Game Thoughts: Toros @ Vipers - Feb. 8

[ChumpDumper]

Box Score

A nice win against an opponent that is almost unrecognizable from the team they played in the season opener. Conversely, the Toros have gone through a similar number of changes that have had the net effect of putting them back to the point where they were playing their best basketballl. Still, the Vipers have some talented players and a good coach, so they can't be taken lightly. the Toros didn't and led by double digits most of the game.

- Justin Reed was not with the team tonight. I have no idea why. It's entirely possible he got a contract to play overseas. Whatever the case, his absence and that of the departed Kris Lang seem to have alleviated a lot of the tension in the offense caused by too many players looking for their own shot. There was much less in the way of selfishness and ill-advised shooting than there had been in recent games. The result was 52% shooting overall and 43.5% from the arc.

- Ian had a good game, which should be expected against the likes of a slow Jesse Smith and new arrival Kyle Davis. Ian's speed put Smith into foul trouble pretty quickly, but Ian's own foul situation seemed to make him less aggressive in his post offense as the game went on -- that and the Vipers doubled a bit more and better in the second half, getting a few strips as Ian went up for his shot. It was one of Ian's better rebounding games as he got very good position most of the game. I find it hard to believe that he wasn't credited with a single block. I saw at least two. It's possible they didn't catch them because he hit the ball so early in the shooters stroke. He played pretty good defense except there seemed to be some disconnect when he was helping others. It was some combination of the other defender's not rotating or Ian's not recovering after helping. This led to the majority of Jesse Smith's points tonight.

- Keith Langford was excellent. He was hitting from everywhere, including 4-8 from the arc, as if to justify his inclusion in the D-League All-Star 3-point contest. His finishes at the basket were better than they have been lately, and he didn't hesitate to take the ball in against two or more defenders at a time. He played shooting guard pretty exclusively this time around, and was a big factor in keeping the Vipers best scorer 1-4 from the field.

DerMarr Johnson also had a strong game on offense anyway. It was nice because I didn't realize he had put up 30 points until I saw the final box. With only two or three exceptions (which ended up in misses or turnovers), he played within the offense and took the scoring opportunities that were given to or made for him. He only ended up with one foul and one rebound, which kind of illustrates his efforts in those departments. Hoping for a complete game from him soon.

- Marcus Williams came off the bench as Justin Bowen got the start. He was looking for his shot a little too much, but his selfishness disappears in transition. His passing in the fastbreak is still his best. His last few shots were a result of playing in the offense or hustle, and raised his shooting 50% for the game. He got pushed around a little by Trent Strickland when he guarded him, but was active enough on defense.

- Squeaky Johnson got the start - possibly as a reward for saving the Toros game against the Dakota Wizards. Anyway he and Cheyne Gadson can share the same review because they played pretty much the same way - deferential on offense to the point of passing up shots they should have taken and more or less turnstiles on defense. Squeaky was driving too deep before looking to kick out, and Cheyne was trying a few too many unnecessary no looks -- both led to turnovers. The Vipers starting point, former Toro Quannas White, shot 6-7, and his backup got to the line for 8 free throws.

- Justin Bowen, Kenton Paulino and Anthony Fuqua eased back into their more familiar roles, and none of them played exceptionally good or bad. Fuqua fouled out mostly from trying to correct his mistakes. He needs to learn to let some things go and get em next time down.

Next week starts a solid month of quality opponents for Ian and the Toros. If they continue to play the way they did against the Vipers, they should be in good shape.

[timvp]

Very nice, thanks

That'd be great news if Justin Reed is no longer with the team. I was excited when the Toros got him but it turned into a disaster. He tried to be the superhero on the team and was totally messing with the chemistry of the team.

Just by looking at the box score I can tell the roles are much better defined. I'm guessing the Toros will learn from their mistakes going forward. More isn't always better in the D-League. There comes a point where you hurt both the development of players and the team's ability to win if you have too much talent. I can't even blame Reed for being selfish because these kids are just trying to make sure they have food on the table next week. However, it's best to have D-League role players in your rotation and not players looking solely to take the next step up the developmental ladder.

