Landry Fields' shot...

[Jclaw]

Not sure if you have been properly recognized thead but well done on the diagnosis. Fields should have read this forum before heading off to new york for a second opinion. This has been mentioned a couple of other places in the Republic and I think it speaks to how well some of the posters here know the game. Well done

...has a serious hitch in its giddy-up

So a friend called me a few days ago and said "hey Tim (that's me) I got free tickets to the raptors game (against the Bucks) You like basketball right?"

I said, "No I just eat sleep breathe and shit the stuff".

He said, " You wanna come with?"

I said. "Does the Pope shit in the woods?"

ANYWHO...

being so close (damn near court side) brought up a big concern for me. Landry Fields has an ugly hitch in his shot just before the point of release. I got the chance to watch this close up and it bothered me. His wrist flicks forward in way that takes the flow from ankle to finger tip and throws a giant log in the middle of the shot. You see this a lot with young players (OBA) etc who are nervous about shooting a free throw. I wish I could dig up a video to prove this but I'm lazy. Anyway, the fact that this has yet to be corrected at the professional level disturbs me a bit. Now I only noticed this with free throws because the whole process is slowed down BUT if that same hitch is anywhere to be found in his regular stroke, I don't think you will see any increase in his FG%.

Regards,
Tim

[mcHAPPY]

Not sure if you have been properly recognized thead but well done on the diagnosis. Fields should have read this forum before heading off to new york for a second opinion. This has been mentioned a couple of other places in the Republic and I think it speaks to how well some of the posters here know the game. Well done

Seriously.

Good call, thead/Tim.

[enlightenment]

*applause*

this thread is the only thing that made me believe in Landry's excuse about his jump shot. Well done!

[mcHAPPY]

As big of a disappointment that Fields has been, I would take him and his contract any day of the week over Beasley:

Shaun Powell @Powell2daPeople

Suns source: Michael Beasley is "toxic," team in tailspin, could lead to major shakeup.

[Chr1s1anL]

I don't know it's time to change the mold. Getting these great character guys haven't been working this franchise. Every team needs an asshole.

[thead]

does this mean I got street(forum) cred now? lol

[mcHAPPY]

I don't know it's time to change the mold. Getting these great character guys haven't been working this franchise. Every team needs an asshole.

I thought it was Bargnani?



I'm sure he is a great guy off the court but on the court I'd call him an asshole if he was my teammate - again, on the court.

[Vykis]

I thought it was Bargnani?



I'm sure he is a great guy off the court but on the court I'd call him an asshole if he was my teammate - again, on the court.

There are dicks and then there are assholes, dicks fuck shit up, assholes get fucked, we could use more dicks cause we playing like we have no balls. PS i know that im a geniudls in methaphors

[e2thed]

There are dicks and then there are assholes, dicks fuck shit up, assholes get fucked, we could use more dicks cause we playing like we have no balls. PS i know that im a geniudls? in methaphors

Grammar police on patrol...ironic.

[Vykis]

Sorry i didnt know that the word genius is spelled without a d or a l, i should have googled that, but thanks for helping, grammar police, you're the saviour of the internet ant the smartest guy in the world...

[mcHAPPY]

I thought it was Bargnani?



I'm sure he is a great guy off the court but on the court I'd call him an asshole if he was my teammate - again, on the court.

http://raptorsrepublic.com/forums/sh...n-team-meeting

Apparently it is.

[mcHAPPY]

I am probably talking craziness here but bear with me....

Fields shot is atrocious this year.... understandably so.

I think this season is a complete write off.

I am not sure if he will return to his rookie form but I don't think he is nearly as bad as he has been this year and I think he is better than what last year showed. Somewhere between year 1 and year 2 is what I would expect. Personally, I don't think this is unreasonable.

In looking at his injury, this is something that can happen over a long time frame before it is recognized - and in this case it appears to be the case. If any of what I am about to write is bogus, then someone please correct me.

I've had knee issues. When seeing an orthopedic surgeon, he explained a big part of my problem is that my quads essentially shut themselves off on my right side. This was the bodies natural response in an effort to protect itself: stop using the muscle which is connected to the joint with damage. When he said this, suddenly I noticed my left quad was much, much larger than the right. In reality this is exactly what you don't want to happen though because in shutting down the muscle, more stress is placed on the joint. I guess evolution is not perfect after all.

So back to Fields. If this was a condition that had been ongoing since his 2nd year culminating in the appearance of the 'claw' in November, it would explain the lowered shooting percentages. His arm, his shooting arm at that, was getting weaker and weaker as time went along. To compensate he changed his mechanics trying to get the ball in the hole. Needless to say all this is going to wreak havoc with his confidence and 'internal wiring'.

Quick look at his rookie year and it is pretty clear he does not have the same mechanics as right now:

I think he is likely to be a write off for the rest of this year but look forward to what he brings next season after a summer of hoisting hundreds of jumpers daily.... at least I hope that is what he does.

[thead]

I think he is likely to be a write off for the rest of this year but look forward to what he brings next season after a summer of hoisting hundreds of jumpers daily.... at least I hope that is what he does.

Matt having this particular condition, the muscles in the forearm and wrist begin to weaken a bit and there is always the thought in the back of your head that some awkward twitch is going to happen. Nerves take the longest of any body part to heal. Although he is functional it can take up to a year for a nerve to be back to normal, if it ever even gets there. Now the claw has disappeared I watched one of his foul shots very close. But it could take the summer off, a shooting coach and thousands upon thousands of reps before he gets comfortable with that shot again. He is a bit beyond it but I would even recommend summer league as an opportunity to test the shot in game situations. Give him the same green light that Ross had, since I doubt we take on any rookies this year

[thead]

I think he is likely to be a write off for the rest of this year but look forward to what he brings next season after a summer of hoisting hundreds of jumpers daily.... at least I hope that is what he does.

Matt having this particular condition, the muscles in the forearm and wrist begin to weaken and there is always the thought in the back of your head that some awkward twitch is going to happen. Nerves take the longest of any body part to heal. Although he is functional it can take up to a year for a nerve to be back to normal, if it ever even gets there. Now the claw has disappeared I watched one of his foul shots very close. But it could take the summer off, a shooting coach and thousands upon thousands of reps before he gets comfortable with that shot again. He is a bit beyond it but I would even recommend summer league as an opportunity to test the shot in game situations. Give him the same green light that Ross had, since I doubt we take on any rookies this year

[Puffer]

...I think he is likely to be a write off for the rest of this year but look forward to what he brings next season after a summer of hoisting hundreds of jumpers daily.... at least I hope that is what he does.

Thanks for finding that compilation. No doubt his shot looks a lot different in that old footage. As Thead says above, nerve damage can take a long time to get better. I agree 100% that he has changed his shot dynamics because of trying to adapt to the nerve injury. I expect he will rebuild his shot over the summer, much as Ed Davis did. Good news is that probably everyone on the team realizes this needs to happen. He is getting playing time so can still help in D and picking up some cheap baskets.