[外電] Some love for J-Will, but adios to Watson, Swift
http://tinyurl.com/bhnlw
Some love for J-Will, but adios to Watson, Swift
By Ron Higgins
Contact
May 10, 2005
Shhhh.
Don't tell anybody.
I've snuck into Griz president Jerry West's office while he's at lunch.
That's right. I'm sitting behind The Logo's desk. In my hand, I have the
special Logo hotline phone that flashes directly to other team presidents
and general managers. It's sort of like the Bat Signal of the NBA.
Step right up. Who wants to make a deal? I've got a used Bonzi that needs
an attitude alignment , a Stro with relatively good shocks and an Earl
with a fast set of wheels.
My job is to make this team better before The Logo returns from shooting
toothpicks in the ceiling at Huey's. I'm on the clock.
1. Keep Jason Williams
Call me crazy (my wife would agree) or call J-Will crazy (he would agree),
but despite his flaws, he's the only Griz guard capable of breaking down a
defender off the dribble and making the impossible shot.
No , he doesn't play great defense and granted it would be nice to see him
spend more time in a defensive stance , because he has the quickness and
the hands to disrupt. But how many great point guards are dynamic stoppers
? Steve Nash, league MVP? Don't think so. Tony Parker? Jason Kidd? Nope.
Granted, J-Will can be a problem child, such as griping about playing time
, or sometimes getting into his own little world on the bench. Maybe you
solve that by naming him a permanent team co-captain with Shane Battier.
Jerry West needs to tell J-Will that for better or for worse , he's the
Griz's starting point guard and he needs to show the maturity of someone
about to start his eighth pro season.
2. Large, angry presence in the middle
Make no mistake , this isn't a knock against Lorenzen Wright . How can you
be critical of a guy , who in his ninth season, had one of the best years
of his career? He played in more games this season than ever in his career
and he brought it every night.
But if the Griz want to move up the NBA food chain , especially in the
Western Conference , they've got to a find physical , big body . That's
easier said than done. The list is limited.
Seattle's Jerome James (7-1, 272) is a free agent, but also a huge puzzle.
He has career regular season averages of 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in
15.2 minutes , yet has started 160 of 268 regular season games. But so far
in the playoffs , he's playing like a man ( 15 points , 8.2 rebounds ) who
wants to be offered a nice contract somewhere.
There's also a list of other unproven commodities , such as Chicago's Eddy
Curry, Seattle's Vitaly Potapenko.
Personally , I'd go after Nene of the Nuggets . He has a year left on his
contract ( the last year on a four-year deal ), he's a chiseled 6-11, 260,
he turns 23 in September and he's hungry because his playing time has
dropped with the addition of Marcus Camby . He doesn't mind beating on
people -- he almost broke Pau Gasol's nose a year ago.
Pau needs an enforcer to deal some pain , and Nene might be the man to do
it if a trade can be made.
In going after free agents , you must understand that the Grizzlies are up
against the odds. Not only is money a factor, but Memphis is simply not as
attractive , considering the history of the franchise and the city lacking
a cosmopolitan feel.
3. Sign-and-trades with Watson, Swift
You'd like to get something out of Earl Watson and Stromile Swift before
they jump ship.
More teams than you think covet Swift, whose mind-boggling athleticism is
overshadowed by his game-to-game inconsistency . And there's the thought
that his game would improve if he could play power forward instead of an
undersized center.
Watson should also have his pick of teams , because those in the know in
the league appreciate Watson's work ethic and his professionalism. If Earl
can keep working on his shot and start consistently knocking down the open
jumper, he could become a starter somewhere in the league.
4. Get Dahntay Jones on the floor more
No Griz player improved as much from last year to this as did Jones, a 6-6
swingman.
His outside shot took a huge leap ( 25 percent in 3s last year to 38.3
percent this year) , he made better decisions and no other Griz could beat
a defender off the dribble and elevate on drives like Jones . Plus , he
loves defense and is fearless.
In a four-game stretch in February when he played 30 minutes per game
( because of injuries to other players ) , he averaged 14 points , shot 50
percent from the field and 71.4 percent in 3s . And in the two playoff
games he played 29 or more minutes, he averaged 11 points and 4.5 rebounds.
5. Unleash the monster in Pau Gasol
When you're paid to be the man , you must play like you're the man. Gasol
has to bring it every night.
He needs to find a drill sergeant personal trainer for cardio and muscle,
then have someone close to his size beat on him every day in one-on-one
post drills . The only way to learn how to consistently play aggressively
and physically, to obtain that mentality, is to practice against it to the
point where playing that way is second nature.
As indicated by his jaw-dropping second playoff game against the Suns --
28 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists -- Gasol has the talent and beast within
him. There's no excuse for him not averaging a double-double.
--
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