Well, about Moore people just drank the kool-aid and the expectations were just too high. I'm not the bit surprised: he's shooting slightly better than expected, defending slightly worse (it's incredible how often he's out of position), but it'll eventually regress to the mean. Now, some of those threads from those days where people were giving different assessments on Moore should be bumped, just to allow us to know who to take seriously. Still, guys like Moore always have some weeks here and there where they play out of their mind, so maybe we get lucky. But I really hope we get Powe back for the playoffs.
Marbury, I was expecting him to play badly for awhile, hoping that eventually he'd be solid. Marbury was never an All-Star player, only statistically, and he wasn't even close to that in recent seasons, so solid solid and not AS was the correct expectation. I always had doubts if he'd be a better backup PG than House (especially considering how much we need another 3pt shooter in the rotation besides RA and PP) and till now he's been ridiculously bad - he can't shoot, can't defend, can't keep the ball safe, he's willing to pass the ball but he's not being very good doing it. I think there's still some reasons to have hope he can improve, but it's about time.
I will say that I, for one, thought Moore's defense and shot blocking were better than this and you did warn me. I never said he had a great game but thought his energy and style of defense and ability to get up on shots would be his assets coming in. I thought his length might not block shots but alter a lot. I will freely admit I was as wrong as wrong could be. He looks just completely and utterly lost out there and his fundamentals are a lot worse than what I had remembered seeing in New Jersey where he assisted in making NJ one of the better defensive rebounding teams in the league while he was there.
He is lost comprehending how to blitz the high post pick and roll. His rotations are easily the worst on the team. He constantly is coming down with his arms and making contact when attempting to block or alter a shot, often drawing the foul. He is oblivious as to his status with fouls and plays without thinking of the situation at hand. He is caught looking at the shot upon an opponents outside shot all the time while ignoring where he should be positioning himself for a rebound or who and how to block out. I mean that's pre high school basketball fundamentals right there that he is clueless about. his defensive stance is so straight upright with almost no crouch or spread base that with his slight frame he is moved out of the box by shooting guards.
I never though he would be this bad. But he is eating minutes up(much like a 5th starter in baseball eats up innings even though he might suck or have bad stats) and getting other players rest they would be getting if he wasn't here. I guess you can find a silver lining anywhere.
As for Marbury, I thought and still think the man is toxic for a team. Fortunately for the C's he has been encased in lead for the time he has been here, figuratively speaking. Unfortunately he appears to be playing at time like he is leterally encased in lead. I will say that if he can get his shot going and continues with the energy output on defense that he has given, good things should start to happen for him.
I still think that it's early for a final evaluation on either one of them.
But ... neither is showing any sign of helping this club significantly in the playoffs, for many of the reasons mentioned above. Moore isn't very good, so if he hits a jumper or two and gets a board or two - the former MUCH more likely than the latter - I guess we're going to have to be happy. His brain-dead defense, though, remains a major concern. I wish we weren't the official NBA halfway house for mentally deficient basketball.
I agree with Nick about Marbury - to date, he gives every indication of being finished. He looks slow and his shot is gone. I'm not sure what the motivation was for the hyperbole surrounding his signing - at best he's got the rust of a year off on him, and you can make the argument that his game was in decline before that. At any rate, not what you'd expect from an alleged All-Star signing.
Perhaps some of this will change. But the biggest difference I see between Moore and PJ is basketball intelligence - PJ oozed it, Moore doesn't have any of it. I am more concerned at this point that Marbury may be finished.
