Atlanta Hawks: Larry Drew to Josh Smith: About those jump shots . . .
Ken S. reports that L.D. isn’t happy about Josh’s shot selection in Game 2. More from Drew on his meeting with Josh:
“I thought he was trying to do too much. He admitted it, that that was the case. He didn’t feel good about how he was playing. I was going to take him out early in the third quarter. Something told me to leave him in there, kind of let him see if he could play through it, and he did exactly that. I thought for about a five-minute stretch, he got us back in the ballgame on his energy and his effort and just hustling. I think he came up with four blocked shots in that stretch, got out on a break and got a dunk, got a three-point play in that stretch. . . . He is a very unique player. He can impact the game on both ends of the floor. I know since I’ve been here, we haven’t had a player like him that can do that. He has to be flying around and blocking shots and running the floor and making passes. That’s when he’s at his best for us. We can’t have him just sitting out there and launching 3s, because that plays into the opposition’s hands. He realized that.”
Three factors in Smoove’s defense:
1. He finished the season shooting 39 percent on long 2s, which is just below the league average of 40. Smoove also was more accurate than J.J. on 3-pointers and comparable to Marvin and Jamal.
2. All season L.D. never came out and said explicitly that he wants Josh to stop taking long 2s. In fact he repeatedly said Josh had worked on his shot last summer and “has a nice stroke.” Drew only added the stipulations that Josh’s Js should be within the flow of the offense and not early in the shot clock or when Josh is matched against a defender he should take in the post.
3. For the Hawks, sometimes “flow of the offense” means lots of dribbling by the guards who, under duress, pass to a wide-open Smoove standing on the perimeter.
Some caveats to those defenses of Smoove:
1. The real problem this season wasn’t that Josh couldn’t make Js. Instead, it was that he a) took more of them at the expense of shots near the basket and b) kept taking the Js whether they were falling or not. The a) development was a double-whammy because Josh has been so effective near the basket in his career and also because it added to Atlanta’s team dynamic of the offense moving away from the basket. As for b), consider that Josh attempted 3.5 long 2s per game in January and made 29 percent; took 6 per game in February and made 50 percent; and then attempted 5.2 per game in March and made 27 percent.
Josh is still missing long 2s during the playoffs though he’s taking slightly fewer of them. In eight playoff games Josh is shooting 4 for 27 (15 percent) on long 2s but is taking about one less attempt per game than during the regular season. Meanwhile Josh has attempted 6.9 shots per game from 9 feet or closer and has made 3.9 in the playoffs as compared to 6.5 attempts and 3.8 makes during the regular season.
2. Josh had Turkoglu, a poor defender, checking him in the first round. Now it’s Boozer, who is playing on a bum toe. In both cases there hasn’t been a sustained effort by Smoove to take advantage of those matchups. The “flow of the offense” stipulation is more difficult to judge because . . .
3. Someone asked L.D. during the Orlando series if he ran plays for Smoove in the post. He smiled and said: “Yeah, but somehow he always ends up floating back out there.” So when Josh gets the ball on the perimeter late in the clock, is that because the “flow of the offense” dictated it or is it because he’s not where he’s supposed to be?
It’s easy to say L.D. should just bench Josh when he keeps taking bad shots. But, as L.D. noted from Game 2, the Hawks need the many positives that Josh can uniquely provide them.
Also, as the coach, L.D. has to worry about managing his people. Smoove is one of Drew’s best employees so it’s to his advantage to keep him happy and productive while at the same time trying to limit the damage his negative impulses can have on the overall performance of the company.
And so L.D. had the manager-employee meeting with Josh on Thursday. We’ll see if it pays immediate dividends tonight in Game 3.
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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187 comments Add your comment
Astro Joe
May 6th, 2011
12:06 pm
Kind of hard to change someone’s running style in the 20th mile of the marathon. Should have been handled much earlier int he race.
I’d also suggest that Josh’s man is more than willing to leave him on the perimeter and go double-team Joe or Jamal, knowing that worse case scenario is that Josh gets an open long distance shot. There is a reason why he is often the lone open player towards the end of the shot clock… I’m pretty sure that is more of the design of the defense than it is the design of LD’s offense.
