woodbury

[HomerChampless]

Absolutely agree with this and it's not just Woody. There are times I see Mel, White with a post and we tend to be happy swinging it around the top.

So, is it player unselfishness (yeah, I talking to you, Devin) when making offensive play calls or is it Fran?

 

[Seth53]

He got a nice round of applause from us @ CHA last night when he dove for a loose ball near our basket in the middle of the 2nd half.

That play summed up what he gave last night....may not have been pretty or smooth, but it was tenacious.

 

[HawkIPA]

Woodbury should have his hands full with Amir Williams Sunday. Should be a pretty good matchup actually.

 

[1hawkeye1]

Last night he showed flashes of playing better at the high post. I liked woody at the FT line and Basabe in the low block.

Don't know that he can consistently hit that 12-15' shot though.

 

[glidinghawk]

Last night he showed flashes of playing better at the high post. I liked woody at the FT line and Basabe in the low block.

Don't know that he can consistently hit that 12-15' shot though.

I'd rather see him take a lot more of the 5 foot jump hooks or straight hooks than the elbow J from 12 to 15 feet.

Amir Williams is somewhat prone to foul trouble, and I'd like to see Woodbury use some agility to draw fouls this Sunday. But how will the calls go on the road at Ohio State? Probably not Iowa's way.

 

[hawkfan33]

Last night he showed flashes of playing better at the high post. I liked woody at the FT line and Basabe in the low block.

Don't know that he can consistently hit that 12-15' shot though.

Maybe not this year, but I think that's definitely something he can have in his offensive repertoire in the next couple of years. He's made tremendous strides in his free throw shooting from last year to this year. He's going to be able to get that elbow shot any time he wants, if he can knock that down regularly he becomes much more of an offensive threat.

 

[LawVHawk]

If he can hit that 10-15 foot jump shot that will loosen him up on the inside.

1) Fran's 7-1 spot-up shooter. Love it!

2) On a few of his takes I'm pretty sure at least one of Adam's feet were on the floor, if not both. Can those really be called "jump" shots?

 

[HawkeyeFever]

1) Fran's 7-1 spot-up shooter. Love it!

2) On a few of his takes I'm pretty sure at least one of Adam's feet were on the floor, if not both. Can those really be called "jump" shots?

Here's an idea...How about JAM IT?

Woody had a wide open dish last night that he laid in for two in the first half that I took notice of. At 7' 1", why doesn't he just dunk the ball? Eventually, one of those gimme lay ins is going to doink at a crucial part of the game.

Lay ups...95% success, possibly foul to get two free throws or make it and get the +1
Dunks...99% success with maybe 20-30% of the time getting the +1

The kid is over seven feet tall. A vertical "leap" of one foot would probably suffice.

 

[lightning1]

Sure don't miss Duffbag. Forum has been much better lately with the bannings.

I think Woody would get more blocks and less fouls if he would be patient and allow the offensive player to make their move, when they get the ball in the post, rather than try and body the guy off the block. He's tall enough and has active hands to get some blocks by using timing rather than body. Someone should sit him down and show him old film on AC Earl. Earl almost never tried to body up a post player that already had the ball on the block. He'd just wait for the player to make his move and then block or alter the shot.

 

[HawkIPA]

The kid is over seven feet tall. A vertical "leap" of one foot would probably suffice.

You must think Woody has abnormally short arms.

 

[MisterLucky]

I think it's obvious that Woodbury has been working hard on his game and he will only get better. And who would have thought that at this stage of the season that his FT% would be better than Marble's, Gesell's, Clemmon's, Basabe's and Oglesby's?

 

[tm3308]

I'd rather see him take a lot more of the 5 foot jump hooks or straight hooks than the elbow J from 12 to 15 feet.

Amir Williams is somewhat prone to foul trouble, and I'd like to see Woodbury use some agility to draw fouls this Sunday. But how will the calls go on the road at Ohio State? Probably not Iowa's way.

