Why are we expecting Kemba to be a microwave?

[LilRip]

I see a lot of posts (not related to trades) saying that the team would be best served using Kemba as a 6th man/microwave scorer. Even I sometimes end up saying it too, I think, because it just seems like the “right thing” to say.

But... why? Why do we believe this?

After all, with some reduced athleticism and Kemba drawing fouls less (and getting blocked at the rim more), shouldn’t we instead be advocating for Walker to change up his game instead of trotting him out there with an offensively inept lineup and hope he conjurers up some of that old Charlotte magic?  That’s what the greats do. They adapt and change their games and still find ways to be effective.

I think what I’d really like for Kemba to do more of is... slow his game down, move the ball more and quicker out of PnR action, take more set shots, and (as crazy as it sounds), punish defenses more with mid range J’s.

Every now and then, he still might explode for one of those vintage Kemba games but I don’t know how fair it is to make that the expectation rather than exception.

[slamtheking]

I see a lot of posts (not related to trades) saying that the team would be best served using Kemba as a 6th man/microwave scorer. Even I sometimes end up saying it too, I think, because it just seems like the “right thing” to say.

But... why? Why do we believe this?

After all, with some reduced athleticism and Kemba drawing fouls less (and getting blocked at the rim more), shouldn’t we instead be advocating for Walker to change up his game instead of trotting him out there with an offensively inept lineup and hope he conjurers up some of that old Charlotte magic?  That’s what the greats do. They adapt and change their games and still find ways to be effective.

I think what I’d really like for Kemba to do more of is... slow his game down, move the ball more and quicker out of PnR action, take more set shots, and (as crazy as it sounds), punish defenses more with mid range J’s.

Every now and then, he still might explode for one of those vintage Kemba games but I don’t know how fair it is to make that the expectation rather than exception.

This.

Brad's offensive strategy of "live by the 3, die by the 3" has frustrated me for years.   I've always firmly believed a made 2-pointer is worth more than a missed 3-pointer.  if we're not hitting 3's, take 2 steps in for a more makable 2.

[td450]

I see a lot of posts (not related to trades) saying that the team would be best served using Kemba as a 6th man/microwave scorer. Even I sometimes end up saying it too, I think, because it just seems like the “right thing” to say.

But... why? Why do we believe this?

After all, with some reduced athleticism and Kemba drawing fouls less (and getting blocked at the rim more), shouldn’t we instead be advocating for Walker to change up his game instead of trotting him out there with an offensively inept lineup and hope he conjurers up some of that old Charlotte magic?  That’s what the greats do. They adapt and change their games and still find ways to be effective.

I think what I’d really like for Kemba to do more of is... slow his game down, move the ball more and quicker out of PnR action, take more set shots, and (as crazy as it sounds), punish defenses more with mid range J’s.

Every now and then, he still might explode for one of those vintage Kemba games but I don’t know how fair it is to make that the expectation rather than exception.

The reasons are:

1. He still is a useful scorer. He's just not quite as good as he was a couple of years ago.

2. The starting lineup has some problems which Kemba isn't suited to solving. He doesn't pair well with Smart at all, and presumably we can't play him with Pritchard either, at least as a starter. If we had an elite passer at another position, maybe he could still start. We don't.

3. It's always harder to score against starting guards and starting bigs.

4. We did have a bench scoring problem. The freedom would be there for him to attack in primary scoring mode, which he can do.

If he does stay and start, unless we have a roster change, Fournier fits the best with him. Just not sure that signing Fournier is our best move. It's hard to see keeping Fournier and Smart.

[Roy H.]

I see a lot of posts (not related to trades) saying that the team would be best served using Kemba as a 6th man/microwave scorer. Even I sometimes end up saying it too, I think, because it just seems like the “right thing” to say.

But... why? Why do we believe this?

After all, with some reduced athleticism and Kemba drawing fouls less (and getting blocked at the rim more), shouldn’t we instead be advocating for Walker to change up his game instead of trotting him out there with an offensively inept lineup and hope he conjurers up some of that old Charlotte magic?  That’s what the greats do. They adapt and change their games and still find ways to be effective.

I think what I’d really like for Kemba to do more of is... slow his game down, move the ball more and quicker out of PnR action, take more set shots, and (as crazy as it sounds), punish defenses more with mid range J’s.

Every now and then, he still might explode for one of those vintage Kemba games but I don’t know how fair it is to make that the expectation rather than exception.

This.

Brad's offensive strategy of "live by the 3, die by the 3" has frustrated me for years.   I've always firmly believed a made 2-pointer is worth more than a missed 3-pointer.  if we're not hitting 3's, take 2 steps in for a more makable 2.