But all of this focus on Josh is good… he will surely have one of those games tonight where all of his defenders (who only go the the arena to watch him) will rejoice in his performance and act like all of the criticism over the past few days was unwarranted. I’d bet a mortgage payment that tonight we’ll see “good Josh”.
Geemack
May 6th, 2011
12:08 pm
SteveW
Etan is not needed in this series. We are not playing D12. The Hawks being out hustled, thats fixable Noah & Boozer are overwhelming figures. Our lack of hustle is the reason we only won 44 games this year.
The Truth
May 6th, 2011
12:13 pm
Marvin will have a monster game sometime soon. The problem is we don’t know when.
Marvin can’t use the fatigue excuse like the other starters since he had been coming off the bench prior to the Bulls series entering the playoffs. So, he should have been fresh and hungry to reclaim his starting position. For that reason, he has missed an opportunity. Having said that though, I still believe he is just not comfortable playing as a 5th option with the starters. When he’s not scoring he’s not active enough, he defers and plays pedestrian defense lately. So his main problem as a starter: he’s not impacting the game. To his credit, however, he’s not hurting the team (like Josh) making “boneheaded” plays with high TO’s and repeatedly launching bad shots knowing he’s struggling. His shot selections are exactly very good, they’re just not falling and when they do fall, he’s not consistent enough. He knows to attack the rim but his mechanics are often weak and too predictable. He gets blocked quite a bit trying to draw fouls in the paint to no avail. IMO, most of his issues are correctable if he would fully commit himself in the offseason. We all know that hasn’t happened yet to his fault.
In the mean time, if LD must start him and if things aren’t working offensively for him, he should at least focus on playing solid defense, bearing more rebounds and be more active. If Marvin did these things, he would at least impact the game as a 5th option.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 6th, 2011
12:17 pm
I was one of the people in Philips last year yelling “NO” every time he took a shot, but I defended his shooting throughout this regular season because he was converting them at a reasonable rate. I don’t have a problem with the jumpers, generally speaking, if the conversion rate is respectable. In the playoffs, though, his jumper has been abysmal, and he needs to adjust accordingly. A playoff game is not the time for him to try to shoot himself out of a slump.
I agree with LD that Smoove tried to do too much in Game 2, and it’s really just a culmination of how he has played throughout the playoffs. He’s been trying to ratchet up the intensity and in doing so is playing out of control. Calm down Smoove.
darrell starks
May 6th, 2011
12:19 pm
The Truth im sorry bro marvin will never amount 2 be a good solid starter in this league, for some reason marvin plays better coming off the bench.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!
jlewis
May 6th, 2011
12:19 pm
Astro Joe:
I agree wholeheartedly!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 6th, 2011
12:20 pm
I wonder if bringing Smoove off the bench in a Lamar Odom-like role in a game would get him going. It’s a pretty big risk to take since the starting lineup would offer no resistance at the rim, but maybe it’s worth a shot if his struggles continue.
Teezo
May 6th, 2011
12:20 pm
Hawks win with no problem tonight if: Josh gets 10+ rebounds and takes no 3s…Horford gets 10+ rebounds and plays big…No dribble dribble dribble shoot/pass from JJ…No break somebodys ankles and take a bad shot without even looking to pass from Crawford…LD lets Teague keep playing his game…Everybody else focus on 50-50 balls and hustle plays…
darrell starks
May 6th, 2011
12:22 pm
Smoove should starte at the 3 specially now with teague starting, that will be sick with teague and josh out on the wing for a thunder dunk in highlight factory wow!!!!!!!!!!
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 6th, 2011
12:25 pm
“Can Marvin give you 15-25 per night if he played 40 mins????
Ans..Heck to the NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONNO………….”
I would guess that at least 75% of the players in the league can give you 20 per night if they played 40 minutes and got enough shots. The question is whether those players can get you 20 per night and win at the same time. My guess is a team that gives Marvin that big of a role ends up with about 25 wins.
Slimjr
May 6th, 2011
12:25 pm
Hawks go up 2-1 tonight!!!! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our guards will go off and cover for the 3 stooges….
t-minus 6 1/2 hours
May 6th, 2011
12:27 pm
Nice article/post Michael. Hopefully Smoove takes Boozer to the woodshed tonight.
