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What is indeed certain... unlike Leonard, we may have seen "Peak Danny Green". In other words, we've see the best he could ever be. Which actually is fine by me.
I hope Danny snaps out of it. I'd hate for him to end up like Malik Rose after he signed his big contract.
What is indeed certain... unlike Leonard, we may have seen "Peak Danny Green". In other words, we've see the best he could ever be. Which actually is fine by me.
That's the more realistic option imo.
But it doesn't need to be that excessive ("don't give a ..."), I'm sure the guy is honest, tries his best... but he doesn't have the same "purpose" he used to have, that's all.
In a way he comes from nowhere and got his "double figure" (his quote) contract of his dreams. It's like he'll never want it as much as he wanted it.
It may just be temporary, but as you listed, nothing else changed from the previous year(s).
I disagree with that.. that's saying the team arrived and Danny just need to be a threat for Spurs to be successful and coast their way to a ring... won't work again top teams on the road
I do consider that Danny getting back at his old self or close to is key for the Spurs.
The "he will play big when it matters" is good for HOFers like Tim or super talented dudes like Bobo.. He cannot afford himself this luxury
which is fine if he can keep up with peak or staying close not going back at his cleveland days
or it could be a change we are not aware of... injury, family issue... or just confidence
this evolution is just very odd
You dang kids! Get outta my yard!!
The Spurs beat the Thunder by Bonner just being a threat. Green's contributions in defense compensates for his lack of points in offense.
The treat by itself is good enough!
Let's put it this way, would you rather have Leonard being doubled team in the perimeter? Green by virtue of being a threat gives Leonard a lot of space to work with.
Some people think he got a paycut, but I still think he's overpaid, especially right now. Even if he was playing like last year I wouldn't give him 10M. He plays a shooting guard that can't dribble the ball and make a layup. It's pathetic that he didn't learn it in his 7 years of being professional. Yea, it's great that you are working on your shot during the offseason Danny, but c'mon learn something else. Also people here think his defense is amazing... sorry to say it, but it's really not. He's better than most of the guys on his position but it's nowhere near someone like Kawhi. And after all this ing I still like him cause he fits the system, but he should start playing much better, cause without him making wide open shots this team is ed.
He should also hope Simmons won't become a good 3pt shooter, cause if so, he's getting traded next season.
Maybe you forgot how he single handedly prevented Lebron from scoring in a fast break play in the finals. Nobody does that!
He can't dribble, he can't shoot the midrange jumper. He can barely make a layup. But he's an elite defender and he's one of the few Spurs that can single handedly get the Spurs back in the game.
which is not true as his NetRtg is negative for one
for two his contribution on defense is also taking a bit of a hit... nothing comparable to the offense of course but still
say who ? I hope you do realize Spurs record is great but schedule is helping and this team will have to go through Warriors with Cury right ?
Let's put it that way, I'd rather have a threat capable to convert his FG above 40% if not asking much... if he keeps up like this he is gonna be a threat to Kobe's FG of 0.34
I question his work ethic. I've never read anything about how hard he works in the gym, and dude hasn't added anything to his game in 4 years. Add in a huge payday and the recipe is there for a drop off in production.
I attribute all of these to Pop's possible design to make adjustments to his game for an increased role that didn't pan out.
Hear me out.
He started the season with that block by Adams on a forced up 3, when he really should have passed up that shot. Terrible decision making by Danny in a crucial part of that game. I think that worked him up mentally... I suspect early on there was consideration to bumping Danny out to close out games, basically phasing Manu out and preparing this team for life after Manu. Danny apparently was meant to have a larger role. We saw too many games of Danny attempting to do too much with the ball and Pop just letting it go without pulling him aside. I assume it was part of the design to let him work through those mistakes to the extent it was possible.
Sadly for Danny, he failed. He really did not rise to the occasion in an increased role. Manu had to continue to bail out the team (specially early) and all of that sapped Danny's confidence. His mental focus during the game not being what it was he hesitated on shots he should have taken as he struggled and tried to adjust his decision making to drive or pass as necessary. He never quite mastered it. He's a shooter and shooters have to be confident, not hesitate. I think it was all not a function of LMA, so much as it was a function of him trying to add other things to his game, trying to evolve, and getting a larger role and really falling on his ass, coming up short. His lack of confidence in his game affected his shot, since his mind was on other things.
I think at some point after a few games in, he decided to hesitate less and shoot more. Instead of driving he's instead side-stepping or using pumpfakes to stay with his shots. He's shot a bit better, but not sufficiently well, for a sufficiently long period of games to make up for his terrible/terrible start.
Eventually though, shooters have to keep shooting and he's gone back to what he does well. He's made more shots and generally not been as cringeworthy as he was to start, but its too late to remedy his stats, and he's probably primed for a bad statistical year.
But he's a nice guy. Good locker room guy, rarely complains, supports his teammates (he was one of 2 Spurs that supported the SL team).
Here's the deal, Green is guaranteed playing time by virtue of his starting role. He is fifth in playing time of 25 minutes per game. Spurs have been blowing out teams at +14 differential. He is obviously coasting, but if anybody is coasting, you can focus on the Spurs max player.... LMA.
The fat and sassy, paid and lazy theories here just prove what a bunch of head geniuses we have on this board. It doesn't match his personality or the way he's playing. He clearly wants these shots to fall and is bothered and mystified by the problem. He's most likely pressing. Fortunately there are fifty more games to work it out, although I think it's just one of those statistical off years. If he gets it on, great, but this isn't the 2013 Finals where he has to carry the offense with Neal.
