which do find the basket. I think once Lance finely-tunes his game George Hill will finally create a little more on offense. He does need to figure out how to get out of the double-team a little better, though. He committed a lot of turnovers this season after getting trapped by defenders. Other than that, his floater is probably the most perfect piece of basketball playing I've ever seen... and it's saved our asses a time or two. I like him running the point.
David West, BAMF. Call him what you will, but without his veteran leadership this team would probably still be competing for a lottery spot. I don't think I've ever seen anyone impact a team right from the beginning like David West has. All signs are pointing to us re-signing him, and I am 100% OK with that. Beyond OK. Next year, however, he needs to work on finishing at the rim. His jump shot is sweet, but I think he does the most damage (Like Roy) near the rim. He's a beast on put-backs, and I maybe like fundamental basketball more to where our bigs are closer to the basket. One pet-peeve I do have is I see a lot of complaining about no-calls or after a foul he's committed. I know that's his personality, but bellyaching to the refs never gets anyone nowhere. None-the-less, David West, thank you for sticking with this team. The fans sure do appreciate your hard work. I hope you stay here.
Back to Paul George. 10th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Who? Wait... the Jazz got Gordon Hayward? Psssh... I don't know what happened, but up until right after that Golden State game he was the same player that was lost out on the floor during the Heat series last year. A lot of fans and folks on this board in particular had him all but written off by the 4th week in the season. Words can't explain how amazing watching him emerge has been this season. It's not like it happened over the summer, but within the course of two or three days. Some players just start their careers playing insanely well. Few develop it in the offseason. Never have I personally seen it happen in one game. Needless to say Paul did it all this year. He shot well, defended out of his mind and still made highlight reels with those posterizing dunks. I don't think there is much more you can ask for with Paul outside of just for him to keep working hard in the offseason and not become complacent. Another thing is to not worry about if/when Danny returns. I think the mindset is that the torch is now in Paul's hands, and even if Paul goes back to playing the 2 spot he can thrive there as well.
In our "starting 5", last but not least, Danny Granger. Just get healthy my man. His value was severely underestimated this year. I don't really care how well Lance did. He should be able to lead the bench or be a productive starter either way. We know Danny isn't going anywhere without AT LEAST a half season of healthy play behind him. I think where we couldn't get any offense going during the Knicks or Heat series, Danny would've at least given us something if 100%. I don't want to speculate that with Danny all season Paul George wouldn't have blossomed. I don't need that. Yes, George took this opportunity as a shot in the rear and ran with it, but having him and a player like Danny on the same team only helps us. It doesn't hurt us any. So if he comes back, starter or 6th man, there is no way he doesn't help.
Our bench. Get rid of all of them except Orlando Johnson and maybe Ian Mahinmi. I think Ian with a little bit of work can be a viable backup for a couple of years. Orlando shown a lot of promise this season. I wasn't surprised that Frank didn't play him in the playoffs except for blowouts, but he'll have his chance. DJ Augustin... man, I had such high hopes for you. I now hope you go somewhere that you can work on your game and be a decent role player. That's all I ask.
Last but not least, coaching. I'll start with Brian Shaw. It appears he has paid his dues. I can speak for everyone that I am sure he finally gets his head coaching position this fall. What he does for developing players though is amazing. He kept Lance in check during a few critical times this season including the playoffs. I love coaches with championship playing experience. He brought that to this young staff and turned them into disciplined contenders. Good luck, Brian. We'll miss you.
All the credit in the world goes to Frank Vogel. The captain of this vessel. When he retires I hope he writes motivational books. I'll buy each one. I have never seen someone so positive in the face of adversity ever. Especially in a head coaching spot. The guy hardly loses his cool, and when he does it just fires the team up more. (Cleveland, anyone?) There is always going to be those 2 or 3 people that question timeouts, or lack thereof. Rotations, etc. But without him there would be no Roy Hibbert, All-Star, Paul George MIP and All-Star and possibly two first-round exits. IF THAT.
Some of us were on twitter last night spouting-off names of players that we have had come and go during the "dark years". To be able to name those names off still leaves bitter feelings, but without them and the moves made that possibly included them could not put us where we are today. I want to just grovel at the feet of Larry Bird. His patience and bold moves made us into an NBA Title Contender. Yes. We were near meeting the Spurs in the NBA Finals. All of the years of watching players like Flip Murray, Troy Murphy, Rawle Marshall, et al play selfish and like dirt. A coach that didn't develop talent and blew off the media, calling his players' efforts irrelevant. Look. At. Where. We. Are. Now. The city has embraced us. National media outlets are talking about us. It doesn't get any better than this.
Am I disappointed the season is over? Hell yes.
See you in October, Pacers.
I still am on the fence believing that Roy's sluggish (that's putting it nicely) start was due to a wrist injury, but I'll take that with a grain of salt. I will give him all the props in the world for playing out of his mind the entire second half of the season. As we noticed, if you take Roy out of the game we have no chance to defend inside near the rim. No Roy, no wins. His biggest task this offseason will need to be reading the offense better so he doesn't get into foul trouble early in games. That can be done with coaching. Roy has come a long way since he was 3rd tail to Jeff Foster and Rasho Nesterovic. The introverted, shy big fella has really become an outspoken (maybe too much) leader on this team. Roy... you're the man now, dawg.
