http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/news/battle_of_the_bloggers_no_3_070904.html
DOAN:
An effective NBA point guard acts as the quarterback for the entire team, and
must not only worry about getting scoring opportunities for himself, but also
getting the ball to his teammates, such that they might be in position to
succeed on offense. Randy Foye was at his best in his rookie year when he was
allowed to simply go into attack mode, the way he played at Villanova.
However, at times when Randy was in attack mode, he would attempt to get all
the way to the basket and racked up 21 offensive fouls last season. After a
year in the NBA at the point, Randy will be better able to see when the
driving lanes are open, make better decisions with the ball, and become a
better playmaker.
Randy now understands two of the most important mantras for an NBA point
guard, feed the hot hand and take what the defense gives you. Randy’s
performance this year in Summer League showed that he has embraced these
mantras; the young Wolves recorded a 4-1 record in Summer League. Randy
correctly read mismatches, and exploited the mismatch, either by scoring
himself or feeding the ball to the player with the mismatch, until the
defense adjusted. The balance between playmaker and scorer was clearly
present in Randy’s performance in Vegas this year, and will be important for
the future success of the Wolves.
LITEL:
Going into the 2007-08 season, Foye now has the three most important elements
needed to take his game to the next level. Opportunity - With the trade of
James to Houston, Foye has been given the job of running the show this
season. Foye played well in his rookie season, but now with the opportunity
for a significant increase in minutes, his stats should also see a
significant increase as well. Along with being given an opportunity is the
willingness to accept the challenge and Foye has done just that by ratcheting
up his summer workouts after the biggest trade in Timberwolves history.
Familiarity - Obviously, Foye knows his teammates who remain from last season
both on and off the court. However, a majority of his new teammates have also
either played with or against Foye during their formative years. Chemistry
can sometimes be more important than individual talents on a roster and this
team should certainly have it.
Confidence - Foye has always been a confident person, yet that confidence
should rightfully soar this season. Last year, the team was reluctant to
include Foye in a trade for Allen Iverson, which he should consider a great
compliment. Now, with the departure of Kevin Garnett, Foye--along with
Jefferson--should be look upon as the face of the franchise.
Some would like to give up on Foye as an NBA point guard, which would be the
wrong move. Allowing Foye a full season to continue his development is the
prudent decision. It’s time for “Foye and the Boys.”
HALL:
For this question, I did some number crunching. I looked at other recent
lottery point guards - Kirk Hinrich, TJ Ford, Luke Ridnour, Devin Harris,
Deron Williams, Chris Paul, and Raymond Felton (I excluded the high school
guys) - and I compared their rookie stats with their sophomore stats to see
how point guards have statistically improved in their sophomore effort.
Collectively, those seven guys averaged 17.3 PPG per 48 minutes in their
rookie year, increasing to 19.4 PPG in their second year. As for assists,
they averaged 8.8 APG per 48 minutes in their rookie year, and 9.5 APG in
their second year. Finally, they shot a collective 40.8% from the field in
their rookie year, compared to 42.3% in their second year. Foye may not
perfectly follow these trends, as he’s not considered a “true” point
guard, but I think his sophomore stats will generally increase in these
patterns.
Foye’s year of NBA experience will also help him improve in several areas
not on the stat sheet: Specifically, his crunch-time performance, and his
comfort level in the role of court-general. Foye took more big shots than I’
d expect from a rookie last year - those instances were undoubtedly valuable
experiences for Foye, so I expect he’ll have an even greater comfort level
in clutch situations this season. Also, Foye faced the challenge of adjusting
to the role of NBA point guard- having a year under his belt, we’ll see a
generally more comfortable and under-control Randy Foye at point guard this
year.
HANSON:
With Kevin Garnett gone, Randy Foye will be expected to assume a leadership
position and dictate the flow of the Wolves' offense this year. Even though
he's only played one season, I feel Randy has had ample opportunity to
prepare himself for these responsibilities.