Najeh Davenpoop
May 6th, 2011
12:27 pm
Come on JeJe, cut Granny some slack. Ain’t a whole lot to do at the old folks’ home at noon on a Friday. Lunch time just got over and bingo doesn’t start for another couple of hours.
SteveW
May 6th, 2011
12:27 pm
Let me try and wrap my mind around this again:
If LD would have been utilizing Teague properly, we would:
Have Bibby fresh coming off the bench for 3’s
Have Mo’ as an option to put on Deng and Korver
Have JC2 to have some athleticism to put on Rose and the SG’s as well
And a #18 pick in the upcoming draft, with a guy in Pendegraft who actually looks like he can draft; Teague at #19 and Jordan Crawford at #27 along with a late 2nd round Pape Sy.
But instead we have an injured Hinrich, and a DNP guy in Hilton
LD has already cost this organization so much, he needs to win a championship to make up for it!
darrell starks
May 6th, 2011
12:28 pm
Josh at the 3 post up dang in the paint is a automatic all day, but LD have tell josh to get his butt in the paint, superman is no longer playing so josh AT THE 3 should score easily in the low post.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jlewis
May 6th, 2011
12:28 pm
Explain to me how JJ lost the game being double and triple teamed? I gotsta know, lol.
Rod from College Park
May 6th, 2011
12:28 pm
A question for the board:
Would you rather the Hawks go down with guy like Josh, or Jamal, and to some extent Joe trying to make something happen (taking bad shots), even if they can’t hit the side of a barn, or would you want guys like Marvin and to some extent Horford to continue to play “smart basketball” and continue to pass up open shots?
darrell starks
May 6th, 2011
12:30 pm
No body can guard josh in the NBA at the 3 in the post, LD sit your boy marvin on the bench and stop drinking his grape cool aid.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JeJe
May 6th, 2011
12:31 pm
People here were excited about Marvin when he scored 10 in game 6 against Orlando. People here considered that an excellent effort.
10 F’ing points from the #2 pick
LOL!
WOW GREAT GAME MARVIN! 10 POINTS. GOD FORBID YOU CAN DO THAT TWICE IN THESE DAMN PLAYOFFS
SteveW
May 6th, 2011
12:33 pm
Geemack – I know your point. I’m just saying since Al is gassed playing so many minutes, and he’s not built for that, Etan’s not a bad 4-6 minute guy to come in and wreak some havoc. He’s got it in him to do that. We may not have seen it, but it is in him. Guy was good back before the open heart and knee blowout.
They say he’s fully recovered. If he can just give us a few minutes of what he’s done in the past, he’ll be worth the vet minimum.
SteveW
May 6th, 2011
12:36 pm
Rod – If I had to go down, I would rather go down with Teague, Wilkens, ZaZa and maybe Collins who give it all they got while they’re in there.
Jamal, JJ, and maybe Al next. But def. not Marvin or Josh, unless Josh’s head is in the game.
darrell starks
May 6th, 2011
12:42 pm
SteveW no body play as harder on this team than COLLINS, ZAZA and now TEAGUE.
GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sherewshevsky
May 6th, 2011
12:46 pm
Why do the other players on the team throw the ball to Josh when he’s out on the perimeter?
The Truth
May 6th, 2011
12:47 pm
From the previous blog:
“TRADE HINRICH FOR RASHAD LEWIS AND I THINK THIS TEAM CAN WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP”
LOL, this must be an agenda via the Wizards
“There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” —Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002 – President George W. Bush
JeJe
May 6th, 2011
12:50 pm
If Josh does not make changes like he said he would tonight + after talking to LD (LD is so damn scared to talk to this guy), I am completely done with him and will vehemently write to the ASG requesting he is traded on a daily basis.
SteveW
May 6th, 2011
12:51 pm
At least Collins may box out on Noah while he’s in there.
Slimjr
May 6th, 2011
12:57 pm
@SteveW
May 6th, 2011
12:27 pm
I co-sign, but you got to add the GM in this botched plan….We’ve had this really good and I mean good pg on the freaking bench for two freaking years??? Are you kidding me????
Sund and LD run dont walk………………………………..
Cant even buy a clue………………….
