Monday, April 20, 2009
The Other 80 Million Dollar Man
A couple of things here.
1) One of the premier perimeter players in the game (think Kobe, Flash) would have taken the shot when they got the separation after the cross over. Igoudala, instead, hesitates for another second a half before his release and shoots a super-fadeaway with Turkolu's hand all in his face. Why does he do this, you ask? He still has not learned how to play under control. He's bursting at the seams with jumping ability and all around athleticism, but he needed that extra step and second to gather himself, collect his handle and get off a shot he felt comfortable with. He hit it. But he made a 9.5 degree of difficulty shot instead of the 7 that Kobe or Flash would have taken. His mechanics and balance were all off. His lack of control and discipline in these areas will not allow him to be consistent. While I say that...
2) Iggy has hit quite a few game-winners, and buzzer beaters for the Sixers. While looking for the clip above I saw a whole page worth of Igoudala game winners. He really has been their guy (for better or worse) for two solid seasons now. And he hasn't been doing a terrible job given his limited offensive skill set. He has no post up game, no reliable mid range jumper and no reliable long ball. Yet, he put up 20-8-8 last night. And he's prone to do that. That line's not the least bit unusual for him. So, he's a triple double threat any night. He's relatively clutch. He's a good team guy and willing leader. Yet, we keep killing this guy. Yes, he's got untapped potential (the worst of all NBA sins). Yes, we're disappointed he hasn't turned into Scottie Pippen yet. Yes, he stank it up last year in his first trip to the playoffs as the featured guy. But he also ran up against the 2nd or 3rd best defense in the league at the time. He also ran into Tayshaun Prince, one of the three best lock down perimeter guys in the League. And since then, he's gotten better. Maybe, we should lay off just a little bit. When he missed the two free throws near the end of the fourth last night I said to my brother, "he choked, he'll get a chance to redeem himself". Then, he actually redeemed himself.
3) Did you see the pistol shooting after the shot when they showed the replay? I know you saw the mean mug? It's not Kobe's cocky "I got this..settle down" look, or Josh Smith's "did you see what I just did?" look, or even Flash's "that's right, y'all musta forgot I'm still the Man" look. I would say it's a "y'all still don't believe in me. Why r u surprised?" look. It's this mix of pride and anger. I like it. He's like 'I'm sticking my chest out, but I ain't gettin' hyped. Y'all get excited'. He doesn't have supreme confidence it's going in every time, but he's not shocked when it does either. Meanwhile, everybody else always is.
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4 comments:
Oh yeah.. if DiLeo is paying any kind of attention, Theo Ratliff plays at least 25 minutes every game for the rest of this series. Let Sammy start to conserve Theo's energy, but Theo is by far a better man-to-man match up for us against D-Ho. He's stronger and smarter. I'd also like to see a Sammy, Speights, Thad, Iggy, 'Dre lineup tried out. Let's see D-Ho deal with Thad and Speights interior post moves at the same time. Cus the rest of their front line don't play a whole lot of D. Besides, Iggy's bringing the ball up like a guard anyway.
Oh, and last last. What about Donyell out there?!? Lookin' like they let somebody's uncle into the game. It's nice to just take him out of the moth balls, toss him in after not playing for 3/4 of the season and have him single-handedly bring you back in your first playoff game of the year. On the road no less. Nothing like a veteran who's been there before. He was our Mike Finley last night.
You’re the best, man. The ultimate homer. I love you for it, seriously. Now let me break down yo sheeit:
1. Soooo glad you brought this up. All anyone can talk about is what an incredible clutch shot this was. He had the open look a second-and-a-half earlier (a better look, as you said), but he spazed out. Hey, the shot he took and made was great. But great as it was, it also indicated one of Iggy’s many shortcomings (not to sh!t on a great moment, just keeping us within the balanced scope of reality).
