Anonymous
Years ago
Don't know what you got till its gone - $ Beal
I thought it was a strange move by the Wildcats firstly to offload Beal. Ok, he had flaws and they wanted to improve, so fair enough. But to replace him with a player who appeared to be a non-shooting "finisher" like Johnson was even more curious. Who was going to create offense for this team? Especially without a guy like Jawai to chuck it into the post to create offense as well.
Damian Martin is fantastic, we all know that. But he is a limited offensive player. Not a big penetrator or shooter. Coupling him with combo guards who can dominate the ball and create offense in Lisch and then Beal was perfect for the Cats since he's been here.
I gave the Cats the benefit of the doubt. They said there was more to Johnson than just his huge athleticism and powerful finishing. Nielsen said his playmaking, ball handling and shooting were up to scratch too. Prather came back stating he'd been working on his off the dribble and in-between game.
In Johnson & Prather, you have probably the most athletic, dangerous wing combo in the league in terms of slashing and athletic transition play. But who is going to create those angles and opportunities for them? The Cats "A" line-up would be Martin, Johnson and Prather, who all appear to be non-natural shooters. There was a heap of hesitation late when these guys who offered open threes as the Bullets cleverly sagged into the paint. To Prather's credit, he did shoot quite a number of the open looks at 3 with confidence but they were not close.
At least with Beal on the floor you have a dangerous three point threat who teams are not going to easily leave. Plus, he is willingly able to carry a heavy load offensively. He understands the flow of the game. And he makes big shots. Sure he's not the most efficient scorer, but his presence and style was very suitable to the make-up of those Wildcat teams.
This Cats team will have their nights. There are going to be days (particularly at home) when they get out in transition and overwhelm teams with energy and athleticism. But their inability to create anything regularly in the half-court will be their downfall. Jameel McKay might end up being their best player this season. Without being too disparaging (I like him a lot), it says something about your team when your best player is an energy guy.
There's a fair chance the Cats miss the Top 4 this season - unless they bite the bullet and re-structure their team by dropping an import (presumably Johnson) and bringing in a more Beal-esque player who can create, shoot and have a heap of possessions run through him on offense.
Who knows - maybe they just had a bad night? But when crucial fourth quarter possessions involve the likes of Martin, Kenny and Hire penetrating to try and create, you know your offense isn't good. Matt Knight's return will help - you can dump the ball into him in the post to create, but his frequent injuries and advancing age make you wonder if you can rely on this as the lynchpin to a championship offense.
