dk7th wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Observations? Your assist numbers go up when guys hit their shots.
More than enough trips to the charity stripe to win a game.
Gallo the killer continues to kill.
Consistently attacking the basket brings about positive results more times than not.
Either Lance Thomas was having a very cold pre-season in terms of making shots, or the Bucks are even worse than they looked.
If The Mighty O'Quinn continues to play like this, he's going to really upset a lot of people.
If I were coach Fisher I would not change a damn thing about the line-ups or the rotations just yet.

your assist numbers go up when you pass the ball better and with more willingness and respect for teammates, rather than as a last ditch attempt from mistrust or disrespect. it's related to the ball having energy, as d'antoni counseled. melo's passes often don't have the right energy. last night they did for the most part.

again, it's the difference between being a begrudging passer and a willing passer.

Uh-huh. That's just the long way of repeating what I said

newyorker4ever wrote:

smackeddog wrote:Did Calderon actually do anything in the game? I did not notice a single positive- he was invisible throughout. Thankfully he played under 20 mins.

KP looks week and clumsy (as is to be expected), what is encouraging is he found a way to contribute despite that (drawing fouls)

Monroe is a strange one- he puts up monster numbers that seemingly have no impact on the game what so ever.

Melo was grimacing at his knee a few times- not sure what is going on with him the last 3 games, could be rust, conditioning or his knee. Thankfully we have Williams to pick up the slack.

Very good games by pretty much all of the bench.

A very enjoyable season opener!

Calderon played just fine and played like a true PG plays and hit a couple 3 balls and Melo banged knees with Middleton on a play and didn't play too much after that until midway through the 4th when the Bucks looked like they were about to make a run.

calderon was awful on both ends. AWFUL.

and whats with the crazy arc on his shot? Something with him is really messed up.

mreinman wrote:

newyorker4ever wrote:

smackeddog wrote:Did Calderon actually do anything in the game? I did not notice a single positive- he was invisible throughout. Thankfully he played under 20 mins.

KP looks week and clumsy (as is to be expected), what is encouraging is he found a way to contribute despite that (drawing fouls)

Monroe is a strange one- he puts up monster numbers that seemingly have no impact on the game what so ever.

Melo was grimacing at his knee a few times- not sure what is going on with him the last 3 games, could be rust, conditioning or his knee. Thankfully we have Williams to pick up the slack.

Very good games by pretty much all of the bench.

A very enjoyable season opener!

Calderon played just fine and played like a true PG plays and hit a couple 3 balls and Melo banged knees with Middleton on a play and didn't play too much after that until midway through the 4th when the Bucks looked like they were about to make a run.

calderon was awful on both ends. AWFUL.

and whats with the crazy arc on his shot? Something with him is really messed up.

Seemed a bit discombobulated after the Bucks came out like gangbusters. Looked his age.

If he can't spread the floor with his J, his time on the court will become shorter and shorter, especially if his assist numbers are inadequate.

Still only one game, and I don't think Fisher will rush things, but if Grant has a few more efficient games like yesterday, Fisher might not make the switch, but is sure to give Grant the majority of the minutes at the position.

Thought he had regained his shot during the end of the pre-season.

I expect him to be better as a shooter as the season goes on, but I can't say the same about his D, unfortunately.

fitzfarm wrote:

newyorker4ever wrote:

smackeddog wrote:Did Calderon actually do anything in the game? I did not notice a single positive- he was invisible throughout. Thankfully he played under 20 mins.

KP looks week and clumsy (as is to be expected), what is encouraging is he found a way to contribute despite that (drawing fouls)

Monroe is a strange one- he puts up monster numbers that seemingly have no impact on the game what so ever.

Melo was grimacing at his knee a few times- not sure what is going on with him the last 3 games, could be rust, conditioning or his knee. Thankfully we have Williams to pick up the slack.

Very good games by pretty much all of the bench.

A very enjoyable season opener!

Calderon played just fine and played like a true PG plays and hit a couple 3 balls and Melo banged knees with Middleton on a play and didn't play too much after that until midway through the 4th when the Bucks looked like they were about to make a run.

Calderon played terrible. He was the main reason we were stagnant to start the game . His pg play is aweful. Hitting a few threes is great for a back up two guard ... We are lucky to have a guy like grant who is a real pg who can break down the defense and get our guys open looks. We were cold to start the game cause Calderon can't break down the defense and he can't get guys open looks...

Jose Calderon needs to be traded Or put on the bench as a back up 2 guy can't move north or south anymore and you can't win games with a starting pg who can't go north or south

Went to Clyde's Wine and Dine with a few old friends. I tried to convince them to go to the UK meetup, but they don't post on the board and didn't want to intrude, so we did Clyde's. Larry Johnson was there. Got to meet him, which was somewhat surreal.

Thoughts on the game:

Melo looks tentative. He played well in the team concept... but I wonder if the knee will be an issue again this year. He got bumped on it by Middleton and really grimaced and hobbled for a bit. Not a great sign. I'm a little worried on that knee. But his head seems to be in the right place.

Porzingis looked a little nervous, his shot was off due to nerves at first, but he stayed aggressive. His first drive was really nice. He lost a few rebounds, but so did Lopez and Calderon. He's got to improve controlling the ball off the rebound though. But getting to the line as much as he did and staying aggressive was impressive. 16pts 5rebs for a first outing is not shabby at all. His length on defense is very helpful. There was one sequence where a Buck got by RLopez, but Porzingis was there to challenge the shot - it went long and Melo snagged the rebound. It's nice to have a big front court sometimes.