Not to get all analytical, but evidence shows that the vast majority of players are really, really crappy at making mid to long range two pointers.  Kemba, for instance, is a career sub-41% shooter from both 10-16 feet and 16-23 feet (although he has been better the past three years).  That translates to roughly the same efficiency as a 27% three-point shooter.

[gift]

Because other than being a microwave the most useful thing Kemba could do is become more of a playmaker. But he's never been a consistent playmaker. Always a scorer, first, who spends a lot of time with the ball.

Even when Kyrie first left and they got Kemba to replace him. There were a lot of people hoping Kemba would correct what went wrong with Kyrie (that team stopped the ball too much [between Kyrie, Rozier, Tatum and Morris] and Kyrie was mostly blamed because of his style and role as the PG. But Kemba's style of spending a lot of time with the ball, dribbling a lot and ending possessions with his own shot were very similar to Kyrie.

Asking him at age 31 to suddenly play a completely different style is too much. He doesn't have the body of a guy like Lowry, for instance, who can push people around and make plays from anywhere on the court. He has a set number of spots where he passes or shoots from and when he doesn't shoot well, that's really all you're getting.

[gift]

I see a lot of posts (not related to trades) saying that the team would be best served using Kemba as a 6th man/microwave scorer. Even I sometimes end up saying it too, I think, because it just seems like the “right thing” to say.

But... why? Why do we believe this?

After all, with some reduced athleticism and Kemba drawing fouls less (and getting blocked at the rim more), shouldn’t we instead be advocating for Walker to change up his game instead of trotting him out there with an offensively inept lineup and hope he conjurers up some of that old Charlotte magic?  That’s what the greats do. They adapt and change their games and still find ways to be effective.

I think what I’d really like for Kemba to do more of is... slow his game down, move the ball more and quicker out of PnR action, take more set shots, and (as crazy as it sounds), punish defenses more with mid range J’s.

Every now and then, he still might explode for one of those vintage Kemba games but I don’t know how fair it is to make that the expectation rather than exception.

This.

Brad's offensive strategy of "live by the 3, die by the 3" has frustrated me for years.   I've always firmly believed a made 2-pointer is worth more than a missed 3-pointer.  if we're not hitting 3's, take 2 steps in for a more makable 2.

There's one guy I've seen that work for: Kenny Anderson. Outside of that, it seems most guys are better off taking a decent 3 than a decent long 2.

[Roy H.]

I see a lot of posts (not related to trades) saying that the team would be best served using Kemba as a 6th man/microwave scorer. Even I sometimes end up saying it too, I think, because it just seems like the “right thing” to say.

But... why? Why do we believe this?

After all, with some reduced athleticism and Kemba drawing fouls less (and getting blocked at the rim more), shouldn’t we instead be advocating for Walker to change up his game instead of trotting him out there with an offensively inept lineup and hope he conjurers up some of that old Charlotte magic?  That’s what the greats do. They adapt and change their games and still find ways to be effective.

I think what I’d really like for Kemba to do more of is... slow his game down, move the ball more and quicker out of PnR action, take more set shots, and (as crazy as it sounds), punish defenses more with mid range J’s.

Every now and then, he still might explode for one of those vintage Kemba games but I don’t know how fair it is to make that the expectation rather than exception.

This.

Brad's offensive strategy of "live by the 3, die by the 3" has frustrated me for years.   I've always firmly believed a made 2-pointer is worth more than a missed 3-pointer.  if we're not hitting 3's, take 2 steps in for a more makable 2.

There's one guy I've seen that work for: Kenny Anderson. Outside of that, it seems most guys are better off taking a decent 3 than a decent long 2.

KG, for some reason.  He never developed an extra 2 feet of range, which could have put him into the Kevin Durant class offensively.

[footey]

Moving Kemba to an off the bench role is a step toward making us longer and defensive oriented.  Move Smart to point guard, and let Romeo start at the 2.  That is  a defensive oriented starting 5 (the two J's and Rob) that changes the mindset and philosophy of the team.  Off the bench are Kemba, TT and Nesmith. Maybe Jabari can serve to back up JT at the 4 and play some small ball 5.  I'm assuming we won't be able to sign Fournier due to tax considerations.  I don't think we will, I think the team will bet that Nesmith will be able to handle that role next season, and the cost is not worth re-signing Fournier. As I indicated before, I would try to move Pritchard, who should have some decent value, with our pick to move up in the draft and grab someone like Wagner or Barnes for our power forward spot. Either kid should be ready to start in that role in a year or two.  By then Smart will be gone, and our starting 5 will be Romeo, JB, JT, Wagner/Barnes and Rob.  That is a very nice starting 5.  Coach Billups will have a lot of fun with that team.