Rod from College Park
May 6th, 2011
12:58 pm
SteveW,
In the question, I am asking would you rather our best players (Joe, Josh, Jamal) lose taking bad shots, but trying to take them, or us playing good solid basketball like Horford and Marvin, and never taking any risk, or force any bad shots. We all know that we would not win a playoff game with Teague, Collins, Zaza, and Wilkens playing heavy minutes.
Rod from College Park
May 6th, 2011
1:01 pm
“People here were excited about Marvin when he scored 10 in game 6 against Orlando. People here considered that an excellent effort.
10 F’ing points from the #2 pick”
Thats what so funny to me. What would happen if he actually had a 20 point game in the playoffs? We would never hear the end of it. LOL
Slimjr
May 6th, 2011
1:02 pm
gave up way too much for the Heimlich Maneuver..We should of at least got JaVale McGee!
Slimjr
May 6th, 2011
1:04 pm
If Marvin was scoring at a 18-22 per game clip at the critical SF position, not only would he be an Allstar the Hawks would be on cruise control to the finals…
O'Brien
May 6th, 2011
1:06 pm
Najeh,
I suggested the same thing earlier in the season. Bring Josh off the bench as a Lamar Odom type of player instead of starting him at SF. But can you imagine LD having that conversation with Josh? It would not go over well, and who knows how Josh would handle it.
Although Al wants to play PF, I think he is better at Center, so I think the Hawks will have to choose between him and Josh at some point.
Mark Bradley also wrote about Josh this morning.
And now you were asking, not for the first time or even the hundredth: How good would Josh Smith be if he never took a shot beyond the lane? If he could content himself with being, say, Paul Silas? (Who was a great player on championship teams, let’s recall.) Put another way, has there ever been a less effective jump shooter who persists in taking jump shots?
Granted, he’ll make a few. He made a big one near the end of Game 1. But a Smith make often hurts the Hawks more than a Smith miss because it impels him to keep shooting.
Josh Smith has it within him to be an All-Star, and he was very close to being one in 2010. He had cut back on the jump shots and, in the words of former coach Mike Woodson, had come to “understand time and score.” But to see Smith now is to view a clear regression, if not so much in scoring numbers than in impact..
http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2011/05/05/a-significant-hawks-question-what-is-josh-smith-doing/
Slimjr
May 6th, 2011
1:08 pm
Josh would be the 1st core piece I would shop in the off season…..
Slim
May 6th, 2011
1:10 pm
Is Josh Smith closer to Gerald Wallace skillset and frame or is he closer to Tim Duncan
ok just checking. Marvin or Josh needs to sit for the sake of Collins/Pachulia if we are to make the ECF. Oh well
We are playing Josh Smith at center, we deserve to lose to this hobbled vulnerable Bulls team.
gochickenHAwks!
scodee23
May 6th, 2011
1:20 pm
MC, how high of a draft pick could we get for Josh Smith? I noticed Cleveland, Washington and Utah could end up having two first rounders. Just curious if we could get high enough to take K.Irving or B. Knight.
phil
May 6th, 2011
1:21 pm
Slimjr
May 6th, 2011
10:38 am
word on the street Sund tried to shop Marvin before the trade deadline, but there were no takers for this buster……………………
Who with any sense would want Marvin? He can’t play because he doesn’t exert any effort. Just look at the tattos now covering his body. His mind is somewhere else. Crawford is just as bad tatto-wise, but at least the man does somethin gon the court other than nothing….
phil
May 6th, 2011
1:25 pm
I’m stunned that LD said something to Smith…and then admitted it publicly….for once, I tip my hat to him.
Now, will it do a bit of good? Doubtful, but we win this game tonight if Smith will patrol the paint on both ends and play with some fire. If not, down 2-1….
LionHearted
May 6th, 2011
1:28 pm
scodee23 we don’t need a Point Guard in the draft. HELLO we have Teague!!!
Daniel
May 6th, 2011
1:29 pm
Rod- If you think Josh is one of our best players and Horford is not then I am very glad you are not the GM.
Josh Smith has clearly played himself off this team, he is not going to get more mature at this point in his career, he will not consistently give the defensive effort that could make him easily an All Star calibre player, instead he obviously wants to be Antoine Walker. I only hope he doesn’t lose us a game (nearly did in game 1) and that he gives enough “spurts” that he keeps some trade value.