Like that term Chinook!
didn't know you to have humor.
I find myself struck by Borisitis with some frequency myself. lol
He will come out at the end of the season with a Matt Bonner statement:Maybe he has some injury he isn't telling the Spurs because the injury isn't painful enough or he developed muscle in an area over the summer that is hurting his shooting motion. It wouldn't take much in a shoulder to change his mechanics. Patty is just now starting to look like pre-surgery Patty. It has to be his shooting motion.
The only other problem I can think of is the yips:
"I did not want to make a big issue out of it but I got an elbow injury bc of my new cellphone."
I agree with your post. He was tasked to expand his game, it did not happen. He just does not have the natural quickness and mobility of a guy like Ginobili. He also just doesn't have the ball handling skill to be comfortable taking it to the hoop. Why am I not surprised? He never had it and it isn't going to be developed. Look, the last game he had a wide open mid range shot, he tried to bank it in but it missed the rim entirely!! Missed the ring by maybe 3 feet!
It is kind of like asking Bruce Bowen to expand his offensive game. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! Be content that he's an elite defender and an elite 3 point shooter. I have zero expectations that he can evolve out of these two roles.
I don't have the same dismal outlook for Simmons and Anderson. There is still hope!
You make a good point if the issue is in his mind in the sense that he feels en led. He should not. Not only Simmons this season, we might be getting Bertans next season who is a deadly shooter who is 6'10'' (another reason Anderson needs to snap out of his own personal passive/aggressive funk, but that is another thread). The point is yea, he could feel en led bc he "arrived" too, and not feel as hungry as he felt the seasons prior.
Problem being, he's not so special that he can back off like that. As Simmons has proven, there are plenty of really, really hungry guys about 6'6'' in the d'league where he himself started out from. If he is not engaged mentally, focused and with a killer/assassin mentality it is not beyond the realm of possibility for him to aslo be phased out in favor of more hungry dudes.
I bet he still has a trade value all things considered. Not that the Spurs roll like that, but if he's not shooting, he really isn't adding that much when other guys can defend and bring other things. He might be going the Matty Bon Bon. For a strict 3 point specialist 30-33% is not good enough. Boris can get away with that, Simmons, even Anderson might shoot that from 3 and still get playtime as his thing is not strictly the 3, not Danny. He's got to keep shooting.
Starting early, trying to cement that "Consistently Worst Takes of the Year" award? Dude... nobody ever won it in January. Slow down, pace yourself.
Danny is starting to take his 3P stroke to the same place Tim took his FT stroke for a while. Watch him. He's started kicking one knee inward, pointing his toes toward each other, etc. Yeah, I think "yips" is a pretty good description. It's one of those conditions that feeds itself in a loop, too.
I still say they need to keep him home a few games, and lock him in the gym with Chip. I knew a shooting coach / sports psychologist who would have guys shoot with their eyes closed. Line it up, close the eyes, and let it rip. They would start to let their natural stroke take over, because there was no pressure about makes-misses, because their eyes were closed. Once their stroke started flowing, shots started dropping. I don't know what Chip's personal magic is, but Danny needs some one-on-one time with him, even though its the middle of the season.
I think its probably easier to ask those guys to shoot the 3, since they can already do so many other things, than it is for a guy like Danny to change his whole game to a Marco Belinelli type. Neither Simms nor Anderson may ever be the deadly shooter Danny is, but they can be good enough and its going to be easier for them to add the shot to have a more balanced game, even if it takes some time to be confident with it (an Anderson issue, more than J.simms, who is playing with confidence).
I disagree, it isn't the yips or something with his stroke.
When you got 4 other players on your team that can light it up, then you take a back seat and don't take as much responsibility. Further, if you are asked to expand your game, you focus on the weaker parts of your game.
Now, with a Beverly elbow in your face and down early by double digits. That's something you can be motivated on.
BTW, stop embarrassing yourself by ting on my takes. It just makes you look very bad.
I will have to disagree with the bolded statement. Was Green a lock down shooter when in college? Green played 4 years, his first 3 years he was hitting below 37% only final year he was at 41%. Anderson played 2 years, first year was a pathetic 21% but his last year he was at 48%. Simmons was 38% in the one year he played in the NCAA. Leonard was 19% first year and 27% final year.
So if anybody couldn't shoot, it was Leonard. Now he's at 50%. So you can't tell me that Simmons or Anderson can't get to that level under Chip Engeland?
Yes, lets hope. For sure we can say at least they started shooting later in their careers than the young shooters who are coming out of college, who got their shot earlier.
I read an interview of Chip... maybe I will google it and try to find it if it becomes a controversy... when he said that he can teach anyone to shoot and improve their shot at any age. It is not restricted to the really young guys. If they have the willingness to put in a lot of work and repe ions into their new shot, and are willing to struggle for some time, since it takes a lot of work to let go of old shooting motions and get used to a new stroke, but anyone at any age can go through that. Its not limited to the younger guys. Obviously guys who only needed a minor adjustment it is easier for and according to him, Leonard had only minor adjustments to make.
Outside of the scope of the interview .. guys like Anderson needed a complete overhaul of their shot, not a simple fix and they will struggle for a longer period, but it is possible.
So yes, hoping for the two of them.
Well, I don't know if Anderson needs an overhaul. If he did, then they would have asked him to make the changes in his rookie season. That's what they asked Leonard to do.
Simmons is a different case since they just got him this year.
Even Marjanovic has learned to hit the 3 at a high clip (in practice).
However, there have been some complete failures, notably Jeff Ayres.
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