Couple questions:

1) Mahinmi fouled out again. Was it just more dumb fouls combined with overanxious refs like usual or is he regressing in that area again?

2) The two point guards combined to take one shot. Were the Vipers were trapping and taking the ball our of their hands? Or were they sending so much help on the drives that passing was the only reasonable option? One attempt for a semi-chucker like Gadson is pretty stunning.

3) With the loss of all the bigs, I assume Marcus Williams is going to be the starting power forward for the time being (unless they decide to go big with Fuqua). Do you agree with my previous thoughts that Williams in the D-League is best suited as a power forward?

[Bruno]

Thanks.

[ChumpDumper]

1) Mahinmi fouled out again. Was it just more dumb fouls combined with overanxious refs like usual or is he regressing in that area again?

Most were pretty normal fouls as he was under a lot of pressure from the Vipers driving guards and small lineups -- and many of his teammates weren't helping in that regard. The sixth foul was a complete joke; a very late and questionable whistle that if anything should have gone against a different Toro. What's important to me is that he wasn't forced to sit out large chucks of the game when the outcome was in question. Playing 36 minutes in a more-or-less normal rotation and fouling out when the game is wrapped up is ok in my book.

2) The two point guards combined to take one shot. Were the Vipers were trapping and taking the ball our of their hands? Or were they sending so much help on the drives that passing was the only reasonable option? One attempt for a semi-chucker like Gadson is pretty stunning.

If you look at his game logs, Cheyne has a real Jekyll and Hyde thing going with his scoring. I think of all the Toros he coached, Dennis Johnson had the biggest impact on Cheyne and really influenced him to work on being more of a distributor. He's at his best when he's taking good shots as well, though. In games like last nights, though, when the ball movement is that good the point guards seem to get even more unselfish.

3) With the loss of all the bigs, I assume Marcus Williams is going to be the starting power forward for the time being (unless they decide to go big with Fuqua). Do you agree with my previous thoughts that Williams in the D-League is best suited as a power forward?

He probably is, though it looks like they are going to start DerMarr at power forward with Marcus coming off the bench at both forward spots for the time being. He's talented to be sure, but he's a tweener with a skill set that's really difficult to fit in a lineup at times.

BTW - Serge Angounou is with the team but not playing at all. That kind of confirms to me that he's a placeholder until Eric Dawson comes back.

[picnroll]

ChumperDumper having watched much of Mahinmi's play this season in D league what are your impressions of his rate of progress in different areas? Particularly defense and playing position and rotating and in his rebounding positioning and blocking out. If he's positioned away from the basket does he look like he'll have the potential someday to hit the 12-16 footer and hopefully put the ball on the floor against slower opponents. What do you see as his highest ceiling in 4-5 years given his rate of progress or lack thereof?

[ChumpDumper]

This was probably his best overall game as far as rebounding positioning goes, but he didn't have great compe ion. Next Saturday will be a big test for him since Dakota is filled with good rebounders.

As I said, his help defense was very good at least initially. There seems to be a little confusion as to what Ian and his teammates are supposed to do once the help comes or a switch is made, and the Vipers were getting a lot of points off that confusion. They'll probably be going over that in the tape sessions.

Ian was working on his outside shot more when Kris Lang was on the team, with some success. We'll see if he goes back to it when/if he's paired up with another big man like Eric Dawson. He missed one jumper from the free throw line last night. His offense now consists mainly of low block spin moves into hook shots and cuts to the basket following guard penetration. He can take a guy like Jesse Smith off the dribble at will, and I'm a little surprised he didn't press that part of his game this time around as he has before.

[timvp]

Thanks for the answers, CD. It's annoying that the Toros seem to always play on the same night as the Spurs. If it wasn't the same night as the Spurs, it was during playoff NFL games

I haven't been able to watch a game since the showcase

[ChumpDumper]

I'm hoping the internets is working at Fort Wayne Thursday. It should be an interesting game going up against Jeremy Richardson and Cheikh Samb.