I think it’s an ego thing. My speculation is that he thinks he is smarter than other college coaches. In other words, that he’s on to some super secret trick that no college coach is smart enough to have tried.
Cupps
- Thread starter Cavanagh
- Start date
Have you ever watched a Bruce Pearl coached team, where he coaches like a soccer mom and everyone gets a participation ribbon and where he does weird ass shit like starts the worst player on the roster? Or Tom Crean with his timed premade lineups where he ignores hot hands, and matchups and puts cold players in their spots, just because? Or Buzz Williams also known as Crean's doppleganger... who is a combination of Crean and Pearl ..
There's worse than Woodson.. the stupid lineups last year, won't be stupid lineups this year as there's a huge talent difference having Tucker, Gallo and Goode.. compared to last year's versions of CJ, Banks, and Sparks.
Last edited:
I underestimated Woody's ability to put a stupid lineup on the floor.
You play the scrubs at the end with a 30 pt lead not in the middle of a dominating 1st half run. That stupid shit not only killed our momentum, it's a NET efficiency killer.
Sheppard went third because he can shoot, has an uncanny knack for the ball on defense that is almost weird and is a great passer. I’m not saying he’s a future all star but he’s way more than just a shooter. I think he also had the first or second best vertical in the combine.
Honest question: do you see a well coached team out there? It's early in the season and a lot of coaches are experimenting and with that comes moments where things can get sloppy. This is different.
IMO this is not a well coached team. And based on the past 3 years, it’s not going to get better as the year goes on. The roster is more talented. There is no doubt about that. Maybe Woodson will surprise us and this team will start to gel and do the little things, but I’m not holding my breath.
No. I think that's pretty damn evident in my posts. Do you think I'm somehow praising him by calling out his shitty rotations and stupid ass lineups?
If he hit say 35% from 3 do you believe he would have been a lottery pick let alone 3rd. He is 6’2”- would he have been drafted as a non-starter in college if he was an okay shooter with a 42” vertical. He was drafted because he is a knockdown shooter from 3.
This is why he was 3rd
The Rockets have been poor from 3 with Jalen Green a high volume low efficiency shooter. They were looking to change that with an elite shooter. I agree he had a lot of steals per minute played in college but he will need to gain strength before he will be a competent NBA defender. They drafted him for shooting. Ever since Eric Gordon left the Rockets haven’t had a good 3 pt shooter.
MM had a really poor shooting night. I agree MM has deficiencies and unless he knocks down shots this discussion is moot.
Remember Mac McClung-43.5” vertical but average shooter and undrafted.
Last edited:
I thought the original point was that he went 3rd only because of sooting, not that shooting was a factor. I’d guess shooting is a factor for every draft pick. Devin Booker was never a starter either btw.
Plus, there are 14 newcomers Woodson needs to figure out:
Ballo
Bobbett
Burke
Carlyle
Creel
Goode
Goodis
Hatton
James
Newton
Rayford
Rice
Stephens
Tucker
That's a helluva lot of new blood. Yeah, I know, he already knows some of them will never get in a game, but at least six of them have already played.
For now, I'll tolerate some hockey-line substitutions because I don't know how he could efficiently evaluate all those in a game by substituting them one-at-a-time. He needs to get through that process and settle on his starters and real substitution patterns.
The point was that the Rockets drafted him for shooting, not because he had a good vertical and not because he had steals. They need an upgrade in shooting and he was an ultra elite shooter.
I didn’t know that about Devin Booker..
UK has 12 new players, a new coaching staff and it looks as if they got "through that process" by their third game, upsetting the overrated Duke a week or so ago. What's the problem?
He is an ultra elite shooter and that is a clear evaluation result. He has what they need.
I don’t disagree with that. But Travis Ford and Steve Alford were ultra-elite shooters as well.
Yes, there is still an element of risk in making the jump to the NBA that can’t be eliminated. Mac McClung was an elite jumper but no draft interest because average shooter. My actual original point was that if MM showed that he was an elite shooter then he would have very good draft potential even with shortcomings in other phases of the game.
Sure, and if Travis Ford was an elite athlete with ultra quick hands he would have been a high draft pick. (Maybe needed a couple of inches in height as well but still).
I don’t think anyone thought Alford’s game would translate to the NBA. He had a genius running plays for him but yes ultra elite shooter that was not a match for the NBA. The NBA has changed but agree even now Alford’s game would be adequate for the NBA but he might make it as a catch and shoot guy for the Rockets.
You're both right. Obviously Shepherd's outside shooting was probably at the top of their list of attributes that compelled them to take him at 3. But his athleticism, and his handle, combined with that shooting, is what put him on theirs, and others, "1st Pick" lists in the first place. There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of similarly skilled shooters in every class of kids. He separates himself with the other ball skills, and then further separates himself with his elite athleticism.
Having said all this...he's averaging around 12 minute per game of playing time, less than 4 points a game...and isn't even close to being in their main rotation. Sooo...evidently they didn't need him as much as it seemed when they drafted him at 3.
The Houston press already has articles like-give him time. I think he did have a good summer league.
I don’t agree that there are hundreds/thousands of kids that have the right genetics (propriceptor system, vision, muscle fiber types, etc) to rise to the top of the shooting pyramid.
I promise there are easily hundreds of kids out there, in every class, that can shoot it as well as Shepherd can...if you're talking about just shooting a basketball. Which is the point you were trying to make against Sobester....seemingly? If not, and you are saying shooting is the most important virtue, in a long list of other virtues...you're both saying the same thing, and probably arguing just to be arguing at this point.
All the cases I know of it was apparent at an early age (high school latest) that great shooters had the secret sauce. There is a genetic component that follows a normal probability curve that contributes materially to a great shooter. It was apparent at an early age that Steph Curry had it and others didn’t. I saw a video of his high school coach talking about he had to beg him to shoot more so they could win. Steph didn’t want his teammates to think he was a ball hog. Steph was born with a certain rare combination of physical attributes that contribute to his shooting success.
Madisonville-North Hopkins High School. His dad kind of lived vicariously through him and it was 60 hours of basketball/week from age 3.
