NYCbballFan

Against the Wiz, it became evident on Veal's last 3-pt attempt and his missed FTs, he had no legs left. He was all arm in pushing his shots at the hoop. My guess is Veal lost his shooting leg-lift due to the exhaustion of playing many more minutes, and hard minutes, than he's used to. However, his hustle and focus never let up and he didn't allow his tiredness to hurt other areas of his game.

More than any Net, Veal's body is probably sore today and he welcomes the 2 days off.

My point is that Veal plays with more energy and hustle when he's exhausted than Rogers plays with when he enters a game.

Put A-Train, Twin, K-Mart, Zo, Kidd, RJ, Veal and Rogers in a line, forget skin color (which changes with each of the aforementioned, anyway) and ask yourself: Which one of these players is not like the others? Hint: the answer ain't Veal.

Please, SOMEBODY explain to me why Rogers should be ahead of Scalabrine in the Nets rotation.

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Carina Perelli, who has been organizing U.N. assistance for Sunday's election in Iraq, said on Wednesday that U.S. soldiers "have been extremely, I would say, over enthusiastic in trying to help out with this election."

Aurelino

I appreciate your stand on Veal and wonder why other teammates and assistant coaches don't rally around Scott for him getting more minutes. Certainly, what he showed in the first real opportunity he was given is more that what Rogers did most of last season. It is time to stop playing RR on reputation. He may be a former NBA sixth-man of the year but he ahsn't delivered the goods. Also, all the points that NYCbballFan mentioned should ring bells in the mind of Scott. Rogers is probably the worst defender on the team, has less mobility, athleticism and heart. What he used to have, the 3 point shot, even that he has not been able to bring consistently. I read an RJ interview sometime back and he singled out Veal as the player who he finds toughest to play against in team practice and scrimmages.

Rogers might have been the 6th man of the year but either he should produce a consistent overall game backing up RJ or he should atleast provide the spark from the perimeter, in which case he might be partially forgiven for his defensive mistakes and inconsistency. I think the role of A-Train and Lu as one of the primary bench players, is more well-defined than Rogers. He is not exactly a sharpshooter who is brought in the game exclusively to do damage from the perimeter. Neither can he match RJ's energy and athleticism at 3.

Whatever the reason be, last night's game should finally open scott's eyes and make him play Veal more.

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Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

NYCbballFan

Another impressive thing about Veal's game against the Wiz. How about his under-control driving, spinning, one dribble lay-up in between two (or was it three) defenders? The over-all coordination and footwork in THAT move was what brought to mind the Tim Duncan comparison I used in my game-observations post.

Of course, as you do, I want Rogers to find his old 6th Man of the Year form, and in doing so, for the Nets to became that much of a stronger team, but in my mind, Veal has earned Rogers' minutes. I think it's time Scott made Rogers earn them, if he wants them back.

An oldie, but goodie nugget I posted here around the Finals, from Veal's 2000 NBA Draft scouting report on Foulshots.com:


29. Brian Scalabrine (6-9 250 lbs.) USC

POSITIVES: Scalabrine is a big, mobile power forward with very good scoring ability. He can face up and drill three pointers or back defenders down to shoot turnarounds. Scalabrine is also athletic enough to put the ball on the floor and drive by opponents that play him too close for the jumper. He is big, physical and appears to play with toughness and intensity.

NEGATIVES: Scalabrine's rebounding at USC was unacceptable for such a big, strong player. He is not a super quick or explosive player, therefore, expect him to get victimized on the defensive end.

PROGNOSIS: Scalabrine is a player who will be able to step in and contribute immediately. He plays a lot like Tom Gugliotta, although it would be a total surprise if Scalabrine ever put up 20 and 10 like Googs did in his prime. Still, this is a player who can help a team like the Spurs or Lakers.


The author's ending line about Veal helping "a team like the Spurs or Lakers" is ironic. The Nets had him waiting on the bench in both Finals, and didn't use him.

