NBA Hoyas

[RDF]

May 1, 2010 10:05:33 GMT -5 strummer8526 said:

I think what I took away from this series is that this OKC team is a top-level center away from being a potential dynasty, or at least a year-in and year-out contender. I hope this core hangs together for 5 more years. It could be a lot of fun to watch. And their fan base obviously really appreciates them. Even after a heartbreaking loss, they really gave the Thunder players a very nice send-off.

100% correct. Sad thing is that might not help them because of ego. Will Westbrook/Durant like losing shots to a good low post scorer who would make the game easier for them? Or will they ignore him, fire up horrible shots and want to be somewhere they can be "featured" and leave? That's basketball-and NBA takes brunt of it--but a lot of HS kids think like this as well and it's why the sport is really in a stage that TEAM needs to be emphasized more then ever.

[DanMcQ]

Agree with RDF and this is one of the major reasons Jeff Green doesn't fare better in this offense - it often calls for him to stand at the 3 point line on the wing, where he is ignored countless times a game. One of the things his teammates seem to not realize is that often you will get the ball back from Green when you fire it to him in the corner.

[RDF]

May 1, 2010 13:53:39 GMT -5 DanMcQ said:

Agree with RDF and this is one of the major reasons Jeff Green doesn't fare better in this offense - it often calls for him to stand at the 3 point line on the wing, where he is ignored countless times a game. One of the things his teammates seem to not realize is that often you will get the ball back from Green when you fire it to him in the corner.

Honestly--the best example of what makes Green a good player is that he'll pass up a shot attempt to get teammate a better shot--and the rest of the guys on that team don't do that nor do they understand who should be getting the ball--end of quarter and Westbrook drives and kicks to Serge Ibaka (fine young talented PF) for a 20 footer. Just because a guy is open doesn't mean it's the shot you needed.

Same thing happened with Green in BET against Uconn when Ashanti Cook wouldn't make extra pass to a wide open Jeff his FR season--and 2 years later--without the guys who were talented but didn't know how to win, that didn't happen--ball went to guy who was open/had good shot.

Jeff Green knows how to play--Kevin Durant thinks he does and Russell Westbrook just plays-which is fun to watch but also a nightmare in close game. Green's problem is that he'll fall in love with that damn 3-pt shot and finally he drove/attacked rim like he should've from start of series. However--like he did at Georgetown--he can help a team without the ball--which very few players can do and it's one thing that prevents Durant from really being a great player--despite NBA hype machine saying it's a "done deal".

MCI alluded to the ignorant statement made by Kenny Smith that Durant will be best player in league in next 3 years. As long as Lebron is still playing--that won't be possible--because James does everything and Durant shoots and that's it. He showed he can do more in Game 3 but best players in game do it consistently--not 1 out of 6 games.

[hoyainspirit]

While I agree Durant may not yet deserve the category of "one of the best", I cut him some slack. He has a shot at becoming one of the best, and remember - he's only 21 yrs old. Let's see what he's like at 24.

[KennaHoya]

I agree with the RDF analysis both of OK City team and Jeff; my thought watching OK City all year on the NBA Ticket/Pass on DirecTv is that OK City is using him in the offense as an outlet on the outside (and rarely at the high post), and it has really frozen his offensive options. The offense is really geared around Durant and Westbrook, and they do not put Jeff in the paint much. If he takes the drive too much, he could be accused of taking the play away from Durant, who really loves to have the ball in his hands (as does Westbrook). Both Durant and Westbrook are excellent offensive players, but a more diverse offense might eventually benefit the team, at least some of the time. (My fondness for the NBA has been reduced greatly by the fact that it has become a one-on-one or two-man game league for the most part, and I just do not enjoy that as much).

I also think Jeff's rebounding position also has been limited by his role - playing on the outside on offense, and being required most of the time to play the best forward/center on defense, depending on the size match-up.

He is still good, and I still think his talents are appreciated by his team, even if it seems their display or maybe even development have been stunted a bit by the offense. And you cannot argue much with the success that the team had this year, with an incredible improvement over past years.

[kghoya]

Raise your hand if you thought Wes Matthews would be a better pro than DaJuan Summers.

[Filo]

Good recent post about JG and the Thunder. As much as I love him, though, JG really has to improve his long distance range. Pretty poor shooting, which is why I was so glad to see him trying to get to the hoop in the last couple games.

Durant and Westbrook are obviously offensive forces but I was still pretty amazed at the complete lack of conscience those guys show sometimes.

