Comments on: The “Why Not?” Doctrine http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2009/07/20/the-why-not-doctrine/ Unbiased opinions from extremely biased people Tue, 22 May 2012 16:40:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: MJG http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2009/07/20/the-why-not-doctrine/comment-page-1/#comment-15544 MJG Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:50:08 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=3082#comment-15544 Rob is right. This is one of those instances where if you can look at the numbers you might think, "He seems OK," but if you watch him play you find yourself facepalming all game. He makes awful decisions, can make a shot but not as often as he thinks, and commits baffling turnovers. Rob is right. This is one of those instances where if you can look at the numbers you might think, “He seems OK,” but if you watch him play you find yourself facepalming all game.

He makes awful decisions, can make a shot but not as often as he thinks, and commits baffling turnovers.

]]> By: Rob Mahoney http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2009/07/20/the-why-not-doctrine/comment-page-1/#comment-15300 Rob Mahoney Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:44:53 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=3082#comment-15300 Earl's per-minute assists are solid, to be sure. But all assists are not created equal. The statistics have never told the full story with Watson (though his PER reads just as I described in the post -- slightly below average). He's a decent player, but he just doesn't make consistently intelligent decisions with the ball. It's what separates good point guards from great ones, or in this case, good point guards from average ones. He also has the turnover per-minute numbers of a point guard that takes great risks, but he doesn't. He's not trying to slice a bounce pass through the defense a la Steve Nash, or find cutters by weaving a lob through the arms of two defenders like Jason Kidd. He's just Earl Watson, doing what Earl Watson does. Sometimes that translates to some decent assist numbers, and sometimes it racks up the turnovers. Earl’s per-minute assists are solid, to be sure. But all assists are not created equal. The statistics have never told the full story with Watson (though his PER reads just as I described in the post — slightly below average). He’s a decent player, but he just doesn’t make consistently intelligent decisions with the ball. It’s what separates good point guards from great ones, or in this case, good point guards from average ones. He also has the turnover per-minute numbers of a point guard that takes great risks, but he doesn’t. He’s not trying to slice a bounce pass through the defense a la Steve Nash, or find cutters by weaving a lob through the arms of two defenders like Jason Kidd. He’s just Earl Watson, doing what Earl Watson does. Sometimes that translates to some decent assist numbers, and sometimes it racks up the turnovers.

]]> By: Becca http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2009/07/20/the-why-not-doctrine/comment-page-1/#comment-15299 Becca Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:48:37 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=3082#comment-15299 Why don't you look at Earl's assist numbers for the time he's been in the league. His Assists per 48 have always been way up there. Overall he's been toward the top of the list, but has also played at least 10 fewer minutes than the guys at the top. If he really deserved the bad rep he's been given over the past few years then why on earth aren't there a bunch of other players with better assist stats than him. true, that isn't the only measure of a point guard, but it is an extremely important one. Especially when people talk about his trademark being passing the ball out of bounds. Why don’t you look at Earl’s assist numbers for the time he’s been in the league. His Assists per 48 have always been way up there. Overall he’s been toward the top of the list, but has also played at least 10 fewer minutes than the guys at the top. If he really deserved the bad rep he’s been given over the past few years then why on earth aren’t there a bunch of other players with better assist stats than him. true, that isn’t the only measure of a point guard, but it is an extremely important one. Especially when people talk about his trademark being passing the ball out of bounds.

]]> By: KneeJerkNBA http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2009/07/20/the-why-not-doctrine/comment-page-1/#comment-15229 KneeJerkNBA Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:14:46 +0000 http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/?p=3082#comment-15229 Watson gets a bad rap 'cause he can't shoot but I'd take him on my team...if I had a team. I don't. *sighs Watson gets a bad rap ’cause he can’t shoot but I’d take him on my team…if I had a team. I don’t.

*sighs

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