I think you'll see Woody hit that shot consistently in the future. I believe it's Francis who works with the post guys, and there has been at least one guy every year to demonstrate the ability to hit that shot under his tutelage. Cole had it, Basabe has it (and can even stretch out to 15' on ocassion), and now Woody is showing it. Even Gabe has flashed a little baby J from the baseline a few times, although his forte will always be throwing down thunder dunks.

And we saw last night what hitting that jumper can do for Woody. I couldn't believe he managed to pump fake a defender and drive around him from 15'. That's a weapon for him in a big way.

 

[hawkeye12345]

 

[Knight78]

He's getting better. It must suck being a low post player now - what is a foul, what isn't a foul, because I swear they look the same.

Playing there during my long-past playing days, when in "the pits" what is a foul? Anything that severs a limb or worse. What isn't a foul? Everything else... UNLESS you go out and set a pick for a guard. Then you breathe too hard on the opposing guard and it's a foul.

 

[JHHawk]

Woody has made the Hawks defense immensely better since he arrived. The year before he arrived it was very bad..then suddenly he is starting last year and the defense efficiency ratings zoom up. He does all the little things you want from a big man,and is gaining confidence in his offense. Now, keep it going, Woody!

 

[Knight78]

So, is it player unselfishness (yeah, I talking to you, Devin) when making offensive play calls or is it Fran?

You can't just get the ball and turn into a "black hole" (never pass the ball back) when you get it in the post. Also, the guys throwing the ball into the post have to understand that there's more to gain by getting the ball there. Their defensive man will usually turn around to help out in the post leading to open looks from the three point line. It's all a part of a team's offensive philosophy. Some guys understand this from the get-go, some NEVER understand it their entire lives.

 

[Knight78]

1) Fran's 7-1 spot-up shooter. Love it!

2) On a few of his takes I'm pretty sure at least one of Adam's feet were on the floor, if not both. Can those really be called "jump" shots?

I'm not saying he's the same level of player, but both of these statements (well, except substitute 6'11'') could be made about a pretty fair ball player by the name of Bill Laimbeer - 6'11'' spot up shooter and got so high on his "jump shot" that you could almost slide a sheet of paper under his toes.

 

[Knight78]

I think Woody would get more blocks and less fouls if he would be patient and allow the offensive player to make their move, when they get the ball in the post, rather than try and body the guy off the block. He's tall enough and has active hands to get some blocks by using timing rather than body. Someone should sit him down and show him old film on AC Earl. Earl almost never tried to body up a post player that already had the ball on the block. He'd just wait for the player to make his move and then block or alter the shot.

Acie Earl played AWFUL defense. All he could do was block shots. Blocking a shot is NOT defense, it's a last resort. I can't tell you how many times I yelled at the TV watching Acie try to block shots on competent players and fail... and in the process be completely out of position to help others. I much prefer Woody's defense - keeping a player off the block, denying him the ball as long as possible and then bodying up so the opponent can't do what he wants. 90% of good defense is making the offensive player work hard to receive the ball and then making him do what he doesn't want to do with the ball.

 

[tm3308]

Acie Earl played AWFUL defense. All he could do was block shots. Blocking a shot is NOT defense, it's a last resort. I can't tell you how many times I yelled at the TV watching Acie try to block shots on competent players and fail... and in the process be completely out of position to help others. I much prefer Woody's defense - keeping a player off the block, denying him the ball as long as possible and then bodying up so the opponent can't do what he wants. 90% of good defense is making the offensive player work hard to receive the ball and then making him do what he doesn't want to do with the ball.

This. Steals work the exact same way. Just because a guy gambles a lot and wins doesn't make him a great defender. Great perimeter defenders make life with the ball in your hands miserable, and make life without the ball in your hands even worse.

 

[clicheusername3]

This. Steals work the exact same way. Just because a guy gambles a lot and wins doesn't make him a great defender. Great perimeter defenders make life with the ball in your hands miserable, and make life without the ball in your hands even worse.

Iverson has to be the poster-child for this.