Observations Hornets vs Bobcats.

[gerryv]

Was nice to be in the arena to feel and hear the sounds of the game.Here are some observations from my notebook.

Anthony Davis:-was more assertive...in a series of trips he..a)set a solid screen...)rolled to the rim for a reb..c)rotated to alter a shot..d).catch in the post,read the trap and kicked out to open guard...e).operated in traffic nicely,finds sapce to get his shot off....f) nice soft touch g) ran well h)-off the ball alertness was better than Orlando game.
i) used often to set pick and rolls...mobile j) communicated well with mates ..22pts..9 rebs ( 3 offensive)..9-18 fg%...7 trips to the line.....overall nice evening for him..still finding his way as sometimes he appears to be reading vs reacting to certain situations ( off the ball)......you can tell this guy loves to play.

Greivis Vasquez:- didn't shoot it well 0-5...1 ft att.....
-When Charlotte went 2-2-1 set and sent to players at him it slowed him down as he didn't attack and make the trap chase....remember I always said his problem will be when defense gets in his number when pressure is extended....not the open floor "attack type unless he has space in front of him...make him change angles...notice when he had to back in the dribble to run some half crt sets.......struggles vs the quicker guard allowing penetration into the lane......* guard play is a MAJOR CRITCAL for this team.Love his passion etc....11 assists....( some of course were of the 'pich ahead for score type).

Robin Lopez- 18pts,13 rebs ( 4 offensive)..3 blocks..8-12 fg...2 steals.
-had his way vs Charlotte....took advantage of the "butter in the sun" defensive play of the Bobcats.....anchored himself within his offensive range...soft delivery from the block....very nice effort...also hustled end to end ( not a burner,but gave his max)....absorbed contact a crowd....gathered some contested boards.....overall he can be a limited offensive player but last night seemed to relish going at the Bobcats......must manintain the energy level to take advantage of the athletic hops he lacks...a solid night!..3 blocks.

Al-Farouq Aminu- 3-10 fg...6-10ft...2 rebs...12pts...
- will waste a dribble and add a lil too much at times when a simpler " catch and attck the rim" will suffice...wasted motion buys time for the defense...would love to see him...."catch and go" as he had situations last night with an open lane to the basket in front of him and selected to waste a spin in to traffic or slight pause...attack and take the contact...needs to use his length more.......much needed...'hard bounce or two and quick pullup to compliment the "get to the rim"......on the defensive end would like to see him read the angles and adapt the footwork...play hard..hustles...limit the wasted movement.

Austin Rivers :6-13...0-3 from 3ball..3 assist...2 steals..0 turnovers ( 0 in two games!)..13 pts.
-had a better feel for the game last night....kept the head up more often..was more settled...could also benefit from the "catch and go" as he has the quicks...at times will catch and stop when the quick step will shed the defender....i bet ya he masters that move before too long........worked harder on the defensive end ....still gets tangled by using wrong angle or reads vs potential switch situations and P&R...but is very assertive and that will improve......at times strains to take jumper when out of his range...needs to avoid that temptation......drops his head at times when driving into the lane and misses open mate " see the lane and rim......I love his tought grtiity approach to the game and i realize he is so young.....the question about adapting to the pt guard position remains the question....a big difference betwee a playmaking pt guard and a simply advance from pt "a" to pt "b" type......not the playmaker but oozes with potentail!..looked for gaps vs Charlotte...improved over game #1.


Ryan Anderson: 5-8fg..5-6 from 3..15pts..
- His 3 ball is a must!..Hornets were last in the NBA in makes and attempts in this area...A MUST!.....can be a terrific "move without the ball" type of player who can also run pretty decently...spot up jumper ( for a healthy %) will create the much needed space for others to operate...can be a sneaky offensive rebounder...can start but why do i love the idea of his being the "off the bench" quick hitter?

Team:

-punished Charlotte in the lane 52 pts..26/51
-21-2 2nd chance pts
-14-26 ft's is not to be accepted
-better offensive floor spacing
-team defense settled down and was effective ( were up 10 and then trailed by 10...defense helped get the game bakc
-forced 20 turnovers for 27 pts.

Reminder! Its just game 2 of the preseason and these are observations taken from a series of moments during the game...many positive actions like night.

Thats in from my note book!

[Kibner]

We have heard a bunch of good things about everyone, so I will post a cople concerns I have.

- Rebounds were not secured often enough. What I mean by this is that there were several missed shots that bounced off the hands of our guys first or were just straight up taken out of our hands. Happened to Davis, Lopez, and Aminu several times.

- Lopez lacks awareness when he is moving from man-to-man during defensive switches. There were several passes and shots he could have altered if he had been paying attention to what was going on around him while he was executing a defensive switch. Too focused on his new assignment.

- We need a minimum of two ball handlers on the floor at any time. That lineup in the second quarter showed why. Couldn't get into transition, couldn't get into halfcourt sets, couldn't do anything offensively. Aminu was also the best defender at every position for that lineup. I hope I never see it again.

