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One on One · 01-07-2005, 08:48 AM

I think this kinda got lost in the other thread so I wanted to point out that Hayes had an injury to his shooting hand earlier in the season. He was playing through pain, which is the likely cause of his bad shooting. So, I think his recent good shooting should not be seen as a fluke...it looks like he is 100% again and we can expect this type of shooting from him.

**BCH** · 01-07-2005, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by <b>One on One</b>!
I think this kinda got lost in the other thread so I wanted to point out that Hayes had an injury to his shooting hand earlier in the season. He was playing through pain, which is the likely cause of his bad shooting. So, I think his recent good shooting should not be seen as a fluke...it looks like he is 100% again and we can expect this type of shooting from him.

The injury was an excuse. It was his thumb that was injured, which is less important in your jump shot than you might think. It was definitely painfful, but it should not affect the shot as much. Pain is part of the game, if you can't deal with it then you need to work on your pain management and not become Wince Carter.

One on One · 01-07-2005, 03:55 PM

Well, I don't think you can dismiss any injury to the shooting hand. Only time will tell in this situation.

I just hate when athletes get ripped for sitting out or playing poorly due to "minor" injuries. I know if I was a professional I'd be getting ripped right now for sitting out 3 weeks with something I could only describe as a sore tailbone. It sucks. I can't play effectively, yet I know there is no structural damage. I've had a sore knee before that put me out of action for 2 months. Professionals would get ripped for doing something like that. We don't always know the extent of the injury so I give Hayes the benefit of the doubt. Now, if he goes back to his poor shooting again, I'll change my tune.

**MJG** · 01-07-2005, 04:12 PM

As I mentioned in the game thread, I think people need to watch out on going way overboard because of a good two game stretch. Truth is, Hayes just is not a very good shooter at this point. He hit 40% even from the field and 30.5% from three last year; this year, he's at 36.2% and 28.8%. If anyone wants to attribute the drop to his injury, that's fine. However, assuming the injury somehow just vanished and that was in fact the reason for the drop, it isn't as though he's got some high level of play to return to.

Shooting the same amount of shots he is so far this season while improving to last year's percentages would net him an extra 0.1 threes and 0.4 overall makes a game. Yep, that's all -- a "return to form" for Hayes means making one more shot every other game, with one out of every five of those shots being a three. Exciting.

Of course, this is just talking about shooting percentages. Hayes still doesn't do anything on defense orshare the ball on offense or really anything else beyond grab an okay number of rebounds and hit his free throws on his one trip to the line a night.

I've mentioned it before, but I still have hope that Hayes will turn into something solid (not great though) down the line. However, fact is that that time is not now. He's not even okay or average right now. Hayes is a poor player at this stage in his career. He should be used in spot minutes off the end of the bench, a la Dixon for the few games Blake was back.

My basic point: even if you believe the injury was the reason for Hayes' terrible play this season, it isn't as though he was especially good before the injury. Expecting him to suddenly become something beneficial for us based on two good games is a setup for disappointment in my opinion.

**afireinside** · 01-07-2005, 07:01 PM

I think people should stop ripping on Hayes. I think he's a pretty good player who is a better shooter than most think. he also is a decent defender on the ball with a good stance and mindset. not sure why everyone thinks he's horrible on D.

**JNice** · 01-08-2005, 11:23 AM

I love the long lost brother of the artist formerly known as Nick Anderson.

**MJG** · 01-08-2005, 10:35 PM

Back to form with 2-9 shooting against the Wolves tonight. Rebounds and free throws were good as usual, but that's about it.

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