Foye's 2006-07 averages of 10.1 points and 2.8 assists may seem underwhelming
for a player who was projected as a potential Rookie of the Year. However,
when you consider that Randy played a mere 22.9 minutes per game, those
numbers become quite impressive. Foye was brought along slowly and only
averaged 14.6 minutes in his first month. Yet when he was given the
opportunity to shine, Randy seized it. In the fourteen games in which he
played thirty minutes or more, Foye averaged 17.1 points and 5.6 assists. (By
the way, Brandon Roy averaged 16.4 and 4.0 while playing 35.4 minutes.) Those
numbers bode well for the Timberwolves as Randy is likely to log some heavy
minutes this year.
Last season, Foye also gained experience handling high-pressure situations.
Randy hit a game-winning shot against the Bulls, found Davis for last-second
three vs. Boston, and led the charge during several of the Wolves'
fourth-quarter rallies. Foye's penchant for clutch plays and his 85.4%
free-throw shooting (19 th best in the NBA) will prove to be invaluable for
the Timberwolves during close games. Though his NBA experience is limited,
Randy has given every indication that he has what it takes to lead the Wolves
as their starting point guard.
KELSEY:
Last season Foye gained some valuable experience in his adjustment period to
the NBA. However, it might only contribute a minimally positive effect on his
ability to successfully play PG heading into year two.
Last season he learned the basic nuances of playing point guard, which is
admittedly a good foundation on which to build. However, any cohesion with
last year’s players is largely lost due to the roster turnover from the
Garnett trade. He now has a plethora of new players and “styles” to get
accustomed to.
As for technical aspects of his game, he needs to become better at
penetrating the defense; looking for the quick dish or kick out to an open
man, rather than his own shot. According to NBA.com/Hotzones, Foye shot 53.8%
on 264 FG’s within 3 feet of the hoop, but shot less than 40% in 6 of the
other 8 “Hotzones” inside the three-point arc. With more experience, he
will become more adept at finding the open man and knowing when to look for
his own shot.
Is Foye ready to become the floor general and catalyst for this young
offense? From what I saw last year, he looked more comfortable in the
off-guard position, rather than being relied upon as the primary
ball-handler. After this season we should all have better understanding as to
whether or not Foye can become a starting-caliber point guard in this league,
or if perhaps he is best suited for a different contributing role on this
team.
HALSTED:
I think with one year under his belt, Randy Foye will have a good year. There
are things that helped him last season, and coming into this season, there
are still some things that he’ll need to adjust to.
First off, here is what I think helped him…
A) Playing with KG was huge, I think this helped him learn how to use the
big-man in the NBA, and how to handle an offense with a key player as the
center point. In addition to this, I’m sure Kevin taught Randy a lot about
the game.
B) Foye got a chance to run the Wolves offense at PG in the second half of
the season, and I think this helped him mature, and learn how to lead a team.
He also knows the SG position, and this should make him versatile.
C) Finally, Foye showed last season that he can take over a game, and make
key shots. Mainly, with his winning basket against the Bulls.
Some things he needs to adjust to…
A) With KG gone, he may need to learn a new style of play, and won’t have
one guy to give the ball to that dominates the game.
B) Finally, Foye has a lot of new teammates, and he’ll need to learn how to
play with them, and learn their styles.
Overall, I think Foye will have a good year, and be one of the best players
for the Wolves. But, as with all young guys, there will be ups and downs.
GROVER:
With one year under his belt, Young Fella is no longer in charge of getting
donuts for his teammates. Last season, playing under two different head
coaches in an overcrowded backcourt, he demonstrated his well-rounded game
and put on a performance stellar enough to land him on the All-Rookie first
team, a feat shared by other great combo guards.
Due to offseason changes, Foye now has a greater opportunity to utilize his
expressed desire and ability to be a leader. He’ll no longer have to look
over his shoulder at a slew of guards waiting to come in if he makes an
untimely turnover. A glance will show only Jaric and Telfair waiting to take
his place. This should allow him to focus on the game and make smart plays.
The uptempo game the Wolves might run with these new players could lend
itself to his skill set and place him in the role of floor general. Also
beneficial is that when Foye received significant playing time last season,
his production skyrocketed.
In addition, the player is not shying away from the team’s obvious desire to
build around him. No stranger to adversity, Foye increased his offseason
training at news of Garnett’s departure because he said he felt it
necessary. Along with the roster shakeup, the player's confidence building
rookie season and his accustomedness to handling increased responsibility
both on and off-court bode well for seeing his game mature on the young squad
this year. Brandon who?
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