04-30-2007, 03:25 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Hickville, Indiana
Age: 17
Posts: 14,897
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Season In Review: Darrell Armstrong
Quote:
STRENGTHS: An all-out hustle player willing to give up his body for the team. The one guy on the roster whose energy level never waned. Still quick, but no longer the fastest guy on the floor every night, Armstrong remains a tenacious, aggressive defender that loves to pressure the ball. A streaky 3-point shooter, he posted his highest accuracy mark (.339) since the 2001-02 season. Can still score in quick, stunning bursts.
WEAKNESSES: Not a pure point guard in the conventional sense in that he doesn't break down the defense to create shots for teammates, and sometimes takes unnecessary risks on defense. Although it's beyond his control, age will continue to become Armstrong's biggest enemy.
OUTLOOK: Armstrong proved he can still contribute, although his status with the Pacers could depend on other moves the team makes. If management decides to go young, he may prefer to use his last year or two in pursuit of a ring.
CONTRACT STATUS: Has two years remaining that aren't guaranteed.
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Quote:
(On the turning point)
"29-24 (the team's record on Feb. 22); that's all I can go back to, and 11 games in a row we lose. I looked at this team on paper and I felt like this team had a chance when I first got here with Stephen Jackson, and I knew they were trying to get Al Harrington. When they got traded, I felt like everything went down the drain. You try to put things together. I know how tough it is. I've been traded. I'm a role-player. The players we got back are role-players. So it's tougher for them because they've got to find their way through so many things. It's easier for a superstar who can just go and shoot the basketball because all the plays are going to be for him. It's tougher for role-players because of getting traded. Put it all together and it seemed like we were doing it but everything just went downhill after awhile. It's just been that type of year. It's been a roller-coaster year and the roller-coaster went downhill and stayed there for a minute. That's why we were in this position."
(On his decision to return for at least one more season)
"I'm coming back, unless nobody wants me. I'm definitely coming back. I'm just looking forward to next year. This is not the way anybody should want to go out as a player."
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http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/0607_review_armstrong.html
My take: For what turned into the worst season in almost 20 years, Armstrong brought energy and excitement that kept some fans watching games. His 3-point shooting was amazing until the old ball came back, but even then, he proved to be a great sub for Tinsley, often playing better than him.
Strengths: Energy. We all know this one, and remember Armstrong diving on the ball for loose balls, when no one else would. He'd sprint up the floor to contest fast breaks, when no one else would. He'd take charges in key times, when no one else would. Besides his quickness and effort, Armstrong became a great leader on the floor, telling some players what to do on offense, how to rotate on defense, and giving advice during practices and timeouts, too. His flops were hilarious, too. It was almost like Reggie was back in that aspect.
Weaknesses: As we've seen with Mike Dunleavy, inconsistent shooting isn't very fun to witness. Armstrong became more consistently bad as the season progressed, but he'd occasionally help. Armstrong never became a great passer, not that he ever has been, and often was not quick enough on defense to keep up with his man, resulting in his many flops, or an easy cut to the basket. His one-man full-court presses were very enjoyable, and while they rarely resulted in turnovers, they at least made the opponent more weary about bringing the ball up the court on Armstrong.
Season Grade: A-
Excellent role player. One of the best guys in the league to have on a team.
Feel free to post your own. As pacers.com continues with these, I'll be posting mine as well.
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Season In Review: Darrell Armstrong
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