those are definitely the spots where he should be looking for his points. but you're implying that he should just chill there every offensive possession, and in that respect i'm more with franco, i think you're oversimplifying that his one role on offense is to score. one of lee's assets is his passing - he's good at swinging the ball when he gets it outside the 3pt line, or dishing it to shooters or cutters from the high post. so he can be effective there. as far as "the system" goes, d'antoni likes cutters flashing into the paint, something lee can do if he sets up farther out or that other people can do if lee isn't clogging the space.
it seems we go through this debate every season. a little variance is natural. we'd like to think hustle should translate into a double-double every night for him, but it just won't. he'll have some monster games too, he definitely deserves a big rotation spot, even if he's not necessarily ideal as a starter on a more stocked team. i personally am still up in the air as to whether we should try to lock him up or if we get better value in a trade... just gotta wait and see i guess.
I'm not sure where you got the impression that I implied that David Lee should chill anywhere but around 5 feet the basket.
Let me be clear: David Lee should stay within 5 feet of the basket most of the time because in his 3 year career that is were he has shown that he can be very effective offense-wise.
However, when shooting from the outside, again, throughout his whole career he has only shown the ability to stick the jumper with any consistency from the baseline to the right side of the basket, with his left arm lined up to the basket, right arm next to the baseline. However, I don't think he should "chill there" because he is not a good enough shooter to chill anywhere but close to the basket.
This whole "find Lee's spots in the system" thing is dubious. He isn't Kiki Vanderwhege. And systems don't change who players are. They maximize or minimize a players abilities or weaknesses. David Lee is very good around the basket, his jumper is decent from the baseline, and to a much lesser extent from straight on with the basket. D'Antoni's system is not going to magically change that.
It is up to Lee to find the spots where he is consistent and that is regardless of the system or coach. A perfect example is Kurt Thomas. He took at least 50% of his jumpers on the baseline. That was and is his most effective shooting area and he knows it so he finds himself there for scoring opportunities. Nobodies system is going to change that. It is up to the player to get to those spots, or if the system does not allow it, find somewhere else to be effective from. In David Lee's case, around 5 feet from the basket.
oohah
