Who does this sound like? It's taken from Bill Simmons blog, which reacts to the recent NBA trades:
1. PLAYER X can't shoot. I mean, he really can't shoot. He always has been useless as a 3-point shooter...the '08 PLAYER X is shooting .366 from the field, scoring 13 a game and averaging 2.2 free throws, which tells me he's not driving to the basket anymore.
If you don't have a guard who can take advantage of the current rules, that's a legitimate disadvantage, especially in the last five minutes of a close game when defenses clamp down and it becomes tougher to get good shots.
2. The benefits to having PLAYER X on your team are simple: He's completely unselfish, he's competitive as hell, he makes everyone a little bit better, and he's better than everyone but Nash at running fast breaks. The first three traits help just like they'd help any team: PLAYER X always has been one of those players who gets better with better teammates, as he proved during every All-Star Game and even the Olympic trials last summer. Still, it's his creativity and consistency on fast breaks that make him special ...
3. Once upon a time, PLAYER X was a destructive defensive player, one of the best defensive players in the history of the point guard position. The thing that made him special was his ability to guard anyone under 6-foot-8. You could unleash him on anyone like a pit bull. And he was so good at planting his feet and taking a charge on layups and dunks, he was single-handedly responsible for the NBA extending that little semi-circle under the basket.
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It's obviously about Jason Kidd. Some of the hyperbole may not be a match (excellence on the bread, guarding players under 6-foot-8, but DJ has got to start thinking like a guy who's biggest strength is passing...not scoring. He did that against Pitt and I think it was truly one of the best games of his career. I really think he's got it in him...all he needs is the right mindset!
I'm inclined to agree with you. DJ should focus more on passing and leading the team. He can heat up and score a bunch of points like in the Valpo game last year. But to get a shot in the NBA he needs to be more of a passer. As for Kidd, the thing people always forget about Kidd is his size. He's 6'5", I think. DJ is generously listed at 5'10". They may be the same kind of player, but DJ is 7" shorter. That's a lot.
But DJ was measured at 5 10.5 without shoes, and 5 11.75 with shoes at the NBA draft camp last year, so "generously listed at 5 10" is not true...but I agree with the premise that he should play to his strengths- (defense and passing).
And doing an internet search, Kidd was listed at 6' 2 3/4 in his pre-draft measurements :P
And Kidd is 6'4"...so...only about a a 4-5 inch difference...but yeah, you're right, that's still a lot.
BUT
6' Chris Paul and his team recently beat the Mavericks and their newly acquired Kidd. Definitely not saying that DJ and CP3 are on the same level, but jus' sayin' that a 6 footer can still be potent in the NBA...he just has to be REALLY good.