2. Yeah, he put up 20-8-8 last night. And yeah, he made the game winner. But he also bricked two clutch free throws directly beforehand. More importantly, while he’s “prone to (give you those kinds of numbers),” while he’s a “triple-double threat any night,” the problem is that he’s NOT consistent with what he brings to the court. Yeah, he COULD do it. But come Wednesday, will he? How ‘bout Friday? And there’s the rub. You need to be able to count on Iggy bringing that kind of game most of the time (not all of the time, ‘cause hey, everyone has an off night; but yeah, a guy of his supposed caliber should bring that kind of performance more consistently). Now, as far as his “clutchness” is concerned...
3. I read that look on his mug a little differently. There’s pride and anger there...but there’s also a forced touch of “Yeah, that’s right, that’s right!” And I say forced because he IS a little surprised that his shot went in. He doesn’t have supreme confidence, as you say, because he shouldn’t; any time he takes that buzzer beater, it can go either way. You know it, I know it, his teammates know it, his opponents know it, and HE knows it. So when it does go in, no he’s not shocked — but you can see his facial muscles holding back the reflex to look relieved.
The point is this: When Iggy — who, at this point, is a homeless man’s Scottie Pippen at best* — is the guy you need to bring a near-triple-double every night, as well as your best option in the clutch, you got problems. We got problems.
-G
*Has Iggy gotten better since last year? That’s debatable. I brought this up before he inked his contract: the fear that we may have seen his peak already. This is his fifth year, dude. When is he making “The Leap”? He’s not. This is it. From here forward, you’ll see some gradual evolution, but this is basically it. An inconsistent #2 guy, masquerading as a #1 guy, who’s ??? in the clutch. Go Sixers!
Well, I can't say I didn't expect your response. Notice that I didn't make a full on "hey, we should get of Iggy's back" argument. It's more of a "damn, haven't been a little hard on the dude" kind of argument.
Here's what I'll say: he didn't ask for this. Never, ever has Iggy ever said he wanted to be the Man. Never has he made claims to some throne. I pointed out, despite my homer optimism, the flaws in his game. But part of what I'm saying is, we put those expectations on him. He never said in word or deed "I am Scottie Pippen incarnate".
So, maybe we need to chill with our expectations of what he's supposed to be. And if we keep our expectations of what he'll actually do low enough, maybe he'll keep pleasantly surprising us.
I'm gonna make a prediction. Mind you, I had a couple of gin & tonics earlier. Game 2 will be close. Orlando is going to come out furious, hit 3 balls and basically give it to us for parts of the first half. But Philly is going to hang in there and give itself a chance to win down the stretch. They won't win, but it'll be a possibility coming down the stretch. And Iggy will play well. He'll put up better scoring numbers if not better all around stats. And the final part of my prediction: when this series is all said and done you'll be talking about how much we suck and what a disappointment this team is.
I won't even wait till the series is over! We suck! I'm disappointed!
I would never get on Iggy for making claims he couldn't back up. He's a humble guy if nothing else. I like him (or, rather, I like the persona he projects).
But a guy with his gifts should average 18-7-7, be able to take smart shots, and be reliable in the clutch. Iggy is great when he's great, and a ghost otherwise. Why does he disappear for stretches (or sometimes, for games at a time)? Unacceptable.
And no, I don't mean because of what he makes. I simply mean because of what he's capable of.
More importantly, what is the future of this team? We need a #1 Killer. Where's he coming from? EB is a great #2 offensive option. If Iggy could be more consistent, he could be counted on for that poor-man's-Pippen role. With Thaddeus and Speights coming off the bench... You bring a guy like D-Wade in here and you have one hell of a team. (Whew. Yeah.)
But see, that's what kills me. Even if Stephanski let's 'Dre walk and talks some schmuck into taking Dalembert for an expiring contract -- both move freeing up about $20M in salary -- and makes the pitch of his life that gets Wade here...how good would we be? If Iggy doesn't get any better than this, how good can we be.
HOW GOOD CAN WE BE? I'M ASKING YOU, AI2. IT'S ON YOU, MY MAN. WHETHER YOU ASKED FOR IT OR NOT. THIS IS YOUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE. ONLY YOU CAN WRITE YOUR STORY. HOW'S IT GONNA READ, YOUNG BUCK? WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE, HOW'S IT GONNA READ?
-G
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