Everything Valanciunas

[Snooch]

Playing time for the most important player on the team is not micromanaging. And as McHappy posted, Masai stated JV's minutes were discussed, and I'm sure they were discussed the prior season as well.

I am certain that they were, but I dont think Massai could say or do to much during the regular season about it.

[Bandit]

Because a gm shouldn't micromanage. it causes dissension in the ranks.

To add to this thought, the best managers/leaders tend to understand that they have limitations and let the experts they hire do the work that they cannot. I believe MU has a belief as to what would work best, but he isn't going to step in and force it (See Kings, Sacramento)

Rather he is going to watch the results, and if those do not lie within his expectations then he will discuss the approach with his expert. If they cannot come to an agreement then he will replace the person making those decisions to better align with his vision.

[3inthekeon]

I am certain that they were, but I dont think Massai could say or do to much during the regular season about it.

Of course Masai could and would discuss this with Casey if Casey wasn't following the plan. And Masai can do whatever he wants in regards to Casey, unless Leiweke thinks Casey is Pops jr.

[raptors999]

Of course Masai could and would discuss this with Casey if Casey wasn't following the plan. And Masai can do whatever he wants in regards to Casey, unless Leiweke thinks Casey is Pops jr.

Really don't know any other HC that requires so much GM interference as Casey and warrants it. Most other coaches would quit rather than have the GM plan lineups.

[Snooch]

Of course Masai could and would discuss this with Casey if Casey wasn't following the plan. And Masai can do whatever he wants in regards to Casey, unless Leiweke thinks Casey is Pops jr.

If the GM starts getting involved during the season, it can cause bigger issues,

I am sure notes and memos were sent, but the foot obviously didnt drop.

[special1]

Apples to oranges.

He only gets 17 front court touches per game.

He is also 3rd in the entire league in points per shot at 1.48.

I get what you're saying.

However....

Part of me wonders if he'd get more touches if he was a better passer.....maybe he would get more touches if he made quicker decisions when he does get the ball instead of holding it like he often does.

Part of me wonders if they'd run the offence through him if he was a better passer.....

[CalgaryRapsFan]

I get what you're saying.

However....

Part of me wonders if he'd get more touches if he was a better passer.....maybe he would get more touches if he made quicker decisions when he does get the ball instead of holding it like he often does.

Part of me wonders if they'd run the offence through him if he was a better passer.....

The frustrating thing was watching games and wondering how the coaching staff expected him to improve his court vision and passing, when the set plays forced him to post-up (often starting too far from the basket) while the other players stood around watching. Why not feed him the ball down low as part of a play with lots of off-ball movement, where he will have multiple options to choose from to find an open shooter? That would seem a lot more conducive to actually helping the kid develop, rather than simply giving him his [rare] ISO opportunity.

There was also a stretch (I believe when DeRozan was injured and he was being used more regularly on offense) where he actually did a good job of finding open shooters in the midst of driving off a post-up opportunity. I remember that there were definitely back-to-back games when he found Ross diagonally across the court for a made 3. I think he has the ability but, just like most of his offensive game, he needs the opportunity to practice it in-game a lot more often.

[mcHAPPY]

The frustrating thing was watching games and wondering how the coaching staff expected him to improve his court vision and passing, when the set plays forced him to post-up (often starting too far from the basket) while the other players stood around watching. Why not feed him the ball down low as part of a play with lots of off-ball movement, where he will have multiple options to choose from to find an open shooter? That would seem a lot more conducive to actually helping the kid develop, rather than simply giving him his [rare] ISO opportunity.

There was also a stretch (I believe when DeRozan was injured and he was being used more regularly on offense) where he actually did a good job of finding open shooters in the midst of driving off a post-up opportunity. I remember that there were definitely back-to-back games when he found Ross diagonally across the court for a made 3. I think he has the ability but, just like most of his offensive game, he needs the opportunity to practice it in-game a lot more often.

The bold and the underlined is easily applied to Lowry, DD, Lou, Vasquez, and Ross as well.

Getting the ball in the post with no one moving is so frustrating.

Raptors need to play a team game.

They can get away with it in the regular season but it won't work in the playoffs.

[Hugmenot]

Please stop with the raw on-off numbers, my eyes hurt.

Tyler Hansbrough must be an offensive powerhouse. Team gets 5.5 points worse when he sits, and when he plays, they hold a 112 ORTG. And never mind the amazing rim protection he provides - a defensive monster, team is 4.1 points worse without him out there. That's a total swing of 9.6 points better with Tyler Hansbrough than without him.

But Dan, the latest statistic you brought into the debate in a later post has Tyler Hansbrough at 0.67 ORPM and 1.79 DRPM, both better than Jonas Valanciunas (-1.71 ORPM, 1.03 DRPM). Using your words, Tyler is a better player than Jonas based on the RPM statistics.

Not that I believe that for a second.

Do you know if the RPM model is published? As I know, it is not. Just professional curiosity to see how the model compares to distribution, purchasing, and pricing models.

[BobLoblaw]

I get what you're saying.

However....

Part of me wonders if he'd get more touches if he was a better passer.....maybe he would get more touches if he made quicker decisions when he does get the ball instead of holding it like he often does.

Part of me wonders if they'd run the offence through him if he was a better passer.....

Yep, I wonder the same. I think it's impossible to feature a black hole in offense nowadays, if you want to be a legit playoff contender. If you have a black hole and use him sparingly, pick your spots, he might have good numbers and be a somewhat valuable piece of your offense. But feature one a lot, and good teams will eat you in the playoffs.