Daniel
May 6th, 2011
1:32 pm
Slimjr- there is no way that Washington is giving up MaGee. I seriously doubt that we could give them Josh and get him.
vava74
May 6th, 2011
1:32 pm
Rod,
Let’s not mix apples and oranges.
A) No team would win consistently with Josh freely jacking up jump shots. His “trying” would not lead to anything good.
For two reasons: he can’t convert them at a good pace and it takes him from where his abilities can and should be maximized.
B) Jamal is streaky. Knowing when to pull a “streaky-no-defense” player is something few know when to do it.
During game 2, Jamal hurt us by playing two many minutes in an off night and by being placed in a tight spot defending Rose (LD’s fault – go and read my posts again).
He has obviously been very good for us these playoffs, but unlike JJ, most of the time he gives up as many points as he scores, so the benefits of his presence CAN be overvalued in some games.
In a game decided by HUSTLE like Game 2, keeping Jamal on the floor shooting badly and playing awful D was not a good option. SOME of his minutes allocated to Wilkins and Zaza would.
C) In a team that constantly rotates the ball, Diaper Al would get better looks and he would be able to perform better.
D) In principle, if someone gave some amphetamines to Marvin, with a lot of ball movement he would be able to score efficiently.
Most of your criticism of Marvin is fair, however, the fact that he has had some good games when JJ is out seems an indication that he needs a lot of shots to get going and when he gets them he usually gets “hot(er)”.
Overall, I think he is a tweener with a flawed skill set that is not good enough to play any specific position and more suitable to play an off-bench role as a guy who comes in gets free off picks and shots.
His own discernible offensive skills are:
A) a good shooting touch/form, however, it is offset by his lack of confidence.
B) an ability to get fouls called when he puts the ball up near the rim.
On D, he is a disciplined defender who usually does not miss rotations and contests shots.
Some match ups are, however, horrible for him, being Deng one of them.
E) In relation to JJ, northcyde said it well during the past few months: JJ needs to shoot and keep on shooting.
However, he does need to decide himself quicker. He passes open shots by holding the ball until someone is on his grill.
So, the problem with JJ sometimes is that his “aggression” is not where it should be, so I would place him in the company of Al and Marvin in your question and you KNOW THIS.
As a consequence of this:
Your proposal would be to:
Have a team with Jamals and Smooves.
or
A team with Als, Marvins and JJs.
I think everyone would go with option 2.
JoJo the Godfather
May 6th, 2011
1:34 pm
I don’t think Josh would get shopped for a draft pick. I think the Hawks would be looking for a second or third year player that has somewhat proven himself in the league already. Steph Curry’s name seems to come up a lot. I guess Josh for Curry & Biedrins is the rumor I’ve seen the most.
Daniel
May 6th, 2011
1:34 pm
vava- you had me then you lost me.
vava74
May 6th, 2011
1:36 pm
Charley Rosen from msn.foxspots on Josh’s performance in game 2:
“On the other hand, Smith had only himself to blame for his abysmal 4-of-14, four-turnover performance. That’s because he forced a total of eight shots/passes/drives, with most of his turnovers being of the unforced variety. Smith remains the most underachieving super talent in the league.”
vava74
May 6th, 2011
1:41 pm
Daniel,
where?
my dealings with Rod are always an exercise in lunacy.
My argument was that Rod placed JJ in the company of Jamal and Josh to make his argument valid.
When in fact JJ is more of a passive player than an active player. Not because he doesn’t shoot by passing the ball (like Al and Marvin) but because he passes good shots in favor of badly contested ones.
It’s a form of aggression that should be in a category of its own.
On the contrary, Jamal and Josh happily and unconsciously think that every look is a good shot.
I wish that JJ thought like that since when he does not think about his shots and “simply shoots”, he ends up with performances like Game 1.
Slimjr
May 6th, 2011
1:42 pm
@Phil,
may I impart a word of advise to you? Never, never judge a book by its cover…
Your Maker don’t care if your azz is vanilla or mocha..Love covers a multitude of sins.. ..Have a great day.
kick butt tonight HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Najeh Davenpoop
May 6th, 2011
1:45 pm
“Most of your criticism of Marvin is fair, however, the fact that he has had some good games when JJ is out seems an indication that he needs a lot of shots to get going and when he gets them he usually gets “hot(er)”.”