Take what you will from Lance, though. I really love how well he improved this year but he was feast or famine the entire way. His shot selection was very poor and his passing skills need a lot of work to say the least. I don't care too much for him driving down the lane galloping like a horse, but his speed does help when you have to push the ball during a press. I can live with that. I'd like to see him get to the basket more and draw some fouls and get to the free throw line, however. I think if he can do that successfully he has a legitimate shot at remaining as a starter even if Danny comes back healthy. I know he's a New York guy, but maybe cut down on the trash talk until you're punishing your defenders a little better.
George Hill. I'm sorry, but he's been worth his weight in gold (no pun intended) since we got him. I can't say how much I enjoy his presence on this team. I think he does a lot on offense, maybe too much at times. The problem is as stated above, when Lance goes AWOL that leaves you with Hill as our only backcourt option. He'll jack up a couple of threes, some of which do find the basket. I think once Lance finely-tunes his game George Hill will finally create a little more on offense. He does need to figure out how to get out of the double-team a little better, though. He committed a lot of turnovers this season after getting trapped by defenders. Other than that, his floater is probably the most perfect piece of basketball playing I've ever seen... and it's saved our asses a time or two. I like him running the point.
David West, BAMF. Call him what you will, but without his veteran leadership this team would probably still be competing for a lottery spot. I don't think I've ever seen anyone impact a team right from the beginning like David West has. All signs are pointing to us re-signing him, and I am 100% OK with that. Beyond OK. Next year, however, he needs to work on finishing at the rim. His jump shot is sweet, but I think he does the most damage (Like Roy) near the rim. He's a beast on put-backs, and I maybe like fundamental basketball more to where our bigs are closer to the basket. One pet-peeve I do have is I see a lot of complaining about no-calls or after a foul he's committed. I know that's his personality, but bellyaching to the refs never gets anyone nowhere. None-the-less, David West, thank you for sticking with this team. The fans sure do appreciate your hard work. I hope you stay here.
Back to Paul George. 10th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Who? Wait... the Jazz got Gordon Hayward? Psssh... I don't know what happened, but up until right after that Golden State game he was the same player that was lost out on the floor during the Heat series last year. A lot of fans and folks on this board in particular had him all but written off by the 4th week in the season. Words can't explain how amazing watching him emerge has been this season. It's not like it happened over the summer, but within the course of two or three days. Some players just start their careers playing insanely well. Few develop it in the offseason. Never have I personally seen it happen in one game. Needless to say Paul did it all this year. He shot well, defended out of his mind and still made highlight reels with those posterizing dunks. I don't think there is much more you can ask for with Paul outside of just for him to keep working hard in the offseason and not become complacent. Another thing is to not worry about if/when Danny returns. I think the mindset is that the torch is now in Paul's hands, and even if Paul goes back to playing the 2 spot he can thrive there as well.
In our "starting 5", last but not least, Danny Granger. Just get healthy my man. His value was severely underestimated this year. I don't really care how well Lance did. He should be able to lead the bench or be a productive starter either way. We know Danny isn't going anywhere without AT LEAST a half season of healthy play behind him. I think where we couldn't get any offense going during the Knicks or Heat series, Danny would've at least given us something if 100%. I don't want to speculate that with Danny all season Paul George wouldn't have blossomed. I don't need that. Yes, George took this opportunity as a shot in the rear and ran with it, but having him and a player like Danny on the same team only helps us. It doesn't hurt us any. So if he comes back, starter or 6th man, there is no way he doesn't help.
Our bench. Get rid of all of them except Orlando Johnson and maybe Ian Mahinmi. I think Ian with a little bit of work can be a viable backup for a couple of years. Orlando shown a lot of promise this season. I wasn't surprised that Frank didn't play him in the playoffs except for blowouts, but he'll have his chance. DJ Augustin... man, I had such high hopes for you. I now hope you go somewhere that you can work on your game and be a decent role player. That's all I ask.
Last but not least, coaching. I'll start with Brian Shaw. It appears he has paid his dues. I can speak for everyone that I am sure he finally gets his head coaching position this fall. What he does for developing players though is amazing. He kept Lance in check during a few critical times this season including the playoffs. I love coaches with championship playing experience. He brought that to this young staff and turned them into disciplined contenders. Good luck, Brian. We'll miss you.
All the credit in the world goes to Frank Vogel. The captain of this vessel. When he retires I hope he writes motivational books. I'll buy each one. I have never seen someone so positive in the face of adversity ever. Especially in a head coaching spot. The guy hardly loses his cool, and when he does it just fires the team up more. (Cleveland, anyone?) There is always going to be those 2 or 3 people that question timeouts, or lack thereof. Rotations, etc. But without him there would be no Roy Hibbert, All-Star, Paul George MIP and All-Star and possibly two first-round exits. IF THAT.
Some of us were on twitter last night spouting-off names of players that we have had come and go during the "dark years". To be able to name those names off still leaves bitter feelings, but without them and the moves made that possibly included them could not put us where we are today. I want to just grovel at the feet of Larry Bird. His patience and bold moves made us into an NBA Title Contender. Yes. We were near meeting the Spurs in the NBA Finals. All of the years of watching players like Flip Murray, Troy Murphy, Rawle Marshall, et al play selfish and like dirt. A coach that didn't develop talent and blew off the media, calling his players' efforts irrelevant. Look. At. Where. We. Are. Now. The city has embraced us. National media outlets are talking about us. It doesn't get any better than this.
Am I disappointed the season is over? Hell yes.
See you in October, Pacers.
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