RLopez this guy is all about the intangibles he brings. He's not gonna put up huge stats, but he boxed out well to allow a few easy rebounds for others. He quarterbacks the D very well. I'm sure there will be calls to start KO'Q over him eventually but I think it's good to have Lopez starting and those two in a platoon.

Derrick Williams man this kid is a revelation in this offense. Especially with the impetus to push the ball. He seems like he's playing lighter than he did in Sacramento. His athleticism and ability to be a one man fastbreak are going to be game changers off the bench. He may be one of the better fastbreak forwards in the entire league.

Jerian Grant I love this kid's game. Heady, poised, smart, patient. He needs to develop his jumper a little more, but his decisions with the ball are fantastic, his ability to get to the rim is something we haven't had in years at the PG spot. Love his defense. Late in the game, when it was over and the starters came out, my friends and I were joking that it wasn't fair for Fisher to bring the bench back in against the Bucks. The whole bench unit is something special.

Langston Galloway I have to admit this guy keeps surprising me. I keep expecting him to slip back and last year to feel like a fluke, but he looks more and more like a keeper and potential starter every day. He's clearly worked on his shot and his defense is still fantastic, particularly compared to Calderon's.

Sasha Vujacic Played a great game. He knows the Triangle. Yells at guys to get to their spots. Great shooter. Not a great defender, but an annoying pesk on D that can get some steals. I'd prefer to have him in the rotation over Calderon at this point.

Overall thoughts - I think it might be wise to start one of Galloway and Grant in the back court. I'd really love to start them both. The Bucks were in danger of blowing the game open when they started exploiting the terrible mismatches at the guard spots early on. Perhaps it'll look different once Afflalo is healthy.

But the Galloway/Grant backcourt is something that will make this team special. Also the ability to bring Derrick Williams and Kyle O'Quinn in off the bench. I think the starters will get better once Afflalo is back and provided Melo can do his thing and as KP gets more comfortable. And I want to give Calderon a chance, but he does seem to be the weak link right now.

Anyhow, great first game.

herkyJerky wrote:

mreinman wrote:

dk7th wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Observations? Your assist numbers go up when guys hit their shots.
More than enough trips to the charity stripe to win a game.
Gallo the killer continues to kill.
Consistently attacking the basket brings about positive results more times than not.
Either Lance Thomas was having a very cold pre-season in terms of making shots, or the Bucks are even worse than they looked.
If The Mighty O'Quinn continues to play like this, he's going to really upset a lot of people.
If I were coach Fisher I would not change a damn thing about the line-ups or the rotations just yet.

your assist numbers go up when you pass the ball better and with more willingness and respect for teammates, rather than as a last ditch attempt from mistrust or disrespect. it's related to the ball having energy, as d'antoni counseled. melo's passes often don't have the right energy. last night they did for the most part.

again, it's the difference between being a begrudging passer and a willing passer.

bingo.

Make a move with the intent to pass and create. Don't just pass went all the doors closed and your stuck.

I have always said that Melo does not have a low IQ and can be an excellent passer. His issue was that he is not a WILLING passer most of the time and can't understand how any shot on the court is better then his no matter how contested.

Positive sign last night and I think that while melo says "fuk NY", he maybe starting to understand why so many NY were saying fuk melo. He was not getting it. Phil may have finally gotten to him.

I bet you guys are praying he gets injured again, aren't you? Hahahaaaa

no way! we need him to to have high trade value.

kidding aside, if melo plays the right way he is a phenomenal player. Can he do that consistently? Does he want to? That remains to be seen. Game 1 was a great baby step.

dk7th wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:

dk7th wrote:

herkyJerky wrote:Observations? Your assist numbers go up when guys hit their shots.
More than enough trips to the charity stripe to win a game.
Gallo the killer continues to kill.
Consistently attacking the basket brings about positive results more times than not.
Either Lance Thomas was having a very cold pre-season in terms of making shots, or the Bucks are even worse than they looked.
If The Mighty O'Quinn continues to play like this, he's going to really upset a lot of people.
If I were coach Fisher I would not change a damn thing about the line-ups or the rotations just yet.

your assist numbers go up when you pass the ball better and with more willingness and respect for teammates, rather than as a last ditch attempt from mistrust or disrespect. it's related to the ball having energy, as d'antoni counseled. melo's passes often don't have the right energy. last night they did for the most part.

again, it's the difference between being a begrudging passer and a willing passer.

Uh-huh. That's just the long way of repeating what I said

there are many many posters who seem to think that all passes are created equal and therefore all recipients of passes *should* be able to convert shots.

do you think all passes are created equal herkyjerky?

No, I don't think all passes are created equal, actually. That would be stupid. But I've clearly seen Melo pass the ball to guys that were wide open on so many occasions (just now as I was typing this I clearly saw several times with Shump flash before my eyes), and what did they do? Throw up bricks. How many times would he throw it to JR and he would throw up bricks? Simple wide open catch and shoot shots, and yet they would throw brick after brick after brick after brick. You never saw any of those? Maybe the bias was dialed up too high on your glasses?