He had a game earlier this year where he played well minus Joe. But since this idea comes up every now and then on the blog, I went back after that game and looked at how well Marvin plays when Joe is out compared to normally. The only discernible improvement I could see was that he got to the free throw line more when Joe is out. He has had just as many duds without Joe as he has had good games.
“Your proposal would be to:
Have a team with Jamals and Smooves.
or
A team with Als, Marvins and JJs.
I think everyone would go with option 2.”
I think pretty much every good team has both, and I have gone on the record as saying that I see the reasons for your beef with Jamal. But I do take issue with the idea that Marvin is any more beneficial than Jamal, let alone Smoove. Just because he doesn’t force the issue enough to make his flaws evident (as Smoove and Jamal occasionally do) doesn’t mean his overall contributions even approach those of Jamal or Smoove. Even with their blatant flaws, just on sheer talent Smoove and Jamal regularly contribute far more than Marvin does.
Astro Joe
May 6th, 2011
1:47 pm
I suggested years ago that Josh is more like AK-47… someone who should come off the bench and bring energy and his specific game-altering abilities to the court. There is little doubt that on a more talented team (and a true title contender), Josh would be the AK-47/Lamar Odom type 6th man who does a little of everything. But on our team, he is the guy who fans come to see exclusively and therefore needs to be cuddled excessively. Nothing short of a playoff meltdown across consecutive seasons would change folks’ opinions. Oops, never mind…
Slimjr
May 6th, 2011
1:51 pm
Bench Josh in the first 5mins if his head’s not in the game.It probably wont. So bench is azz quickly.Never ever start Josh and Marvin together..That spells disaster….
drmaryb (*_-)
May 6th, 2011
1:54 pm
Are Bulls better off without Booz?
With an injury hindering Carlos Boozer, the question must be asked
By Melissa Isaacson
ESPNChicago.com
NBA Tonight Bulls Hawks Gm. 3 Preview
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Tim Legler and Kevin Connors preview Game 3 between the Bulls and Hawks
NBA Tonight Bulls Hawks Gm. 3 Preview
Tags: Chicago Bulls, Chicago, NBA, playoffs, video
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Bulls Thursday Practice
Should Fans Be Down on Boozer?
There are those who would say it is unfairly picking on Carlos Boozer or focusing too much on his contract to suggest that he has not been the player the Bulls hoped for when they signed him to a five-year, approximately $80 million deal last July.
Horace Grant doesn’t care about any of that. Glued to his TV and the NBA playoffs while rocking his newborn daughter, he just knows what he sees. And what he sees from the guy playing his old position and wearing John Paxson’s old number … well, let’s just say it’s a good thing there’s a baby around to keep him calm.
“This is a time when stars shine and they’re paid all that money to step up,” Grant said. “I watched the Lakers last night, and just from a fan standpoint and someone who played the game for many nights, Pau Gasol has to step up also.”
[+] Enlarge
For Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, it’s very simple.
“This is the time of the year you go,” he said. “If you’re injured, you don’t. If you’re hurting, you go.”
Boozer is no doubt hurting. Turf toe is a swelling of the tendons and, say those who have had it, is indeed painful.
“It’s one of those things, when you just say a toe, it doesn’t sound like much,” Bulls teammate Luol Deng said. “But it’s an annoying injury.”
Dennis Wierzbicki/US Presswire
Carlos Boozer has been ineffective for most of the playoffs.
An injury.
The question is whether the Bulls are better off with an injured Boozer on the floor or not. This season, the Bulls went 15-8 (.652) without him in the lineup.
Maybe the question should be what kind of a team have the Bulls been with Boozer in the lineup this postseason?
Technically speaking, they have been a 5-2 team, which isn’t bad. But for all of those blessed with the gift of sight, it hasn’t always been good, either. Boozer has shot 38.2 percent and is averaging 10.3 points per game. But that’s not what has fans such as Grant dissatisfied.
Boozer has been slow or nonexistent on defensive rotations and arguably soft inside despite getting called twice for defensive 3-second violations. Offensively, he has been unable to finish strong at the basket and he has not been solid in setting picks for Derrick Rose.
“Maybe it’s old school, but you set a pick so that your guard or small forward can get to the hole or shoot a jump shot. You should be secondary,” Grant said. “It’s team first, and the first option is setting a good, strong pick. With a body like [Boozer's], you should be able to do some things, and he has shown in the past he can do this.”