Looks like a prophetic assessment, better than the scouting reports that said Veal couldn't make it in the NBA. The report also lends itself towards an optimistic projection of Veal's offensive potential. In the weaknesses, I agree about the rebounding; Veal gets good box-out position, but seems to have an oddly hard time gripping rebounds. As far as defense, his big body, effort, fundamentals and basketball IQ can do a lot to mitigate the inescapable fact that he's not Kevin Garnett.

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Carina Perelli, who has been organizing U.N. assistance for Sunday's election in Iraq, said on Wednesday that U.S. soldiers "have been extremely, I would say, over enthusiastic in trying to help out with this election."

Aurelino

Full article

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Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

NYCbballFan

Yep. I realize we're making too big a deal out of one game, but for one game, given what Veal had to deal with and overcome, it was pretty darned impressive. He could have had plenty of excuses if he had played badly.

__________________
Carina Perelli, who has been organizing U.N. assistance for Sunday's election in Iraq, said on Wednesday that U.S. soldiers "have been extremely, I would say, over enthusiastic in trying to help out with this election."

Petey

I don't think it's one game, he has started other times and has come through with solid games before.

-Petey

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Tom

he also had some bad ones...i like what he can do to a point. He is a help you alot or hurt you alot guy in my book...it depends on the matchups.

__________________
Obama, “we have moral issues at stake.” Of course the United States must act to stop genocide, he said. “When genocide is happening, when ethnic cleansing is happening . . . and we stand idly by, that diminishes us.”
But that wasn’t how Obama sounded last year, when he was competing for the Democratic nomination and was unbending in his demand for an American retreat from Iraq. Back then, he dismissed fears that a US’t a good enough reason to keep US forces there,” the AP reported on July 20, 2007 (my italics). withdrawal would unleash a massive Iraqi bloodbath. “Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Thursday the United States cannot use its military to solve humanitarian problems and that preventing a potential genocide in Iraq isn’t a good enough reason to keep US forces there,” the AP reported on July 20, 2007 (my italics).

Little punk

Petraeus recently said: "There has to be absolute unity of purpose, unity of effort, even if there cannot be and will not be unity of command."

NYCbballFan

Tru'dat.

Scott, Rogers and Veal are like that movie plot cliche of a guy (Scott) who is infatuated with a girl (Rogers) who he thinks is the feminine ideal but falls short in actuality, while with him through the whole ordeal is his best friend (Veal) who's a much better girfriend. We spend two hours in a theater rooting for the guy to ditch the other girl and hook up with his friend. We've spent a season rooting for Scott to ditch Rogers and put Veal in the game.

Veal isn't going to replace K-Mart's skills, but I can't think of any match-ups where Rogers is better than Scalabrine UNLESS Rogers is nailing 3s, which Scalabrine has the potential to do, too.

__________________
Carina Perelli, who has been organizing U.N. assistance for Sunday's election in Iraq, said on Wednesday that U.S. soldiers "have been extremely, I would say, over enthusiastic in trying to help out with this election."

Tom

But...but...he just looks so soft

__________________
Obama, “we have moral issues at stake.” Of course the United States must act to stop genocide, he said. “When genocide is happening, when ethnic cleansing is happening . . . and we stand idly by, that diminishes us.”
But that wasn’t how Obama sounded last year, when he was competing for the Democratic nomination and was unbending in his demand for an American retreat from Iraq. Back then, he dismissed fears that a US’t a good enough reason to keep US forces there,” the AP reported on July 20, 2007 (my italics). withdrawal would unleash a massive Iraqi bloodbath. “Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Thursday the United States cannot use its military to solve humanitarian problems and that preventing a potential genocide in Iraq isn’t a good enough reason to keep US forces there,” the AP reported on July 20, 2007 (my italics).

Little punk

Petraeus recently said: "There has to be absolute unity of purpose, unity of effort, even if there cannot be and will not be unity of command."

NYCbballFan

Softer than Rogers?

I doubt he was nick-named Deebo by the Nets. He is both shorter and heavier than Veal, and I'm not sure how much of that extra weight is actually muscle.

Hm. If Rogers is forced to sit out too much time because of his thumb, who thinks Rogers will be out of shape when he comes back?