[CAHoya07]

Good season by Jeff and the Thunder. As painful as Pau's tip-in must have been for them, can't be too disappointed in 50 wins and putting a decent scare into the #1 seed and defending champs. The arena was rocking in Oklahoma City too, which was great to see, and hopefully we will see more over the years.

Expectations will be raised now, for both the Thunder and Jeff. Teams will be gunning for the Thunder in the wild and competitive West. I am confident that as long as the team stays together they will continue to grow because they are so young. They could use a bigger post threat. But you have to be excited about them. This season could only be the beginning.

For Jeff, he has proven himself to be a solid and valuable member of the team. He looks like he has a long NBA career ahead of him. But can he be more? He averaged 15 ppg and 6 rbg in the regular season, but it dipped to 12 and 5 in the post-season. If they continue to use him mostly on the outside, then his shooting must get better. I would like to see him slash a little more, like we saw in the third quarter of Game 6. I think he can be a better scorer, rebounder, and passer than he has shown. He has shown he is a capable defender, but did have a tough time against Kobe and Gasol (who wouldn't).

Can Jeff take it to the next level? What is his limit? He has three NBA seasons under his belt now, so it will be interesting to see where he goes from here. Durant and Westbrook are ahead of him in the pecking order, but if Jeff continues his development, I don't think the All-Star game is out of the question. He will need to step it up though. However, he is a consummate team player, so I don't think he's worried about these things. It will be fun to watch.

Out of curiosity, does anybody know Jeff's contract situation with the Thunder?

[royski]

May 2, 2010 22:18:14 GMT -5 CAHoya07 said:

Out of curiosity, does anybody know Jeff's contract situation with the Thunder?

Both Jeff and Durant are up for extensions this summer. I would expect the Thunder to give Durant the max, and wait on Jeff until they see the new CBA. They'd probably prefer to wait on Durant too, but I highly doubt they think it's a good idea to treat their phenom franchise player like that.

[757hoyafan]

Unless both retire after this year, is this really a serious question.

Jeff is their best passer, so you would think Scotty would allow the fella to create more for his teammates.

May 2, 2010 17:10:00 GMT -5 kghoya said:

Raise your hand if you thought Wes Matthews would be a better pro than DaJuan Summers.

[hoyaboy1]

Unfortunately, as much as we might like to think otherwise, right now Jeff is much closer to losing his starting spot to Serge Ibaka than he is to being an All-Star. He didn't show any development from last season and is still a very inefficient player, with a low shooting percentage, few trips to the line, and more TOs than assists. If you are into advanced stats, his PER (13.8) was once again below the league average of 15 and the team was 6.5 points better when he was off the court. They scored at the same rate with Jeff in the game, but played much worse defense, giving up 10 more points per 100 possessions.

Jeff still has no real position, and as good of a passer as he was here, he hasn't actually shown any All-Star caliber skills in the NBA. If he wants to be a PF, he needs to become a much better rebounder, post-up player, and post defender. If he wants to be a SF (likely not on OKC), he needs to become a better shooter and a better ball handler.

This isn't to say he is a bad player by any stretch - I'm sure that he'll be in the league for years, but it is still far from clear whether he should be starting on a top team. And yes, you can say he isn't used correctly, but like it or not a team isn't going to change the way they play for what right now is an average at best tweener. Durant and Westbrook are going to drive the Thunder, and if Jeff can't find a way to contribute more than he is now, he's likely to lose his starting job or end up playing elsewhere.

[Filo]

May 3, 2010 16:31:06 GMT -5 hoyaboy1 said:

Unfortunately, as much as we might like to think otherwise, right now Jeff is much closer to losing his starting spot to Serge Ibaka than he is to being an All-Star. He didn't show any development from last season and is still a very inefficient player, with a low shooting percentage, few trips to the line, and more TOs than assists. If you are into advanced stats, his PER (13.8) was once again below the league average of 15 and the team was 6.5 points better when he was off the court. They scored at the same rate with Jeff in the game, but played much worse defense, giving up 10 more points per 100 possessions.

Jeff still has no real position, and as good of a passer as he was here, he hasn't actually shown any All-Star caliber skills in the NBA. If he wants to be a PF, he needs to become a much better rebounder, post-up player, and post defender. If he wants to be a SF (likely not on OKC), he needs to become a better shooter and a better ball handler.

