Starting two guard- Jim Jackson or Raja Bell?

[elindholm]

He shot 41% from 17 feet to the 3 point line, but only took 24 of them all season.

In other words, he made 10. Ten medium-long makes for the entire season.

He took 20 shots less than 17 feet and 139 3 pointers.

And his NBA.com page has him for 354 total attempts, so I guess the other 171 are all layups.

My 10% estimate turns out to have been a little low. Actually his two-point jump shots account for 12% of the total. But that's still pretty meager.

Thanks for the stats, Andy!

 

[Yuma]

How come the poll doesn't have a "Does it matter" or "It doesn't matter" choice?

I really don't care about guessing right now. Let training camp and preseason sort this out.

 

[George O'Brien]

Graham,

While you are pulling up the mid range stats, do you have similiar numbers on Diaw? His three point shooting was incredibly awful (under 20%) but his other shooting was a repectable 47%. Was this all layups or did he show any mid range game?

 

[sly fly]

Barbosa has all the tools to succeed at the 2. Only things missing are game experience and confidence.

And any sort of mid-range game, and a shot mechanic that will work with someone right on him.

The only shots Barbosa has in his repertoire are open threes and drives to the basket. Maybe Andy can quote some statistics for us, but I'd guess that shots in the 12- to 20-foot range constituted less than 10% of his total attempts, and that he didn't do particularly well with them. A starting SG needs to have a whole lot more in his arsenal than that.

You can take his stats, roll em up in a big wad, and flush them down the toilet.

The "tools" and "potential" that make him unique is on the other side of the ball. Long, athletic defenders are rare. Especially ones that can put the ball in the hole. L. Barbosa's offense will feed off his defense. He must recognize that's how he's going to make it big in this league.

Remember , 2 guards must be able to stop other 2 guards. Especially the Ray Allen's and Kobe Bryant's of the world.

Have I been satisfied with his overall D? No. Do I see a young player who just may be starting to get it? Yes. Does he need valuable game time on a contending club to possibly prove his emergence? Yes. If not, then ship him out, because he's never going to realize his potential in a Suns uniform by sitting on the bench.

Ask any coach in the league about L. Barbosa and I'll guarantee they cringe at the thought of this kid exploding in a Suns uni.

 

[PhxGametime]

If the Suns started Bell, the Team would have Barbosa, House, Diaw, and Jackson off bench (all Point quality)... if the Team wants to play a couple Point quality players at a time, then maybe that's the approach but if they just sub 1 guy at a time, I'd prefer JJack start... although I don't want starters playing too many minutes (so maybe playing 2 decent Points at a time) hmmmmmmm, decisions.


I do think, I like JJack's game more though...

 

[3rdside]

wow, you go from a credibility-less statement like this...

"I picked Raja Bell. However, I'd like the Suns to give L. Barbosa a chance to start at the 2."

to one that has so much truth to it...

"You can take his stats, roll em up in a big wad, and flush them down the toilet"


in just two posts!

 

[3rdside]

(I voted for Jackson by the way)

 

[Errntknght]

I voted for JJack because I think D'Antoni will want to give him a shot at the starting lineup and I assume Jimmy would like that. The reason he might lose that position during the course of the season is that the coaches want more foot speed in the starting unit and Raja or one of the other candidates has shown very well on the break. Earlier I wanted him on the second unit because he could give us another playmaker when Nash was out - and from the 1, 2 or 3 slot. The way the team is shaping up, that doesn't seem to be much of an issue any more.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Graham,

While you are pulling up the mid range stats, do you have similiar numbers on Diaw? His three point shooting was incredibly awful (under 20%) but his other shooting was a repectable 47%. Was this all layups or did he show any mid range game?

Most of it was layups. He shot 39% from 17 feet to 3 with 53 attempts. From 17 feet and in he shot 32% with 31 attempts.

A lot of times floaters and runners in the lane will be called layups though. For example, Marbury's and Joe's 7 foot floater is called a layup.

Diaw is pretty good at getting to the hole. He actually reminds me of Leandro, real long strides with only a couple of dribbles. The problem is his decision making once he commits to the drive pretty much sucks. If he runs into problems he will force a horrible shot or will make a ridiculously bad pass to the guy in the first row.

 

[sunsfn]

I pick JJackson to start at the beginning of the season. He is familier with D'Antoni's system and will not hesitate to shoot or run at every opportunity. Bell may take a few games to get used to the run and gun style the suns play.

Because of the year long point guard problem the Jazz had, Bell handled the ball probably more than most 2 guards. If D'Antoni thinks that Bell is a better ball handler than JJackson, he may get more time while Nash is on the bench, no matter who the backup point is

The suns have made a commitement to Bell though with the long term contract, and unless they trade for another starter at the 2 guard position, Bell will eventually be starting because JJackson may only be here another year.