There's also teaching a young guy good habbits. If Jonas works hard on noticing his open teammates and defense, you gradually increase his responsibilities.

[Chr1s1anL]

I just want to know how old does JV have to be so he can be held accountable?

[white men can't jump]

I don't see people saying "His just 26". I'm talking about the fans. Cause you say one thing negative about JV you get "His just 23" speech. I just want to know when the appropriate age is to critique him. DD's a proven all-star when healthy.

OMFG the all-star thing again.

Can we stop building up DeMar? He's a pretty good player. He's not a great player. He's not a "proven all-star when healthy". He was an all-star in his career season that happened to land on a season where surefire backcourt all-stars were injured. He also played badly for much of this season, which has been blamed by lots of fans around here on his injury (the one they brought him back from cautiously).

It remains to be seen whether he can make the all-star game when his peers are healthy, and he's yet to prove anything about being a great SG. Can anybody think of a time in the last 30-40 years where DeMar would have a chance of being talked about like a top SG? I can't. Only the last couple of years because the position has been terrible. And it probably won't stay terrible...the wing/backcourt positions in general (PG is already arguably the deepest in the league).

It's fine to critique JV, but I've seen you post stuff like....shit I can't even believe some of it. Last summer you were all about "I think Bebe will be the starter by mid season". Now it's all about Biyombo. JV is far more talented than these guys. JV also gets frequently ignored on the court, and is basically one of three players (others being Ross and JJ) who have been held accountable, even for mistakes that weren't theirs at times. DeMar hasn't been benched for a mistake....since his rookie season I think. So I really don't know what the fuck you mean about accountability. Fans? Fans hold him accountable plenty. Even a lot of those who are strong supporters of him. But to fans like you, you clearly just don't like him for whatever reason.

All most of us want is for this very talented player to be used more and for a better approach from those around him. It would benefit the team and his development. And that starts with accountability for every player on the court. ON THE COURT. Where there's the only accountability that matters. You can keep coming in here trying to critique as an excuse to loop the convo to DeMar's all star status, and scores of fans will keep coming in here to tell you, with evidence, many many ways in which JV is good, sometimes even arguably elite, for a big man. So keep trying to hold him accountable, if that's what you think you're doing, and people will keep holding you accountable...And so it will keep going.

[DanH]

But Dan, the latest statistic you brought into the debate in a later post has Tyler Hansbrough at 0.67 ORPM and 1.79 DRPM, both better than Jonas Valanciunas (-1.71 ORPM, 1.03 DRPM). Using your words, Tyler is a better player than Jonas based on the RPM statistics.

Not that I believe that for a second.

Do you know if the RPM model is published? As I know, it is not. Just professional curiosity to see how the model compares to distribution, purchasing, and pricing models.

But RPM does not claim to show who is better - it claims to show who has a better impact in the role they played. So DeMar, as a high usage guy, was below average defensively. Similarly, Hansbrough was far more effective in his role as backup C in a system that spurns size and rewards quickness than Jonas was in his role as a starting C. No one would ever argue that Hansbrough would put up the same impact stats as a starting C, or that JV would put up the same numbers as a backup role player, or that those numbers should be compared except in the sense I stated - who performed better GIVEN their role. RPM is one of those few stats that is actually better used as a raw number and not to compare players.

Same goes for the on-off splits. Anyone saying a starter's on-off splits makes them bad because the bench had better ones simply doesn't understand how to apply those statistics.

[Hugmenot]

But RPM does not claim to show who is better - it claims to show who has a better impact in the role they played. So DeMar, as a high usage guy, was below average defensively. Similarly, Hansbrough was far more effective in his role as backup C in a system that spurns size and rewards quickness than Jonas was in his role as a starting C. No one would ever argue that Hansbrough would put up the same impact stats as a starting C, or that JV would put up the same numbers as a backup role player, or that those numbers should be compared except in the sense I stated - who performed better GIVEN their role. RPM is one of those few stats that is actually better used as a raw number and not to compare players.

Same goes for the on-off splits. Anyone saying a starter's on-off splits makes them bad because the bench had better ones simply doesn't understand how to apply those statistics.

I believe you are interpreting RPM to mean what you what it to mean, not what it is. Without the model being publicly available, I don't see how we can debate this further. You seem to believe in it, I don't at priori but could to a certain degree if the model was public.

As to raw on-off stats, I said they contain a lot of noise in an earlier post and was poking fun at you because of your used of very selective statistic to "prove" a point.

[DanH]

I believe you are interpreting RPM to mean what you what it to mean, not what it is. Without the model being publicly available, I don't see how we can debate this further. You seem to believe in it, I don't at priori but could to a certain degree if the model was public.

As to raw on-off stats, I said they contain a lot of noise in an earlier post and was poking fun at you because of your used of very selective statistic to "prove" a point.

I'm interpreting RPM to mean what the authors claim it means. And I'm judging RPM by the authors' descriptions and the evolution of APM, RAPM, xRAPM to RPM that has been fairly public and followable. The formula itself is not a formula so much as a regression so there's only so much that can easily be made public, and what can be has been in the past for the progression of that statistic.

I'm sorry, I guess I'm not following on me using on-off splits to prove a point. When was this? There's been a lot of posts between yours and mine so I honestly don't know what you are referring to.