This isn't to say he is a bad player by any stretch - I'm sure that he'll be in the league for years, but it is still far from clear whether he should be starting on a top team. And yes, you can say he isn't used correctly, but like it or not a team isn't going to change the way they play for what right now is an average at best tweener. Durant and Westbrook are going to drive the Thunder, and if Jeff can't find a way to contribute more than he is now, he's likely to lose his starting job or end up playing elsewhere.

Some valid criticism but I think you are going a bit too far. Jeff averaged 37.1 mpg, Ibaka 18.1 and Harden 22.9. I doubt the OKC staff is fixated on PER and such and will be looking to take a glue guy like Jeff out of the starting line-up for Ibaka or Harden. Now they could consider moving him for a capable center or something like that, but I just don't see him being moved out of the starting line-up for any current players on the roster.

[skyhoya]

Anyone know what Patrick is doing these days?

[hoyaboy1]

May 4, 2010 8:42:12 GMT -5 Filo said:

May 3, 2010 16:31:06 GMT -5 hoyaboy1 said:

Unfortunately, as much as we might like to think otherwise, right now Jeff is much closer to losing his starting spot to Serge Ibaka than he is to being an All-Star. He didn't show any development from last season and is still a very inefficient player, with a low shooting percentage, few trips to the line, and more TOs than assists. If you are into advanced stats, his PER (13.8) was once again below the league average of 15 and the team was 6.5 points better when he was off the court. They scored at the same rate with Jeff in the game, but played much worse defense, giving up 10 more points per 100 possessions.

Jeff still has no real position, and as good of a passer as he was here, he hasn't actually shown any All-Star caliber skills in the NBA. If he wants to be a PF, he needs to become a much better rebounder, post-up player, and post defender. If he wants to be a SF (likely not on OKC), he needs to become a better shooter and a better ball handler.

This isn't to say he is a bad player by any stretch - I'm sure that he'll be in the league for years, but it is still far from clear whether he should be starting on a top team. And yes, you can say he isn't used correctly, but like it or not a team isn't going to change the way they play for what right now is an average at best tweener. Durant and Westbrook are going to drive the Thunder, and if Jeff can't find a way to contribute more than he is now, he's likely to lose his starting job or end up playing elsewhere.

Some valid criticism but I think you are going a bit too far. Jeff averaged 37.1 mpg, Ibaka 18.1 and Harden 22.9. I doubt the OKC staff is fixated on PER and such and will be looking to take a glue guy like Jeff out of the starting line-up for Ibaka or Harden. Now they could consider moving him for a capable center or something like that, but I just don't see him being moved out of the starting line-up for any current players on the roster.

Ibaka was a 20 year old rookie with very little organized basketball experience. He has a lot of room to grow.

[damnhoya]

From Insider:

"Kevin Durant and Jeff Green are eligible to extend their contracts beyond the deals they signed as rookies from July 1 to October 31. Durant will be given a maximum contract offer and should ink his extension quickly. Green is a valuable member of the team, but some negotiations will have to take place between his agent and the Thunder.

Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman actually thinks there could be a scenario were the Thunder would allow Green to become a restricted free agent in 2011.

Mayberry writes: "By holding off on an extension this summer and allowing Green to become a restricted free agent next summer, the Thunder would set into motion two significant elements that could ultimately make the move a smart play. OKC would retain the right to match any offer sheet Green receives from another team next summer. And the Thunder would allow the market to establish Green's value, rather than potentially overpaying or even low-balling one of its core players. It's become the NBA's latest trend, triggered by the combination of fewer top-flight, first-round talents in recent years and a downtrodden economy."

Mayberry puts Green's next contract as somewhere between $45 million and $55 million."

[757hoyafan]

I would love to see JG in a Utah uniform.

[kchoya]

May 11, 2010 9:53:46 GMT -5 757hoyafan said:

I would love to see JG in a Utah uniform.

Maybe he could join Monroe after the Jazz draft him this year.

Honestly, of all the recent GU players, if the Jazz could've snagged Hibbert a few years back, his size would've been helpful with their current lineup.

[RBHoya]

A little more on Jeff possibly signing an extension, from the Oklahoman via RealGM:

realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/67608/20100630/extension_talks_with_green_to_dictate_thunders_future/

"It's going to be important," Durant said. "Jeff is a real key part to our team. I really want him to stay. That's like my brother. I don't want him to leave."[/i]

[WilsonBlvdHoya]

The importance of Jeff Green....

sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/SL-The-importance-of-Jeff-Green-Knicks-knews-?urn=nba,252514

[prhoya]

Durant knows that he needs a talented, selfless player like Jeff around him.