[Roy H.]

Move Smart to point guard, and let Romeo start at the 2.  That is  a defensive oriented starting 5 (the two J's and Rob) that changes the mindset and philosophy of the team.

How does an NBA team compete in the modern age by having three poor-to-terrible floor spacers?

[footey]

Move Smart to point guard, and let Romeo start at the 2.  That is  a defensive oriented starting 5 (the two J's and Rob) that changes the mindset and philosophy of the team.

How does an NBA team compete in the modern age by having three poor-to-terrible floor spacers?

Defense wins championships.

[Roy H.]

Move Smart to point guard, and let Romeo start at the 2.  That is  a defensive oriented starting 5 (the two J's and Rob) that changes the mindset and philosophy of the team.

How does an NBA team compete in the modern age by having three poor-to-terrible floor spacers?

Defense wins championships.

Not anymore.

Outscoring your opponent wins championships.

[footey]

Move Smart to point guard, and let Romeo start at the 2.  That is  a defensive oriented starting 5 (the two J's and Rob) that changes the mindset and philosophy of the team.

How does an NBA team compete in the modern age by having three poor-to-terrible floor spacers?

Defense wins championships.

Not anymore.

Outscoring your opponent wins championships.

Swap Nesmith (your binkie) for Romeo, then.  And/or trade Smart and re-sign Fournier.  Now you have more than enough shooting in starting 5: Nesmith, Fournier, JB, JT and Rob (who has a better FG% than anyone else on the team, FYI--it's not all about the 3's).

[gift]

I see a lot of posts (not related to trades) saying that the team would be best served using Kemba as a 6th man/microwave scorer. Even I sometimes end up saying it too, I think, because it just seems like the “right thing” to say.

But... why? Why do we believe this?

After all, with some reduced athleticism and Kemba drawing fouls less (and getting blocked at the rim more), shouldn’t we instead be advocating for Walker to change up his game instead of trotting him out there with an offensively inept lineup and hope he conjurers up some of that old Charlotte magic?  That’s what the greats do. They adapt and change their games and still find ways to be effective.

I think what I’d really like for Kemba to do more of is... slow his game down, move the ball more and quicker out of PnR action, take more set shots, and (as crazy as it sounds), punish defenses more with mid range J’s.

Every now and then, he still might explode for one of those vintage Kemba games but I don’t know how fair it is to make that the expectation rather than exception.

This.

Brad's offensive strategy of "live by the 3, die by the 3" has frustrated me for years.   I've always firmly believed a made 2-pointer is worth more than a missed 3-pointer.  if we're not hitting 3's, take 2 steps in for a more makable 2.

There's one guy I've seen that work for: Kenny Anderson. Outside of that, it seems most guys are better off taking a decent 3 than a decent long 2.

KG, for some reason.  He never developed an extra 2 feet of range, which could have put him into the Kevin Durant class offensively.

There are other guys who were elite at long 2's and not at 3's, but the "take 2 steps in for a more makable 2" specifically, though maybe not exclusively, applies to Anderson. At one point I believe it was an old coach who told him to take a couple steps in and all of sudden he was hitting those shots while he was missing threes just two steps out at the top of the key.

[Roy H.]

Move Smart to point guard, and let Romeo start at the 2.  That is  a defensive oriented starting 5 (the two J's and Rob) that changes the mindset and philosophy of the team.

How does an NBA team compete in the modern age by having three poor-to-terrible floor spacers?

Defense wins championships.

Not anymore.

Outscoring your opponent wins championships.

Swap Nesmith (your binkie) for Romeo, then.  And/or trade Smart and re-sign Fournier.  Now you have more than enough shooting in starting 5: Nesmith, Fournier, JB, JT and Rob (who has a better FG% than anyone else on the team, FYI--it's not all about the 3's).

Fournier as the PG?

[Goldstar88]

Move Smart to point guard, and let Romeo start at the 2.  That is  a defensive oriented starting 5 (the two J's and Rob) that changes the mindset and philosophy of the team.

How does an NBA team compete in the modern age by having three poor-to-terrible floor spacers?

Defense wins championships.

Not anymore.

Outscoring your opponent wins championships.

Swap Nesmith (your binkie) for Romeo, then.  And/or trade Smart and re-sign Fournier.  Now you have more than enough shooting in starting 5: Nesmith, Fournier, JB, JT and Rob (who has a better FG% than anyone else on the team, FYI--it's not all about the 3's).

Fournier as the PG?

Honestly, Fournier seemed like a more willing passer than Kemba or Smart. I was impressed with his passing ability.