Barbosa

[Sunsfan2308]

I like him and I think he has great potential. But it got to the point where every time he had the ball this series I had to change the channel.

 

[elindholm]

Barbosa had a terrible series, but he'll bounce back. He needs to work on his ball handling and develop a midrange game. He showed a lot of improvement this year and he's still hungry to get better.

 

[Bong]

Can the man

please

 

[WuRaider]

Barbosa had a terrible series, but he'll bounce back. He needs to work on his ball handling and develop a midrange game. He showed a lot of improvement this year and he's still hungry to get better.

It was all in his head. He missed WIIIIIDE open threes that he never missed in the regular season and the first round. It all starts from the top. D'Antoni made a mistake with all that "we have to be mentally tough like they are" talk. When your head coach talks like a little weakling, it effects the whole team. Even if he was right, thats a stupid thing to say, especially in competitive sports.

 

[cly2tw]

LB should just take some lesson from Parker. Parker used to be losing control at drives in the paint but really learned how to control his body.

 

[gdiddy]

Give the guy some slack. I think he's maturing. He really needs to develop his mid-range and 3-point shooting and also work on being a quick pull up shooter.

The guy has amazing speed. If he can use it in other areas other than the fast break--defense, clutch shooting, dribble penetration--then he will become a major weapon in our offense.

 

[Conquerer]

Barbosa really pissed me off this entire series.
He missed a few 3rs in the 6th game which were very very easy, if he had taken them on, we could go back and manage to win.
Same at game 5 which in it he was awful, well all the series he was awful.

But I like him, he is a nice quick guy.
I hope he'll get better like he does every year.

I am new her, by the way, great forum and great community, I hope to get along well here.

 

[mjb21aztd]

Yeah Barbosa may be good during the regular season but real good players show up during the playoffs and barbosa just killed us the entire spurs series if he couldve had a few decent games we wouldve won the series... aww well

 

[Joe Mama]

Yeah Barbosa may be good during the regular season but real good players show up during the playoffs and barbosa just killed us the entire spurs series if he couldve had a few decent games we wouldve won the series... aww well

The defensive pressure really bothered him, but don't give me this crap about the playoffs. He was magnificent in the first round. Barbosa is a hell of a player. He will keep getting better.

Joe

 

[Errntknght]

I think the key for Barbs is a mid-range shot. The year before he was developing a decent one but this past year he rarely used it - and he basically didn't need to because he was getting to the rim so well. Against SA he got to rim fairly often but Duncan didn't let him get the ball over the rim.

It will probably be hard for the coaches to get him to use the pullup midrange shot night in and night out in the regular season when he doesn't really need to - assuming that we have coaches that can look ahead to the playoff conditions where it will be a necessity. If D'Antoni has learned anything, it should the need to focus on the playoffs the whole season - even when looking for bench players to round out the team. What a novel concept!

So far Mike has been so focussed on winning each game that I have serious doubts about a change of general mindset. I wouldn't be shocked if he decided what the team needs is to go even smaller... he'd get to bask in all kinds of praise as the coach who is making the NBA exciting once again. Why read the fine print that says its just the 'regular season NBA'?

 

[cly2tw]

I think the key for Barbs is a mid-range shot. The year before he was developing a decent one but this past year he rarely used it - and he basically didn't need to because he was getting to the rim so well. Against SA he got to rim fairly often but Duncan didn't let him get the ball over the rim.

...

So far Mike has been so focussed on winning each game that I have serious doubts about a change of general mindset. I wouldn't be shocked if he decided what the team needs is to go even smaller... he'd get to bask in all kinds of praise as the coach who is making the NBA exciting once again. Why read the fine print that says its just the 'regular season NBA'?

DA is the problem. No doubt. I mean he is good for the regular season only.

As to LB, one claring weakness in his game is that he can't use teammates picks and screen at all. Though a little better at controlling his speed than before, he still has as the only weapon to blow by the defender(s) in straightlines. So many times, Amare and other tried to set picks for him, either he elected to ignore it or he hesitated so long that we had to rush a shot after he eventually passed up the ball. Frustrating. But I think he can still improve.

 

[dodie53]

LB should just take some lesson from Parker. Parker used to be losing control at drives in the paint but really learned how to control his body.

i agree..

 

[devilalum]

He destroyed the Lakers. You can't expect a young role player to carry the team 2 series in a row.

 

[Chaplin]

Barbosa's rate of improvement has been off the charts every year, leading to this 6th man award. There is absolutely no reason right now to think he won't improve going into next season.

LB could start on a lot of teams as a SG in this league RIGHT NOW. Imagine what he'll be like next year.