Thibodeau said Thursday that the Bulls need Boozer in the lineup.
“His rebounding is critical for us,” he said. “His post presence. People collapse on him so it opens up a lot of things for everybody. So he has to keep doing what he’s doing. Each day will get better and better.”
In his living room, Grant is like many of you, calling for Taj Gibson. Of course, realistically this isn’t going to happen. Teams just don’t change up their starting lineup and bench their $80 million free agent in the middle of the playoffs.
For all Thibodeau knows — and he probably does know — this could render Boozer even less effective than he already is. Besides that, it is more important who finishes games than who starts. And in the Bulls’ Game 2 victory Wednesday night, Gibson played a minute longer than Boozer in the fourth quarter, relieving him at the 4:02 mark with the Bulls up by six and staying in the remainder of the game.
In Utah, the late Jazz owner Larry Miller once publicly criticized Boozer’s defensive effort, after which Boozer developed what the media called a “mysterious” foot injury in 2005. In his second season with the Jazz, he missed 49 games with a hamstring injury.
And in his final season in Utah, Boozer drew the fans’ ire when he sat out the final regular-season game with a strained oblique muscle as Phoenix defeated Utah, costing the Jazz the No. 2 seed.
So now he’s apparently trying to tough it out, and it’s no wonder why. And if there was any hesitation, it sounds like Thibodeau’s message is clear.
“He’ll get better in time but all these guys have something, whether it’s an ankle, a toe, a wrist, a shoulder,” Thibodeau said. “That’s the way it is this time of year, and you have to get through all that stuff. But every team has the same issues. So we just have to be mentally tough, physically tough and whatever the challenge is in front of us, handle it.”
In other words, just get out and do what you’re being paid to do, which is more than pick up 10 rebounds a game (two offensive).
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“He knows what he has to do,” Thibodeau said almost hopefully. “This guy has scored his whole career. He’ll score for us.”
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With a young team such as the Bulls, however, it’s not likely that anyone is pressuring Boozer.
“Back in the day, Boozer wouldn’t have lasted. Seriously,” Grant said. “If you missed your defensive assignment, OK, you missed it. But if you continued to miss it, you would hear not just from Phil [Jackson] but from MJ, Scottie or myself.
“We got in Scottie’s face a couple times — ‘You need to get over there, man, what’s wrong?’ Derrick Rose is a leader but you can’t put that on him yet. In a couple years, but right now I’d look at the coaching staff or a guy like Kurt Thomas, who has a lot of experience in this league.”
Grant recalled one conversation he had with Jordan and Pippen before a playoff series against the Knicks in which he was ailing.
“They came to me and said, ‘Look, man, don’t worry about scoring tonight; you just keep [Charles] Oakley off the backboards,’” Grant said. “So if Boozer is hurting as he says, it’s going to be up to a guy like [Joakim] Noah or Thomas to go up to him and say, ‘Give us what you’ve got, play hard,’ and if it’s not enough, then the coaching staff has to sit him down because you have other guys capable of doing what Boozer is giving them.”
Publicly anyway, these Bulls are standing behind Boozer.
“Win or lose , you can’t really point fingers,” Deng said. “Everyone is out there playing hard; everyone is doing what they can. Guys are in here getting extra work in. We’re taking this thing really seriously, and when we lose, we all lose. And when we don’t play well, we all don’t play well.”
Even Gibson, whose stock has been rising as Boozer’s falls, and not necessarily because of how he’s performing, is resolutely in Boozer’s corner.
“It’s not awkward for me,” Gibson said. “I have his back 110 percent. Like Coach Thibs said, our whole team is going to walk through the fire together during these playoffs. It’s all about staying together.”
Who knows? Maybe Boozer’s role as punching bag gives the Bulls back the toughness they have been lacking lately.
“All this talk from the outside, we have to tune it out,” Deng said. “We’re trying to do something within these walls. We have to just keep on concentrating on that. All that stuff is just a distraction. Carlos is a proven great player in this league, and we have no doubt that he will get his rhythm back. As a team, as long as we win and Carlos gets his rhythm back, we’ll even be better.”
Melissa Isaacson is a columnist for ESPNChicago.com