- I really don't see anything Warrick offers us that our other forwards can't.

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[PatrickJr17]

One thing about Aminu,

I completely agree with your take, he did seem to have a lot of wasted movement. However, was it just me or did he seem more assertive? He seemed like he was more confident attacking than usual, almost as if he switched into a higher level. Maybe its confidence from playing in the olympics? Maybe I'm just nuts? Did anyone else notice this?

[AD23forMVP]

One thing about Aminu,

I completely agree with your take, he did seem to have a lot of wasted movement. However, was it just me or did he seem more assertive? He seemed like he was more confident attacking than usual, almost as if he switched into a higher level. Maybe its confidence from playing in the olympics? Maybe I'm just nuts? Did anyone else notice this?

I talked about it earlier, he was definitely attacking more than normal.

[Kibner]

^ He became more passive again after the first quarter but he did seem to be making a point to try forcing our offense to do something off of fast breaks throughout the game.

There was one time where he had a started a break on a steal and was leading it. He passed it to a guard (not Rivers, but couldn't tell you who) and cut towards the basket for an oop. Aminu had great position on it and would have cleanly gotten one that was tossed high, but the guard didn't see it so it ended up being a wasted break.

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[PatrickJr17]

^ He became more passive again after the first quarter but he did seem to be making a point to try forcing our offense to do something off of fast breaks throughout the game.

There was one time where he had a started a break on a steal and was leading it. He passed it to a guard (not Rivers, but couldn't tell you who) and cut towards the basket for an oop. Aminu had great position on it and would have cleanly gotten one that was tossed high, but the guard didn't see it so it ended up being a wasted break.

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Thats funny, I got there right at the start of the 2nd and felt he was pretty assertive. Definitely opened my eyes and I typically don't like to watch aminu because he looks so unsure of himself.

Regardless though, this team is certainly much more fun to watch so far. The points off of turnovers and people getting to the basket has certainly upped the entertainment quality.

[42]

I agree with PJ17. He was up and down, but more time was spent being assertive than in most games last year.

Right or wrong, the decisions were made more quickly.

He's steadily improving.

[AD23forMVP]

^ He became more passive again after the first quarter but he did seem to be making a point to try forcing our offense to do something off of fast breaks throughout the game.

There was one time where he had a started a break on a steal and was leading it. He passed it to a guard (not Rivers, but couldn't tell you who) and cut towards the basket for an oop. Aminu had great position on it and would have cleanly gotten one that was tossed high, but the guard didn't see it so it ended up being a wasted break.

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I don't think it's necessarily that he became much less active, I just think his shot wasn't falling like it was in the first.

I know on one break he probably could have at least got to the line but instead basically turned around and found the closest player.

[gerryv]

Kibner: its not awareness all the time with Lopez as his lateral foot speed limits how much defensive range he has.......

Added assertiveness by Aminu is one thing....its what kind of assertiveness?..Productive?

when evaluating players don't confuse activity with production....some guys play very hard but lack production...you want both to happen.

Nice commnets lads!

[Kibner]

Gerry, it was that his head seemed to be purely focused on his goal. It wasn't on a swivel, so to speak. I was rather far away, though, so I could have missed some subtle movements and glances. It just seemed like he was so concerned with getting the switch executed correctly that he forgot to look at the bigger picture of what was happening around him. I know he lacks the quicks to really adjust on the fly like I would like, but some of those balls were just a couple feet from his head. Again, could have been a poor angle I was watching from.

In the first quarter, Aminu was looking for his own shot when the chance presented itself. He had a few nice crossovers and spin moves to get close to the basket. The opposing defenses may have adjusted a bit in the second half which made those moves much more difficult for him so he didn't attempt to make them again. Again, he did seem to be going very aggressive on fast breaks all game, which is good since that fits his abilities best. He just didn't seem to prod and poke the defense as much in half-court sets that second half.

I want all of our players to be as aggressive as they can be up to the point where it starts turning into wasted possessions. We have some talented rebounders and guys that can run the floor, so I think a more aggressive and attacking style of play would fit us better.

[42]

Kibner: its not awareness all the time with Lopez as his lateral foot speed limits how much defensive range he has.......

Added assertiveness by Aminu is one thing....its what kind of assertiveness?..Productive?

when evaluating players don't confuse activity with production....some guys play very hard but lack production...you want both to happen.

Nice commnets lads!

Agreed about the good and bad kind of assertive. The Austin Rivers 35ft 3 with only 20s left on the shot clock is and 32m in the game the bad kind, at least this early in the season.

Last year, there was too much of the "someone should really do something about that man running around over there" from him. At least now, he can do well or screw up by commission rather than by omission. I don't know about you, if I'm going to get blamed for doing something bad, I at least want a crack at it to see if it's fun so it's not just all blame.