 

[Mainstreet]

The defensive pressure really bothered him, but don't give me this crap about the playoffs. He was magnificent in the first round. Barbosa is a hell of a player. He will keep getting better.

Joe

Exactly right as you and others have said. This was a real learning experience for LB playing against the Spurs in the playoffs. I also agree he may learn a thing or two from Parker's development.

 

[elindholm]

Exactly right as you and others have said. This was a real learning experience for LB playing against the Spurs in the playoffs. I also agree he may learn a thing or two from Parker's development.

Barbosa will never be like Parker because he is too fundamentally flawed. Even before Parker got good, his fundamentals were miles ahead of where Barbosa's are now. And Parker is only about six months older, so Barbosa doesn't have youth to blame.

I like Barbosa and think he can get better, but he'll never be close to Parker's league.

 

[devilalum]

Barbosa will never be like Parker because he is too fundamentally flawed. Even before Parker got good, his fundamentals were miles ahead of where Barbosa's are now. And Parker is only about six months older, so Barbosa doesn't have youth to blame.

I like Barbosa and think he can get better, but he'll never be close to Parker's league.

He'd be a lot closer if the Suns set those awesome double picks to get him open paths to the basket.

 

[1sunsfan]

He was magnificent against the lowly Laker no D,but the Spurs are a much better at team defense,I believe LB was winded.

 

[TucsonDevil]

Yes, Barbosa doesn't have much of a mid-range jumper, he turns the ball over too often, and TD learned how to block his shot very easily from behind.

HOWEVER, the largest problem with LB still remains... he is a HUGE ball hog. When he is running the offense, teammates just stand around and watch. A team like San Antonio saw that coming a mile away and would simply leave their men and clog the lane when LB had the ball glued to his hands. Unless they teach him to pass the ball more, our offense will continue to be paralyzed when Nash is not in the lineup. When LB is scoring a lot, we ignore this issue.

 

[Milgod]

Barbosa will never be like Parker because he is too fundamentally flawed. Even before Parker got good, his fundamentals were miles ahead of where Barbosa's are now. And Parker is only about six months older, so Barbosa doesn't have youth to blame.

I like Barbosa and think he can get better, but he'll never be close to Parker's league.

I think you're way off the mark here. I think LB has the potential to be much better than Parker. He has improved every year in the league. So he had a bad series, get over it.

Parker might only be six months older but he has been in the league two years longer and was always expected to contribute right away. Barbosa was going to be a project and it looks like its a project thats working out. We should compare the two in another couple of years and see who is better.

 

[fordronken]

Parker might only be six months older but he has been in the league two years longer and was always expected to contribute right away.

Then why was he the 29th pick in the draft?

 

[dodie53]

i think parker was a project too..

or he was not scouted very well by other teams..

 

[phillycard]

He destroyed the Lakers. You can't expect a young role player to carry the team 2 series in a row.

I was just about to say the same thing d. He deserves some blame, but no more than any one else.

 

[Ollie]

Parker might only be six months older but he has been in the league two years longer and was always expected to contribute right away.

Can't agree here. Like Fordronken said, he was picked 29th in 2001 despite an horrible point guard class (excepted Arenas who was picked in the second round) and coming out his only season as a starting PG in a mediocre french team.

And his first season was decent, nothing more, just like Barbosa's first.

 

[Errntknght]

Tony Parker finishes better than any point or small guard I've ever seen - better even than Rod Strickland. He constantly amazes me how he gets layins up & in, in heavy traffic. On top of that he is very accurate pulling up at the FT line or with his floater a bit closer in. He's not Steve Nash but he is always under control and lays the ball off very well, too.

Why anyone would watch Leandro and imagine he is going to develope TP like skills around the hoop is beyond me. Yes, he's come a long way from the guy who used to go flying past the endline on two drives out of three but his finish is not developing into a Parker-like style. He is finishing with a burst of speed and gets his shot up very quick and yet fairly soft. The biggest improvements have come from recognizing when he has a seam, recognizing that more quickly, accelerating faster (remember how he used to always start drives from near midcourt) and shooting quicker. Also he's learned how to shoot when moving along the baseline. Its great that he's developed so much but its not in the direction of becoming like TP.

Tony has another advantage over Barbosa - he doesn't have to play against Tim Duncan. And thats really the crux of the matter because whats paramount for the Suns right now is getting past the Spurs. Supposing Barbs could become a Tony clone at the rim, we don't even know for sure that would help because Tim might be the one player that can put a lid on TP there.

IMO, the one sure way for Leandro to become more valuable against the Spurs is to add midrange pullups, floaters and/or 'teardrop' shots to his repretoire. And the problem is that against teams other than the Spurs Barbs doesn't absolutely need such shots - though he'd be definitely be harder to contain.