__________________
Carina Perelli, who has been organizing U.N. assistance for Sunday's election in Iraq, said on Wednesday that U.S. soldiers "have been extremely, I would say, over enthusiastic in trying to help out with this election."

Tom

Thats true...maybe its the red hair that goes along with it...i think people perceive Rogers as a better post defender and STILL a better shooter..or at least a more confident one. I'd like to see what veal does when he gets more respect from the other players....then we will get a better idea if he can step up his game. I'm getting there, but i need a few more good games in a row. Last year he played well and then tailed off badly after a few bad shooting games.

__________________
Obama, “we have moral issues at stake.” Of course the United States must act to stop genocide, he said. “When genocide is happening, when ethnic cleansing is happening . . . and we stand idly by, that diminishes us.”
But that wasn’t how Obama sounded last year, when he was competing for the Democratic nomination and was unbending in his demand for an American retreat from Iraq. Back then, he dismissed fears that a US’t a good enough reason to keep US forces there,” the AP reported on July 20, 2007 (my italics). withdrawal would unleash a massive Iraqi bloodbath. “Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Thursday the United States cannot use its military to solve humanitarian problems and that preventing a potential genocide in Iraq isn’t a good enough reason to keep US forces there,” the AP reported on July 20, 2007 (my italics).

Little punk

Petraeus recently said: "There has to be absolute unity of purpose, unity of effort, even if there cannot be and will not be unity of command."

NYCbballFan

Yeah, Veal still has to prove he can be a 3-pt threat. If he ever does that, there would be no reason to play Rogers and his short streaks of made 3s.

I didn't realize Rogers was even considered a good post defender, but if he is, he's definitely overrated. In terms of 6'6-6'7 block-house forwards, I had the privilege of watching vintage Mase and then LJ defending the post for the Knicks. Rogers' D doesn't compare at all.

He reminds me of Keith Van Horn at times in how he loses track of a developing play, gets out of position, and either takes himself out of the play or tries to recover and commits a stupid foul. In the Nets defense, a player has to know his assignment, move quick, react quick and help his teammates. From the Finals, I have this enduring memory of all the Nets, including Veal, playing their hearts out on defense, but Rogers running (jogging?) around cluelessly in the half-court defense in Game 6, not really defending anybody, and Deke screaming at him after yet another blown assignment.

Veal ain't K-Mart on defense, but he's got some tools to work with. He's a much better help and recovery defender than Rogers. He's surprisingly good at disrupting shots in the paint by closing out quickly, though he's not a shot-blocker. He sticks with it, keeps aware of what's going on around him, reacts well, uses his big body, has good footwork, gets good position, and at least makes guys work for their points. Even when Veal gets busted, he's in the vicinity, unlike Rogers. Kwame Brown couldn't score on him, and the one shot he hit over Veal - the short hook in the lane - he hit over Twin, too. Veal looked a lot better defending KG than Rogers looked against KG-lite (Bosh). Heck, the only reason Rogers hurt his thumb was because he was trying to recover on his busted defense. Veal at least forced KG to make tough jumpshots over him. The only thing Veal doesn't do well enough on defense is snatch rebounds.

__________________
Carina Perelli, who has been organizing U.N. assistance for Sunday's election in Iraq, said on Wednesday that U.S. soldiers "have been extremely, I would say, over enthusiastic in trying to help out with this election."

Tom

SO CLOSE!

__________________
Obama, “we have moral issues at stake.” Of course the United States must act to stop genocide, he said. “When genocide is happening, when ethnic cleansing is happening . . . and we stand idly by, that diminishes us.”
But that wasn’t how Obama sounded last year, when he was competing for the Democratic nomination and was unbending in his demand for an American retreat from Iraq. Back then, he dismissed fears that a US’t a good enough reason to keep US forces there,” the AP reported on July 20, 2007 (my italics). withdrawal would unleash a massive Iraqi bloodbath. “Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Thursday the United States cannot use its military to solve humanitarian problems and that preventing a potential genocide in Iraq isn’t a good enough reason to keep US forces there,” the AP reported on July 20, 2007 (my italics).

Little punk

Petraeus recently said: "There has to be absolute unity of purpose, unity of effort, even if there cannot be and will not be unity of command."